Tan ta Daaaaannnnn....

My dear people... All those who care to read... (and those who were FORCED to read!) Presenting... (drum rolls in the background) My Husband-Elect! With a term lasting around a couple of hundred years... or the end of one of our lives (whichever comes last!), this is no easy job. And it DEFINITELY doesn't pay!!! (On the contrary it quite means that well... he gotta keep paying to keep that job!) ;-)


Meet Sourav. Sourav Chattopadhyay. The guy who significantly changed my life and is all set to change my name, come February '09. He actually managed to score over Al Pacino and Johnny Depp and Jim Morrison. 'Coz .. well... for starters, he was neither out of reach nor dead. And he shared the same interests as I did. (Or maybe I should say similar... because the time when I was reading Archies and Tintin and Asterix... at the most - Agatha Christies, he was reading the Iliad of Homer! Really... I don't think I even knew anyone who'd read that... DD knows the only reference of the Iliad that I use.. :D) And what's more... he even happened to show the knack and the patience of tolerating me despite my "mad-eyed-moodiness" (sorry JKR... that phrase and that character still belong to you, I'm just borrowing it.), my extremely unpredictable and incontrollable temper and most of all.. my absolutely corny non-sense of humour! And that too not just for a day or two. But he did that consistently for 3 months and continues to do so even now. Now THAT'S what I call real talent! (Take a bow sweetie!)

I'd mentioned in one of my previous posts - I need to see some of myself being transferred to the other person the way I take in some of him. Though I do see that happening, what's funny is what I've given in return of what I got... He writes me poetry, and I give him childish limericks. He gives me Rabindra Sangeet and some priceless Satyajit Ray classics and I get him to watch Jab We Met. He teaches me Bangla and I've taught him... well... blblblblblblll.. :D

Too late to worry about all this. The vows have been taken. (Including the all important "What is yours is mine... what is mine is also mine... and what is ours is ALSO mine!"). We still have to go through the entire hullabaloo called marriage with all its exotic rites and rituals in both Pahadi flavour and Bengali. But compared to all that has already happened, that should be a piece of cake!

Just one thing left to say now - *Touchwood*

So that's how it goes... My reason why 2008 has really been the year of Change! And why the change will bring a whole lot of better tomorrows!

Until later...

Love, Luck and Hope... and Happiness!
~K.

In the name of God

Or whatever else you may believe in - Country.. Religion.. Race.. Stop this nonsense. It is uncalled for. There's nothing... Absolutely NOTHING that can justify these acts of callous, barbaric, merciless acts of terrorism.

In the last five days I experienced shock, despair, frustration, disgust, anger, horror, shame, hurt, helplessness and sadness. All in extremes. So much that more than once it made me cry out of all these emotions that, until now, I never experienced together in a span of a week, let alone a day.
I heard myself thinking what's wrong with our eyes that a group of men can boldly walk into our streets and stations and cinemas and hotels loaded with ammunition and start firing bullets recklessly at innocent people around them and we come to know only when the gunshots continue for longer than 5 minutes. Is it that easy to conceal ammunition? Or do we suffer from the delusion that we are indestructible? Or is it simply a side effect of the "tolerance" that we, as a country, as so famous for?
I heard myself and my friends blaming the government. At their inefficiency in preventing the situation as well as in controlling it. At their incapability to provide security to the people they are elected to rule. At the lack of brains that they display with such insensitivity that it doesn't pinch them before making comments like "such things happen". At the lack of guts and spine that they display by submitting their resignations as their only way of accepting their failure. Does it not occur to them to stay and fight back and make sure that they bring the guilty to task and that their country and people don't have to face such terror again?
I heard myself cursing and damning the terrorists. I heard myself wishing the worst on people who masterminded and executed the attacks. The one in Mumbai as well as all others that India has gone through in recent times. What do these people want? When will they stop? Can't they see how wrong and futile this is? Aren't they humans too? Can't we do anything to stop them once and for all?
I heard myself muttering a "Thank God" after hearing that everyone I know in Mumbai is safe. And that their friends and families are safe too. (Thank God) As if it will somehow make the blow that we just received a little better. It still makes me feel like a hypocrite. This is not how I am.

