h-o-r-m-o-n-e-s.

Anguish,despair,fear,anxiety,pessimism,anger,regret,depression,horror,
hatred,tension,excitement,nervousness,stress,depression,mood-swings,
terror,guilt,acceptance,grief,self-esteem,attitude,courage,reckless,wild,
enigmatic,timid,shy,desperate,fury,revenge, dominance,humility,faith,
belief,butterflies in the stomach,thrills,joy andLove...one factor responsible
for all that the human mind endures,the humanheart experiences, the
human brain encounters,the humans live with - Hormones. God is the greatest biotechnologist...!

With that flashy start , just like the bottom (boot) to suit(top) hero entry in the "worship" movies,I begin this post with what I had been bantering about for so long -Hormones^3 ! Hormones are the products manufactured by the MC(N)C-multi "Cell"corporation - the endocrine glands of the Human Body. "The happier people can be,the unhappier they are" (A line flicked from a book I started reading yesterday "Veronica Decides to Die")...Wonder why???You will know at the end of this post. I'm sure that everyone would have atleast come across the word in their 8th std biology textbooks. Some would have heard about them from the media - " love+hormones+duets",the magical word portrayed in songs too many...! Hormones are chemical messengers of the body,which carry signals from one cell to another via the bloodstream. A minute change in its amount can cause a drastic change in the cell and hence affect the entire body. Hormones decide your destiny. They are responsible for who you are, what you are. Every in-built quality can be attributed to the hormones. They are what makes a person - good or bad, beautiful or ugly, sensitive or wild,pessimist or optimist. Hormones are the messengers of God...! There are two types of hormones known as steroids and peptides. In general, steroids are sex hormones related to sexual maturation and fertility. Cortisol, an example of a steroid hormone, breaks down damaged tissue so it can be replaced. Steroids determine physical development from puberty on to old age, as well as fertility cycles.

Peptides regulate other functions such as sleep and sugar concentration. Growth hormone, for example, helps us burn fat and build up muscles. Another peptide hormone, insulin, starts the process to convert sugar into cellular energy.

As I was browsing for information about hormones, I came across an article written by Dr.David Rowland, for the journal Natural choice. He says, " If we would like our hormones to flow in harmony, we need to experience and express the fullness of all of our emotions. We cannot give our bodies full life if we deny full life to our feelings. They are two interrelated aspects of the same being". Guess the "listen to your heart" phenomenon makes sense after all!! " Adrenaline keeps me in the game Adrenaline you don't even feel the pain Wilder than your wildest dreams When you're going to extremes It takes adrenaline " Lyrics from the Song "Adrenaline" -Bush.

Adrenaline is a hormone which prepares the body for the extra effort needed, in case you are being chased by a "Predator". Rate of increase in heart beat, mild shivering,breaking sweat,goosepimples and sometimes even wetting oneself is mainly due to the production of adrenaline.All of this, to help a person survive a dangerous situation.

Scientific Theft : A study reveals that giving people a whiff of a key chemical can make them more inclined to trust strangers with their cash.Just three puffs of a nasal spray containing a hormone called oxytocin increased the chance that people would part with their money.Researchers believe that the hormone reduces people’s aversion to betrayal, overcoming an unwillingness to initiate interaction with strangers.

Hormones-Soul Link: If the 'soul' is responsible for who we are, then why are behaviors so strongly influenced by basic chemical interactions? One example is the hormone testosterone. Take a deep breath before reading the next line. The scientists have concluded that among humans, males with high levels of testosterone are less likely to marry, more likely to engage in extramarital affairs, and divorce more often (they are also more violent, being more likely to assault their spouse). Shocking but true!
If you guys are still reading this, here is the usual pile of interesting facts about hormones...

1. The gland responsible for producing the hormone that regulates hormones is called the pituitary gland which is of the size of a pea.

2.The hormone replacement drug "Premarin" is made from the urine of pregnant horses.

3.The colour blue has a calming effect. It causes the brain to release calming hormones.(blue is the color of my heart?)

4.In females, estrogen creates increased neural connections mainly affecting the left brain so that hearing and speech capabilities develop better than they do in males.Men might see how things are going better than women can, but women listen and hear better.(hear hear!)

5.A hormone called ghrelin makes it more difficult to stay at a healthy weight once you reach it. Ghrelin is a potent appetite booster and dieting seems to spur it into action.(there goes my new year resolution! ;-))

6.Cooking your food in plastic containers in the microwave can lower your testosterone.(beware)

7.Experts agree that chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins, natural hormones that generate feelings of pleasure and wellbeing.(yum)

8.Pursuit of happ"Y"ness : The smell of popcorn gives you more energy to boost the "happy" hormones -Serotonin. (No wonder)!

9.Mating kills frogs and toads : Every year the hormones of the frogs and toads lead them to the so called pairing ponds". The male frogs and toads crowd in groups on one female and eventually get killed by a horde of their own friends in the "rush hour"!(You bet!)

10.Laughter is the best medicine : Stress hormones can constrict blood vessels and suppress immune activity.
Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.
so..open your mouth "HA HA HA!" :) :)

Want more ? Here's an interesting link about Hormones and Emotions :

http://www.naturalchoicejournal.com/Articles/dec02articles/healthnaturallydec02.htm

A Strike that never was!

It was the 21st of December. Just another day in the book of Life, except that it was my Dad's birthday. But with Dad in Bangalore, even that option went to the bottom of the list of things to cheer me up. Madras had transformed itself into a cousin of Cherrapunji for the past 3 days. The city was just recovering from the gloom left by the gash of rains, mentally. But by appearance, it looked all that Madras has ever looked like - "hot!hot!hot!'n' beautiful!" . So forgoing the need to carry an umbrella on my already ready-to-burst backpack, I left it lying on the table (A sheepish act to make Mom think that I really forgot in the last minute ;-) ) . I thought there was nothing to stop me from being "dry and clean", now that it had stopped raining. I left for college happily, listening to songs using the left ear, my right ear(phone) shared by an accomplice "Domi". We reached college just in time to discover the unthinkable. The place was flooded! Backwaters of Kerala, Venice and everything else came into my head along with the adjectives "Blech!yuck!gwarp! " Lifting my pajama bottom to a "permissible" level, lending a hand(this time) to Domi, I waddled through till the block where they served the (add all the above three adjectives) breakfast! That's when the transformation of a couple of College girls of some X dept into the flattering eye lashed heroines of the "black and white" age, with hands uptured, covering the shriek let out from the uncovered regions of the mouth, the eyes going up, literally falling out of the sockets ,with a cry in between which sounded like "Snake! eeeeeee!Snake!!" to us,took place. We immediately looked at the water, grinning from ear to ear, atlast the rumours had come true! There it was, a black serpent which had been dwarfed or maybe it was a pathetically small snake, with an inborn growth deficiency syndrome. Whatever it was, it was enough to make our day, to give us what we needed to retort - GUTS! The entire dept(excluding guys and 5 girls) stayed back in the block, protesting against the management, the administration, the Director, the year incharges, the block in charges, the HOD's,the cleaners, the workmen, the mess hall workers and everyone excluding us, in and around campus. It all lasted for about 30 minutes on the whole. The point was to protest against the unsanitary conditions prevailing on campus. Rain water is supposed to be "the purest" form of water-true, but not after it reaches the grounds! Rain water, mixed with the septic tank water, and everything stagnant on the same levels is a grotesque picture by itself. And having to literally waddle through it, at least thrice a day , legs being the only mode of transport possible, made the already grotesque picture look even more ugly! We complained, asked for a bus to take us to our own classroom block. Not that we were scared of the serpent in the depths of the stale water. It was more an excuse to find reason to make them repent.We acted like hurt lovers, trying to make the X feel guilty despite nil charges. HOD set out to call the Director. Ours is a college that follows the hierarchy to point perfection. Director->Director->Director->Block Incharges->Year Incharges->HOD's. And it ends there. HOD's given the last position as an act of sympathy. The teachers and "WE" , the students had no say!! The HOD came out and told us that the Director was happily out-of-station! He asked us to go to class, with a warning that we might lose the attendance. The entire point of coming to college despite a lot of things that drive you crazy at times, is the A word mentioned above. So attendance was what made us catch the bus on time, withstand the razor sharp "mokkais" from the lecturers too many, who were as irritated to come to college as us, and made it a point that their sacrifice doesnt go a waste.They take classes from 8 in the morning till 3.15, making us wonder if they have ever been so devoted in the past, during normal working days. Why is there always a clash between the moods and mindset when it comes to a Teacher-Student atmosphere. When we want to listen, they want us to sleep and vice versa (sleep going out of control at times, prolonging to 2 to 3 periods at a stretch)! Back to what the HOD said "Go to class and give attendance" ! Losing the only strong support we had (as per the hierarchy- the least important support), we set off to class. It was the same struggled wobbling against the dirty drains, the holding of hands, and to my surpise, not even an entire hour had passed, meaning, it wasn't even close to "bunking!" . We still had some 15 minutes left for the first hour to get over and for the fire alarm, accompanied by an incomprehensible verse in tanglish(tamil followed by english) reminding us that it was Christmas season after all ! We tried to prolong the walk as much as possible, bringing the 15 minutes to 10 minutes. Still, we were'nt spared by the snickering looks from the guys in class, swoooshing because our excuse for being late was "snakes!" . But it was all fun, in the end. The very fact that, we had the guts to go against the system (though we din't get to Beat the system) was enough for us. College wasn't heaven - well known. Director isn't God - Understood. It was a Bajaj Avenger Dtsi feeling .... "We forgave them all.We felt like God , indeed!!! " .



