"Thank You Friday"

Here I am with my fourth “Thank you Friday”. This goes to my wonderful cousins ‘Amrutha’ and ‘Vinod’. Yes, my little brother and sister.

I thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for:

• All the endless love and affection that still surrounding me and keeping me happy
• All the worthy weekends spent in the last 2+ years
• Accompanying me for the movies(sitting through some disastrous movies)
• Being there with me during all the lonely days , when I needed the most
• All the innumerable trips to commercial street (clothes/footwear) for shopping
• Unwearyingly waiting when I was drowned in the heap of books(Landmark/Sapna)
• All the continual bike rides- anywhere and everywhere in Bangalore
• Attending all the(stranger)weddings with me

OCD

Something struck me today during my dawn walk; I am so used to going after my routine, perhaps I never gave importance to this before. I realized it how troubled I am when my routine is disturbed. Do you all feel the same way?

Like instance I can’t walk without my music. I am addicted to it. I generally do about twenty rounds in the park (ten clockwise and ten anti-clockwise, so I don’t miss the count). I didn’t realize that my iPod was running out of charge, with the little charge what I had; I was able to finish 10 rounds. After that boom! It stopped. Though I know I am yet to finish the remaining ten rounds, I just couldn’t do it. I stopped walking and compellingly returned back home.

Likewise, I have some other set habits:

I can’t miss my morning cup of coffee and it has to be in the same coffee mug.

I need to have a newspaper with my coffee and I have to sit in my favorite place (next to the window).

I have to keep all my belongings in the usual place. I feel very uncomfortable if the location has changed. I’ll only be relieved when I put them back to the same place.

When I go to the gym I need to use the treadmill first. I can only start my workout after running on the treadmill. I am very annoyed if I don’t find a treadmill free and can never start any other workout.

When I board the cab, I would like to sit in my usual place (corner side). I get very irritated to be a sandwich in the middle.

On my bed I can only sleep on my side, I can never sleep on the other side.

Even my watches, footwear and bags follow with the set of clothes that I wear. I will never club with the other ones.

I don’t know if it’s good to be addictive on your habit. I wonder if these symptoms are said to be OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).

Dhobi Ghat

I am just back from a great weekend. A weekend that was filled with some relaxation (Bangalore bandh), a movie (Dhobi Ghat), catching up with friends (Dhivya and Sandy) and of course shopping!

Dhivya and I planned to go for the movie on Saturday but the movie show got cancelled because of Bandh. Anyways I stayed at home relaxed adequately and decided to catch up for the movie on Sunday. I was totally wooed with the trailers and fanatically waiting to watch the movie. I was a little disappointed with the outcome.

This is my take on the movie:

Dhobi Ghat, a movie which does not appeal to masses and crowd. One needs to have loads of patience to follow the movie. Watch out, it’s a 95 minute one-stretch movie without an interval. I am not used to watching a movie without an interval, so I definitely missed my share of pop-corn. Kiran Rao has done an excellent job with her debutant movie. It’s a deeply thoughtful movie which runs around with the lives of four different people. The movie is shot incredibly well in and around Mumbai city. It refreshed my memories of visiting Marine drive, Gateway of India and the crowded slums of Mumbai. Two things can surely happen while watching this movie, it can either sink into your skin giving you a slow ache or it can be a downright boring. The unseen side of the city has been showcased very well. The buzzing traffic, fast life of people, energetic street life, packed slums, and heavy rains have played a pivot role in the movie. I just love the portraits in the movie-awesome photography!

Amir Khan is undoubtedly an exceptional actor. There are some scenes where he does not speak a word, yet his silence speaks everything. Amir Khan a top-notch film maker who has always worked on commercial movies has lent his shoulders to an art movie for his wife (debutant). Kiran too like her husband aspires to fill every nook of her film with perfection. I heard that even Amir had to audition to get a role in Dhobi Ghat. I liked Kiran’s style of narrating one of the character through the video tape. That was something interesting and unusual. She proved to be a good story teller. The characters portray various moods like longing, loneliness, love and loss. The background score and the sound track in the movie is brilliant. The scenes which they have shot in the crowded (Mohd Ali road) during Ramzan is terrific. Prateek is lot better in terms of his looks and performance when compared to his last movie (Jaane kyun ya Jaane na).

