Tag Archives: excitement
Somethings 1 to 5 ;)
I’ve had a 9-day-long vacation a week back…and it made me realise a few things.
- Vacations are life’s necessities
- They’re good for relationship building
- They’re good for your health (bad for the fat-hungry cells)
- They’re such super stress busters
- They’re addictive in a good way (makes you want to do it over and over again; makes your life better and healthier ;))
- They’re other uncountable positives 🙂
Anyways, I hit office on Monday morning (after reaching home weary and tired on late Sunday night) and realised that I will NOT get back into the rut of a monotonous life of home-work-home. Bah! [Well, at least not for a while; I say this because it looks like I’ll soon get into an even worse lifestyle :D] I’ll do something about it.
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Something No. 1
I joined for driving classes.
All through the three days at Poovar, the dad-in-law has been motivating us to buy a new car (he even offered to give us some monetary help. Yey! Shameless, I know!). So, in a moment of extreme enthusiasm, I called up a driving school the very Monday that we were back in B’lore. The guy came over on the following Saturday, made me fill a form, took the money and said the class will start on Sunday. I nodded my head so much that I was sure it’d pop off my neck. Woohoo! I never knew I had so much driving spirit in me 😀
He told us it’ll take 16 days if it were half-hour daily lessons; or 8 days if it were one-hour 
lessons. Of course, I opted for one-hour lessons.
Now, I’m OK about learning, and actually driving a 4-wheeler. It’s impossible to fall from one 😀 But a 2-wheeler is a different issue. He made me test my wheel balance, and I lost my enthusiasm (and all my dignity 😀 I could barely move the Activa without swaying like a coconut on the wall!). I immediately told the husband I’ll learn only the 4-wheeler. He pretended not to hear.
After much whining, he told me to imagine how nice it’d be to swish about in a brand new Activa, with a chic helmet and everything.
I closed my eyes; I imagined: and it was super cool! Wow. I was driving damn well and I was the envy of every girl walking by. The dignity meter hit ‘Max’. Then I opened my eyes, and went back to whining. “I don’t want to learn 2-wheeler driving. Let me just stick with the car…pls pls pretty please, with cherry on top”. He pretended not to hear.
On Sunday, the very first day of class, I bunked. 😀
Oh please. Who’ll wake up at 6.45 a.m. on a Sunday morning!? I texted him saying I had fever and that I’d attend from Monday. He called back, grumbled and said OK. Psst psst: the real reason is not that I didn’t want lose my sleep. The 2-wheeler thingy had drained me off all my enthusiasm…and I wanted to delay it the max possible 😀
Well, I’ve been regular since, and I must admit, it gives me a high to be able to steer a mechanical thing and make it go the way I want it too. Yippee. Wait a minute! I never tried imagining me swishing by in the car!
Wow! It’s super cool! I am driving brilliantly and I am the envy of every girl walking by. The dignity meter is trying to cross ‘Max’. [Even when the eyes are open ;)]
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Something No. 2
The swimming pool at the resort, like I mentioned here, made me resolve to learn swimming. I’m proud to say I’ve stuck to the resolve. This weekend, the husband and I decided to register for a swimming camp 🙂 Yey! I decided it’s got the “two birds with one stone” benefit. Nah…actually, three birds 😀
1. I get to be in water!! (the best of it all)
2. I learn swimming, an important thing in life 😀
3. I get to tone myself down (it’s the best exercise, without doubt)
Well, the rate chart at the National Games Village Club, Bangalore, said the pool’s open for use for both members and guests. The registration fee for members was Rs 500, while guests had to pay Rs 1625. Hmmm.
Interesting! Which means if there’s a membership, the daily-use fee would also be much lower. “Oooh, let’s get a membership, pls pls pretty please, with cherry on top”, I told the husband. When we enquired about the membership, they said it’s a life-time thingy for a couple, including dependents (parents and kids). Hmmm.
Doubly interesting!! So, we can all come and have a family swim party 😀 The dad-in-law would be extremely happy! We asked about the rate, and the guy coolly said it was ONLY Rs 2.5 lakhs. Hmmm.
