Its a scene straight out of an 80s Bollywood flick. I sit outside the operation theater, with bated breath... waiting for the doctor to come out to announce his verdict after the operation. My palms are moist and any attempt to wipe perspiration off my forehead is in vain. Its a hot and humid day and my fatigued mind drifts into thought.
She wakes up everyday before the clock has a chance to strike 7. I dont think she can stand me sleeping any longer than sunrise. She demands attention every moment, and she gets it. If not, she will do the silliest things to be noticed. Her hair feels like velvet and she responds to my every touch, purring like a cat. She wants to play around, but I have to attend to some obligations.
She hates me leaving home, even if it is a small errand I'm running. Sometimes, its almost like she doesn't comprehend what I say. And each time I get back home, she greets me like I've been gone a hundred years. That feeling is very special. No matter how my day has been, its her overwhelming affection that lightens up my day.
Back at the hospital, the doctor emerges from the operation theater. His white overcoat is stained with drops of blood. I instinctively dash towards him, fearing the worst. My expression must've conveyed my apprehensions, and the doctor assures me of her health. She's been through a major surgery and its not everyday that a 6 inch steel rod is needed to support a broken thigh bone.
Its a miracle she survived the fall from the roof of our two storied house. The very thought sends a shiver down my spine. I look at her as she's lying still. It will be a couple of hours before the anesthesia wears off and she realizes she's bedridden for the next month or two.
Its hard to control her enthusiasm and excitement. It is the same energy that drove her into chasing pigeons off our roof. She slipped over the parapet wall and fell on to the cold concrete forty feet below.
Cant wait to see her get back to her old bubbly self. She is one tough Labrador.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Phone woes
For a long time now, I have been known as a ‘phone-person’. As in I spend more time on the phone in one day than most people do so over a week. It doesn’t help that my loved ones and my closest pals are geographically distant from me, and I love talking to them whenever I can.
Trouble starts when you have to pay up for all that talk time you’ve been using. Back in India, Hutch and Airtel have earned considerable revenue over my extravagant telephone conversations. In fact, I think one of the reasons that Hutch ran into financial trouble was because they had this “family and friends” offer, which offered unlimited calling to five people. Need they say more? For almost two years, my mobile was virtually stuck to my ear. Later, I guess they realized the mistake they’d been making and cancelled the offer. Last time I heard, the company’s doing pretty well :).
I imagined that life in the US would be far easier and got myself an AT&T mobile (ATT-ATT Unlimited calls free, you see). I sensed that this would go the Hutch way. Unfortunately, there were far too many people in India I needed to stay in touch with and the paltry number of minutes ran out in under a week. It never occurred to me that unlike in India incoming also counts towards your minutes. Conclusion: A record breaking first bill. The amount is too embarrassing for me to mention here.
This was almost a year back and my memory tends to relegate such things to the background. But the AT&T monster has resurfaced. This month has been big again. A rough calculation tells me that I have bettered my own record. I am paranoid about seeing how much I owe AT&T this time around.
Calling for volunteers to bail me out. Please reach me at 312-2417 (9pm-7am only, please)
EDIT: This post sure has helped me. Many ideas poured forth and with the help of K (and C), my bank account has been rescued from a near wipeout. Thank you :)
Trouble starts when you have to pay up for all that talk time you’ve been using. Back in India, Hutch and Airtel have earned considerable revenue over my extravagant telephone conversations. In fact, I think one of the reasons that Hutch ran into financial trouble was because they had this “family and friends” offer, which offered unlimited calling to five people. Need they say more? For almost two years, my mobile was virtually stuck to my ear. Later, I guess they realized the mistake they’d been making and cancelled the offer. Last time I heard, the company’s doing pretty well :).
I imagined that life in the US would be far easier and got myself an AT&T mobile (ATT-ATT Unlimited calls free, you see). I sensed that this would go the Hutch way. Unfortunately, there were far too many people in India I needed to stay in touch with and the paltry number of minutes ran out in under a week. It never occurred to me that unlike in India incoming also counts towards your minutes. Conclusion: A record breaking first bill. The amount is too embarrassing for me to mention here.
