My brother...Sheldon personified...

Those who know me very well may have had their fill of stories of my brother...This is just a write up on one of the latest happenings that proves that my brother is "Sheldon personified" followed by a few of my brother's famous sayings.

Let me start of with the incident...

Whilst I was in my second year at Rajagiri, I came across a TV series called 'The Big Bang Theory' and to say I was hooked would be an understatement. I was pretty surprised when I came home to see my younger brother also watching the same TV series. He was hooked to an extent where he knew half the dalogues and could say them without any prompting.

As days went by, I began to see, what I call Sheldonism, in him. Knowing him and his gang of friends and I would probably describe them similar to the geeks/nerds in this series....

Yesterday he had the Scence Fair at school where he and a friend of his had an exhibit. This exhibit had its origins from an episode of 'The Big Bang Theory'. There is an episode where they show Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj experimenting on a Non-Newtonin Fluid  . So they set up the entire thing and it was really a great concept. They set up the speakers and the mixture and showed people the oobleck do a dance. For those who haven't had a chance to see this series or couldn't understand this experiment, I suggest you watch the episode here.

 I had been mulling over the idea for putting down some of my brother's so called  "laws" and "survival tactics" for a long time now. Seeing his geekiness in the form of a great experiment,  I felt that it was high that I share these laws with a few others as well...

PS: You may raise your eyebrows after reading the below. These are straight from the horses aka Rohit's mouth...

Rohit's Law of Bottleum 

"The water in a bottle remains constant unless and until an external 'Rohit' comes and drinks it, where Rohit can mean anybody and everybody"

 Survival Rules

Rule 1: If anyone ever says anything you don't understand....just smile and nod your head at them...
Rule 2: Keep others expectation of you very low..So when you actually do something, they will be surprised and happy.
Rule 3: When people whom you don't know come and ask if you know them just smile and nod your head...
Rule 4: If you don't want your teacher to catch you during an extremely boring period, repeat whatever your teacher says at intervals, nod your head always, smile at the teacher and don't let them catch you yawning.

The most important rule here being the Rule No 4. According to my sources, this rule is used very extensively.

So signing off for now...and will be back with more of Rohit's craziness as soon as I can....

Tuesdays with Morrie...

I had heard about the book 'Tuesdays with Morrie' and had heard about 'Mitch Albom'. I had wanted to read 'The five people you meet in heaven' and 'Tuesdays with Morrie', but somehow I had never got the time nor felt the urgency to read it.

A few days ago, I saw the book on Pradeep's table and picked it up. It was finally time for me to read 'Tuesday's with Morrie'... I enjoyed the book and wanted to put down a few excerpts that I found wonderful and did not want to lose from the  book.

So here goes...

"Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do...Accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it"

"There are some morning when I cry and cry and mourn for myself. Some mornings, I'm so angry and bitter. But it doesn't last too long. Then I get up and day, 'I want to live...'

"Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted. A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. And most of us live somewhere in the middle"

"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and to let it come in...Let it come in. We think we don't deserve love we think if we let it in we'll become too soft...Love is the only rational act"

"Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever gong to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too - even when you're in the dark. Even when you're falling..."

It is important "to learn to detach. Don't cling to things because everything is impermanent. Detachment doesn't mean you don't let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate you fully. That's how you are able to leave it....If you hold back on emotions - if you don't allow yourself to go all the way through them - you can never get to being detached, you're too busy being afraid  You're afraid of the pain, you're afraid of the grief. You're afraid of the vulnerability that loving entails..."

"Do the kinds of things that come from the heart. When you do, you won't be dissatisfied you won't be envious, you won't be longing for somebody else's things. On the contrary, you'll be overwhelmed with what comes back..."

"He looked you straight in the eye, and he listened as if you were the only person in the world. How much better would people get along if their first encounter each day were like this...believe in being fully present..."

"...There are a few rules I know to be true about love and marriage: If you don't respect the other person you're gonna have a lot of trouble If you don't know how to compromise you're gonna have a lot of trouble. If you can't talk openly about what goes on between you you're gonna have a lot of trouble. And if you don't have a common set of values n life, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. Your values must be alike..."

"As long as we can love each other and remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without ever really going away. All the love you created is still there. All the memories are still there. You live on - in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here...Death ends a life, not a relationship..."

