The voice (TV) : Madam, I have a message for u, your husband had called.
Me(literally jumping out of my seat) : Message for me from whom?, have u got the right number
TV: Ayesha madam, message for you from ur husband, he said he will call back later.
Me : What rubbish, are u sure it was for me, FYI, I am not married
TV: oopps, correct, then how can ur husband call u? How did i forget u are still single?
Me: Listen, Better clean your ears and don't give me such stupid messages.
TV: Am sorry, but that person said,...eitherways, Sorry.
Me: Guess some one has fooled u and the duffer that u are have fallen for it.
TV : Probably (Still in a state of shock, hangs up)

It was a perfect end to a sultry and sweaty day. The city got a pristine look after the lovely shower.What a sight it was, thunder lightning and the sudden downpour. Its a delight to be driving around at such a time, with some wonderful soft music playing in the background...The lovely weather continues today as well.

The best part of summer are dewy morning, cool evenings (both of which give a feeling of "Its wonderful weather today" ), the air is filled with the gorgeous smell of jasmine, the magnificent flavour of the kind of fruit in air, loads of ice-creams, cool cool lassi.

Why don't we enjoy the wonderful things around instead of complaining of the steaming weather at the end of the day?

Marketing tips

The CEO of KFC manages to arrange a meeting with the Pope at the Vatican. After receiving the papal blessing, he whispers, "Your eminence, we have an offer for you". KFC is prepared to donate $100 million dollars to the church if you change the Lord's Prayer from 'give us this day our daily bread' to, 'give us this day our daily chicken.'
     
The Pope responds, "That is impossible. The Prayer is the word of the Lord - it must not be changed".
"Well," says the KFC man, "We anticipated your reluctance. For this reason, we will increase our offer to $300 million dollars. All we require is that you change the Lord's Prayer from 'give us this day our daily bread' to 'give us this day our daily chicken.'

Again, the Pope replies, "That, my son, is impossible. For the prayer is the word of the Lord and it must not be changed."
Finally, the KFC guy says, "Your Holiness, we at KFC respect your adherence to your faith, but we do have one final offer. We will donate $500 million dollars - that's half a billion dollars - to the great Catholic church if you would only change the Lord's Prayer from 'give us this day our daily bread' to 'give us this day our daily chicken.' Please consider it." And he leaves.

The next day the Pope convenes the College of Cardinals. "There is some good news," he announces, "and some bad news." "The good news is that the Church will come into $500 million dollars". "And the bad news, your Eminence?" asks a Cardinal. "We're losing the Modern Bread Account."

Was at a temple last evening, and what a hungama the so called caretakers of God were creating....ridiculous...

In an alien town, i am enroute to cruise through new dimensions of knowledge...must say am enjoying my self.

The vacancy

"I hope you will be there at my wedding, the greatest gift for me would be the presence of your family".

These words touched the hearts of each one of us at home. What was more touchy was the fact that this guy makes it a point to talk to each and everyone of us, from the eldest in the family to the youngest. Since i was not in town (all this happening in Mysore), he called me on the cell and said, please be there, and since its a Sunday, am sure u will be here and please don't miss the occasion.

Well, this is no relative or a friend. This guy used to work as a helper in the hostel where my Brother-in-law was the warden. After Jiju left that responsibility, this guy also followed suit and started on with life with different means of living. A very sweet fellow, always ready to help, no matter what time or occasion. He is no less than a family member in my jiju's household. And ofcourse is dear to all the kids, for helping them in their mischievous endeavors. He is a replica of Courtney Walsh, as far as looks go, and has a heart of gold. Has single handedly taken care of a huge family.

Its very weird how you get connected to people, how small things mean so much. Each time this guy helps us, we send a silent prayer to Almighty wishing, that he is granted all his wishes. Genuinely its these kind of people which make it so good to live in, and unknowingly, they teach us to many lessons which no school would impart to us.

A long due change in the blog layout happened y'day. Thanks to the comments on how bad my blog looks, made me sit up and do the job. Then realised that i could be changing my blog. Thanks buddy for the much needed push.

Happy World Book Day to all the book lovers :))

Life and Time

Love the earth and sun and animals,
Despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks,
Stand up for the stupid and crazy,
Devote your income and labor to others...
And your very flesh shall be a great poem.

-- Walt Whitman

I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.

Jack London

Happy Earth Day

Its a new day...its a new week...yeap am back to work with a renewed level of enthu and energy. Not to mention i had a good weekend, spent lazing in the rustic locales of rural Karnataka. Was at a farm house and the mangoes had my mouth watering...sad they were all unripe...just cannot wait to lay my hands till they are ripe. :)

I open my mail box to be greeted by Mythri's (my dear friend, who keeps showering me with wonderful mails, in spite of me not writing very regularly to her) mail, about her trip to the Callaway Gardens...Amazing set of photographs. Raj (her husband) and she have a penchant for photographing gardens. Check the Travel folder in her Photos Album where, Mythri plays magic with her camera.

