Yesterday, I just came across an article while leafing through the newspaper, written by some engg student. She’s experienced something similar to me! I just thought even I’d write about my experience and the pros and esp the cons of reading! Reading of course is a very good habit. It helps us improve our language and vocabulary. It accompanies us as always and helps us out of the boredom. Especially, when am left all alone at home with nothing to do and reluctant to watch the idiot box and its stupid soaps. But!

Some books by our favorite authors tend to captivate us too much and keep us so engrossed that we start relating to one of the characters in that book and it sometimes is toooooooo much man!

Like how a week back one fine evening, I was reading ‘The Fourth Estate’ by my favorite author Jeffrey Archer lying in my bed and unusually I fell asleep with the book in hand. My mind had been wandering as usual even though I was napping and snoring nicely. Suddenly I woke up hearing the door bell ring and I strolled all the way sleepily to the door and found this boy from the nearby departmental store standing there at our doorstep carrying a mineral water can. I stood there blinking without knowing what I should tell him or how I should be reacting. I never realized that my mom was at home until she came out of her room and yelled at me.

Mom: What are you waiting for give him the 50 rupees and let him go?

Me: (confused) But where is the money?

Mom: You mean you don’t have it or you won’t give it?

Fine. Get my purse.

Me: But aren’t we in debts? We don’t have our credit cards too. How will u pay him now? Ask him to take the can back.

Mom: We? What? Debts? What debt? What’s it? Were you day-dreaming? Get back to bed then.

I stand there still for a moment. Mom gets her purse, pays him, shuts the door and goes back into her room to sleep. I still stand there in the middle of the drawing room blinking.

What’s up with me? I’ve been dreaming like a fool! Why should I act like this?
As I go back to my room and look (!!!???!!) there is this book “THE FOURTH ESTATE” lying on my bed. Oh shit! I’ve been reading it all day long and started liking this newspaper baron character called Keith Townsend, who has been a gambler all his life taking risks to achieve his only aim of controlling the biggest newspaper empire in the world. But he has risked too much without covering his back that has lead to too much of debts. I’ve just read till that and dozed off before reading the climax part. I’ve got engrossed to that character so much that I’ve end-up dreaming that my family is in some precarious situation! But you know at last my Keith came out of his situation with the help of this shrewd bank officer E.B. She’s a very nice lady!

Oops see what reading has done to me! It sometimes does lead to precarious situations like this! [:P]

The Parliament fiasco

Well am not that interested in politics. Or I don’t understand those political stunts that much! That’s the right way to put it! But I’ve ended up writing this because of my dad!!:(
And of course the behavior of our members of Parliament that seemed to be no better than that of the mischievous kids of kinder garden. I was stunned to see MPs springing to their feet and shouting at the slightest provocation, caring little for the speaker.
This write-up may bring out controversial comments (because politics is being discussed) due to conflict of opinions but I’ve got nothing to say about it coz again every time I write I just write whatever I feel and opinions do differ don’t they!

I was forced to watch this trust voting session by ma dad yesterday and finally I just ended up with a migraine.

The members were just making a mockery of democracy at the Parliament House yesterday. Mr.Chatterjee , the Speaker handling the crowd asking them not to disturb the Session or the counting of votes was miserable to watch. Every now and then he had to call out ‘Mr.Minister please go to your seat’. It was worse than a scene in a K.G classroom.

And this cost-for-vote scandal that took place, it has just brought disrepute to the whole nation. At 4 p.m, 3 of the BJP MPs brought bag full of cash and alleged that the UPA govt was using money-power to win the trust motion. They say they were bribed to prevent them from voting against the govt but I don’t see any sense in it. Somebody bringing a bag full of money and complaining that he was bribed?? Why did he accept the money firsthand? Why dint he go to the police immediately? Why was he waiting to bring it to the House till 4 p.m? And how did he manage to bring it inside the House? Isn’t there any security checking there? Even if the bribery had taken place, there are better ways to handle the case. Not like this at some moment when the whole world is watching our nation, during a session of the reputed Parliament House. Were they really bribed or did they do it to curtail the proceedings of the House? God only knows…!

