What I did this Summer ?

This Summer I DID NOT

• Reach office before 10 in the morning and had a date with the sun everyday.
• Follow the diet regime that i had framed for myself to stay fit (read 'somewhat slim' :D)
• Wish my team mate, on his birthday, inspite of making note of it everyother day to wish him on his birthday right from 10 days before his birthday. Here's to him : "Happy birthday Vishnu :) " (to vishnu: may be i forgot to wish u, but u cud never forgot the so-called 'gift' :P)
• Remember to fill petrol nearly twice, that left me rushing to MTC bus stops on mornings
• Buy the FM transistor for the watchman though i promised to, a week back.
• Update the blog frequently as promised to myself.

I DID

• Have a hair cut- a layer cut to be precise. But the hair was cut shoulder short, that it took two days for me to accept that I have hair falling until my shoulders only, not even an inch below that :(
• Spend my weekend time chatting with the grand parents in the flat above mine, which was interesting i should tell you. We discussed nearly everything under the sun.
• Eat home-made Raspberry muffins specially prepared by the grand-mother mentioned above. Too yummy!!! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
• Learn finding an art gallery having paintings of my choice in Chennai is difficult.
• Buy a gold ring and a short chain from Tanishq. Source of money : Dad
• Join Inner Engineering program by Isha being conducted at office
• Enjoy the pleasnt rain showers and thunderstorms in the middle of the month.
• Realise that I did gift people on days when they least expected it.
• Tan myself more leaving patterns of black and white (slightly exaggerated) on my arms due to watch and bracelet.
• Prepare theratti pal which tasted like ambrosia (atleast for me!)
• Acquaint with the watchman and his wife at my apartment so well that narrating all that happened right from the morning to me became a routine for them.
• Get appreciations from my TL and managers for the demo sessions I have been handling on the company's internal tool.
• Realise that people are curious to read what i write on this scribbling pad.

If you are still reading this, you do deserve a big spoonful of theratti pal prepared by me :)

Summer Woes

Phew!

The hottest summer of Chennai is back and the AC Chhiller Unit in our office is Down AGAIN!

I have so much of aversion to this May month because of the Summer..

1. My mood goes terribly off if it is hot and an top of it, if the fan is not running over my head. I scream (yes I do!), I yell at people and I consciously stay away from making any critical decisions or phone calls. My mood sways with the weather.


2. I get dehydrated easily, and so I stay away from freaking out to places, which otherwise would be on my agenda on weekends.


3. The worst of all for the past 2 years, since I was into this office building of my ABC company (name has been intentionally changed!), is the AC Chiller Unit that goes/is down often cuz of the heavy load. Now that the AC is down, the bay is characterised with a sense of stuffiness, smelling socks and sweat. Now I prefer standing outside to sitting here. That brings me to Point 1.

Well, there is one thing that has been repetitvely happening every other year on May 10th.. The 10th day in the 5th month of every year, when the sun is shining with all its might I'm always out on the roads to utilise it to the fullest without a scarf on my head. Yes.. I don't know how, but that's the way it has been happening for the past 6 years. And this year is no exception and I still feel stars in my eyes for the May 10th phenomenon !

The Game of Love

She : I know that I'm playing a game that I'll ultimately lose..
But still, I'll play it to my best..
Not because I love losing the game, but because I just love playing it!



(Don't ask me what He replied! check out the Tag/Label :D)

Way down upon the city streets, far far away....

For those people wondering about my where-abouts, I'm at Chennai.. Yes, and for the next question i still am employed at Cognizant..

This post is to primarily let you all know that i live at Perungudi, a suburb in Chennai.. Yes மக்களே .. I've shifted to Perungudi a couple of months back.. And living in this பெருங்குடி கிராமம் (Perungudi Village) i now realise how better it was at வேளச்சேரி டவுன்(Velachery Town) .. Gone are the days when i fretted and frowned being at வேளச்சேரி டவுன் compared to the luxury when i had been at the bustling and plush Adyar area at சென்னை நகரம் (Chennai City) (courtesy Anna University). Adyar is luxurious to me in terms of shopping and proximity to key areas.

Velachery was itself like a dump yard for me those days ( read 2 month back) .. I have no words how should i call Perungudi.. All my woes here solely attribute to my inability to house-hop or mindless shopping or freak out, and lets call them as the Real thing here.

Even if i plan to go until FabIndia at Besant Nagar, i have to get ready as if I'm onto a picnic. I've to decide if I should have my breakfast at home or if I can manage to grab a lunch in some restaurant there.. (cuz, the clock would strike 12 noon before i reach Besant Nagar.. i would start at 11 though!) in case I've to meet my friends residing at areas like Adyar and far beyond then it's like I've to have a planner diary next to me.