solid prooof::::: http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp-fDaS1u3I ENJOY!

Jeregandy^2 !!!!

It was one of those once-in-a-blue moon -expeditions to The Seven Hills - the abode of Lord Venkateshwara(a.k.a "Venky" ),Tirupathi. We reached the Ashrama close to half past ten in the night. With quivering lips and typewriting teeth, we went in search of a good restaurant. But as fate had it, or can I say, as "Venky" had it, we ended up in a restaurant that was close to driving away all my love for the two words in my dictionary of "food" -"Dosa" and "Sambhar".Taking pity on the fact that the restaurant was at least open at the dead of the night, still filling in with people, we forgave the slight lack of sodium chloride, and put up with the excess H2O in the sambhar, our minds silently chanting "Govinda Govinda!".The allotted time for Dharshan was 2.30 a.m., which is a time that I know exists on a clock, but never experienced for real..!So that meant, going to bed around midnight, and be up in a matter of 60 mins to get ready for the Dharshan. Making up my mind to sleep as much as possible, within the stipulated time, I closed my eyes and even before I realised, it was already 1.30 a.m. We were all ready and reached the temple on time. Since we had already taken special tickets, we reached the main Sannidhanam sooner than expected, which was as usual crowded. I could hear the priest chanting mantras in a speed faster than the speed of light (3×10⁸ m/s). I could hear the bells and everything. But I couldn't see the Lord as the curtains were closed. We patiently waited for the curtains to open, silently watching the "gold-gold-gold" everywhere, decorating the already beautiful "alayam".And suddenly, there was a shout from the audience on the men's side. I guess it was what they would call "the chorus". That's the cue that the time had come to see the Lord at last! The curtains parted, we barged into the interior to discover the beauty of what was to come. That's when my ears were greeted by those "golden " words - "jeregandy jeregandy"!! Well, the entire phenomenal wait for the opening of the curtains, and the process of getting something lesser than a decent glimpse at the Lord, made the entire journey a bit questionable.There were people who had travelled from far off places, just for those 30-40 seconds glimpse of the Lord. Every person is pushed around accompanied by the "justification limit"- Jeregandy! I don't know whether it means "quick! fast!soon!etc..etc..", but it sure meant one thing to me.. "get lost!"... The problem isn't with "Venky". Its with the people around "Venky".Commercialisation - even on divine grounds? There's one fine example. Its not just Tirupathi that suffers from the realms of commercialisation. All the major temples, make it a point to plunder as much as possible from the public, on divine grounds ,of course(Other examples- Palani,Guruvayur)!! After coming out ,near the Laddu stall, I saw a depressing board. "Laddu Cover -Rs.2 " . Even more shocking was what was written below - "In the service of the Lord Venkateshwara". I was speechless for a minute. I guess that's how it is. It will still take ages for things to change.. for the end of corruption, for the end of religious fanaticism, for the end of internal conflicts,for the end of tall promises, for the end of religious politics,for the end of the "divine abuse". I end with conveniently modified lines of Frost,its essence still fresh and alive in memory......
"We still have promises to keep,
And miles to go before we sleep
And miles to go before we sleep..!"
-Somsie+Frost.(;-)


Note :
The above is a narrative of a personal experience. What I observed, as an individual,with all senses still in place. If at all, this narrative stirs certain emotional conflicts of interests, I apologise for the same.

Theory-Thesis-Whatever!!!!

"All good looking guys want only good looking girls"
"All good looking girls want either bad or good looking guys"
"All bad looking guys ALSO want only good looking girls"

Conclusion : Bad looking girls are left alone.

ISHMILEEEE

I am a member of Orkut. I own a community called "Dark Is Beautiful". Its just a community I started , without any idea. I was in love with the word "dark" for no reason, and I was just testing how many more loved it like me... It is surprising that there are now 60 members in it, but not much activity as of now. So, to just go for a change, I decided to change the display pic. Google came to my rescue and I went in search of pictures to go with the title. What is Dark without Africa? Since the curiosity spared the cat, and killed me this time, I searched under the name "African" and Bingo!- I found this... It was love at first sight with this painting, which spoke a language more powerful than words, it was the smile that took my heart away...


Smile - Michael Jackson


Smile, though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
You'll get by...

If you smile
With your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just...

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just...

Smile, though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky
You'll get by...

If you smile
Through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile...

That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile.

This post is the 25th post of creativeexplosives.blogspot.com.Frankly speaking, I never knew I would come this far . I love writing, and I guess this blog has seen more than just writing. I have used it like a diary in a lot of posts. ;-) . And for all those who read my blog, Thank you!

I decided to post about the painting and the lyrics of the song - Smile, because many of us forget to appreciate things that we have, that others don't . Smile through your fear and sorrow, as the song says, "Smile, what's the use of crying. ?".

Post dedicated to : Ambi Maama - I will always love him and miss him..

The last two minutes....

Its been a long time since I wrote a poem. The concept of this poem, is based on a chinese movie I saw a few years back(Courtesy : Non jacky chan movies on Adhiradi Thiruvizha on Star Vijay ;-) ). The scene goes like this....
The Hero is a cop, married recently. His wife is about to give birth to their child, and in this particular scene, she's struggling for "lives" at a local hospital.Hero Cop goes undercover, to keep watch on a gang of villains. He is in their territory, with no contact with his wife. He finds a PCO and enters it, to call his wife. As he is dialling, a group of villains arrive at the scene, with guns and lips smirking, ready to shoot him down, the minute he steps out. The call is answered by his wife, his child's faint cry in the background... He listens to the cry of his kid, and he takes a glance on the death fast approaching. He has two minutes left, till the moment the bullet pierces through his chest, taking him away... Two minutes is all that he has, to tell his wife how much he loves her. To tell his child not to worry... To think of each and every wonderful memories he will carry to his grave.... This poem, is a glimpse into what runs through his head, in those last two minutes of his life.....


