Current Affairs

Being unemployed is bliss, provided you have a sponsor. Financial support apart, it is still a tricky place to be in. It is one thing to dream of being jobless, and another to be actually sitting on your couch swatting flies. Apparently the sudden shift from a tight wired purpose oriented life to an absolute erasure of any kind of social and institutional engagement leaves one craving for the very same structured existence that was so emphatically abhorred. Call it a Paradox or the-grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side-syndrome, whatever it is, it is extremely unsettling to maintain your sanity and your serenity when exposed to a time overload with absolutely no means of keeping yourself occupied. When peeping into face book window every other minute seeking updates of people you would hardly share a coffee with becomes your primary means of socialisation, that my dear, is the point when you know for sure your life is slipping into deplorable stagnation. But God Bless the brains behind Internet and social networking. If I were asked the oft repeated and utterly pointless if-stranded-in-an-Island-question that are recurrent in celebrity interviews, I know what i would need. "An auto-re loadable refrigerator and wi-fi access thank you very much!" Digression and hypothesis apart, i have a plan of action for the lavishly barren days staring me in the face...

First and foremost among the list of things to do inevitably is the quest for my lost jaw line. Yes, it has disappeared and it has to be reclaimed. Fortunately my  introduction to Yoga has got me started on the path to recovery.

A good thing about having abundance of time at your disposal is you get to read like a lunatic and that is precisely what i intend to do. I have recovered unread books from the cupboard and as if that were not enough, restocked it with newer titles bought passionately bargaining with the road side vendor. Reading multiple books at a time is an interesting means to add literary variety although there is always the risk of confusing one plot with characters from another story. But who cares, as long as you are entertained the purpose is served. And oh i am looking forward to the Masala Chai Book Club meet, nothing like being amidst social bookworms and pretending like i read a lot.

Another extremely time consuming activity to kill the lingering hours is to grab a paint brush and splash the colours on the canvas. Yes, i have taken a fancy for painting and i am addicted for the time being. I find the colours theraputic. Lets see how long this lasts...

Excavate the guitar stacked away in some dusty corner of the house and re join classes...

Getting a licence would be thoughtful considering the implications of driving without one...

Maybe learn stitching. No body makes clothes my size!

Queensland Chennai - What to expect and what to detest.

Visiting a theme park was one of our agendas this vacation when all of my in laws were home for their annual break. Not a problem. But when you have multiple theme parks and no clue as to how well maintained these might be, the decision of selecting a park becomes complicated. We were a group of 11 in the age group of 9-75 so all round entertainment for all age groups was something we were on the lookout for. After asking around personally and posting a few enquiries over Facebook, we rounded up on Queensland as our destination of choice simply because that seemed to be the one frequented by our friends circle. When in doubt follow the crowd.

Set in the Bangalore trunk road, Queensland Amusement Park is just half an hours drive from Chennai city. So accessibility wise it is a definite yes. The park works all days except on Mondays from 10 am-7.30pm. The earlier you enter the better. Considering the sprawling 70 acre area of the park, be prepared to walk your feet off if you intend to see the whole of the park. There are food courts that give you average dishes but not the place to dine like royalty. I guess outside food is permitted since i saw a lot of school kids carrying their tiffins in. Surprisingly, there were no security checks at the entrance! You get so used to it while in the city that the lack of it strikes you strongly. These days even a shabby security check with worn out equipments puts me at ease. Big lapse there in impressing visitors with high end gizmos.

They tag you with a wrist strip that counts the rides you take. You cant repeat any rides and it makes sense because there wont be enough time left to try everything if you stay back for repetitions. Proper dressing is crucial. One of the lady's on a Tora Tora went flying off and hit her head hard on the floor when her duppatta got stuck in the security locks and gave away the latch. Apart from right outfit, a strong sun screen and comfortable shoes are highly recommended if you don't want to end up looking roasted and with sore feet. Chennai summers are brutal so make sure you are hydrated throughout. This trip is going to literally fry your brains out, plan it for the later half of the year when the fury of the sun calms down a bit. We made the trip in early August and it was hot but tolerable.

As is obvious i am going to be a bit pricky in this review and this is so from my exposure to a couple of other theme parks i have visited in South India. Although it was a long time ago, Veegaland was the best in my list till date. Coming back to first impressions on Queensland, honestly, the whole of the park was a little too dry and colourless for an Amusement park. I know it might sound unrealistic but ideally stepping into a theme park should feel like stepping into a fantasy world. In my opinion visual overload is a must in a theme park whether it be in flashy paints, colourful cartoons, exotic landscapes, over the top interior/exterior design and deco. Now i know i am being hard to please. Clearly, Queensland wasn't Disneyland, but they could still pay a little more attention to detail in making the park a bit more exciting to the eyes. I mention this in particular because i am obsessed with clicking pictures and the dull background didn't give me any appealing shots.

Putting aside this initial impression, i have to admit the park does offer a wide array of dry land rides. My personal preference is for extreme rides that make you puke your guts out. Keeping this criteria in mind the free fall, the roller coaster and the different variations of giant wheels that rotate and incline at varying angles at super dizzy speeds are must trys. Nothing like the high you get from having your head spinning and subjecting yourself to voluntary self torture! The main USP of Queensland i guess is the variety it offers. I haven't yet been to a theme park that offers cable car rope way rides, 3 km long joy train ride, Gaming arcade plaza and Go Kart race tracks all at the same place. They also have the Horror house, Fun House and Mirror House kind of entertainment. Individually they might not be perfect but collectively it gives off an impression that there is a lot on offer.

The water games however were a huge disappointment simply because there wasn't much on offer. The Himalayan Water ride that i was dieing to try was out of order. The only things left after that was the wave pool and the slide pools. The wave pool didn't make any massive waves and it was a misnomer to call it that. It was at best only a large swimming pool. For some reason they close it of at 4.30pm. The slide pool too, for me at least, was another big dissapointment because i wanted crazy scary slides and what they offered the lady's section were only kids slides which even my 9year old nephew slid through like a piece of cake. All the long and tunneled slides were on the men's side of the pool. Not fair!