Not so interesting, suddenly. 😀 😀 Anyways, we were supposed to go today and make the payment and get registered and everything! Classes were to start either tomorrow or the day after. But when we went there today, the ******* people there said they’ve decided not to conduct classes, after all. Sickos. I’m in despair now 😦 I reeely want to learn! So, we went straight to Koramangala Club and enquired. Apparently, the classes began last Monday. And NO new batches starting. Come next summer, it seems. Grrrrrrrr. I’m big time pissed!!! 😦 Singing “Desperado” now 😥
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Something No. 3
Bangalore is no longer the weather capital of India 😀 It’s been bloody hot this summer. But thankfully, the rains have set in (hope they stay for a loooong time ;)) Anyway, the heat’s been unbearable, esp on the top floor. So, have decided to start some
small-scale farming on the terrace. The mother and father have re-located to Bangalore, and she is super excited about farming. So, yea. It’ll reduce the heat flowing down into the room from the terrace…and it’ll give us some free veggies 😉
But well, to go up there and water them every day. To go up there and do ‘gardening’. To go up there and pluck whatever’s grown (if they do, at all). Mmm. Have to sub-contract it to the husband 😉 😉 Have already complemented the dad multiple times, saying anything he plants just grows and flourishes! 😀
There! It’s halfway through already, then. I’ll probably do my bit by buying the seeds for them 😀
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Something No. 4
Dying to resume training in Carnatic Music. My beginning was while I lived in Guruvayur (1992-94), but the classes were on Sat/Sun, right during the DD2 cartoon hours: and she taught us just sa ri ga ma pa dha ni sa for 5 whole months. I quit!
Had a raging hatred for it for a number of years to come.
Was taken to Perumbavoor Ravindranath Master while in 5th Grade. Learnt for 2 years and almost reached varnams. Lost interest when he began stretching one for weeks, till every kid got it right. I quit!
Was taken to M.G. Radhakrishnan (a close friend of Dad’s) while in 7th Grade. He made me sing a few sangathis and all…and said I had a lovely voice, superb control over it…and a great future in the music industry :D. Joined class again…but they started right from sa ri ga ma pa dha ni sa again. I quit!
A master used to come home to teach, while in Grade 11. But he always came in the late evening, just when I would begin yawning. Began on keerthanams. But shifted residence in a year…and he quit! 🙄
Finally, became truly interested in learning when I completed graduation. But parents were in the once-a-cat-in-hot-milk-always-a-cat-in-hot-milk mode 😀 They said I could learn music when I learn the value of a god-given gift and of money (paid as fee to these ppl!).
By the time I really learnt them, had relocated to Karnataka. Was thrilled. In the land of Carnatic music. But so far, haven’t located one single person who can coach me individually (or along with a max of 3-4 others). I do not want to start from sa ri ga ma pa dha ni sa again! Any suggestions, anyone!?
Dying to learn. I’m losing my voice and the control over it, already. Too long a gap from music lessons! 😦
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Something No. 5
Planning the next trip already. Don’t know where to or when, but definitely planning the finances and the leave 😀 Yey!
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Now, isn’t this a good-enough beginning on NOT get back into the rut of a monotonous life? 😉
P.S.: Bangaloreans…I’m dying to learn swimming and Carnatic Music. Any suggestions?
P.S. of P.S.: Koramanagala Club and the National Games Village Club: both suck! Grrrrr!
Protected: Travellogue: a week-long holiday – part 3
a strange weekend…actually, two!
No no… I did not disappear again. Had made an impromptu trip to Trivandrum, my hometowncity.
The trip turned out to be one of those “totally unplanned, outright fun” ones! All the cousins and second cousins and uncles and aunts were cooped up under the same roof — and we all had so much fun there! Apart from marriages, Onam, and a once-in-a-while first-birthday party, we don’t get together like this: and I can’t really remember the last time we all were together like this…the last time we all had such fun. About 40-odd people — adults and us ‘kids’. Everyone forming tiny little groups in every single space available and chattering, laughing (and even singing), merry-making…
Occasionally, when our laughter crossed the allowed decibel level, aunts and uncles came barging in, admonishing and ordering us to behave ourselves. Yet, at the same time, we could see the ‘elders’ in the family sitting around and sharing old-time stories…their childhood and their pranks — and laughing their hearts out!