And so here I stop...with a few excerpts put down, a few thoughts to think about and a resolve to atleast make an attempt to imbibe a few of them...

A day at the abode of God...

Kumarakovil and Suchindram are two temples I visited today along with my family. We had arranged for a bus to pick and drop us there and back.

Everybody was ready and in the bus and we headed off to Kumarakovil. Kumarakovil is an ancient Murugan temple situated in Velimalai.

Courtesy: http://www.nanjilonline.com/tourism/kumarakovil.asp

It was a wonderful experience there. There were very few in the temple and we went around slowly and praying piously. The temple seemed very ancient and was very quiet and peaceful. As we went our way around the temple, we were directed to a idol of Shiva. Here the story was that Shiva is meditating. So you had to call out to him and only then pray, as otherwise he may not hear you. Here we clapped and called out before we prayed in front of the idol. As we came out, we saw a group of people who were singing aloud to the lord while they stood there. In this group was a old man who was was leading the chorus. He voice was filled with devotion and made you want to stay rooted to the place as you listened to him. But the rest of the group that was with him would begin by the time he completed half a sentence. And that was a cacophony. So we stood there for sometime listening to half a sentence filled with devotion and another sentence that was a cacophony where you could neither make out head nor tail. Now my brother was to take the Kavadi so as soon as arrangements were made we left the singing group to themselves. This time we went once again into the temple as a procession behind the Kavadi. After the prayers we left, towards our next destination.

Our next destination was the Suchindram Temple

The Suchindram is another ancient temple dedicated to the Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. It also contains well known and worshiped figure of Hanuman as well. The temple is close to Nagercoil and is well renowned. It was one of those temples that I had learnt about in History at school. The entire temple was filled with exquisite and intricate carvings that left one with a sense of wonder and bafflement. This was my first trip to Suchindram as well.

Pic Courtersy: Wikipedia

We entered the temple and went to get the receipts for the various Puja's at the temple. My uncle had gone to one such corner. Upon his return, we saw that he was accompanied by another man who offered to take us around and explain the things inside the temple. Now we weren't too sure if it would work out and whether it was advisable to have someone like him accompany us.

But as we went in he narrated the story of how each idol came about and what they signified. We were actually able to understand a bit of the background and take in the beauty and also pray. As we moved from one part of the temple to the other he should us some of the well known carvings and the hstory behind them as well. He also led us to the musical pillars for which Suchindram is well known. He beat upon these pllars and we heard the different notes. Many of the pillars there gave away vibrations and notes that we not only pleasing to the ear but also left us smiling. The sheer magnificence of the place and the beauty left one spell bound. How were these achieved by our forefathers so many hundreds of years ago...one would be left wondering...

We also came across the Hanuman idol here. This idol is one of the biggest Hanuman idols. We had wanted to do the puja for Hanuman as well. The guide who was with us made it possible for us to participate in this. We stood very near the idol as the process of garlanding, putting butter and washing the legs of the deity with Rose water (pani neer) took place. It was a wonderful experience made even more better by the presence of a good guide.

As we left the second temple, we left with a sense of satisfaction, happiness and inner peace. It was a wonderful day...a day at the abode of God... 

Revisiting Memories...

Two weeks ago we had Inflore being held at Rajagiri. It was Inflore 2013...

Forget the fact that I wanted to head back and check on how things were this year..with the programs, the quiz  the panel discussion...basically the entire works. I tried making plans, checking up with people, trying to  get people to make it that day while praying that I didn't have to report to office that day.

So what was it that I really wanted? More than checking out Inflore, this visit was a journey to the past, a chance to meet up with people exchange stories and revisit old memories.

Just planning the visit and the ride to Ernakulam brought on memories...We reached Ernakulam and as the car drew nearer to the gates, excitement mounted up. We met people, our classmates and batchmates, the juniors (who for some strange reason remembered us) and the faculty as well. We spent time walking around, catching up on gossip, exchanging stories and the time just flew by. Very soon it was late in the evening and we set off for the class dinner that we had planned...

The dinner was an unexpected sort of event. Four of us girls with about ten of the guys. It was quite late when we reached back but the time spent at the restaurant seemed to fly by as people cracked jokes and pulled each others legs. It just seemed like another day out from college.