This was almost a year back and my memory tends to relegate such things to the background. But the AT&T monster has resurfaced. This month has been big again. A rough calculation tells me that I have bettered my own record. I am paranoid about seeing how much I owe AT&T this time around.
Calling for volunteers to bail me out. Please reach me at 312-2417 (9pm-7am only, please)
EDIT: This post sure has helped me. Many ideas poured forth and with the help of K (and C), my bank account has been rescued from a near wipeout. Thank you :)
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Chosen Clicks
A few of my favorite photographs. Click on thumbnails for full-sized view.
Those who have already seen them on facebook can ignore this post :)
1. Dawn
Location: Horsely Hills, India
2. Sunset
Location: Kochi, India
3. Steady Feet
Location: Footboard of an Express train, India :)
4. Forked path
Location: Central Park, NY
5. The sun sets on the city that never sleeps
Location: New York
6. Return to Innocence
Location: Liberty Island, NY
7. Prancing horses
Location: Times Square, NY
8. To Infiniti and beyond
Location: Enroute to Half Moon bay, CA
9. The Pride of SFO
Location: San Francisco, CA
10. The fountains play truant at Bellagio
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Those who have already seen them on facebook can ignore this post :)
1. Dawn
Location: Horsely Hills, India
2. Sunset
Location: Kochi, India
3. Steady Feet
Location: Footboard of an Express train, India :)
4. Forked path
Location: Central Park, NY
5. The sun sets on the city that never sleeps
Location: New York
6. Return to Innocence
Location: Liberty Island, NY
7. Prancing horses
Location: Times Square, NY
8. To Infiniti and beyond
Location: Enroute to Half Moon bay, CA
9. The Pride of SFO
Location: San Francisco, CA
10. The fountains play truant at Bellagio
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Saturday, March 14, 2009
A childhood dream comes true
This is something common to every child who has grown up in India in the early 1990s. Trump cards, labels, stickers, posters and for the economically better off, a Nintendo Gameboy with the latest version 'cassette'. The way Hogan rips his shirt before every match, Bret 'The Hitman' Heart's snazzy sunglasses, Undertaker's nine lives or Yokozuna's extra (for lack of a better word) pounds must be etched in every young adult's memory. I'm referring to World Wresting Federation, more recently rechristened World Wresting Entertainment. I've always wanted to watch it live and on learning that we were going to be having the superstars in action at Reed Arena (our indoor stadium at Texas A&M) there was no way that I was gonna miss out!
Temperature's of 6°C accompanied by a steady downpour and cold breeze (that made it feel like 2°C) didn't deter the large number of people, mainly kids, who turned up to catch a glimpse of their favorite wrestlers. Unsuprisingly, there was a large desi representation too... no one wanted to miss out on a chance like this.
When action kicked off with a tag-team match, we were as excited as any 8 year old to have the opportunity to see in live, what we've been watching on TV all these years. As the evening went on, we went from riding the wave of excitement, to the incredulity of more acting than wrestling that was going on. It was something we had expected, but to see it happen in front of our eyes felt even more discernible.
Just when it started to get boring, there was this group of native Texans that had downed a little too many Budlights. They took over and made up for the lack of commentators and had our section of the crowd in splits. Loud and raucous would be a polite way of classifying their antics and their comments were freeflowing (like the beer) and uncensored. Hell, who cares what they said... all that I know is that we were almost rolling on the floor clutching our stomachs.
It was entertainment alright, and we felt it was an evening worth remembering. Thanks to the sloshed group in front of us coz more than the stars in the ring, it was these guys who added the fun-element.
After the heavyweight title match (Triple H vs Big Show), it would have to be the Diva's title match that was most entertaining. I will make sure I get a ringside seat next time. :)
Note to self: Take a placard.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Angel de la guardia
Angele Dei,
qui custos est mei,
Me tibi commissum pietate superna;
(Hac nocte, Hodie) illumina, custodi, rege, et guberna.
which translates to:
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom his love commits me here;
Ever this (day, night) be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide.
Every individual has a guardian angel it is said. I am not sure of all those who read this, but I did have one. Have. Past tense. It has been a little over a year but somehow, I've never felt she's left. My constant source of inspiration, advice and innumerable discussions. I remember every small detail about her and it wouldn't take me more than a minute to figure out her handwriting in a bundle of hand-written notes.
