far from the ivory tower..

Change!

2009-11-14T02:22:00.001-08:00

The word has always irritated me .... right from the days it was used in our OCD (Orgn Change & Development) class . Cliched phrases / statements including "Change Management", "Change is the only constant in life" etc. made me loathe it further. I particularly loved the ad when the boss says "I want change" and all his subordinates including the sweeper pools in some rupee coins. Am not BIG on change - am a person of the present. I love to settle in a cozy spot in life and look for subtle change factors around me like weekend outings, new books, movies etc.

Inspite of going through considerable changes in life, uncertainty freaks me. Uncertainty - not of surroundings, but of people. My biggest jolt came in when I joined college 9 years back - life changed overnight from that of a happy town girl to a perplexed college girl in a multicultural environment. Little did I realize how depressing life would become when my parents left me behind and went home thousands of miles away. It took me umpteen hours of crying before I got over it... Over the last few years, the time taken to adapt to a major change has reduced from about 6 weeks to 3 weeks - which is good, relatively atleast!

My earlier blog seems to have done the trick - my cozy life in Hyderabad was put through CHANGE. It seems like it was the "farewell" blog - n btw, I did visit Salarjung once again. Zooming back to the topic, I have gone thru a lot of change over the last 2 months ......my job (D-->C), location (HYB-->MAS), marital status (Single --> Married), wake up time (7 am --> 6 am), daily travel time (50 mins --> 2 hrs), relations (a bunch of them added overnight), laziness quotient (ofcourse reduced), TV time (2 hrs a day --> 20 min a day), weather (dry --> humid)... its a long list. Marriage was the only one out of these that I was totally excited about. This excitement was so overwhelming that I did not care to bother about the rest. Anyway, now that life has changed and am feeling the impact, my mind started doing what it was meant for - think!

Change when effected, automatically triggers the obnoxious questions in life that one avoids the most... "What am I upto in life", "What do I actually want to do", "What are my weak areas - how should I handle them better next time" etc. Some of these find temporary answers and some of them dont. Right now, this exercise has led me to formulate a new goal... doing a PhD in the next 5 years! Ironical, considered the fact that I vouched not to lay foot anywhere near academics when I passed out of B school. The current obsession might not last long, but I am beginning to like the idea. When, where, what, how - yet to be figured out. 5 years down the lane, I ll check back on the progress rate!

Now that I have fairly settled in the new phase of life... I can confidently say that am enjoying it. Still dont feel settled - mainly coz am still living out of suitcase. Workplace is entirely different and slowly am getting into the groove. The best part is having K around me most of the time (I hate his travel routine though!). Though am missing my i-dont-care n independent life, I am happily settling in am-kinda-responsible life. Cheers to the days ahead!

Hyderabad Times...

2009-04-09T04:47:00.000-07:00

Not sure if I had any connection with Hyderabad in my previous birth (if I did.. I hope I was a queen :D)... strangely my life seems to throw me back to this place wherever I go, whatever I do.. atleast until now!

My first association with the city began in Jan 2004... in the form of a 6 month long internship. Still a student, I packed my bags, ready to envelope my first brush with city life. As the auto rickshaw swept past SP road in the early hours of a chill morning, I looked around with a child’s enthusiasm. The flyovers and wide roads immediately captivated me and I hoped for a rocking stay. In the next 6 months, life unraveled numerous challenges, opportunities, excitement, fun, some interesting bunch of people… in the eyes of a 20 year old having her first lick of city life!

A stream of events from the past flash in front of my eyes… the day when me and my roommates had just 1 day to find a house and in the scorching summer heat we went door to door checking out houses….the night when we went hunting for food post 11 pm, got pizzas packed and had a moonlight dinner on our terrace… early morning walks on Hussain Sagar lake.. window shopping at Lifestyle a zillion times (I never bought anything… thanks to the meager stipend).. eating hard-boiled/soft-boiled eggs for breakfast (took me around 3 months to boil an egg right!)… moving around in the jumpy Hyderabad city bus… watching movies for Rs. 30 at Anand theatre… eating at road side places! It was during this 6 months, that I made up my mind on what I wanted my future to look like :)… so its significantly special!

