tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177940772024-03-07T18:21:52.921-05:00Solemn Balderdash...The irony of my life!Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1150983415462096812006-06-22T09:19:00.000-04:002006-06-22T09:36:55.493-04:00My chicago trip<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/P10103341.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/320/P10103341.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> The Windy City<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/P10103391.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/320/P10103391.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /> Symphony practice at Millenium Park<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/P10102911.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/320/P10102911.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> An evening in Chicago<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/P10102401.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/320/P10102401.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> The 'Big John'<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/P10103061.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/320/P10103061.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> View from the John Hancock Tower<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/P10102371.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/320/P10102371.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> One of the gazellion Skyscrappers in ChicagoShwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1146718277497697722006-05-04T00:47:00.000-04:002006-05-04T00:51:55.883-04:00By Reservations only!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#666666;">Reading the news these days depresses me. People shooting their own family, so called crusaders beheading people for belonging to a different religion, communal violence, more deaths… But what has bothered me the most has been the issue of reservations. I always believed that I would go back to my country in a few years raise my kids there, send them to school there. But now I wonder. I have never been brought up in the shadows of caste or religion. Infact up until the time I was in my 11th grade where I had to fill out certain forms, I didn’t even know what my caste was. But now I wonder…How do you talk to kids about tolerance and equality on one hand and then tell them to forfeit what is rightfully theirs to someone completely undeserving on the other? I would like to ask the government. They seem to have an excellent plan to take care of the people who were supposedly minority since their ancestors had been treated wrongly 50 years ago. I ask them what about us. What is happening now is wrong. Does that mean our children and their children will receive concessions for what we and people after us are going through to receive a good education? And why the kid gloves? Why are the people from the reservation quotas being handed things that we are made to work our asses off for?? When did the definition of lower caste change to economically challenged? Or is it another definition for mentally challenged? And since when did 50% become a minority?<br /><br />I don’t think the country would be in such a frenzy if seats were reserved for people who couldn’t afford to go to school and worked and went to night schools to complete their education. But when seats are given to people who score a meager 60% to the normally 99% cutoff, it is pathetic. Especially when you know 50% of those seats will be vacant in the second year and no one will look at the futility or the lost opportunity to some brilliant student who scored 98.9% and who would have made a brilliant surgeon someday but couldn’t get into medical school because his grandfather wasn’t victimized by a Brahmin!<br /><br />In a country where an entire identity can be changed if you can feed the right people a little money what it a little SC/ST certificate? Not only is this issue grossly unfair (not to mention a complete political move) it is also an invitation for more corruption. Maybe ranting won't help(Signing a petition against this fiasco definitely didn't!) But somehow there is still a little hope that maybe if there are enough voices this won't go through and the future of the country will be spared!</span>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1144852139675414682006-04-12T10:28:00.000-04:002006-04-12T10:29:20.706-04:00OH MY GOD!!!!!!!this thing is a mind reader!!!!!!!!!!1<br /><br /><table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2><tr><td bgcolor="#999999" align=center><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black; font-size: 14pt;'><b>You Are Boston</b></font></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#CCCCCC"><center><img src="http://images.blogthings.com/whatamericancityareyouquiz/boston.jpg" height="100" width="100"></center><font color="#000000"><br />Both modern and old school, you never forget your roots.<br />Well educated and a little snobby, you demand the best.<br />And quite frankly, you think you are the best.<br /><br />Famous people from the Boston area: Conan O'Brien, Ben Affleck, New Kids on the Block</font></td></tr></table><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatamericancityareyouquiz/">What American City Are You?</a></div>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1144851601817000942006-04-12T10:17:00.000-04:002006-04-12T10:20:41.586-04:00what kind of writer should i be???Atlast a star is born!! watchout bollywood...AND hollowood! here I come!!!!<br /><br /><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="350" align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td align="middle" bg style="color:#999999;"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: blackfont-family:Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif;" ><b>You Should Be a Film Writer</b></span></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#cccccc"><center><img height="100" src="http://images.blogthings.com/whattypeofwritershouldyoubequiz/film.jpg" width="100" /></center><span style="color:#000000;"><br />You don't just create compelling stories, you see them as clearly as a movie in your mind.<br />You have a knack for details and dialogue. You can really make a character come to life.<br />Chances are, you enjoy creating all types of stories. The joy is in the storytelling.<br />And nothing would please you more than millions of people seeing your story on the big screen!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/whattypeofwritershouldyoubequiz/">What Type of Writer Should You Be?