... ink !! ;)

Pretty, isn't it..??
Sadly, it's still on someone else's body..!
I have no idea how exactly my love for tattoos started. No one I know personally has got any yet..! Still, I'm really fascinated by the idea of getting ink on my body.
May be TLC is responsible, they have this show, where we get to see people getting tattooed. Yes, its going to hurt (they also said threading hurts, it was bearable pain only. Nothing worth screaming your head off !! )
Or may be, its the saying "the only thing you can take to your grave is tattoo", I know, I know, tacky.

Anyways, getting inked is on my bucket list. I think this one will look really pretty on my back neck. Or maybe on the safer note, on my arm..(safe as in, from parents. Just to be really really safe, maybe I should wait till after marriage. My father got me to take down half of my interests from my matrimony profile, obviously, people are looking for girls with adakkom othukkam..! Hah!! Long drives, and tattoos obviously makes a girl sound unruly, doesn't they??  )

Life’s little etiquette conundrums..

I’m pretty sure that Reader’s Digest subscribers come across this title once in every month. I borrowed the title from them.. Because I couldn’t think of any other title without any bitterness.

I take things to heart, and therefore even little things like a word or gesture is more than enough to hurt me and make me fret over for days. This is applicable only to things and people I care.

Recently, I found out that one of the teachers, who taught me at school, had not yet accepted my friend request. And yes, I did see this teacher as an important person, and was surprised at this. It must have been atleast a year since I send her the request.

Asking around, I did find the reason. I framed my request in inappropriate terms. As opposed to being a student, when she read my request(you have an option for letting a person who you are when sending a request), she got the feeling that I was in an overly friendly manner, like a familiar friend. Unfortunately I cannot remember the exact wordings I wrote..!!  What I remember is along these lines “ hello maam, how are you? Hope you are doing fine. ”  But definitely there must have been more to it, which must have offended her. Did I mention I do hope you remember me?? I have no idea. But what I do remember is that I did spent quite some time on that request, composing it. Maybe I should have send the request and ended it there..!!

Nevertheless, I was really hurt. And thinking back, there was this incident in which I came straight across her, at the school gate and she completely ignored me. I did try to make her look at me, so that I can smile and say ‘namaste teacher’, but she didn’t even acknowledge me being there. I thought then, that maybe it was because she was late, and there must have been a number of things going around her mind, but now I think it may be because of this request stuff (it’s quite funny, how you think you must have forgotten some things, but at the correct moment they come up.. this usually goes for unexplained stuff, things that was not resolved before..!).

Needless to say, right now I am little mad at her, because she is a grown up and above it a teacher. Maybe she could have messaged me directly reprimanding me, or said something to that effect on that school gate situation, but instead she decided to, I don’t know, give me the silent treatment?? Seriously??!! Had something like that happened I would have emerged wiser, and would have forgotten all about it then and there. Instead, I am sitting here, boiling over, trying to remember what exactly did I write, which offended her so much..!!

And wondering whether I should apologize for it..! But what exactly do I apologise for, and seeing that she did not indeed care enough to correct me, should I care enough for apologising..?I’ve been thinking about it for over a week now and  I reached the conclusion that I do not , maybe she isn’t meant to be in the high pedestal where I used to put her in.

..the very Incredible India

Incredible India..!
It's the place where girls, as young as five year old gets brutally raped and the police offers 2000 rupees to the parents not to register the case. Incredible indeed.

Women is considered as lesser being by most of the people in India, hence the female feticide.And do not think it is the illiterate rural folks who are at it, its most widely done in the urban upper class . In one sense it is better, than the baby growing up and facing more atrocities on the way.

I am not saying that India is the only place where crimes of such inhuman nature occurs, what I am
saying is that India is the only place where such crimes occur and the maximum punishment that can be handed off is a lifetime sentence, 12 or so years in prison. Is  so many years of free accommodation, food and paid labor going to deter the next person from committing the same crime..? I don't think so.

Punishment needs to install a sense of terror in everybody's mind, like when I was little, "I will tell this to your papa when he gets home " was all that was needed to bring out my best behaviour. I've read about the life in prison in other countries, only a born criminal can withstand that life, and generally people tend to avoid it. But over here, its better than the life outside for most of them.