The Last Two minutes...


My mind is a whirlpool
Swarming with thoughts,
Meandering around, in a pool
A pool of blood and treachery.
I stand alone, holding a phone,
I hear the sound of a new -born.
I’m filled with joy and pride,
Wishing I could be by their side,
I lift my head after a short prayer,
My eyes meet those of my destined slayer.
Death looks at me with a smirk,
The guns are loaded, ready to go berserk.
I know then, that I have only two minutes,
Two minutes, to challenge death.
For I know, the minute I step out,
I was going to be knocked out.
I hang on to the receiver,
With my mind filled with fear.
I shout “I love you!” struggling to bear,
With my thoughts flooded with memories.
Reminiscences speeding away in the head,
The joy at the unity of our heart and soul in bed,
The wonderful walk down the lane,
All making me go insane…
I still haven’t discovered that one secret,
The secret behind my wife’s smile,
And I wonder for a while, if my child would have the same smile,
I close my eyes, cherishing their smile, making a promise,
A promise to see to it that they always hold that smile.
The smile that made me ache for her love,
The smile that fails to leave my head,
The smile that will accompany me
To my grave, when I’m dead.
Mustering up the courage, I step out of the booth,
I’m greeted by something, searing through my chest,
The pain reaches my head, and I find a hole abreast,
I surrender to death, closing my eyes to its wiles,
Transporting myself across miles,
Into another world that lies, just above
Beautiful earth, with no need of a hearth,
A place filled with people, showcasing miracles,
Exhibiting a well known expression on their faces,
When I glance at their faces for a while,my eyes glisten,
For they are all filled with my wife’s smile… !

-Somsie

Names I won't name my kids!

I have a list of names that I have decided NOT to name my kid(s). Just a few things I think about, whenever my mind allows me to get into a little go-lucky day dreaming,especially after witnessing some extremely nice and happy ending romantic movies.
If it's a girl... I don't want her to be called
1.Lavanya
2.Brindha
3.Ranjani
4.Sudha
5.Vidhya
6.Smirthi
7.Rekha
8.Nisha
9.Shilpa
10.Mythili
11.Mala
12.Sheela
13.Suneetha
14.All flower names.. Roja , Malli
15.Kruthika
16.Sowmya
17.Krupa
18.Sneha
19.Kavitha
20.Shakila ( :O)
(To be contd... )

If it's a boy, I would hate calling him
1.Gokul
2.Hari
3.Giri
4.Sooraj
5.Naresh
6.Rishi
7.Vikram
8.Arun
9.Sridhar
10.Srinivas
11.Bhaskar
12.Gopal
13.Mani
14.Ram
15.Naveen
16.Ajith
17.Ashwin
18.Bharat
19.Sathya
20.Karthik
(To be contd.. )

Note :
The above names are in the list, because of no specific reason.A few names are those of a few people in my life. They have no direct connection to the person. They are here purely due to my phonetic dislike of them. I just don't know why, but I don't like the sound of a few names. Most of them are very regular names. Nothing unusual... So, if I were to name my kids, I would choose something that is very different, and it definitely will not be a tongue- brain twister!! ;-)...

Out-In-Stay !

I have always wondered what people meant when they said "Falling out of love". They always say that "Falling out of love is as easy as falling in love". That is what happens in most of the break-ups when it comes to relationships. Its true...Staying in love is more harder than falling in and out of love. So what is this "L-O-V-E"...? A feeling, an emotion resulting in a commotion? God? Knowledge? Power? Faith? Goodwill?Lunacy? Pessimism?Optimism?Objectivism? and the list goes on...A thousand and one defintions, given with the spinning wheels of time... The reality is that "Love simply is...",as said by Paulo Coelho in The Witch of Portobello , a book that reached deep into the chambers of my heart, with a music I've never experienced before. A book that baffled me, till the last page, not letting me understand, what it really spoke of. And in the end, in the last line of the book, I understood. All this was about love, and the ultimate definition "Love simply is..." had me speechless for seconds! If you ask if there can be a strong display of emotions with words, that's one example I got for you! I have been taught a lot about the "misinterpreted" love. Love is Friendship, Friendship is love, and according to me, both statements are lame. The next definition, Love is Sacrifice... I seriously can't get that . How can you link sacrifice and love...Its either sacrifice for love, or Love as a sacrifice. How can you actually equate those two, interdependent emotions ?Love is God. This is partly acceptible. As legend has it, God comes in various forms and one of them is love... But this wasn't too big a definition to me. Practically speaking, Love is God is not enough to deal with relationships ruled by ego, jealousy,spite,possessiveness,obsession,pessimism,brawls,suspicion,....So where are we headed, in the disguise of the four letter word L-O-V-E..? ? "Sometimes, it feels like the world's on my shoulder, everyone's leaning on me. " Sometimes, things happen with no reason , no justification, sometimes the world may look like its broken into pieces, sometimes we may never get to say how important some people are, until its too late. Sometimes the world may look lopsided and we end up cursing every living soul. Sometimes we never realize that we have fallen until the pit is too deep to come out. Sometimes you just can't help falling in love.... Such is the power of Love. You dont know when it happens, how it happens and why it happens .But the fact is, It Happens....! No matter how much you try to run away from it.. Love has no possible explanation...Love cannot be defined. Love cannot be conquered. Love cannot be analysed... Because.. Love simply is... ... .... .... !

Paintings Part 2...

I don't know "what it eez" with me and paintings!! I get bored... I turn on my computer..open MS-PLUS..PAINT IT - For kids, and start painting, whatever comes to my hands... or the mouse! I don't decide on a theme... I just paint it..and whatever form comes out of it, I then formulate a theme..and christen it as "something"...This happens almost all the time.. there are a very few paintings where I already had something in my mind, before starting to paint.An idea, probably.. Whether it turned out to be the replica of the one in mind - is still questionable! ... here are some of them.... !!


1.Woman drowned in Flames :



Depicts(aimed at depicting) the state of women in the society(flames).I am not talking about the rural areas alone. Or rather in India alone..The way women are treated varies right from the household to the workplace.Its the self centered thought of the society, which claims that if women were an "A", once upon a time , then women still have to be "A", not even an "A" !But men have changed from "B" to "B" , "B" , "b","b" and "b" ... and even "The B like symbol for Beta" !
All men in the world will obviously find this ridiculous... But if they think one minute about their own lives, women in their lives, and if they compare their life with that of "those" women, I'm pretty sure they will realise(provided that they want to realise)!Wait a minute, I don't mean to say that women are deprived of anything.And I don't blame men either.Its just that, the society is made of both men and women, who form the basis for the existence of the women and men alike.That is exactly where the bias is. So I am not blaming any individual.. Its just that, it would be a lot more easier if people around (both sexes) understood that both Adam and Eve were a creation of the same hand, the Hands of the Creator. If the creator Himself, had given them that equality , then why not fellow humans, the product of the evolution.All that is needed, is to be treated as equals, and nothing more! As a first step,people should stop refering to women as the "weaker" sex, because strength is not defined by any physical outlook. Its again phenomenal to say that, everything rounds up and ends in one thing "Individual". I think, if people are treated as "fellow individuals", a few problems knocking at our doors, will finally fade away.