But just being in the pool lifts up your spirits and you can have a ball of a time if you really want to. Since ladies and gents have separate sections in the pool you might want to make sure you have enough company of your sex before venturing in. Or else you might end up a lonely duck flapping on your own. I had a ball of a time pushing and splashing around my nieces and nephew. In the process i realised once again that the secret to enjoying a theme park experience is to push yourself to go for the rides that challenge your guts and forget acting your age!

So my verdict on Queensland is out - worth a visit once but not the place for water rides. The pricky me would give it a rating of 2 out of five simply because there is a lot of scope for improvement. Tonnes needs to be done before they claim the so called international standards.

Of Faith

There was a time when i was in the zenith of my spiritual frenzy - during the tenth standard boards! A good score and clearing the horrid maths exam were my top prayer requests. I was a regular at the daily mass and ardently listened to the sermons of the parish priest. There were no questions, no doubts just blind belief. But that was a long time ago.

Then college happened and literature happened and scepticism happened. Going to church became a habit out of practice. Listening to sermons and mentally dissecting it to locate flaws or dig up the power dichotomy being conveyed became a medium to survive the hour long mass. Praying, well, that continued, but not with the same firm faith. As i got introduced to philosophers whose names i could hardly pronounce, religion became a possible entity that was constructed to reign in people with the fear of divine reprimand. Every religion was a construct of its time and consequently propagated ideologies that ensured its propagation, practise and power circulation. The loss of faith was looming large and i was officially a doubting Thomas.

This is not something i am proud of. I wanted my faith back. But it was an every day struggle to start believing in my religion all over again. I believed in God, the existence of a supreme power, but whether that power was the one described by religions, i had by apprehensions.

Queries were galore :

If God knew everything why would he want us to pray?

Repetitive prayers made no sense. God should be capable of comprehending our thoughts.

Why should we be sorry for the things we love to do? Doesn't God want us to be happy?

If God is all power full why would he let Satan/Evil survive?

If the things we do are evil why would God let it tempt us in the first place? Can't he mentally programme us to hear, see, do or think no evil?

And most importantly, why would God let us suffer when he could easily choose to alleviate our pain.

Shouldn't God be broadminded enough to understand his creations and not be pricked by human blunders?

I had my own views on God. And then i read the Bible.

I have attempted reading it before but found it insufferably tedious. But this time it clicked. Maybe i read it with a receptive mind to explore God rather than just knowing what it says. This time it felt as if messages were being showered on me with the sharpness of an arrow. Each line seemed solely written for me. My doubts were getting erased and the faith i lost was coming back to me. (Excuse me, do i sound like those freaky gospel preachers?)

My hallelujah moment was during the five day retreat i attended. The first few days were a struggle against sleeping and falling off the chair. Then i started concentrating and there were instances which were infuriating. But towards the end there was a sense of calm and divine presence that i haven't felt in a really long time. When you see miracles happening, cancers and lumps disappearing, you just can't sit there denying it. And for those like me who think it could all be arranged with a little money spend on hiring people, you still can't ignore the miracles that happen to you on a personal level.

I realised it is better to leave some things unhampered with your meagre knowledge of the world and feel the power of faith. Faith can work wonders and it is better to have faith if it offers hope against utter hopelessness.

My Culinary Escapades!

Whoever said that the way to a mans heart is through his stomach is a big fat liar! It is most definitely through his other senses if you know what i mean. But the way to your in-laws heart lies straight through their tummies. You can look like Angelina Jolie, recite the Wasteland in reverse and head 100 people to war and that still wouldn't make a difference if you cook like shit. So ladies here is the hard truth - as a Daughter-In-Law you are judged solely by your culinary skills. The tastier and the faster you cook, the better your prospects of topping the charts of a prized DIL. If anyone tells you otherwise they are in denial.

I thought i was the luckiest girl on the planet when my husband looked me in the eye and earnestly uttered those sugar coated words "Honey, if i wanted some one to cook for me i would hire a cook." He remained truthful to his words and hired a cook right away to save me the mundane worries of sweating it out in the kitchen. Peace was restored in our paradise and we lived happily. But not for long. Soon enough everyone (including my mother) made it their private business to smirk at me when they heard of the cook! How i wish i could borrow Mr. Potters invisibility cloak and hammer out their teeth!


Gradually, I realised cooking is a necessary evil that follows women unto their grave, especially so if they are married. Whether you like it or not, in most cases you dont have a choice of remaining a non-cooking wife. I guess my hatred for cooking goes way back to the day when i was a 12 year old and sweetly offered to help my dad in grinding the dough. I ended up forgetting the number one rule of using a mixer - to tighten the lid! The result was a gorgeous splash of dosa mavvu on the kitchen wall that could rival a modern art painting any day. Life hasn't changed much from that initial disaster. Even now my kitchen looks like a war zone after my attempts of putting together a breakfast in the mornings. If i hate cooking, i abhor cleaning up much more. Why do women end up doing all the dirty jobs? South Indian cuisine i am sure, was designed to make women end up panting like dogs and sweating like pigs with the never ending line of grinding, pounding and steaming. After all this effort if someone dares snub my dishes i swear i wont think twice to shove it off their throats and choke them to death!


Even the modern day inventions like the grinder and oven isnt of much use. After all your neighbour wont offer to stand in the steaming kitchen and cook your meals. Forget the neighbour, even your better half wont be of much help after a point. My husband for instance offers to help, but i dont have the heart to make him go through this torture after 13 hrs a day of office work. It was my secret dream to strategically marry a chef to avoid cooking post marriage. My plans were aborted immediately after i heard from a girlfriend whose husband was a chef and still remained adamant on not cooking at home as he does it all day long at work. Life hasn't got much hope you see, unless someone invents an All-Purpose-Super-Cooker-Robot and sells it cheap!

So my dear sisters get prepared and learn to cook if you plan to survive a marriage and guys be grateful for the efforts the women in your life put to keep you well fed and thriving.

Cochin Carnival

Here is something that happens to women after marriage - no amount of time spent at their home is ever enough!

No matter how boring or uneventful your home seemed before marriage, post marriage, you feel like it is the comfiest cradle in the entire world. Your body develops a magnetic impulse to bounce back to your roots at every chance you get. It isn't necessarily because you aren't happy with your new surroundings. It might be the best of metros or even the costliest of suburbs. But the longing for your home remains unquenched...

