Seems like it’s the tag season. Picked up this one from Bikram’s post here.

All those who have time to spare, consider yourself TAGGED!

Here goes me…

A

- Available: No – occupied and busy, very busy…

- Age: At the wrong end of the 20s

- Animals: Horses

B

- Beer: Not for me, bring on the wine though!

- Birthday: Just round the corner

- Best friend: Hubby dearest

- Body Part on opposite sex: The grey matter in that cranium!

- Best feeling in the world: At the beach, where I can hear the waves crashing on the rocks and feel the balmy breeze on my cheeks

- Best weather: I mind the sun. Rain, thunder, storm, hail and snow – all make my day.

- Been in Love: Yeah yeah, been there, done that!

- Been on stage: Yes, loads of times – for debates, JAMs, dramatics, compering and even dancing!

- Believe in Magic: Umm would like to believe in magic but reality bites hard,

- Believe in Santa: Ofcourse – in Santa and Rudolf and all such stuff that magically gets you gifts!

- Brand: Identity crisis!

C

- Candy: Melody and Hajmola Imli ;)

- Color: White, Blue, Peach, Pink, Violet, Red, Black – actually all of them depending on what mood I am in.

- Chocolate/Vanilla: Chocolate brownies with hot chocolate fudge on a generous helping of light chocolate and vanilla ice-cream – and a double helping of that pls.

- Chinese/Indian/Italian: Italian

- Cake or pie: Cake

- Cheese: In any form and all kinds!

D

- Day or Night: Depends for what!

- Dancing in the rain: Makes living life worthwhile

E

- Eyes: Clear and transparent

- Ever failed a class?: Nahiiiiiii

- Enemies: I am sure I have many, I like to believe I have consciously made none

- Exercise: Much needed - Wish was more regular at that

F

- First thoughts waking up: How many more minutes can I laze around before it becomes too late to wake up

- Food: Another reason that convinces you the world is not such a bad place

G

- Greatest Fear: Darkness

- Goals: None, I just kick around

- Get along with your parents: Yes, pretty well and to add, they are managing quite well too ;)

H

- Hair Color: Black

- Happy: Happy!

- Holiday: Nothing as holier as the day that’s a holiday!

I

- Ice Cream: In all flavors with lots of nuts

J

- Jewelry: Minimalistic

- Job: That pays bills

K

- Kids: Love them! Hope to have my own someday ;)

- Kickboxing or karate: Karate – a senior green belter, mind you :D

- Keep a journal? In the stone age when Internet had not invaded our lives and then blogs happened.

L

- Love: Makes the world go round

- Laughed so hard you cried: Yes yes, so many times!

M

- Milk flavor: Chocolate – latest is cold milk with Hersheys chocolate syrup.

- Movies: All lovey dovey romances, candy floss love stories and chick flicks.

- Motion sickness: A bad case of that I am :(

- McD’s or BK: Mc Donald’s in India – anywhere else, it doesn’t matter cos both have nothing to offer vegetarians!

N

- Number: Infinity

O

- One wish: That I could get some more wishes!

P

- Perfect Pizza: Domino’s thin crust – Mexican green wave with an extra helping of olives – spruced up with oregano and lots of chilly flakes

- Pepsi/Coke: None

- Perfume/Cologne: Perfume – Dolce Gabbana Gold

Q

- Quail: Reptiles

R

- Reason to cry: movies, books, unfortunate incidents, memories, nostalgia , too much off love and happiness, self-sympathy trips…

- Reality T.V : A haven for desperados

- Radio Station: It’s been ages since I tuned into one

S

- Song: So many…all time favs would be

English: Stairway to heaven

Hindi: Yeh honsla kaise ruke

- Shoe size: Among the smaller ones

- Salad Dressing: Thousand Island

- Skinny dip: Leave it t the skinny people to have!

- Strawberries/Blueberries : Strawberries…!

- Sport: What is that?

T

- Tattoos: Too painful for me!

- Thunderstorms: Make for shady pseudo romantic moments in Indian cinema

U

- Unpredictable: Me Me Me

V

- Vacation spot(s): Would love to see all the famous tourist spots in the world – Greece and Venice are up on my list!