My second stint with Hyderabad was shorter… just 2 months in Apr-Jun 2006… as it would happen, I was again a student but with a better stipend :) This time around I could go to Lifestyle, Westside and buy stuff.. travel around the city in auto rickshaw.. watch movies at multiplex theatres (including Telugu movies)! I explored lots of food joints including the ever famous Bawarchi biryani and Hyderabadi kebabs… my teammates had a tough time finding a restaurant where I did not step in towards the end of it all. I enjoyed my long lonely walks in the Himayat Nagar/Barkatpura region and my impulsive decisions to do anything and everything… it was a new phase of life. It was during this stint that I visited the Salarjung museum and was enthralled by the ‘Veiled Rebecca’ statue in there. Now that I think about it… wanna go back to that museum once again.

As destiny would have it, I was thrown back at Hyd a year later. I once again went through the door to door house hunting in the scorching heat… and then I realized that it ll not be the last time I do this. The last 2 years has been about finding new places to hang out, exploring unknown weekend getaways, multiple rounds of Golconda fort, trying my hand at dancing/music/work outs/cooking, tons of movies (mostly bad!)…. and diverse relations/friends/people. I discovered Chowmahallah palace, Irani chai, peaceful Banjara Hills and more of the vast city. Thanks to the paddys and venis (our maids) and khaleems who have helped sail through the times.... and the saga continues!

People hailing from other cities complain that Hyderabad is not happening enough, not a shopper’s paradise, doesn’t have weekend getaways / hangout joints… I have my list too… especially I am appalled by the traffic sense of folks out here… but to me the city represents zestful life, rich food, royal architecture, bright weather and lovely memories! Cheers to Happy Hyderabad :)

B-school Romances!

2007-10-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/oct/23bschool.htm

Interesting article I say! :)

Lucky me and u!

2006-03-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

http://hotzone.yahoo.com/b/hotzone/blogs2986

Symbols n Memories...

2006-03-22T11:22:00.000-08:00

Today I was in this lazy mood (not surprisingly if u know me!!) not wanting to do anything. I was fumbling with my mobile and the thought occured that I could change my ringtone! I started browsing my list of Tamil song tunes.. While I came across one particular ringtone, I realized I was going through a thousand disturbing emotions! Emotions that made me feel gloomy and dull! It took me few seconds to realize that the tune was invoking sad memories of my initial few days at B-School!!

My admission came as a last minute surprise (rather a bonanza as mentioned in one of my previous blogs) and I had barely any time to even mentally prepare myself for the new world I would be submitting myself to for the next 2 years. Most of my batchmates had landed 2 weeks before I got a chance to step into this place and the ice had kind of broken amongst them! I had the feeling of being left behind the crowd which trying to overpower me. But then I knew it was a matter of time and I could adjust myself in a week's time. Then came a series of bad or rather sad news.. my brother down with jaundice, my grandfather's disappearance after losing his way in a train journey, people back home tensed regarding the issue.. I had no one to talk to and felt like running back home! The initial 10 days were tough and this particular ringtone was what my mobile sported during those times. I eagerly looked forward to calls from my near and dears & everytime my mobile sang this tone, my heart would swell with feelings. So here it was, once again causing an emotional turmoil inside me every time I heard it.

I distanced myself from my cellphone and sat back wondering how few things we never give importance to bring memories and emotions back so strongly!! Reflecting back, there's one more sound that puts me in an emotional chaos. That's the shrill noise of a peacock! Quite a coincidence.. this noise reminds of my first few days at graduation college! 3 days after my parents left me behind in this place thousands of miles away from my hometown, I was down with fever! Temperature running high, I had to put myself to rest. While everyone around went to attend classes I was sitting all alone in my room's balcony with a plate of bread and jam in hand & a longing for mom's care in heart! Probably my college is the only place where one can find peacocks roaming around as common as stray dogs! So while I was sitting in the balcony drooling in self pity there were these bunch of peacocks causing cacophony with their shill, loud voice! They were disturbing my privacy, intruding my thoughts. Not unpredictably from that day, unconsciously I had started associating this terrible noise to those sad days...

Till this day, I stay away from a peacock's noise. Today, I deleted this ringtone from my mobile.. in an effort to forget the sad memories of the past! Let the symbols of the present only remind of the good and let the bad be drowned with the past!