All in all, the movie is a realistic portrayal of characters. If you are game for a hatke kind of movie, take a shot watching this. I am sure you will experience something different in a non-masala flick. My expectations from the movie was too high, so it kind of disappointed me.

"Thank You Friday"

My third big thanks go to my PET team (ex), which is known as Performance Enhancement Team. This team is like my second home. I have wonderful memories to cherish all through my life. I learnt the significance of time management, commitment, perfection, and professionalism being in this team. It has made me independent, confident, emotionally strong, and has equipped me to face new challenges in life. I thank you guys with all my heart for the potlucks, team lunches/dinners/outings and weddings.

Here is a small depiction of the team members:

Pia:
A total “perfectionist & professional” If you weren’t a perfectionist, I wouldn’t have learnt to make good presentations. If you weren’t a professional, I wouldn’t have learnt the importance of time management. Thanks so much for transforming me into a new person.

Prashanth alias Pra-shaanth:
The name says it all- calm and composed. You are a person who has never said “No” for any of my requests. (Be it leaves, projects, tracking, new ideas- just about anything). Thanks for having that confidence in me and giving me all those wonderful opportunities.

Ramya alias Rammu:
You are as sweet as honey and as affectionate as a dear friend. You can charm anyone with your 1000 Watts smile. Your smile is like Sun-shine. Thanks for the utmost concern you show towards everyone (me!). Way to go Rammu!!!!!

Sowmya alias Sowm:
I have known you for a long time now. We share so many things in common (interests for -books, movies, food). I enjoyed being your neighbor from 3B to 1A. My love for reading grew stronger with you. Thanks for encouraging me to read. There is one unique thing about you, which I won’t forget. Guess what that is? It’s your sneeze. I’ll always remember you whenever I sneeze or anyone else sneezes.

Thiru alias Tkannu:
One word to describe you is - Committed. Your commitment to work is amazing Thiru!! I haven’t seen any one as focused as you. You are very sensitive and concerned about people around you. Thanks for making me smile with all your wonderful compliments (genuine) :-).

Arpita alias Orpita:
A Bengali beauty as sweet as Rasgulla and as hot as a mirchi. You are very soft spoken and friendly by nature. The only request I have for you is to eat more and put on some extra weight. It’s really nice knowing you Arpita. For some reason my old clothes always looked new for you. I wish I could shop that often to flaunt new clothes.

Latha alias Maami:
If someone has to learn how to balance their work life and personal life, we’ll have to learn that from you. I really admire the qualities in you as a daughter, wife, mom and a homemaker. Not to forget your awesome dressing sense and finger licking cooking skills. Thanks so much for all the good time we spent together at work/shopping.

Arnab alias Ornab alias Urban:
An artist who has not only good talent but also good heart. You are a highly talented and a creative person. Keep up your spirits!!! Thanks for making our workspace colorful. I have preserved all the drawings you did for me.

Kiran alias king of snakes’ alias Mama alias kannada putta:
Your sense of humor is awesome (I am still laughing at some of your jokes). Your dialogue “Oddu holag haksthini” has become a punch line among our goonda gang of PET. You very well know what you want in life and you go to achieve it. Thanks for making us live longer with your wittiest jokes.

Sumesh alias Bob alias Chander:
Bob, I have known you from the day one of AOL. You haven’t changed a bit till date. You are such a simple and innocent guy, be like this and don’t ever change (ahh, will help if you can remember things a bit though...). It’s hard to find people like you. Thanks for getting us all those yummy banana chips and prasadams from Kerala. Indian Railways has generated extra revenue with your frequent trips.Thanks for the journey from ITPL to Eco-Space.

Mahesh alias Max alias Maxi-Taxi:
Always smiling and banging his head (definitely for music). The first thing we notice about you is your lovely smile. Keep smiling Max! Any time I see a nice bike on the road, I only think about you. With those cool hairstyles and beards like stuff (what are they called, anyway?) and your pierced ears, you look like a rock star man!! Thanks for adding life to our work with your music.