But it was all very strange throughout — this merrymaking in the family; the neighbours must all think we’re a bunch of sadistic, barbaric tribals! Well, can’t really blame them: because it was not really one of those “planned get-togethers”; and I was not really on an “unplanned, fun” trip. I had hurried off to Trivandrum to attend my grandmother’s funeral…
Grandma’s death was much anticipated…and entirely “prayed-for”, I might say. She was slowly entering a phase of immense suffering…and everyone was hoping she’d be called away before too long. So, in a way, we could defend ourselves, saying we were celebrating her ‘escape from sufferings’ or such crap.
Granma
There! She was the last member of that generation’s lot. Now, apparently, “we all” will never ever get-together like this anymore. Grandma had perhaps been a unifying factor: the reason why everyone got together under that roof occasionally. Now, each to one’s own.
Guess it’s true; four of my cousins are in the middle east; one’s in Delhi; one’s in Cochin; one’s planning to go off soon to Australia; two of us are here in Bangalore; one is off to UK…and God knows when we’ll all see each other again. Unlike those good old days, none of us seem to be really pulled home by force, excitement and urge to attend to weddings and childbirths in the family any longer. We all have our excuses: projects to be completed; horrid bosses who grant no leave; new job, so no leave; exams, so can’t skip school/college; low attendance, will get into the professor’s black list ; out of the country, can’t be bothered to make a presence…and so on. Somehow, a death seem to bring a jolt to each one of us (and to the bosses, teachers and professors as well, God-knows-how!) and everyone turns up somehow or the other.
So, maybe sub-consciously, we all knew it was one of those “this-wont-last-too-long-and-may-very-well-be-the-last-time” times together…and must’ve taken full advantage of it. Bonded with each other asap…sang, danced, wrestled, fooled around, had palmistry sessions, had PJ-sessions…had “tonne kanakkinu fun, fun” (like the tagline of a local radio station goes)!
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Now, its all over. Everyone’s gone back to whatever they were up to before 3.00 a.m. on July 16th!
(-: Here I am :-)
Hey people ! Guess who’s back!?
The terrorists? No way!
Santa? Naah.
No, no, not Christmas either!
C’mon! I’m referring to myself here! Gosh! Obviously, am the only one who’s glad! 😀
After a break that seemed almost eternal, I’m back in AlphabetWorld! The machines (read as my brain) here were apparently getting used to doing nothing. So a lil’ tap at the right side and a harder tap later, it’s started creaking a bit. The print might not be too fine the first few days, but I hope I’ll be pardoned.
I did a rough count of the number of posts I’ve not read since I went on the break — and I’m still reeling under the impact! If I start reading them, one after the other, I might — just might — complete it before they light the candles on my 78th b’day 😀 . I think it’ll be safest for my eyes if I pretend to have read them all — or rather that I’d never been on a break! (Ok, guys…I’m kidding! I’m craving to read ’em all — but can’t at one go…I’ll take the tortoise’s path and read them at at a slow pace.)
My last post was on Nov 1…and when I popped into Vimal‘s blog to count his new posts, I noticed my name, my latest post’s name and the words “5 weeks ago” in his blogroll. Now you know what drove me in here so soon 😀 .
5 weeks! I was aghast…enraged at myself!
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I quickly signed in to undo the damage — and oh my god! WordPress has changed! For a moment, I thought I’d signed into some other site! And then The Greatest Guide-Writer Of All Times tells me it’s the new Crazyhorse look! And yea, it rocks!
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I saw that I’d been bestowed with the following awards:
Butterfly Award by both Verbivore and Vimal;
A Trophy by Vimal;
and
Este Blog investe e acredita na – Proximidade! by Vimal
Thanks a lot, you guys! (If I were dumb, I’d think it was for staying away from the blog world 😉 )
I pass these honours on to (following the rules of the Proximidade one!) 8 others:
Verbivore, Rekha, Apar, Manu, Reema, Sakhi, Xylene and Jayya.
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Apar apparently tagged me sometime back with a photo tag; am so grateful to her (for giving me something for my ‘next post’).