Am sure you will fall in love with nature all over again. :)

Its holiday season again...yeah a long weekend after a long time. Whats the plan for the long weekend is the question in the air?. The adventurous sorts are out on a trek, the family people out on a short holiday with family, bachelors and spinsters planning a jamming sessions, the not so active people hopping to have a relaxed weekend and lazy gang, just hoping that they can have their share of fun. And people like me still wondering how best the three days can be spent. Spend the day chatting, reading, bugging, spending time with friends. Before you can even blink, wink and squeak, the holiday would be over. Happy time guys.

A statement which got me thinking.. “Nothing happens by accident in the life, there is always a reason for what happens bad or good, and that reason, most of the time, is you! The place that you are today is the result of all the choices, decisions and actions that you have made in your past.”

There is so much of truth in this statement. Some of us give pleasure in giving others the credit for what we are and say, “Yes, it’s because of this person we are here”. Very often we fail to realize, the major role in us reaching the place is our hard work and potential which has brought us here, and of course, the catalyst has to be there and it’s a imperative part of every life. We all need that certain tug and push and pull in life. There will be a huge group of people who would always want to take pride in the grooming or growing of a person, so be it, give the devil its due. But hog the limelight and the applaud for urself.

Today the mood is very shayarana....a small doze to you guys as well.

kyaa huaa teraa har ik roz mujhe Khat likhanaa

kyaa huaa teraa har ik roz mujhe Khat likhanaa
aur Khat me.n dil-e-betaab kii haalat likhanaa

merii Khaatir shab-e-furqat me.n na sonaa teraa
merii yaado.n me.n pareshaa.N saa honaa teraa
aur phir Khat me.n shab-e-hijr kii baabat likhanaa
kyaa huaa teraa har ik roz mujhe Khat likhanaa

vo sar-e-shaam Khayaalo.n me.n mere kho jaanaa
aur phir Khud hii teraa sharm_saar ho jaanaa
vo akele me.n mujhe pyaar bharaa Khat likhanaa
kyaa huaa teraa har ik roz mujhe Khat likhanaa

kis liye to.D diye tuune sabhii ahad-e-vafaa
kyaa hue vaade muhabbat ke bataa kuchh to bataa
kis liye chho.D diyaa tuu ne mujhe Khat likhanaa
kyaa huaa teraa har ik roz mujhe Khat likhanaa

It’s so strange; people close to you realize that there is something wrong and take u by surprise when they decide to call you.
It’s so strange, that a call can change your mood and perception for a while.
Strange is the fact that when you make friends, you never take an oath to be there, always, during good time and bad. Its a commitment which comes as a package with the person, a relationship with no strings attached.

It isn't strange that the people who can make you smile through your tears are your friends, people whose shoulder is always there, to drop ur head and cry or hold u stomach and laugh.

A thanks to these wonderful people is returned through a huge smile or a big handshake or a bear hug....Imagining life without these people is a nightmare by itself.

maa(Mother)
Nida Fazli

besan kii so.ndhii roTii par, khaTTii chaTanii jaisii maa.N
yaad aatii hai chaukaa-baasan, chimaTaa phukanii jaisii maa.N

baa.Ns kii khurrii khaaT ke uupar, har aahaT par kaan dhare
aadhii so_ii aadhii jaagii, thakii dopaharii jaisii maa.N

chi.Diyo.n ke chahakaar me.n gu.Nje, raadhaa-mohan alii-alii
murGe kii aavaaz se khulatii, ghar kii ku.nDii jaisii maa.N

bivii, beTii, bahan, pa.Dosan, tho.Dii tho.Dii sii sab me.n
din bhar ik rassii ke uupar, chalatii naTanii jaisii maa.N

baa.NT ke apanaa cheharaa, maathaa, aa.Nkhe.n jaane kahaa.N ga_ii
phaTe puuraane ik alabam me.n, cha.nchal la.dakii jaisii maa.N

I share my birthday (30 dec) with the following people (the list is still huge though)