</a></div>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1144379882655475462006-04-06T23:03:00.000-04:002006-04-06T23:20:56.796-04:00Excerpts from my life<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#666666;">I had the funniest conversation with my mother last night. I should tell you my mother gets cooler with every passing year.She was quite a disciplinerian as i was growing up. But now she is one character! Funny thing is she asks me for advice!! ME!! I think that’s quite insane. Anyways, I called her last night and she very coolly informed me she was quitting her job. One she had had for the past 24 years. That’s older than I am!! I wasn’t surprised cause she has been saying this for the past 4 years. She just doesn’t get around to doing it though. I guess she is afraid of boredom. But anyways, heres how our conversation went.<br /><br />Ma: I am quitting my job. I don’t like it and I don’t want to do it anymore. Its too nerve- wracking and I think I have had enough.<br />Me: hmmmm<br />Ma: Yes I have made up my mind. I want some free time in my life. Don’t want so much </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#666666;">jhanjhat.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#666666;"><span style="color:#666666;">Me: Good<br />Ma: What do you think??<br />Me: If you don’t want to do it you shouldn’t do it.<br />Ma: That is exactly what your dad said. Exact same words infact. Have you been talking to him. Did you guys decide on what you were going to say to me??<br />Me: (Sigh) Ok mommy. I think its time I told you this. I don’t want you to take this the wrong way and I am only telling you this cause I love you. You are a smart intelligent woman and its time you started making your decisions on your own. Daddy and I are not going to be around forever you know! You have to decide what you want to do and do it! Even if we don’t agree!! As long as you think and believe its right.<br />Ma: So you are saying I should trust my instincts?<br />Me: Yes. Exactly<br />Ma: But what if I am wrong? What if I don’t know what’s good for me? What if I screw everything up? You have got to help me. I am not ready for this!!!<br />Me: SNEHA NAGESH SHANBHAG!!! I will not have you telling me you are not capable of being independent!! I did not stick with you and love you for 22 years to hear you say this!<br />Ma: (after a pause) You are right. I will be independent. I will live my life completely. You are right! Ofcourse you are right!!<br /></span>Me: ya I know that.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#c0c0c0;"><br /><span style="color:#666666;">(In the back ground) Dad: can I have some tea? I really need to get to work soon.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#666666;">Ma: (yells) Go make your own tea!!! I am an independent woman from now on!!<br />Me: (to myself) What have I done! I have created a monster!!!</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;">So if you thought I was a kook now you know why!!! </span></span><br /></span>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1142604628246370572006-03-17T08:52:00.000-05:002006-03-24T21:22:11.243-05:00story...or something like it!!So if you think I have been lazy since I have not updated my blog in a longggg time, well think again! I was trying something different. I decided to write a story (APPLAUSE!!!!) But its too long to be called a short story. So call it whatever you want. Here goes:<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">She stared out of her window gazing at the magnificent New York Skyline. Thirty years. She was almost through with half her life and what did she have to show for it? Well a lot if you look at objectively, her practical self told her: a well-paying job, a good six figure salary, respect that came with her position, a huge office by NY standards with an excellent view, a nice condo in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Manhattan</st1:place></st1:city>, lots of friends. True, she told herself, linking her hands together and resting her chin on them. She had a great job and was making more money than she needed. But once when she thought of it as her career, today it had just become a job. And the skyline that seemed amazing the first 500 times that she had looked out of the window was now just there. What was she going to do with her salary when she had absolutely no time to spend it? And friends…yes lots of them and almost every one of them married with kids, or engaged or seriously dating. What had happened to her plans? She had been a planner all her life. After getting her masters at 23, she wanted to work for a couple of years and lay a strong foundation for her career. She was quite sure she would meet someone special by then and then get married at the age of 26, have her first kid at 28 and the next at 30. A husband, 2 children, one boy and one girl actually, and one dog: a retriever. They would be one happy family. That was going to be her life. When had she taken a detour from her planned life? </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">May 25<sup>th</sup> 1999, that’s when. A knock sounded on her door shaking her out of her reverie. Ray, the janitor peeped in. A man in his late 50s, sometimes, she thought Ray was her only friend. After all, she saw him more than most of her other colleagues since she worked such odd hours.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘You still here? Its 9 o’clock.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘I was just packing up. I am almost done’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Lots of flowers you got there. Any special occasion?’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">She looked up from packing and gave a wry smile. ‘No’, she replied ‘Just my birthday’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘And you are still here? What’s wrong with you girl? Go out there and have some fun. Get drunk. Give yourself a break. Its Friday night after all’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘I cant. I have to finish up a report…’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘You don’t have to give me excuses’, he said carefully scrutinizing her. ‘Why don’t you treat yourself and take the weekend off? You look like you have some on your mind’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Since this was not the first time Ray had been on target about her, she wasn’t startled at how accurate he was. She did have lots on her mind and if she was lucky all she needed would be a break. If not…well she would figure it out later.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">She nodded her head at Ray, ‘Maybe I will. Thanks Ray and goodnight. See you on Monday.’ She said, picking her bag.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘And Ms. Pai?’