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.

The case of the missing appetite...

I wonder what was the last thing that I did because I really wanted to do it. And I don't mean eating or drinking something or something else of the kind. I mean really doing something.

Let me do a quick retrospection - I had really wanted to do engineering. Well, I did it. Only to realize that I could have done better than doing a B.Tech. When in school, I had wanted to work in some nice, big and reputed Software firm. Well, here I am now. Only to wonder what I was thinking when I made that wish. I learnt music, even without knowing how much I loved it. So, I don't know if I can count that as my own achievement. I had wanted to write. Again, here I am, writing, to no real end but at least writing.

I had really wanted to do an MBA, and then get into some field that I could relate to more than these bits and bytes that I am dealing with now. And somewhere in the recent past I thought I'd give up this crazy corporate world and rather study things that I really love - Language, Music, Arts. And maybe sometime know enough of these things to be able to teach a few people about them.

Wishing and wanting is fine. And is maybe the first step. But where is the hunger that will make me quit what I am doing now and run towards these wishes? I remember having that once. I still trust myself enough to know it hasn't completely died out. I still hope that this trust is not a consolation I'm giving myself. I keep telling myself that me having that thought itself is a sign that things aren't completely lost yet. How long will I continue to thrive on this consolation is something I don't want to know. But the way things are going, the answer is not too comforting.

I recently purchased one of those fridge magnets which give you something to think about. This one has a quote by Emily Dickinson which says - "Dwell in possibility". I do. I need another magnet which tells me to make possibility a reality. Maybe then I'll get there too.


~K.

I'm back... and how!

It's been about a million years since I last updated my blog... And I've been told to drink more coffee if not resume thinking my own stuff to post on this... So well.. here I am.. trying to make up for the last (lost) 2 months (million years!!).

This is how life has been in the roller coaster since October -

November -
1. Lots of e-running around and chasing mail id's and processes and systems for getting a confirmed date for my Visa stamping appearance in Chennai for December. And why? Only to prevent my home-going trip from being jeopardized by "Project Requirements"... Oh Boss... the things that one has to do to get some work done.
2. Billy Joel concert. Followed by Process Cert exam (which I thankfully cleared!) and a helluva crazy Diwali celebration... comprising a temple visit, free food at the temple, firecrackers (again) at the temple, gambling at home, general singing and dancing (at home again!). Basically taking care of the "Life" part of "Work / Life Balance" :D
3. Friends visiting and Visiting friends!! In 3 subsequent weekends. Diwali weekend, the one after that and then for Thanksgiving. What more can one ask for? :-)
4. Thanksgiving - This one almost deserves a post of its own. Let's see what justice I can do in 1 paragraph - Car accident (a leeetle more than a Fender Bender). Trip to Portland. A bit of Late night Thanksgiving shopping. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall! Late night party. More shopping next day. More partying in the evening! Still more shopping and partying the next day! This is what happens when 9 crazy people meet for an extended weekend in 1 house!
5. Nov end - Homeward bound on Nov 30th! Aaaaahhhh.. Heaven!

December -
1. Reached Delhi late night on 1st. Early hours of 2nd.
2. Attended my beeeeshhht friend's wedding on 2nd.
3. Short trip to Chennai on 3rd - Missed a flight. Got another ticket. Reached office. Met a LOT of friends. Talked a LOT to all of them. Went out for dinner with friends. Got my visa stamped the next day. Again went to office and met friends and talked to them and went out for dinner.
4. Back in Delhi the next day. Family Reunion at home. What more can I say... :-)
5. Off to Nainital for my sister's wedding. Wonnnnnderful time. Will put up some pics here maybe.
6. Back in Delhi again. Lots of shopping. Lots of eating. And Lots of packing.
7. Flight back to US. Me and Mom!
8. Yesterday - Reached Seattle safely. Me and Mom and our luggage. And we shall live happily ever after... At least for the next 3 months..