1. I've to make a note of the distance factor. The stretch from my house at Perungudi until Madhya Kailash covers a neat 10 km distance after which I've to start my real journey. I can manage or precisely my vandi, the resplendent Bajaj Spirit can manage 15 kms one-way journey . Else if I risk beyond that distance I'm sure to have a feel as if the engine has begun to melt away and tyres of the vehicle are rolling in front , leading me to hell.
2. The planner ME decides not to use two-wheeler. Then ?? Bus or Train. By default i have to take atleast 2 buses. cuz, the basic step in all my options is to reach the city first and then to plan the real thing next. so, the first step ideally eats up one bus. kewl!!
3. After the real thing has been done, I have to definitely kick start from the place latest by 6, so that I can avoid the deserted dark streets leading to my house and the dogs that begin ruling the area beyond 8 pm. Phew !
4. If the enthusistic ME has failed to make a note of the passage of time then, the ME has to look for a near-by friend's place or that benevolent friend's house that the ME is already in the name of house-hopping or get-together, to spend that night. And what follows the next day morning would be stretched until a brunch at their place, sometimes without having bath though the benevolent friend offers to give her dress for the day.

The only point that would dare to beat all the above points is that my house is 5 mins drive to office and 2 hours drive to Pondicherry , which is 30 to 45 mins minus the சென்னை நகரம்(Chennai City) traffic.

Why 5 mins drive to office seems so heavenly(?!?) or not-so-hellish (tat wud be the right usage) is because, I can lazily get up at 9.30 am(which i have now made into a routine) and manage to land into office by 10 am Sharrrrppp.. (or a bit late by half-an-hour avoiding those grumpy looks from my team-mates !!)

பெருங்குடி பேரூராட்சி தங்களை அன்புடன் வரவேற்கிறது :)))

Love is in the air !

Valentine's day.
My sister and i freaked out together (having no other go ;) at City Center.
LifeStyle was celebrating the day by offering to click pictures of ones who were in tune with the fun and handing over the instant photographs, for Freeeeeeeee..

So, here's from us .... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :))))))))))))))))))

Parts of I, Me and Myself..

I love to be nostalgic.

Yes. I love to smile and feel good over the things/happenings of the past.

My house is being painted all over again.. That's the time when you get to see all those stuff which had been hidden/treasured at the nook and corner of every shelf and wardrobe, due to any specific reason. But the motive is to just to Save it.. :)

This weekend when i landed at home i preferred staying at the first floor rather than coming down cuz, the house was in such an organized mess (?!?) and also i didn't like the color of the paint in our dining room which occupies the largest space in my house. Saturday went on with the usual routine of eating-sleeping-watching TV in any order.. And Sunday i had to choose to do some work, cuz my parents were not at home and i had some 'responsibilities' entrusted.. So, I decided to go around the house and look out for anything that might attract my attention from the 'organized' mess.

There was a small pile of books and few colored papers at the corner of the living room. I knew those books were mine and some of those were my sister's. Those books were my biology and physical science records, map drawing note books, my small poem diary (!!), my collection of a few paintings and pencil sketches, my school diary and a neat little address book that i used to maintain but never had a chance to refer to the addresses.

I was quite good at drawing . Turning over the pages of my biology records brought memories of me sitting at wee hours in the night completing each and every diagram to its perfection and my satisfaction. Berry, Pome, Hesperidium, Aggregate fruits, the specimens of each and every Phyla in my Biology record has been drawn with such amount of attention and care, that no wonder i got comments not less than 'Neat' and 'Very good' all over! I never felt like keeping the record down and it was so much a part of me in those pages.. And my Map drawing note book contained close to 60 maps of India wherein each and every map was unique to me in the color combination I had used. It was like some fine art for me. I used to experiment each and every map with colors, shades and it was joy to play with colors! And my poem book.. well, I used to write' poems . Period. But I had shown it to none for it was like a secret possession to me. A few sheets of Pencil Sketches.. I had completely forgotten that i had 'done' such kind of things since when i had safely placed/guarded them in a neat file inside another big file :) i remembered how my parents praised me for the sketches i made and my mom was keen on framing those! And my school diaries, school magazine editions and the Cluny Blossoms editions.. Fabulous memories!

I now carry these memories with such pride cuz, they remind me of things i did that are close to my heart.. :)

Back to my Cocoon

January 26.

Cluny Association of Past Students.

That's how my mind associates of January 26 since 2002- the year i passed out of my school.

