This is a really Unique Love letter...got that in the mail y'day and its pretty funny. But nothing to beat the Tapori's love letter.

Howdy Menaka,

I am actually a friend of Karunakaran on whose behalf I am penning this love epistle. Karunakaran wanted me to remind you that he is the pencil-line mustached
individual who sits behind you in Chemistry class.

Coming to the subject matter of a love letter, he seems to think that I would do a better job than he, albeit this is my first stab at one by proxy. And he wanted me to convey that he has a huge crush on you. Which pretty much sums up the letter. But he wants it to be at least a page long to seem proper and wants me
to throw in some flowery language and such to impress you. So let us meet in the next paragraph.

You should note that this poor fellow has been making numerous attempts at a love letter, the evidence of which remains in the wastepaper basket. Pity that love
must kill so many trees. I took a peek at the crumpled up pieces. He apparently had starting trouble, much like trying to jumpstart a motorbike on a cold
morning. He never got to the body of the letter...and seems to have put away a few glasses of the finest toddy in trying to come up with a good opening. Since
he has gone to bed with a severe hangover, let me give you a glimpse into his valiant efforts.

My Dear, Dear Menaka

My only dear Menaka

Meri pyaari Menaka

Pyaari pyaari Menaka

My Menaka dear

Dear Menaka

Hi Menaka

Menaka oh Menaka

My darling Menaka

Menaka darling

Sweetest Menaka

Goddess Menaka

Luscious Menaka

Menaka delish Menaka

Rup Tera Mustana Menaka...

I had told Karunakaran that in order for me to do justice to a love letter, I needed to know how you looked. He simply said, "She's a babe!" and proceeded
to hand me your photograph before dozing off.

Now I must say that you do look very cute. I can't tell if it's a blot on the snap or you have a mole over the right corner of your lip. In either case, it
is very attractive. I can imagine the mole moving delicately over to the side when you smile. And your wavy hair reminds me of a shampoo commercial; you
would have made a superb model. As for your eyes, they seem very pretty although the left one looks crooked owing to the fact that Karunakaran has been keeping
this picture in his pocket the last few days. I just can't wait to see you in person to give a more thorough rundown on your features. For now, I have taken a shot in the dark. You are a babe all right!

Well, this is about a page now. He will surely sign this and send it to you tomorrow. I hope you have a very very lovely day ahead !.

(Signed Karunakaran)

[Menaka -- Be aware that Karunakaran has this habit of having crushes every other week on a different girl. So if his crush wears off on you, please remember that
I am second in line. My name is Jolly, 5' 10-1/2 ", bad at maths but a pretty decent singer in the bathroom and a Shayar and guitarist too.The day we meet I will start adoring the air you exhale. Cheers.

The most fragile piece in the universe, the heart. People just dont take a damn when they break ur heart...

No wonder Reena Roy sang long long ago.."Sheesha hoya, dil ho...akhir toot jata hai..."

Work has taken over me completely, but there sure has been sometime to drop in to your blogs...:)

A poem which i read today and have been happy eversince...passing the buck to u.

MAN MAY BE HAPPY.
- PETER PINDAR.

"Man may be happy, if he will:"
I've said it often, and I think so still;
Doctrine to make the million stare!
Know then, each mortal is an actual Jove;
Can brew what weather he shall most approve,
Or wind, or calm, or foul, or fair.

But here's the mischief--man's an ass, I say;
Too fond of thunder, lightning, storm, and rain;
He hides the charming, cheerful ray
That spreads a smile o'er hill and plain!
Dark, he must court the skull, and spade, and shroud--
The mistress of his soul must be a cloud!

Who told him that he must be cursed on earth?
The God of Nature?--No such thing;
Heaven whispered him, the moment of his birth,
"Don't cry, my lad, but dance and sing;
Don't be too wise, and be an ape:--
In colors let thy soul be dressed, not crape.

"Roses shall smooth life's journey, and adorn;
Yet mind me--if, through want of grace,
Thou mean'st to fling the blessing in my face,
Thou hast full leave to tread upon a thorn."

Yet some there are, of men, I think the worst,
Poor imps! unhappy, if they can't be cursed--
Forever brooding over Misery's eggs,
As though life's pleasure were a deadly sin;
Mousing forever for a gin
To catch their happiness by the legs.