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">She turned around and raised her eyebrow</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Happy birthday’ Ray said</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">She smiled. ‘Thank you Ray’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Today for a change she decided to walk home. The first time she had been to NY, she had been overwhelmed by all the people and the rush. She had felt alive here. She had been 18 then. Surprisingly ever since she had moved to NY, she had never taken the time to actually walk around the city she loved so much. ‘Well, today is your lucky day’, she told herself. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">As she started towards her apartment on <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">56th St.</st1:address></st1:street>, she began to relax. She still loved this place. She really should get out of her office more, she thought. Just as she was weaving her way through a hoard of teenagers, she spotted it. The Temple Bar. It had been ages since she had been here. Although, it was dimly lit and looked like a place better suited for clandestine meetings, it probably had the best drinks in the city. She wondered if it still had those sinful margaritas. Maybe I should go in and check out, she thought. After all, it does seem like a day for firsts!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">It took her a minute to get accustomed to the darkness as she entered. As she made her way to the table, she wondered if this was such a good idea. Relax, she chided herself, and enjoy. She sat at the bar and ordered a margarita. Mmmmmmmmmm, she thought, still the same.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Long day, huh?’ She jumped at the sound that seemed to come from nowhere.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">She turned to her left to look at this…figure. Well that was the best she could describe him. It was obviously a man. She could tell that from his voice. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Well ya, you could say that’ she answered not quite certain how to react.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Not one of those workaholics are you?’ he asked, with a smile in his voice.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">She didn’t know why exactly she relaxed, but somehow, very surprisingly, she let her guard down.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Guilty’ she said smiling herself.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘I don’t suppose I should blame you. Its this city. Its so bloody cold. You might as well stay in and work.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Cold? What are you talking about? Its fall. Its amazing weather! I take it you are not from around here?’ </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Nope. <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state>. That is what ‘amazing weather’ would be. Ever been there?’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Yes, once. A long time back.’ She said, looking into her glass.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Doesn’t sound like you had a lot of fun.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Well, it wasn’t a pleasure trip. Besides, I am a typical New York City girl. My kind gets extremely confused if we don’t see crowded streets and skyscrapers.’ He just laughed.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘So are you here on business?’ She wasn’t sure if that was too personal, but she didn’t know what else to say.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Personal business. I was hoping to meet someone.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘And did you?’ </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">He took a second to answer. ‘I did.’ He said finally. ‘But it didn’t go the way I expected it to.’ She was now a little confused and very intrigued. There was something about this guy. She couldn’t put a finger on it. But somehow, he seemed very familiar.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Would you like another drink?’ He asked looking at her almost empty glass.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘No’ she said, shaking her head. ‘I usually don’t drink.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘At all?’ He asked surprised as he signaled the bartender to refill his glass.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘This is my first drink in 8 years.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Why?’ he asked.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">She was surprised that actually had the urge to tell him. A stranger whose name she didn’t know.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘DO you really want to know?’ she asked turning towards him.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Yes’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Ok. I had a heart transplant 8 years ago. For the following year I was on medication and was asked not to drink. I still need to take some medication once in a while. So I try to stay away from alcohol.’ She said shrugging her shoulders making it sound very casual. But in fact she was holding her breath to see what his reaction would be. Till date most people thought her different, because of her transplant. They either looked at her like she was a freak or like a fragile doll who might break if they as much as touched her. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">He nodded his head. ‘That makes sense. What went wrong with your heart?’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">She was surprised because he sounded like he was genuinely interested. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘It just failed one day. It was my final semester in grad school. I was excited about finishing up. I had big plans for the future. They had offered me a job at J P Morgan. And there was Jay. I had met known him for 3 years and we wanted to get married. Life had never looked better. And then one day just before my finals, I had this horrible feeling like someone was choking me and I just fainted. Everyone thought it was stress and didn’t worry too much about it. But when they took me to the hospital I knew something was wrong. They put me through a series of tests. And finally they said that it was a condition called Cardiomyopathy. My heart muscle was getting weak and would continue getting weaker. There was only one way to keep me alive. A heart transplant. But the doctor warned me it could take months to find a matching donor. They didn’t know if I would make it. I couldn’t think. For days I was like a zombie. Why was this happening to me? I thought. I had been healthy all my life. There had been no clue that this would ever happen to me. I couldn’t tell any of my friends. Everyone was excited about their graduation, their future, all the vacations they had planned! Then, my uncle called from <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>. He is a surgeon there. He said he had friends who were cardiologists. He would make sure I received the proper treatment and I would be ok. So I went and I told my friends I was going to <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state> for a holiday. Once I was in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state> my condition deteriorated and they had absolutely no luck finding a donor. I had lost all hope and then one day a miracle happened. The doctor called saying they had found one and within 48 hours, I had a new heart. May 25<sup>th</sup> 1999, I received a new life.