That's how my calendar has been since I last signed into my blogspot. And that's about it for now. There'll be more. If not about me then about this lovely lady who's come to stay with me leaving her own home behind in land far far away! We hope to have fun. And we hope that the weather doesn't play spoil sport. And if it does, then we'll head off to warmer places in the country. Last thing that I need to pray for now is less work and more holidays!! :-)
Amen.

More later!

~K.

The way I see it....

That's the latest I've fallen in love with... All Starbucks cups have this "The Way I See It" quote on it... and they make up for a lovely read with the coffee.. :-)

This is what I got from my Starbucks this morning....

#268

Music is what I always turn to when I'm feeling a certain way. It's my reason for everything.
- Josh Groban (musician)

I guess it would take a musician to write something like that. I know this is what I feel too. But I don't think I'd have been able to put that in words.

Be that as it may... time to run along and catch up with my weekend chores. There's only this much that I can sit and muse over something nice that I read.

Have a great week ahead!!

~K.


ps: here's another. Got it from their website, here -
#240 - If you can't visualize it, don't build it.

The simplest solution to most of my dilemmas!! :)
I love coffee!

Happiness is (also)...

... a mighty tough job.
Or so I'm learning....

All the books I'd read had taught me that happiness was a matter of choice... You just choose to be happy. That was all there was to it. Apparently. I'd like to speak to Mr. Norman Vincent Peale.. It was some of his books, I think, which filled my head with such ummm... utopia-n (??) thoughts. Well, Mr. P... you were wrong!

While the simple joys of life I'd written about earlier do bring a smile to your face, and give you a certain calmness in the otherwise hectic and crazy lives that we lead and all that jazz, they do not give you the happiness that lasts. The satisfaction is still missing from them. Ever had your head and heart pulling you apart in different directions? Something as simple as wanting something real bad, but not being able to afford it. Or being caught helpless in a now-or-don't-know-when situation.

Unfortunately, life keeps giving you such battlegrounds every now and then. Oh well, I can fight when the enemy is outside. Not within. I can't fight my own self. And unfortunately again, I seem to have this split personality... this alter ego maybe, which keeps pushing me to choices like these. If only life came with a users' manual... I would have had something to refer to!!

I wish I could have simply declared - "We want the world and we want it. Now." The way Jim Morrison did. And I wish just that declaration could really give me the world. Or at least MY world. The way I want it.... Oh but then... which one of me? The Dumb or the Dumber? Bah... forget it. Some fights don't get over I guess.

Never mind... I guess I'll play around with those simple things... which are said to constitute life. Just a little longer though. At least until the time when my selves reconcile with each other instead of just agreeing to disagree. And I hope it happens soon. The rules of English grammar said that I is a singular noun. I'd like to live it that way....

~K (& K).


ps: I'm reading LOTR these days... Remember Smeagol and Gollum? At least they would agree with me... ;-)
And well... current music - When the Music's over... by Jim Morrison.
Bye for now. Turn off the lights! :-)

Love,
~K.

M&M

There's this new movie that's getting released - Across the Universe...
It's no secret that I am no Movie buff. But what I definitely am, is a Music freak. And a die-hard Beatles fan..

The reason I got interested in this Movie was that it had all Beatles songs (covers, but never mind...). Check out the list - Girl, I am the Walrus, Strawberry Fields Forever, All You Need is Love, Across the Universe (obviously), and my eternal favourite - Hey Jude.

It may not really make sense to look forward to a Movie for its songs. And I don't really care how well or otherwise the Movie does. But considering that the makers seem to have spun the whole Movie around the songs that I've grown up listening, I dearly wish that they haven't made a mess out of it.





~K.

It's all a lie....

People say it's a small world... It's not. It's huge...
Don't trust that statement.

It's not a small world....

~K.

Bang Bang...!!!

A friend told me about this shooting range in town. So I thought I'd check out the site before checking out the place itself. The following got me hooked...