Even at a dinner some will be unblessed,
However good the viands, and well dressed:
They always come to table with a scowl,
Squint with a face of verjuice o'er each dish,
Fault the poor flesh, and quarrel with the fish,
Curse cook and wife, and, loathing, eat and growl.

A cart-load, lo, their stomachs steal,
Yet swear they can not make a meal.
I like not the blue-devil-hunting crew!
I hate to drop the discontented jaw!
O let me Nature's simple smile pursue,
And pick even pleasure from a straw.

The never ending 5 mins...

A few quotes in my mailbox, which greeted me this confused morning...

Ability Natural abilities can almost compensate for the want of every kind of cultivation, but no cultivation of the mind can make up for the want of natural abilities. -- Arthur Schopenhauer 1788-1860, German Philosopher

Discipline
Temperance is a bridle of gold. -- Burton

Motivation
What we see depends mainly on what we look for. -- Sir John Lubbock 1834-1913, British Statesman

Success
Everybody loves success, but they hate successful people. -- John McEnroe 1959-, American Tennis Player

Work
I have long been of the opinion that if work were such a splendid thing the rich would have kept more of it for themselves. -- Bruce Grocott 1940-, British Labor Politician

Love
Friendship often ends in love; but love in friendship, never. -- Charles Caleb Colton 1780-1832, British Sportsman Writer

Knowledge
What is not fully understood is not possessed. -- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe 1749-1832, German Poet

Belief
Human beliefs, like all other natural growths, elude the barrier of systems. -- George Eliot 1819-1880, British Novelist

Change
We don't change what we are, we change what we think what we are. -- Eric Butterworth

Men & Women
When men and women are able to respect and accept their differences then love has a chance to blossom. -- John Gray American Relationship Expert

"When a country ceases to be merely a country and becomes an empire, then the scale of operations changes dramatically. ... I speak as a subject of the American Empire. I speak as a slave who presumes to criticise her king." -- Arundhati Roy

A wonderful article by her, which is the cover story on Outlook.

Is friendship all about "doing" and not "telling" or "tell and do"?
Do u need to prove time and again, in any relationship, your credentials, your approach, your committment?

Life is full of questions and not correct answers......

Microsoft and Laloo Prasad Yadav

Laloo Prasad sent his Bio Data - to apply for a post in Microsoft Corporation, USA. A few days later he got this reply :
"Dear Mr. Laloo Prasad,

You do not meet our requirements. Please do not send any further correspondence. No phone call shall be entertained.
Thanks"

Laloo prasad jumped with joy on receiving this reply. He arranged a party and when all the guests had come, he said: "Bhaiyon aur Behno, aap ko jaan kar khushi hogee ki hum ko Amereeca mein naukri mil gayee hoon." Everyone was delighted.

Laloo prasad continued......
"Ab main aap sab ko apnaa Appointment letter padkar sunaongaa - par letter angreeze main hai - isliyen saath-saath hindi main translate bhee karoonga.

Dear Mr. Laloo Prasad ..... Pyare Laloo prasad bhaiyya
You do not meet ---- aap to miltay hee naheen ho
our requirement ---- humko to zaroorat hai
Please do not send any furthur correspondance ---- ab Letter vetter bhej ne ka kaouno zaroorat nahee.
No phone call ---- phoonwa ka bhee zaroorat nahee hai
shall be entertained ---- bahut khaatir kee jayegi.
Thanks ---- aapkaa bahut bahut dhanya

Khazaan ki rut mein lamha e jamaal kaesay aa giya
Yeh aaj phir singhaar ka khayaal kaesay aa giya

Abhi to dhoop rozan e qafas say kauson door thi
Abhi say aaftaab ko zawaal kaesay aa giya

Hansee ko apnee sun k aik baar mein bhi chonk uthee
Yeh mujh mein dukh chupanay ka kamaal kaesay aa giya

(Parveen shakir)

Oppression against women is a common phenomenon, be it a developed nation or an under developed nation. A few fight this oppression and a few just make this their fate and go along with life. Those who fight it out are labelled as the rebels and many a times, their acts are debated. But it sure takes some spirit to come out of the oppression and yell to the world that "I am not gonna take it any longer".

TOI in its editorial today gives the story of a girl in UP who walked sent her prospective groom to jail for making unreasonable dowry demands, they mention that "Ultimately, it is women who must determine what a woman's worth is. "...how very true, both in specific and generalised terms.

