long time....

thanks daddy for reminding me...i had been procastinating...partly cause i wanted to...partly cause i didnt have a choice...

work has been maddening lately...i was 'almost' handling 2 projects at the same time for the past 3 days...hv slept not more than 4 hours at a stretch in the past 3 nights...and have been almost labelled as a zombie by the man in the mirror.

bday...came and went...though it was quite relaxed. after a long time spent it with family...met R in the evening...cut a cake...and all..!

however, i have never ever had so many people wishing me...

• 221 orkut scraps (my bosses would be happy to note that none of my replies to all of these scraps came during office hours!)
• 28 emails (wow...!)
• 15 sms-es (and i thought that sms-es were the way to go...for the future)
• 11 phone calls

thank you...orkut birthday reminder...www.birthdayalarm.com...yahoo reminders....google alerts...outlook calendar....

...

dad is doing much better...will be starting office this week...inshallah...(!)...the doctors were really happy with his progress and it was during the review session did they disclose that he had literally come out from the most severe form of infection that could have hit his pancreas..!

happy news...

1. daddy got his visa...so he shall be leaving for yankee land very soon...
2. my final settlement from NIS (yes...the same company i used to work for some 1000 days back..!!)...came...and i am slightly rich now
3. almost...almost...completed the model that i was working on...to some awesome relief...
4. have a 3 day weekend this time...and am going for a road trip on saturday....wassssuuuupppp

life's good...

~a

PS: daddy..(and this is god damn the 3rd time i am mentioning you)...there was one girl that didnt like me when she 1st met me...and i am to marry her next year...! i guess that was the criteria..! :)

11 days...of india..of sleeplessness...and of housekeeping...

so dad's pancrease...which according to the doc had been over-worked cause of his gall bladder removal 8 yrs back...suddenly decided to go on a 'pancreatic fundamentalist drive'. basically...trying to show that if desired...they can beat the shit out of someone...!

and boy they did...

he was in the hospital for 11 days...! and its horrible this way especially when you dont expect it. what was to become a sweet tide 4 day vacation for me...turned out to be a 11 day india 'working from home' stint...

• i drove, on an average, 100kms a day....up and down the hospital
• took charge of the house while mum stayed with dad...so basically...milking the cow...clearing the bullshit...making dung cakes...and washing clothes (am really serious this time!)
• worked for 8 hrs daily...4 hrs on live dubai time...and 4 hrs in the night...
• slept, on an average, for 4-5 hrs daily
• felt really really tired at the end of it all...

and lessons learnt - such situations will bring you face to face with the 'real'

• while some people (and some of them really not expected to..) called up and mailed and messaged frequently...checking on dad's health...some (and some of them expected to..) lost complete touch
• my manager didnt even wait for me to ask...before asking me to work from home. i left for india on wednesday...and reached dubai the following sunday. not too sure how many firms would have a value system so strong to allow that...with no questions asked. at all times...i had my team's support...!
• mum...who till abt 15 days back wud feel pukish when entering a hospital...spent 11 days with dad..! she realized a whole new herself...
• dinner with jst my sis...and we had one of the best conversations ever...she talked abt the real her...and i suddenly realized tht we hvnt spent much time together...
• dad cried when i was leaving...
• R and i were both as excited as we were on our first date, when we went to dine together...4 days after i had been in india and not met her...

11 days...of india..of sleeplessness...and of housekeeping...

and something has changed....yet i remain with the same set of parameters that were governing my life so far...

on a different note...met with Y last night. had a great time with her....and realized that some relationships jst take off...and you dont ever know why. i wud hv never imagined tht i wud meet her again....forget the fact that it wud happen in a whole together different country....

life's good...!