I have an insane urge to go back to my home every time a holiday comes up. Maybe its the pleasure of reigning like a queen, pampered by my dad and ordering around my mum that is the cause of this desire. Yes, my folks do get senti about my staying away and i dutifully take full advantage of it. Surprisingly enough, your parents do your bidding uncomplainingly because, "after all she is staying away, lets humour her while she is here". Mind you these are pleasures i never knew while i was staying with them before marriage.

Its not just your home that you miss. Even your home town, no matter how dead a place it was, eventually develops a magical charm. For instance, these days i long for the lush green canopy of my state. It is utterly inconsequential that i grew up in Kochi, seeing very little of this greenery while i was there. You start developing romantic notions about the long days of monsoon rains, which earlier used to be a pain. Even a bite of the local savala bajji and parippu vada seem divine treats.

I had been waiting the whole year for New years to go home. Its not that we don't visit frequently, but this time we had planned a relatively longer stay - 4 days! Yeah it is sad, but most of our visits are over the weekends lasting only 2 days tops. Anything more than that is a luxury we don't afford (thanks to the psychotic boss of my better half). I had vowed to make the best of these few days at home and enjoy every bit of it. More importantly, i had another mission in mind - to introduce my better half, to the New Year revelries at Kochi. Being raised outside Kerala, he hasn't had the pleasure of seeing any massive celebrations at Xmas or New Years, except the church rituals.

We started with the streets, loitering around aimlessly on New Years eve soaking in the sights and sounds of a crowded Fort Kochi that was all dolled up to welcome 2010. If you didn't know, Fort Kochi is at its best during New Years. It is the best time to feel the spirit of the place. It appears as if the whole town is out to party. Bunches of families walking around, kids swinging in the park, ladies doing last minute cake shopping at the bakeries, foreigners clicking pics, couples enjoying dinners at the wayside restros, colonial-mansions-turned-hotels bathed in light, people crowding in at the beach to watch the grand finale of burning the Santa as the clock strikes 12 ushering in a new year and the youth dancing away on roadside stalls - the town was oozing with merriment. It is the only time of the year when you get to see so many people on the streets in the middle of the night in this part of the world.

I thoroughly enjoyed showing around my husband the rows of houses decked up with lights, the humongous Xmas tree at the Velli ground, the entire stretch of 50 feet road shining in silver hangouts studded with stars on either side, the Santas lined up at every junction and the Bascillica glowing with rows of snowy stars. Maybe its just my fancy, maybe not every one feels the same, but for me this little laid back town, during this season of the year is a blissful dream. I cant explain what a boost it gives my spirits to be just a part of the crowd, to be in the city i love so much with the love of my life.

Watching the carnival on Jan 1st is almost like a ritual in the family. I remember going for it ever since i was a kid hanging on my dads shoulders. I was eager to show my hubby dearest the crowd and the madness that is the Cochin Carnival. The Carnival flags off days ahead, festivities and revelries engulf the town with a slew of cultural programs and competitions. It seems the Cochin Carnival originated as a beach festival in 1984, but some do trace back its origins to the Portuguese during colonial days. On Jan 1st, everything culminates to a grand parade that rolls out on the street pulling in thousands of spectators from all over. The rally starts at 3 pm from the Velli ground with an assortment of local art forms, youth in drag and tableaus showcasing socio-political issues.

There are years when this annual rally offers variety and then there are years when it offers nothing but vulgarity. I say vulgarity, because there have been times when the only thing you get to see are men engaged in their fancy of dressing up like women in revealing costumes. If done in moderation it is fun to watch, else it can make you sick because you end up watching hairy arms caressing fake boobs! Whatever said and done, i dont think there will be a Carnival where you cant see these men in drag. I believe this is so because in the guise of teasing women, men here do take a private pleasure in cross dressing. Nothing else can explain why year after year you see so many men engaged in this act so persistently and so shamelessly.

Whether the Carnival is good or bad, what always remains is the crowd. You have to see it to believe it. The entire place is swarmed by hoardes of people. Men, women, kids and oldies from all walks of life are out on the roads to watch the show irrespective of how good or bad it turns out to be. It is of course but natural that if not many, atleast some among them are not in their senses, drunk till their noses. Be warned of pickpockets and gropers. Look out for your own good. Police are doing a good job of locking up the causes of public nuisance but in a crowd of thousands you would better want to watch yourself than regret.

And for the record, this time everything was arranged in good taste. Amazing variety in themes, some of the tablueas leaving us in splits of laughter. My husband thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. And i think he finally gets the hang of the origins of the "Kochi- Achi" adage.

Wondering about the long silence here? Am blogging away to glory in my new blog. From now on only limited blogs will be posted here. Shifting base to the new one. Farewell.

Farewell Mr.MS...

I was just uploading my latest pics and couldn't ignore the fact that i am turning into a mini Godzilla! By nature i have a physique that shows when i gorge food and remain adamant on not sweating it out. Post marriage i am just ballooning up! Not that i have always been trim. I have had weight issues ever since i remember. Getting rid of the extra pounds was hard because of my absolute abhorrence of exercise.

Let me tell you the factors contributing to my recent achievement of going up the weight scales. I attribute it completely to my laziness combined with the easy access to junk food at my work place. The quick meals at KFC and the Cheesy burgers of Mc.D are the prime culprits. Also the weekly outings to the city restro's with my better half has aggravated the problem.

One thing i know for sure is i cant live without food. The realization rubbed in when i tried out the GM Diet. It was pure torture to live on veggies and fruits for a whole week. It totally drained me out emotionally. Depression set in and i was irritated all the time! Finally, i called it quits on the 3rd day and dragged my husband to the nearest restro to satiate my hunger with sumptuous servings of butter naan and chicken do pyasa.

I cant imagine how people manage to live through the GM diet! Clearly it doesn't work for me. I simply can't go without food. Food makes me happy. The four letter word means emotional stability to me.

