tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-183217542024-03-07T15:22:38.195+05:30Dew DropsBecause some thoughts stay overnight only to disappear with the first rays of the sun!Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-45725262005240280702010-08-18T13:41:00.001+05:302010-08-18T13:41:56.548+05:30AlmightyThe weekend was supposed to be a spiritual retreat. A trip to a very famous temple.<br /><br />What it turned out was the biggest let-down I have known. Made me question the extent and rationale of devotion. It was a circus out there, and it would probably be the last place where I’ll find Him. I still have my faith intact, and notwithstanding those agonizing hours of waiting in a line and then in prison-like cells, I still pray. Now I pray in quiet, sometimes on my bed, sometimes at work, sometimes on the go, but I pray when I need his strength, and I pray without any shenanigans or without any of the blind rituals. I just pray, and I know He listens.Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-77228210370855016812010-04-08T20:33:00.003+05:302010-08-18T13:43:15.118+05:30Lets discuss ...It could be a boring old topic. It could be like hearing an old tape recorder that you may have heard a hundred times before. It could sound like the ranting of an insecure girl. It could make you resist me and detest me. It could spoil your perfectly bright and happy mood. It could feel like an alien's blabbering. It could make you wonder. It could feel harsh and caustic. It could feel unapologetic. It could make you feel helpless. It could make me feel helpless. Lets do it anyway. Lets discuss Me.Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-58555387899892766642009-11-16T20:55:00.003+05:302009-11-16T21:11:36.222+05:30The RideAt first it was scary. Like having a big bazooka in your hand and knowing that one mistake would be one too many. But I had come back to India with a wishlist and this featured at the very top, and I wasnt about to give-up so easily. I was a slow learner. I would return back home each time moist and dizzy - not so much from the heat but from the stress.<br /><br />Then it got better. Slowly, silently, calm returned. The big machine in my hands felt not so intimidating any more. I loved the freedom it gave me. I loved the possibilities and the opportunities it presented. More than anything else, I felt the triumph of having broken down a barrier - a barrier that had existed in my mind as well those of others. The barrier that no other girl in my family had dared to cross. And I loved proving a lot of people very very wrong about me.<br /><br />Now, as I slide into my car behind the wheels, I feel dizzy again - not the stress this time but the light-headedness of joy and freedom and of being in control. Its a symbolic victory for me and dont I know it! The engine revvs up and roars into life, and so does my spirit. See ya after the ride!Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-73912675424109081712009-05-13T10:00:00.002+05:302009-05-13T10:04:25.026+05:30Selective AmnesiaIf only there was such a thing, an automatic process that would let me forget everything I wanted to, and only retain the precious little that make me smile. <br />If only there was a switch somewhere, like on a computer, where we could delete the unwanted, erase it forever from the memory like it was never meant to be.<br />If only life had a preview option.Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-77032116430260068572009-03-18T17:42:00.006+05:302009-03-18T17:54:57.785+05:30So Long, and Thanks for all the fish!<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">A speech for Toastmasters:<br /><br />Sometime ago, I read a book by Douglas Adams called the Hitchhikers’s Guide to the galaxy. The book starts with some alien creatures on the verge of demolishing Earth!<br />And for a moment, I felt something happen in the pit of my stomach, something outrageous, even though it was a fictional story. I was a little uneasy because they were demolishing our planet, which in galactic proportions is my home! After all, the home and the heart are supposed to reside in the same place! I wondered if this was a common sentiment, or was it just me?<br /><br />Looking more closely, and in more real-life terms, things didn’t seem very different. I have been to many beautiful places, I’ve met many wonderful people, but at the end of the day, I am tired. I want to go home.<br /><br />I was browsing through the internet once, and I discovered that in some places like the US, there are actually traditions associated with homecoming. People, towns, high schools and colleges come together, usually in late September or early October, to welcome back former residents and alumni. They are built around a central event, such as a banquet and, very often, a game of American football, or, basketball, or ice hockey. Homecomings were occasions to revive old and fond memories, to put things in a different perspective and to provide a bridge to the future.<br />When I was little kid, my homecoming would be different. I would go to school in the morning, and go to play in the evenings with my friends. At the end of the day I would be tired and longing to come back to my parents, I would be very hungry and I would want food cooked at home.<br />I would sometimes go visit some relatives or my grandparents, and spend a few days, or weeks with them. It would be very comfortable, I would be pampered and treated like royalty. But it would never feel home. It was not my home.<br /><br />When I grew up a bit, I went to a college in another city, and I’m talking about a huge country like India, where unlike NL distances could be quite far. Fortunately this was quite close – only 8 hours by train. I was quite excited to go as this was the first time I would be on my own. I would have freedom to live the way I wanted to. I could spend more time with friends, stay out late with friends, and take my own decisions. I stayed in a hostel- and I visited home during all the breaks and major holidays. But despite all the freedom, I would get all excited whenever a break came up. And when they ended, I felt sad every time I left home. On retrospection, it seemed like Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to. The home is the bottom line of life, the anvil upon which attitudes and convictions are hammered out. It is the single most influential force in our earthly existence. It is at home, among family members that we come to terms with circumstances. It is here life makes up its mind.