I glared at them fiercely
As they smiled - brightly as ever
Seated comfortable in spacious chairs
Their inviting looks - filling the air

I could almost hear them whisper
Amidst the loud travelling banter
Tempting was how  they started to seem
Their curves as fresh as they could have been

I cursed them and firmly responded -
Do whatever you think it takes..
But you will not get me today!
My mind has travelled far beyond,
And does not intend to return for long!

All they could manage was a chuckle
Watching my feet as they dragged me
My heart desperate to exchange plesantaries
Depriving my mind of its newly defined mantle

Their grin of conviction got on to me,
Only to convince me to give them another chance
I decided to stop by to say a quick hello
As always -  they made me happier than before

                                     

As expected the acquaintance never remained an acquaintance

And reblossomed into a new relationship

With me inviting a dozen of them over                                                                                                           

And obliging to pay for their last journey home

Walking home, I revisited the realization I have often had -

Thorntons could never make you sad

For round is also a shape

And being in shape is anything but bad!

                                                                                Gaya

2 months in the UK - random musings......part I

Almost two months in the United Kingdom, and here I go.....


Scotland - Edinburgh - heavenly....I feel as if I am reliving my Enid Blyton days, each time I visit the place. My respect for Enid Blyton has simply grown and I highly doubt whether any other writer could articulate so beautifully in their writing.


J.K. Rowling proved to be a blessing in disguise to the Elephants cafe.....the cafe today has bagged a spot in all the tourist pamphlets in Edinburgh as the birth place of Harry Potter!,and therefore is making some big money.


The English almost despise the Scottish - they think they are dumb! And the Scottish think the english to be way too snooty. ( sounds like Ind - Pak eh?? )

Whatever be the case, I think the Scottish are friendly - well at least they look it and seem it - (cannot quite say it with any certainity considering I barely understand what they speak )....at times seriously wonder whether my English teachers went wrong!!


Who says there aren't beggars in the UK!! Talk about a well groomed lady sitting beside the cathedral, wrapped in an expensive looking Woollen shawl,hugging a sweet looking pet dog and with tears in her eyes. I was astonished to see the same lady sitting in the same place an hour later, with a latest best selling novel in her hand and a Starbucks/ frasers coffee glass in front of her to collect the coins. How cushy can life get - I enjoy my novel, while people fund me to do so!! But I must give it to those young lads at the station subways, for the wonderful music that they play to earn their bread....some of them show sheer brilliance in their music and they by no means could be categorized as beggars!


I need a place to stay....I go to the rental office, they ask me for my bank account details. I go to the bank to open an account, and they ask me for a UK address proof, my rental lease contract copy or utility bills in my name ....What would poor me who just landed in London a couple of days back do?  I explained to the executive that I am married to so and so person and the contract is in his name, and here is our marriage certificate for verification. The response - but that is in your husbands name, we would require it or utility bills on your name... (me to myself - what a donut!!!.....where in the world would i get those after being here for 2 days!)

Glad that I came prepared, I hand over my passport. The executive then asks me for another proof. I provide her with my driving license, but apparently that isn't accepted. I then provide her with my election I'd card issued in India. But apparently that is not accepted either......Appalled!! And confused!! And felt completely degraded ....I couldn't help but wonder, whether this was all the respect that the card issued by the Government of India had!


London is one place, where banks will hesitate to convert your husbands account into a joint account....you see they are so concerned that the wife will choose to run away with all the hard earned fortune of her husband, when they get divorced. (and we being such dimwits in their eyes, are not aware of the fact that every advance account would imply a service fee of seventeen pounds.)  Believe it or not, it took Hubby dearest and me almost an hour, spread over two weeks to get the customer service executive to convert the account into a joint account......here is the irony - the customer service chic happened to be an Indian who just had just moved into the UK a couple of years before...
Talk about manners, alright - we Asians or Indians relatively lack the finesse and the smooth talking abilities that comes naturally to a majority of the Brits.......but they sure are way better at blowing their nose ( LOUDLY and CONTINOUSLY ) and letting the whole world know how bad a cold they have - oh I stand corrected - 'FLU' it is.......wonder if that is considered gentlemanly or lady like!!


Pink hair,pornographic telephone booths, ladies wearing almost swimsuits on a chilly friday night where the temperature hits 0 degree, a license for television, contracts for everything, safety pins for 2 pounds :O ( in India it is Rs. 2), dirty roads here and there ( sadly some of the dirtiest areas happen to be inhabited by Asians- Indians and Lankans), same fares to commute by rail or air....Welcome to London :P

I guess,this post turned out to be a little too cynical, but I must admit that London is beautiful the way it is.....the weather, the greenery,  the Victorian architecture, the typical Brit breakfast, the interiors and the food at the pubs ( minus the alcohol ofcoAurse),the roadside coffee shops, the lovely breeze, a pleasant Sunday morning, the amazing variety of boots that you find here would bring a smile on anyone's face.......but all said and done India is better in so many ways...you sure do realize the value of home when you are away from it.......keep watching this space for part two and the sequels that would follow (hopeful that the inspiration to update my blog strikes more frequently) ....I will try and be a little more nice to the Brits there.......for now, I sign off the Brit way.....cheers folks!!.....bye now ( in the singy songy tone) :P

                                                                                   

Gaya

A vague thought- farfetched and beyond possibility

Smiles, a sense of relief….things seem light.