I was also tagged to do the quirky tag by Verbivore, but I noticed that at the end of doing his own, Nikhil had killed the tag! I hope it’s come back to life — because I quite like that tag! 😀
Verbivore also tagged me to do the Movie Quirks tag, but after writing the first part of this sentence, I noticed that she hasn’t. So ooops…sorry!
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I also got to know that Vimal‘s not single anymore 😀 (Vimal, I tried; but the cat scratched me and jumped out of the bag) 😀
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I noticed that the Avante Garde Awards haven’t been announced yet. I’m extremely thankful to everyone who nominated me — I’m honoured to have made into the list! May the best blogger win!
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Soon after posting this, I intent to visit every blog that’s on my roll and leave a “hi” — just so that everyone knows I’m back 😀 (To comment would mean reading the posts — which’ll let me tell others that I’m back only when I’m 78!!
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Last but of course, not the least, I’m pleased to announce the appointment of Nikhil as my Santa Claus for Year 2008! 😀 Anyone else who wishes to be the same are welcome to do so — I’d only be extra glad! 😉
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Folks, am dying for news as to what’s been happening in the blogville while I took that untimely break. So, tell me…what’s been happening!?
thus occured the rebirth of Sherlock Holmes…
I guess A.C. Doyle knew there would, one day, take birth in the world of wordpress, the biggest mystery ever…and that a bunch of detectives would set out to solve it–>and hence the plural “Holmes” as opposed to “Holme” 😉 . But the author also knew none would be as sharp as him or his creation Sherlock–>hence the “lock” in the name (so no one would use the name freely 😀 ).
In case you are all wondering (I’m assuming I have new readers everyday) which this mystery is that is being discussed, its none other than the Mystery of the Mirrorcracked Vagaries of Love“. The story in brief:
The protagonist is a very popular citizen of WordPress, the most literate country in the World Wide Web. An author by profession, he is a self-proclaimed “decent guy, who deserves the good things in life…”. Well, apparently, one day he realises that grave injustice has been inflicted on him…he has been caught in the web of love–>only, the spider was already ‘taken’! The spider has spun the web, made a cocoon and captivated him within–>all his friends and well-wishers could see it; but the spider itself is invisible: making it a tough job for his friends, readers, admirers and the rest of WordPress to find the spider. They sa
y necessity is the mother of invention…and this being an obvious and highly critical time of need, these people re-invent themselves…and become re-incarnations of none other than Sherlock Holmes!
Well, as an admirer of A.C. Doyle, I must say I’m deeply surprised by the ‘abilities’ of these detectives…they put 2 and 2 together and came up with 5! Hehe…just imagine Sherlock Holmes following a case closely for a week and finally saying the culprit is Nancy Drew! LOL…i couldn’t believe it when i read through various people’s ‘clues’ and ‘hints’ and “i’ve got it!”s…and the most shocking was RJ’s question…hehe…anyway, let the game go on…!
Well, to any new visitior to my blog, this would be a mystery even to this alphabet…but to existing readers and occasional visitors from a certain friend’s blog, this would make perfect sense…dear detectives, Nancy Drew is just another amatuer detective–>she is nowhere close to Mr Holmes, of course…and she definitely is not a criminal by herself ;).
P.S: Mr Especiality, thanks for letting me know “the suspect” and grrrr…for not letting me know “how you solved the (still-unsolved) case”. And yea…here is the credit I said i’d give to the protagonist…
P.S of P.S: Mr Protagonist, thanks for the free publicity–>i already feel like a celebrity (your readers and many more would know why I’m feeling the way I do 😀 ). But I hope your readers know the difference between a Nancy Drew and a Phoolan Devi 😀 . I don’t mind being either, tho…both were celebs in their own ways 😉 !