In fact, we had made plans for Sunday as well. Lunch at Kayees, followed by some time at Kashi and then some north indian treats...Some time spent roaming about in Fort Kochi and then some time at Hanish's place. It was an amazing day and had to end early as we needed to head back home and work.

The day ended soon and with a heavy heart we left...We left with the heart filled with memories, sweet times and a longing to stay back for a bit more...as we headed back...back to the newly joined corporate life...

Thoughts....

I sit here wondering what to write. Thought flow into my mind..Many instances even..But what do I pen down?? As I sit wondering, I think of the things that I could say, that I would say...And resolutely I sit with the impressions in my mind...to put them down in words..to give substance and form to thought....

I begin...I falter...the words don't come, the sentences don't flow...May be now is not the time...May be a writer's bloc, I know not.... 

So I set them aside...these thoughts...set aside for a later day...a later time....

The Kitten Saga...

In one of my previous posts I had mentioned that Cute and Smart (our kittens) were missing. Well to continue where I left off last time Cute and Smart never came back. And the mother cat came everyday for its daily sustenance.

We suspected that the mother cat was carrying once again and I found myself praying fervently that she bring her kittens to us. The onam holidays came with a bang and we left home for the well awaited week away from home. We were away for almost 10 days and where in for a surprise when we reached.

The mother cat seemed to have realized that we were back. It came for its food and we noticed that she looked slimmer than the past few weeks. She seemed to have delivered her kittens. We searched high and low expectantly but sadly found no signs of the kittens.

Two days later we heard a sound. On investigating, we found that the mother cat was in the process of bringing the kittens home. Amma and I watched cautiously letting her take her time to bring them. After a suitable time had passed we went and checked and discovered only one. I was shocked and had never thought there would only be one. It seemed very unfair. After a long time we heard another sound. We ran up worried only to encounter the cat bringing another kitten. As we glanced cautiously trying not to disturb her we saw a wonderful sight. There were three...One was a tuxedo cat black all with its patch of white, and the other two were calico cats with patches of orange and grey and white.

And the mother cat...she is definitely one confused cat...let me tell you...

First she brought the kittens into the outer room. They were so tiny and looked so fragile. They were barely the length of my palm and so scrawny. They hadn't even opened their eyes. They were just a few days old and looked very vulnerable.

But two days later....The cat, God alone knows what got into her!, took them elsewhere...

She then returned with the kittens a week ago but refused to go into the outer room. She had been staying under the stairs that were there on the terrace. When it began raining a few days after than she shifted behind some metal sheets kept on the terrace.

We tried to get her to shift inside but the stubborn thing just didn't allow. Yesterday morning there was very heavy rain and when we checked the kittens were lying on the wet floor. We shifted them back to the old room where they are content for now.

The three kittens...They are so different now. Just two weeks old and they already seem aggressive. Cute and Smart were very docile compared to these three and they seemed much quieter. These three can surely kick up a ruckus fast. They hiss and snort and mewl when they see us. And they are just two weeks old and the cutest kittens ever...

And then were three...

The grass is greener...on the other side???

It's always said and believed by most people that 'the grass is greener on the other side'. Having experienced this phenomenon and having others also express something akin to this, I am not surprised that the maxim s quite well known not only in English but also in Malayalam.

So why is it that I am going into something that is very cliched???

Today for some strange reason I find myself thinking about decisions taken...Were they right or wrong....Was the grass greener then or now?  My mind really doesn't want to compare and contrast...but...

My thoughts are on why things happen the way they happen...Why do we need to go through some lessons in life...Why can it not have been perfect the first time itself..or why could not this be the first time? Having always believed that in rebirth and re-incarnation, I believe life is for some lessons to be learnt, and for us to have the necessary interactions with a few souls. The concept of Karma and a person beings dealt out with what he or she deserves is also something I believe. But this belief of mine does not remove the responsibility of an individual to shape his or her life. My belief is that there are choices that we are given and our life and destiny would depend on the choices we make. 

So where am I gong with all this...Actually no where...As  think over my concept of life and the decisions taken...I realize...I don't regret the choices I have made and the way life has shaped up....The decisions taken and the experiences had... Realizing mistakes made and deliberating on new decisions...No...I don't regret it at all....Beacause I believe each wrong decision has helped shape me to be the person I am today...