The second worst sight was when the Prime Minister was delivering his speech. The loud uproar of the opposition members and the way they were chanting slogans against him not even allowing him give a reply. Finally he had to submit the write up of his prepared speech to the Speaker. The PM’s speech was a surprising one for me. He had given counter to Advani saying Advani’s astrologers have let him down this time and better he change them for his sake and India’s sake. That was a hilarious note and I least expected a speech like that from Dr.Manmohan Singh coz he usually never involves himself in these word wars. He also added that Advani had used cheap adjectives to describe him in his speech!! (I cant comment on that coz I couldn’t see Advani’s speech coz of powercut. But I don’t doubt it anyway coz we all know Advani is likely to do things like that. Can we ever forget the Gujarat riots? ) The PM is really a changed man these days as the news channels called him yesterday. The votes were casted electronically after the PM’s speech. And in seconds the board showed 253 for the govt, 232 against and 2 abstained. Some 54 MPs hadn’t voted coz they wanted to do it manually in slips but before that several unmindful members walked up to the PM and Sonia Gandhi and started congratulating them! Again the Speaker found it hard to settle this commotion and it took another hour to finish the manual counting and declare the results. The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) won the trust vote by a margin of 19 votes. They had secured 275 votes against 256 of the opposition and 10 members were abstained from voting. The Congress members were cheering and congratulating each other and people were found bursting crackers and celebrating near the residences of the Congress leaders. I wish they realized its no time to celebrate and gloat their pride. There are a lot of serious issues like the inflation to be solved for the welfare of the nation and I wish they understand that still they are in the answerable position!!

The Prince of Kolkata…

Sourav Ganguly turns 36 today. Let’s wish him a very Happy birthday and pray for his success in all his future endeavors!!!

I’ve juz gathered some facts about him and posted in my blog to pay a tribute to ma favorite cricketer and the best ever Test captain of the Indian team. He was the most passionate, shrewdest, intuitive and the most determined captain with the highest success rate till date. Under his captaincy, the Indian team achieved remarkable heights, including the Test series win against Australia at home in 2001, reaching the World Cup Final in 2003 and winning both the one-day and Test series in Pakistan the next year. He was un-partial and a very supportive leader and pushed young players like Yuvraj and Kaif to perform better(once Sourav remarked that Kaif is his favourite coz he handles the bat very well even when he s asked to play at 7^th position!! :)) It’s always been a treat to the eyes to watch the left-hand batsman on field.His 5-year reign as India's most successful skipper came to an end sumtim in 2005 and also had to face a lot of cheap and unwanted criticism from sum critics and ex-players coz of the Greg Chappell issue and his bad form then.
He was tagged as an arrogant person and wat nt!! Maybe his form was bad then but still he deserved a better treatment and respect! He juz sucked up everytin, never fought back at those idiotic people and made his back into the team after a year for the series in South Africa in 2006-2007 and proved the critics wrong!! “His comeback proves how strong mentally he is. It's not easy to make a comeback but he proved the critics wrong by his fight back with a bang", the former skipper Azaruddin himself has remarked about Dada.

Facts about Sourav…

• Sourav Chandidas Ganguly made his entry into this world on July 08, 1973 in Calcutta.
• A typical Cancerian, Sourav was very mischievous as a child.
• He is a natural right hander and does everything, except bat with his right hand.
• Sourav learned to play with his left hand from his elder brother, Snehasish, from whom he learned to play cricket.
• Sourav was 1st selected to the Bengal Ranji team at the expense of his brother.

• Sourav earns around 7 crores a year just from endorsements and charges 1 crore for each advertisement!
  

• Sourav’s first sports passion was not cricket. In fact, it was football and he admits, that even today, he’d rather watch football than cricket on TV.

• The first thing he does after checking into a hotel room is place a photo of his wife and daughter on the side table.
  

• Sourav is a very religious person and prays before every match.

• There is an apartment complex in Kolkata, India which is named after Sourav. It is called the ‘Sourav Housing Complex'.

• Ganguly was appointed the Captain of the Indian cricket team in February, 2000.