UNIVERSAL FIREARMS SAFETY RULES

1. All guns are ALWAYS loaded

2. Never point a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy

3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target

4. ALWAYS be sure of your target and what is behind and beyond it.


More when I shoot some myself....

~K.

Fridays!!!

One of the most beautiful sounds in the English vocabulary... Comes second only to Free Food and of course Free Drinks!!!

Here in Seattle, the only thing I dislike about Fridays is that we are the last time zone in the world to reach Friday evening. We lag behind every other place in the world. Right now it's around Friday, 4:30 pm PST... Some of my friends in EST have already got out of office and are driving down to someplace fun! My friends in India might already have had their Friday night parties, and would probably be enjoying the aftermath of those... or maybe sleeping blissfully, dreaming about it. And me, well... I am still in office.. anticipating the party tonight!!

This friend of mine (also in PST) says the good thing about this time zone is that while people would be nursing their hangovers, we will still be getting drunk! Ahhh... now THAT is a thought to raise a toast to!

All ye people in the leading time zones, enjoy your weekend. While you guys start your work next Monday or maybe gear up for it, I'll still be having mine!

On that note, Cheers!!

~K.

Learning to Fly...

One of the 5 things I wanted to do if I had the money was taking flying lessons.. Oh well, I did get some lessons last weekend.. even though this wasn't what I had in mind.
Let me share some of these here.

Let me set things straight - the scope of this article is NOT to get into the reasons that actually caused these learnings to come by. This is just to serve as a reminder of my ... ahem... let me call it.. a momentary lapse of reason. Just to ensure that I don't get into such a situation again.

Anyway, here goes... Things to remember when taking a flight to anywhere -

1. Check the flight timing - Let me rephrase that a little - Don't just check the time... also whether it's AM or PM. You don't want to reach too early or too late. Both are equally bad. (Been there done that)
2. Plan your travel to the airport - Depending on the typical traffic situation of the route you are going to take, include a 30 minute to 1 hour buffer in your travel time to the airport. It's okay to reach an hour earlier and wait at the airport than to reach in the nick of time, miss your flight and wait a lot more than just an hour for the next flight.
3. Do a Web / Tele Check-In whenever possible - If you don't have any check in luggage, a web or a tele check in can make a world of difference. You get to skip the line to get the boarding pass and head straight to the security check line; where you can also, incidentally, ask to be accommodated earlier if you are too close to your flight's departure time.
4. Travel light - It's best if you can do without any piece of baggage to be checked in. If so, your Web/Tele Check in can do wonders for you.
5. Check your options (just in case) - If you still do manage to miss your flight (I wouldn't be the one blaming you), be sure to check all your options. The list may include buying a new ticket, getting yourself rebooked or even cancelling your ticket. Be informed with all options and the time and cost impact of each. Make sure you count your money and make the right decision. I was thankful for the salary getting credited on time before finding myself stranded at the airport. Next time I may not be that lucky.
6. Count your blessings - That, I think, is the most important and should underline all the troubled situations you land in (even those involving a broken ipod ;-)). Blessings could mean having money in the account. It could mean having friends you can call at 11 in the night, 2 in the night, 6 in the morning and so on (Remember 24 hour friendship?). It could mean having a nice book to read while spending your time in an airport terminal. It could also mean finally being able to reach your destinations instead of never being able to travel. There are a million things that are still right with the world even if a couple of them are not. Remember to be thankful for those. I still am. :-)

Hmmm.. that's the list for now. Something tells me I should take a print of this and hang it somewhere near me so that I always know things to do and those not to do. And given the number of times I keep traveling to places, something like this is one of the best gifts I can give to myself!!

That felt good. I hope I have better, safer and more punctual journeys from now on.... Bon Voyage!

~K.

To Pod or not to Pod...

Yesterday, I broke my iPod... and along with it, my heart.