But underneath all that...As normal human tendency goes...when I see another make the right decision the first time itself...my heart makes a leap...and wonders... if only I had made the right decision the first time itself...

 I guess no matter what you say or think...sometimes the grass is always greener on the other side... 

On your mark...Get Set...Gooooo...

I had received a mail from Anita. It was about a trip that was being organized from office. It was a trip to Veegaland aka Wonderla.

I wasn't really sure of what to do..Should I accept or not? Would Anita or Lekha or any of the few people  know be a part of the trip? I decided to sit on the invitation for a few days. Two days later I decided that I would give my name for the trip. No sooner had I sent it that I received a mail from the organizers thanking me for being a part of it especially since I was from the HR.

I had never thought about it but as days passed I got pulled into the organizing committee as well. As the 'D- Day' approached there were plans to make and things to carry out. The company decided to make it an official trip and bore the brunt of our travel charges. But as the days came closer I realized that I knew very few for the trip. There were around 60 who were to come. I knew none to well, save Vishak, who was with me in the HR Department. 3 months into the job I had interacted with many but only in a official capacity and was only getting into the mode of easy camaraderie with a few of them.

Anxiety loomed large in my head. Did I really need to go? I had wanted to go so that I would meet new people. But as the time drew nearer, rushing off with people I barely had time to know did not seem like a sensible idea at all.

After some thought on the matter,  I decided to put it out of my head. I had decided to go and I was going to do it. No backing of like a coward. So I was all set, the only thing putting me off was the fact of getting up in the morning which I knew would disappear as the day arrived.

The D day had arrived....

We left quite early in the morning and our bus had most of the people who had joined in the last one year. Kiran and Arun, from the organizing committee, were also with us for sometime in our bus. Kiran introduced us to Arun and the others. I barely began interacting much with them when we reached. Being in such a crowd where everybody knew everybody else other than you was a bit overwhelming.

We reached Wonderla and I met the others who were in the other bus. Here things were a little better, as I knew at least the names of a few people and had spoken with quite a few of them earlier. But as the day progressed, I got really comfortable with all of them. I met a lot of new people, spoke as though we had been interactive for ages and had a lot of fun. We went on all the dry rides and went on the water ones as well. We splashed water on each others, coaxed people to join us on the rides they found scary and hung around till they closed Wonderla at 7.30 in the night.

The return journey was also good. I expected people to snooze off, as the day had started early and was ending late. But not everyone dozed. There were people sitting a chatting. I was surprised to find myself in one of these groups chatting along with them though I had met then only that morning

So all in all. Had a really wonderful trip...Had loads of fun...Met loads of people...and really glad I plunged and was a part of the trip. Happy to be a SunTecian...and glad that it is helping me be more outgoing and people-centered than I considered myself to be....

Eve Dallas and Kate Beckett

For all those Castle fans and avid readers....

My mom had many people recommend Eve Dallas to her. She read quite a few books in this series when she recommended the same to me. She had been telling me to try out this series by J.D. Robbs. I, on the other hand, have been gong from one book to the other, not looking at Eve Dallas for the simple reason that it wasn't in my Kindle.

A few weeks ago, I decided to clean up my Kindle and re-stock the books in it afresh. I deleted all the book and while I was adding, I also added the 20-30 books that we had on Eve Dallas.

And I began reading...

To say that the books are un-put-downable would be accurate. These books were murder mysteries and I expected run-in-the-mill stories. But I found that the stories were really well written, gripping and absolutely involving. All the mystery and adrenaline with a hint of romance as well...As one read, one became so drawn and involved  into the plot and the characters that it was difficult to put the book down without finishing it.

As I read the first few chapters of the first book, I realized that the character, Eve Dallas, seemed very familiar. As the read more I was convinced that Eve Dallas and Kate Beckett were one and the same or could be called doppelgangers who were existent at different periods of time.

Being a avid fan of the Castle, it was a pleasure to read about a character so similar. Castle could be considered set in the 21st century whereas Eve Dallas is set in the future. Kate seems more feminine and has a dad who could be considered as family. Kate's family circumstances has compelled her to be the cop she is. Eve on the other hand is more intense and aggressive and comes out as a more forceful character. She has no family to speak of and is a self-made cop. She is someone who underwent trauma at a very young age and is an orphan. But both the characters are amazing at what they do...