2.A Girl hanging on to passing clouds:

I was inspired by a lot of songs (yea,right! all those mushy numbers,and a few down to earth songs too and a selected few books, before this thought came to my head. Passing clouds phenomenon is when someone tries to accept the reality, thinking that it's just another ordinary thing to happen, like "passing clouds".There's always another set of clouds behind.But I strongly felt against this "let-go" phenomenon. How about going against reality, and really!, How about hanging on to "passing clouds", as though she was hanging on to dear life? Presto, I drew this....!

3.Somsie's DavyJones (Octopus head villain)from the Pirates of the Caribbean :

This work is something which lives up to the line stated above, "Whether it turned out to be the replica of the one in mind, is still questionable "....

I guess you would have all saved the last laugh for this moment.Well, this painting was done as soon as I saw Pirates of the Caribbean, all the parts in one go (DVD). I was very impressed by the octopus-headed villain (ofcourse Jack Sparrow is always on top of the list!). I then thought of painting the octopus head guy, but the way it has turned out, you might as well name it something close to a "pirated Jester(Gesture!)!" :O

I don't actually fancy myself as an artist,though I am ok at pencil sketching and any kind of normal sketching.This software painting is something more like an ink-blot test for me. I love exploring varieties and opening up my mind.I believe a great deal in subconscious and a splash of colours can actually open up the mind more than a cup of coffee..and can brighten the painting, and more than anything, can brighten lives, in its own way.... !

Take it all in one go......

Why is it that people always say " Take it as it comes?" ... Why is it that everyone blames the destiny for their mistakes...? Why do people call it fate, when they are not able to agree that they are losers? Why do people always worry about the people they are least interested in ?Why do people have their heart in one place and mind in another? Why do people blame the society,of which they are an active part of? Why are people accused of overreacting, when all they try to bring out is the truth? Why are people given choices and blamedlater for the choices made? Why do people doubt faith when it comes to a match with reality? My mind is a bundle of contradictions. My mind is more muddle than a puddle.The greatest achievement in life is surviving it..and surviving it without regrets.. I hope noone already said that, because I typed it in a flow! Well... Coming to those questions, Let me first say that, this post will not be one of my greatest works. Because believe me - I'm typing things as they come to my head, and more than anything else, I am in a bad mood, and taking the liberty of posting something, just for the heck of it,without any worry or mishaps about what I am typing at present.So if you are looking for something philosophical -STop here! In this post I can assure you the following :
1. Lack of content of any kind.
2.The longest, dumbest,most insensitive,most childish post ever.
3.An aimless rigmarole, with not an element of humour, Yea - not even by chance!
4. cynical to the core in the mask of bravery.
5.aBsOlUtElY...BrEaKiNg tHe ruLe oF pUnCtuAtiOnS..wITH aLL dUe ReSpEct tO tHe LaNgUaGe..!@#!@#@#$ (eMpHaSiSiNg ThE PoInT mAdE wItH rAnDomSyMbOlsAndLaCkOfspAcebaRAcTiViTy)
6.I might try and symbolise a lot of things which might be incomprehensible even when you are not drunk and all steady!
7. will not answer the "why? series" stated above...infact it will be nowhere close to that
8.Might mislead you into unnecessary conclusions and misgivings.
9.CompArison with other posts in blog -Strictly prohibited....
10. Finally, If you have read till here, Thank you for your patience. That's just all about it... Are you looking for the blog post? ? well..what do u think i was typing so long.........................! ! ! ! ! !

Just killing time, and people's patience in one go...-tHUS THE TITLE :tAKE IT ALL in one go!!

Friendie-Nanbi-Dhosthi

As you would have seen in all my posts, in the comment section., there's this one person who keeps commenting and appreciating no matter what. She is a very good friend of mine, and her name is Divyapriya Raghavan. She used to write a lot before, but for the past two years, shes been suffering from writer's block. Like me, she too has a passion for writing, and she can write even more better than me, which you will see and conclude at the end of the post. I have always been pestering her to start blogging, and just like how I got into blogging(Courtesy : Arunesh-thanks to you!), I tried a lot for her to start.She felt the same stuff that I felt before beginning to blog. I was against it, thinking that I wouldn't do a fair job and what if I don't know what to blog about, all of a sudden? A thousand bombarding "what-ifs!" and finally with some persuasion, I succeeded and I am in love with it.Its all that I do, these days, whenever Im online.I am either adding posts or reading other interesting blogs. Its an entirely different world, to me~!I take the oppurtunity to thank all u ppl(Shara, my bro's-Vivek+Prasanna, Arunesh,Divya,Vidhya,Niru,Niranjan,Maithreya,Sharmi+Shuba+Domi+mom(silent commentators), for being there, for ur encouragement,ur support and views! So as I was telling her about this, I had this sudden brainwave.Why not ask her to post something in my blog, and start off that way. I request you guys to comment and I think it would surely make her day. It's just a small step I'm taking to help my buddy get back to writing~ ~!

Here goes, an awesome poem which is sensitive and is full of life, to which I can relate to in a lot of ways!...
I Need a Hug too
When troubles became intolerable,
I was the one you always called upon
I was your confidante, the trusted one,
Forever your shoulder to cry on...

“Thanks” you said...“Thanks for listening.
I can already feel my burden lightening”
But when I had difficulties I felt so lonely
Why weren’t you there to share my misery?

When sadness endlessly pursued me
To the deepest depths of despair,
When loneliness cast its veil upon me
I couldn’t find you anywhere…

When you were lost in the tunnel of sorrows
Didn’t I lead you to the light?
When you were giving up on life’s battles
Didn’t I take the sword and offer to fight?

I too am plagued by horrors, I wish you could see
A kind word, a hug would mean so much to me
Whenever I tried to tell you, you didn’t have the time
So I had to lie and pretend that everything was fine...

Now don’t think ill turn away, I’m not angry
I want you to realize that I’m affection hungry
Till the end of my existence, ill be there for you
But remember sometimes ……I need a hug too.

- Divya Priya Raghavan

Now, wasn't it one heck of a poem? :-) .... Pls comment guys!

A Walk along the Marina...