<br /><br />Now I have a job and I am working in a different country, a different continent. Things have changed, but have they? My assignment in Netherlands is about to end in a few weeks. And I am already dreaming about all the things I would do when I get back home, my mind is already drawing up plans of friends to meet, of places to visit, of things to do, of food to eat, of movies to see, of things to buy! This in no way means that I haven’t enjoyed my stay here – I have, immensely. I’ve seen so many amazingly beautiful places, I’ve seen different cultures and met some very smart people. But its time to go home!<br /><br />Thank you all for making my stay even more memorable. As they said in the Hitchikers guide, So Long, and thanks for all the fish!</span>Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-60783748582729969372008-07-07T19:48:00.004+05:302008-07-07T19:57:34.409+05:30Shallow HalI like the Modern.<br />I like tall skysrapers, the glow of streetlights and wide roads.<br />I like a city buzzing with shopping streets and restaurants.<br />I like trendy clothes, good shoes and the fashion magazines.<br />I like well groomed people, who dress up well and make themselves look good.<br />I like having food in an expensive restaurant with the waitors treating you like royalty.<br />I like living in a house which is big, spacious and has big windows.<br />I like indulging myself...<br />...Even if that makes me sound materialistic and shallow.Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-44586240969224030012007-03-08T09:45:00.000+05:302007-03-08T10:06:13.182+05:30The dream<p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">I don’t know how I got so lucky. </span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">I don’t know if I have become a better person. I don’t know if God suddenly woke up to all the good karma I had done in my previous life. But someone up there sure did pull some strings for me.<o:p><br /></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">For I haven’t been this happy ever. I have gone through more than 20 years of my life and it all feels like a different era. The world is still as mean. There still are people who are selfish and insensitive. Some friends have gone, the inevitable clash of personalities bearing too much strain on relationships. Some friends have stayed, surviving the rough and the storms. I am still a doof. Nothing much has changed with life as we know it.<o:p><br /></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">Except one. He.<o:p><br /></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">He decided to fill my life with sunshine. He decided I was worth the effort after all. He has made me feel loved. He has shown me a part of myself that i never knew existed. He makes me feel the way I had always wanted to feel about myself. He has made a moron like me fall in love. I never thought it would happen, but it has. I love him. Its the least I can say. And it is the most diminutive expression of emotions that I can allow myself.<o:p><br /></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">I’m living a dream, and I don’t want to wake up!</span></p> <p style="font-family: times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-1152364976332215342006-07-08T18:46:00.000+05:302006-07-08T18:52:56.333+05:30The one and only<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7132/1789/1600/roger_215.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7132/1789/320/roger_215.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">A tribute to a brilliant performer<br />And the guy who has made me fall in luv with tennis all over again<br /></span></span></span></div>Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-1138514541738286852006-01-29T11:25:00.000+05:302006-06-20T00:22:28.726+05:30I've been blessed...The piece ahead is hardly original, but I just stumbled upon it, and I couldnt have rediscovered it at a better time...<br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Today, upon a bus, I saw a girl with golden hair<br />I looked at her and sighed and wished I was as fair.<br />When suddenly she rose to leave,<br />I saw her hobble down the aisle.<br />She had one leg and used a crutch<br />But as she passed, she passed a smile.<br />Oh, God, forgive me when I whine<br />I have 2 legs, the world is mine.<br /><br />I stopped to buy some candy<br />The lad who sold it had such charm<br />I talked with him a while, he seemed so very glad<br />If I were late, it'd do no harm.<br />And as I left, he said to me,<br />"I thank you, you've been so kind.<br />It's nice to talk with folks like you.<br />You see," he said, "I'm blind."<br />Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.<br />I have 2 eyes, the world is mine.<br /><br />Later while walking down the street,<br />I saw a child with eyes of blue<br />She stood and watched the others play<br />It seemed she knew not what to do.<br />I stopped a moment and then I said,<br />"Why don't you join the others, dear?"<br />She looked ahead without a word.<br />And then I knew, she couldn't hear.<br />Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.<br />I have 2 ears, the world is mine.<br /><br />With feet to take me where I'd go.<br />With eyes to see the sunset's glow.<br />With ears to hear what I would know.<br />Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.<br />I've been blessed indeed, the world is mine.