I used to believe that what we need to do is to educate people. Once they realize there's more to life than fighting for petty differences like whose God is better, maybe we'll see the end of such wars. Maybe if people realize that there is so much more to channel their energies and ideas towards, we'll see more nations progressing - not just scientifically and economically but also morally. I used to believe that education and work would gradually replace religions and Gods all over the world.
Apparently I was wrong.

Suddenly I don't know what to believe, whom to trust anymore. Any face - young or old, could be carrying weapons that could put people like you and me in danger anytime, anywhere.

But somehow, somewhere inside my heart I don't want to think me or my loved ones could be at the mercy of any such inhuman souls. Borrowing from Godfather - it insults my intelligence. And hence, I keep believing in the strength that we derive from our ability to think straight. From our capacity to tell the right from wrong. But most importantly, from our desire to live with the respect and dignity that we deserve. And hence, I also believe that there IS something that we can do. All systems and societies that we talk about are made of people like us. The people who are trying to rip us apart also come from similar systems. They are not any stronger or more advanced or more capable than we are. It's time for us to get together and shout back - ENOUGH!


~K.

*************************************************************************************

I wish media would stop talking about "The Mumbai spirit". The spirit is undeniable. It's real. Mumbai will be back up on it's feet again. As it always has. But is that the point?

All Indians who are reading this and will be in India during the elections, please make sure you cast your vote. Register yourselves at Jaagore.com. It's a wonderful site that will give all registered users alerts about the election dates and polling venues based on the constituencies that they are in. It also gives extensive information about our election process, our government structure, the responsibilities of the elected representatives at various levels and a lot of other useful stuff that we might have read about in our Civics classes in school, but didn't care enough to understand then. Now is the time to revise it all.

Everyone, and I mean Everyone - please be a little more alert and aware about your surroundings. If there are security restrictions set up in your area of residence or work or recreation - please comply with them. Make their jobs and your lives a little easier. The underground subways in New York city have these posters in the stations and in the trains - "If you see something, say something." Let's follow that ourselves. Between paranoid and dead, what do you think is the better option?

To the innocent victims of those attacks - I'm sorry this had to happen to you. It was not fair. There's nothing that I can say or do that'll make things easier for your families. But I pray for them and you as I do for my own and me. God bless us all. Amen.

~K.

*************************************************************************************

What can we do? Here's what some people say -

Parul- She's linked to a few sites and posts herself... Do check those out too.

Mumbaihelps- Some links in this blog as well... Check this for example.

Stop Terrorism- Please! And don't forget to register.

Stay safe!

Ice Ice Baby!

Having a bad day? Feel like blowing off your lid? Or maybe knocking someone down?

When anger strikes... Pop some ice into your mouth!

I swear it works like magic. Trust me. It did right now.
If only I'd known this earlier, I'd have saved myself some broken glasses, a nearly broken cell phone and some things that I'm not really proud of. Basically a whole lot of trouble.

I still don't say I've learnt the art of Anger Management. It remains to be one of the ever elusive things in my life. (Another being perfect abs!). But I do think that I've got the key to delay the impulsive explosions that I've been having in the past. Hallelujah!

Life... is kinda nice. :)

~K.

psst - Jag... Bhai you're the best! Ab kuchh instant abs ke liye bhi bata de... :D

Status call

Remember this - ?
Five Things Planned for the Next Five Years
1. Study.
2. Get into a field of work I can relate to.
3. Read a classic.
4. Fall in love.
5. Stay 24.

Let's see where I am on these -

Study - I vaguely remember something about this... this.. "thing". Studying is now confined to reading the many PDF and document files and more such for my certifications. I could pull out a sigh after this. But that'll only make me feel like a loser. So, sigh suppressed.

Field of work - Let's not even get there. That's out of bounds to everyone (including me). Sigh still suppressed. :P

Read a classic - Well I read Nineteen Eighty Four. And All Quiet on the Western Front. And The Lord of The Rings. These days I'm reading a biography of The Beatles! and Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore. All classics in their fields.
Read a classic - Check!