Now that i am decided on not being victimised by torturous diets my only other option is to start working out. Maybe i should dust out my annual membership card at the gym. I haven't stepped in there for ages. The reason for my absence is obvious. You expect me to work out when its 40 degree Celsius outside? It doesn't help even if the Gym is air conditioned. The very thought of heat outside tires you! So, i had promised i would restart work outs once summer subsides. Summer has waned and the showers are here, but still am no where near the Gym. Thanks to Mr. MS. For those of you who are not aware, Mr.MS happens to be my dear companion in the journey of weight gain - Monday Syndrome. Through out the week he persuades me into convincing myself and everyone around that i will be going back to Gym the next Monday. And on Mondays inadvertently he makes me cook up excuses ranging from work overload to late cabs and imaginary aches in different parts of my body in order to avoid that quick visit to the gym.

But i have had enough of his silly excuses. I am going to assert my will over this perverted psychological issue of mine and drag myself to the Gym. Tomorrow is Monday and tomorrow i will put an end to Mr.MS. I will wring his throat, Choke him to death and bury him deep enough so that he never resurfaces again!

i am jumping head long into 3 months of hard training to get back in shape and plaster the mouths of those sadists who take great pleasure in screwing up my happiness by mentioning "hey you have put on weight". Yeah, like i didn't notice!

Arranged marriage? Excuse me please!!

Strangely enough my whole life revolved around finding Mr. Right and living happily ever after!
I was curious about this mystery person who would at one point take my hand in marriage and wondered if it would be a fairy tale or a nightmare come true. That is precisely why when it actually came to the point of making a decision of tieing the knot i was in a muddle. Sure, it is a wonderful thing to dream about but the nearer you get to the point of making the decision of settling down the more unsettling it is!

As soon as i completed my post graduation my mom got stung by "the-groom-hunting-bug". Once afflicted by its venom amma got into an insane frenzy of deciding to narrow down a suitable son-in-law for her elder daughter. Before i could blink she managed to arrange a pennukanal! I was flabbergasted to say the least. What about my dreams of running away and having a love marriage?! But then reality flashed in front of me - I do not have any lover bold enough to settle down with me in the first place! I am done with my studies, have a decent job and most important of all I have nothing better to do! So whats the point in resisting!

Pennukanal was awkward. Trust me it is the most embarrassing thing to be left alone in a room with a guy you are meeting for the first time in life and being asked to have small talk! It was more than obvious that we didn't know what to talk and i spent most of the time fixing my attention on the floor thinking intensely to turn up with questions to ask my potential future husband. It was obvious both of us were blank as black boards and wanted to get it over with!

My parents asked me if i liked the guy. "Well...umm...eh...err...your decision will be mine too" was all i could mumble. After all he seemed nice. Let us see where it goes. After i muttered those words, that things proceeded at lightening speed. Before i knew, it was decided i would be getting married to the guy who came to see me for my very first pennukanal.

From then on it was an attempt to get to know each other which got complicated with the fact that he had to fly to the US for some project. Internet and long distance calls were the only source of communication. God bless whoever invented it! Sleepless nights to battle the time difference and keeping in touch ensued for the 4 months until our engagement. It was during those days i realised i am lucky enough to have some one as good as him. More than anything else i realised he was kind, simple and caring. Without a doubt he was a better human being than i ever was.

Almost one year into the marriage my views haven't changed and each day i realise how lucky i am to be blessed with a partner who spoils me with abundance of love and a sense of security. So, does arranged marriage work in today's world? Hell Yeah!!

Back in action...

Just got reminded of my long abandoned blog when one of my friends messaged me that she has started one. My last entry here is almost two years back, when i was about to set out to Pondicherry for my college excursion. Was intending to write about the trip in detail after returning, but some how it never happened. Not because the journey wasn't interesting enough but simply lost patience to sit down and scribble down the intricate details of a wild all girls tour that could never be contained in a few words. And then got busy with other things - college, job, teaching, marriage and settling down in a new city. One thing lead to another and lack of time coupled with lack of patience erased the memories of my nonsensefile into oblivion. But now there is an urge in me to raise my blog from the ashes and fill it with all the wonderful phases i have been through, the things i have seen and the experiences i have shared. Most of all i want to use this space to reflect my life and me honestly.

Before leaving 4 The TRIP!

About to embark on a journey - probably my last excursion as a student. Havent done my packing n i hav tonnes of things to get done before leaving tomorrow but somehow ended up here.Guess the last minute packer in me is compeling me to willingly postpone all the zillion things i am supposed to do before i leave.Wil be posting a detailed account of the trip once i get back.Rite now just want to record that all the universe seems conspired to block this trip from happening.Meeting with hurdles at each n every step....Hope everything goes well..

Kerala Manga's/Monkey's day out

Nov 1st - Kerala day...once again marred by a hartal called by the BJP... Kerala day celebrations at college postponed to Nov 2nd - a more convenient day for everyone. Am not here to express my anguish about the intermittent hartals in the state. Ashamed to admit, but i guess i am one among those shameful mallus who enjoys a hartal. Any day without classes is welcome especially when there is a test due on that day...

So on Nov 2nd our 'self-made-day-for-Kerala-day-celebrations' it is unanimously decided that all of us turn up as Kerala mangas/monkeys(depending on what you wanna call it)...

The preparation....

I hunt the cupboard for my kerala saree which has been dumped somewhere inside the huge pile of clothing after last years kerala day celebration...finally find it crumpled in a corner in the bottom rack...get it dry cleaned...hunt for some matching traditional accessories...don’t find any...decide to do sum mix n match n take out my favorite huge beige chandelier earring that goes with anything n everything...

Raw materials found n ready- Kerala saree with a violet border, ear ring n sandals....

The D'Day

Wake up earlier than usual coz wearing a saree is as complicated as those innumerable pleats on a saree. Am 22 n still haven’t mastered the art of draping it.

I make a big hue n cry n force my mom to help me in wrapping the 6 meter stretch of cloth...even though am not exactly happy with the way my mom wrapped it for me i make do with it, coz i myself don’t know how to accomplish that perfect pleat for my pallu...

Now time for another tantrum show...this time to force my dad to drop me in college coz obviously i cant go in bus wearing a saree...

1st of all there is the constant threat of tripping
2nd of all there is the possibility of hearing lewd remarks frm psychos on the road
n 3rdly i am plain lazy n i badly need a free ride to college...

dad falls for the 2nd threat n agrees to drop me...

In class...

