Oh My Darlie !

Oh my Darlie , oh my Darlie
As i hold you lightly
I look at you with sleepy eyes
and you look so nice.
You are tall and bright
and so very light.
You are purple and green
you were the best among the rest i had seen
As you kissed my teeth
I forgot to close the wash basin tap beneath.
You were so gentle and smooth
I could feel you in my mouth.
Oh ! My new Darlie Toothbrush
As it was time for me to rush.
I would have to be fast
don't worry this won't be the last.
I will see you again tomorrow morning
As of now ,i wud have to do lot of running.
Your company will be my old brush and the toothpaste
Till i meet you again , Take care and Take rest .

Favouritsm and Boiled Egg

Boiled egg is one thing which my cousin lovesssss ... so on Sunday when aunt made boiled egg for dinner ..both of us (myself and my 4 year old cousin) sat with our shares of boiled egg . Aunt had also put round pieces of carrot on our plates . As we started eating S finished the boiled egg (which was cut into two halves) first . I was still to eat the two halves of the egg ....

S: You know how i eat egg ?

Me : How ?

S : First i eat the yellow part( the yolk) and then eat the white part.

Me : [*Taking the egg close to my mouth *] I eat it together !! :o)

Both of us ate for sometime and don't talk. I finish the first half of the egg and simultaneously eat the carrot pieces also. She eats slowly. Suddenly she takes one piece of carrot and puts it in my plate.

Me : Why?

She :You are my favorite Vidya Athigge . [ Athigge : another name for cousin/aunt]

Me : Thank you [*Hmmm ...so i am also supposed to reciprocate is it ??*]

I control my laughter thinking the very obvious that she wanted me to reciprocate the same .
I continue eating and so does she .. After sometime she takes one more carrot piece and starts putting it in my plate but this time i stop her and ask her to eat it ! And then not ignoring her hint and the love for boiled egg , i cut the half egg into two pieces and put one piece to her plate . She gives me a smile and...

She : Why ? [*Smilingly :o) *]

Me : You are my favorite ......

I don't know whether that is how i was supposed to reciprocate. Obviously given a choice she would have loved to eat boiled egg rather than those carrots ..so when she puts a piece of carrot in my plate showing her love to me ..whats the harm in giving her the piece of boiled egg which she loves a lot... I like her . She is a darling !

Kids have this cute way of letting you know things which they want :o) !!!

Distort with Photoshop

Didn't have anything to write so took a picture like the one below



















Open the picture in Photoshop

Select Filter->Distort->Twirl

Do this n number of times to get the below picture




Another attempt

Select Filter->Distort->Wave ,Select Type as Triangle to get the below effect


What a modern Art ;o) !!!!!

Happy photoshopping :) !!!

Imagination game ....

Over the weekend i went to my uncle's place. My small cousin who is 4 years old comes near me and whispers in my ears ..

S: V has imaginary friends! [V is her 5 months old younger brother]

Me: Oh ! And how do you know that ?

S: He smiles looking at places where nobody is there !

Me : okay :o)

Kids have a great imagination. She herself has lot of imaginary friends . One of the famous ones is Vikitha, who usually is supposed to be staying with me and everytime i come its Vikitha's birthday :o) !!!
Sometimes Vikitha even calls up and i am supposed to talk to Vikitha over the toy phone imagining that Vikitha is on the other end of the phone and talking to me . Its fun :o)!!
I also have an imaginary talk !! Anything is possible in the imaginary world :o) !!!

Imagination runs wild !!!!

Now how is this for imagination ...Sky below and water on the top:o) ??

To Decide or not to decide is the question ...

What to do , What not to do
Yeh kaisi mushkil hai !! [* What a difficulty is this ?*]
At least someone tell me
The solution mere bhai !!! [* Tell me a solution brother !*]

Sometimes the more time you take to make the decision ,the more difficult it becomes !!

Note: The above poem/song/verse is not my own creation :o), its mere translation and remix of the famous Rangeela song 'Kya Kare ,Kya Na Kare..."

mm/dd or dd/mm

Another series of blasts ..some more innocent people killed..some other injured ..
Nothing much i can do except for surfing through the local channels here in Singapore to catch a glimpse of what is happening in my own country Or browse through all the news websites next morning to get an update of what happened !

Came across this particular article http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/jul/12nri.htm which very much has all my feelings in it except for few !!

Read another blog http://gauravsabnis.blogspot.com/2006/07/blasts-in-bombay.html which summed up everything i guess !