The battery had gone dead. And so I ordered a battery replacement kit online. While trying to remove the old battery, the chord which connects the back cover to the hard disk broke.
Damn!

I'm depressed.

Life without music... is SO not happy...


~K.

July 23rd...

... is Amit's birthday. 28th birthday I think. Grammatically, the sentence should be - July 23rd would have been Amit's 28th birthday. But who cares about stupid grammar when all you can think of is a dear friend who is no more.

For those who didn't know him - that's him.

True Punjabi. Mad about Punjabi music. And Rajma Chawal. And Chicken. And Whisky. And Beer. And yes, Onions! Play any Punjabi song and he'd break into an impromptu Bhangra. Oh, and yes, also mad about Biking! Dude went to the highest motorable road in India, Leh, on his bike.

At work, a total stud in Oracle and Java! He used to treat Oracle with the familiarity that would be second to only the creators of it.

So full of life that I still can't imagine him without any. So I think of it this way - I shall never ever be able to imagine him getting old and ailing and the other degenerations that come as a part of aging. He is Forever Young!


Oh well, I'm planning to have a party Sunday night for the life that was Amit. You're invited!



ps: Amit, I'm sure heaven is too peaceful a place for you, bro! Hope you're back on earth driving someone else mad with your antics!!! Cheers to you!!
And hey.. if you're back as a girl this time... Mundeyaan ton bach ke rahin!!! ;-)
Lotsa love,
Kali.

Happiness is....

I don't know if anyone can ever really define that... But here's to the innumerable small things that make us happy throughout the day... We may notice them... or not... but well... if you find yourself smiling reading even one of these, you know what I mean...

• Looking at the beautiful weather and spending your time imagining yourself enjoying the outdoors instead of working...
• Having furtive conversations in the office with your friends while everybody else is working...
• Suppressing your smile / laughter in above conversations...
• The traffic signal turning green from red just as you approach it...
• No queue in the bank...
• The store you are in playing a song that you love...
• Singing in the bathroom...
  
• Finding a mail waiting for you when you reach home...
• Getting a surprise...
• Giving a surprise...
• Finding the right snacks in the vending machine...
• No crowd at the gym...
• Having a good workout...
• The TV at the gym is playing a movie / serial you love...
• A nice shower after a good workout...
• The temperature of the water is "just right"... :-)
• Journeys with people you like... (Road trips... bus journeys... flights... walks... just about anything.. )
• Smiling at a kid and the kid smiles back...
• Spending time with your friends doing nothing...
• Laughing your guts out with friends...
• Having a good cry with your friend...
• Stealing books / music / movies from friends and not giving them back...
• Getting back books / music / movies that you lent to friends... ;-)
• Sitting at the restaurant talking with friends even after the bill has been paid...
• Sending messages at midnight and getting a call back...
• Getting messages at midnight and giving a call back...
• Knowing that a friend you haven't spoken to in a long time is doing well...
• Getting a call or a mail from that friend...
• Silly "Girl Talk" with your room mate... (I don't know if boys do that too... and well... it doesn't really matter anyway)
  
• Suddenly getting the words of a song you've been trying to remember for a long time...
• A good coffee... (I am incorrigible when it comes to this!!!)
• Catching yourself smiling for no reason at all...
• Dancing.
• Flowers.
  
• Hugs.
  

And well.. a lot many more... I need to get out of office to enjoy a couple of these small things... else maybe I'd have written some more...

Anyway... if by now you do know what I mean, lemme know some of yours too...

Keep smiling!! :-)

~K.

Vanity is me.....

I've noticed this quite often now. Whenever I post a blog which (I think) is good... I don't post another one until quite some time... Maybe I'm waiting for people to read it and comment on it... or I want that post to be the first one that I read whenever I visit the page myself.... I don't quite know yet..

But well... that's how it is....


And ya... my new name is Modesty Blaise .... ;-)

Have a wonderful weekend!! It's just 2 days away... :D


~K.

I've come to look for America....