A depiction of what Eve and Roarke would look like....

The counterpart for Castle is Roarke. In the series, Kate and Castle work as a team. Though Castle is besotted with Kate and vice versa (the indications are there), their relationship hasn't yet moved into the next phase. In the book, Eve Dallas meets Roarke in the first book itself where he is a suspect. But as one book ends and the other begins, there is a huge change in the relationship between Eve and Roarke. Here, they both are in love and get married, though Eve is still uneasy about being so much under the spell of an other.

Kate and Castle

Being somebody who has seen the series and read the books, the similarity of the characters hits you strong. I don't know if Eve Dallas was inspired by Kate Beckett or vice-versa...

But for those who in love with Castle or Eve Dallas, do try out the other as well...You are in store for a Treat....

My missing kittens

For those readers who had read my earlier blog post on "Being Adopted"  the mention of Cute and Smart and the One Eyed Beauty aka the mother cat would make sense. For those who haven't read it earlier...the One Eyed Beauty or the mother cat came to our house almost 4 months ago with two kittens whom we named Smart and Cute.

Cute and Smart and the mother cat kept our hands full. Playing with the kittens and feeding them once in a while and watching their activities kept us fully occupied. During this time our family had another feline visit. This time it was a cat that looked like the smaller version of the mother cat.

We named it Yowlie. Yowlie kept trying to ingratiate itself at home. It had a terrible habit of constantly mewling and howling the entire time. And that is how it got its name. Yowlie also had another terrible habit. If you would pet it, it would try to nuzzle you and then give you a nip. Though it did not mean to hurt, Yowlie could never understand the difference between giving a playful nip and a painful one. On most days it seemed as though it only wanted to enter the house and walk around. But entry into the house was barred for all excepting the kittens. 

The first few days after Yowlie arrived, the mother cat watched warily. Once the kittens began frequenting downstairs, she turned more aggressive. Woe betide Yowlie if we happened to dish out food when all four where present. The mother cat would fly off the tangent and hiss and strike at Yowlie. Yowle would cower and try to hide as unobtrusively as possible. 

As I look back, most of our time seemed to have been spent separating the mother and the kittens from Yowlie. Some days we had to rush forward to stop the mother cat from murdering Yowlie. The mother cat had become territorial and did not like to see Yolwie around especially if it was food time or if the kittens were around. 

One fine day, the mother went gallivanting with a few tomcats. The kittens not very used to the mother being away kept coming frequently inside our home. The kittens realized that the mother was paying only scant attention to them. When a few days had gone by the kittens began spending time with Yowlie. Yowlie, the enemy, had turned their friend and playmate. When the mother returned, Yowlie retreated to the background. But now the scenario had changed. Cute went places with the mother whereas Smart roamed around with Yowlie...

But all good things come to an end....

There was torrential rain almost a week ago after which the incessant yowling by Yowlie gradually ceased. Yowle became quieter as the days went by. It seemed to sit quietly just watching and gazing everything. We wondered...

A few nights ago we discovered that Yowlie had passed on. We never knew what had hit it. The next morning we saw that Smart was very sick. It sounded very feeble and did not seem its usual self.  Filled with apprehension, we took Smart to the vet. Smart seemed to have been suffering from some sort of viral infection that was infecting many animals. We administered around five injections over the course of two days and hoped that Smart would get better. Despite the vets assurance that Smart was improving we felt that ts health was deteriorating.

Smart refused to eat or drink. Its voice had become very feeble. It could barely take a few steps without stopping for rest. It seemed to breathe with difficulty. The madcap kitten that we all had known had disappeared and in ts place had come a scrawny and ill kitten. We all kept an eye on Smart hoping that it would get better and also praying that Cute would not fall ill. 

Cute and the mother cat kept vigil near Smart. They did not go too far from Smart neither did they go too near. That evening, in a burst of energy, Smart climbed on the wall and went next door. The next day we waited for Smart and Cute to come for their food. We waited and waited....and then after a long time had passed, Cute came in for food. 

It's been more than a week now that we have not seen any sign of Smart.

To add icing to the cake, Cute too went missing. Four nights ago it came for food after which we haven't seen even a glimpse of it. 