W

- Weakness: Emotions rule the head.

- Who makes you laugh the most: rather what - Life and its vicissitudes

- Worst Weather?: Depression

X

- X-Rays: A pain at the airports

Y

-Year it is now: 2011

-Yellow: Sunflowers – bright and cheery

Z

- Zoo animal: Love the Giraffe!

[Image source: Google Images]

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The calendar dictates my days,

The clock my time.

I snooze between alarms,

And dream through the commute.

Blinded by my false sense of self worth,

The beauty of the newly blossomed gulmohar

On the path I rush through, escapes me.

The mornings are maniacally hurried,

And the evenings pass in a daze.

Of the afternoons I remember nothing;

The nights are long and silent.

I like to believe that within me,

Lie the depths of the ocean.

There are oysters with hidden pearls.

I don’t have the luxury of deep diving,

I console myself, and then I sigh in relief;

This fear of searching within, only to

Stumble upon the silence of the hollow years.

The lack of profound sorrow and

The absence of any exhilarating joy

Am I blessed or just plain cold?

At the shore, my heart aches for the

Electrifying currents that run deep;

And the sinking ship, in the middle of

The blue, envies my sanctuary at the coast!

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The piquant sacchariferous reek of jasmine flowers

The clamor of the vegetable hawkers and the fruit sellers

The dogs and human beings competing for the same stretch of space

The rush of the sea of commuters rising and ebbing in waves

The undecipherable announcements on the screechy microphone

The shriek of the siren and the halting breaks

The cacophony of women exchanging notes on food and family

The drooping backs under the heavily loaded school bags

The grey ash smeared foreheads

The long never ending queues at dirty windows

The red, yellow, black and blue lunch satchels

The hand-bags clutched close to the bodies

The constant elbowing to find one’s way

The stepping on the other’s toe without an apology

The stinking perspiration of the Indian summer heat

The family of four tip-toeing on the lesser used distant tracks

The wannabe heroes hanging on the foot boards

The wandering flirtatious glance of the guy with the ID tag

The indulgent smile by the salt and pepper haired gentleman

The neighbor’s humming to the latest hit on his ipod

The low-toned mushy romantic tête-à-tête on cell phones

The dexterously fast-paced texting fingers

The assembly of the men with white walking sticks

The folded creases of the morning newspaper

The rattling of the bowls for alms

The wind in your hair, the dust in your face, the urgency in your step…

…The seven most crowded and happening minutes!

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A broken butterfly wing

A creaking old swing

A moth half alive

A smoked bee-hive

A dirty lazy snail

A sluggish wet trail

A slippery chameleon

A stray dog so forlorn

A new-born birdie’s chirping

A temple bell’s tinkling

A pair of laces tied wrong

A melodious old song

A whiff of fresh air

A pervert’s creepy stare

A love struck couple

A graying man’s mumble

A lady offering prayers to god

A bright pink ipod

A beautiful virgin morning

And these my companions when I’m walking.

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An exquisite pearl nestled on
the delicate bend of
a verdant olive blade;

That gentle venerate breeze
was just beginning to attempt
to court the demure divine bead;

When that sullen dark sky
bellowed in distraught,
and let out its fury.

The deluge that followed
washed away the traces
of what might have been
a wonderfully romantic morning.

(P.S. Please indulge me, I am trying to find my way back.)

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I was recently going through a friend’s photo stream with no particular reason or intent. Blame it on my aimless days.

But this “just like that” skimming soon became something more emotional. I found pics that told stories – I felt an uncanny relation to them - not the kind you get when you see a pic of a place you have visited but the kind of emotion you feel when the pics focus on the imagery you associate with the place – the unmistakable similarity in the pathetic fallacy of the images captured.

Well, these pics are of places I had also visited – mostly without that friend. Yet, the photographs spoke volumes of the sentiment akin to what I had felt at that same place, at a different moment in time – So many of those thoughts that had relegated to my memory archives came pounding forth, on hardly any provocation – Memories of what happened, what did not happen, what could have happened, and how life progressed from that point onwards – how life’s branches entwined and separated and moved forward – despairing cobwebs grew and they sometimes were comforting too – years fast forwarded, time stood still.