India is the second populous country in the world, and main majority of its population is poor, "below poverty line". The Government on its part has passed out policies ensuring food provisions at a discounted rate from PDS outlets and the 100 days of work for everyone,but the non-poor society implementing these schemes cannot just get enough for themselves..!!

It is indeed very much difficult situation, but we have the manpower as well as the intellectual power to make changes in these situation, we only need a great leader, someone who can make use of our resources to the betterment of the country as a whole, and not just their personal life.

I do believe that such a change will come about, however late. We have identified our vices long back, and their solutions too, just the implementing part is lagging.

..a letter to kerala state electricity board

This is the second consecutive day power went off in the morning, and didn’t come back till evening..!  This is so unfair..!!! And in this melting heat too..!

Dear KSEB,

It is with a saddened heart that I am writing this letter. I know that it is summer, and that there is shortage of water. All I am asking is if you people could predict this dire shortage of water, why didn’t you guys do something about it, like maybe finding an alternate source..?

Sun is available all the morning, and heat is on a record rate.  Couldn’t the engineers’ at least try to provide solar energy to some specific region..? Say, for example Government buildings in the capital..? Or, we have plenty of coastal areas, even though it is hard to harness tidal energy, why not try a hand in wind energy..? I heard that in Denmark they have windmills in the sea, literally in the sea, on cement columns and they use wind power to provide for 1/4^th of the country’s power needs. Why not try it out over here..? I’ve read about various ministers and their love for traveling abroad, while you are at it, why don’t you bring back something useful that can be implemented over here..???

And, since the electricity board is so strict about extra consumption of the ordinary people, I’d like to put forward yet another strategy to save energy. Ban political meetings during summer. God only knows how much electricity they use up with all the mike set, loudspeakers, lights and everything. Nothing comes out of it, no visible result, other than most us learning new swear words.

And, dear Government I know that nothing beats experience, but do put in some engineers or innovative minds in the governance team, so that when you guys are so busy eating up the existing resources, and having fun at expense of our tax money, there will be some people to point out to you new fields to exploit, once you are done with exhausting the existing resources. And who knows, us people may get lucky, if some poor soul do come up with plans to make Kerala emerge.

Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

Soon to be tax paying citizen.

..fish!!

No, this is not the story of any pet fish I had, I am not a pet person actually, get bored with things fast( which means that any fish I have had would have met with a tragic end, probably in some cat's belly..).

This is about my long standing aversion to eating fish, or may be smelling cooked fish, or even seeing raw fishes in the fish markets.

I don't remember how it started, I remember watching my aaya(mother is and was a teacher, so I had personal aaya) cleaning fish. Back then we had fish in our household often enough. I remember sitting on ground next to her, scrutinizing every single detail of gutting the fish, you clean away scales, fins and tail, remove the head,throw it to some crow or cat whichever creature that was present during the ceremony, make a long cut, take out all the innards, throw that too to hungry animals or birds(at regular interval there will be a fight over the piece, they never really got the idea of sharing, or waiting for the next piece, blame the evolution I suppose). She sometimes used to show me the eggs of fishes, and if I remember correctly, I used to eat it, then, way back then.

But somehow, as I grew, the repulsion towards the smell grew, be it raw, cooking, I have a hard time standing the smell. And, since I threw such a fit over it, cooking fish at home became a rare thing (talk about influencing people, I think you can imagine the extend of "fit" I threw ;)).

And, after that I grew up a little more, stopped throwing fits, and the fish came back into the house. But I wouldn't try it, touch it, or even touch the scrubber that had been used to clean the fish dish. And yesterday again, we had fish, so it got me to thinking, why do I hate it so much..! Yes, I am picky eater(that is the single and the only reason why I did not apply to discovery, national geo, tlc channels for hosting those shows where you can travel around the world with a camera person with you, you'd have to sample the local cuisine, I cannot manage the native ones, yet alone the world wide ones :(). I decide whether or not to eat a dish by looking at it, if it doesn't look eatable to me, I will not try it. My mother have tried the line "taste it, then keep away" at me from the time I can remember. But nothing will make me taste it, unless ofcourse it has chicken as main ingredient. Now that I am eligible for getting married off, her favourite line now is "what will you do at your husband's home, they won't let this get by". (The answer to that question is really simple, my future husband's folks, please let me be me. I promise that I will not make you eat anything you don't want to, so please return the courtesy.)