We were driving together after a very long time. Its been ages, since we went out anywhere as a family, all three of us together - dad , me and mom(Bro in US -excluded). It was a yearly "gollu" expedition,and very rarely the mission of "sundal-eating" and "payasam-drinking" gets accomplished. With as much pressure as possible from Mom, I would be asked to sing the only song in carnatic music, still etched in memory,ever since I gave up classes in 8th std - "Maru kela ra, Oh Raghava".I would warn all my pursuers about the slight fall of "sruthi", and few slips of the "tala" here and there, as I proudly claimed to have lost touch with carnatic music. At the end of the "Ghaana" and the following "Bachao!Bachao!" looks from those around, if at all I get both the "Sruthi and Tala" right,and by chance ,a word of appreciation from dazzling aunties show-casing jewellery more than those on the idols, my Mom would spring into action rather defensively saying "Enga? Ipo elaam English paaatu thaan kekardhu!!" (Meaning -Oh wat to do? she listens only to English music these days) .And I would give a bewildered look, and a smile thinking "Mothers!" The Gods don't mind, but "they" do - "they"being my Mom this time!This was the scenario every year, this year being no exception.As we were coming back , loaded with "saaamaans"(not the pudupeta slang for daggers :-) meant purely pooja items,fruits,sundal packets etc), Dad asked me suddenly if I would go with him to the Marina for a walk the next morning. I first felt, aaargh !-Walk = exercise = sacrifice of my 3 hrs sleep on holidays!Just that evening I had read in a blog(my all time favourite blog which I read as often as possible,but never comment. Here's the link http://krishashok.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/the-voyage-of-marina-3/ ) about the Marina beach, and with the papers bringing in news everyday about the "so-called" beach beautification process about to take place, I thought "why not?!" So,I told him, OK Dad, If I manage to get up on my own, I'll definitely come. And surprisingly enough , I did. Armed with an mp3 player and sporting my once-in-a-blue-moon- used sneakers, I set off with Dad, to see what on earth, made him visit the Marina every week-end? We were joined by Dad's friend and X-Colleague and all the way , the only thing the men spoke was about politics - internal(official) and external(national)..!I thought, "How boring men can be at times?" It was exasperating enough to just listen to them, I didn't know how women(wives) put up with them? I also wondered if all men tend to lose their sense of humour and liveliness after a certain age , like my dad, who used to be a mobile crackpot making us all go into fits of laughter every time he uttered a word. But now, after crossing 50, sometimes he acts like grouchy old Uncle Scrooge of Christmas Carol(Charles Dickens).But the "Scroogish" makeover happens with dad only occasionally,otherwise he is a very sweet person. We reached the Marina pretty late, just when the sun was ready,spic 'n' span and was almost peeping out from behind the clouds! I turned on the player. The walk began, and so did the songs....


Mandram vantha - Light house


The walk begins, me shepherded by Dad and his buddy. I'm glad that I wore sensible shoes after all!


Nalam vaazha - I see a group of people playing beach volleyball and a few kids practising boxing( !!).We are now right opposite to the Vivekanandhar Illam.


Lose yourself - Crossed uncles (oops! grandpas) playing tennicoit. As they are playing in an almost secluded enclosure, more like a court on its own, I ask Dad if they had to book or something before hand. He says whoever comes first, gets to play there and my mind automatically says "Finders keepers -losers weepers"!


After some 3 to 5 songs that I don't remember- My legs begin to give away at this point, and Dad's shoelace comes off luckily and I stay back, resting my poor sole(soul!).


I fail to notice the statues ,as we are walking on the road right beside the pavement and right behind the statues. Near a statue which looked like an Indian -Older-Kamal Hasan (courtesy:Dad), we make a U - turn .


Maula mera Maula mera - Now we seemed to be walking on the right side. I am normally a very slow paced, jay walker and making the first half possible was hard in the first place. The second half, to be precise , the return ,gives my legs the creeps! Luckily,despite the shuffle option being on, my mp3 sensed the urgent need to keep me in the right mood and immediately played this heart warming number!



Minnale nee vandhadhenade - Still walking down the same lane, towards the parked blue Santro which didn't appear anywhere in vicinity! Now, the sun is showing us how to turn all perfect shades of orange and red, blazing hot. I sweat like a cricketer, almost famished and in need for anything belonging to the H2O category. My thirst is quenched by the song,which brings back old memories...

In the End - Dad and uncle overtake me.I still slog behind and Dad suddenly tries to turn around to say something, notices me left behind, wears an impatient look on his face, and stops in his tracks. His buddy, who doesn't miss his absence continues walking,taking in all the beauty around, the heat too! I pass by green benches, meant for lover-birds,inhabited by a widespread family of crows, cawing for attention. An old lady beside, asks me for alms. I am penniless and try to show that by emptying my pockets, when my mobile almost escapes an ICU encounter!

Nenjam Ellam - I now try to keep up the pace, activated by a vision of the blue coloured car round the corner. I smile to myself, as always, while listening to this number. I see our car, shining away amongst other rivals and quickly try to overtake Dad and buddy to reach it first. As usual, I forget that dad had the keys, and spent another minute waiting for them to reach it.
I get into the car, thinking "Not so bad after all, must do it quite often". My mp3 breathes a sigh of relief, having assisted in the mission which threatened last minute drop-outs!

My Immortal -The walk ends. I reach home to greet mom with a smile and hurriedly sit down in the nearest chair, demanding one of her best teas as quickly as possible. The tea arrives and I'm transported to heaven . A virtual massage takes place and I fall asleep, half lying and half winking , on the chair, with a totally dreamy look on my face.

Smokin Joes - Gapin jaws!

The phrase "Smoking is injurious to health" flashes every now and then in the movies and commericals, whenever the object of concern(cigarette) resides in the mouth of the Hero/Villain , who lights it , and releases wisps of smokey rings , sometimes made to change shapes using graphics (in the case of Superheroes). That's technology for you! Even more incomprehensible is the fact that the advertisement for cigarettes also carry the red warning signal, speeding away in the subtitles. So what are they trying to do?? Are they doing some good by warning people of what a price they had to pay if they smoke? If so, then why advertise it..?? It was almost like asking a person to die, telling him the date beforehand..! The issue of passive smoking is another question in concern..People suffering from ailments like cancer, just because they were a part of an active smoker's life. So, despite the warnings , the flash news in television, the regular public health oriented advertisements like "Live and let live" in many channels , the people ,especially the youth, are not ready to quit smoking... So what lies within the paper folded , dust like material, that makes so many to crave for more of it, is still a mystery to me.I henceforth, decided to find out......

A cigarette is a product consumed via smoking and manufactured out of cured and finely cut tobacco leaves, which are combined with other additives, then rolled or stuffed into a paper-wrapped cylinder (generally less than 120 mm in length and 10 mm in diameter). As you would have guessed by now, thats the kind of definition you would wind up with, if you type "Cigarette" in a search engine, like I did. But, as mentioned already, there's more to it, than just tobacco stuffed in paper. True to the phrase, "Blacksheep of the family!", the tobacco bush actually originates from an American continent and relates to the same family as potato and pepper. Cigarettes are colloquially known as "cigs", "ciggies", "smokes", "cancer sticks", "death sticks", "coffin nails", "squares", and "fags". Tobacco was first used by the peoples of the pre-Columbian Americas. Native Americans apparently cultivated the plant and smoked it in pipes for medicinal and ceremonial purposes. At first, tobacco was produced mainly for pipe-smoking, chewing, and snuff. Cigars didn't become popular until the early 1800s. But now, approximately 5.5 trillion cigarettes are produced globally each year by the tobacco industry, smoked by over 1.1 billion people, which is more than 1/6 of the world's total population.

(1.)With every puff of a cigarette, you breathe more than 4,000 different chemicals, including ammonia (a poisonous gas and a powerful toilet cleaner), arsenic (a potent rat poison), cyanide (a deadly ingredient in rat poison), acetone (a poisonous solvent and paint stripper), formaldehyde (used to preserve dead frogs), toluene (a poisonous industrial solvent), polonium-210 (a highly radioactive element) and carbon monoxide (a poisonous gas). Gross???You bet!

(2.)Smoking doesn't cause just lung cancer. It contributes to back pain, osteoporosis (thinning of the bones), and male impotence. It affects the circulation, "hardening the arteries", and also creates low-level carbon monoxide poisoning. Together, these decrease the delivery of oxygen to every part of the body including discs in the spine.

(3.) Smoking turns your teeth and fingernails yellow, makes your hair, clothes and breath smell gross and causes premature wrinkling of your skin. Smokers have more back pain than non-smokers, and heal slower.

A lot of the ill-effects attribute to one major drawback - The effect on Non-Smokers, otherwise known as Passive smokers. Second-hand smoke causes many diseases in children, including ear infections, asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, and SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Smoke in an infant's household quadruples the chances of a SIDS death (sudden infant death syndrome).A non-smoking spouse of a regular smoker has a 20% increase in their chances of developing lung cancer, and a 30% increase in their chance of developing heart disease.