• Saurav Ganguly has the distinction of being one of the few players in the World to Score a century and take 4 wickets in the same match. (ODI)

• Saurav Ganguly along with Tendulkar forms the 4th Best Opening Pair in the History of One-day cricket.

• Saurav Ganguly and Tendulkar were involved in a World Record Opening Partnership of 252.

Quotes by Sourav….

I would like to be remembered as someone who has taken Indian cricket forward…someone who tried his best every time when he went out to play for the country.

- Dada

I wouldn't ever do it again. I am a very mild person, not really expressive.

- On chances of waving his shirt again

If I am not in a good mood, I will keep to myself. I am terribly sensitive. Over the years, after I got hammered, I have hardened. I still react explosively especially when something wrong happens to anyone, even to fellow cricketers. I hate people treating others badly. But if I do not like someone, I will quietly keep away.

– On how he is as a person

Nobody is a born captain. Most of the time, I have gone on instinct.

- When his captaincy was criticized.

I know what I am. People can label me as they like but it upsets me to hear the word arrogant being used against me. I am not arrogant. Not at all.

- On being called arrogant.

He’s a champion at everything. I really admire him. I am very impressed with the way he approaches life.

- On Rahul Dravid.

The thing I like most about Sachin is his intensity. After being in the game for so long, he still has the same desire to do well for India in any international match. I tell you what, this man is a legend.

- On Sachin Tendulkar.

Wild in the nyt…

It was a dark and cloudy night. A girl in her mid-twenties stood beside her work table looking out through the window. Her inner desire to catch a glimpse of the first raindrop that hits the ground, impeded her from pursuing her work. She loved the sound of the clattering raindrops and usually dreamt of dancing in the rain with her Prince charm someday. She considered it as a trait of femininity to love the rains. As the clouds poured down like millions of arrows thrusting at the earth surface, she gazed at the beautiful sight. A tear drop streaked her cheek as her thoughts zoomed around the lonely life she lead. Suddenly she heard a thundering noise from nowhere. It was a long, deep, hollow, haunting noise. The trees out there looked like some huge, ghostly figures in the dark to her. Maybe she was imagining too wildly she thought. She heard the noise again – the same weird noise. Maybe it came from the crematorium behind her house she thought. She crept slowly to her bedroom and looked through the window. She couldn’t make out anything in the dark. It was a cold night yet she was sweating and a chillness run down her spine. She hadn’t eaten anything since morning and was ferociously hungry. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to eat anything solid because of the creepiness inside her. She changed to her favorite grey nightgown and went to bed leaving the lights on. The creepy noise was haunting her mind that she lay wide awake in her comfy bed. At midnight the lights went off suddenly. Panic-stricken she tried looking for the candle and matches she usually left at the bedside table. She couldn’t find them. The place was filled with darkness. She heard the loud, haunting noise again. She let out a loud cry……A nightmarish scream….

At daybreak, a friend of hers from a nearby town tried telephoning her but the line was dead…..

I am no writer of any sort. Tis is the first time ever I've tried something like this. Well if u liked my work thanks a lot. Am sorry if u dint like it. Maybe at least u found it amusing:):)
Whomever you are, I'd really feel good if u would let me know ur comments!!:)


Signing off,
Krithi

Ma trip to Ooty…

Tis June ma dad found some time to take us on a vacation to Ooty. It was a sudden plan yet somehw we gt the train ticket(using ma dad’s so calld influence !!;)) We startd on the 30^thof May n d Niligri express and reachd Metupalayam the nxt day morning.

I’ve been to the Queen of hills a few times already but tis trip was kinda different. An age ol’ ambassador awaited to take us up the hill (one f ma dad’s frnds sent d ultimate vehicle for our use for d 3 days)!! I had to take a pill to avoid creating any nuisance coz of my ‘phobia’ for heights n climbing up hilly areas.

We reached Ooty by 9 or so and boarded n d Tamizhagam guest house which n itself looked like a botanical garden……awesum place I shud say!! We took some time to unpack, refresh n have our breakfast and got ready by 11 to explore Ooty…But!!