Random thoughts...

2006-03-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

A month bak I was talking to a friend on phone and he asked me if I was planning to work after marriage. I was shocked beyond words... Man, would I work all my way up to studying in a premier B-school just to end up sitting at home!! A week back I was chit-chatting with 2 of my friends here. We kinda landed up in this discussion regarding career n gals.

One of them belongs to a conservative religion and community. She was telling us that when she got admit to this B-school her relatives were rather cynical about her studying further! The reason - it is difficult to get a qualified guy in the same community once she finishes studying. Thinking about it, if not for my parents being educated, same would have been my case. Some of my friends who were bright students while at school and some even toppers during graduation, got married at 20 and 21 due to parental pressure. Naturally they go to any damn place their spouse is situated in... and career is the last thing on mind then! Sad to see many intelligent minds being arrested in the name of marriage!

I came across an ad in a matrimonial column - "The guy wants a gal who is very fair, beautiful, good-looking, a post graduate and is willing to be a housewife"!! Leaving aside the complexion part, y wud someone want his wife to be a post graduate if he is not willing to let her work. It is a different case if the gal choses not to work. Talking about the complexion-craziness, if I may call so, a look at the matrimonial column would vouch for the fact that every guy wants a model for a life-partner! Even better, there was a recent ad seeking a 'British-white' girl in India!!

Am no female-chauvinist and my opinions here are directed towards the society and not the Indian male. I personally know of guys whom I respect for their opinions and empathy towards Indian women. One thing's for sure... the society is fast changing throwing the MCPs out of fashion. Attitudes and opinions should be influenced at the root level. The society is changing for the better and I'm sure me & a thousand women of the present will raise our sons to be the men that we desire the society to be filled with!

He was there last week...

2006-02-27T23:26:00.000-08:00

He was back again last week!!

To scintillate every nerve of mine..
To entangle every breath of mine..
To gimme sleepless nights..
To take away my appetite..
To choke me with his love..
To wrap me in his warmth..

Clinging to me like a lifetime lover! Never willing to go...

He was with me for just 2 days.. But it seemed like ages went by with jus me and him all alone captivated forever!! He is... my boyfriend... who frequents me the most.. my dear Fever!!

JLT....

2006-02-16T11:18:00.000-08:00

Have been wanting to blog for quite some time. Not that I took no effort in that front. There are 3 blogs lying in half-drafted mode for a while now. I start blogging on a particular topic with all energy.. but being where I am there are interesting / neccesary interruptions which puts the blog in the back burner. When I get back, my mood's all changed and I am no more interested in the same topic!!

But today am all determined to blog with nothing specific on my mind. Am in a cheerful mood today. Done with a midterm (the performance in the exam has nothing to do with my mood, mind u!). Went for a leisurely 'Chocolate Fantasy' (yummmmmmmm) at CCD with few friends... Sat back and watched an awesome 'Sherlock Holmes' episode. Engrossed myself in my favorite yahoo messenger. Played a coupla yahoo games!! Its 1.00 am in the morning and the wee hours of the night keeps me all energetic for this blog.. For I am, in this great place where weirdest of things can happen. Man, I never imagined life could ever be this way!!

Some of my weirdest moments out here.. Dinner at 3.00 am in Term I. If one is awestruck, this feat was bettered off with dinner at 6.30 am in Term III!!!!!!! Dance for senior farewell at 3.30 am.... Solving cases without even reading them.... Studying for exams till 5.30 am (Believe me, I did that once!!!!).. Preparing for presentations till 6.30 am n take a quick nap before 9.00 am presentation (That was long long ago in Term I) which changed to preparing for presentations half an hour before class and going all fresh brimming with confidence :) Crazy walks at weird hours of the night.. All meetings called at 12 midnite.. Thats wat u call B-school life.

I love this place for trillion things.. It has destined my mingling with people who are amongst my best of friends today! The place which changed my attitudes.. broadened my outlook.. cross barriers.. Man, this is a place I would start missing exactly a year from now.. Let the next 1 year go on forever!!!!!!

So here I end my post... the post I wrote Jus Like That (JLT) :)

the seven elements..

