To the special people in my life, called friends...

Sounds cliched, but it's indeed true - we met as strangers, and have indeed come a long way to the familiartity we share now...
As our life goes on, our relationships change - we part with some old friends, and make some new ones... The true ones remain with us even when life takes us along different paths...
I have been lucky to have a few such special people in my life - sometimes, relationships don't work out, sometimes they end when our acquaintances end- but there are a few really special people in my life - friends I made in school days, and more recent friends too...
They have been with me through many things - growing up together makes people closer, sharing similar experiences helps in relating to each other...
There's a song that goes "thaayodu sila thayakkangal irukkum, thozhamaiyil adhu kidayaadhu"... lines that show the real strength of friendship - you know you can trust your innermost thoughts and fears in your friends, knowing they will understand... Even if they tease you at times, you that behind it all, they will be there for you at all times...
I have had great good fortune in finding some gems in life ... M, N, N, G.... I thank you for all that you have been to me... Hope you'll stay with me for a long long time to come...
And M., I thought that you had changed after marriage, I'm glad you still remain the good friend to me as you always were (there were times that I behaved like a nut, times I didn't understand you or even try...but all that is behind us now... and I'm glad you understood...) Guess I can come to you for advice, neem leaves and wake-up calls ;) (that's an excuse - I'm coming for the food & chocolates u r gonna give me, and the intros;) ,& ya, to meet 1 very cute kid!!!)


P.S. :I started off writing something, but ended up writing something else... No wonder my blog is called random thoughts!!!! apt,na??? :)

Journey...

(An unfinished piece...)

A million things just pass by
You don’t want to say goodbye
You hope for joys in the offing
As you wonder what the future will bring
Each journey is a new beginning

Leaving behind familiar things as you go,
Sometimes you’ll be back to what you know,
New people and experiences along the way
Sometimes they can just make your day
Transcending all lines and boundaries,
Leading you towards new discoveries

Right or wrong (?) - some of the craziest lines to be written down

What is wrong and what is right,
who has the right to decide?
What if someone says you're wrong,
but you have been right all along?
Will you just believe their word,
or will you consider it absurd?
What if you happen to be unjust,
Will you just let the matter rest?
There's no fixed thing as
right or wrong,
One man's noise is
another's song
What we follow
is an accepted norm,
which through ages
caused society to form
to fit in, to these rules
we must conform.

(P.S. : this is just a few lines of crazy verse, pl nobody ask me any questions)

The Awakening...

It was a terrible experience I had today ... As I was walkin home from my workplace, having already left late - hungry, angry and tired, I was just talking on my phone to the one person who can make me laugh even when I feel like crying, the one person who always lifts my spirits (and those of everyone around) no matter how low I feel... It is a routine with me, talking to him as I return, after long days, his words are so soothing and make me feel great...
But, today, the routine was broken... Two nuts (I'm not someone who swears, but they make me use words I've only read, but never used)... stole my mobile... coming on the opposite side of the road at that... I later came to know that they'd been following me for a few minutes... I did come across a girl who wanted to help me, but there was little she could do... She lent me her phone and I could inform my folks... And her next words made me feel relax slihtly, she said that such cheap crooks would surely be caught, and said it was not worth going after them, and that I was lucky they hadn't harmed me... Thank God for that angel - though I don't know your name or who you are, I'd like you to know that you have helped me and that I'm very grateful to you for that... And thanks for getting me an auto... May God shower His choicest blessings on you.... (S.S.- ya, the same God who gave 86000 to M., saying "m,m....") :)
Now, having calmed down a bit, two serious questions come to my mind - will any road ever be safe for a girl (or for that matter any decent person) at night? We cannot always expect someone to be with us, there might be situations where we have to go out alone, but what price safety??? And, thanks to certain antisocial elements, parents (or family & friends,rather) fear for the safety of their loved ones - no matter how "modern" or developped a city is, the real rating of a city is how safe its people feel... And living in a city which has a reputation of being safe for girls, this does come across as a rude wake-up call to reality...
And now, to my other question, what are the law-makers doing to curb such incidents? I might get over this experience, but what about others like me?What about others who have not been lucky enough to escape with their selves intact?? And its impact on the psyche??? I know that the police department has its hand full with its many duties... Something needs to be done to reduce crime rates...
I always had faith in yotuh, but today even that has been shattered... I wonder how so many people can let their kids go astray...
And to all you Smart-Alec guys (I mean the nuts, not the good decent guys I know), it is not fun to stalk some girl, and think we enjoy it??? Then go get your heads examined... To the guys I know well, thanks for being with me and for restoring my faith, and thanks for showing me that there are people who respect women... The world needs more of you...
Hope I can make a difference, if not to the entire world, I hope I can do atleast some small thing to make the city safer... I hope I don't become just another statistic...