Caution ahead : this post digresses. a lot!!!

St. Joseph of Cluny.
My School.
http://www.sjcluny.com/

I was not a brat at school, I was not a part of any famous(or infamous rather :)) peer group nor did I have any fan following at my school. I was studious. very much studious. ranks mattered to me. 90+ marks were my identity. 85 marks and below put me into shame. 75 and below marks would be the worst nightmare I could ever dare to dream of! but I am sure students never thought of me as a show-off for what rank I held and what i was.. I'm happy about that :)

I spoke to everyone in the class. I was considering myself a nice girl. I could accompany anyone until the canteen during the interval and politely refuse if they offer to buy anything. I cleared doubts to my best for those who sought help from me. I would never speak ill of anyone. I never knew to say a NO !

With this kind of an image when I passed out of school, I had a few friends compared to many who were a part of this gang-thing. a few friends here means those whom I would really love and those who would simply love my company. We all knew that we would miss our school like hell for it because our school with its sprawling lawns, lovely gardens, a big big playground, chapel, a prayer ground, auditorium was a haven for us.

When I passed out, I was aiming for Medicine (cuz, the most studious were associated with it). Luckily(?!!?) I ended up taking Engineering and I chose Anna University only for the reason that it had a green campus (trust me!). and I was quite contented with it cuz, it looked like a second version of my school. As days passed by when I interacted with my hostel-mates and college mates, I realized that I had a great and rather strong mental and emotional foundation as compared to my fellow mates. When they would discuss of their school I would find it rather dumb because they could not re-collect anything beyond their revision exams they had! I would utter a silent prayer under my breath thanking my parents for putting me into Cluny, where curriculum was just a part of my school. Sports , arts , music and cultural activities were greatly encouraged. Moral -Science classes, Prayer Services, visits to orphanages and Hospice, tuck-shop, Counseling classes and a lot more laid the foundation and built in the integrity for Cluny girls and helped us evolve into wonderful women.
When I thought of these I realized how much I miss my school for all that it has done in silently transforming me. I am blessed!

No digress :) coming back, back, and back to the point ;), our batch mates swore under our breath that we would make it on every January 26th!
Well, I was eagerly waiting for January 26th 2003, started from Chennai and I had reached Pondicherry and called up a few of my friends in my locality to confirm as to when we should all be assembling in the school.. To my surprise/dismay, very few seemed to remember that 26th is the Alumni meet and out of that only two of them agreed to turn up for the meet. This could be attributed to the fact that since all of them are residing and pursuing their under-grad at Pondicherry that every other day when they go take a walk by the main lane they would end up meeting half the school crowd. Anyways, but that isn't the case for me! So, finally a few of us managed to meet and the evening was lovely.

Following this incident I thought it was a futile attempt trying to gather my friends and meet them at school. I would rather house-hop to meet them.
Thus it went on that 3 full years I didn't turn up for the Alumni meet not taking the pains/attempt to co-ordinate my friends.

This year, strangely, I felt why-not I re-attempt? And I did.. My twin friends were more than ready to come to school for the Alumni meet. and it had been not less than a minute I had hung up the phone than my sweetest chum, Aarthi called me up from her house asking me if I wud be there at school! Boy.. I cudn't believe .. reason 1: she was supposedly living at US and I was not informed as to when she landed at Pondy. reason 2: someone else is also making an attempt!!

I jumped out of the sofa and looked up at the clock.. it was 3.10 pm . Alumni meet was at 4 .. I had no time to waste.. I told my parents that I'm leaving in another half an hour to school.. they were like : "it is solar eclipse today. the eclipse would be over by 4.07. so , take bath after that and leave by 5". I turned a deaf ear, had bath immediately and tip-toed and hopped happily on my way to school..
I met my friends, my batch mates .. totally 8 from 2002 batch had turned up.. and I was not surprised ! thank you girls for turning up :) The meet started with a small not of prayer then followed by the splendid dance performances- the trademark of Cluny :). Followed by that there was a short speech and we were surprised to know that the speaker belonged to the 1956 year batch of Cluny... a few members were there from the 60's , 70's and 80's .. It was indeed a memorable get-together! After that we were given candles and we had a prayer service. As a fitting end there was bonfire amidst the huge play ground. Students danced to joy and it was a feast! And finally there was our school song sung and that marked the end of the evening..

Re-uniting with old friends, having a hearty talk with teachers, sitting on the cement benches facing the playground and chatting, holding hands together and sitting by the lawns, walking along the corridors, bowing heads and singing hymns suggested me that things have not changed. Our Roots at Cluny are firm and deep..

They indeed are!