A big majority is dressed up in saree n have come exclusively to show off their saree look.So when the lecturer asks us to take down some notes nobody has either a pen or a piece of parchment coz clearly "m'am we thought there wasn't goin to be any classes today!" If anything our bags are full of lipstick, gloss, mascara n all those necessary ‘lil somethings’ which might come in handy for the photo session we had planned right after the lecturer walked out. Pen n paper were probably the last things we thought of stuffing into our bags before we came to college. Atleast that was the case with me...

As soon as we are free we pounce upon Asha who usually brings her digi cam n as usual this time too her battery is low so we quickly click away to glory in all possible angles before the battery dies out...

The college has organized some special kerala day competitions but we decided to give it a miss n have our own special celebration in a gud restro with gud food...obviously eating as if we have never seen food is one of our specialty.Our usual haunt Cylon Bake House is full on K Day with gals from our college.Guess majority in college prefer spending their K day eating out rather than watching the droll programs in the 'science block gym plaza open air auditorium'...

"Cylon housefull so where next??" Someone comes up with Sanjoe n we decide to head there for lunch.Minu who has brought her car is our official chauffer for the day. 7 females squeeze into her Maruti 800 defying the laws of physics n head for Sanjoe. All the while Minu doubtful whether we would make it to Sanjoe before the car breaks down. But finally we do n the car is still in one piece. Minu heaves a sigh of relief n probably mentally swears never to bring her car to college when there is a function goin on and even if she does bring it for some freakin reason NEVA EVA to offer her class mates a ride..

@ Sanjoe....

Gave the order. And am not disclosing what we ordered coz that might surprise the general assumptions of female eating capacity...trust me when really hungry females can get scary...a long wait for the food to arrive. We pass time by the all - time favorite female activity - gossiping...Eventually the food arrives n ‘operation attack’ is launched...15 mins of silence until we have satisfied our growling tummies and then again another round of gossip till we finally decide t pay the bill n head back to our homes...

Get-together @ Bay 'Pride' Mall

Last Saturday i finally made it to my degree-gang get together! I usually miss these meetings either by chance or on purpose. Most of the time i give my friends the excuse of some unavoidable meeting with some XYZ or one of my imaginary incurable weekend flues.Well, its not because i don't enjoy hanging out with my old pals... its just that am way too lazy to move out of my home on a cozy Saturday.The prospect of lazing around at home seems much more alluring to me than running around the city on a hot afternoon.Call me a lazy bum and i wont complain because i am one!

So what made me change my mind this time around?Hmm...nothing in particular.I finally got bored of lazing around at home every weekend and decided to catch up with the girls and have some fun.So a long delayed get together was finally taking shape under my friend Babinu's initiative.We called up each other and fixed to meet up at our college convent at 10am sharp and then workout the plan of action for the rest of the day.

I reach at the convent entrance 30 mins late expecting to find the rest of my gang waiting to pounce on me for being the last one to reach.But guess what 2 years is a long time and people change...am no longer the only one who never makes it on time... It turns out am the 1st person to arrive. What ensues is a long tiring wait for the rest of the girls... i start doubting if they had cancelled the plans for the outing and forgot to inform me...the constant stare of the watchman with a slight tinge of suspicion upsets me and am at the point of leaving when Sara makes her appearance. Finally someone to prove to him that i was not lying about our supposed get together! Thank heavens!

"OH MY GOD u cut your hair! U look different! Your face has so totally changed!"

"What took u so long you %^#$@?! I have been waiting for ages! U have lost weight!!"

"Did you bring the notes i told you to bring?"

"Where is Mridula? Is she coming? I bet she will come in complaining about the humongous task of walking 5 mins from her home to the convent like always!"

"Why on earth did it have to rain exactly on the day when we decide to have our get together?"

The sudden excitement of meeting close friends after a long gap often results in pointless hyper excited conversation. Both of us keep talking nonstop without answering the queries of the other. Then we gradually get a grip and start talking sense..In the meantime Mridula and Babinu come in...Mridu as usual irritated with the rain for pouring down with the hidden agenda to drench her brand new "Jootis"(footwear) and Babz ,the fashion designer, popping up in a self made exquisite zardosi embroidered top n jholla(bag)....

"Where is Helga n Michelle?"

"Michelle is the one who usually gets late. But what happened to Helga?"

"They both are coming together..."

"No wonder!"

"So we cant catch a movie...the show must have started by now..."

The two VIP's eventually come in 45 mins later with a puppy dog face apologetic for upsetting the whole schedule and giving dumb excuses for being late. The moment the duo come in madness sets in. There is a pathetic outpouring of PJ's (poor jokes) and even more pathetic laughter at the dumb PJ's...Like i mentioned before...The sudden excitement of meeting close friends after a long gap often results in pointless hyper excited conversation.

Now that everyone has come ...what do we do??

"lets go somewhere"

"where??"

"ya where?"

"Hey Helga is giving a treat at Bay Pride Mall coz she has been elected the Vice chairperson of her college!"

"yippeeeeeee!!!"

"who told am giving a treat?"

"Yes u are!How could u not give a treat u 'pishiki'!"

"Alrite alrite..whats the cheapest thing at Bay Pride Mall?"

"lol! nothing is cheap there..he he...u have to pay for even the Air conditioning!!"

We cleverly trap Helga into agreeing for sponsoring the treat at Bay Pride Mall...and the poor gullible sweetheart agrees to pay for 'Black Desire' at Abad Foodcourt @ BPM...

BPM-A great place to hangout with friends:-

1)If u have cash in ur pocket
2)If u have a sponsor
3)If u just wanna ogle at the posh dudes and dudettes dating,flirting,chatting,hogging,or simply walking aimlessly around the place...

If you are a middle class mallu with no sense of latest fashion trends get out of the place before you feel ill at ease or horribly inferior to the hip young English speaking crowd thronging the mall...This is one place that will make u regret for being just an average mallu...These are not my conclusions....these were the rumours i heard about the place from those who have visited the place before...And my first visit to the place with my girl friends confirmed the report...Sad to admit, but its not a place i would wannna visit unless am looking my best and having loads of cash to burn...

Warning for those who havn't been there :Bay Pride Mall might give ur 'Pride' a jolt!

Provoking...isnt it??