The world is changing and the change is only helping people fall deeper into the pit. If you think modernization is helping folks to step out of the smoking habit, you better check out this!

Example 1:The Smokers Phone: XYW 3838 Mobile Phones

XYW 3838,This “cigarettes Wang cell phone XYW 3838″ mobile phone, takes the shape of a cigarette in all phases of design. The description says that " if the aircraft battery cover is removed, users will discover the secret compartment containing the original.This is to enable users to display several cigarettes like a real cigarette"

Example 2 : The Flinstone commercial :Winston Brand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZRxBtZLeUY&eurl=http://okfuture.net/2007/08/25/flinstones-cigarette-commercial/v=5ZRxBtZLeUY&eurl=http://okfuture.net/2007/08/25/flinstones-cigarette-commercial/

That was quite some time ago. But still, shockingly true! As I was recovering from the shock, I happened to discover another link to help people quit smoking. Here's what I found.

Quit Smoking Smokeless Cigarettes :

Description: Made of more than twenty kinds of natural herbal

ingredients for you to quit smoking, but smokeless, it looks like a cigarette, which lets you satisfy those tactile taste sensations without risks and dependence on nicotine. Simply by inhaling, thus causing to dispel smoking odor, the aroma scent travels through the trachea and lungs, improve your breathing air and remove the nicotine accumulation in the smoker's body. It is easier to stop smoking. Upon completion of the full course of this therapy for one to two weeks, the user will lose the urge for smoking and become smoke free. It does not contain either tobacco or nicotine.
Herbal Ingredients:
Menthol hematite, cloves, medicated leaven, menthe essence, basil, lavender, magnetite, achyranthes root, catechu, pinellas, neroli, peppermint, clary sage
Finally the smoker can be helped by QUISM Quit Smoking Cigarette, a new generation of cigarette that you do not need to lit and that does not produce smoke, but it gives the same feeling of a true cigarette without suffering smoke damages.

Use Direction:
You just inhale, do not light it. Use as often as needed. Use it until no more scent can be felt.

I can see a lot of people smoking in public places. But nothing can be done to stop them. My classmates,some of my friends and even a few girls smoke. Not anyone I know, but I have seen and heard of girls smoking. I don't blame them.If they can fight for equality in everything, that includes this "trend-setting" habit of smoking too! However, there are a few people I know who don't smoke just because the whole wide world is into it.Its their way of making a big difference. Some don't smoke 'cause they can't stand the stink! And a few more, find it absolutely "uncool", maybe due to pressure from special people of the opposite sex! But most of them, don't smoke because they don't want to risk it. It is true that people are aware of smoking and its effects, decades after the expedition to ban tobacco! So, what am I blogging for? Its for the tiny percent of the folks who are unaware of what they are about to lose in life, unaware about the lives they put in danger. As usual, out of the fear that I put my readers into a deep slumber, I thought of trying to break the spell with some facts which I found very interesting! ...

#The Lighter - Cigar chemistry - Cigarette lighters were invented way before the matches.The cigarette lighter was invented in 1816 by a German chemist named J.W. Dobereiner . Whilst matches were originally invented in 1826, by John Walker, but patented by a sneaky Samuel Jones who went on to produce matches called "Lucifers".

#Benefits of quitting:

A 42-year old male smoking 20 or more cigarettes a day has about a 1 in 5 chance of dying within 17 years. If they quit, that risk is reduced to 1 in 10.

# Every eight seconds, someone in the world dies due to tobacco.

# A monkey was once tried and convicted for smoking a cigarette in South Bend, Indiana (Hahaha... funny!)

And now..for the grand finale. Lyrics from the song "Cigarettes - Fort Minor".

" Let me tell you something that I realized tonight

My hip hop radio is like marlboro lights

They're both selling stories and they sound about the same

Cigarettes say their safe, wrappers claim they really bang

We dont care if it's true when we lay the money down

We don't believe the words, we just love the way they sound

They're acting like we're idiots, They're lying to our face

Maybe we are idiots, we buy it anyway."

SO...IT ALL ENDS IN FOUR WORDS :

"LIVE AND LET LIVE ....!"

Updated : Nov 8th - 2007 : An interesting fwd:




*THE END* *AMEN*

A Tribute - to the One(S) who simply swept me off my feet

*Ahem - ahem* that looks like too big a title.. But I didn't want to postpone posting this postable post even after its post-production after so many hurdles in the post, oops sorry, Past! Confused? You better be. Just to get you into the mood...!!! This post is a tribute to all the One(S) who had the privilege of sweeping me off my feet, by their mere existence. Its the work I had written when I was utterly confused and hopelessly in ooh and aah,"you-know-wwhat-Love!" Ah, not anymore!
I take all the honour of submitting these works of sheer poetry , with an element of insanity and humour, despair and calm. I thank thee(S) for being the central element(s) around my poems.
I humbly submit them in ascending order ;-) of existence.

1. GOING NUTS ONCE UPON A TIME
- read the first post of this blog.



2. NAMELESS

Your music drives me crazy,
It turns me on...
Your love keeps me waiting,
AS time moves on....
Wish I could get entangled in your charm,
Forever cradled in your arm...!!!




3. SOLITUDE

Solitude is Bliss,
As lovely as a kiss,
Showered upon by a lover,
Who in the midst...Thinks
Ignorance is bliss!



Now for some stuff I came up with and in which I have a lot of belief..

"The Gods don't mind , but "THEY" do!"
- Against all religious superstitions in existence , just because they existed once upon a time. I am not an atheist. I am as strong a theist can be. I am a believer of God. And nothing more!


" Ours is a country where we mock at beggars 'cause they don't do any work and slam our doors at the faces of salesmen 'cause they do their work "
- Against the attitude of folks not able to respect people for what they are.


"I love myself 'cause I know I'm not perfect !"
-Against my complex and insecurities in life. The importance of imperfect !!

Madras city le atrocity...

I live in Madras for the past 15 years . Though the change from "Bengalooru" to Madras didn't work well with me and bro as kids, we kind of gave in, during the later years. Growing up in Madras has been a great experience, that soon, even the options of "Bengalooru" being on top of the list, looked very bleak. For all its beauty , after its name changed from Madras to "I dONT like it much - CHENNAI!" , its still lovable just the way it is. For all the nook"S" and corner"S" of Madras that I've been to, there's one thing that I keep noticing, unable to miss even once, something which has never failed my eyes, something written in charcoal that is pitch black, in a lopsided scrawl , something which has always been a mystery to me...It is the "JAMES MAGIC SHOW - 9841072571". Go to any place in Madras. Its there staring right at you. It's there in bus stops, on electric boxes, on lamp posts, on "walls", on flyover pillars, on closed shutters of shops, it's even in a few movies(Tamil) that I saw,spare the news!. . The same black scrawl on the wall that leaves me bewildered all the time! So, how many have noticed it and wondered about it like me?And still better, how many actually called to find out about the Magician JAMES..?

Another fascinating thing about Madras - the battle for breath in the "back(waters)shops" of the great Ranganathan Street, T.Nagar. A mere walk down the lane, you would face instant suffocation with mixed feelings of emotions, including the anxiety of your bag being snatched and getting lost in the crowd . The shops are the same there, as everywhere else. Its not exactly an overcrowded marketplace either. So why this running hither and thither , causing all the lack of space and breath, adding to higher decibels of sound(Noise Pollution)??

