A little bit of this and that!

It was a marriage of convenience - he lived abroad, was well settled, had a great job and a big house. She loved the idea of freedom and luxury this new life would offer her, a chance to get away from the eyes of her prying relatives and a judgmental society - to live life as she chooses. So she agreed, though she didn't really like the guy. And to him, she was the pretty princess. a priced possession he could show off to his friends and family, a proof that he was indeed living a normal and successful life. The marriage was rushed - everything had to be done in the two weeks that he was in India and their families moved heaven and earth to make the big fat Indian wedding happen. She remembered the first thought she had as she entered this strange land - tall trees, taller buildings, and tall and handsome young men. During the first few days of their marriage, she was slightly embarrassed to be seen with this bald and stout middle aged guy - but she soon started feeling good abo...

Day 1830, Mission Voyager Year 2139 Recorder: Fanny Pao We have finally set up our base in this strange planet - on top of one of the hives that these aliens live in. After observing for the last 2 months from our space shuttle, we concluded that no one would ever come up here. There is a water stream nearby and one of us have to discreetly go down to fetch water once our resources dwindle - We couldn't afford to live in the same luxurious way of our space station. The environmental conditions are decent - we have enough oxygen to breathe without the need of an oxygen tank, though we need our air filters since the air is polluted. Temperature can vary to almost twice the range we can handle in both the low and high ends, so we have to wear our suits all the time - but that's only a small inconvenience. The base is set up with a temperature controller in case things worsen. Overall things look favorable so far. Day 1831, Mission Voyager Year 2139 Recorder: Fanny Pao ...

The sky was vivid and electric with a blinding bright blue color. It was the color of excitement and new beginnings. Just as it should be, she thought as she looked up. The sky has always been a reflection of how she feels about the men in her life. Today was like the time she had first met Anil - he gave her a hand as she tried to board into the moving train. She remembered that his eyes matched the color of the sky. The first few days after that, the sky had remained the same electrifying blue, mirroring the excitement she felt as she waited for him at the station to catch a glimpse - he was a creature of habit, she soon realized.  Then the sky changed from blue to soft yellow with a bright sun shining through the day - It was the color of joy and happiness - a reflection of first hugs and kisses, of stolen moments and secret smiles and never ending sweet talks.   But then the sky turned cold grey with dark clouds looming - It was the color of despair and depre...

It has been two months since Karthick came to life. And there has never ever been someone more frustrated with me than Karthick. (Karthick, by the way, is the name of my car. Yes, my car has a name - We speak regularly. I am weird. Deal with it.) The following is a set of illustrations from the times we fought like a old couple.  Navigation - The root of all evil     When I can't follow directions           When I don't want to follow directions                     *I am a sadist that loves listening to you saying pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease that's why* That wavering decision making process when I see a yellow signal     And that one time I accidentally ran a red signal and got burnt                       *Maybe I don't have a bf because I am talking to a car?!* The paranoia we get on seeing a pol...

"One hot cappuccino with whipped cream and no sugar ! Just the way you like it" He said showing off the huge cup as he walked in to the room. "Thank you Karthick" She smiled as she tried to sit up in the bed.  She looked to the right and saw a girl laughing at him "Someone is being sweet today - you want something don't you, mister?" "You are the best!" Both the girls exclaimed as they took a sip from the cup. He laughed, "Anything for you, maam"  "How was your day?" He continues as he sits down next to her.  "I FINALLY figured out how to change the voice in my new book reader. No more listening to that drab voice  which makes me sleep." she says.  The girl on the right chatters "We went to this really awesome hike after work in tiger hills. The view was was amazing. We should go there together sometime Karthick"  Her phone beeps - Message from Neel. Wanna meet on Friday for di...

It was a Friday morning - I hadn't slept through the night because I was having these horrible cramps with backache and nausea and I did not have enough strength to get up from bed to go to office. I had taken a sick day off - and whenever someone asked why I was on leave, I replied that I was sick and I had a back ache, until it hit me - why I was doing this, why couldn't I just say I was having period cramps. And then I reasoned to myself that  I   wanted to maintain a "decent" conversation and not let things go awkward.  Two things were really disturbing about my thought process - That I consider talking about periods with guys to be "indecent" and that I was so ashamed of going through this perfectly natural biological phenomenon that I thought a conversation going awkward if i talked about periods would be because I said something shameful.  Looking back, I guess I have always had this feeling - I have been mortified when guys are playfully going o...