With Smart and Cute missing, things seem very different. The past one week has been torturous as we look high and low for any signs of our kittens. We seem to keep an eye open where ever we go. A glimpse of black and hope rises up only to be dashed. It is not just us searching for the kittens. The mother cat too seems to be frantically looking for them. 

We have almost given up hope on Smart being alive but somewhere the heart still hopes that when we turn around we would see both Cute and Smart scampering up the stairs. I do wish our missing kittens would come back home.

My Kitten from the good old days!

Revamping the Kindle Cover

I set out to stitch a Kindle cover for my brother. The objective being to make a cover for him and also to put down the pattern in writing. I asked Rohit to choose three colors since I was planning on replicating the earlier pattern. He went on to choose three colors - Yellow, Blue and Green.

I wasn't too sure on how the colors would play out with each other. I started off with the yellow, stitching the inner lining.

Inner Lining - In Yellow

Once this was done I was in a dilemma. I wanted to use the colors differently from last time. The last time, I alternated between two shades of green and it looked like stripes.

My earlier project page - Ravelry
My blog-post on the project - Blog description

This time I wanted to do gingham checks but the thought of cutting and joining the different shades was giving the shudders. I told my mom my plan of making gingham checks and the amount of cutting and joining that would be required.

That is when she told me about an invite she received from a group in Ravelry. It was a Crochet-Along potholder and she suggested I too join her. This pattern was of Gingham checks but without any repeated cutting and joining. This pattern really intrigued me and I wanted to get started.

I decided to make this in the size of the Kindle's outer cover. So I used the original potholder pattern for a part of the outer cover. It was an exhilarating experience with me learning something new. I loved how the colors played out with each other and the entire effect of the checks. For the rest of the outer cover, I used a basic stitch.

The new pattern - Trying it out for the kindle cover

The basic pattern in 3 colors 

The complete outer section with the flap

Once the outer portion was done, I attached this to the inner yellow piece and also stitched the flap. The next step was to do stitch the inner blue piece and then attach it.

With the inner portion to hold the Kindle in place

And...VOILA...the new kindle cover was done.

The completed cover - Close the flap and carry conveniently

And so my Kindle cover was complete.  The pattern and the colors have really worked out well. And all I can say is that I am thrilled!!!

A spurt of Nostalgia

It was the morning time....On my way to office....Sitting in the car and watching the road....Listening to the music that was being played...

The song changed...I heard a familiar melody....It was a Malayalam song...I caught myself humming the lyrics and tapping my feet.....

"Kuttanaadan kaayalle kettu vallam thuzhayumbol...."

I smiled to myself and closed my eyes....Those moments in the bus...This song and the frenzy accompanying it during the dance...Some sitting and swaying and others dancing in the cramped bus...not once or twice but many times to the same song...

As the song died down, my thoughts turned to my memories....the different trips to went to.... the fun times...the gossips...the mischief...and what not....

The trips...the classes...the videos..the photos...the birthday celebrations...the DJ's....the farewell's....all times spent together...

Three months later...and I look back at the last two years....memories come flooding and all I can say is  "Those were the best days of my life..."

Facebook in Denial...

A few weeks ago there was an article in the newspaper about addiction to Facebook. The article gave a list of symptoms which proved that one was indeed addicted to this social network. As I read through this, I wondered if I was an Facebook addict. As  I read through the symptoms list, I scoffed.  I did not have any of these symptoms and I was perfectly normal, thank you very much for asking.

Last week, I had a really long day where things seemed to be piling up on each other. It was as though I had no control over what was happening and I was getting more and more frustrated by the minute. In a silly fit of sullen, I deleted my Facebook profile and with a sniff I headed towards my bed. 

The first day after this incident, I had things to keep me busy as I reached back from work. The second day,  was tempted to check FB at least through my mom's profile. By yesterday,  suddenly realized that I wasn't getting to know what was happening to my friends'.  I was missing their statuses and comments. But I ignored the voice in my head and carried on resolutely. Instead I tried to find out what was happening by asking people over phone or even through Gmail and Gtalk. 

I had been wanting to blog for a few days and I sat down today for the same. As I finished my previous post,  suddenly realized that I couldn't post it on FB as I usually do. In a jiffy, I went and re-actvated my account and posted my blog.