Expect d unexpected…Lord Indiran startd showering His blessings!!:(

I wud ve loved the rain if t had been Chennai. But its Ooty n already it was so cold out there that I couldn’t get my sandals or my sweater off and now its raining like hell when we were about to step out!!:( Jus imagine I went cold n numb and my teeth startd typing!
Couldn’t bear t anymore, I seeked the help of 2 blankets n went to bed. We had to skip lunch coz nobody could get out n d heavy rain to buy lunch first. Also that we had nothing else to do, all of us dozed off till the evening. The rains had stopped by thn bt still d weather was bad. We juz watchd TV for sumtime, had dinner n went back to bed.

The next morning we got ready by 9 and set out to the Doddabetta peak. We enjoyed the scenary- the blue moutains, the cloudy sky tat seemed so nearby, crunched some popcorn, had a nice hot chocolate (apt for the climate!), clicked some (no lot of) pics and headed down the hill to a tea factory where they demonstrated us the Tea-making process- how the green tea leaves are turned into the tea dust. They also gave us some nice tea to have there in the tea factory:) Also did we buy sum Tea dust they sold there for sum relatives and family friends. There were a lotta flavors being sold- Lime tea, ginger, herbal, elachi and even chocolate flavored tea!! :)

Next our destination was the Botanical garden. The garden or shud I call it a paradise, obviously looked beautiful with all nice colorful flowers and tall trees- large varieties. The green house and the grass lawn looked their best. At 12 sharp it started raining and all the visitors started running to find sum place to hide. After an hour wait, the rains stopped and we continued exploring the garden and clicking pics at every spot! Awesome place lookin neat and green everywhere- the wet grass, the neatly groomed bushes, tall trees tat too in diff shapes, each and every tree looked different in height, color n shape of their leaves. It was lunchtime by thn and we needed food badly so we headed straight to hotel Bluehills had full meals wid nice kerala chicken curry!!:) Nxt we headed to the rose garden- it was good but not as good as I remember seeing t last time! There were many breeds of roses in diff colors bt nt so much as we usually find there- the heavy rains s the cause mayb!! We planned to go boating but it was late already and being Sunday the boating area was crowded so we had to get back to our room.

First thing, the next day 2^nd of June, we planned to go to the Pyakara falls that was some 18 kms from Ooty. On the way we had a look at the pine forest. The wood pulp of the tall pine trees is being used for making our currency notes my dad remarked. We clicked some pics there and then visited a hilly area- a mount that is a famous shooting spot. We had to do a 15 minute trekking to go up the hill and were breathless by the time we reached the top. It was colder there but the view we had from there was the beautiful!

It looked like we were standing just below the clouds. We spent some time there clicking pics and also watching a family (some 15 of them, members from 3 generations were there) playing anthakshari there happily! :)

It was almost noon and we reached the Pykara falls after quite a long journey. The time we spent at the falls was the best moments of the 3-day trip I shud say. Me and my sis(my partner in crime always;)) stealthily got to the bottom of the rocky area nearer to the falls ie beyond the permissible limit (so did some other tourists) before my mom could find us and scream at us!!;) We gt our dad’s permission actually u c…dads are more sportive than mommies always!!;) Awesome experience next to the one at the Athirampalli falls n Kerala. The water was so cold and playing in it was so refreshing!! Aftr sumtime sumhw my mom found us at the bottom of the rock and we were asked to get back quickly!:( Bt the thng is we found jumping down the slippery rocks easier than climbing up and we had to gt help from a gud lookin northie tourist to climb up!!;):) Aftrnoon, we went boating which was juz the usual stuff!:( Not so adventurous lik d one of Munnar trip! Later, we spent the evening in the garden of the guesthouse which was juz tremendous n very impressive juz lik the botanical garden wid lot f spots to click pics!! We did lotta shopping tat nyt mostly tea dust, spices, home-made chocolates and some oils. We got back to the room by 8 to watch the IPL finals till the last ball- watta match!! The CSK lost but fought well till the last ball. Also the best team won!

We spent the 3^rd by visiting a wax museum at Ooty and the Sims park in Coonoor. The Wax museum was quite impressive- the highlight being the wax image of Veerapan!! On the way downhill to Coonoor, we visited a telescope house and had nice views of the mountain rail track (where chaiyya chaiyya song was shot) and some other shooting spots like the hilly areas where most parts of the movie Roja were shot and the convent where Poo Pookum Osai song frm Minsara kanavu was shot.