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">He was silent for a while. Then he asked ‘What happened to Jay?’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘I don’t know. I didn’t get a chance to tell him about the diagnosis. He was going to meet his brother in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Las Vegas</st1:place></st1:city> and then take a road trip from there. I tried very hard to get in touch with him. But I guess he was on the road and I couldn’t reach him. Then after my operation, I came back and I thought I would see him here. But he never came back. I waited for a long time but I never heard from him. I had never met his brother, so I couldn’t contact him and none of his friends seemed to know where he was. Maybe he found something better from life.’ She hadn’t thought of Jay in 8 years now because she promised herself that if he could forget about her in a matter of months, she was not going to waste her life- her new life crying over him. He had obviously been a liar and a coward. But it still hurt. She had loved him. She had wanted to have a family with him, to share her life with him and he hadn’t even had the courtesy to break up with her.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">They both were silent for a few minutes before he asked, ‘Did you ever find who the donor was?’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">She was a little surprised by the question. ‘No she said. I didn’t want to know.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Hmmm. So you still work at J P Morgan?’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘No they couldn’t wait a year till I completely recovered. But I work for Ernst & Young. So I guess it all worked out.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Did it? Are you happy with your life then?’ he asked scrutinizing her carefully. She suddenly felt very awkward. She felt like he could see right through her even in the darkness. She looked away. ‘Yes, she said. I have a good job and friends. Ofcourse I am happy.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘You have been given a second chance. I hope you realize that. Not everyone is that lucky.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Before she could say anything, he got up from his chair and looked at her. ‘Its quite late. I should get going. Do you want me to call you a cab?’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘I think I will walk a little bit. I don’t stay very far away.’ She said putting on her jacket.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">He walked her out of the door. She turned to thank him and for the first time that night, she actually got to see his face. He was tall and very good looking. Dark hair, sharp brown eyes, a stubborn chin. And very familiar. When he raised his eyebrow, she realized she was staring. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘I am sorry’ she said, flustered. ’You just looked a little familiar. I didn’t mean to stare. Sorry.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘That’s alright. Well good night. It was really nice to meet you Maya.’ He said extending his hand for a shake.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘It was nice to…’ she stopped. She was sure she hadn’t told him her name. Suddenly she was scared. Was he a stalker? A psycho?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘How do you know my name?’ she asked knowing that the panic showed in her voice.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Jay didn’t desert you Maya. He was very excited about your life together too. He couldn’t stop talking about you.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Before she could ask him what the hell he meant, he raised his hand as if asking her to stop and started to explain.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘After his graduation we had decided to meet in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Las Vegas</st1:place></st1:city>. We decided to go then take a short road trip to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:city> where I am based. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Las Vegas</st1:place></st1:city> was a lot of fun. Well you know Jay. Anywhere with him is fun. I could never believe how close we were inspite of our 5 year age difference you know. Anyways, we had covered most of Southern California and were headed towards <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">San Jose</st1:place></st1:city>. Jay was driving and I had fallen asleep in the back of the car. The passenger seat was too congested for me you see. Everything was going fine and then suddenly before we could even blink this drunk guy on the other side of the road lost control of his car and rammed his car straight into us. I got away with a few bruises. But Jay didn’t get away that easily. He was seriously hurt. I couldn’t get him out of the car because he was stuck. The ambulance took what seemed like eons to get there. Jay must have known he was not going to make it. He told me he loved you. And he would continue loving you no matter what. He wanted me to tell you he was sorry.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Maya couldn’t speak. She couldn’t even breathe. She couldn’t believe her Jay was dead. She could have tolerated the fact that he had left her and was happy with someone else, but that he was no longer in this world! How could that happen?</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘Don’t you want to know when this happened?’ She looked up sharply. Her heart was thudding. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘When?’ She whispered. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘May 25<sup>th</sup> ,1999.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">That’s when the tears started. One by one. She didn’t even know she stood there crying. She was so numb from the shock. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">‘You got his heart Maya. You got a second chance at life. My brother wasn’t that lucky. I guess this is how you are meant to share your life with him. Give it a fair chance Maya. Be happy. For Jay.’