Never borrow never lend, if you want to keep a friend.

I could not agree more. Whoever said beg, borrow, steal was a way out, was not living in today’s world.

We all know a person’s attire gives in a sense of his personality. Many ever believe shoes tell you about a person. In fact, that is the sole reason why candidates appearing for an interview dress their best.

But what if this “look” and “personality” is borrowed? Can you imagine how deceptive it can be!

Because we, in general, are receptive to another persons look and dressing, it may lead us to wrong conclusions if the appearance is faked. And, it won’t be wrong in saying that clothes, make up, footwear and hair style can change the way one looks. Very easily that too.

A perfect example of that being the world of cinema. Actors and actresses adopt various looks for a particular film, which change movie after movie. I still remember our talented Miss World turned actress Priyanka Chopra in the Bollywood movie What’s your Rashee. It depicted Miss PC in 12 different avatars based on the common star signs. And everyone would agree, the make up artist and costume designer did a fantastic job.

And that’s not just about the movie world. In reality too, people carry themselves off as someone else.

For this, let me give a simple example. Girl 1, from a mediocre background, a newly independent citizen. Girl 2, a little better off. For a party, 1 borrows from 2 a dress and a pair of heels. Later, photos of them surface up on Facebook.

Someone had commented on 1‘s incredible dressing sense, how fabulous she looks in a dress, how the dress is completely made for her. 2 was amused by the way 1 floated around after the newly found love of others appreciation. 

For a next event too, 1 borrows her look from 2. Stingy in investing in a dress and presuming borrowing is the best shine out for a night, 1 continued this habit for a continued period of time, over which her financial status was not as middle-class as before. But habits, they say, are hard to let go.

Soon, 2 realized 1 was taking an advantage of her. And without much verbal conflict, the distance between them started growing.

Well, I don’t know how else this story ends, firstly because it’s absolutely fictitious and made up entirely to relate to this topic. Secondly because, it’s about girls. You cannot be sure how they ended things and what their verbal conversation might have been. Also, I took the liberty to exemplify this with girls because I don’t think men fight over these petty issues. (Or maybe I am wrong) 😀

What I believe is, its good to change the way you look or carry yourself. It’s also okay to borrow once in a while, in case of fashion emergencies. But do not depend on others to remake or to create your own personality.

Maybe initially you might get successful in creating an impression you want to, but eventually who you exactly are will surface. 

So invest in yourself. If you cannot buy expensive stuff, at least be presentable with what you can afford. And smile. It makes a huge lot of difference in the way you look.

Cheers.

Velankanni Church of Virgin Mary

On a warm summer morning of Tamil Nadu, a group of young girls decided to visit a church nearby.

Map was arranged. Calls were made. Cab was hired.

Since it was only 3 years later I started penning down this trip – blame my poor memory- I used excerpts from Richard Clarke’s Blog to introduce Velankanni Church.

“Our Lady of Velankanni (alternately spelled Vailankanni) Church, called “The Lourdes of the East” and also “Our Lady of Good Health.” It carries these names because of three miracles that happened associated with the Mother Mary. It was built in the late 16th century. Later, modifications were made by the Portuguese.

Velankanni Church is a colossal structure, built in the Gothic style of architecture.

Velankanni receives many visitors. The largest crowd is up to 500,000 on September 8 of each year, for the nativity of the Virgin Mary.

The local tradition talks of the apparitions of Virgin Mary at Velankanni, at least three times. It is seen as a place of healing, and attracts many thousands of visitors, mainly Indians.”

Since our day began early, and hostel mess food was pathetic, we stopped to eat roadside.

Well what we ate wasn’t top class food, but it was better than what we left behind in hostel.

Soon enough we reached the beautiful church.

Parts of it was getting renovated.

We took the entrance from the left…..

If you stand on this church, you see 3 churches – one on your left, one on your right, and one straight ahead.

  

A peaceful place to worship.

  

And a special area designated to sell franchised products of Velankanni Church.

Oh, and one of the 3 churches I mentioned about – the one straight opposite – many people come here and go to that church crawling or barefoot. It is a belief if you pray for something – this is the hardship you need to get through.

We spotted a woman going there- on her knees. There is a tree inside the church; childless women tie a handkerchief in the shape of a pram here. Apparently they get blessed with children after that.