2005-11-01T14:30:00.000-08:00

Here's a post dedicated to my gang(not the gunda kinds ;)) here at PG!! somethin on the 7 gangsters!! In alphabetical order...

Ashok a.k.a. Asaripallam/pallam/logic mannan

Here's the logic god of our gang... hailin from the only possible village tht hosts a medical college(which is by the way at the verge of closure!). Often advised by others to limit his talks to jus facts..n quite understandably. His logic confuses even the most enlightened! Not surprising that one of the GD panels stopped contemplating on the topic given and started trying to interpret one of his statements(poor us!!). Otherwise termed the most decent amongst us, he is in quest of his small, sweet (Munch-loving) Hermoine :)

Gayathri a.k.a. g3/Ms. A ("A" left to ur interpretation ;))

The only other XX chromosomite of the gang... Fear is an inbuilt component of her blood.. surprising tht she shares her room with a few rats :P The sophisticated and sensitive Banglorian is infamous for her impulsive blaspheme! A consistent victim of the non-stop mockings of the gangsters, her ducky walk will attract the most uninterested! No wonder she has the "smartest" person on campus performing "Gayathri Pooja". Ofcourse in queue is the heaviest person on campus too! Gud luk babe.. Happy Decision Making ;)

JK a.k.a butti jaya/Thanneer Manithan

Naadhari, bemani, the youngest of us all!! The self-acclaimed Mr.Responsible of our gang.. believes his USP lies in his being "steady" after conquering the "Old Monk" himself!! An A-Z directory of Tam Movie facts and figures(!!).. u can rely on him more than the well-acclaimed Google!! His fishy relations(jalabulajunx!) with the "moothavar" of our gang has raised many a eyebrows! freeeeeeeeee... he is offlate showin his inclinations towards the fairer sex! his future with a lady in the US seems bright.. if only he lights the lamp! will diwali do the magic???

Karthik a.k.a Kadalai/E-cha

Mr. Killaalangadi...The Kadalai king spares no-one even remotely associated with the term "female"!! One of the founders of the "Open Culture" concepts, his explanations for the same are legendary! Not many can relate to his wild philosophies and one can hear him rattling away few of these quite often. Considered by a blind few and himself as Madhavan look alike, he tries the weirdest of shirts n beard styles! Claims to be an ardent follower of Yoga... though its more likely that he prioritizes "other" things in life!! Btw, for the ignorant souls.. E-cha is erumai chaani :D

Sathish a.k.a Moothavar/Chithapu/Satti Paanai

Here's Satti's claim to fame - "He is the only person on earth to have promoted a Father to father status" ;) His feminine tendencies have been time and again proven over the last few days!(Gals... if u fall short of cosmetics, u know whr to go!) 10, GH-3 is the official meeting room for the gangsters almost every nite! and Satti is the official target of the gangsters' mockings... He goes out of his way to socialize(??!!!) with any gal arnd... n yeah his search has been zeroed down to 2 results now..Anni and Chaamy! Happy weight lifting!!

Shiva a.k.a. Mr. Steady/ Junior Dei Mama

The most indecent(rather vulgar!!!) fellow of the gang... has no limits on what he blurts out! His impulsive remarks will embarass the prey and make everyone around burst aloud with laughter. He has no element of maanam, vekkam left in him to be embarassed at anything thrown at him. Mr. Gentleman, tries to be the good guy.. He has a tiff going on with the senior Dei Mama regarding copyrights to Surya TV on campus. One statement finally... We all hereby acknowledge and agree to the fact that u r completely steady after "Monk"ing. For heaven's sake, please dont ask that again :P

Priya

Finally about me... one of the sweetest, loveliest persons around :D (Its my blog dude!!). I am humble and modest... so not much on me here!

The last few days....

2005-10-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

A look at life in the last few days.. Lemme C. The term started with a bang!! The floods in AP did threaten our mobility but a bright stroke of luck swept past us and we were right on time to join the fun! Back to campus and friends. Day 1.. running around completing assignments..."Yes am back to my own life here!!!". Felt at home!! Jus a week and then off to Cal.. to the much hyped Sports Meet. The rain gods did ruin the morning but there were better reasons to cut the meet short the same evening. Much has been debated about "Who should have done what"!!