It was almost 11 and the day happened to be sunny. We were in the Sims park which covered a vast area with lot of tall and age old trees and plants with nice colorful flowers and neatly trimmed bushes. It also had a small boating area but we were reluctant to attempt another boring ride! We juz clickd some pics in the park and left for lunch. Later we visited the Dolphin’s nose and had a view at the St.Catherine’s falls. Next we went on a trek up a rocky area called the Lamb’s rock to have a nice view from the top of it (we could spot the Black Thunder theme park from there). The way down the Lamb’s rock ma sis clickd some pics wid her frnds – monkeys (an imp note!!) ;) We trespassed a nearby tea estate n clicked pics there !!;)

It was time to leave to the Metupalayam station by then to catch the 6.30 train to get back to the city. And so did end the 3-day happy trip to Ooty. Yeah it really was a memorable one and I missed Ooty nd its pleasant climate for a few days aftr getting back coz as we knw Chennai was really very hot then. Also unlike Chennai, Ooty is quite clean and is a plastic-free (eco-friendly) area. Though Chennai s hot, noisy with loads f traffic and stinky areas, but sssssssssstillllll its ma city nd I love t!!

Home s always sweet home!! (isn’t t!)

Signing off

Me ;)

Words from the Heart

The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone

- Harriet Beecher Stowe

Tis is a short story that I read from a Chicken Soup book and I juz loved t. Its so damn true!!

Hope everybody who reads tis enjoy it and relate to the story as I did....

Most people need to hear those “three little words”. Once in a while they hear them just in time.

I met Connie the day she was admitted to the hospice ward, where I worked as a volunteer. Her husband, Bill, was there nearby as she was transferred from the gurney to the hospital bed. Although Connie was in the final stages of her fight against cancer, she was cheerful. We got her settled in. I finished making her name on all the hospital supplies she would be using then asked if she needed anything.

“Oh yes”, she said ,”would you please show me how to use the TV? I enjoy soaps everyday and I don’t want to get behind on what’s happening.”
Connie was a romantic. She loved soap operas, romance novels and movies with a good love story. As we became acquainted she confided in me how frustrating it was to be married 32 years to a man who often called her “a silly woman.”
“Oh I know Bill loves me”, she said, “but he has never been one to say he loves me or send cards to me”. She sighed and looked out of the window at the trees in the courtyard. “I’d give anything if he’d say ‘I love you’, but its not just his nature”.

Bill visited Connie everyday. In the beginning, he sat nest to her bed when she watched soaps. Later, when she began sleeping more, he paced up and down the hallway outside her room. Soon, when she no longer watched TV and fewer waking moments, I began spending more of my volunteer time with Bill.

He talked about having worked as a carpenter and how he loved fishing. He and Connie had no children, but they’d been enjoying retirement by traveling, until Connie got sick. Bill could not express his feelings about the fact that his wife was dying.

One day, over coffee, I got him on the subject of woman and how we need romance in our lives; how we love to get sentimental cards and love letters.
“Do you tell Connie you love her?” I asked(knowing his answer), and he looked at me as if I was crazy.
“I don’t have to. She knows I do! ,” he said. “I’m sure she knows but she needs to hear it from you. She needs to hear what she meant to you all these years. Please think about it.,” I said.
We walked back to Connie’s room. Bill disappeared inside and I left to visit another patient. He was holding her hand as she slept. The date was Feb 12th.
Two days later I walked down the hospice ward at noon. There stood Bill, leaning up against the wall in the hallway staring at the floor. I already knew from the head nurse that Connie had died at 11 am.

When Bill saw me, he allowed himself to come into my arms for a long hug. His face was wet with tears and he was trembling. Finally, he leaned back against the wall and took a deep breath.
“I have something to say” he said. “I have to say how good I feel about telling her”. He stopped to blow his nose. “I thought a lot about what you said and this morning I told her how much I loved her….and loved being married to her. You shoulda seen her smile!”
I went into the room to say my own goodbye to Connie. There, on the bedside table, was a large Valentine card from Bill. You know, the sentimental kind that says, “To my wonderful wife………..I love you”.