0039 Titus 10th Roman emperor (79-81), conqueror of Jerusalem
1851 Asa Griggs Candler developed Coca-Cola
1865 Rudyard Kipling Bombay, author (Jungle Book, Gunga Din-Nobel 1907)
1872 William A Larned tennis champion (US Open-1901)
1879 Sri Ramana Maharshi Hindu philosopher/yogi (Maharshi Research Institute)
1880 Alfred Einstein German/US musicologist/nephew of Albert Einstein
1883 Mary Forbes Hornsey England, actress (Terror by Night)
1884 Tojo Hideki Japanese PM during WWII
1884 Karl Heinrich David composer
1905 Emmanuel Levinas philosopher
1907 Robert Grant Grant-Ferris politician
1910 Dennis Morgan actor (Cattle Town, Canyon Pass, Waterfront)
1913 Svend Simon Schultz composer
1918 W Eugene Smith US photographer (Saipan, Walk to Paradise Garden)
1927 Bernard Barrow New York NY, actor (Ryan's Hope, Louie Slavinsky-Loving)
1931 Richard Christ writer
1934 Barry Briggs New Zealand auto maker (World Champion 1957, 58, 64, 66)
1935 Omar [Albert B] Bongo President of Gabon (1967- )
1948 Surinder Amarnath cricketer (son of Lala 124 on debut vs New Zealand 1976)
1949 Bruce Davidson equestrian 3-day (Olympics-silver-96)
1950 Yunus I Mahomed South African attorney/leader (UDF)
1961 Ben Johnson 100 meter runner (Olympics-gold-1988-disqualified)
1965 Brad McNamara cricketer (New South Wales all-rounder)
1975 Tiger Woods golfer

Source

Answer time

1. Tom & Jerry
2. Dennis the Menace
3. William Danby Hanna and Joseph Roland Barbera
4. Popeye the Sailor man
5. Peanuts by Charles Schulz
6.Garfield
7.Calvin & Hobbes
8.Beetle Bailey
9.Hagar the Horrible
10.Blondie

Toon Crazy folks, take this quiz

For all u boys and girls who are toon crazy, heres a small quiz, send in ur replies to me

1. He was born with another name, this character evolved into one of the most popular Cartoons to this day. He has an opponent who always outwits him. Theirs is a love-hate relationship. His opponent is cunning enough to read his mind and look at blue prints set for capturing him, which famous pair are we talking here?

2. Each March, this kid blows out the candles on the cake and becomes younger by a year. Has been as very successful in TV serials, movies as on the newspaper strip. Which character are we talking about?

3. We are talking of a duo here; the first one was born on 1910, studied engineering briefly before a lack of finances forced him to end his studies. The talent for drawing is what fetched this person the dividends in life. The second person was born a year later, worked at a law firm and before he started his career as a cartoonist Together they hold a record of creating over 200 cartoons and won several Oscar’s for it.

4. Robin Williams immortalized this character in a Hollywood flick. This was the first character ever immortalized in public sculpture. A particular industry credited and saving due to the habits of this character. He went on to replace the most popular mouse on his way to the top. Which character are we talking about?

5. A great debut which featured in 7 newspapers, this team was animated in 1957, ran as a Broadway Musical for a period of 5 years, was adopted by NASA as a promotional device, and has a painting of the entire gang in a famous museum. Which cartoon strip are we talking about?

6. He’s a genius when it comes to eating, his debut was hanging on the screen door complaining he is "bored, bored, bored, bored"...etc. When something finally does happen. Also on a hot day he clops around in ice-cube tray as shoes. Orders for coffee over Internet, who are we talking about?

7. A strong advocate of doing “nothing”, His says that the problem with the future is that it keeps turning into the present. While acting as a vegetable he ruined the play because he was stuck in the washing room. Together with his mate he makes u laugh with his wise cracks. He is named after a theologian who believed in predestination and his companion named after a philosopher. Which famous characters are we talking about?

8. His creation was an accident, which came at a time when America was in a conflict with an Asian country, an error that turned very good for all readers. Stationed at an unusual place, this character is very lazy and always running himself into problem. His sister and brother form another cartoon strip of their own. which is still running successfully. The strip is a melting pot of outrageous characters that have become stars in their own right. Which comic strip are we talking about?

9. He has worldwide recognition, traveled 58 countries and speaks 13 languages. He makes an appearance everyday in 1,900 newspapers. He is a devoted family man and a reluctant taxpayer and has a huge appetite. Who is he?

10. She transformed from flighty flapper into loving wife and, eventually, mother. Warm, gentle, loving and supportive of her husband and her children, she's spent many years as a model housewife. She shocked her husband when she decided to join the work force. Always there to rescue her husband, who went on a hunger strike, defied his parents to make her life partner. Their second child was named after a reader’s contest. They together have survived decades through war and peace, boom and bust, revolution and social upheaval. Who is she?

For all the Peanuts fan....this site is an amazing tribute to the Charles Schulz.

Your Thought and Mine

Your thought is a tree rooted deep in the soil of tradition and whose branches grow in the power of continuity.
My thought is a cloud moving in the space. It turns into drops which, as they fall, form a brook that sings its way into the sea. Then it rises as vapour into the sky. Your thought is a fortress that neither gale nor the lightning can shake.
My thought is a tender leaf that sways in every direction and finds pleasure in its swaying.
Your thought is an ancient dogma that cannot change you nor can you change it.
My thought is new, and it tests me and I test it morn and eve.
You have your thought and I have mine.

Khalil Gibran (1883-1931)