For a country that has traditionally promised freedom and independence, I find it a lot more difficult to actually be independent here than back in India.  For example, h ouse shifting in India meant paying a few hundred bucks to the watchman and asking him to do the heavy lifting and house cleaning. Done.  Here, though!  To make it easier for other people, I decided to create a how to guide for house shifting. Foll ow these steps for a hassle free experience! Step 0 : Making friends The first step in house shifting starts at least an year before the actual house shifting. Like i said, it is not easy to be independent in this country - so, make lots of friends who would stick around to help you!  P.S: Having a small circle is risky because they might actually be busy that weekend!  Step 1 : Finding help If you have done step 0 right, step 1 should be a breeze. Else, this is how it would be Friend's roommate's brother's friend Cousin's di...

Walking inside the cycle shop, the aroma of fresh samosas and ginger tea from the neighboring shop mixed with the smell of grease and labour pushed me to nostalgia. As a kid, I have come here exactly at 4 in the evening for 12 years. Running from school after the final bell, I would throw my bag in the ground and take a spanner. "Don't spoil your uniform! Change your dress and eat first" - dad would chide. Grudgingly, I would change to my oil stained shirt and trouser and gulp down the samosa and tea to go back to clutching my spanner again. Dad had let me play with his tools since I was 4 years old - from breaking toys, I had moved on to fixing and building bikes. Even after a master's degree in mechanical engineering and working in a dream job, I would still say dad is the best teacher I have ever had.  The neighboring shop keeper came in and smiled "Karthick! Va pa! Epo vanda ooruku? Evlo periavan agita! Samosa and tea sapidu" (karthick! When did you ...

A reminder to self on children's day! Sit near a stranger in the bus and smile at him, Unscarred by the time that guy in auto behaved inappropriately Confide your small worries to a friend, Unscarred by the time a close one chided that you were being whiny Skip a little as you go back from work, Unscarred by the times that you have been stared at for being weird See an old couple holding hands and believe in love again Unscarred by the times you have seen love hopelessly crashing around Try something new and scary Unscarred by the times you have tasted failure Smile a little more, Laugh a little louder, Dream a little bigger, And Play a little harder Bruises on the knees leave scars too But that has never stopped you from jumping again. Why then do you let the scars on the heart be an obstacle? Live life - Unscarred by the experiences of the past.

It was time - time to let go. I closed my eyes and held his hands tightly, wondering why this was so difficult. Yes, he had been the apple of my eyes for the last three years - and i have no idea what i would do with all my time after going back home. But my nervousness wasn't just because of the thought of going back to an empty house. It was something more - the fear that he would no longer depend on me for the little things, that his ideas and personality is going to be molded by other people he meets, that something would happen to him if he was taken away from my sight even for a minute.  My eyes glisten slightly. It wasn't supposed to be like this - he is supposed to be the one that cries. I am a little hurt that he doesn't - instead he is just really excited about today. I tell him that i will be waiting for him when he comes back and ask him to be careful, and point out that i have kept his favorite snack in the bag....

Lingering around the corridor – she wondered why she hesitated so much. She has been here a number of times and met with far more important people than the one she was about to meet now. And yet – she was more nervous than she had ever been. Taking a deep breath, she went into the reception and handed over the small box she carried to the warm receptionist. Looking into the box, the receptionist smiled and said “It will take an hour mam, please wait in the waiting area. We have bill gates as our special guest today, you know the guy who made windows operating system. He was born in 1955 – you can spend the hour with him if you like”. ‘1955 – Almost 2000 years back’ she thought as she went into the waiting area – This would have excited her normally, history was her passion. Yet today, she was not in the mood to talk to anyone. She went into the silent zone and slept dreamlessly. She was woken up again by the receptionist with a warm smile – “Your guest is ready mam. Please follow me...