Change is inevitable. The universe changes, the world changes, "people" change, emotions change, Time changes and everything in existence is subjected to changes. The changing trends, urbanization has taken over most of the "hi-fi" cities in the country Mumbai,Delhi,Kolkatta,Hyderabad,Bengalooru(urgh!) including Madras ,to an extent. It is the "to an extent" that saves the day! Well, though Madras is falling prey to the "trendz", there are still places in the city which haven't changed and will not change in the future either. The areas in and around Mylapore tank is one solid example. The glitter of the dazzling bangles of North Mada Street, the beautiful jewellery shops lining the streets, shops with all the pooja -paraphernalia, scented agarbatis and sandal wood, all the shops forming a perfect circle around the huge , magnificent Kabalishwar temple. Its scenic, and like they say - You just have to be there! Its one of the few places that hasn't changed much over the years, the people are the same, even the sundal tastes the same! This is why I love Madras so much. It has so much to offer people . People here have an option, and are respected for the choices made. Its either being conservative, traditional, or being modern and etiquette . Whatever the people are, its left to them, a choice made entirely by themselves. There's no societal pressure here. Maybe,the people aren't that friendly and totally into hospitality. But still, Madras is special for me. A city which amuses me , fascinates me, educates me , in every second of my existence here . Madras - is beautiful, just the way it is.....!.

Vetti Post..trying to blog again,,!!

My mobile goes "squeak and tring". I wake up first. The first one to wake up always, due to the misfortune of studying in a college that starts before an average human had his morning breakfast and ended exactly at school timings. Maybe I should consider myself lucky that it closes early, in comparison to other colleges which are virtually a part of Madras, but are actually not! I revert back to school days when I gave up on having to arrange books according to time table day by day, eventually carrying a whole sack of books everyday! Life hadn't changed much between school and college - only thing was, now I was carrying the same load - "as per the time table"! After that small errand, I get into the actual business of doing my early morning duties, and get ready at the neck of the moment, grabbing my ID in one hand and my bag on the other, with a peck on Mom's cheek, I utter a "hurried- scared of running late sorta Goodbye" and step out.

The gates creak loudly and I try as far as possible to minimise the noise by walking deliberately and tapping my sandals hard to cover up. Dumb? I know..thank you...!!! I see my watchman sitting by the stone pavement near the gate, give him a weak smile and walk towards glory - my bus stop. I reach the stop just in time, thanking my lucky stars.My driver and me, share a wonderful chemistry! Now, don't give me that look...I just meant that he knew when I was gonna turn by the street and wave my hands and stop the bus on mid route,for which he gives me liberal doses of scoldings, aided by his accomplice - Domi, my adorable co-passenger who happens to be a close friend!. I usually come up with the same excuse "Anna late ayiduchu na!"(meaning..I was running late bro..) and he would let me off with that. Thank God ! This driver Anna is one who can make you feel the ride on a dusty old mahabalipuram road, like a Venice Gondola ride. He is prefect when it comes to applying brakes, always an inch away from the bus ahead,making us lose our minds for a minute!One of the rare occasions when I witness pin drop silence in bus. He smiles at no one in particular at the rear view mirror, and if we noticed that look, it would be like another feather on his cap!

We would reach college pretty late, when compared to other volvo-valluvar-buses! Our college is still into the underdeveloped rickety bus usage category. Surprisingly enough,myself and Domi would always find something or the other very amusing, from the moment we step down till the moment we reach the chem dept block for breakfast. We usually reach the place giggling, glad to meet the smiles of our other buddies, sharing the same mockery we had witnessed 2 minutes back. Sometimes I become wistful, amidst laughter, thinking and wishing we had been in the same dept and class. But would that have been as special as this relationship? I dint know! I reach my class , usually alone. I enjoy the walk across the lawn, escaping the smelly water fountain sprinklers and trying not to step on anything "non-human"! Class has me sitting beside my best associate(Sharmi) when it comes to getting through a "rigmarolish" mass transfer period with a cow-man -cross for a teacher,who with great difficulty makes sure that we don't understand a word of what he "tries" to tell us!

After endurance of two successful classes, we have a break, when the girl's loo is generally crowded with prom- queens, who would look more like a pack of losers than beauty contest winners! I would pity them and go to the loo for the purpose it served,wondering how many times they would adjust their one strand of hair. I would laugh to myself thinking that the Snow white today would have gone berserk, if she knew that there were so many "queens" obsessed with a cracking mirror in the loo of a dumb college! My gang mates would usually gather around the cooler, doing nothing other than commenting at whoever passes by, from the first floor, to the G'S(block incharges) ,to the junior's block next to us. Things like this was what made college a bit bearable!! We finally head inside after we notice the flock of hair (sometimes greeted by a glare too many from the respected baldies!)of the next scheduled lecturer, from the gap in the staircase. 2 more to go for Lunch...! Sometimes, I really think college was worth it. Some Professors(Biochem sir) are really good, we would be lost in the world they brought us, during those cherished moments! It would be so interesting that we would lose track of time and space and distance. Totally mesmerised...! Then goes the fire alarm , Oops that's my college Bell!

We start for the mess hall in packs of 4,5,6 , knowing what was awaiting us, the menu on the fingertips! Post lunch, is a delicious sleepy experience of trying to keep off the eyelids from dropping. Hard efforts do pay! Usually all teachers, on a full theory day, would let us free 10 minutes before the bell. Lucky if it was Ethics!.. Open boycott and the poor man will just have to heed to our wishes! That's because ethics was considered as an "Uppukuchapan" (Namesake)subject, by many depts including ours! The day would end with the welcome sound of the fire alarm, and this time I would walk across the lawn, accompanied by buddies and we would now be in a quick pace to reach the bus. War times in some buses. Getting a place would be difficult and people die hard to catch places for friends and foes alike! Its usually me and Domi and so we don't have much problems. The return journey in the bus would see either my head on Domi's or the vice-versa. We try to dissolve and melt all our fears and share everything that happened..How??? Did I ever tell you - Telepathy exists...so does the "Hibernation factor!""

kutty kutty things that make my day!!

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on."

-Robert Frost.

I strongly believe that its some of the smallest things in Life that make it worth living. Not everyday is bright and sunny. Some days can be so gloomy to the state of pushing you into hibernation, a state of mental absence. Even at such gruelling times, when we attain the heights of depression, its the smallest things in life that come to our rescue. We have all the reason and right to be happy. As I always tend to realise, Life is the same to every person, only the perceptions are different. Its left to us to enjoy this moment which is inevitable. As I was thinking about these " kutty " things that bring a smile to my lips, I was surprised at the number of things I came up with... Here are some of them..



1. Gobbling Pani puris at a road side shop, much to the annoyance of Mom.

2. The walk on the beach, playing running and catching with the approaching waves.

3. Meditating whenever possible, preferably in the peace of a temple, with the scent of agarbatis and temple bells chiming away.

4.Brave attempt at tasting something for the first time - Red wine,at my friend's place . Though it tasted more like a tonic and I hardly had a sip, it was enough to make me lift my collars and parade around telling whoever would listen that I had atlast tasted wine. ;-)

5.Meeting an old school mate at a very boring place, exactly at the moment when my hands are folded in desperate prayer, to send someone to rescue me from the boredom.

6.All the fuss people around you make, when you recieve a scratch from falling down. Only you would wear that secret smile on your face.

7.Going to school after years, meeting old teachers who all look the same, except for maybe a few grey hairs and bifocal spectacles.