This is what i call PRETENDING to have an attitude!

MG University Youth/beastly Festival !!

A couple of weeks back i got an opportunity to go to Pathanamthita. The occasion for the visit- The MG university Youth Festival..

Its been quite some time since we had a university youth festival. Last time the university organised one was in 2003 at Sri Sankara University Campus, Kalady. Back then i was a 1st year degree student..innocent,inexperienced,ready to jump into anything and everything that came my way.. So when Ms.Jessy was desperately hunting for students for mime i quickly volunteered even though i barely had any clue as to what mime was all about. It was just for the sheer experience of being a part of the youth festival team that i had joined in.

For me it was an opportunity to meet and make friends with a lot of my collegemates/seniors,to get close with some of the teachers in charge,to experience hostel life for the 1st time,late night practise sessions,mastering the art of mime, ending up with sprained ankles, enjoying the massage offered by the sports dept students to ease the muscle pain,homesickness tantrums(not mine my friend's) ...Those two months of 'no class and only practise' was an experience in itself which i relished being a part of in spite of all the bitterness associated with it.

This time around it was a different story altogether. I was a part of the quiz team. So no hostel stays and late night practise sessions since we were brushing up our Gk on our own.Before you form an impression of an intelligent quizzer about me let me clarify...Am not what you call a 'quiz fanatic'.In fact my Gk is just a bare 'average'...limited to watching the news channels and skipping through the newspapers.This time too i was a part of the team for the sheer experience of quizzing. I wonder if am being uncompetitive but it didn't matter much whether we won or lost. "Do your best if success comes your way time to party, if it doesn't better luck next time" that was my motto...

But this time my experience was rather unpleasant. I was definitely disturbed by some of the things i saw at the youth festival venues.No its not the usual complaint about unorganised event management,delayed schdules and foul play. What disturbed me the most was the attitude of the participants and the audience- The attitude of the "youths" of youth festival.

On one side there were the bunch of students carrying around placards urging everyone to "Celebrate a Plastic free youth festival" and on the other there is the savage audience who rebelliously made an effort to litter the venue. I genuinely felt pathetic about the plight of St.Stephens auditorium were the crowd went berserk and expressed both their appreciation and disapproval by tearing up piles and piles of evening news bulletins and throwing it up in absolute mockery of the cleanliness squads efforts to ensure a minimum litter zone.What i witnessed at some of the venues was a generation of young hot blooded hooligans with no respect for private property.

In the venue for dramatics competition the situation was absolutely chaotic.I can understand if the audience claps or hoots after a performance. But hooting and clapping throughout the entire length of a performance non stop seems incomprehensible. The poor performers were shouting their heart out to make themselves audible to the judges and the so called audience made it double sure that the dialogues were muffled in their constant senseless clapping,shouting and hooting.Either it was deliberately done to mislead the judges or it is the best proof of pure untamed aimless insanity!

Then there is the ugly turn that a youth festival takes on when a rival college bags the prize.A big hullabaloo erupts the moment a college is declared the winner for an event.Every one thinks they deserve the first prize and everyone thinks that their performance was better than the others. Sighs of contempt, angry abuses, protest march and even open warfare is a common sight in these venues. I tried consoling one such lost soul, who was sulking as if a birth right has been denied, with my philosophy of 'enjoying the experience' and pat came the reply "Screw sportsman spirit and damn the biased judges!". At times it seemed as if it was all about crushing the other college rather than winning the trophy. "Even if we don't get the prize XYZ shouldn't get the prize!"
Hmm...If only some one had bothered to instill some basic lessons on losing with grace and respecting the winners...It would have at least seemed civilized.

I wonder if the youth festivals are relevant any more.I suppose these festivals were initially organised to provide a platform for healthy competition among the youngsters to develop a sense of unity and an opportunity to meet and mingle with students from other colleges.But in the present scenario it appears as if these are occasions for rival colleges to express their disgusting disapproval for each other. The menacing ferocity of this years youth festival was at its zenith when the winners hired drum sets and took out a procession not just to exhibit their trophies but to thoughtfully gift a coffin to the runners up!

A good teacher from a students prespective...

When our criticism lecturer asked us casually about the qualities of a good teacher all 16 of us stared at her with a blank expression..it was not because we didn't know what made a good teacher...behind those 16 pairs of eyeballs that stared at her there was some thing more... each students attempt to capture and enumerate the essential qualities of an ideal teacher after around 17 years of being a student...

It isn't an easy task to pin point exactly what makes an ideal teacher. In fact the term 'Ideal' itself is ambiguous. I don't believe there is a perfect teacher who can be portrayed as ideal....every teacher has her strengths and weaknesses..Yet i remember there are some who stand out in my memory when i reflect upon teachers who have inspired me...I looked into them to find the answer for the question thrown at us so casually by Ms.Tessy - "What are the qualities of a good teacher?"

When you are in a profession that requires you to mould and direct young minds to aspire knowledge then it ceases to become a mere profession and has to turn into a passion. Only a teacher who enjoys teaching will succeed in making an impact on her students. As a student it made a huge impact on me when i was taught by teachers who genuinely enjoyed their subjects. They taught with an indelible mark of passion. It naturally led me to aspire to have the same passion for the subject. Simply put, it aroused my curiosity to find out what was it that made the teacher in front of me enjoy the subject she was teaching... I remember how i was inspired by some of my teachers fiery classes to go into the library and try to figure out what excited these teacher into such sheer passion.I believe that initial inspiration which a teacher instills in a student to try to understand the subject without any external force is undeniably an achievement...

Talking about passionate teachers i am also reminded of their major flaws...often they are so carried away in their lectures that they deviate from the subject matter and tend to flood us students with too much information.Ultimately we end up confused... I believe even if it is a tiny portion that a teacher deals with, if she succeeds in conveying the ideas with clarity and precision ,before the students loose their interest, the job is half done. The other half that a teacher needs to concentrate on is in presenting the subject matter in such a fashion that it makes an impact on the students so that they can recollect it with ease. Easier said than done i suppose....

