Overwhelmed !!!

You were born an original. Don't die a copy. - John Mason

A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun, enjoy the trip!

June 11, 2005 :
I was all involved in the daily humdrum, and the day-to-day tasks that I had almost forgotten my own birthday. It was the day before and I had no clue that my birthday was the very next day untill Harish my best bud, took me out the very same evening, on pretext of some work of his, to RR, where well .. Surprise !!! Yup there was a surprise dinner party arranged an all, and how happy and special I felt, when I saw two of my closest and sweetest friends, Divi and Pavi, who were present there after a hard days work to celebrate my bday. I just felt happier when Girish and Neel joined us later. After all that fun, they stayed awake till 12am to call and wish me at the start of my bday.. and well, another surprise was Bidisha who called me all the way from Pune.

June 12, 2005 :
I slept happily waiting for my bday to dawn, and hey I was woken up by another phone call wish, it was Deepa, my college friend, who has never missed to call me be it any occasion, bday, festivals, friendship day etc etc, since seven years. She's always been my support come what may all through these seven years. Well, the calls kept comin in all through the day -Naveen, Harsha, college friends etc. Spent the morning at my sis's school for some inaugration and was wearing the shirt Divv gifted me. Though I was showered with wishes from the bestest of my friends, I still expected a few people to wish me, and just then Harish called me again and informed theres somethin urgent and we need to go, and soon after Jayasree too called me and wanted to meet me . I assumed there must be another surprise comin up, and as we were about to leave the phone rang and it was Deeps, my s'h'weet best friend who with Annie had actually planned another big surprise party for me, I was on cloud 9.Well later in the night had dinner out with family and retired to bed.

June 15, 2005 :
I started writing this blog in the morning of June 13,2005 its a couple of days and am still writing. Harish came online a few minutes back and I informed him "Dude, Im trying to write my blog about my birthday, and am unable to get words or frame sentences." "hmm, overwhelmed ?? " he replied. Hes right, as two days later, I still did get calls and mails of belated bday.... Bindhu,Vinay, Karma, Supriya, Sam,Vani n all.

I thank the Almighty, for gifting me with this wonderful bunch of friends.

Jammed...

I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship. - Louisa May Alcott.

Post - heavy lunch, sipping on a hot cup of tea, I was standing at the door of my house astonishingly glaring at that windstorm speeding away which is so uncommon in this part of the world. Minutes later, skies roared, letting go of humongous amount of rainfall accompanied by hailstones in sizes upto a ping pong ball.. The sight of the storm trio - Wind, rain and hailstones - was worth a view. I had just started enjoying this form of the weather, when there was a loud beep. Standing with the now empty tea cup, inside the cosy warm veranda of the house, I glanced across the portico blinded by the stormin rain and in a blurred vision I realised that the beep was from my cab waiting to pick me up and drop me to office. A quick glance at my watch, it was 4:05 pm. I put on my shoes and jacket and dashed my way to the cab. I got in, but drenched, drenched in just a few seconds.

"Lets wait for the weather to calm down"
"No" said the cab driver, "We will be late"
"The city is flooded, roads will be blocked and trees will be uprooted. Its better we wait for some time", I insisted.

Turning a deaf ear, he started the cab, and less than a mile, we were witnessing the havoc. The main road was flooded with knee deep water. Vehicles hesitating to drive through, we turned around and took another way, a few miles and the sights of trees uprooted, branches fallen on the roads, was quite expected. We were somewhere in Fraser town, all roads were inaccessible. Thirty minutes of driving around we finally found a way out, a small gulli leading to the other end of the flooded roads, though it was difficult driving through the narrow, congested lane we were releived that atleast we got through one part of the blocked city but that was shortlived too. We reached near Ulsoor Lake at the junction just before NAGA cinema and to our dismay the traffic snarls and road blocks were more atrocious than before.

We had just travelled about 4 miles from home, and the clock read 5:00 pm. One hour and only 4 miles done, this was the start of exhaustion. The driver now a little experienced, opted not to get packed in the traffic jam, and drove straight to the road adjacent of the lake which leads to RBANMS college, assuming it would be clear of traffic. Yes it was indeed, but just a small stretch as the vehicles before us were returning back, and one of the passengers in them was courteous enough to inform us that a huge tree has been completely uprooted blocking the road. Ardously, my driver, turned the cab and was just about to move, when a crackin noise alarmed all of us. This time it was a huge branch that fell across, trapping us in between. A tree behind, a branch in front, the lake on the right, and buildings to the left, we surely were sandwiched.