With four days of respite from Facebook, I have understood that I am not addicted to it but being in the loop and being connected to others through this is important to me. It is nice to chat with friends and be connected with all of them. And also it's good being able to post there links and my blog whenever I want to. So next time I deactivate my account, it is definitely going to take more than a fit of sullen for me to do so.

Being Adopted...

I was just a few days into the corporate life. Right out of college and not yet settled in to the corporate life style, the first few days were a blur. Added to it was another confusion, another situation. Mom had gone to Bangalore for a few days and had just returned and grand-mom had come to stay.

All my things were scattered everywhere. I was back to home base after two years at the hostel. I needed to get my things in place and soon. Between finding my own cupboard space, creating the same for my gran-mom, cleaning up the havoc that was created when mom wasn't here and everybody's office, none of us were prepared when gran-mom fell ill and had to be hospitalized.  With gran-mom in hospital, mom almost full time with her, dad shuttling between office, hospital and work and also relatives visiting, time raced by.

It was during one of these crazy days...

It was early morning and my head was still addled with sleep. I was just straightening out everything in the front room when  heard a purr. I turned around to see a cat. It was white with patches of black on it and it didn't have an eye. I chased it out and within no time it came in again. I chased it out again, this time ensuring that I closed all the windows through which it could enter. The cat was very strong willed, it was on the look out for any opening through which it could come in. The day passed by and so did the next, we had not let the cat in at all. The feline was very agitated and tried to get in all through. And so we began hunting all the cupboards and places where it probably could have had kittens. After going through everywhere and not discovering anything we decided to let the matter rest.

It was a bit late in the night when my brother called out to me. He had been sitting and reading a book while he let his leg rest on the albums kept in a small shelf near to the bed. Suddenly he heard a mewl. Dad and Rohit investigated and found to kittens around a week old hiding behind the photo albums. At least things fell into place, the mother cat had probably shifted the kittens here when we discovered her and threw her out. The two poor babies had been without their mother for almost two days now.

We quickly ran and got a small box filled with milk and let the kittens out where the mother could reach them. We watched from the window the ensure that the mother came and picked them up and left. The next day morning we were a little upset as we had two kittens the night before and now we had none.

Miss Smart

Though we really love animals and would love to have pets, it is not really an option.  With loads of visitors and us going somewhere or the other and even transfers, it would not be fair on the pet. So we knew that we couldn't keep them as pets. But we never imagined...the cat returned with her kittens..and took place in our balcony upstairs...Slowly they even entered our house....

Miss Cute

Days have grown into weeks and weeks into months...It's the third month now since they have come n our lives...They are not our pets but we are theirs. They have adopted us. From sleeping upstairs to running about in the house and scolding us for not giving it food, the kittens and the cat have become a part of our lives.

Miss Cute once again

Now our day starts in the morning by carrying the kittens downstairs. They absolutely maneuver the situation everyday so that we end up carrying them everyday instead of them climbing down by themselves. They walk in and around the house as though they have marked their territory. They chase the other cats that try to come in. They run about in the garden and jump and play with each other and us. Giving them food and letting them lie in the kitchen balcony and run about in the house till after dinner and spending hours just staring at the two of them play and fight have become the favorite pastime.

We haven't adopted anyone, rather they have adopted us and it's the best thing that has happened in a really really long time.

Our adopted family..The One-Eyed Beauty and Smart and Cute

The day...

The day dawns bright and clear - with smiles and sparkles and happiness and cheer.
Work to do and things to finish - the smile sets forth to complete these with a relish

Targets to reach and miles to go, the day flies by with a smile on show
The day goes by and the smile wonders why?
Why are the challenges just piling by
The smile disappears and the sparkle dims, desperation and tiredness creeps from within.

Hope comes out and cheers ahead, the smile which faltered shows her head.
Time stretches as the smile and sorrow fight, who is the winner and whose is the worst plight
Smile and sorrow both side by side, as they fight for their time in the night

The evening draws to a close and the night looms ahead, but it seems as though the smile has gone abed.
Where is the smile, the sparkle beheld? No one knows where it has fled.

As night draws near, the sparkle is dead. The one sought for is gone abed.
With the smile and the sparkle out of the way, comes desperation and tears charging ahead.