Siging off

Krithi

Dedicated to a frnd whom I've knwn for most of ma 21 yrs...

My eyes r burning its midnyt n am sleepy..Bt I hav to write nw coz am kinda confused...kinda pain n d heart thng.... some uneasiness....Nd I want some rest!! So am writting nooooooo typing!! he he..[;)] C even whn thngs r wrng am tryin to laugh or atleast tryin to laugh at myself!!

I cudnt talk abt hw I felt today talkin to her 'abt her personal lyf' to nybody so I end up writing...Actually I startd liking tis... writting wateva tat comes to my mind wateva i feel lik writting...Am learnin to pour-out ma soul...(stil nt to any othr soul bt in dis blog...i juz dnt care if its online!! I juz dnt care atleast i think so...) Bt i havent found a goddam soul I can really talk to. I mean talk nytin n evrytin tat comes to ma mind nytin tat i feel rite nw...nt even to sumbody i really love r to sumbody I ve knwn for yrs!!:( (tats d bitterest part!!) Let t b, am here to write abt a frnd f mine, her miseries nt mine(atleast nt for nw!! I juz cnt do t rite nw!! Am helpless:(:( ) Mayb...!

Could nybody xplain wat LOVE actually is? Hw a relationship shud b?? I tried doin t..bt all in vain..(I do think am a genius at times, ain't I? Hw foolish of me??:);))I tried counselling her.I tried doin t sometime in d morning 11 o clock r so till my lunchtime sum hours togethr. I tried hard I really did. I swear I did. I tld her 'he s nt d rite one for u dear gal..U ll nly end up hurting urself'' n thngs lik hw a relatnshp shud b. Bt stil i gt a reply

' Its ok. Its all my fault n I don regret it.I neva really had!!'

I cudnt take t. OMG watta gal..tryin to hurt herself for sum1 who ditched her...I gt confused atleast I was angry. Aftrall am counselling her and she gt to listen to me isn't t.[:(]

She said 'He s my only LOVE n wil b foreva. I'd wait til he comes back to me or I'll end up killing myself. I hav no other go.'

I thot she must b foolish!! Kill herself for sum1 who treats her like a shit!! for wat hell shud she???(confusd again!!)Me getting into tis scolding process and advising her n things...!!we always r genius n advising others n giving them ideas (Hw much does all tat really work for us. I mean n our own lives all our gr8 advices n ideas!!) n telling them wat they shud b doin at times of crisis!! Everytin we say is rite for us at d moment n we expect the other person to listen to us!(We do dnt we??)

I tried ma best to convince her bt she was adamant(nt really....kinda!! Actually she s such a vulnerable person...She breaks dwn quickly!!:( Nd am unable to help her. Tat really akes me feel bad abt myself duno y!!).

Again she says all she wants is HIM!! She prayed for him to come back to her n undstand her...!! Finally all I cud do s...I juz blurtd out..Let God answr ur prayers bt for nw dear frnd promise me ur nt running into any stupid conclusions for nw..try to move fwd..better try to get the hell outta here. Try gettting a job or pursue higher studies n move away frm tis place..a change of place n TIME cud help u..soothe u..I wish so...

Its damn painful to c sumbody we really like suffering..Atleast its hard for me...I cnt take t nymore..I really hate t when I feel ur pain(U knw tats d real reason for sumtimes I avoid talkin to u !![:(] ) I really hate t when I see ur eyes filled wid tears!! It hurts.... it really does!!I really hate myself when u say,'Krithi, I wish u were hear wid me. I wud hav cried on ur shoulders. I want u here'...Tat moment I cudnt hide my tears...!!Y cudnt I help u...Y dnt I hav d powers to change ur world...Is nt there nytin I cud do?? I really dunno...

Even I wish U were here...

I wish things were the way it used to be..

Atleast I wish we never grewup bt stayd d way we were...Little, fragile, yet happy all d way...

No responsibilities...No commitments..No miseries...No fears..No tears...