This goes way back in time, back to 1987 thereabouts, at Lumbini Montessori House of Children. It was at this wonderful institution that I started my first learning. It is hard to call it an institution, for it never was. It was always home, literally and even otherwise.
After my initial years it was time to move to a bigger school. She insisted that I check out the newly opened Chaitanya Vidyalay in the neighborhood. Mom was a little apprehensive, and me, all of 8 years old had no inkling of what was going on. She remained adamant. Not St. Theresa's, not Dwarka School. (I do not wish to hurt the sentiments of alumni of these equally good schools) After a brief discussion with Ms. Barbara Prince, it was decided that I was indeed going to complete the latter part of my schooling at CV.
I hadn't started off too well, but she always backed me. She had always believed in my abilities. Something told me that I had to live upto her expectations. But no matter how well I did, she kept saying I could do better. It was only later that I realized that my target was always moving, and to get to it, I had to keep moving forward.
In her guidance, it is not only academics that I learnt. A number of other 'skills' including, but not limited to gardening, taking care of rabbits and painting chairs. It has always been a learning experience when she was been around.
There is a lot more left unsaid, a lot of which I cannot say on a public blog. This is but a small dedication to you, Mrs Vanitha Bhushan, Directress of Lumbini Montessori House of Children. Those in the Montessori education circle in Hyderabad will instantly recognize this name. A name synonymous with kindness, integrity and intelligence.
You have taught me a lot... you have taught me never to say die and to never go down without a fight. I know the expectations you have from me and I will carry them forward with pride. You were and will always be my guardian angel. Thank you for showing me the way. May your soul RIP.
The Hindu: Metro Plus - Hyderabad: A life of true learning
qui custos est mei,
Me tibi commissum pietate superna;
(Hac nocte, Hodie) illumina, custodi, rege, et guberna.
which translates to:
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom his love commits me here;
Ever this (day, night) be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide.
This goes way back in time, back to 1987 thereabouts, at Lumbini Montessori House of Children. It was at this wonderful institution that I started my first learning. It is hard to call it an institution, for it never was. It was always home, literally and even otherwise.
After my initial years it was time to move to a bigger school. She insisted that I check out the newly opened Chaitanya Vidyalay in the neighborhood. Mom was a little apprehensive, and me, all of 8 years old had no inkling of what was going on. She remained adamant. Not St. Theresa's, not Dwarka School. (I do not wish to hurt the sentiments of alumni of these equally good schools) After a brief discussion with Ms. Barbara Prince, it was decided that I was indeed going to complete the latter part of my schooling at CV.
I hadn't started off too well, but she always backed me. She had always believed in my abilities. Something told me that I had to live upto her expectations. But no matter how well I did, she kept saying I could do better. It was only later that I realized that my target was always moving, and to get to it, I had to keep moving forward.
In her guidance, it is not only academics that I learnt. A number of other 'skills' including, but not limited to gardening, taking care of rabbits and painting chairs. It has always been a learning experience when she was been around.
There is a lot more left unsaid, a lot of which I cannot say on a public blog. This is but a small dedication to you, Mrs Vanitha Bhushan, Directress of Lumbini Montessori House of Children. Those in the Montessori education circle in Hyderabad will instantly recognize this name. A name synonymous with kindness, integrity and intelligence.
You have taught me a lot... you have taught me never to say die and to never go down without a fight. I know the expectations you have from me and I will carry them forward with pride. You were and will always be my guardian angel. Thank you for showing me the way. May your soul RIP.
The Hindu: Metro Plus - Hyderabad: A life of true learning
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The East Coast
We spent the last few days touring New York city, taking in the sights, sounds and smells that make this experience so different from visiting any other city in the US. The crowds that are always in a hurry, the roadside vendors emitting more smoke than a lot of cars, the ubiquitous Starbucks on every lane (or maybe I should say streets and avenues) and the gravity defying skyscrapers that seem to house more people in a single building than there are back in College Station!
The walk to Wall Street and Brooklyn Bridge, the view from 1050 feet above sea level atop a man made marvel - the empire state building, the feel of seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time and the first visit to a casino at Atlantic City. Few things can match these experiences. A huge thank you to each of Vijay, Varun, Manna, Chandu, Norman, Sathya and Sunil. It would never have been so much fun without all of you.