Not sure about the myths and beliefs related with the churches, but it was a beautiful architectural site too.

Some Links :

Velankanni Town – Wikipedia

Velankanni Church Website

I.Love.India Website talks about the church.

A to Z of Delhites ;)

Auntys (you see them everywhere!!!)
Bungalows (display of your assets)
Camera freak (absolutely :D)
Diamonds are best friends (Check out the list of outlets of Jewellery stores in Delhi – You’ll be shocked)
Eating (especially roadside)
Farm house (for a weekend get-away)
Gadgets (see see see I have ******* phone 😉
High society high heels (O, yeah.. SATC)
Imported cars (but bad condition of roads)
Jewellery (artificial is better than real, and most of the times you can’t find out the difference)
Khan market (shopping HUB)
Luxury safari (what FUN 😀
Marriage (excites everyone)
Not real (So true!!!)
O Teri (most commonly used word- after the swearing obviously)
Pubs (in every nook and corner)
Queen size (so common – yet doesn’t stop people for wearing anything they want 😀
Restaurant (5-6 in every street- yes we love eating THAT much)
Sale season (makes people go GA GA)
Tour of Canada (is SO common in elite families)
USA dreams (for one and all)
VIP (nobody is NOBODY in Delhi)
Whisky (on the rocks)
Exercise (~no comments~)
Young (no dictionary had the word OLD)
Zero size (most desirable thing – for men and women 😉

Disclaimer : No intentions to hurt anyone’s feeling!

Note for readers : “Delhite” is a slang given to people living in Delhi

A fun link : Facebook page of  Proud to be a Delhite and I love Delhi and also Meri Delhi Meri Jaan

An interesting link : Samosapedia – The definitive guide to South Asian lingo

The easily forgotten roadside thoughts…

Roadside thoughts.

One. How do they survive?

Two. Do they even get one day’s meal?

Three. Can they not get employed somewhere? Govt can employ them to clean roads, and pay them daily wages.

Four. What happens in winters?

Five. Were they born in poverty or they reached this pathetic condition later on in life?

Six. Will they be there if I come back after a week?

Seven. What if they need medical attention?

Eight. What happens when they die?

Nine. Does the world care?

Ten. Can I change the world?

Eleven. I am getting late for my job! Need to produce some electricity to keep our cities lighted. Probably I’ll catch a snack on the way. Hmmm…

Early to bed, Early to rise?

November Resolution : Early to bed, Early to rise!

October 31st
10:00 pm	Tucked in bed
11:30 pm	Rolling on the bed thinking when will I fall asleep
(Sometime in between this) November Starts
2:00 am	“Damn it..! Why am I not getting sleep!” Wakes up, drinks water, back to bed! 😐
3:45 am	Finally asleep
8:00 am	Mom comes to wake me up
	Repeats 5-6 times (based on my mom’s patience that day)
10:30 am	My good morning starts! 😀
	Mundane activities follow
03:20 pm	I am not going to take an afternoon nap, so I can get sleep at night *smart thinking* 😉
	Other unimportant activities follow
10:45 pm	“I should sleep”
11:55 pm	Rolling on the bed thinking what the hell is wrong with me 😐
November 2
2:00 am	LalaLALaAlALAaalaLaLALALALlalalaLA *humming songs in the head*
3: 30 am	Still no sleep
	Falls asleep, Time unknown
9:00 am	Mom shouting, “Do you know what color is the sky at dawn, ever seen it?”
9:45 am	Wakes up rubbing eyes.
	In the couch for an hour, finally gets up, splashes water on face. “I think now I am awake” 😉
	Mundane activities follow
9:45 pm	Mom – “Are you going to bed soon?” “Mom, did you see a point in it since last two days?” 😐
November Resolution Dropped

Roadways VS Railways

After knowing me so well, now I can confidently say that my first experience at things/events isn’t good – EVER!

As a kid, my parents never allowed me to travel alone till it became an absolute necessity!

And even till this age, I get the same repeated sessions of DO’s and DON’Ts to be followed while I am travelling alone. Not that my folks are scared that I’ll get talking to strangers and become friendly with them, but more about my health and doing things on time (“in time” according to them)!