This is one of the regular chain mail which reaches our mail box, but there is something really good in this piece

As I was walking down life's highway many years ago. I came upon a sign that read
Heavens Grocery Store.

When I got a little closer the doors swung open wide And when I came to myself I was standing inside. I saw a host of angels.They were standing everywhere

One handed me a basket and said "My child shop with care." Everything a human needed was in that grocery store. And what you could not carry you could come back for more First I got some Patience. Love was in that same row. Further down was Understanding,you need that everywhere you go. I got a box or two of Wisdom and Faith a bag or two. And Charity of course I would need some of that too. I couldn't miss the Holy Ghost It was all over the place. And then some Strength and Courage to help me run this race. My basket was getting full but I remembered I needed Grace, And then I chose Salvation for Salvation was for free I tried to get enough of that to do for you and me.

Then I started to the counter to pay my grocery bill, For I thought I had everything to do the Masters will. As I went up the aisle I saw Prayer and put that in, For I knew when I stepped outside I would run into sin. Peace and Joy were plentiful, the last things on the shelf. Song and Praise were hanging near so I just helped myself.

Then I said to the angel "Now how much do I owe?" He smiled and said "Just take them everywhere you go." Again I asked "Really now, How much do I owe?"
"My child" he said, "God paid your bill a long long time ago."

A good read

First Monday peer-reviewed journals on the Internet, solely devoted to the Internet and related technologies. A good read for the tech savy brigade.

Give a man an inch and he will call himself a RULER.....

Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. What is it you would let go of today?
--Mary Manin Morrissey author

If u ask me, i have released my non-existant brain, and now i am completely lost ;)

All i need now is a huge bowl of Cake fudge to get myself up and running......

He:Just out of college and no credentials worth mentioning, how would u prove your standing for the job? Neither do u have experience nor any outstanding credentials?
Me: Unless and until u give me a chance to prove my capability, how i can prove myself to you. Agreed I am not a big Don at the University, but with time comes experience
He: But at the end of the year, the students will be your competitors, you are too young and just out of college, there is a long way for you to go
Me: Yeah i realise i have got into a tunnel at the end of which i see no light, I am sure, i will have no competition from my students, i would have considerable experience by then
He:Ayesha, there are two things, good and not good, from your academic records i see you have stood first for the Univ, excelled in ur curricular activities. Now you are doing a course which is a added bonus to ur degree. There is no doubt that you are good...(a brief pause)
Me: (The ever impatient...) but no so good, thanks a lot Sir
He: (cutting me mid way and shocked at my outburst), No, No i don't mean to discourage you, You are young, just out of college and there is a long way to go, from the session (which lasted nearly half an hour of questions and answers), i see a great potential in you. You got the right attitude which will take you to greater altitude. We shall tell you what our decision is.
Me: (feed up of the entire episode)...Thanks a lot Sir, (walks out with a humph)

On this day 4 years back, i attended this interview, the "he" here is the VC of my univ. A interview which surely shook the entire board and tested my patience. The requirement was for a Lecture with no experience, but all through the interview, stress was on experience and proving ur capability. And when the board was questioned how can u ask a fresher to prove their capability, unless given a chance, all u got in turn was a balnk look...These are the times which make u feel like changing the entire educational system.

Eitherways, lucky for me, i ended up as the second preferred candidate in the interview, possibly they did not want a rebel to be teaching at the masters program. A wonderful and memorable experience nevertheless.

"If I knew he was so fussy about food, I would never had marrIed hIm"

These were the words I heard from a friend y'day, In response to hows married life is going. Since I know both of them pretty well, I know how passionate he is about good food and how she hates cooking.

Each one of us are passionate about food, and love to eat good home made food. After all u "Live to eat, and eat to live". Unlike my friend, not all ladies hate the idea of cooking, its the greatest stress buster, and the best returns are the contented look after having the meal.

Don't they say, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?

Was wondering Whats the way to a woman's heart...any guess?

jin kaa sach honaa kisii suurat se bhii mumkin na thaa
aisii aisii baate.n aksar sochanaa achchhaa lagaa

vo to kyaa aataa magar Khush_fahamiyo.n ke saath saath
saarii saarii raat ham ko jaaganaa achchhaa lagaa

pahale pahale to nigaaho.n me.n ko_ii jachataa na thaa
raftaa raftaa duusaraa phir tiisaraa achchhaa lagaa