Fall in love - Here is where I struck gold! I did. And well... not just once. And life has changed ever since. I have changed ever since. I like to think I've grown up. (More on this when I talk about the fifth point in the above list.) I even came to realize that I need not just love but a little sense of pride as well. And while I can compromise a little on the former, there's no way I'd give up even an ounce of the latter! What's more - I can strive to earn the pride, but the love must come irrespective of that.
Oh.. and yes.. I need to see some of myself being transferred to the other person the way I take in some of him.
Anyway... Fall in love - Check!

Stay 24 - I have no idea how to gauge that... While I think I grew up a little, some of my friends claim I never even reached 24. I think I'd be a part of the "Ageless body; Timeless mind" gang. I doubt if I look my age. And well... I never know what time it is... :P I could also be vice versa.. because my mind doesn't seem to know my age. And my body has little clue of time. Never mind. :P
I'll still take it as a success though. Because you see, the point was not growing old!
Stay 24 - Check!

My score until now- 3/5. Not bad I'd say. I have 2 more years to go to get the remaining 2 checks. Do-able! Or so I hope... :D

I owe a lot more to this space. Change seems to be the theme of the year 2008. More on that later. I have a lot of time these days.. I'll keep writing in. :-)

Meanwhile... haffun!


Cheers!
~K.

Read only

For the past few months I've been wondering why I haven't even been visiting this site. Earlier I used to drop by to at least read my posts if not to write a new one. Now, I almost seem to be hiding. Is there a word for fear of expressing oneself? (Note to self - look it up!) Of late, I've caught myself fearing just that. And this confession comes with the hope that it will absolve me of some of that fear.

A couple of weeks ago, a friendly forward made me realize just how much my vocabulary has shrunk over the past few years. I used to use the right words for describing my feelings or thoughts. Now all I do is get amazed. Amazed at how beautiful something is or how dismal. Amazed at reports of volatility of public reaction or their inertness. Amazed at displays of strength and power and cowardice and helplessness alike. And now when I try to correct that, my referring to the dictionary to look up words I already knew, hurts that thing called pride.

So you see - it all comes down to pride. Maybe NOW I will work on it. Of course not in a medium as public as this ;-). But well, a public confession does help.

Especially when you don't allow comments.. ;-)


So long!


~K.

I quote ...

Mark Twain's works. Excerpts from his travelogue 'Following the Equator' —

"This is indeed India; the land of dreams and romance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of splendor and rags, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pestilence...the country of a thousand nations and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions and two million gods, cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech, mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of tradition... the one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an imperishable interest for alien prince and alien peasant, for lettered and ignorant, wise and fool, rich and poor, bond and free, the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the globe combined...Its marvels are its own; the patents cannot be infringed; imitations are not possible."

India is my country. I love my country. And I am proud of it.

Jai Hind!


~K.

Impressions - II

As a kid, I used to live in my imaginations. Well... I either haven't changed or haven't grown up. But then that's another story altogether.

Anyway, a part of my living in my imaginations was believing almost all the things that I read. Which ranged from the stories in my school textbooks to Archies comics. I used to believe those stories were real. Real enough to happen in my little world. To me. I used to imagine myself in those stories. And live a life where the nobody part of me was the lovely, the lover, the leader. It was so wonderful living a life like that that it was easy adopting those words and lines and ideas as my own.

One of them which knocked me over was - Songs never lie.

And thus, the sung word began to make a bigger impact than the one simply said or written. I guess that was where I made the choice between poetry and prose. Or between stories and songs. I used to believe in stories, and stories told me songs were true. So here I was. Now I believed in songs. Every one of them. Just the very fact that someone made the effort to get words to rhyme and sound poetic and dramatic; and then set them to music filled them with such magic and such beauty. Everyone from The Beatles to Simon & Garfunkel to The Carpenters to Billy Joel to Lobo and then Pink Floyd and The Doors came one by one and vindicated my belief. It was the best mix of truth and love and power and fear and beauty that I could ever ask for. It was the kind of things that commanded faith. And conviction. Much more than any God or religion could ever boast of.

And that's how I still am. Living my life in songs that other people wrote and sung. Finding my dreams and my truths and my power and my happiness in ideas and emotions of strange composers. Vain enough to relate every song that I listen to to some part of my life.
All because some stupid comic book said - Songs never lie.

And I say - Amen.


~K.