</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(102,102,102); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">He hugged her then. For a long moment. And without a word turned around and started walking away. As she watched him go, somewhere in a distance a clock struck midnight. This wasn’t the end, she thought. It was the beginning. Perhaps of her life…</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(153,153,153); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><span style="font-size:+0;"></span></p>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1139787643273445602006-02-12T18:33:00.000-05:002006-02-12T18:43:42.740-05:00Here's looking at you,kid<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/casablanca.0.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/320/casablanca.0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/casablanca.jpg"></a><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><em>A kiss is still a kiss<br />A sigh is just a sigh<br />The fundamental things apply<br />As time goes by</em><br /><br />Yes, I saw Casablanca again…for the 15th time I think! And for the 15th time, I was overwhelmed. It is one movie that just gets better with time. The superior wit, a very simple and unpretentious script and Humphrey Bogart’s unique style. Surprisingly, its one story of unrequited love that does not make me sad. Maybe because it’s not just a love story. As Rick puts it to Ilsa, "I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that."<br />Maybe it is the ‘beautiful friendship’ between Capt. Renault and Rick.</span></div><div align="left"><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Capt. Renault: Rick, there are many exit visas sold in this café, but we know that you've never sold one. That is the reason we permit you to remain open.<br />Rick: Oh? I thought it was because I let you win at roulette.<br />Capt. Renault: That is another reason. </span></div><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Or perhaps, its the setting. In the midst of war and brutality, when you think people had forgotten the meaning to humanity, it shows you the sentimentalistic streak in a seemingly dispassionate man.<br />Whatever it is, it is a wonderful movie. A classic. Too bad they don't make movies like that anymore!<br /></span></p>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1139160484056763842006-02-05T12:17:00.000-05:002006-02-05T12:36:42.906-05:00Glimpses of India<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/darjeeling%20trip%201133.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/320/darjeeling%20trip%201133.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Siliguri</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><br /><p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/darjeeling%20trip%201272.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/320/darjeeling%20trip%201272.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sunrise in Gangtok </span></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><p><br /></p><p></span></p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/darjeeling%20trip%20018.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/320/darjeeling%20trip%20018.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Frozen Changu Lake-Sikkim</span> <p><br /></p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/darjeeling%20trip%201762.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/320/darjeeling%20trip%201762.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Sunrise</span><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/darjeeling%20trip%201321.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/320/darjeeling%20trip%201321.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Kanchanjunga Range </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">P.S.: I wonder why people look for a chance to run to Switzerland etc. when there is so much beauty in India!<br /></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></p><p><br /></p>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1139156638333830772006-02-05T11:23:00.000-05:002006-02-05T11:26:13.786-05:00India trip<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#666666;">It has been 2 weeks and 4 days since I came back from India and the only reason I have procrastinated writing a blog for so long is I guess because I was afraid that once I began writing, it would all come back to me. How much fun I had…how wonderful it was to be with my family…to hug my mom at night before I went to bed…to wake up to the smell of breakfast cooking and to revel in the fact that I not only DIDN’T have to cook, but also that I DIDN’T have to do the dishes after…to make plans every single day to go shopping without worrying that it might burn a giant hole in my pocket…to hog without a thought at every single place I had dreamed of for the past 10 months...to just finally be home.<br />To say that my India trip was special is an understatement. I tried to live the next 2 years of my life in that one month, because I was quite sure that it would atleast be that long before I went back again. Somehow, it was worse leaving home this second time. Like I told my mom, atleast the first time there was that excitement about the unknown life in the US of A. Now I even knew what was awaiting me when I got back and it sometimes did not seem like a good enough reason to leave. I am not trying to say I hate it here. I don’t. I love the work and my friends. But I am very selfish and want everything. And most of my everything includes my family.<br />Anyways, leaving the melancholy behind let me tell you a little about my trip. It was WONDERFUL!!! Despite the severe gastritis that I was diagnosed with within a couple of days of reaching there, I had a lot of fun. Of course, I chose to ignore the doctor’s orders to not eat outside food! I think the best thing however was the trip I took with my family to Sikkim and Darjeeling. My family is very enthusiastic and we even went river rafting. It was soo cool!<br />But time passes so quickly when you are having fun! 30 days were gone in a flash!<br />So now I am back. To the place where there’s no pollution, no sucky roads (well, that’s not actually true...I DO live in Mass) no crowded streets, no honking, no trash on the roads…Man, life sucks!</span>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1134656554024188122005-12-15T09:19:00.000-05:002005-12-15T17:55:48.256-05:00me back!<p class="MsoNormal" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms">Yes, I am alive! I know, that has been a question botherinng many of my friends and acquaintances. In the past few days, I think I received a few hundred calls to ask if I was sick? on a vacation? just plain mad? and even ALIVE??<br />I think thats what it took for me to realize this hibernation had lasted long enough.