Sada alias Sadu alias Sada-boy:
The total entertainer of the team. You are always upbeat and on your toes to play some pranks (especially with Arpita). Not to forget, the number of times you’ve played ‘Zombie’ song, By now I know that song by heart. Your bean bag sessions were definitely a break from our hectic schedule. Keep up the spirit!! Thanks for sharing those wonderful movies.

Nitin alias Tin Tin alias Zun Zun alias Zinger alias Zungerwad alias Tun Tun:
One person who is always helping and known as a friendly next door guy. I think you have more alias names than anyone around!! You are a very friendly, sincere and hardworking guy. Hope you find a match very soon (who does not change you). Thanks for the wonderful time we spent in the team. Wish you all the best for your weight gain (biceps) program.

Rakshith alias Haloppa:
I don’t think there is any such topic we haven’t discussed so far. Starting from movies (especially kannada) to politics and what not. Oh boy, how can we ever forget your Salman Khan's avatar (towel dance)? Thanks a ton for making me laugh on slow days; you have no idea what a booster it was for all of us. And all your one-liners are a big hit in the team. Keep up the hygiene I say!!

Harsha alias Nair
Harsha, you are one person I have met who is not biased and have a head on your shoulder. A smart Delhi girl who is bold, peppy and a good dancer too (saw the skills at Guhantara). Thanks for sharing the secret behind your clear skin which every girl envy!! It was really nice knowing you and having a friend like you.

Nilesh alias Nile’s café alias Neelu alias Neelsandra:
I’ve always heard about your coffee making skills from our smokers. You always have an SMS or 2 a day to remind us that “oh, here goes Nils”. Jokes apart, you are always a sport and I appreciate the sprit in you for quitting smokes. Hope your determination takes you a long way. Thanks so much for being a sport in the team.

Gaurav:
A simple, shy and quiet person in the team. We have had some interesting conversations/debates on some topics (mostly movies). Thanks so much for showing the significance of 'Baba'. I will always be grateful to you.

Dhivya alias RDX alias bomb alias loosu:
Do I really need to say anything about you? By now, everyone knows who you are(there are already 2 posts of yours on my blog). Thanks so much sweety for all the joy and laughter. You are the life of our team.

Thank you one and all for making life fun at AOL. We are more like a family than colleagues. I would like to welcome Arun and Pulok to the PET family. There are many more names to be included in this list, will surely do it sometime.

Moment of Truth

While flipping through some channels on the TV, I happened to stop at a program which was showing the lives of soldiers in Indian Army. I have high regards to all of them who are with the armed forces. They do so many sacrifices to safeguard all of us. They don’t have an appropriate life like us. They fine-tune their lives for us to be safe and secure. At the end of the program I was so carried away that tears were just rolling down my cheeks without my knowledge.

Life has given me so many things in which I could be happy, yet I am not content with what I have. I constantly criticize about anything and everything. There are times I am happy in my small little world and times unhappy with the people around me. There are instances I wish for the ones I don’t have and instances where I don’t want what I have. There are occasions I would ask for people who are far away from me to be nearer and occasions where the nearer ones to go away. There are moments I want to be left alone and moments I want lot of people around me. There are times I want to dress up and look nice and times I just don’t care how I look. There are points in time when I want to blast music and points in time I get irritated with the slightest noise. There are moments in time I get angry on silly things and moments in time where I laugh at something serious. There are times I love to play in rains and times I hate the sight of it. Oh my god! I have so many choices and my mood swings so eccentrically.

Why am I not happy with the comforts that I have? I feel ashamed when I compare my life with a soldier. Look at them, they are far away from their families and loved ones. They have fractional comforts when compared to me. They have very limited choices in life, yet they are contented doing their jobs. Not once they whine about their issues. I saw that happiness (genuine) on their face. Their smile spoke about the delight of serving their mother land. They are proud serving the country. I am proud of these soldiers who work so hard to keep our country safe.

My learning from them is to be happy with what I am and with what I have.