After my first journey in the Indian Railways, I realized why my parents preferred roadways to railways. Here are a few of them enlisted –

1. You won’t need to book/buy your tickets months in advance for a road journey.

2. You can manage to get late for a road journey. You can hop on to the next bus and its super convenient if you own a car. The train may get delayed on its own, but in case it’s on time – it won’t wait for you!

3. Breakdowns. A bus may be replaced, trains are generally cancelled.

4. In case of fog, or bad weather, buses will still comply to deliver passengers to their destinations – generally taking a little longer the usual time; railways take no such guarantee.

5. Mishaps. Accident possibility in railway journey might not outnumber the one by roadways. But extent of disaster is worse.

6. Roadside dhabbas don’t serve you chai made in sewer water and food out of God-knows-What ingredients. Eating from railways’ food department is a sure shot invitation to Food Poisoning.

7. It’s tough to change your seat or exchange it with fellow train passengers.

8. The fear of losing your luggage in trains is higher! 😐

Although my train journeys in the past have been pretty eventful, but most of them ended at my destination SAFELY.

I have now made a clear-cut choice to pick roadways whenever possible, and railways are preferred only for the sole reason of SPEED-DISTANCE-TIME ratio.

\\Birthday Bashes//

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Over the years, we lose the charm of celebrating birthday in the cake-cutting-and-balloon-bursting style!

The gathering, the lighting candles, the monotonous signing of Happy-Birthday-To-You with cheering and clapping, and making a wish before blowing out the candles used to be fun, isn’t it?

I still am the seven-year old at heart, waiting for my birthday eagerly, year after year! I like to eat my left over cake the next day and I absolutely love looking at my birthday presents again and again 😉

I think it’s because of the fond memories of various birthday bashes I planned for my friends, and the ones I got in return, that I still am excited about birthdays! 

It’s not about getting older, it’s about cherishing the past and welcoming the future!

Cheers..!

~ Rain! Rain! Come Again! ~

Responses I get from people when I ask if they like rains/rainy season –

1. Eeeew! No! It’s so sticky-sticky and humid. No ways!

2. Naaah…It makes me feel depressed!

3. Ain’t no sunshine, the day doesn’t feel like the day! I feel so lazy!

4. The puddles on the roads spoil my heels/footwear/shoes..!! *thanks to Indian roadways department*

5. The clothes get wet, and they don’t dry easily. No I don’t like staying wet, or getting wet early morning. *you got to be kidding me*

6. Do you know how many diseases/infections spread in this season? Do you like Rainy season, *almost feels like someone is putting a pistol on my head* do you?

*After the last one, I decided not to consider my audience on this topic* 😀

But I love rains. And I have my own reasons!

1. It is romantic! It is, just look at the sky once in a while!

2. No rainbows unless it rains!!!

3. You can act like a kid, regardless of your actual age! Splash into water puddles and get dirty, since you’re wet anyways 😉

4. Walking with an umbrella is so cool, I mean this is the only time you can use umbrella as a fashion statement! 😉

5. Some dishes and sweets just taste better when its raining. I mean, seriously, there are rainy-season-special-sweets in India.

6. Walking in the rain, nobody can see you cry # never tried it, but read it somewhere!

7. You have an excuse to come late to office/take a day off by calling in sick 😉

8. It gives a perfect reason to enjoy a cup(s) of  herbal tea/strong coffee (more than your usual in-a-day count).  

I have always loved rains and will continue to enjoy this season just like the others!

Cheers!  *coffee mug*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My affair @ The Taj Mahal *wink wink*

I have visited the Taj Mahal twice, once with family, once with friends. Its breath taking beauty left me awe struck both the times.

Since I know the local language, and how things work around in India, I thought of listing a few factoids about visiting the Taj Mahal, added with my special tips (and a a bit of gossip in the end)!

• Plan your day of visit beforehand. It remains CLOSED on FRIDAYS!!

• Taking a motorized vehicle or a cart to travel from the main gate to the main grave: Easy on your feet, there is a lot to cover inside the boundaries of the Taj, why tire yourself right from the beginning..? Do not overpay! The cab are cheap.
• There are three entry gates- Eastern, Western and Southern. Don’t panic/wait up if you a see a long queue of people waiting for tickets at the entry. There is an other way round 😉

  

• Hiring a tour guide: They have memorized word by word each fascinating point about the monument. Hire a government approved guide as they have specific charges. Although no scope of bargaining, but at least you won’t be running into the risk of interacting with unauthorized or suspicious people.  