I reckon it is the power of faith

That instantly makes one’s life bright.

God sure does have his strange ways!

To teach and take you to bay

To show you – life is all shades of grey

Not black and white as you wish and pray.

You try to forget, you try to forgive,

Nothing really seems to happen

When you do it for your sake, for

Somewhere along, it invariably would be fake

The day you forgive for God’s sake,

And surrender with all you can give,

Hoping things in life get even.

Things suddenly seem to brighten.

The strange air you that you then feel,

Is something no one can steal!

He sure does make time heal

With love, learning and the best deal!

When you look behind,

All you can manage is a subtle smile :) ,

Try and control your wandering mind

And leap towards the next mile!

Gaya

Adios 2010!!

2010 has been a tough teacher! :) Nevertheless, I am grateful to all the reinforcement, affirmation and reiteration that it had to offer. It certainly has contributed to my growth as an individual. Definitely not my best year but I am sure I have been luckier than many others!!

The biggest learnings, that I could pen down, even in the state of sleep deprivation would be :

We are never alone. God is always walking besides us. Give him a chance to speak, and be his audience. You will get your answers.

Friendship is one of the world's most beautiful relationship. Cherish it.

True friends are those who stand by you at all times, pull you up when you are astray from the right path, empathize when they cannot do much, but help you wade your way without getting judgemental about you or any one else.
Treasure them!

Sometimes the best way to be happy in life is to let go.

Treasure those people to whom you really matter; not for their selfish reasons but out of good will for you.

Emotions are like glass. Very brittle. Handle with care.

Faith, Prayer and hope are the three pillars on which life revolves.

Life is not about yourself and your happiness. Make an attempt to make a difference to people who need you. Life would be worth living.

It is always better to go somewhere where you are wanted rather than go somewhere where you want to.

Always remember - Life may have been slightly unfair to you. But you have always been more fortunate than a lot many.

Health is the biggest wealth. Not many are blessed with it. Learn to appreciate it.

After life, a good family is the biggest blessing that you could be born with. Never let go of them.

Respect others for their decisions/opinions, though they may not be right or in line with your expectation.

If you judge yourself by your intentions, do the same with others. Do not judge them on their actions.

Will end with my first learning - We are never alone. God is always walking besides us. Give him a chance to speak, and be his audience. Have faith in him. The Holy Spirit would always be a guiding force. God will take care!

A huge list, if due consideration is given to the fact that I have been sleep deprived. Nevertheless, do add to the list, if you have any interesting learnings to share.


Gaya

In anticipation.......

A rainy evening here again...
The clouds draping the sky
Beautiful yet filled with gloom
Life awaiting its bloom

There always is beauty in joy...
Something that sets the heart cry
Whoever thought of beauty in pain
To be quiet, simple and plain

Your mind feels fragile
Everything seems futile
They say…...
Embrace life with a smile
Things will pass by in a while
Slowly you will realize
Life does not generalize
That time certainly does heal
And ensures you get the best deal


Simply hang on in grace
With a smile on your face…..

RANDOM SCRIBBLES OF A WISER SOUL!!!

It has been a while that I pen down my thoughts......Today is probably not the best of days for the same....but making an effort sure does no harm!

Ironical yet practical....there are certain things that you may or may not want to happen. They may or may not be the best things to happen.....but once they have happened...often feels/seems it was how it was meant to be. It is very strange though that once you look at what has happened, you feel glad in a way whatever it is....though it may totally contradict what you initially wished for or anticipated....

The experience could be awesome, bitter sweet or different in its own way.......the interpretations could be totally subjective and a reality check of perception is often a rude shock!! But then today as I pen down my thoughts, I can’t help but get convinced that there are situations in every person’s life which should have been dealt with differently. Here is where I contradict myself as I am convinced that it is a situation which makes a person act in a particular manner! And here is where I think that life is so much related to mathematics. Probability at its best I presume!! (My cousin bro – a genius in math would be smirking as he hears me say this, but for today I would give in!) :-D

So does it imply that with time you change? Possible that you would want to rethink about a particular event.....but more than often I think more than often your basic intuition (If you have reasonably good intuitive prowess! ) about a person is never wrong! A person may in your opinion be the best or not so good which again is your perception! Often we have the tendency to get negative when things do not happen.....negativity may be about situations, people, perceptions and also about certain events which turn out to be uncertain/ unexpected or contrary to what one anticipated! Is it wrong again? Well I don’t think so either....as it is human psychology to get angry!!! But is it worth it?? …I don’t believe so, as life is short and there is no use venting your anger on anyone! As I think, when you are sixty and you look back at your life, there may be materialistic regrets but am sure otherwise, there would be a lot to cherish, if looked at from the correct perspective! Why sixty…the same could be even as on today’s date!