Yet another quality that i have always admired in some teachers are their ability to gain the trust and confidence of their students so that they feel free to approach them not only for clearing their academic queries but also to seek guidance when faced with a personal crisis. But i feel these intimate student-teacher relationships are few and far between nowadays.Majority of the teachers i have come across don't encourage such intimate relationships anymore. I don't deny that the students themselves maintain a safe distance from the teachers ... Either they are too much in awe of the teachers or because they absolutely abhor their classes! But there is some thing special when a teacher shares a personal bond with the students.I guess it gives the students a sense of freedom and they can open up without fear of retribution or judgement.

Intellect, integrity and an aura of self composed confidence are also a true mark of an impressive teacher.Over and above everything else a good teacher should be able to TEACH! Even if the teacher cannot inspire the students at least they shouldn't drag their subject and make the students hate it eternally!!

I guess this adage captures the true essence of a good teacher...

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.

A sincere wish....

Isnt she adorable??

Velankanni

Whenever we go for our annual vacation a trip to Velankanni is always on the cards. Call it my moms superstition or a family tradition visiting Mother Mary's shrine at Tamil Nadu is inevitable if we have to go on a vaccation. But ever since the tsunami struck Velankanni we haven't been there. Trips to velankanni were religiously planned but for some reason it always got cancelled. Something or the other came up and the Velankanni trip was always shelved. So this Onam vacation when my uncle suggested a family trip to Velankanni everybody at our home jumped at the opportunity to visit the shrine after a long gap...

I personally am not a very religious person but i do believe in mother Mary. So in spite of my initial inhibitions about going for an over crowded family trip i decided to finally give in and join the trip. And boy what a trip it turned out to be!!!From the beginning till the end this trip was an overwhelming experience....

My first jolt was when i saw the the 14 seater tempo traveller hired for a total of 17 people who were coming for the trip. I am not being a complaint box but for a journey that lasts over 12 hours (in the very least) at least adequate seating is a basic necessity! I knew from the start this was not going to be a pleasant experience...Obviously everybody was not very happy with the vehicle but tempers flared when one of my uncle made a last minute call informing his surprise decision to join us!! Before things went out of hand he had to be politely refused. THANK GOD!

Everybody was picked up...the journey began with the customary recital of the rosary seeking the blessings of mother Mary...everybody settled in...kids on the lap of their parents and adults squeezed into the few available seats...general chit chat started...then a break to have dinner...all the home made delicacies were laid out...umm...just one clinch... aren't we going for a pilgrimage? Aren't we supposed to fast?? Cant we give non veg a break at least when we go to Velankanni??? Who am i to raise my voice when there are so many elders in the group... anyways who cares as long as the food is yummy...

Another thing that surprised me was the decision to cook our own food instead of dropping by a wayside hotel. Seems like some people had an issue with hotel food so they came all geared up with cooking gas, stove, food supply that would last for a week!I don't understand who would volunteer to cook in between such a long journey! We even had trouble finding accommodation at Velankanni because most of the hotels didn't allow cooking in their premises....Besides its so embarrassing standing on the road with paper plates and having food...i didn't like the idea at all...

The bad roads delayed us ... our vehicle slows down and we are late by over 5 hours...as soon as we enter the scorching heat of Tamil Nadu our AC breaks down...As if this wasn't enough a couple of miles ahead our bus breaks down with a flat tyre! Talk about a messy journey..this by far tops the charts!

We finally reached Velankanni after a longg 18 hr bus ride which can aptly be summed up as - SAD, BAD, MAD! Back bones dismantled, knees aching i was cursing the moment when i decided to join this trip! i knew it was a bad decision from the start then why the hell did i join the group?! I should have relaxed at home and enjoyed a peace full Onam sadya...

But seems like there was a purpose behind this whole journey...something which wasn't very obvious at first but became clear when i saw the pilgrims visiting Mother Marys shrine...especially the tamilian peasant pilgrims...i saw their passion..i saw their devotion...i saw their sacrifice before seeking the blessings of mother Mary...i saw them scrawling on their knees on the burning beach sand for over 2 kilometers before entering the shrine...i saw them shouting "Mariye Vazhga" on top of their voices without any restraint.. i saw them walking for miles on the burning hot roads from their homes far away til they reached the shrine.....

It was such a humbling experience....Here i am complaining about an AC and a con jested bus when these people have been walking for the entire journey in the burning hot roads...Here i am guarding my complexion with an umbrella and they shave off their heads and walk around bald...not just men and kids even fully grown women! All my complaints seems so trivial now...

I don't know if my prayers would even reach mother Mary...

I don't even know if i deserve to pray...

I wonder if i will ever have the humility that is a prerequisite before praying...

2005-06 - Highlights!

This post contains parts of a letter that I wrote to a long lost friend...It pretty much sums up my 3rd year degree days, my last camp, my first job and joining back college for my post graduation.......

WARNING: This post is longggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg............

Dear _______,

******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

I was in and out of TVM attending a lot of camps. In fact in the final year of degree I hardly attended any classes in college. Most of the time I was in camps having a tuff time getting trained and living a hellish life…

Looking back at those days I wonder how I managed to survive the camps…The amount of physical and mental strain that they put you through is simply unbelievable…We (the girls) were put up in an old god-forsaken palace (nalukettu) somewhere in TVM.. I forgot the name of the place. But it was some where near the Padmanabha Swami Kshetram. We were told that this particular building was used to shoot ghost movies (as if that helps!) ..We had to stay in a dusty godown around this nallukettu with no fan and just a CFL bulb for lighting.. Have a peek outside through the broken window and it’s an overgrown jungle that can scare the living daylights out of anyone who dares to venture out in the dark considering all the ghost stories connected with the place.

The place itself is so depressing and add to it the tuff regimen we had to follow I felt as if it were much better to be dead…

Waking up at 3 in the morning…waiting in long queues to use the stinking loo and the moment I get in either the water supply stops or the banging starts forcing me to get out the very next moment (these were moments when I realized the comforts of my home and it hit me how much I take things for granted)…

We have to clean up our living area (meaning the dusty godown were we sleep on the floor), arrange the carpet and luggage in a certain style which we call ‘layout’ in NCC terminology and get ready to leave for parade training by around 5am. A bus or a truck usually comes to pick us up and we are all transported to the training area -The Police Training Academy or Military Cantt….