Back on campus, foundations being laid for us to decide "What we are gonna do next SUMMER"!! Dandiya Nite.. giving a pleasant break. Shake and Move around the gujju way. A colorful nite of twirling in circles spreading laughs and smiles around! Reality strikes hard and each of us stratch our heads wondering who we are, what we have done and what we wanna do! Wonder how many of us have answered these questions.. am still on the lookout for answers!! After all companies want to our history, geography and beyond. Wonder if we have our biographies on the print! Or is it true that the companies are finding us suitable matches! Tremendous records set.. "n forms, n+10 ppts in 10 days!!" Records being bettered each day.

Its the time around for the cloudy and gloomy days... I dont really like them. They fail to radiate the energy of the shining sun! I kinda associate my moods to the weather and hence not really to my advantage! And the much dreaded winter is around! Diwali's round the corner too. But its summer placement that's haunting thoughts these days. Hope to do some active blogging once my fate for next summer is freezed!!! Bubye till then....

jus enuf time 4 everythin..

2005-08-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

I like it most when am busy or atleast engaged! Its a hectic life for sure... but at the end of the day when I go to bed am most satisfied..it seems a worthy day!! The break that follows these hectic times are the sweetest. I feel I've earned them... there's a sense of pride in it and the happiness / pleasure derived is heavenly!! The calm after the storm.. relaxed moments after the whirlwind ones! That's how am gonna feel when I go home! I am earnestly looking forward to it, but the fact remains that I also am enjoying the busy present. There seems to be just enuf time for everything in life! "jus enuf time"..

Just enuf time.. for happiness, for sorrows, for anxious hours, for confused days, for moments of excitement, for moments of depression, for laughs, for tears, for clarity, for confusion, for pride, for shame, for acads, for breaks, for this n for that.. Sometimes wish I could read people's thoughts.. sometimes wish I could read myself better..

I like my life the way it is.. with jus enuf time for everything!

The call of my life

2005-06-16T04:31:00.000-07:00

Not more than 4 days back, I was sitting at my desk wondering what life ahead has in store for me. Infact, what am planning to do with my life!! Lots of pictures came across... I had 'n' options but with no clear orientation I knew that these options would be knock of opportunities left unheard! I was confused and a lil worried too. One of my friends told me that I am amongst the lucky few to have numerous options and should be rather happy about it. Temporarily I put these thoughts aside. Couple of days back I was busy at my desk discussing a 'bug' with a colleague of mine. The persistent phone call did succeed in grabbing my attention. The call was from my bro. His first line.. "Priya, u got thro College X". Boy, am I being fooled!! Moments later, I realized I wasnt. Apparently, the Admissions Office ppl tried contacting my number and my bro had my cell that fine day. Blood gushing through all my nerves, I took a few mins to digest the news. Couldnt really muster the truth that the call was going to change my life forever. Its a bye to those Java bugs(Hard to accept it, but I did start enjoying these bugs too!); late hour sitting with the umpteen lines of code for company; and the incoherent jargons on hardware and software!! Well, its a new life... a student life for the next 2 years (It does feel young going back to college again).

Imprinted forever in my diary, 14th of June 2004... the day I received the call of my life.

Widening Divide..

2005-06-10T04:05:00.001-07:00

Was reading a few articles on 'Globalization & Its Effects'. At every point of time in history (which refers to the 20th Century), economists have pointed fingers towards one or the other country shining, thanks to globalization. Ghana, for example, liberalized its economy in the early 1980s and was claimed an instant success. The place rich with gold and other natural resources was exploited by MNCs to unbelievable extent. Land was seized from natives by MNCs for commercial reasons and compensation paid was meagre. The rich 'Rice Fields' were destroyed and today the natives have to buy American Rice, just because they are subsidized. People there have to pay for all essential needs including water, medical care and even toilet usage. A few analysts say that Globalization will take its toll in any developing country.

India and China, on the other hand, are viewed as being cautious in liberating their respective economies. The economic divide in the fast growing Chinese economy is yet-another disquieting case-study. While the urban rich are cushioned on piling Yen, the poor rurals are fighting for basic needs like food, water and education. Rural areas are considered dumping grounds for the infinitive wastes disposed by the Chinese factories. Behind the success are stories of innumerable people dying of cancer and lung problems, thanks to the never-ending pollution. All these inspite of being ruled by the Communists, who are supposed to echo the sentiments of the poor, for ages now. India, as it seems, is not far behind in furthering the rich-poor divide; which is a saddening status. Education as one can see is becoming a costly affair and the public run schools have time and again proved not worthy enough.