P.S.: the above blog contains my own personal opinion, and you are welcome to disagree... And guys, please do try and do your bit in making our cities safer... thanks

Trips and thoughts

Tomorrow is a Monday... Another week begins... I'm one of the few people who likes Mondays (I believe most people are still too much in the weekend mode to enjoy Monday mornings)..
The early morning trip in the bus, in the fresh morning air with the roads calm and free from traffic is an experience in itself - every minute of the trip is worth waking up early for... Watching the Sun's golden rays light up the city, early morning walkers, the beginning of a new day just starting to buzz with activity....
The next trip, a short journey by train (after a quick run to the station, and panting at the ticket counter, only to realize the train is late... oh, for the cup of tea I missed to hurry to the station...It plays over and over in my mind... ) a brief journey, pleasing enough to the eyes, but not so kind to the nose (ugh!!) ... Then a quick rush out of the station and some talks with the autowallah, or finding a bus on a lucky day... And praying a million times (to be on time...)... This short trip passes without much incident - the only things that catch the eye are the zillion red signals, traffic jams and the speeding hands of the clock!!! Arrive at the workplace at last!!!
Returning home is yet another adventure - depending on the time, and hunger(!!), it's either a bus or an auto, and at times, even the 45 minute walk passes very quickly (while chatting on the phone)...
Weekends are another story, marked by bus trips, walks, auto rides (totally squashed!!), classes...
On the whole, it's a busy life right now, but what fun...
Looking forward to being up by sunrise tomorrow... (and waking up others too ;) ) Hope the bus waits for me...

Unknown future...

What does life have in store for me? Each day that dawns takes me farther along this journey called life, but what does the future hold in store for me?

Will I realize my dreams? Will I continue doing what I like???

A million unanswered questions...

There's so much I want to be... I want to take up new things, yet I can't give up the old... Can I be in two completely different fields at the same time???
Every new thing I take up seems so interesting, I just want to continue in it.. Yet how many fields can I really be in?Each field demands total commitment...

Science, arts, music, languages... Which of these fields am I destined for??? Or will I be able to continue my foray into each of these??

Learning two (similar) languages is supposed to be difficult, yet I think I'm managing pretty well... Will I be a polyglot??

Or will I end up being the scientist I dream of being???

The future remains unknown... Hope there are good things in store...

Musings...

I shouldn't have done this...I should have done that... A million regrets... If only...
There are so many things I wish I had done, many I wish I hadn't... Wish I'd told people how much they mean to me... Wish I hadn't said some of the things I did...

Yet, I realize there's something good even in my regrets - when I think about the regrets I have, I know I won't do it again- it makes me try being a better person ... Now, I tell people how much they matter to me, I don't waste thinking about what could have been... I've regretted enough, it's left me a better person...

Even if I was a pessimist once, I'm now an optimist...

Photo travails...

It was yet another trip to the photographer’s… The same old routine “Turn slightly to the right… No, a bit to the left…Ah,yes…No, look up a bit… Not so much…look down… Face the camera (thank God for digital cameras, which don’t require bright lights shining into your eyes)… Smile”…click… It’s over at last……. Whew…What an ordeal !! I have discovered that I smile more after the photo has been taken, than before or during :) Not just smile, I usually end up laughing at the output of the camera…

Photos taken elsewhere(not at the studio, I mean) are a different story altogether… There is a story behind each picture… “was I like this? What on earth am I doing in this picture??? Oh, God, did someone really click a picture of me like that???”… A million reactions…

Looking at photos makes me laugh, yet, some memories do make me cry…

Great that there is something like a photograph to preserve memories…

P.S. As in every case, there is an exception…:) I prefer memories of mine (I mean photos of me looking terrible) not to be preserved… Are you listening, my friends? ;)

To my parents

To my parents - a poem... Here is a preview:


When I was a little kid,
I was in awe of everything you did,
But growing into adolescence,
Things no longer made any sense,
I sulked when you refused my demands,
I thought you just couldn’t understand.

some thoughts

Walking down the slope, with the wind blowing on my face, I was lost in thought and looking up, saw the traffic - vehicles following one another in a line, they seem to whizz past as I walk down. A thought struck me - all these were man's inventions, his creations.... What a wonder the human brain is... Its power is almost limitless... Brain's mighty indeed!!!