    

• Getting a token of remembrance after visiting. The gift shops around are OVERPRICED. Do not buy from there in the name of authenticity. You get same stuff outside, in Agra city for 1/10^th price!

So I am done sharing some general knowledge, most of which applies to other parts of India too. So reading them, is a win-win 😀 Here are some other snaps 🙂

Basically this recent one was a memorable trip with friends, one of them I was head over heels in love with from previous two years, but never had the courage to speak up to. And that courage finally surfaced in the most romantic place I could think of.

(Well, I have modified the truth a bit, but what the hell, I want my kids to read this in future :P)

You can distinctly see seven people in the above pic, posing in front of the glorious Taj. Me, my newly confessed love, and the others who pulled our leg for umpteen days for get all lovey-dovey (thanks to the Taj effect :P).

Visit the Taj, you will fall in love with its beauty if not something/someone else! 

#  I should have named this – Blog of a romantic fool 😀

P.S : official site of Taj Mahal

Erasing the dots..

Don’t we hate it, when we can’t get to wash away a stained table-cloth? Or bed sheet or favorite party-wear? We give up at times; but if it’s a special one, we don’t give up easily, do we?

Then why not do the same for our inner self? We all get our spirit broken and scarred. We all come across people who cheat or hurt or humiliate us. We keep those people-those memories in our minds and hearts. 

See the irony, washing the stains off our dress is more important than cleansing our soul.

But we owe it to ourselves, to forgive-and-forget and have the passion to keep our lives free of negative energy. There is so much love to be shared, then why give even the tiny bit of importance to negativity.

I made a deal with myself. Once in a while, I think of one person who hurt me. And tell myself “I forgive him/her. I no longer want to keep the memories of that pain.” 

I have faith that with such baby steps, forgiving one person at a time, I can heal my souls and cherish only the good memories.

What do you do to heal your heart? 

~ my first bucket-list ~

I love travelling. I don’t like travelling alone, but I have come up in terms with myself to enjoy solo-rides too 🙂  

I thought of making a list of means of transports I have used and which can I put into my own small (first) bucket list.

Courtesy wiki.answers, here is a list of modes of transport; ones uncrossed are yet-to-be taken:

1. Airplane  (more than 2 dozen times)
2. Bus  (more than 10 dozen times)
3. Car  (almost every day)
4. Canoe (looking forward to this)
5. Donkey  (it was basically a breed of donkey you find in hilly areas of India)
6. Expressway  (in capital city of India and many national highways)
7. Ferry  (when I visited Mumbai)
8. Freeway (while travelling in India and Oman)
9. Glider (not yet)
10. Hot air balloon (can’t wait for this one)
11. Horse (Yeah!!)
12. Inflatable raft (this will have to wait)
13. Jetpack (I don’t think I’ll be using this in this lifetime 😛 But, not giving up)
14. Kayak (this too, not yet)
15. Lorry (yes, yes, yes 😀 this was a fun story I’ll probably be penning down later)
16. Motorcycle (absolutely)
17. Naval fleet (nope, not happening in this lifetime)
18. Oxen (a cart driven by oxen, yes. But actual one, no)
19. Palanquin (not yet)
20. Rocket (not happening :D)
21. Subway (absolutely)
22. Taxi (the days of college)
23. Unicycle (bicycle YES, tricycle YES, but unicycle NO)
24. Van (yup, I drove around 10 people in my van)
25. Waterway (Oh, loved it)
26. Yacht (soon, I hope)
27. Zeppelin (I din’t even know this existed)
28. Zipline (it was way too fun to forget :D)
29. Scooter (for many years with my Dad)
30. Railways (Finally, last year)
31. Tonga (School time) 
32. Bullock Cart (Yeah! :D)
33. Bicycle (yes, for four years EVERYDAY)
34. Tricycle (as a kid, sure :P)
35. Truck (not yet)
36. Trailer (Looking for a chance :D)
37. Parachute (would love to)
38. Helicopter (Can’t wait!!)
39. Camel (Yup, three times)
40. Elephant (Only once, but it was fun)
41. Mule (yes :D)
42. Autogyro (would love to)
43. Reindeer (this I don’t know when)
44. Yak (No idea when and where)
45. Sledge (not anytime soon)
46. Chariot (nope)
47. Cart/Rickshaw (Yes, hundreds of times)
48. Carriage (not yet)
49. Tram (looking forward to this, soon)
50. Moving walkway/Moving sidewalk (at airports)
51. Roller shoes (have to learn- to do list)
52. Skateboard (have to learn- to do list) 
53. Ski (have to learn- to do list)
54. Moped (have to learn- to do list)
55. Jeep (yes, drove one :D)
56. Ship (Ah, had an amazing time)
57. Luxury Bus/Car/Boat/Ship (Not soon :D)