According to me, an equal society (as claimed by the Communists) is never possible. Based on a few parameters, there is always a divide; which is a law of nature. But should this divide be widened to this extent? Have not the poor an equal right to atleast the basic utilities? Dont they have a right to compete for a better life? There is always a fight for survival n the fittest wins. But does crushing the poor and diminishing them of their fighting capabilities ethical??? Things must change for the benefit of the poor..for the benefit of natural balance..for the benefit of mankind.

Its all in the genes..

2005-05-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

Couple of days back, I was all excited when I accidentally bumped into the headlines of Indian Express. Anxiety ushering through all my nerves, I went ahead to read the front page article. The news was on a survey conducted on the risk-sensitivity of Indians. The report concluded that Indians by and large were averse to risk; and demographic factors like income, lifestyle, age, gender had no influence on this characteristic. Only 1 out of 10 Indians considered high-risk investments worth making. 1 out of 3 were moderate risk-takers while the majority settled for no-risk investments.

One might wonder, what my anxiety had to do with this. Few days back I was confessing to my friend that I am not the kind of person who would take risks in life. I always sensed this in me and have many a times wondered why I couldnt bring myself to take a risk. And I believed that this had to do with my Indian roots. So when this particular report in the daily reiterated my thoughts with factual details, I simply couldnt help considering myself a genius :) I am sure it wouldn't sound like the best of incidents to claim the genesis of a genius but pray let me be proud of myself once in a while!!

I have also squeezed my brain cells wondering what could have made Americans risk and adventure-lovers in contrast to the Indians!! And here goes my theory. American society is a result of the amalgamation of the hearts that dared to leave their motherland in search of better opportunities in the newly found continent. So risk taking is in the genes of most Americans which goes on to explain their high-risk ventures n their guts. Ofcourse my theory doesnt hold for native Americans. Am sure some economist / psychologist would have explained on similar lines. If not, I shall consider myself an eligible candidate for a Nobel Prize next year!! What say?!

The Rude Driver..

2005-04-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

I step out of the house every morning at around 8.20 am, reassuring myself that am not late for the 8.24 am bus. There are around 4 buses that stops at our place at different points of time; 8.24 am bus being the last. While me and my roomie wait for that bus, there are few other company buses that pass by too. During those first few days, we had no clue as to which bus would stop to pick us up. We had tried waving at all those company buses passing by. Most drivers wouldn't mind our tiring waves. But there was one driver who took immense pleasure in waving his hand back saying that he wouldnt stop. Whenever he passes by, he gives this scornful look which seems to say "Get fried in the sun! Am not gonna stop for u...hahaha". It looked as if he owned the bus and decided never to take us in!!! That very first day we baptized him "The Rude Driver". This has been a regular ceremony for the last 4 months.

Today was a different day. It was a normal day to start off. left my place a little early at around 8.15 am, had a lazy walk till the bus stop... As usual buses were passing by. One bus rolled slowly and stopped at our place. And bingo, it was the Rude Driver waving - asking us to get in. Me and my roomie were taken aback for a moment. We couldnt believe our eyes. With lots of thoughts running in mind (wondering what his motive would be in stopping for us after 4 months), we got in the bus!! Those 2 seconds gave rise to quite a few questions - was it sympathy, was it a concession finally, was it to reinforce that he would stop at his discretion, etc..etc.. But the last and most probable solution to the question occured to us when we actually got into the bus. The bus was fully packed leaving me and my roomie wondering for a few secs. Then someone from the last seat told us that there was 1 seat vacant there. Finally me and my roomie managed to squeeze in that space(thanks to the generous last-seaters!!). Both of us agreed unanimously... It was probably this sadistic motive that lead the Rude Driver stop.. he wanted us to stand throughout the journey. He would have known that the bus was full and wanted us to have a tough time!! We dint disappoint him. We sure had a roller-coaster ride early in the morning - jumping throughout and wondering if we would land up sitting on our neighbor's lap after each jump!