P.S of P.S of P.S: Everyone, no matter how indifferernt you are to the world around you, a person’s love-life will always be of top-interest…and of contagious interest–>or so i’ve realised lately 😀 ! And now, i go off to bed, a much-enlightened celebrity! 🙂
countdown to 21 June!
an exciting plan…a bunch of enthused friends…100+ excited mails…fixing of dates…fixing of venues…crosschecking availabilities and conveniences…and the countdown to June 21! 🙂
there were 15 of us in our PR&Ad class in college—5 guys and 11 gals…OK…wrong math…
there were 16 of us in our PR&Ad class in college—5 guys and 11 gals—and one year of togetherness: the joys, the suspension (!!), the unity, the rifts, the support, the quarrels, the fun-times, the bitching (fun again!), the backstabbing, the strong friendships, the new relations, the joys…well, life’s a full circle!
In a college predominant with north Indian students, ours had been the only class with an only-Keralites population! Though we were all 16 totally different people—in the true sense of the word ‘totally’—probably because of the ‘spirit-of-the-Malayali’, we had a strange unity which was lacking in all the other courses/classes taken together!! And so, even when we got suspended (for bunking our half term exams!), all 16 of us were in it together! (Actually, no…there was one guy who didn’t; but we managed to get him dismissed forever! The things people do in colleges!!)
It was a strange year…that one year at SCMS. Within a small group of just 15 (not wrong math…remember one went off forever?), we somehow managed to have the number of ‘issues’ and quarrels you’d actually expect from a group of 50! Within the class, most of us had problems with the other; but between us and the college management, we were one! Between one group of friends and the other, there were never-ending troubles; but between us and the rest of the students in that college, we were one! Even after college, rifts between individuals continued; but when it came to a meet-up after two loooong years, we were all game!
Of this 15, though only 13 were invited (along with their spouses/future-spouses) for The Meet (TM henceforth 😀 ). Of that 13, one was in Bahrain, one in Dubai, one in Chennai, one in Hyderabad, four in Kochi, and the remaining five in Bangalore. Since “majority wins” is a universally accepted slogan, we decided TM should happen at Bangalore…the dates 21 and 22 June were blocked in everyone’s calendar…and awww…the excitement that went into it…
Jaya started the mail-threads…telling everyone to gear up • Gulfu took charge of booking the venue • Leena and I contributed to the mails…doesn’t cost anything to motivate people, does it? • We fought with Manju—for saying she might not be able to come because of a company review (and gave her sound advices: there are a million other companies you can get into, but friends like us, there’s jus us!) • We implored Raju, who’d come from Dubai for a short stay with his folks, to extend his visa up to 25th • Biju, as always, was game—any day, any time, any place: just tell him and he’ll be there! • We told Poornima to make sure tickets from Bahrain are booked well in advance…and to even pre-pone her university viva if possible 😀 , so that she can make it to India! • We told Siji to make sure her 3-month old baby is all fine—and make it for TM • We told Rakhi to ditch her first film’s music launch (she’s a singer) and come over to Bangalore • We told Deepti to book flights from Hyderabad to and from Bangalore for at least one day (since her dad wasn’t too happy with the idea of sending her over for ‘a weekend’) • Breeze had her MBA exams going on…and was all teary-eyed (we’re sure) for missing out on the fun! • Merlin is always waiting for a chance to escape from the heat of Chennai…she doesn’t need any coaxing!
the thrilling plan…13 enthused friends…100+ excited mails…fixing 21 and 22 June…fixing venue—a jungle resort (!?)…crosschecking availabilities and conveniences…and the countdown to June 21…until it all boiled down to nothing!
It never happened…hehe…yes, you read it right, it never happened!!! We are still that same group of 16—well, 13 according to the new statistic—13 totally different individuals; though as a group we were all excited and united, guess within everyone (knowing each other as well as we do) there was a guarantee that it’d finally be all smoke and no fire! 😀
It’s always like this…when we do/plan something with all excitement, especially if it is well in advance, like a much-awaited film; a highly anticipated trip; a dress given at the tailor, which you are so looking forward to get back (this happens to me every single time, damn!); anything, anything at all that you are hopeful of—Murphy is sure to mark his attendance!!! But well, we are all still positive…we still hope…we still anticipate; and so I’m still hopeful we will have TM someday, won’t we, friends? Unless 13 is that bad a number!! 😉 (It’s good to always have a back-up excuse; let’s point fingers at 13!)
I dedicate this post to all members of the SCMS PR&A—2005-06 batch! 🙂
AlphabetWorld! 