</span> </div>Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-1138189287151099612006-01-25T16:59:00.000+05:302006-06-22T20:15:56.010+05:30A few drops of dew<div align="left"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 102);">I have been asked the significance of the title of my blog a million times by now. And to all those curious souls who are wondering, my answer is simple: its the meaning of my name! Apart from signifying a constellation of stars ( think astronomy, and think 'nakshatra'), it has another little known connection - a drop of dew!</span><br /></span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7132/1789/1600/dew%20modified%203.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7132/1789/320/dew%20modified%203.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"><strong><em>Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf</em></strong><br /></span><br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7132/1789/320/dew-drop-reflection.jpg" border="0" /><br /><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">As the flowers are all made sweeter by the sunshine and the dew, so this old world is made brighter by the lives of folks like you</span></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7132/1789/1600/dew.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7132/1789/320/dew.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 102);">Dewdrops, Nature's tears, which she Sheds in her own breast for the fair which die. The sun insists on gladness; but at night, When he is gone, poor Nature loves to weep</span></em></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7132/1789/1600/dew9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7132/1789/320/dew9.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.</span></em></strong><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"></span></em></strong> </div><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"></span></em></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"></span></em></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"></span></em></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"></span></em></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><em></em></strong></div><div align="center"><strong></strong><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7132/1789/1600/dew4.jpg"><em><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7132/1789/320/dew4.jpg" border="0" /></em></a><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"> Man's life is like a drop of dew on a le</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">af</span></em></strong></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><strong><em><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"></span></em></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><em></em></strong></div><div align="left"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">PS: Thanx Aditya for posting my pic! :)</span></em></div>Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-1135832361432149142005-12-29T09:57:00.000+05:302006-06-20T00:22:11.706+05:30An End and A Beginning<strong>Hope and faith...</strong><br />A sermon isnt intended here, just an encapsulation of the time that was, the time that promises to come and the lesson that it has chosen to impart in the only way it can. Anything is possible, be prepared for it. When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, and when there's nothing you can do about it, keep a little hope. And faith too, in yourself and your ability.<br />Its been a long time since I last posted on this blog. All this while I had been trying hard to come up with something that could make me smile, but it seems this is all I have at the moment...<br />The year has been drawing to a close. A year that I can best describe as 'an eclectic medley of extremes'! For I have seen the extreme facets of life this year, in sentiments, emotions, luck, society, success, failure, acads, relationships and friendships. Changes happened constantly and the constants kept changing...<br />I can already hear the footsteps of the New Year... Still have no idea how to welcome it, perhaps in quiet solitude and with a smile. My only resolution this time would be, come what may, have hope and faith...Guess thats one resolution for the keeping[:)]Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-1132804680406516232005-11-27T15:00:00.000+05:302006-06-20T00:22:05.993+05:30What's the good word?<em>A word is a word is a word...<br />but what if the word isn't a word?</em><br /><br />Stumbled upon this great article some time back which takes a long hard look at words which should have existed, but don't. Sometimes referred to as Sniglets and sometimes as <a href="http://urbandictionary.com/">urban slangs</a>, here are a few gems...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>anecdultery</strong> : the moment you r halfway through telling someone a story -acting in the know and exxagerating like crazy-when you realize it was their story in the first place<br /><br /><strong>boastbuster</strong> : a person who, when asked to guess how cheaply something or the size of your payrise at work, always picks up a figure so extreme that your story falls flat<br /><br /><strong>buckstop</strong> : the space left between the person using an ATM and the person in the queue behind<br /><br /><strong>hope couture</strong> : the item of clothing you keep for years in the vain hope that you might fit back into it someday<br /><br /><strong>knack-knicker</strong> : someone who cant leave a hotel room without taking every tea bag, sugar sachet, complimentary shampoo etc.