It is strange how so many a times I read so much into a moment, a picture, a memory – not even captured by me but a high-end camera and a sensitive photographer – a gamut of feelings, warmth, nostalgia – a range of reactions, a faint smile, a tug at the heart, a feeble attempt at dismissal by the brain….

Does this happen to you also? Or do I just come across as a hysterical maniac?

Leaving you with an emotion, an experience, a moment that I felt when I captured the following photo at Tuolumne Meadows in California in the fall of 2008. Describing it would ruin it.

A moment in your eyes, forever in your mind.

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Tagged again by TBG here. Delayed a little – but well, I am on a vacation and I forgive myself ;).

Yes, and I do realize this month has been more of tags than blog posts :)!

Anyways, so I'm supposed to answer these questions, then make up my own ten questions for you and pass on the tag.

I learn quickly, and like TBG will let you answer the same questions. Please feel free to tag yourself – Let me know if you do – I’ll catch you on your blog!

1. What one material thing are you hoping/ scoping to inherit?

I would love to inherit a huge palatial house on a sea side – Pacific sounds great or even a castle somewhere in the Norwegian wilderness!

2. You're driving. It's great weather. Attractive member of opposite sex in expensive car looks at you and half-smiles. You're in a relationship. Do you return the look and half-smile back?

One, if I am driving I’d be too nervous to notice either the expensive car or the good looking hunk. Two, even if I did notice, in all probability the half-smile would be because either I am too slow or in the wrong lane! So no, I would not return the look or the smile, irrespective of my relationship status.

3. Can't smell or can't taste? For six months, and if you had to chose, would you rather lose your sense of smell or not be able to taste anything?

I would rather lose my sense of smell – It doesn’t matter. My food needs to taste good!

4. Pick a situation

a. You're 42. Would you rather go without sex for three years and win a lottery after that, enabling you to never have to work again? Or

b. Get twice the lottery money now (at 42) but have your partner sleep with your boss?

So option b is lame! Option A, if these were the only two choices with None of the above not being an alternative.

5. What's a quicker turn off, bad pronunciation or maroon lipstick?

I assume this question is to be answered by the guys.

If not, a guy with bad pronunciation would be a definite turn off, and a guy wearing maroon lipstick would be a revolt to my senses!

6. Would you rather your kid turn out to be a nymphomaniac or gay?(For my amusement, please answer in the format: I would rather my kid be ---)

I would rather my kid be confident, poised, sure of himself/herself and my support and backing irrespective of sexual preferences.

7. For which one thing have you not forgiven your mother?

For not going for regular cholesterol and other checkups.

8. Would you rather go bald or lose your front tooth?

Hmmppphhhh – Artificial dentures would be irritating – so I’d rather go bald and get a pretty wig!

9. Your sibling is sleeping with your married close friend. Who do you go to first, sibling or married close friend?

Though I would like to believe I have no right to interfere and that I would stick to that stance if this ever happened, but in a practical scenario, I think I would have a word with my sibling.

10. When was the last time you cried that wasn't while watching a movie?

It doesn’t take much to make me cry – I cry out of joy and sadness. I am quite your typical emotional fool :D

Phew! Am done. Your turn now!

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My first ever tag - tagged by TBG here.

Okay, so I'm supposed to mention 9 things that I've worn the most. These could be anything!

And, here I go:

1. My wedding ring - More than 3 years now, and it is on me almost always!

2. My pink flip flops - I am wearing them right now and wear them pretty much all the time I spend at home - Have owned them now for more than a year – and love them!

3. My plain black hair pins – Very rarely will I be seen without my hair pinned back ;). And if I tell you for how long I have been using hair pins, you will pretty much guess my age :D.

4. My favorite denim skirt – My parents bought this from a Numero Uno sale in CP when I was in Class X for my birthday! With each passing year I fall in love with it even more! (and yes, I still fit into it :p)

5. My blue jeans – basic Levi’s 584. Very comfortable for just about anywhere and everywhere. I have owned this one for more than 5 years now!

6. My favorite pair of earrings – and obviously the most worn pair ever! One of the just-after-wedding gifts from my hubby!