<br />Two weeks back I returned from CA and decided to go on an exile...in my bedroom and never go out to the world of the living! I was punishing myself for having way too much fun, just 2 weeks before my finals. What had i been thinking! As the work piled up, so did my guilt. After a few sleepless weeks and my last submission behind me, I finally came to my senses and decided to rid myself off the guilt. Afterall, theres no such thing as 'too much fun'! Especially when you are meeting your dearest friends after 18 months! And I had needed that vacation and it had been (if i may say so myself) well-deserved.<br />For those who are wondering about my CA trip (and also for those who I promised a blog filled with accolades to LA) I had a superb time! After hearing so much about the 'unsafe' city, I think I had pretty much said my final goodbyes to all my friends in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Worcester</st1:place></st1:city> (Thanks to the ubiquitous melodrama queen in me!) I even humored the thoughts of getting a license for a gun. But considering my aim I was more likely to shoot myself in the leg than at my attacker. So i braved it out and reached LAX. My luggage was lost. That was how LA welcomed me! What else could be expected, I asked myself. On the way to my friends place, I saw 5 policemen pounding a homeless looking guy...perfect scene from Law&Order! My friend completely ignored the scene saying it was a regular occurrence! I gulped hard and had half a mind to jump out of the car and run back to LAX...heck all the way to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Boston</st1:place></st1:city> if I had to! But i figured that was probably not safe. So I stayed...and was very pleasantly surprised in the next few days. We went to <st1:city st="on">Long Beach</st1:city>, Universal, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Santa Monica</st1:place></st1:city> and around LA. Everything was so different from the east coast! There were beaches you could actually swim in because the water wasnt too cold! The weather was B-E-A-UUUUUUUUtiful. Food was heavenly...from the little Italian bistro round the corner to the juicy In-n-Out burgers! Even went to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Inglewood</st1:place></st1:city> (yes yes..the place thats up to no good!) and ate the best Pakistani food ever!!! So all-in-all (considering i am still alive!) it was a good trip!<br />And lucky me! I am already preparing to go on my next trip...to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">INDIA</st1:place></st1:country-region>!!! 4 days and then i will be in HappyLand!</p>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1132005914736235452005-11-14T17:03:00.000-05:002006-02-05T12:40:52.926-05:00Men Vs Women..II<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000000;">After reading Men are from Mars… one of my friends of the opposite sex had a question. Is that what girls really want from a man? For him to spend every waking moment with them?<br />I thought about it. And I think I may have come up with an answer. Yes, girls want attention. Lots of it. Dozen red roses, romantic dinners, soft cuddly toys will do the trick most of the times…Until the day we feel absolutely smothered by the attention and cant breathe anymore. That will be the day the guy gets dumped. Go get a life, we will say! And then we will want someone who will take us for granted, who wont be at our doorstep every second of his life, who will be neglectful sometimes, you know.<br />Its all a cycle. Its not that women don’t know what they want. They do. They want something very pristine in a relationship. Something no one else has. Something…perfect. Someone perfect. But as we know perfection is just an illusion. There is no perfect man! Heck, as close as we come, there is no perfect WOMAN even!<br />And sure as hell there is no perfect relationship. The day people understand that, love will blossom. Women will accept that boys will always be boys and get a little neurotic when they see a football game. Men will just stop arguing with a woman about putting the toilet seat down and just do it! And it will all be worth it!<br />Catastrophe: why the hell do I feel like I am making sense?!?</span>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1131648621084223342005-11-10T13:49:00.000-05:002005-11-14T21:33:14.443-05:00Sunday bloody sunday!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000000;">This past weekend, I was cribbing to no end cause I had to work on Sunday. And not just that, I needed to drive all the way to this place which was almost at the border of Mass and Connecticut!! Hell, I could think of sooo many things to occupy my Sunday! I could wake up late and laze in bed till late afternoon, eat a nice heavy meal and go back to bed… maybe wake up in the evening and watch a movie, smoke the hookah with my friends (no tobacco or any other ‘stuff’ involved here! Just double apple… my favorite flavor!) And then go back to bed in preparation for the beginning of the week! Well if you know me at all, by now you are probably palpitating wondering if you need to worry about me having suffered from some serious head injury. After all I am the one up at 8:30 on Sundays dragging everyone out of bed begging, persuading (and if nothing works) bullying people to do something exciting! But if you read carefully you will notice I said I <em>could</em> do all those things…not that I would. Even the above schedule looked appealing to me rather than going to WORK!!<br /><br />I tried to convince myself to call in sick… but I couldn’t. Eventually I got there, sulking all the way…naturally! Atleast we were being provided with lunch. Well the meeting wasn’t bad. I will grudgingly admit it was quite engaging. BUT there was no food! I have no idea how that happened! So finally when I left there at 3 in the afternoon, my stomach doing everything it could to show its displeasure, I was pretty bummed to say the least! I started driving back and put on an old CD. As my mood started improving a little, I noticed, that it was a beautiful day. Not the hackneyed version of a beautiful day where everything was bright and sunny. Infact it was like a dream. It was completely foggy, not very cold and whatever little color you could see was from the trees exhibiting what you could call fall colors.<br /><br />So I got a little carried away. Listening to George Michael croon <em>careless whisper</em> on my stereo, I suddenly became convinced that I should not waste this day on the Interstate. Instead I took the inner routes, pretty darn confident that I would find my way home... without a map too. Well I was wrong! It took me one whole hour to get home. Bright side- I listened to the ENTIRE CD! And that’s not all. I finally found the CD on which I had all my Dirty Dancing songs! You wont believe how long that search had been going on for!