Now these form my short term goals :

1. Canoe
2. Oxen
3. Palanquin
4. Yacht 
5. Truck
6. Trailer
7. Parachute
8. Helicopter
9. Chariot
10. Carriage
11. Tram
12. Roller shoes 
13. Skateboard
14. Moped

I hope by next year I have at least a few of these crossed out 😀

Cheers!

for F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Being Monica Geller in is intriguing! Example of her maniac cleanliness is sorting towels into eleven different categories (three being “fancy”, “guest”, and “fancy guest”).

But actually there exist a little Monica Geller in each one of us.

Now I don’t say that we are crazy to such an extent, but we have such foibles in a moderate extent. Best example is when we categorize the people in our lives: our friends, neighbors, family members.

If not all, we would have seen a variety of each of these types in our lives. We label our close ones-we label people we haven’t met-we label people we just met.

Some people hit it off with us instantly, finding a special place in our lives. Best friends, family members and partners become the favorite characters of our life-story. 

For all those mates who have a contribution in making my life memorable, regardless of the contribution, I am thankful! It is not possible for me to even pen down all the names, but in my heart, I know the “category” of people who have come a long way with me. This one is for you all.

Morning Blues!

I realized the actual meaning of this phrase, much after I started working full-time. The transition from campus to corporate, they said, was difficult. But I (now) say it was DRAMTIC – intensity of drama varying from person to person.

As a school kid I wished to grow up in a jiffy, and go to college. As a college freshman, I dreamt to get a satisfying (socially, mentally, monetarily) job. And then, as an employed big-girl, I started to search further, what is my dream?

Now here came the DRAMA part. I have a well-paying job, a loving family, a caring life partner, a decent social status. So where do I invest my energy, my dreams, my thoughts, and (at times) my money?

After some days of meaningless social networking, my mind was gushed with plethora of Plans I had made in my younger years, which now seems like a previous life. So I start following my heart to fulfill some-if-not-all my yet-to-be-accomplished dreams.

Eventually, just like the clouds after a storm, my head cleared of all drama – the transitions I was going through: campus-to-corporate, girl-to-woman.

While competing in corporate rat-race, the one which fetches us a handsome status in the society, we forget what we really love-what we really should be doing. We get trapped in our own cocoon of responsibilities, aims and goals. Only when WE pop that bubble OURSELVES, we are exposed to other opportunities – the ones which helps us through this journey in a healthier spirit.

Well, I try breaking out of my schedule more than once a week. And take a complete break from work on the weekend. But my morning blues still persist. After all, who wants to go operate some electrical machines after an exciting weekend of shopping, decorating, cooking and blogging? 😀

***

Morning.Noon.Night of my Indian Graduation

Years after “School” and before “Graduation” brings about a lots of changes in a person’s life.

Regardless of how tough that time seemed – that time – it leaves back a number of good memories to cherish.

This is a glimpse of my morning-noon-and-night while I was getting prepared to become an Engineer.

The view of the lower terrace from the upper terrace.

The typical Indian way of hanging clothes out in the open to dry 😉

Early morning studies was one of my cherished time during my college. Especially if it was after a night-out 😀

Generally tensed before exams, I used to find strength by gathering the energy from the rising sun.

the beautiful red sun, indicating the end of yet another day!!

As the sun sets, it ends another day of memories I don’t clearly remember now.

Four years of my college, the only things which were constant and timeless were the morning noon & night!

To have a heart to admire the beauty of this God’s created nature, is the biggest achievement of a human soul…!

# National Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu – India

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