7. White capris/shorts – My first ever buy in the U.S of A at the American Eagle Outfitters store on the Third Street, Santa Monica, a couple of years back. And that’s not the only reason I like it so much. It’s convenient for most activities – walk, trek, trip to the theme parks, etc etc.

8. My only khaki skirt – Have owned this one now for almost three years now and whenever I have got the opportunity to wear skirts (which I don’t do much in Chennai) this one’s always on the top!

9. Last but not the least - My formal black trousers – I have this pair from Van Heusen that has been with me since my first ever job interview. It’s classy and neat at the same time. Team it up with any formal shirt and am ready to take it on :).

All those who read this, please consider yourself tagged and I am sure it will be fun reminiscing on all the treasured possessions over the years!

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A moment on the edge of time

A sigh on parched lips

A bubble balanced on the tip of a sword

A shrieking echo in vacuumed space

A promise of permanence in changing times

A curse of hollow years from empty palms

A sinking ship in the beautiful ocean

A dream on partially open lids

A drop of dew in the morning sun

A green leaf just before the onset of fall

And so, my life lies in the crevices

Of the worlds that have not fallen

There must have been a reason

Or then maybe none at all

I will not ask the question again

I know there is no answer

It was never meant to be

Anything but a coincidence

This talk of a mission and goal

The pilgrimage to resurrection

When waiting for the final annihilation

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Naah, this is not the latest Danny Boyle zombie movie – 3 weeks is the time I have been away from the blogging world, dormant on FB, totally inactive on Orkut, completely out of circulation on Twitter, and silent on my phone!

So, even if you didn’t really miss me on any of the channels above and couldn’t care less about what kept me away, in the true spirit of being me, I shall go ahead and burden you with the bloody details :D!

It has been work, work, and helluva work – almost the entire 3 weeks were spent writing documents, conducting reviews, “following up”, sitting late nights burning the midnight oil, less of food intake, more of calorie burning (still no reduction in the uneasy number people refer to as weight), reworks, last minute troubleshooting, near cardiac arrests, not-so-easy recoveries, dull weekends, and everything else that symbolizes a product release in the big bad IT world! The good news is I am done duna done done! (however silly and irritating it sounds)

The missed “blog” moments…

I really wanted to blog about the Kasab drama (a well deserved death sentenced), the Nirupama tragedy (a giant leap back to the stone age), the Burqa: to be or not to be (I think I can still write on this one – will make a note) and finally my tryst with Laila (for the ignorant, laila is the name of the cyclone that recently hit Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and created some havoc in my life too – I was stranded in the middle of the flyover and etc etc - none of which was remotely humorous :().

What else has been happening?

Apart from work, some other news too!

# My darling brother has finished his 4-yr degree program and is back in Delhi – this directly translates into me being all by myself on the weekends – he has been a wonderful companion for all my shopping sprees and gastronomic indulgences! Will miss u Priyank, enjoy and take care :).

# I finally managed to plan my long due vacation – It’s going to be a wonderful Californian summer – remember to check out this blog for the updates on that!

# My school years’ crush on Hrithik Roshan has kind of re-inflamed – it takes a lot to get me star struck and oh I am so in love! I go for Kites today and am hoping there’s lots to write when I am back!

# And finally, some songs refuse to leave my lips – and have been instrumental in retaining my cheer in the dark ages (3 weeks). Posting them here for your consumption too…

>> Uff teri adaaa – An instant mood lifter

>> Zombies…in your head!

>> Ranjha Ranjha – from Mani Ratnam’s Raavan

>> Blackbird – singing in the dead of night…

>> Pal pal har pal – from the second Munnabhai movie

>> There are a few more all time favorites, which gave me company - but I stop here at Wake me up when September comes…

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Noughts and crosses
Fights and kisses
Weddings and funerals
Hatred and love
Beauty and the beast
Curses and blessings
Dawn and dusk
Despair and hope
Smiles and tears
Nightmares and dreams
Friends and enemies
Success and failure
Poverty and opulence
Oasis and barren lands
Nihilism and faith
Zeniths and nadirs
Open ends and new beginnings
Relativity and absolutes
Decadence and morality
Progress and deadlocks
Heads and tails…

Always one and the other
So brace yourself
It’s a world of paradoxes
That harmoniously fit in
To form a balanced reality

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The state of sorrow is much complex;

Vivid, vibrant, and enigmatic,

Multi-layered, acute and profound;

If anything can be absolute,

It is anguish, distress and sadness.