At the end of it all, I still hope it was some sympathy... Probable to some extent. Maybe will get a better understanding in the next few days to come. Let me c.. if it is time to re-baptize him!!!

Why not give more room for ur dog?

2005-04-14T21:48:00.000-07:00

It was one of those moments when I had to wait for the server to start. Cudnt think of anything to "kill" time (this is a very bad term isnt it... at times I wish they was an option to "pause" time..at other times I try to "kill" it?!). Heights of vettiness.. n I stumbled upon this site on pets. Flagged off a search on breeds of dogs... Found interesting info on dogs. One of them was an article on "Why not give more space to ur pet dog". cudnt trace the site back. So penning down whatever I remember

Wolf was man's first pet... accompanying him on his hunting expeditions. Dogs descended from wolves.. so it is believed that they have those killer instincts still left in them(the proportion depends on the breed!). Wolves are a disciplined species. They live in groups lead by the leader wolf a.k.a. The Alpha God. (seriously wonder how those elections are held!!). They follow the leader and dont dare disobey them. Researchers say that when one pets a dog, the dog should consider his master as the Alpha dog and his children as Alpha pups(what a term?!!). Ensuring this involves actions as simple as making the dog do something to earn his food (say get the newspaper!), never letting him share your bed etc. Disaster commences once the dog starts considering himself/herself as the Alpha God. One can sense the change by noticing simple changes like the dog barking at the owner while eating (trying to reinforce that he's taken the lead!). "So pet ur pet but always be the Alpha God" was the conclusion.

Never gave a thought about the psychology of dogs b4... The site has breed specific info too. Chk it out!

Dreamz..

2005-04-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

The movie 'If Only' inspired some thots on dreams. Dreams they say is a reflection of the desires of one's unconscious mind. I think to a great extent this is true. But there are times when I wake up, look bak at my dream n wonder..'How weird!!'

Haven't read much about dreamz and their meanings... dont really believe they have meanings associated with them. But at times I wonder, if there is no reason at
all behind those dreams, y do we dream in the first place?? Is it supposed to keep our brains engaged in the nights or probably keep it entertained with some drama in the background?

On the first of April I woke up to the persistent ringing of my cellphone at around 4.45 a.m. (btw, that was my friends who took away the honours for fooling me in those early hours!!) After I put the phone back to rest I recalled I was amidst a dream when the phone rang. It was a conversation with some of my relatives at home. And at that point it was my uncle talking. I can vividly remember me thinking of what he would be saying and accordingly trying to manipulate my dream. This triggered some deep thoughts in the black of the night. So are dreams about people a reflection of one's perception about a person or oneself? Am I in this case, trying to step into the shoes of my uncle? Probably...

The rational in me, doesnt let me bluntly believe that a dream could be just a strange occurance out of the blue! But cant deny it could also be one of those numerous things we dont have control over....

all alone in the train..

2005-03-29T02:18:00.000-08:00

gone are those days when train journey meant a break from college or a tearful adieu to those sweet days at home; gone r those days when it meant sharing food, jokes, thought, games, magic n lots more with friends; gone r those days when it kindled memories of nagpur oranges, dinshaw icecreams, station food, card games, antakshari etc. I always loved those long, leisurely trips. man, is there a better place than that to read a novel grasping its full essence.. I seriously doubt.

For the first time in my life, I travelled all alone in the train last weekend... Much to my astonishment I was not bored at all. The rocking journey(literally!!) sure made me nostalgic more than once. but this time it was different. the journey gave me time for myself n my thoughts. Even better, made me feel closer to the train wagons and compartments. At the end of it all it was as though I had shared quite a lot with those steel boxes... it felt as if they knew me better now. the train is no more a box of tin making that rattling noise to me. the train is lot more than that.

For the first time ever, I felt the need for a dustbin in the train. All this while, any waste was supposed to be thrown out of the window through those steel bars. But hey, I finally realized I have been polluting the place like many others travelling with me even without giving it a second thought. Probably should write in to Mr. Lalu!!

I remember the first time I travelled in a train. probably I was 7 years old. wonder how this beastly vehicle still holds my interest.... n am sure that pretty thing would keep me looking forward to a journey in it for years to come...