Baby steps

When you are kid, everyday you experience something new, a new sensation, a new taste, a new sight, a new smell, a new something that excites you or a new something that exhilarates you. Kids dim-witted they are, would immediately forget all about the new experience that they just had and would go chase a ball or do some stupid thing like that. But I vividly remember some of those experiences and I remember how much it excited me. I tell you even Einstein wouldn't have been so thrilled when he split the atom.

I remember once during a pleasant summer evening I was sitting on my mother's lap on our porch, watching people pass by. She gave me a candy and had one herself. She took the plastic candy wrapper from me and started working on something. I was intently watching her make alternating folds on a candy wrapper, and then twisting it more towards one end. She then made the same alternate folds on another wrapper, tied it around the first wrapper where it's twisted and finally released the folds so they create frills. Voila you have a girl doll wearing a skirt and it was so colorful. I say, seeing a doll made right there out of nothing but two candy wrappers was totally wicked.

One of my cousins had apparently discovered the sensations a peppermint can cause and was all too eager to show it to me. He gave me a peppermint and asked me to have it. I liked the taste of mint and it left a sort of cool feeling in my mouth. All this is was very new to me. He then gave me a glass of water and asked me to drink it. I had a sip and felt as if some iceberg just melted in my mouth and was speeding towards my throat. The cold cold water rushed through my throat and left me all shook up. It was just wonderful and I just kept drinking water till I thought my stomach was going to burst open.

I was playing with an uncle of mine and he wanted to know if I wanted him to draw something for me. Being a stupid kid that I am, I have always thought drawing a ship would be very hard. I mean it's after all a complex piece of machinery, with several decks, tall chimneys, and huge anchors not to mention its enormous size. Ha let me see him draw all that on this small piece of paper? So I asked him to draw me a ship. Once he was done, I couldn't believe that drawing a ship could be this easy. To top it all, he told me he can make me one with nothing but a paper. I went mad with excitement.

Long lost

Sensations to ponder about, thoughts to write about
Yet silence is what I accept, without doubt
Time seems to elude me, so is the text
Savor the moment for I may not be braver for the next

Illusions I have built, so is the sand castle
For ages it felt, all that they did was dazzle
There was no castle, either sand or brick
It was just my mind that played the trick

Memories shattered, emotions battered
Mind drifted, thoughts scattered
Unbearable as it may seem, endure them I should
Freedom is all I seek, find it if you could

I will be forgotten, my words ignored
Others will fill the place, their presence adored
But thank you, my dear
For everything cheer, including the tear.

Compliments

The basis for this post is one of Seinfeld's stand-up gags. The argument is that when someone complements the clothes that you wear, they are faithfully complementing that particular article of clothing and absolutely nothing else. So when I say, 'Hey that's a nice shirt you are wearing', ok or Baliga says 'oh really. Thank you' and takes pride in them assuming the complement was showered on them rather than the shirt itself. (ok and Baliga no offence :P)

I tend to disagree with this hypothesis. It may be so that the shirt in question is absolutely fabulous but it also has to suit the person who is wearing that shirt, for that matter it's true for most pieces of clothing. (unquestionably so for lingerie :D)

So how does this particular observation fit into my life? I recently got a brand new Altima coupe and have been receiving complements for it from friends, to office folks, to complete strangers in parking lots.

Even though it's all nice and sweet, it just doesn't make me all happy and proud. Unlike the clothing argument, my looks are totally immaterial to the fact that I am driving a super sexy car. I have noticed strangers ogling at my car for five straight minutes, look embarrassed when I walk up to the car, complement my car and leave instantly. This makes it all the more worse more so when done by a gorgeous damsel as her untimely disappearance upon my arrival paints a false picture that it's me who makes the car look awful. Sigh!

You complete me.

I know it's corny but hey what the hell, that sums it all up and I like it.

Happy Valentine's Day :)

Office Quips

1. When I joined work, we were a fairly small start up. In our company we have a tradition of the new hires being taken out for lunch by the CEO in order to acquaint her with them. Usually the new hires receive a mail from the CEO inviting them for a casual lunch. A new hire, one Mr. V reads this mail for a lunch invitation by our CEO and is extremely shocked.

Mr. V replies:

Dear Ms.CEO,

I appreciate your interest in getting to know me well but you see I am a married man with two children. I cannot do this to my family. I would be grateful if we could drop this idea and not take this any further.

Sincerely,
Mr. V

CEO replies:

Dear Mr. V,

It's perfectly ok. I too am married with two children ;)

Sincerely,
Ms. CEO

2. During an office lunch party:

New hire: Hi, I am Mr. A

Mr. T: Hi, I am Mr. T

New hire: So how long have you been working here?

Mr. T: I have been working here for the last 4 years.

New hire: Wow that's a long time to work for a start up.

Mr. T: Yes, unfortunately I am the founder so I have to.

New hire: #@*&#

Warning: Item 3 is strictly PG-17

3. Our company does something called search keyword optimization that is we optimize the revenue generated for keyword when its bid for in search engines. Recently we had an adult content oriented client. I cannot name who the client is since I will be breaching the confidentiality agreements of our company but I can tell you that they are quite famous. I enjoy bragging to my friends that I indirectly work for this company.

Conversation about the performance of this client as you can understand can lead to very awkward situations. Here are some of those priceless moments. I tell you it takes extreme control to keep a straight face and not laugh when someone says

a. Big b00b$ isn't performing well.
b. P0rn screwed us.
c. Let's take le$bi@n g@ngb@ng as our case study.

Rains

Never felt them to be anything special all my life but all that changed today morning. Not that I danced to glory in the rain with bone chilling winds blowing over my body which our scantily clad bollywood heroines seem to enjoy in one of those item numbers or some such stupid thing but a genuine sense of longing.

We grown ups are so engrossed in making lives complicated for ourselves that we never really take the time to stop and appreciate the small things.

How I wish I would be tightly tucked in the bed with some hot chocolate to relish on. That tepid feeling you get under the comforter. That warm feeling which fills you up from the inside when u take a sip of that hot chocolate. That tingling feeling when your palms engulf the hot chocolate mug with the cold air breezing past your fingers. That soft music created by rain droplets which come crashing down from high above. A book to ponder on or a movie to acquire pleasure from, how I wish I was a kid again! Life was so right then.

Happy New Year 2008

Wish you all a happy, prosperous, eventful and a splendid New Year