~a

my version....

there was a time...no so long ago...when i used to treat the 'Reader's Digest' as a must read. this was much before i started reading the same for its jokes..only...! anyways...so this one time...there was a wonderful article on this dude who, when he was 18, made a list of 30 things he would wanna do before he turned 30. its almost a cliche now...but at that time the idea sounded quite cool. and this dude actually went on to accomplish each and everything on that list...and the article was all about how he managed to do so. just so you know...the things listed there were not exactly..."brush everyday"...but "travel on a bike for more than 3000 miles" sorts..!!!

and then...after a deulge of such posts by EU and SB....here is my version of the things i have done...would want to do...and would never want to do...(and this would be extremely India specific...somewhat inspired from EU's entry...and in no specific order)

Index:

• Have done
• Want to do
• Dont want to do

1. thrown garbage on the road...paused....picked it up and dropped it in the thrash
2. had golgappas from the same guy who pulled out his snort a minute back
3. ran after a bus and caught it finally
4. slapped an auto guy cause he refused to go where you wanted to
5. saved a lady from being harassed/molested
6. watched an entire episode of krishi darshan
7. been on a bus...with just one foot on it
8. driven without a license
9. driven at more than 120 kmph
10. drove away when a traffic cop tried to stop you
11. asked a cop "jaante ho main kiska/kiski beta/beti hoon...?"
12. for guys alone - scratched your (you know what) thinking that no one saw
13. scribbled on a protected monument
14. cheated in a school examination
15. been on "palace on wheels"
16. been to atleast 3 sanctuaries in India
17. sang something special...for someone special...
18. stayed up all night and saw the sunrise
19. met anyone from the indian cricket team
20. pee-ed on the road
21. milked a cow
22. ate sugarcane...the traditional way
23. stayed in a village without electricity for more than 2 nights
24. shopped for vegetables atleast 100 days in a year
25. paid a begger more than rs 100
26. had a househelper who was less than 15 years of age
27. been to a temple, a church, a gurudwara AND a mosque
28. stopped at the red light when no one else was...
29. requested for a song on the radio
30. called the KBC phoneline atleast once
31. waited in a queque for more than 2 hours
32. bribed your way through to get a government document
33. tipped your barber
34. driven a bike in 5 degree centrigrade...with your tee and shorts on
35. been to atleast 3 beaches in 3 separate states
36. been to the North-east
37. travelled to the lakshwadeep islands
38. hiked to the mansarovar lake
39. studied beyond the age of 23
40. started your own business
41. driven an ambassador
42. looked at the night sky through a telescope
43. slept under the stars
44. kissed your gf/bf right infront of your parents
45. gone dutch on your 1st date
46. washed someone else's puke
47. cried in public
48. visited the taj mahal
49. seen a live cobra
50. had dinner with your domestic help...on the same table
51. worked on a 386 computer
52. tied/worn rakhi to/from a total stranger
53. danced naked in your room
54. cried infront of your parents, after the age of 18
55. touched your parent's feet

life has been slightly hard lately...more cause of personal reasons. lekin theek hai...it moves on...!!!

~a

PS: and yah...feel free to add stuff to the above...which highlights true india.

cryptic...

trinnnggg....triiingggg....

Mirror: yo...not feeling urself?

Me: dont know dude....wanted to...but something doesnt feel right...

Mirror: i know...its strange right..when something tht is close to you...doesnt mean as much to someone else...

Me: I KNOWW....!! how cud they ever forget whatever happened....did they not feel IT...?

Mirror: maybe they did...and maybe thats precisely why they dont wanna feel it anymore. its not tht u left them with a choice...

Me: i am being selfish here...i always was...and i told them all through...at times to no avail...

Mirror: i am glad you realized that...

Me (smiling to himself): so...whatver i said that evening...is actually turning out to be true...

Mirror: hahaha....as if you didnt know it would.

Me: yahhh...it had to happen...and i dont think i should be bothered anymore...not anymore...

Mirror: :)

Me: thanks dude...

Mirror: thank her...

..................................hang up

the entire city infront of me....not a soul in sight...machines making their way through turns and lights...the skyscrapers blinking....my hands folding...my eyes closing...this was always meant to be...involuntary drops of water...my job is done...

Me: i let go...

~a

...wud die a peaceful death...

if i got the chance to click anyone of these snaps...

~a

a midsummer nights dream

a midsummer nights dream
Originally uploaded by _rebekka.

Canoe

Canoe
Originally uploaded by Mute*.

Liar

Liar
Originally uploaded by EvilxElf.

Two face

Two face
Originally uploaded by jallen dragonhide (ToBeOr..).

Barnacle.

Barnacle.
Originally uploaded by tread.