We collect the rifles and go to the the Ground for warm up…The term warm up is actually misleading… “Adapillakal” sounds more apt…The gruelling warm up session itself lasts for around 3 hours and the trainers have no ‘Kannichorra’ whatsoever…By the end of the warm up session everyone is bruised specially around the hands and arm area due to the rifle parade. We have to twist and turn the god damn rifle and bang our hands on it strong and stiff without showing the pain that shoots out through our bruised arms…Talk about delicate damsels in distress and the trainers would double up the parade timings to make us stronger!

They give us a half hour break for break fast and we have to run for our life back to the Police Academy canteen gobble up the steaming hot food and rush back to the ground again for parade training..By the time whatever little we have managed to stuff inside is digested and it doesn't make much of a difference in our having break fast or not having it….Then again parade training till noon and all my 'long hours of beauty care' goes down the drain under the scorching heat of the sun…

A short lunch break follows and afternoon sessions are spent studying or preparing for cultural competitions till late in the night around 11pm…By the time we get back to our sleeping area its way past midnight…hardly 3-4hours of sleep and we have to get ready for the next parade….and after 12 days of rigorous camping when I get back home my parents fail to recognize their chweet-chubby-cheeky-girl who left for the camp and quiver at the sight of a sleep-deprived-seriously–pi**ed-off-zombie that has returned home….

I can go on and on about the camps at TVM….But in spite of all the tuff times it was a great experience. It gave me a real chance to introspect and made me realize how much I can 'take in' and what is my 'breaking point'. Taught me to survive in the toughest circumstances with minimal resources and made me realize the value of simple things in life like a clean toilet and edible food!!! After what I have gone through I guess I can survive anything anywhere…Those camps were a huge confidence booster…I felt stronger both mentally and physically….In short the experience was worth every bit of pain and effort that went into it….

But then the only sad part is I couldn't go for RD even though I made it to the final list.. That was a blow ….but swallowed it with the hope that what has happened has happened for the best…

Came back to college only to find that almost all the portions are over and I have absolutely no clue of the syllabus. From that day onwards it was like a challenge to get back in form and cover up for all the missed classes…more than anything else it was my moms constant threat of getting me married off (in case I flung for the exams) that inspired me to make the extra effort at studies…Meanwhile I got an offer to fly to Andaman & Nicobar Islands for a 20 day national camp in compensation for the RD camp that I had missed out….But it was during my study hols and going for the camp meant ruining my degree results so had to refuse the offer…By God that was the most toughest decision I have ever made in my life….

Gave my exams…prepared for MA entrance exams in various universities outside Kerala…gave those exams as well….then one day my friend dragged me into this campus recruitment happening in college...Got through the interview even though I was not serious about joining the company. But once I got the offer letter I changed my mind about higher studies and decided to give it a shot...I joined Sutherland Global Services as a business process executive..Got trained to be an underwriter (In case that doesn’t make any sense to you an underwriter is someone who checks and verifies loan documents and confirms or rejects the loan application)…It was a finance process..we served US based clients of reputed banks like Merryl Lynch, City Bank and Standard Charted…. Training period was lot of fun….Most of the crowd working in the company were young fresh hands like myself…ours was the pilot project of the company in cochin. It’s a Chennai based company which started off with our process. I got a feel of the corporate world, work pressure, night shifts and decided that it was not exactly my cup of tea….

So quit working and joined for MA in the same college where I did my degree…I got through the entrance exams in 3 universities outside Kerala but parents refused to let me go…So am back in college hoping whatever happens happens for the best…But college life is not the same any more…PG level studies are so heavy and serious...we hardly get time to fool around…But still manage to bunk a couple of classes and catch a movie sometimes….but generally life is a lot more uneventful compared to my degree days…
*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

With lotsa Luv,
Yours sincerely,
_______________


PS: You do have lots of patience to read all this crap!!!

Miss you amma...

In Malayalam there is a saying that pretty much translates as "You don't know the value of an eye when you have one. Its only when you lose it that you realize its importance." At this point in my life I fully understand what it really means...In my case though the eye that i ignored was my mom...

It was a week ago she got transfer to Kannur..A place that takes roughly half a days journey by train from Kochi, my home town...I have never thought myself too attached to my mom. I was never a pampered kid, I never shared my secrets with my mom like some of my friends do, I never bothered to hug her and thank her for everything she had done for me..If anything we used to have humongous fights for the stupidest reasons..literally disagreeing on every second topic. And to be honest there were times when i wished i could live my life without her advice!!

So initially i thought of her shifting to Kannur as a blessing in disguise...Now i could have all the freedom in the world...do whatever i want without being checked by her...Wow!!! This was my dream!!!

But as soon as i get what i wished for ages i regret it...

I laughed at my little sister who was crying when she heard about ammas plans to move out. The same me was crying like a baby the night before she actually moved to kannur..I couldn't sleep for an entire night...the thought of not having amma around me anymore was way too depressing...I thought i was all grown up and could deal without having amma to fuss over me...But that night i realized no matter how grown up i am, no matter how much i want to live my life on my own terms, no matter how much i fight with my mom....at the end of the day there is no one who can replace my mom and life without her really 'hurts'...I realized i had taken her for granted...

Random thoughts about my city Kochi

I belong to the so called "Gods own country"..Sometimes i wonder how realistic this tag is because honestly i cant think of any godliness or cleanliness around me that would qualify Kerala to be called Gods own country...

Of course one can argue about the lush green landscape and Serene backwaters...but is this the kerala an average Malayali experiences on a daily basis?? At least i don't! Maybe its because I reside in Kochi, the upcoming business hot spot of the state - A beautiful port city that bears the brunt of thoughtless town planning and a negligent corporation!!

The thing that disturbs me the most is the stinking pile of garbage thrown in every nook and corner..I wish we could have a cleaner city...I wish we could have a safer city...A safer city for girls in particular...Me being a girl have personally had lots of unpleasant experiences in this city- eve teasing in its worst forms.On second thoughts I don't agree with the term Eve-teasing. The issue is more serious and deserves a more serious coinage. Its an insult and needs a term that conveys that meaning. If you are a member of the female species step into any public place and you have a very good chance of being subjected to verbal or physical insults irrespective of your age group. And more often than not the people around you wont even budge to come to your rescue...