Things that seemed bright and sunny seem drab and dreary.
The challenges that cowered in front of the smile, now rain upon with a vengeance that has no guile.
Tears filled eyes and a sorrowful face, beckons all those horrid dreams to face.

As things seem to take a turn for worse, as they say - the eyes get closed to await the next day.
The night goes by and dawn draws clear - again with the smile in front and the sparkle in the rear.

The small ambition...

I came across a folder on the PC that said Pulitzer prize books. I opened this and saw that there were 50 books all in all. When  I went through the list, I came across barely 10 books that I had read and some of them being ones that I really appreciated.

With such a ready made folder at my disposal. I have set myself a challenge to read all the books that have won the Pulitzer in the fiction category. Having googled this, I realize that my list has grown to 85 books over the last so many years from 1918 to 2012. 

So here I am putting this list down here, hoping that I finish each and every one of these books before the year is out. 

• 1918: His Family by Ernest Poole
• 1919: The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington

• 1921: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
• 1922: Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington
• 1923: One of Ours by Willa Cather
• 1924: The Able McLaughlins by Margaret Wilson
• 1925: So Big by Edna Ferber
• 1926: Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis (declined prize)
• 1927: Early Autumn by Louis Bromfield
• 1928: The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
• 1929: Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin

• 1930: Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge
• 1931: Years of Grace by Margaret Ayer Barnes
• 1932: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
• 1933: The Store by Thomas Sigismund Stribling
• 1934: Lamb in His Bosom by Caroline Miller
• 1935: Now in November by Josephine Winslow Johnson
• 1936: Honey in the Horn by Harold L. Davis
• 1937: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
• 1938: The Late George Apley by John Phillips Marquand
• 1939: The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

• 1940: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• 1941: no award given ^[2]
• 1942: In This Our Life by Ellen Glasgow
• 1943: Dragon's Teeth by Upton Sinclair
• 1944: Journey in the Dark by Martin Flavin
• 1945: A Bell for Adano by John Hersey
• 1946: no award given
• 1947: All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
• 1948: Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener
• 1949: Guard of Honor by James Gould Cozzens

• 1950: The Way West by A. B. Guthrie, Jr.
• 1951: The Town by Conrad Richter
• 1952: The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
• 1953: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
• 1954: No award given
• 1955: A Fable by William Faulkner
• 1956: Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor
• 1958: A Death in the Family by James Agee (posthumous win)
• 1959: The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters by Robert Lewis Taylor

• 1960: Advise and Consent by Allen Drury
• 1961: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• 1962: The Edge of Sadness by Edwin O'Connor
• 1963: The Reivers by William Faulkner
• 1965: The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau
• 1966: The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter by Katherine Anne Porter
• 1967: The Fixer by Bernard Malamud
• 1968: The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron
• 1969: House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday

• 1970: Stories of Jean Stafford by Jean Stafford
• 1972: Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
• 1973: The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
• 1975: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
• 1976: Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow
• 1978: Elbow Room by James Alan McPherson
• 1979: The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever

• 1980: The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer
• 1981: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (posthumous win)
• 1982: Rabbit Is Rich by John Updike
• 1983: The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• 1984: Ironweed by William Kennedy
• 1985: Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie
• 1986: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
• 1987: A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor
• 1988: Beloved by Toni Morrison
• 1989: Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
• 1990: The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar HijuelosBilly Bathgate by E. L. Doctorow

• 1991: Rabbit at Rest by John Updike
• 1992: A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
• 1993: A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler
• 1994: The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx
• 1995: The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
• 1996: Independence Day by Richard Ford
• 1997: Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser
• 1998: American Pastoral by Philip Roth
• 1999: The Hours by Michael Cunningham

• 2000: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
• 2001: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
• 2002: Empire Falls by Richard Russo
• 2003: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
• 2004: The Known World by Edward P. Jones
• 2005: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
• 2006: March by Geraldine Brooks
• 2007: The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• 2008: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
• 2009: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

• 2010: Tinkers by Paul Harding
• 2011: A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

So I guess..I have 7 months and quite a few books to go. Mind you, my target is not to finish reading all these books. But to read a substantial portion of them and be able to understand why these books were commended and selected for such a great honor as the Pulitzer.