8.Laughing and giggling in class , whenever possible, at all the "mokkai's" the girl next to me (sharmi)puts, at the "sight" of her many loved ones.

9. When someone in whose life you would have been a part of, knowingly or unknowingly, long time ago, remembers you. Eg : When a junior from my X-X-School came upto me and asked me if I remembered her. ;-) ofcourse I din't! but I had to say I did!

10.Listening to favourite music and lyrical wonders, musing over them again and again.

11.Buying "Kuchi" ice - Orange flavour, tearing the wrapper immediately, licking all the way home, sparing the stick and as soon as I reach home, checking if my lips have turned the right shade of orange.

12.Sharing dairy milk with friends in college and fighting for the "wrapper" waiting to be licked.

13.Missing college bus, on a dreadful , full theory classes day. A secret desire inside that no alternative buses should pass by the same route (like today..I missed the bus which made me so happy that I'm blogging about it)..

14.There's nothing more delightful than surprise parties - no matter which end you are in - the delivering or the receiving end ;-) . Recently it was at Domi's birthday. Me and Shara threw a surprise party especially for her with candle-lit cup cakes!! hehe.. not exactly a birthday bash with black forest chocolate cake, but it was her happiest moment in life, and that moment made our day! !

15.Relishing mom'a cooking during the week-ends, which is the only time I eat at home -thrice a day.

16. A cup of coffee, "I'm reading this at present" book, and the sound of music and rain in the background.

17.Appreciation from the most unexpected people and the least expected times .

18.Watching the kids on the street play cricket, their funny conversations, and chasing them when they break our window panes. Acting big sis, whenever possible, and scaring the guts out of them to pay for the broken glass.

19.Riding my bike all alone to class, without any escorts (Bharat and Dhivya), and successfully getting back home without meeting with any "major" accidents.

20.Observing people and letting my mind do all the talking, which turns out to be positive and negative as well.

21. Reading a diary after a long time and being transported to the memories of the past.

22.Glancing through old photos, wishing I could still have been a kid and regretting it the next moment thinking " who'll write X and XII exams again!!Jesus! "... ;-)

23.Writing an exam on the most darkest day of my life, which has been a catastrophe right from the moment I wake up till I step into the hall, but still, passing that exam by inches.

24.Getting through the Viva(Practicals) atleast on a 50-50 basis. I suck at VIVA- My greatest fear next to cockroaches.

25.Sitting right behind the driver( in the college bus) and cracking up with my accomplice , Domi, making the driver throw us weird looks in the rear view mirror,which would never go unnoticed by us. But still, we always end up in fits of laughter, for small things that we encounter, during our 40 minutes journey, on the rickety bus on an evenmore rickety, dust-filled, Old Mahabalipuram Road. *Sigh*.. Life is sure worth it!!



I started with a quote by one of my favourite poets of all times - Robert Frost. Now I end with another relevant quote I came across somewhere. Here goes..



"Life is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties, but of little things, in which smiles, and kindnesses, and small obligations, given habitually, are what win and preserve the heart and secure comfort”

C-R-Y-!

If you're wondering if its a campaign for "Child Relief and You ", you are wrong. Though I would love to blog about it (maybe in the near future), right now I meant the literal sense of the word - "cry". Someone said "Smiles form the channels of a future tear.” I can see you nodding away, thinking to yourself "How true!".

Today, I fell down and hurt my leg.Actually fell into a sump.I don't want to elaborate on that.I luckily escaped with a scratch and a minor swell . I had to go to a hospital for a TT injection and coincidentally, one of the physicians was a paediatrician and that was the only clinic close to my residence. I reached the place and was greeted with the cry for help - mostly from kids. I was astonished as I had never seen so many kids at one go, and all "crying". It was faster than a nuclear chain reaction. What was even more amusing was that only one child at a time was injected.Watching that child triggered the one next to it to cry, and the next and next and so on, resulting in the fastest chain reaction in history. I was so amused that I forgot that all the mothers were throwing me daggers with their looks, as I was smiling at the crying kids. Gee..couldn't help it..! I went back in time to an hour back when I had turned into Humpty and had a great fall. Though I fell completely inside with my hands stretching out, and the depth wasn't much, my dad caught me in a jiffy. But still that shock sort of triggered uneasy emotions and I cried- sorry Wailed like crazy. I can laugh now, thinking about it. So sitting in the wooden bench at the clinic, waiting for the doctor, I was wondering what actually made people cry. What evoked the tears? What was the scientific reason behind it? After the injection, I came home and started searching about the science behind tears. Wikipedia and few other sites had the answers. Here's what I found..

Tears are a liquid produced by the body's process of lacrimation to clean and lubricate the eyes. The word lacrimation may also be used in a medical or literary sense to refer to crying.Tears may be classified into 3 types:

*Basal Tears

*Reflex Tears

*Psychic Tears

Basal Tears :

Tears are continually produced in small quantities by the Tear Glands, which are located on the outer side of each eye, slightly above the eye and underneath the eyelid. Tears, which are spread evenly over the front surface of the eye during blinking, clean and lubricate the eye. An important component of tears is lysozyme, a chemical that inhibits bacterial growth on the eye's surface. Some of the tears evaporate, but the remainder are drained into the nose through the Tear Duct, keeping the nose moist. Lysozyme from the tears prevents bacterial growth in the nose as well.

Reflex Tears :

These result from the irritation of the eye by foreign particles, or from the presence of irritant substances such as onion vapours, tear gas or pepper spray in the eye's environment. These reflex tears attempt to wash out irritants that may have come into contact with the eye.

Psychic tears :

These tears have more to do with emotions and hurt - both physical and mental. They are also caused due to depression and emotional stress.However the chemical composition of the tears in this case is different. An interesting discovery was made by Dr. William H. Frey II, a biochemist at the St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center in Minnesota.On analysis, they found that emotional tears contained more of the protein-based hormones, prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and leucine enkephalin (natural painkiller), all of which are produced by our body when under stress. It seems as if the body is getting rid of these chemicals through tears. No wonder we feel better after a good cry!

The discovery of facts from http://www.wikipedia.com/ and http://www.scienceiq.com/ :

#1. "The crocodile tears syndrome" is an uncommon consequence of recovery from Bell's palsy where faulty regeneration of the facial nerve causes sufferers to shed tears while eating.

#2.Keratoconjunctivitis sicca , more commonly known as dry eye, is a very common disorder of the tear film. Paradoxically, sufferers can experience watering of the eyes .

#3. Here's my favourite ;) . An insincere display of grief or dishonest remorse is called crocodile tears,from the ancient anecdote that crocodiles would pretend to weep while luring or devouring their prey.

#4. Chewing on gum while cutting onions can help a person from stop producing tears. Try it next time you chop onions. I don't know how far this is true. My granny says that the onion vapours increase the sharpness in sight . Same with the smoke from the flames while performing a "homam" during housewarming ceremonies.

#5. In space you cannot cry because there is no gravity to make the tears flow. HA -HA -HA...!

And nOW.. for my theory :

I think tears are a way of expressing helplessness. The reflex action arising out of confusion. Like when you suddenly meet with an accident, get hurt, there's a moment when you can feel pain at various angles. Like how I felt today. My stomach, legs, ankle, knee , elbow were all competing and when someone asked me where it hurt, I din't know where and I cried. Adding to the effect of helping me in my transformation into a child, was my mother, who said "Hayo evlo valikardho!" (meaning- Oh my God, How much it would pain") . That was the signal, and slowly the confused tears started making sense and became a wail and finally reached the peak of the vocal chords into the cry of a banshee.