Joy pales in comparison;

A superficial moment captured

With an agitated vulnerability;

Happiness is ephemeral, destructible.

Despair is eternal;

It enhances the charm

Of the subject it affects;

Adding strength to the character,

Are the tears held back

And not the smiles flashed.

No poet can do justice

To human emotion if he

Does not talk of

Aching hearts and bruised souls.

There is more to talk about

Dead winters and falling leaves

Than green summers and delightful springs.

What worth is the life that has not

Cried for love, nor lost a dear possession;

If you have not fallen off a swing,

Or been hurt by someone near;

If you have not failed a test that mattered

Nor cherished an unfulfilled dream

You still have miles to go…

In a perverse way, that joy does not,

Sorrow completes our existence.

It consummates the cycle of life -

Satiating the deep gorges

That beatitude leaves behind…

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A nagging desire for light

The night has been black, evil almost
The fear of the unknown
Intensifying in the obscurity
Haunting shadows, now apparitions

The promise of the morning beacon
Offers little consolation
If it is not now
It doesn’t really matter when

The question of survival
Lasts only as long as
The darkest vertex
And once that is endured
The shimmer of the break of dawn
No longer warms the soul

The blinding blaze and the
Beaming glow, the piercing
Ebony and the deafening silence
Concatenates into a nebulous halo
Enveloping the consciousness
Of the being that once
Yearned for eternal illumination

The nagging desire for light
Replaced by the strength to
Bear nadirs and zeniths alike

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वोह हो कर भी नहीं थे
और नहीं होकर भी नहीं हैं
आवाज़ क्यूँ हर दम मेरी तरफ से ही आये
हम इस इंतज़ार में हैं की कभी
वोह भी हमें पुकार ले

यूँ तो ज़िन्दगी में
कोई गम कोई तकल्लुफ नहीं
लेकिन ऐसे भी तो
कोई कल की आरजू या उमंग नहीं

अल्फाजों में एक सन्नाटा सा है
खामोशी भी बातें नहीं करती
इस रिश्ते की एहमियत यही है
की हमको अभी इसकी समझ ही नहीं

जो इस वक़्त लम्हा गुज़र रहा है
वोह एक रेट के टीले को
अपने संग लिए जा रहा है

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Forgotten promises
Broken wings
Stifled aspirations
Disappointed joy
Wasted beauty
Sickening heights
Heartening sorrow
Tumultuous depths
Futile wins
Enriching failures
Abandoned plans
Hasty decisions
Anchorless home
Inviting shores
Painful learning
Saccharine hurt
Bitter bond
Unknown acquaintance
Forgiven ties
Continuous darkness
Luminous halo
Critical steps
Steep climb
Illusive destination

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There’s hope in my heart and
Hesitation in my mind
A firm determination in my will
And a weakening tremor in my movement
My soul is pure
My desire tainted
Mornings burn in flames
And evenings turn crimson cinder
Creativity has ceased to be innovative
Invention is just a discovery
A goal I know not
The road is often traversed
I weave realities
Dreams happen
I cannot recognize
The image that is me
My being continues to be
Powerful in its resonance
Contradictions no longer exist
Nor do choices
There is no either or
No place for if and but
Life’s a series of commas, semi colons, and ampersands
It is this and that
A flavor on top of the other
All colors flow into each other
The canvas can no longer contain
The musings of a wanderer.

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A vital chord, once upon a time dearer than life itself,

That was strained yet hopeful,

Twang … it snapped as I watched aghast today

The reason so simple, recurrent, so obvious

The doer blissfully oblivious.

I don’t know if the two broken pieces

Will ever come together like they once did.

But even if the ends are tied

The knot shall ever remain.

And this day shall mark the end

Of an era well loved and lived

Well fought and defended

Ill fated and cursed.

Thus shall begin a new period of

Mutual exclusion and the search

For inner peace and self respect.

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