Some say do what you think is right! :) Easily said! But what I think to be right may be wrong to someone else and vice versa.....it is virtually impossible to make everyone happy.........so here do you prioritize.....or compromise........Depends on the situation, person/persons involved and so many dimensions which one may think to be essential!! So here again I am back to my state of ponderance....
Is it right or wrong?? I am incapacitated to justify that.

I often have had discussions with my brother who believes in Karma and the existence of a parallel world! and the fact that what goes around comes around!!! The philosophy/logic being there there is a parallel world wherein there exists a clone of you. Apparently whatever good happens to you here, a subsequent bad thing happen to your clone in the parallel universe.....Sounds extremely fascinating. However tempted I may feel to acknowledge the same, I find it close to ridiculous to do the same, as looking at the world of good that has happened to me till date, I find it impossible to even think of imagine the extent of negativity would be there with the poor Gayatri in the parallel world!

Further complicating it....I happened to spend an afternoon with my super close friend( or should I say family/sister ) at Barista (I am not too fond of coffee shops - as...I prefer my mom's homemade filter coffee any day!) - An outlet which I don’t visit often, but have always had a good time on the rare occasions- thanks to the company!!! This time it turned out to be the magic den in a different way!!!! I happened to be pondering over a certain decision and my loyalties on a particular subject! I played the devil’s advocate with myself which I always resort to when I need to know whether I am sure of what I am putting my foot into.

And this super close friend of mine was particularly irritated with me for the same .As we often do, we started talking and talking even more and that is when I happened to tell her…..today I feel a certain degree to weirdness, relief….. Like I said I was pondering over a certain decision that I had to take after being in a spot for long. ……. Probably it was a surge of relief that I had done what I thought was to be right. She asked me, do you feel surreal and as If you did not take a call. I had to agree that it was something that made me take the call!! I don’t know what it was and I was angry with myself for it. Why with myself? Because, as the usual way I had gotten myself into a mess without even realizing it!!

Last evening, I happened to meet this friend/philosopher of mine again……and I just narrated a couple of incidents, communication and conversations which had given me a good kick on my backside!! Again it was a hit on my slightly inflated ego, that I could be so wrong about something!!

But nevertheless, we could not help but grin and feel; that it was a real time learning experience, great moments and am of course thankful to all the people involved!

Phew…… life seemed to be crazy and its corporate best! Today when I think of yesterday, I can simply smile to myself and say – “ALL IZZ WELL“:-DD

NIASoM ......Re-Living Memories

Phewww!!! It’s April 12th! The same day a year back, I was at NIASoM......the place that taught me so much....about life, culture, people, values, religion, human psychology.....the list probably never seems to end.....But today when I look back, the two years just seem to be a dream. They just went by without me even realizing it!

I cannot help but feel the nostalgia that prevailed on campus the same time around last year....people were running all around the hostel busy with packing. Emotions were high. The one thing that I remember the most is the way we were circulating our most hated uniform shirts for people to scribble on. That white shirt of mine....was something I detested and tried to avoid all the time. Today, it probably is one of my most priced and precious possessions!

(Will soon upload a pic of it:-P)

Ironically, there were many days, when I sat alone in my balcony just staring out, at the beautiful view. I used to tell myself that I should ensure that this period should not seem a dream, but in vain. When I look back, it all seems a happy dream with lovely moments to cherish. The late night Pizza's in the balcony with my roomies, the water fights (which I managed to conveniently escape), literally being dragged out of bed every morning by my roomie, perpetually cribbing about the never ending laundry, constant exchange of movies through IP Messenger and most importantly - getting caught by the warden for being too noisy or being seen on the other side of the LOC, the serious and solemn conversations simply keep flashing across my eyes, every time I think of hostel life. The birthday parties, cricket matches, the sports week, Friday Feast were so much fun in a way. How could I ever forget the so called study tour to Bangkok! – Probably the MOST happening and talked about tour of my life so far. In fact, on second thoughts, I feel even the horrible Biryani that we got on Wednesdays and the Sabudana Khichdi on Thrusday mornings to be bearable in their own way.

A couple of days back, I was having a conversation with a dear friend, and we got into a discussion on how people who are our batch mates are doing....a few of them already married, a few waiting to tie the knot. It sure does feel good to know that people have moved on in life towards bigger commitments. But it is strange when I think that time can do such wonders - Just one year has warranted so many changes!!! But it sure does feel very good to know that each one is doing well in their respective place.

As I write, I cannot help but smile to myself. Though I miss the days, I realize that the take away’s that NIASoM had to offer me compensate for every moment I miss. . It is often said, you often realize the true value (Intrinsic value in the typical Management term) of something when you actually don’t have it. I would vouch for it, as I remember the time when I went back to NIA for some training with my colleagues. My eyes desperately searched for my batch mates, friends, with whom I had spent two glorious years of my life. But they were nowhere to be seen then. I tried ignoring it but then realized that every place on campus brought back memories of people, moments and the time spent together. It was only then when the truth hit me – and I realized that it is just not about the place, but it is about the people who make the place what it is.

NIASoM has changed my outlook towards life in many ways. It has made me realize how better life could be, if one learns to ignore negatives and capitalize on positives! I am indebted to everyone who has been a part of those two lovely years of my life!