After hearing the news about bomb blasts when i was talking to my landlady , she tells me "They should be more strict in India and i reply "Its very difficult to be strict with such huge ever growing population !". As they say 'Grass is always greener on the other side' . She always has something or other to say about India and i defend myself and my country or at least try to defend ;o) !!! [*Patriotic Vidya *]

'Why young people don't join politics ?' [*??????*]

'India has become very costly now a days' ! [*Yeah just because you want to make profit in Singapore , you buy stuff from India fro 10 Rs and sell it for 5$ here *]

'So many mosquitoes in India' ! [*I think these mosquitoes bite the Non-Indians more :) *]

'I don't want my son to have Indian Friends!' [* Good for them !*]

'Indian Airlines is always late' ! [*Okay ,I agree with this : *]

'That Indian contractor took so much money for the renovation !' [* Yeah ,right ! You want cheap labor and then you complaint !!!*]

And with all these complaints now and then she calls herself an Indian ...

* A major fan of Sun TV (A famous Tamil channel) soaps . She gets so involved in seeing the serials that she starts screaming and shouting ! Sometimes i am the bakra or rather bakri ;-) to listen to what the daughter-in-law did or who kidnapped the girl or whose child it is?!!

* A Religious and God fearing person . She is so scared that last month when somebody died in neighborhood she was sitting with a god's photo in her hand with the doors closed !

* Respects the Indian culture and tries hard to makes his son follow it to ..but fails !! Makes her son wear 'Jubba' /Long Kurta when he goes to temple !

* Loves Mangoes especially from India . I hid all the mangoes i had bought from India and gave her only one :o) !!!

* Loves Indian Artifacts and item....wanted somebody to get the grinding stone from India !!! If the person is coming in Jet Star Asia then except for the Grinding Stone he won't be able to carry anything else ;o) !!!! [FYI : Jet Star Asia allows 20 kg check-in baggage]

Shame on the cruel people who are responsible for these bomb blasts ... and thanks to all the helpful Indians who helped the victims/train passengers in Mumbai !

And those of you who are wondering what the title is about - its about whether the incident/accident should be remembered as 7/11 (mm/dd format or rather 9/11 format ) or 11/7 (dd/mm format ) ???


My Condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones !!!

I am Happy that you are Happy...

-----Original Message-----From: Anonymous [mailto:anonymous-comment@blogger.com]Sent: 07 July 2006 18:58To: srsrividya@gmail.comSubject: [Thoughts and moments !] 7/07/2006 06:57:36 PM

srividya,

I was browsing the net with the key word "priorities change" as something similar happened to me...But, after reading your blog I realized the 'realities of life are sour but tasty as it bears fruits....lesson learnt and am relaxed"

Shankar

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nice to see that my blog made at least one person happy :o) !!!! That too a mail at the end of a boring and uneventful day ....

Shankar ,whoever you are , you definitely made me happy buddy :o) !!!!

Keep Smiling and Happy Weekend !!!!!

The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi

Finished this book day before yesterday . Its about a girl Priya Rao who is from a typical Telugu Brahmin family ,who left India when she was 20 to US to study and now after 7 years she returns to India . She is returning with the news about her engagement to guy names Nick ,an American. The time she returns to India is the Mango Season ,hence the title . The story revolves around Priya ,her flashback into her childhood ,her orthodox grandparents ,her parents wanting her to get married to an 'Indian Boy', relatives , how Priya reveals about Nick to her family ,how her family reacts and Hyderabad. A well written book i must say .It even had some recipes in between the chapters .
It was the title 'The Mango Season' which caught my attention ..an off beat title.. very unusual..

Mango - The king of fruits is one the favorite fruits of many of us in India including me . There are so many variety of mangoes i have eaten in my Granny's house that i can't even remember their names. My mom can smell the Mango and identify which variety Mango it is . I could never do it . For me Vacation meant Granny's house and Granny's house meant 'Mangoes' ..So Vacation time was 'Mango Season' for me.

Eating Raw Mangoes ....When i used to be small (big enough to climb mango trees) , i used to go to the Mango orchard but before we could go to the Mango Orchard there were few things we used to carry ,a Knife to cut mangoes , a paste of Salt , chilli powder and oil ( I tell you ,it tastes great !!!!) packed in a piece of Banana Leaf and again wrapped in a newspaper so that the oil won't leak out ,a bottle of water and a towel to wipe all the sweat :) !!! You got to work hard to eat fresh Raw Mangoes :o) . We used to take the back doors to hide from the toddlers who would want to follow us ,but the problem was after walking a certain distance they would get tired and then we had to carry them so we used to avoid taking them :o) ..I know ..How mean of us !!!!

'Totapuri' (a variety of Mango) is very famous for eating it raw , it is not very sour , its a mixture or sweet and sour . Some of us used to climb the trees , some waiting directly under the mango to catch once it falls down ..we also used to take a long stick which is fork shaped at the end and a small gunny bag is attached so that the mango drops directly in that instead of falling down (How clever ;-) !!! ) .And if you forget the to take the knife ,search for a sharp edged stone and hit the raw mango on that to break it into pieces ..

