Spotted..

an AD urging everyone makes a holiday getaway...

'Dinner will be served... when the fish decide to bite..'

Now now, I have no intention of dieting while on holiday and am not so mentally sick as to wait for a fish to decide to end its life before I can grab a bite !!

Bah.. humbug !

Whoever said 'penny for your thoughts..' !!

I subscribe to Martin's expert tips in hope of saving a few quid. One of his nerdy notes jumped at me and cheered me up to realize we are all(well, almost ALL) millionaires !! Don't be surprised.. my discovery is for everyone to share..

Here is the nerdy note -
"Being a millionaire doesn’t mean you’re rich. The easy way is to convert £55 into 1,000,000 Iranian Rials or Indonesian Rupiah, or £31 for a million Vietnamese Dong. Sadly Zimbabwe's terrible turmoil has caused hyperinflation, meaning it’d cost only 0.012p for a million of its Dollars."

Yippeee, I could flip a few pennies rather than rack my brains to trick Chris Tarrant into signing the cheque for the magical number..

Update - not outdated just yet !

Hello everyone living out there and still knocking this blog roll in hope of a new post - No, the papers have not carried an article about my demise/assylum status/ mysterious disappearance ! On the contrary have even managed to steal an award at work - between you and me, I strongly believe it to be a case of identity mixup of sorts but heck it gives me an excuse anyways, so why complain :p !!

I am brimming over with ideas to share, so expect me to return real soon.. until then, WATCH THIS SPACE...

Human Touch !

Ah, still thinking I ceased to exist ?? About time I changed such an opinion. Am here to announce my re-incarnation yet again :o) !

Folks, workaholic me took a mini break and made a beeline to certain other parts of Europe last few weeks. Oh yes, even the raising Euro could not deter my trip ! No, am not a rare nut, there are more of my kind and I call them friends. So, here we were hustled into a car with a friend from US assuming steering control having by now been totally accustomed to driving on the 'other' side as I diplomatically refrain the use of 'wrong' here. With no fancy navigation units to hook onto, we relied on good old signboards(which by the way were not seen much in number as a confession) to helps us reach our destination . Expected result - lunch in Belgium. Fat chance. We understood why navigation units are such popular gadgets by losing way in a little while. Obviously, we now start asking for directions. As a rule while asking help when lost, I have noticed people shrug their shoulders and walk along, people who stare into space trying to read the constellation and some mysterious way by which that helps them identify the route, people who rattle off with 'left', 'right', 'left again', 'center' and finally 'then ask..'.. but the response we were meted out actually humbled me(yeah, now that's a real hard one to happen)

The lady in the 4x4, rolled down her window, listened us out and spoke her native Dutch. What followed was more an understanding of body and sign language but well at least we knew which direction to turn into now ! So, happily we move forward following the other cars on the road. In a little while, the 4x4 lady pulled ahead of us, hopping off her vehicle came running towards us, pointed us the Highway we had been trying to unsuccessfully locate before rushing to her car as the lights flashed green from red.

Am sure glad there are still people around to whom human touch matters ! Am sure anyone travelling the tube would nod for me :o) !

Meet the Parents !

When a good friend plans a vacation home it's time for a happy smile. If the good friend taking a break hails from the same city it's time to rejoice - after all, you can send stuff home and receive for free :D !

So while helping my friend with her shopping last week, we landed here looking for an iPod. Standing next to the catalogue rack and browsing while she goes off to pay and collect, I noticed a little boy arguing with his mum. He seemed absolutely upset at his wishes not being granted and scowled every time his mum said NO, a little louder. Running a house is no simple task, so she leaves him alone to attend to more pressing issues while the child unhappily watches few customers collecting their PSPs and walking out in excitement. Overcome by sudden grief which lugged and tugged at his little heart, he reacted by succumbing involuntarily(???) to a berserk moment by lifting his tiny leg and KICKING ME !!!!!!!!!!! Dropping the Mothers Day catalogue which no more attracted any interest, I turn to face this child. I looked at him sternly as he continued to scowl warning him of consequences. He seemed least interested in my sermon, so decided it's time the mum was brought into picture. I walked over to her and explained her sons' action as well my reaction. She was quick to apologise which kind of eased the situation but then let her son go without reprimand.

What is it that stops us from pointing the right from wrong to our children ?? Agreed, we are all under pressure from external factors, more than our folks did but does it justify in anyway when we fail parenting ?? No wonder we see children all around us with access to state of the art luxuries but lack even a decent amount of courtesy and respect ! So, who is failing whom ??!!

In dependence is Independence !

Not all Fridays bring a smile it seems as was the lesson learnt last week, not to mention of the one too many life has been teaching me graciously for a while now :o) !

Whoever coined the phrase Vasudhaiva Kutumbikam must be as old or near extinct as the language itself. Or perhaps again, it's a distinct disadvantage of proudly belonging to a country which has been for centuries fuelling the economies of so called great nations. All the same, Visas are a dreaded nightmare reoccurring my way often for my liking in the recent times. Ah, but we can endure all and more for friends !

So there it was, a rise and shine early Friday morning that saw me check re-check arrange re-arrange documents for a visa interview scheduled in the City to be followed by a non-stop hop off and hop on routine on public transport to reach my workplace far away from City, made worse by an over booked outlook calendar :( ! Is it a surprise at all if am to mention my absolute detest for rush hour traffic especially on the Tube which has now taken a political turn with Leaders chiming in chorus about the ambitious expansion plans in their kitty to ease commuter inconvenience if elected.. ah, as if we ever would fall for such a silly gimmick ! Well, packed in the carriage of this train where opening my newspaper seemed an atrocious act of space grabbing, was fighting to stay near the doors to make a quick exit when a fellow-desi struggling quite like me moved over with a smile. Time has caused the cautious in me to be more active so haltingly I return half a smile. "Mallu..??". Thought quite didn't catch that until he repeated loud enough for my senses to decipher this time, "You are Malayalee, right ??". Squaring hunched up shoulders with my trademark folded-arms-stony-glance I respond, 'No, Indian.' What followed was amusing - he shrugged muttering 'that's ok..', relocated to other corner of the carriage until we pulled into a station where he alighted walking past me like I existed but invisibly.
And we blame the British for their Divide and Rule policy !!

Heal the World !

Uh..been away a bit, haven't I ?? Blame it on dog days at work which a coolie grins and bears to receive some meager wage rewards. Afterall, there is more than one mouth to feed..

So this evening happens to be yet another one where the mind is thinking of those numerous lines of code which produced a simple result - error; the eyes peering out of the bus window yet not registering; the body crying out silently still hoping to be heard of it's disdain at having to sleep irregular hours on account of the mind not being able to fix the code. Predictably it's a Bridget Jone's mood !

As the bus pulled over at a stop and passengers alighted/disembarked on journies, my eyes wandered and fixed on a figure, slowly bringing the old lady into sharp focus. She was panting but still ain't no quitter. Carrying her shopping bags, half buckling under their weight, she hastened towards the bus with every ounce of energy her slender frame could muster. I could make out the lines on her face, her wrinkled skin and her desperation to not miss this bus - probably she had a reason to try so hard.

Just as she nearly made it to the bus, just as she came up to the big swinging doors and slightly lifted one leg to try and board, the driver slammed the doors shut. They looked at each other for a brief moment - stoic, stony glance versus an indignant yet pleading eyes. The bus moved on..leaving her behind.

I simply cannot understand people.. the indifference, uncompassion and the insensitivity the soul is capable of ! Probably I should give myself some rest, might wake up to see a world somehow better(am I to believe my own words ??) or atleast a resolution to something 'BUG'ging me..