Pride -

Day before yesterday was the 4th of July.. Or should I say THE 4th of July. And like most of the typical tourists, I went to NYC to watch the fireworks. Let me add for the sake of information, my current state is somewhat handicapped as I have a sprained ankle (courtesy tennis) and though it happened last Sunday, I still hobble along my way with a slight limp.

Now, back to ummmm.... yesterday. Me and about 15 of my other colleagues went from Stamford to Manhattan for the fireworks. It was raining and we hoped that the display won't be cancelled. To our relief it wasn't. We were completely enraptured by the 30 minute show. The sky was bright with some lovely patterns - stars, cubes even smileys. :-) The way it was synchronized was, in one word, Brilliant! Suddenly there went a shot through the dark clouds and the next moment there was a burst of light above us. Looked like a really close view of the stars. And we felt like kids, clapping and cheering at all those lovely patterns. And after it was all over, I was left thinking - Here's a nation which takes pride in herself. And this is not just evident from the fireworks celebrating her independence. It's just about everywhere. It's in the way people live, work, the way they take care of their families and friends and even visitors like me. They show their best to the world, because that's what they believe they are.

All that long walk on the sprained ankle and standing to watch the fireworks for a half hour didn't feel as strenuous after all. And yes, I was impressed. So, Happy Birthday America!!!

*******

And Prejudice (??) -


Yesterday, the 5th, I was travelling from NYC to Miami. To meet my friend. (One of the best in the world!!) . I reached the airport well in time. And was waiting like all other passengers for the boarding to be announced. While I waited, I pulled out the book I had been reading - The Punjab Story. Finally, when the boarding was announced, I walked to the gate (with the still swollen ankle). Just before I reached the gate, a lady pulled me over for a security check. Not everyone was checked. I complied. They checked my laptop bag and my handbag. And I was frisked. I asked what the reason was for this "special treatment", but I was asked to proceed without an answer. Yes there were a few more in this line, but I couldn't quite make out the common factor. Was it because I was carrying 2 bags.. I don't think so. Was it because of the book I was reading? Or simply my Indian looks? I wouldn't know. 'Coz they never told me. And I was too disgusted to ask further questions.

And now, to all my very dear friends who have been trying to convince me to take up a job here and settle down in the US, this is my answer. I'd rather be a first class citizen in my own country even if I have to live with a few inconveniences here and there, than stay here in comfort, but never belong...

*******

... And Affection. -


Same day - July 5th. Seated next to me in my flight was an old gentleman, also going to Miami. He seemed to pick up conversations with utmost ease. And so I followed suit again. An interesting fellow I must say. He asked me where I was from; and when I told him I was from India, the conversation turned towards topics ranging from food to places in India to music in India (we even talked about Apache Indian!!) and even mindsets of Indian men and women. And let me clarify, it was him who was doing most of the talking. He had seemed a little flirtatious at first. Like most men here are. But flirting or not, he ended up giving me quite a few pieces of advice. Things that I always knew, but never really thought about. Coming right after the disparaging incident at the boarding gate, this was a most welcome change. And I thought - that's another face of the country called America.

All in all... not just a brick in the wall... but well... a wall for sure. And though the grass is much greener on the other side, it's a pasture I wouldn't really like to wander...


~K.

ps: the title is inspired from the S&G song - America.

HAHAHAHA.......

People are funny.... really funny.... they get SO sentimental about things... you know... take things personally and stuff....
Check out this link... it's some reviews about the movie that got released last month or so I think... Cheeni Kum... (less sugar... I should like it... I like less sugar... ;-) )... check out the reviews... people seem SO let down by the movie.. i almost pity them... i would more if i could stop laughing...
http://www.nrilinks.com/entertainment/movies/reviews/BW1687.asp

I dont know how the movie is... I haven't seen it yet... Wasn't even planning to.. But after reading this.. I guess it's atleast worth a download... ;-)

Have a great weekend!!


~K.