But then again, back to the question, why do I hate it so much? They say you don't need a reason to love something, but when it comes to hating something, you should have a reason. In future, if my husband does turn out to be the fish person, I think I may need to be hypnotized or something, to get me anywhere near fish. Again, but, wouldn't it be easier to give up something than starting something? No, even in writing, that phrase looked weird. mm.. lets hope that my future will be fish free, or maybe I should have a nice counselor's number with me, just in case, any suggestions?

P.S: It's indeed a medical condition. I googled "hate fish". And, weirdly they have fish recipes for people who hate fish..! Seriously, are you kidding me..?!?!?!

..i..me..myself

I am the youngest in a typical nuclear family, papa, amma, brother and me. Being the youngest, I was most pampered and was prone to throw tantrums till I got bored with the whole thing altogether.

Growing up with a brother is something my best friends have always wanted (most of them have elder sisters). To me, well it was survival. I used to be the girl who tells on her brother. I can still remember the immense satisfaction i used to get,when i catch my bro doing something he shouldn't be doing, telling amma,and seeing the result! (but then, i always had to pay for those, brothers always have much more strength! Always!!). So i dropped that practice too. but then, I had a truckload of brothers, one of my own and others being cousins. I remember my summer holidays at my ammoomma's (grandma's) household. I'll be the only girl, and I'd have 9 brothers to play with. so in my childhood i grew up playing cricket (which are again of 3 types), football, badminton and other games belonging to that category. And there used to be a special game, with me against them. maybe it can be named now as teasing the sister.Back then, I used to cry at everything, low marks (even now), cut, scrapes, when someone says something I don't like, everything!  But now, I'd like to believe that I've changed, a bit. my brothers paid a huge role in this development.They'd sit around me and start teasing me about one thing or the other, one would start and the baton gets passed and anyone with nothing else to do can join in. Initially, I cried at everything, but later on I learned to laugh with them and cry less.I'd be always thankful for those summers, because I have no idea as to how else I'd be anywhere today.

I've always been papa's favorite, to such an extend that if anybody need anything to be done by him,
they'd ask me to tell him, even today. I have special sensors which can tune his mood accurately. He's single-handedly responsible for spoiling me thoroughly.

Amma is a teacher. So, she is as expected, strict, responsible and a no nonsense person. But beneath all that she's a kindred spirit.

I grew up with this lot, and you can blame(or in some rare cases, praise; or remain unbiased) them for what i am today. but frankly, I don't think I can get any better lot to be with. Usually, I don't get to stay with other people, but when I did, I hated it outright, and couldn't wait to get back home!

Home is a lovely place to be, provided you don't stay for more than two weeks a stretch, it gets on to the nerves ;)
Then again, there won't be any other place in the world you'll be happy to be alone, because, at the end of the day, you'll know that everyone will be  back, no matter how late.

..year end (2012)

finally last month of the year 2012 is here. December. if the world does end as the Mayans predicted it, that would leave just a month more to live up rest of my life. that's a sad thought on surface, but i then, i can't think up a better way to die ;)

looking back, this has been one of those milestone years..

• year started with a more enlightened me
• got through two university exams without any scrapes
• got myself into the 'moral- support' aka cheer leading team for college sports
• which leads to the next one,the department won throwball trophy after 4 long years
• had fun during arts, and this would be final one in college
• saw my classmates, and my best friend included, go broke in effort of organising our team for arts
• had a horrible time hunting for sponsors, for the same..
• changed my phone number, again!
• and started a blog (last time in interview, when they say, so your interests include writing huh, like blog? i had replied, um its more like diary full of stuff. now, i'll be like, yea, i blog ;) they don't count follower's do they? do i write, yes i do. does anybody else read it? mm.. i don't think so.. )

• and to finish it off, landed in a job. Hah!!!

 not a bad year.

and there is one more month to it. a lot of things can happen in 31 days. i can win a lottery, get selected for movie(i am not photogenic and can't act, but still, i may land myself in an award winning role), get a prize for something(though i haven't done anything worth a prize, yet), write a book(? in 31 days? start a book would be more appropriate) or get fat (at this level, i think this is the most likely thing to happen..!!!)

well, one can only wait for tomorrow, to find out what it holds for one.but a small hope that it will be better than today wont hurt anyone ;).