<br /><br />Point of the story: Why None! I just felt like rambling a little..the title of the blog does say Balderdash you know!</span>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1131376009115260622005-11-07T10:02:00.000-05:002005-11-07T10:06:49.130-05:00Bean Counter<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000000;">Since I spend more than half of my waking life at this place, I thought it deserved a post. It’s called the Bean Counter. It’s a quaint little coffee shop with the yummiest baked goods. And the best White Chocolate Mocha I have ever had! Anyone who knows me will vouch for me when I say I am a serious chocoholic. Actually that may not be the most accurate term to describe my condition. I HATE chocolates (unless it is 5*) But chocolate cakes..ummmmmm…I have no resistance against them. There was a point in my life when a Dutch truffle and iced tea constituted lunch!<br />Anyways, getting back to BC. Its no wonder I love this place. Their death by chocolate cookie..yes I would die for it! Amazing stuff! But what’s more amazing is that it’s a modern day <em>Cheers</em>. Its a place where everyone knows your name. Why do I go there? To study ofcourse! Believe me its much better than a library! There’s chaos, yes, but it’s a very systematic chaos. I don’t know if I can explain it...but I do get a lot of work done there!<br />If I am there early mornings...there’s usually this friendly bunch of ‘older’ people. I have a suspicion that they are all retired and now own their own businesses just to kill time. The first day I met them, I remember I went there only cause I had nothing better to do (since it was 9 and I was already up and ready and had absolutely no work! If you were a grad student, you would know how much confusion ‘having absolutely no work’ would create in your head!) So anyways, I got my regular coffee and went to sit by the window (that’s my favorite seat btw) But the guys stopped me to warn me that I was not going to get any work done at all…I laughed it off and made some smartass comment and opened my laptop only to realize that they had been infact very serious! The hour that followed was probably one of the most engaging and entertaining times I have ever had (with total strangers, mind you!) It’s a regular feature now…If I am there from 9-10 am, I expect to atleast hear the review of the latest movie in town!<br />Another person who is probably as addicted to the coffee and ambience there is my math professor. But of course he is never there when the sun is up...cause that’s when he is in bed! Late evenings a chat with him on some bizarre math funda make him (as he wud put it) very ‘happy and joyous’!<br />Then there are people like David…I never know when I will bump into them there…he tried to teach me Spanish while I taught him Hindi. Very interesting it was. I wonder why we stopped. Anyways, when I told him I had bought a new (and my very first) guitar…he gave me his pluck! For luck!!!<br />At first when people couldn’t reach me they would wonder where I was…I believe they now start their search at the Bean Counter before they even check at school or at home! So if you cant find me…113, Highland St, Worcester,MA…I promise I will be there! :)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000000;"></span>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1130366981741087962005-10-26T18:46:00.000-04:002005-10-26T18:49:41.753-04:00A CRUSH!!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000000;">I have realised I am pretty good at writing silly poems (that rhyme!) Heres one that i had written a while back....</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000000;">A CRUSH:<br />Let me tell you about this girl I know,<br />She’s shy, maybe even a little mellow,<br />You’ve known her for a year or two<br />But what I’ll tell you now may come as a surprise to you.<br />You see she’s got a crush on you,<br />She gets a rush when you are within a mile or two.<br />When she hears your voice,<br />Its almost like her tummy<br />Inhabits a thousand butterflies!<br />You are just her friend, she’ll say,<br />But then she’ll think of you day after day.<br />She’ll do anything to impress you now,<br />And pray to god that you will notice her somehow.<br />She’ll bore her friends with stories of you<br />Of all your accomplishments, old and new!<br />She blushes and she gushes when you smile at her,<br />Even then, you don’t notice her or her foolish demeanor.<br />She doesn’t love you yet, I think<br />But believe me when I say she’s right on the brink!<br />To you I only have one plea to make,<br />Especially knowing that you are the incorrigible rake,<br />Whatever you do, stay friends or part,<br />Just don’t break this young girl’s heart!</span>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1130018182408540682005-10-22T17:26:00.000-04:002005-10-26T19:26:54.290-04:00Men are from Mars and Women are from…EARTH...duh!<span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >I will never understand it; the colossal disparity in the behaviors of Gods favorite creatures. How can two people of the same species have such different mind sets? If you ask me the problem developed when we were given minds to think! Mind you, I am not complaining. I thrive in the ever lasting struggle that goes on when humans separate into the Man-&-Woman category and there is a depraved part of me that actually finds this amusing. How? Let me elucidate.</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >* Does size really matter?</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >‘Honey, does this dress really make me look fat?’</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >‘No sweetie, not at all! Why, you could be Americas next supermodel!’</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >While sweetie is temporarily convinced Mr. Big Fat Liar sits down nursing his own insecurities. If he is a ‘man’s man’ he’s probably worried his beer belly isn’t impressive enough. If he is the health conscious/vain type he’s wondering if he should talk to his personal trainer about taking more steroids…he still hasn’t perfected the HULK look yet!</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >And if he is well just a man…then he’s only worried about the size of *ahem* his family jewels! So while they are always telling us how complicated we are and how we think so much for every little thing, they seem to be doing pretty much the same!</span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >* Shopping sprees and Football orgasms</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >I think the perfect relationship will be one where the women has enough money to go shopping every other day and the man can sit at home with endless supply of beer watching a football game on his Big Screen TV with his buddies, screaming obscenities and being rowdy! Both of them will be in bliss and no one will ever get hurt!