Snippets of conversations:

This happened a while ago in a movie theatre. I was standing in the queue to buy movie tickets and accidentally bumped into a friend (I hadn’t met for ages) who was standing ahead of me. A sneak peek of our conversation:

Friend: Oh my god Sowmya! Is that you?
Me: Yes, It’s me the same Sowmya.
Friend: What are you doing here?
Me: What else can I be doing? Standing in the queue, I can only buy movie tickets right?
Friend: Oh good! Which movie?
Me: Guzaarish
Friend: Oh no, why on earth this movie? Didn’t you find any better movie to watch? This is one of the disastrous movies. It’s definitely not worth watching it. I would say no ‘paisa vasool’ for you. Damn! Not worth paying 275/- to watch Hrithik sitting on a wheel chair. Instead, why don’t you watch a different movie?
Me: Still pondering and standing in the queue
Friend: When her turn came, “Two tickets for Guzaarish, please”
Me (in my mind): Oh god! Why did she have to say all those things, when she was going to watch the same movie? People have to comment-just for the heck of it. Isn’t it weird?

"Thank You Friday"

“Each day God sends his angels to guide us. We don't expect to see them with wings, or with halo flying above their heads. Instead, they come in disguise and we call them friends.”

I wanted to thank someone whom I’ve never thanked before. I didn’t have to rack my brains for this, it was simple. My ‘thank you’ goes to my wonderful friend Rajani. I Know I’ve never told you in the hurried rush of days, how much your friendship means to me. You are one of the most important people in my life. I don’t think I could have gotten through the last few years without you. Let’s leave behind the differences we had in the recent past. We have come a long way to be to what we are today.

I thank you for:

• Being a true acquaintance to me
• Listening to me when I desired to talk
• Organizing something fun when I looked-for a break
• All the special breakfasts that you cooked for me
• Guiding me through all phases of my life
• Accompanying me to all the movies (some good/some bad)
• All the dresses that you have specially designed for me
• All the surprise birthday parties! I can’t overlook any of them
• Endless shopping and fun-filled trips
• Motivating me to join gym and inspiring to stay fit

I fail with words to express my gratitude for all you have done. You are a true blessing for me.

No one Killed Jessica

"What has become of our nation? The human life is less than the cost of a drink."
If you’re wondering about this quote, yes this is a quote by Sabrina Lall, sister of Jessica Lall.

The Jessica Lall murder story (1999) is known for its tragedy and injustice. It’s very disheartening to know that Jessica Lall was brutally shot in front of 300 people and not a single eye-witness, who could tell the truth. The reason for her killing was a refusal to serve drinks for three guys- while she worked as a bartender in a hot-shot private party. In a fit of rage, one of the guy (son of a politician) shot her dead.
All thanks to our corrupt judicial system, the guy who killed her was set free. It also proved that anything can be bought in India with money and political power. You can very well see how manipulative our so called high-profile people.

The reason why I am discussing about Jessica Lall is I just came back watching the movie “No one killed Jessica”. This movie is an inspiration of the real-life story of Jessica Lall. Even the title of the movie is directly taken from the newspaper headlines. You should go and watch this movie for two reasons. Firstly to know how corrupted our judicial system is and secondly what a common man along with the media can make a difference to our system. It’s a very well made movie, where the director has put his heart and soul into it.

What really impressed in the movie is about the dynamic NDTV reporter who re-opened the case and got justice. The movie primarily revolves around a helpless girl Sabrina Lall, who battles hard to get justice for her sister and the court room trials following the murder. The film made me feel angry, frustrated, sad and bitter about the umpteen number of flaws we have in our police and judicial system. At the same time, it also filled a hope and confidence in me about how a common man can make a difference in our system. The screen play and dialogues holds your attention till the end. I personally feel all the artists have put life into the characters. Though Rani Mukherjee is making headlines in the news paper for her on-screen smoking and usage of cuss words; she looks brilliant in her uptown journalist role. Vidya Balan sweeps away her emotions in a best way. The only thing I didn't like is her dowdy dressing sense. One such role which left a strong impact in me is the police officer, who takes a bribe for not beating up the politician's son in his custody and yet does anything and everything to fight for justice.

Overall it’s a good effort to bring back the memories of Jessica Lall-which was almost forgotten by public. It’s good to know that the public cry and the media intervention brought the killer behind bars. What pricks me is that it took seven long years to get the justice. I felt bad for Jessica's family to go through such a trauma for so long.