A few clicks:
The walk to Wall Street and Brooklyn Bridge, the view from 1050 feet above sea level atop a man made marvel - the empire state building, the feel of seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time and the first visit to a casino at Atlantic City. Few things can match these experiences. A huge thank you to each of Vijay, Varun, Manna, Chandu, Norman, Sathya and Sunil. It would never have been so much fun without all of you.
A few clicks:
Friday, January 2, 2009
2008 in retrospect
An eventful year. Lot of good things, but some painfully bad memories too.
With Utsav being a huge success, the new year had started off on a really good note. For those who do not know, Utsav is the annual day event of Saanthwana, an NGO that I am a part of and something really close to my heart. Teamwork payed off and the event went off as well as it was planned. A little behind schedule though, but in Hyderabad, that is definitely okay. LOL
At approximately the same time, admits from universities had started coming in and I was delighted after getting through Computer Science at Arizona State.
The republic day visit to Sphoorti (an organization similar to ours) which is managed by a very good friend of ours, Srivyal. We had a wonderful time with the kids and the dance performance by Satya, Priyanka, Anusha, Priyanka P and Sampath, waving the national flag. All those who were present that day will recollect the size of the flag. I wish I had a picture :). Suvidha engaged the children in some chit chat to spread some knowledge about the national flag and other national symbols.
A few days later, something totally unpredictable happened. My mom called me to inform me of some letter from the Indian Institute of Management. (Trivia: I had always wanted to get into the IIMs, but had given up hope after two unsuccessful attempts). The third attempt was halfhearted to say the least and I had never given it a thought after that last Sunday of November, 2007. Not expecting anything substantial, I opened the letter.
'You have been shortlisted for Group Discussion and Personal Interview' it said, and my joy knew no bounds. More so, since it came at a time when I was least expecting it.
2008 had started off on a good note and I knew this was a big year for me. All was well, until February 25th.
I was on my way to office, as usual when Nagesh messaged about an accident to Bhagi. I simply smiled as I knew that he must be joking and upto his usual antics. Sometime later, another message. This time from Kiran. My heart sunk as I knew something was terribly wrong. A few hours later, my friend Bhagirath breathed his last. It was a huge setback for me, considering how close he was to me. Wasn't it just 24hrs ago that we were driving around with another friend, ice-creams in hand? And to think that 24hours later, he wasn't existent seemed very very difficult to digest.
The first week of April was when I had my interview at IIM, Bangalore. I was pretty pepped up because this was what I had been aiming for the last few years, a shot at the IIMs and I wanted to make the most of it. Then again, Someone thought differently. The day before my interview, I received a mail that I was admitted into Texas A&M. My dream admit and one of the better schools in the US, I was over the moon. Totally.
I went to the interview next day with nothing to lose. And a few weeks later when I was informed that I did not make it, I knew I had lost nothing. As much as I wanted to be in the big league in India, I was sure that an MIS program was where I belonged. Maybe an MBA sometime in the future, but for now, I was heading to be an Aggie.
Back to Saanthwana. With the help of Pragnya and her friends from Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences, we organized a highly successful dental camp at Sphoorti. Even the hot summer sun did not deter people as we saw a good turnaround.
June 10th - we celebrated Bhagirath's birthday, among children from Sphoorti and Aadarna, just the way he would have wanted to. An emotional moment for a lot of us, including his family. We are thankful to them for supporting us throughout.
This is what I left behind as I flew away, for a new beginning at College Station. Fall was a demanding semester, yes, but I think God has been very kind. Assignments, tests and articles became the order of the day, in addition to my job as a Graduate Assistant. With finals nearing, night-outs were added to the aforementioned list. :)
December 10th - finals end. Finally time to relax. I took off to New Jersey to spend some time with friends. As I write this post, we're forced to stay indoors; its snowing pretty heavily.
Good Indian food, movies with a desi crowd.... feels like I'm back home. :) Someone told me before I left, New Jersey is mini-India. Probably I will go see the Statue of Lady Liberty tomorrow. We're pretty close to NYC in a place called Millburn. Millburn City, as Manohar prefers calling it. :)
Probably this is my longest post and will remain so for a long time. If you've come till here, then thank you :). I have written this for myself, if not for anyone else, to remind myself of new friends made, the joys we've shared, victories I have been a part of and the grief that has united us.