Black or White

It's funny how sometimes we either want everything or not have anything to do with at all. Like a binary system of 0's and 1's. Like a child who wants all or nothing. Anything in between is just... in between. And in between is not good enough. Reminds me of a Jim Morrison quote - "The highs and the lows are the most important points in one's life. Anything else... is just... in between."

I used to consider that a little childish.. a little immature.. maybe even a little self centered. Until I caught myself doing it. Not just once. But in almost every facet of my life.

I first noticed it in my guitar lessons. If I couldn't play the guitar the way I wanted to hear a guitar being played... then I wouldn't play it. Then again in my expressions... if I couldn't express myself as freely as (I thought) I could in English... then I wouldn't talk. (No wonder the article in Hindi has still not made its appearance here. I've a handicap!). What's more... remember that bicycle I have still not been able to ride... if I can't ride it the way I picture myself riding it... then let it remain parked forever.

And the scope doesn't stay limited to me. It moves into my social sphere as well. At work... if I can't be the best at whatever I am doing... then I don't want to do it. In my friendships and my relationships... if I can't be to a person what he or she is to me... I seem to withdraw.

All said and done, even though that is my first reaction to all such circumstances, there remain a few things on which I generally push on a little more than others. That social sphere stuff is among those few things. It takes more than just the first panic attack to make me give up. Maybe it's the fear of what I stand to lose. Or of having to start all over with nothing at all. And... well... singing is another. That's another thing for which I can accept a shade of gray.

And maybe that's what I need to realize. That Jim Morrison may have been right in what he said, but it's the in-betweens that let us relax between the excitement and the stress of highs and lows. That 0's and 1's may be able to define nearly everything, but fractions have their place too. That the perfect black and white picture has shades of gray blending beautifully from light to dark and vice versa.

Maybe I'll wake up to find that I already know this. And how to play the guitar really well. And how to ride the bicycle as well. That's a good thought to go to bed with.


Love, luck and hope -

~K.

Niiiiice

Was looking for something and found something else... Liked what I found and hence here it is...

Definition of run -

Main Entry:	run
Part of Speech:	verb
Definition:	To move swiftly on foot so that both feet leave the ground during each stride.

I always knew I could fly... That's one item off my 'To do' list... Oh what a glorious weekend! :)


~K.

Blblblblblbl...

That's my word for 'Gibberish'. It's a noun. It's what happens when a million thoughts are running inside my head in a random, disorganized fashion. And when I try to stream them into a piece of structured, sensible, purposeful expression, written or verbal, typically a 'blblblblbll' is what comes out.

After a long time, here's one.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended this session on "Art of Living". I went there simply because I was curious. The session (if not the art itself) was interesting, to say the least. As a part of that session, the instructor asked us to close our eyes and just concentrate. On our surroundings, the noises outside, then ourselves, where we were sitting, then on our body, the various parts of it starting from the toes gradually moving up to our head.

Next he asked us to concentrate on the thoughts inside our brain. And that is when I realized how many there were. I could see those tiny little things scurrying inside my head, each trying to grab my attention, as if they were all jealous of the others. And the funny thing is, I knew exactly what all of those thoughts were. And even where they originated from.

Finally he asked us to concentrate on our emotions. And that was where I got lost. I could not understand what I was feeling. Apart from the fact that I wanted to pee, there was no trace of any of the feelings I have known until now. Happiness, grief, anger, regret, guilt - nothing. And that's when more thoughts came into my head. Have I become stoned to emotions? Or have I become so scared to feel that I have gone into a state of denial? Or more practically - Does physical discomfort override the emotions that may be present inside us?

Looking back, I don't think my state of emotional blankness was because of the first two points. I dismissed those thoughts as those which strike you in a state of panic. That brings us to the third (assuming that I was simply not feeling anything and there was really no reason to make a blog out of that). Anyway, what I'm now trying to figure out is this - Are we driven by our emotions or our physical sensations? I extend this question from I to we, because I consider myself quite the average, ordinary kind of a person. So I present these questions for all of us to consider. Between the mind and the body - who rules whom? And, most importantly, which one of these two is us? Am I, for instance, my mind or my body? If I am only one of them, what happens when the other one gains power over the I? Do I lose myself? Or am I just transformed into something that I was hitherto not?