'No One Killed Jessica' is a must watch movie of two women struggling for justice and it is a remarkable blend of facts and fiction inspired by a series of real life episodes.

Walking through the parks:

It feels so good after a nice long walk in the park. There are so many wonderful parks in my locality. I just realized it today. I got to explore all of them. It’s truly magnificent! Though Bangalore has become a concrete jungle, we do see some greenery around. Thanks to all these parks, this is adding up beauty to our ‘Garden city’. We should appreciate our government for investing more money on parks and gardens. These parks are favorite destinations for joggers, fitness enthusiasts and for walkers (that’s me!).

We have an entire stretch with full of parks. This road is called as ‘Park Road’. It’s wonderful to walk on these roads. I have so many beautiful memories attached with this road. As a kid I walked to reach my school, spent my lunch breaks, played with my friends on the same road. I even learnt how to ride a bicycle, two-wheeler and a car. Today it brought back all the old memories.

I enjoy my evening walks in the park. I am habitual these days on the weekends. It’s a good way to unwind my week. Usually I return home immediately after my walks. Today I decided to sit down and relax for some time. While doing that I looked at people around me and realized my instant blissful moment :-). It was really nice to see so many people spending quality time with their families. An old couple playing with their grandkids, a boy-friend-girl-friend patch up, soon to be wedded couple discussing their future plans, girls complaining about weight loss and some aunties discussing about saas-bahu fights.

 I noticed so many things in such short time :-)

Traffic Signal

After a long day of work and workout I got into the cab to head back home (around 9:30 P.M). I rolled up the windows and stayed warm inside the cab. I didn’t know if it was the tiredness or something else which made me feel low. I looked outside the window hoping to swerve away from my thoughts. When we reached Silk Board Signal, I heard a tap on my window. There was a small boy, probably about 8-9 years old standing outside. He was selling some toys. He showed me a small car and insisted me to buy. I refused. He kept hopping at all the other vehicles. He sounded confident in his sales pitch. I must say there was something eye-catching about that boy, I painstakingly looked at him and listened to his conversations.


It was cold and I couldn’t roll down the window. I felt bad for the boy who was selling toys outside in that cold. I was on the phone talking to someone, but my eyes were just following that little boy. Since all my focus was on that boy, I didn’t realize the signal was slightly longer than usual. It didn’t matter to me as I was admiring that little boy’s sales strategies. Through his perseverance he did made some sales :-).

The boy came back again to the car which was parked next to our's. There was a family seated (husband, wife and a kid). The moment he saw the kid, he was sure he would get a sale. He showed the kid the best of cars he had with him. The kid was impressed with the toys and started demanding for one. The kid’s mother got a little irritated and started shooing away the boy. Nevertheless, the kid didn't seem to give up. He was stubborn and demanded even harder than before.

Finally, the mother agreed to buy a toy. She checked on a few and finally took one toy. The boy did not stop at one, he started up-selling some other things. When the mother was not interested in the other stuff, he offered the second toy on a discounted price. The mother was skeptical and tried to negotiate for lesser amount. Finally she picked up two toys and started searching for her purse. By then, the signal was green. Slowly, all the vehicles started moving. So did our cab. The boy started running behind the car as the car drove away. The boy was hoping that the car would stop after the signal. He continued to run. He probably wouldn’t have ran like that in his life. He couldn’t run more. He stopped in the middle of the road and started gasping. The car was gone, money was gone and the toy was gone too. He vulnerably looked back at all the vehicles that were approaching him. It was really disheartening for me to witness the situation.

What do we say about these so called civilized urbanites? Did they really have to deceive that little boy? That modest boy works so hard for his living. I had so many questions in my mind but couldn't do much other than just grumbling.

"Thank You Friday"

Here I am with my first “Thank you Friday”.

We usually take relationships for granted, especially family members. I don’t know if it’s the Indian mentality; we don’t express love. Though, deep down our hearts we all love our parents and respect them. We seldom express it. We just assume that they know it and they understand. It’s just not our duty to love/thank them; we also need to communicate. We should stop taking such things for granted. I want to start my ‘Thank you Friday’ with my mom (I couldn't think of anyone else). She holds a special place in my heart. She is a guardian angel who protects me round the clock. She means a lot to me in every walk of my life.