No worries, this is a city of lanes. There was a lone lane, between those buildings which opened its arms like a saviour.With no choice left, we drove into it, along the curvy lane and protruding houses, we finally came to the main road.At this moment, I couldnt help but laugh. We were back at the same junction before NAGA cinema with the traffic jam now even larger and still growing.Though the rain had stopped, and weather calmed down, it left the city in complete chaos with the havoc it created. Now we had no choce but to move at snail speed in the jam. I turned up the stereo volume, expecting some soothing music to the rescue.

"Enjoy the beautiful Bangalore weather !", echoed Darius, the RJ. Yea right !
"Its exactly 5:45, this is radio city time check and you are listening to Darius" .
Woah ! Its been almost a couple of hours and just 4 miles !!! It was frustrating and I had a serious thought to walk up the rest of the way, when the driver gave a helpless look at me.
"Well, I thought we wouldn't be late" I thought sarcastically at the back of my mind while returning his look.
"We should've waited for some time, atleast we wouldnt have spent time stuck in traffic.", he told me with a 'I shouldve listened to you' kinda tone.

I lit a smoke up, and relaxed as we inched through the jam-packed city, enjoying the svelte, gratifying music. At this moment I had indeed started enjoying the weather. We moved on slowly, passing through the hub of Bangalore city, namely the brigades and MGs. This was one of the rare occasions were brigade road was very less crowded of pedestrians and window shoppers. How i wished it would be the same on all weekends. Just recovering from previous traffic jams, we bump into another near shoolay circle, and another on richmond road. Overheard that a heavy branch had fallen on a transformer nearby, damaging it and blacking out the area.

We had just had enough when a kinda bumping noise from behind prompted the driver to stop the cab, put on the handbrake, and get out. Seconds later, a verbally abusive argument was on between the autorickshaw driver and my cab driver, causing another jam and more of noisy, ear-aching beeps of vehicles behind. For once our cab was the cause of another jam. Once being satisfied at throwing verbal insults, the cab driver moved on, still cribbing.

It was 7 p.m, we still had 5 miles to go and many more blocks. At this point the city seemed a complete choc-a-block. We reached KH road, to greet the next jam, when one of the pedestrians informed us that a car was crushed under a tree, injuring a lady, prompting the cops to divert all traffic away. We crawled through the diversion and took a whole circle of Lalbagh gardens, till we finally neared Jayanagar. A couple more miles, and a burning pungent smell attracting our noses emerged, it stayed with us fo a long while, confirming that it was from our cab. Tried our best to find out the source of it, but in vain.

"It could be the tyres", I said to the driver.
"Maybe some rubber is burning in the heated engine", he replied.
"Could be", I shuddered. We moved on and atlast reached office at JP nagar, with the fallen branches and flooded roads sight still before our eyes around the office building. I got out, and stretched my tired body and bones, which were in a similiar position for four and a half hours. Yes, it was half past eight in the night. A journey that usually takes 45 minutes, took four and half hours. Phew !

Most of you may have experienced the same sort of situation today, but somehow I felt I got to blog this as I have never been in a vehicle continously for four hours without getting out to even stretch my legs even on a long journey out of city, and this was within city limits in the middle of the chaotic, insensible traffic of loving Bangalore.

Its nearing dawn of next day and I need to get back in the cab in a few minutes as i close work for the day, though I did work an extra four hours to make up for the loss, im happy it gave time for me to blog my experience in between work. (Well yes, I do this between work and if u need to know how, then that would need another post, and Im tired )

Goodnight !

Friday the 13th ...!

Paraskevi - Friday Dekatria - Thirteen Phobia - Fear
TGIF - Thank God Its Friday !

Fear of Friday the 13th ..or paraskevidekatriaphobia ( .. trying to pronounce? ..lol.. my tongue hurts) in Greek . Friday the 6th day of week and the number 13 together gave birth to this widespread superstition. The most dreaded day .. atleast in some parts of the globe. Ironically the land where I live in doesnt really give much importance to this superstition, though its the land of highest superstitions.. lol. Do u know the history of this superstition ? Well neither did I until i saw another blog describing pages about it ..LMAO .. huh! ..what sad stuff to blog about ..

Contrary .. I love fridays ... For many reasons,
- last day of week
- welcoming a weekend of fun, leisure and a lot of sleep .. snoooooozzzze
- lovely, delicious food cooked by mom every friday.
- friday prayers makes me feel I have a angelic halo on my head (atleats for a couple of hours .. ;-))
- and also fridays welcome a lot of movies ..
- and lastly I just love to say

TGIF !!!!

Er%=?!!??!.. w:hats=+ h)ppni*-ng ?!? My k{e:y;bor-ds acting we+i*rd. Is it bcoz its Fri*d=y da thirrrrrthennnnth >>> ..
No ..ders $om<- pi#ces of ch@c^late stu!!ck under da ke!~ys .. tim~e to clea*n da ke}y~boa=rd.

Ignorance is bliss !