Ah well... that is what a blblblbbll is. I could submit it to the Oxford lexicons if only I could standardize the number of b's and l's in it.

Meanwhile, let me borrow some words from Nirvana to seal this piece of writing off - I find it hard, it's hard to find. Well, whatever, never mind.

Believe me, if I could have said it better myself, I would have...


Love nevertheless,
~K.

February - Thoughtless month?

I don't think so....
Just SO full of thoughts and events that I've not been able to put it in words. But trust me.. I've tried.
By now I've come to realize that these writing urges and blocks come in a cycle. And during one of these "blocks", I actually sign into my blog more often. But then, I just start writing, save it as a draft and log out.

I kinda hope that this confession will pull out the plug and let me empty my head into this little space here. If not, just know that I'm not giving up without a fight!

Cheers anyway!

~K.

Impressions...

Among alcoholic drinks, Scotch remains my favourite. I love the smell and the smoothness of it. And the way it burns your throat when you take a good strong sip or a gulp... And then the way it stays with you... And of course... I love its colour.
There used to be an ad on TV long ago... of one of the Johnny Walker labels (Black, most probably) or some other brand of Scotch.. There was this middle aged guy who had a very friendly face and an equally friendly voice. This guy poured some Scotch in a clear glass... put in a couple of ice cubes and was looking at it against the daylight. All this while he was describing what he felt about it.
There are some things that I can't forget about that ad - The tinkling sound of the ice cubes against each other and against the glass, the consistency and texture of the liquor, and the wonderful colour of it. The guy said it looks like the sun rising from your drink. And I still remember it SO vividly. That ad made such an everlasting impression, that I think it may have played a significant factor in my fondness for the drink.

The other (more) significant factor being Dad.

He's also responsible for coffee...by the way.

Cheers.. on whatever you are drinking! A glass of cold water can be a lot more satisfying than any other drink in the world.

~K.

psst:
1. This (also) came out of a mail I wrote to a friend. The discussion was a comparison between Vodka and Scotch. Sigh. I know Mom won't approve of such an open discussion on a fondness for any alcohol. :-) Oops! A thousand apologies!
2. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Yes it is.
3. I'll probably continue a little more in this series. Not alcohol. I mean impressions. The books that I read, the songs that I heard, the things that I saw or did (including ads)... that have stayed with me. So... see ya again... soon!
~K.

Finally flushed out...

Have you ever had one incident spark off a hundred thoughts inside your head? One after the other? The kind of things you wouldn’t think about in your everyday life, but can’t seem to get rid of currently just because of that one incident?

It happened to me a few months back. And now is when I’m finally publishing it. This has been a long pending note, lying in my drafts for more than a month. I’m glad to finally have this article see the light of day and get it off my system.

A couple of months ago, sometime in end of October last year, one of my colleagues in my client team passed away. I hadn’t known the guy for a very long time, but it was evident that he was an intellectual force to reckon with. It took us a little while to get our work back on track and more importantly, to accept that we would have to put in more efforts to derive those tricky solutions to sticky problems that we almost took for granted until now. That apart, the reactions that I saw on people who had known him for much longer than I did triggered off another weird chain of thoughts in my head.

1 – Boys don’t cry. It takes real men to do that. To be able to face your hurt and sorrow and have enough strength to show your vulnerability to hurt takes a lot of courage. And not all people can do that. The point is not what hurts. The point is how much and how you deal with it. The point is also not getting tears in your eyes. The point is to be willing to face and accept your pain, your grief, your sorrow. Running away from it, shutting all your senses to it, making yourself stoned to all hurt, isn’t really what I would call strength. To me, that’s the biggest weakness that any man can have. I use the noun “man”, because, in my opinion, women are better at this emotion business. Yes they show it, because they are not afraid to. (Women of the world - You Rock!)

2 – Stupid thought. I’m almost sorry that it came to my head. But then, let me use my “Momentary Lapse of Reason” as an excuse again. I started wondering – who, in my workplace, would be affected if I die? People other than me know what’s happening, so work won’t get affected. Will anyone miss the way I work? Or wish that I was around doing whatever has to be done instead of whoever else does it in my place? Points to ponder; but then, I’m not willing to find that out yet.