<br /><br /><strong>edgehog</strong> : a person who hogs the aisle seat so you have to climb over them to get to a vacant stop<br /><br /><strong>eyesberg</strong> : the icy look a teenager gives to his mother when he wants her to stop talking to her girlfriend<br /><br /><strong>flaparazzi</strong> : someone who is always in the back-ground of a live news report, waving stupidly at the camera<br /><br /><strong>tearerist</strong> : a person in the cinema who seems to take ages to unwrap their lollies or open their chips, then eats them one by one, oblivious to the noise<br /><br /><strong>lovestuck</strong> : the moment on a first date when both people want to make a move but are scared of getting a knockback, and as a result nothing happens<br /><br /><strong>cosmetic perjury</strong> : the tactful response required when you meet an acquaintance who have proudly changed his/her hair, face or body in a failed attempt to improve appearance<br /><br /><strong>piece de resistance</strong> : the last bit of food left on a plate because everyone wants to be polite<br /><br /><strong>moanatone</strong> : the faltering voice tou use when you ring work to tell them you're sick<br /><br /><strong>tortune</strong> : A catchy yet awful song that you just cant't get outta ur head, even after hearing it played just once<br /><br /><strong>suffermore</strong> : A person who is always sicker than or worse off than you. if you say , you are a bit tired , thay are exhausted. If you are snowed under, they tell you to try with six kids<br /><br /><strong>shinterjection</strong> : At a party or dinner , the sharp kick under the table you give to your partner to indicate that whatever it is they are saying, they must stop saying it right now.<br /></span><br /><br />No matter how fabulous your vocabulary is, guess there will always be something out there to surprise you...Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-1130654360832864462005-10-30T15:01:00.000+05:302006-06-20T00:20:13.066+05:30And Let there be Light!In the beginning of this world, God said, "<em>Let there be light</em>...".<br />Once a year, we get to play God...<br />As the Indian community gears up to celebrate Deepawali, turning the darkest night of the year to the brightest, my favourite memories of the festival we all love so much...<br /><br />Never been much into crackers and those bombs...remember being really scared once when one of my friends tried bursting one of them in my presence...since then I have stuck to small <em>fuljharis</em> and <em>anaars</em>...<br /><br />My mom synchronizing the lighting of diyas, as if organizing an orchestra...and we kids eagerly awaiting the green signal to light those diyas placed at every concievable nook and corner of the house...I believe, and still do, that my home never looked more stunning and picturesque...<br /><br />The sweets!Though I do not have a sweet tooth,I love making them...or rather, help my mom make them...<br /><br />New clothes...hmmm...and someone's looking good!...Never mind...girls gotta dress up once in a while!<br /><br />Diwali cleaning...hmmm...lots of work...really really hard work!<br /><br />Lakshmi Pooja...I'd been told once that we had to specially clean our houses and light up all the corners so that Goddess Lakshmi could find her way in!<br /><br />And of course, <em>Illu</em> and <em>Rangoli</em> in Kgp...<br />Well...its a lot of hard work...and a lot of dirty work too...I mean just go take a look at someone who's just finished working on a <em>chatai</em> or done a few hours of rangoli, and you'll know!...But at the end of the day, relax and enjoy...and take in and appreciate all the work and bucks that go into making Illu such a big event in the Kgp calendar!<br /><br />Happy Diwali to all of you!Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18321754.post-1130525165336752842005-10-29T00:00:00.000+05:302006-06-20T00:19:29.296+05:30Five reasons to cheer after all!We can all find a zillion different reasons to detest our campus at any given time. But love it or loathe it, you can’t ignore it. And just in case you are tired of the constant whining of what could have been, why not appreciate what we already have and can get from it( apart from a degree that is!). At least five reasons come to my mind, and here they are:<br /><br />1. <em>Clean Kgp, Green Kgp </em>! Its one of those very rare places where you can go out for a walk and not wrinkle your nose in disgust because the road side garbage pit got even more appalling. What’s more, the later and darker it is, the more breathtaking it becomes!<br /><br />2. <em>Friends are forever </em>! They come in all forms : the jhandaaoing kind, the peace-maaroing kind, the nocturnal kind, the muggu kind, the stud variety, the anti-muggu brigade, the nahalis, the atthis, the sattis, the chhaggies and what have you! A plethora of categories exist to choose from, and boy, do they last! Where else can you form friendships like you do here? Anybody who has spent any amount of time here would agree that life without them would have been, well…a different story altogether!.<br /><br />3. <em>It’s a whole new world</em>! So you were the topper of your school. So you thought you were on top of the world. So you thought books are all that is there to conquer. Well dude, think again. There are limitless avenues to explore and Kgp teaches you that it’s never too late. You can start over all again from scratch and still find the time and resources to excel. Be it sports, dramatics, music, or good ol’ literary skills, many a talent were discovered and honed here!<br /><br />4. <em>Are you man enough</em>?! Talk about education going beyond textbooks and actually molding character and personality. Remember the time you failed in that interview, or the time a prof screwed you in viva, or those heady days of illu and rangoli, or the time your friend was sick and lying in a hospital, or the time your hall won that all important G.C., each experience is there to savor. Life does have its own queer way of imparting its lessons!<br /><br />5. <em>Live and let live</em>! I remember being really fussy about my choice of food, with a million nakhras about what kind of spread would be allowed to pass through my oesophagus. Then Kgp happened! Now, I don’t throw tantrums if the ‘cuisine’ in front of me doesn’t match my very high standards. In other words, I have become tolerant, and I can survive without those very things which had seemed to make life so impossible just a few years ago! I can live without eating, without sleeping for hours, without cleaning my room, without money in my pocket, without switching off my computer, and sometimes, without a shoulder to cry on. I have learnt to survive. When I walk out of this place, I know I can face anything!Dewdrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12155870443945128859noreply@blogger.com19