</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Its weird how after the first few months in a relationship, the 2 people seem the happiest when they are away from each other! When once the woman would have sat through the ordeal of watching a game (Football, baseball, soccer…it’s all the same after all huh?)- faking a football orgasm and sipping on beer (and mentally calculating the calories she was consuming!) just to make sweetie pie happy, now she would happily trade it to get her nails done. And sweetie pie who once oohed and aahed at the choice of his honeybuns choice in fashion and took her to every store on 5th Avenue (carrying loads of shopping bags all along!) would without a second thought shove her out of the house with her girlfriends to cheer the Red Sox! </span><br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >* ‘You don’t love me anymore!’</span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >For a woman, the man of her dreams who loves her as much as she does him would worship the very ground she walks on, charm her friends, take her for romantic candlelit dinners, plan weekend getaways, spend every waking moment of his life with her (without actually having to be nagged into it!). Well the list is endless. For a man, the woman he loves won’t have to do much to keep him satisfied… as long as she cooks, cleans, gets him his beer and keeps her mouth shut, things will be perfect!<br /></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0); FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Need I say more? Men will always be a mystery to women and women will always puzzle men! But hey, look at the bright side…at least life will be a little unpredictable and less boring!</p>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1129303569503415972005-10-14T11:09:00.000-04:002005-10-17T11:51:45.683-04:00me<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="350" align="center" border="0"><tbody><tr><td align="middle" style="color:#98fb98;"><p><span style="font-size:14;"><b></b></span> </p><p><span style="font-size:14;"><b>You Are Chinese Food</b></span></p></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#cafbca"><center><img height="100" src="http://images.blogthings.com/whatkindoffoodareyouquiz/chinese-food.jpg" width="100" /></center><span style="color:#000000;"><br />Exotic yet ordinary.<br />People think they've had enough of you, but they're back for more in an hour.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindoffoodareyouquiz/">What Kind of Food Are You?</a></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">I think i like :)</div><br /><br /><table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2><tr><td bgcolor="#DDDDDD" align=center><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black; font-size: 14pt;'><b>You Are a Strawberry Daiquiri</b></font></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE"><center><img src="http://images.blogthings.com/whatmixeddrinkareyouquiz/strawberry-daiquiri.jpg" height="100" width="100"></center><font color="#000000"><br />You're a fun, playful drinker who loves to party.<br />You may get totally wasted, but you're always a happy drunk!</font></td></tr></table><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatmixeddrinkareyouquiz/">What Mixed Drink Are You?</a></div>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1129183681342709452005-10-13T02:06:00.000-04:002005-10-14T20:22:25.863-04:00Armageddon<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/r1579270860.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/320/r1579270860.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2236/1035/1600/r1579270860.jpg"></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Is the world coming to an end? As I read the reports on the aftermath of the latest disaster in Asia, I could not help wondering that. The world has seen (hopefully) the worst of the nature’s wrath. The numbers of natural calamities in this year have probably surpassed those in the past decade. Tsunamis, earthquakes, unrelenting rains, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes.. I think we have seen it all. As I read the article about the arctic ice melting faster this year, I wondered. Why? Were there not enough terrorists and politicians to kill mankind on this planet? Did we really need these crude exhibitions from the forces of nature?<br />It is terrifying; as I am sure it is for most people away from their family . I pray to God every night and every time I read a dreadful article stating the number of people dead from some catastrophe. I hope my family will be spared the worst of it all. I think its worse knowing they feel the same alarm too. As my Mom said: America is so big. Did it have to rain and start flooding in NH of all places??<br />Maybe Nostradamus was right after all…just a few years off…</span>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17794077.post-1129179770072636652005-10-13T00:38:00.000-04:002005-10-13T02:10:26.713-04:00Mishmash<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#333333;">Have you ever been to Davis’s Mega Maze? Let me describe it to you. It has miles and miles of corn that all looks the same ..and obviously as the name suggests, it is a maze. A place you just can’t get out of! No matter what you do!You go in…and when you see the restrooms built inside the maze, you know you are expected to be in there for a LONG time!<br />Well if you are lucky, sometimes, it will be nice and sunny (a rarity for a native New Englander) and if you are luckier, you wont be alone but with someone you like being with and you wouldn’t mind being in there for hours! But a lot of times, the scenario will be something like this I think.. it will be raining( but of course!) And since you were supposed to be on a date (and of course nothing spoils the mood quicker than an oversize poncho!) you naturally left your rain wear at home. SO not only are you now cold but you are also WET! You feel absolutely incompetent at not being able to get out of the stupid maze and all you want is to GO HOME!<br />So, what’s my point? (do I ever have one?) I am thinking, my life is a mega maze. I keep getting lost in it over and over. Sometimes, I have fun doing it and some days I just want to throw in the blanket and call it quits!! But hey just like I will keep going back to that maze to get out of there on my own just once, I don’t think I will be satisfied till this labyrinth of life is completely sorted.<br />The lesson to take from this?? Well, always carry your slicker to the maze, ofcourse! You will be happier that way!</span>Shwetahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18123050732370350586noreply@blogger.com3