3 – In continuation of the thought#2, I did realize that there are a lot of people who’d be really affected if I died. There may also be a lot of people who’d feel sorry at the news but not think about it too much and carry on with life. But, fortunately, I couldn’t quite think of anyone who’d rejoice at the news. (Thank Heavens!) Anyway, I’m still thinking about the first category of people who love me more than I can ever hope to deserve. And to them, I promise, I will not die. Not so fast. Not by my own design. Ever.

4 – Now, a little more than 2 months later, things at work are how they always were. Haphazard! ;-) Jokes apart, everyone learnt to accept the obvious and continue with each day that comes. That’s what happens. We learn to move on. Things would be a little different for friends and families. But they learn too. And learn to live and love and even laugh nevertheless.

But hey, my promise stays.

Whew! This has got to be one of the weirdest articles I have ever written. Like I said – I’m glad it’s out. Good riddance!

~K.

ps: Goodbye Igor. People still miss you here. Hope you’re having a nice after-life!

The other side...

Siiiigh....

25 years of my life is still...
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope...
For a destination.
I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood
Of man. For whatever that means.
And so I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed
Just to get it all out what's in my head
And I am feeling a little peculiar
And so I wake in the morning and I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream at the top of my lungs
What's going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what's going on?

And I try, oh my god do I try
I try all the time, in this institution
And I pray, oh my god do I pray
I pray every single day
For a revolution
And so I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed
Just to get it all out what's in my head
And I am feeling a little peculiar
And so I wake in the morning and I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream at the top of my lungs
What's going on?
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what's going on?
Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination...

(What's Up... by 4 Non Blondes)

Siiigh... 25 years... what a journey... and even though I haven't reached there yet... that hill of hope is a wonderful, perennial destination. I still remember the time when I'd written that I want to stay 24 for the next 5 years. And that was a little more than a year ago. And now, in less than an hour, I'll cross into the other side of 25.
Time flies... And how... And it continues to fly... and well... so do I. I wonder how this year will turn out to be. Here's wishing me a good one... And here's wishing everyone else that they are around wishing me a good year all my life...

Amen.

~K.

2007!!!

Gone... out of the window... lost somewhere in the thin air. And I didn't even realize when it went away. It feels like just yesterday that I was wishing people a Happy 2007 and wondering where 2006 had gone.

And where DID 2007 go? Spending late nights at work and shuttling between Shols and M-city (my two office locations back in Chennai) through the first quarter and a half (now tell me how long was that.. ;-) ). Then zipped in to Stamford. A storm in a teacup... that's exactly what it was. Another 3 months gone. Change of scene - Moved to Seattle. Beautiful place. Very scenic. But kinda grey. Some more reds and oranges and yellows would have done it. But well, never mind. Peace and quiet in the hillside after that. Next thing I remember is November and December which again flew past ending in the 31st when I sat down thinking about all this.

Anyway... back to where I was. Irrespective of how I've celebrated New Year's eve - whether roaming around in the streets of Manhattan or just quietly sleeping the night away, I have almost always spent December 31st wondering where the hell the whole year went. Oh well... the wonder-ful person that I am, I did my share of wondering this year as well (or should it be last year). And like all other years, I decided to make the best out of the new one coming my way. And I'm so sure I will spend December 31st 2008 in the same retrospective mood that I am so used to.

A couple of things that I want to do in this year -
1. Write a couple of articles in Hindi. I think in English now... gotta stay in tune with our Raashtra Bhaasha. It's so rich!
2. Learn to cycle. (I couldn't have made the fact more public... but well... I can't cycle... tee hee)
3. Ride a cycle on the Golden Gate bridge or at least on Pier 39. (I might get scared on the bridge)
4. Go for sky diving.
5. Read a couple of long pending books.
6. Watch some more Broadway shows.
7. Buy a nice evening dress and wear it. Not just at the shop in the trial room but also wear it to someplace nice.

Hoo boy.. Let me not get too carried away. If I put a lot of these action items here, end of 2008 is going to be really troublesome. Will keep myself in check while I can.

You all have a wonderful and satisfying year! Live a beautiful life. Stay happy, healthy and fit!

Cheers!!


~K.