This is my way of showing gratitude to the best mom in the world. I thank you for:

• Being “my mom”. You are a special gift sent by god and I always cherish it.
• Devoting your time, love and care in all these years.
• All the good times; laughter and tears.
• Protecting me from all the evils of the world.
• Lending your shoulders to cry, arms to comfort and lap to rest.
• Always being with me when I needed the most.
• Choosing the right companion for me. Niranjan is the best thing happened to me. I couldn’t have asked for more.
• Being a paramount cook in the world( who thinks that I live to eat, not eat to live).
• All the sleepless nights you’ve spent for me when I was unwell.
• All the temple visits that you’ve done (still doing) for me.
• For all the bittersweet fights (that made our relationship stronger).
• The concern you show me every single day by:
• Waking up in the middle of the night to see if I am sleeping peacefully.
• Packing my food to ensure I am hale and hearty.
• Staying awake for late hours- till I reach home.

For all the times I didn’t say it before. I thank you for everything. You mean a lot to me. Without you, my life is a zilch. I love you very much :-)

Instant blissful moments:

We all feel happy when we achieve something. Isn’t it?

It could be an awaiting promotion, buying a new house/car/phone, love life, marriage etc. Just about anything. When we eagerly wait for something and we get it, we are on cloud 9. We relish that happiness forever. There are some little things that instantly bring a smile on our face (without our knowledge). I was thinking about all those little things that makes a huge difference in our routine life. Let me know your instant blissful moments:

Here’s my list:

1. Watching Sun-rise and Sun-set
2. Meeting an old friend in an unknown place
3. Hug from/to someone who really cares about me
4. When I hear my favorite songs on the radio
5. When I get a gift- A book (of my favorite author)
6. An evening walk in the park
7. Eating Paani Puri
8. Befriending a child (orphanage)
9. Receiving a “sorry” message (SMS) after a dreadful fight
10. Getting drenched in rain and eating ice-cream
11. On a rainy day sitting next to the window with a good book and cup of coffee in hand
12. An unexpected phone call from a friend
13. Words like "Love you" and "Miss you"
14. Finding my childhood friend on Facebook after many years
15. Finding money in my jeans pocket 
16. A genuine smile from anyone definitely puts a smile back on my face.

"Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day".

Reading Yourself

If you ever feel like knowing, how the people around look on you?
See reflections on the faces of the people you meet; Read your images from their eyes.
All the faces in the world are mirrors.
You just have to learn how to read them.

Joy of Thanking:

How often do we acknowledge someone with all our heart?

The answer is either ‘none’ or very few times. In this fast paced world, all of us are so lost that we are too busy to even notice someone’s work. This is a small exercise (resolution) for 2011 that I am going to do and recommend you all to do.

‘Gracias’,’ Danke’, 'Merci', 'Thanks'- simple and powerful words to bind, to build, and to behold. You’ll know its power, if you’ve ever gotten thanked or given thanks. It can make a difference in someone if you ever say it. It can also make a difference in a negative way if you don’t say it. So, better say it and make a difference!

Showing gratitude is an earnest sign that something nice has occurred to you. It gives you a chance to return positive emotions back to the giver.

All we need to do is to 'thank' someone and give a small little gift. This could be anyone, your parents, siblings, friends, colleagues, just about anyone. Give them a sweet little thing and be rewarded with their smile (priceless!). The gift should be something like you, your time or value. The gift should not involve something like your old clothes, footwear, bags, jewels or something else (which you want to do away with). These gifts DO NOT count. You should reward someone with what you mostly like and treasure. This rule is only because, it’s easy to part with things that have lost their value but not something you would penchant. This can be anything that ranges from your favorite pen to clothes

For my part, I am picking up on chocolates! I being a true ‘chocoholic’ decided to give away (I don’t like to share my chocolates) the wonderful bundle of joy, to the one whom I sincerely want to 'thank'. I promise I’ll share the details with you all.

One post every Friday will be devoted to this. Let’s call this as “Thank you Friday”.