Cheers, to everything!
And oh! A happy new year to all of you! :)
With Utsav being a huge success, the new year had started off on a really good note. For those who do not know, Utsav is the annual day event of Saanthwana, an NGO that I am a part of and something really close to my heart. Teamwork payed off and the event went off as well as it was planned. A little behind schedule though, but in Hyderabad, that is definitely okay. LOL
At approximately the same time, admits from universities had started coming in and I was delighted after getting through Computer Science at Arizona State.
The republic day visit to Sphoorti (an organization similar to ours) which is managed by a very good friend of ours, Srivyal. We had a wonderful time with the kids and the dance performance by Satya, Priyanka, Anusha, Priyanka P and Sampath, waving the national flag. All those who were present that day will recollect the size of the flag. I wish I had a picture :). Suvidha engaged the children in some chit chat to spread some knowledge about the national flag and other national symbols.
A few days later, something totally unpredictable happened. My mom called me to inform me of some letter from the Indian Institute of Management. (Trivia: I had always wanted to get into the IIMs, but had given up hope after two unsuccessful attempts). The third attempt was halfhearted to say the least and I had never given it a thought after that last Sunday of November, 2007. Not expecting anything substantial, I opened the letter.
'You have been shortlisted for Group Discussion and Personal Interview' it said, and my joy knew no bounds. More so, since it came at a time when I was least expecting it.
2008 had started off on a good note and I knew this was a big year for me. All was well, until February 25th.
I was on my way to office, as usual when Nagesh messaged about an accident to Bhagi. I simply smiled as I knew that he must be joking and upto his usual antics. Sometime later, another message. This time from Kiran. My heart sunk as I knew something was terribly wrong. A few hours later, my friend Bhagirath breathed his last. It was a huge setback for me, considering how close he was to me. Wasn't it just 24hrs ago that we were driving around with another friend, ice-creams in hand? And to think that 24hours later, he wasn't existent seemed very very difficult to digest.
The first week of April was when I had my interview at IIM, Bangalore. I was pretty pepped up because this was what I had been aiming for the last few years, a shot at the IIMs and I wanted to make the most of it. Then again, Someone thought differently. The day before my interview, I received a mail that I was admitted into Texas A&M. My dream admit and one of the better schools in the US, I was over the moon. Totally.
I went to the interview next day with nothing to lose. And a few weeks later when I was informed that I did not make it, I knew I had lost nothing. As much as I wanted to be in the big league in India, I was sure that an MIS program was where I belonged. Maybe an MBA sometime in the future, but for now, I was heading to be an Aggie.
Back to Saanthwana. With the help of Pragnya and her friends from Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences, we organized a highly successful dental camp at Sphoorti. Even the hot summer sun did not deter people as we saw a good turnaround.
June 10th - we celebrated Bhagirath's birthday, among children from Sphoorti and Aadarna, just the way he would have wanted to. An emotional moment for a lot of us, including his family. We are thankful to them for supporting us throughout.
This is what I left behind as I flew away, for a new beginning at College Station. Fall was a demanding semester, yes, but I think God has been very kind. Assignments, tests and articles became the order of the day, in addition to my job as a Graduate Assistant. With finals nearing, night-outs were added to the aforementioned list. :)
December 10th - finals end. Finally time to relax. I took off to New Jersey to spend some time with friends. As I write this post, we're forced to stay indoors; its snowing pretty heavily.
Good Indian food, movies with a desi crowd.... feels like I'm back home. :) Someone told me before I left, New Jersey is mini-India. Probably I will go see the Statue of Lady Liberty tomorrow. We're pretty close to NYC in a place called Millburn. Millburn City, as Manohar prefers calling it. :)
Probably this is my longest post and will remain so for a long time. If you've come till here, then thank you :). I have written this for myself, if not for anyone else, to remind myself of new friends made, the joys we've shared, victories I have been a part of and the grief that has united us.
Cheers, to everything!
And oh! A happy new year to all of you! :)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