Mango Pickles ..... The one thing whose existence is a must in our house . Like the variety of Mangoes i have eaten same goes for the pickles also . Some pickles are made by boiling the Mangoes in Salt water, some without boiling them and there are others which are made by drying the mangoes ..there are others wherein the whole mango is put (not big mangoes ,a smaller version ). My granny always told me how much pickles she used to put earlier but now she is not able to do so because of her old age. She would ask me to put pickle also .....Hmmmm.. ....putting pickle is not easy as writing a Software program ;o) !!!!

Dried Mangoes ....As if it was not enough to eat Mangoes in the mango season ,we dry the ripe mangoes so that when it is not Mango season we can relish the dried mangoes. A pulp of dozen of ripe mangoes in which a pinch of salt is added is spread on a plastic sheet and made to dry in the sun. Once one layer is dried , one more layer is spread on top of that , likewise at least 10 layers are put to make it thick and it is made sure that they are dried in the sun . I remember times that we used to run to the terrace and eat pieces of this dried mango pulp even before it was dried. So there were times when the initial rectangle or square shape in which the pulp was laid would end in an arbitrary map :o) and aunties knew whom to blame ;o) !!!

Mangoes at Lunch : There used to be fights for the mango seed during the lunch time between us cousins and granny would end up saying " When i used to be a kid i used to pick up so many mangoes and carry the basketful of mangoes ,Why don't you kids go and pluck some mangoes from the tree?" . As usual we would hear what granny said from one ear and let it go through the other ear ..

Sweet Mangoes , Sour Mangoes ,Mango stains on the dress , stomach ache after eating lot of raw mangoes ,getting hurt while climbing the mango tree , being happy for getting mango seed , crying for not getting the bigger mango piece , competing while picking up the mangoes under the mango trees ..Mango memories :o) !!!!!!!


My next read is going to be SERVING CRAZY WITH CURRY .

If not a Software Engineer. ..

Clown :I know there will be lot of people who will agree to this .... I can make lot of silly faces to make people laugh or even scare them. I can crack silly jokes. My sense of humor is not all that bad. Many people call me a "Joker" and there are others who call me 'Crazy'..Every photo of mine has all my 32 teeth visible ..Some say i can go for the Close Up (Toothpaste) advertisement.. yeah right !! With all the gaps between my teeth they might as well take me for a Dental Clinic Advertisement and i might in one of those 'Before and After' poster ...posing for the 'Before' Feature :o) !!!!

A Photographer : I am not all that bad ,not so good also. But still manage to take decent shots .

Most of my posts in this blog of mine are usually accompanied with a photo .

Proof: http://inmyminds.blogspot.com/2006/06/youth.html

Some more Proof :http://flickr.com/photos/klickd/

Thanks in advance for appreciating the photos and admiring them ...!!

Advance bookings for clicking photographs for your weddings are welcome ..

Warning : I am going to charge heavily as i want to buy a DSLR camera :o)

Cook/Chef : I am a good cook ..I love trying out new dishes ..after preparing new dishes ..i love decorating them and presenting them in a decorative way ..Like adding a leaf of Coriander on top of the Curd ..or Sliding a piece of Lemon on a Glass of simple Nimbu Paani.. People often tell "Vidya you shud have done a hotel management course !!" .I used to take part in Salad Dressing completion and i did manage to get a Thrid Place once....I got this skill from my mom i guess ..She is also too good in Flower decoration and things like that . Now ...now ..please don't ask me the reciepes of the dishes i prepare ..because all of them are unique ..and everytime i make them they taste and look different ..but they are edible :) !!

Crafts Teacher :I am a creative person . I often go to a bookshop and go to Hobbies section to pick up a crafts book and flip through its pages ..I have always been interested in Crafts all through my school days . I took part in "Junk arts' wherein you have to use things which are of no use and make the best use of it. We had a period for SUPW (Socially Useful Productive Work ) wherein we were taught to Stitch ,Knit ,Paint , Cook and lot of other things and i was my SUPW teachers pet :o) !!! Any function in my granny's place and i am the decoration in charge .

HR Professional : I can talk to people ..and can talk pretty well . I have no problems making friends .I can talk to anyone .like the sweeper in my old organization ..and the Cook Raju in my old office who use to give me extra chapatti during lunch time ..or the Security Guard at the gate who would always ask me about my Dad who is in Army ... There are times i spoke to the Auto Fella also .. heeee heeee . Any one offerring me a HR job ..i am ready :) !!

Interior Designer : I love decorating my home ,my room ,my cubicle .I love seeing these house renovation programs wherein some people renovate their house . I have all sorts of ideas for my own house if i am able to construct one , some day !!!!

Counselor :I get close to people very fast .Lot of people come to me with problems.. and even if i can't solve them i try to console them and give them advice . I don't know how many people take my advice and how many of them think "Who is she to give me advice ? What the hell she thinks of herself?" ...

And last but not the least ...

A Writer : A Writer of a Worst Selling Novel

Proof : http://inmyminds.blogspot.com ..haaaaa haaaa haaa...

But alas .. i am just another Software Engineer..browsing ..blogging..and working too ;-) !!!!