Ignorance is bliss - Thomas Gray
Ignorance is the seed to intimidation - D. Hiser

Very well said "Ignorance is bliss ! " ... but bliss for whom ? the one who ignores or one who is ignored. Probably its just situational.

Ignorance is truely bliss, when we ignore our troubles, our pain, though not for long, but surely gives time and space to sort things out and make them straight. Truely said "Ignorance is bliss".

Now, there are also times when we are caught up with our troubles, and when we look around, we find ourselves ignored. Ignored by all, ignored by our ownself, ignored by life. Its at this time when the whole world around us looks blissful and happy, but we feel we are deprived of it and they say "Ignorance is bliss" ?

But at times we want to share our sorrows and problems with our loved ones, but when we try, we see how happy and blissful they are at the moment, and do not feel like stealing it away from them , to sooth our pain selfishly, so we ignore our pain for their bliss. Yes, truely said "Ignorance is bliss".

At times our heart and mind play an interesting game, one tries to control the other and the other tries to rule out its desire. We have a strong urge to express our feelings, vocalise our hearts desire, but then hold back as the fear of a negative consequence is stronger, we tend to ignore our feelings, suppress the desire, and happily let things be the way they are. Hmm truely said " Ignorance is bliss !"

Contrary, we never get to express what we want to say, never let them know what we feel, we ignore our innerself, to later regret, that ' if I had expressed myself things could have been different'. We sulk on our ignorance, and its said "Ignorance is bliss"

When loneliness engulfs, we tend to feel ignored and unasked. To overcome the darkness we try to get more attention than normal, more affection than normal, thereby asking for more, craving for that little space and comfort of togetherness, wanting a shoulder to rest our head on. We are unhappy that we are ignored, and they say "Ignorance is bliss" ?

Ironically when we have everyone around us, with us, for us, we would like be alone away from all, seeking happiness and content in solitude, we ignore all and want to be ignored by all, well then, truely said " Ignorance is bliss".

As I said before, its purely situational, therefore if the above words do not make any sense to you, you may ignore it, for I say "Ignorance is bliss !".

Tempted.. give in or refrain ?

Curiosity kills the cat the say but its the temptations of the grey shade that poisons your life.

"Lets try some puffs" said one of my friends in school as he drew the paper rolled tobacco out of the pocket of his shirt, which was supposed to carry chocolates or gum. I looked at it with eyes open wide and said "I have heard its injurious, and leads to cancer". He laughed out loud saying "Cmon, its just one cigarette!". Crouched under the stairway, away from the sights of the teachers, curiosity twinkled in the innocent eyes of a couple of 10 year olds.

As I lit my first cigarette, and took a slow drag on the smoke, I choked and coughed it all up. I could feel the fire in my chest and the windpipe seemed like a chimney, tears rolled down those chubby cheeks, as the smoke burnt that curiosity that twinkled innocently a few seconds ago. My first time and I sweared I'd never touch that damn thing again - the end of curiosity.

Years passed, and entered high school, and got the first tag of being a senior to a number of kiddos, yeah, at the age of 15 you no longer are a kid, or rather hate to be called as one. One of the easiest way to prove it was to smoke stylishly, and get in sync with the so called grown-ups who puffed every other minute. From curiosity to style, it was just a harmless act of imitation, but unfortunately a stairway to the dreaded prison of death.

A couple more years, and in the freedom of the hip and cool college era, exposed to the vulnerabilites of the world of desires and temptations, beautifully decorated to attract the "frog-out-of-the-well" college goers just out of school. I lit that damn thing again, but after this it was not going to be the same, as I dragged on it, and blew the first puff of smoke, my colleague had a strange look on his face for a second, and then a hearty laugh which lasted a minute.

I was puzzled, till he asked me, "hey ! dont you take the smoke inside ?". Before I could think of an answer, he said " You dont know how to smoke, cmon pull the smoke into your lungs", and to help me do that better, he asked me to klench my nose between my fingers, while dragging the smoke and retain it in my lungs for a few seconds, and the result ... the smoke gushed out choking all my breathing equipment, I coughed and tears welled up in my eyes as my colleague had a hearty laugh again, this time longer ending with a question " How did it feel ?". I was high on a single puff, my head was heavy and swaying encouraging nausea to take control. I felt terrible, regrettung for another time, telling myself "I should have refrained !", and later pacifying my inner conscious that I was just curious of how it feels when u "really" smoke.

Hmm, you know something, I started to write this post after I decided to quit smoking so that it would remind me of how bad was I influenced, but the damn paper rolled tobacco stick, is sitting firmly between my lips waiting to be lit as I end this post.

Yea, gave in to the temptation again for the umpteenth time. Did I hear you laugh on my foolishness ? - am not surprised, kind of used to this laughter !