How Barack Obama got his 'Yes we Can!' slogan

Picture this. A dad who loves his daughters. One is now 7, and the other is 11.

And imagine, that the girls love Bob the Builder. Their smart mom wanted to make sure that their daughters do not get gender stereotyped, and make sure they watch Bob and Wendy and their motley crew.

Of course, dad and his little girls spend a lot of time watching them. The four year difference between the daughters suggest that the dad must have watched the series with his girls for at least five years by now?

And as anyone who still baby sit a kid knows, bonding with kids means singing songs together. Also, most of the kiddie songs have an annoying tendency to stick in your head.

Is it then too much to think that Obama got his 'Yes We Can!!! from here?



If you are still not convinced, here are the original lyrics to the song:

aaaaaaaaaaaaah!
aaaaaaaaaaaaah!
aaaaaaaaaaaaah!
(Take your places)
aaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Can we fix it?
Yes we can!

(chorus)
Bob the builder
Can we fix it?
Bob the builder
Yes we can!

Scoop, Muck and Dizzy
and Roley too.
Lofty and Wendy
join the crew.
Bob and the gang
have so much fun.
Working together,
they get the job done!

(chorus)
Bob the builder
Can we fix it?
Bob the builder
Yes we can!

Bob the builder
Can we fix it?
Bob the builder
Yes we can!

Time to get busy.
Such a lot to do!
Building and fixing
'til it's good as new.
Bob and the gang
make a really good sound.
Working all day
till the sun goes down.

(chorus)
Bob the builder
Can we fix it?
Bob the builder
Yes we can!

Bob the builder
Can we fix it?
Bob the builder
Yes we can!

Can you fix it?
Right.
Left a bit.
Right a little.
Ok, straight down.

We can tackle any situation
Look out, here we come

Can we dig it? Yes!!!!!!
Can we build it? Yes!!!!!!!
Can we fix it? Yes!!!!!!

(chorus)
Bob the builder
Can we fix it?
Bob the builder
Yes we can!

Bob the builder
Can we fix it?
Bob the builder
Yes we can!

Digging and mixing
Having so much fun
Working together
They get the job done

Can we dig it? Yes
Can we build it? Yes
Can we fix it? Yes

Bob the builder! Hey!!!
Bob the builder! Altogether now

Bob the builder
Can we fix it?
Bob the builder
Yes, yes we can!

Bob the builder
Can we fix it?
Bob the builder
oooooooh!!

(chorus)
Bob the builder
Can we fix it?
Bob the builder
Yes we can!

We'd better get some work done!

And here is the modified version:

aaaaaaaaaaaaah!
aaaaaaaaaaaaah!
aaaaaaaaaaaaah!
(Take your places)
aaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Can we fix it?
Yes we can!

(chorus)
Bar-aack O- bama
Can we fix it?
Bar-aack O- bama
Yes we can!

Joe, Dave and Penny
and Axel too.
Robby and Timmy
join the crew.
'Bama and the gang
have so much fun.
Working together,
they get the job done!

(chorus)
Bar-aack O- bama
Can we fix it?
Bar-aack O- bama
Yes we can!

Bar-aack O- bama
Can we fix it?
Bar-aack O- bama
Yes we can!

Time to get busy.
Such a lot to do!
Building and fixing
'til it's good as new.
'Bama and the gang
make a really good sound.
Working all day
till the sun goes down.

(chorus)
Bar-aack O- bama
Can we fix it?
Bar-aack O- bama
Yes we can!

Bar-aack O- bama
Can we fix it?
Bar-aack O- bama
Yes we can!

Can you fix it?
Right.
Left a bit.
Right a little.
Ok, straight down.

We can tackle any situation
Look out, here we come

Can we dig it? Yes!!!!!!
Can we build it? Yes!!!!!!!
Can we fix it? Yes!!!!!!

(chorus)
Bar-aack O- bama
Can we fix it?
Bar-aack O- bama
Yes we can!

Bar-aack O- bama
Can we fix it?
Bar-aack O- bama
Yes we can!

Digging and mixing
Having so much fun
Working together
They get the job done

Can we dig it? Yes
Can we build it? Yes
Can we fix it? Yes

Bar-aack O- bama! Hey!!!
Bar-aack O- bama! Altogether now

Bar-aack O- bama
Can we fix it?
Bar-aack O- bama
Yes, yes we can!

Bar-aack O- bama
Can we fix it?
Bar-aack O- bama
oooooooh!!

(chorus)
Bar-aack O- bama
Can we fix it?
Bar-aack O- bama
Yes we can!

We'd better get some work done!

Funny though, as how the slight changes in name fits the Obama campaign's stated sentiments so perfectly....

Any thoughts?

Cheat Sheet

I wrote a blog post... and suddenly, it appeared here!!!

Many of you may not know this side of me... but enjoy :))

Sorry is a difficult word to spell

I apologize a lot.

Actually, I find it easier to apologize than most people. I also tend to own up when I am wrong, and have no problems in admitting the other person was right.

Most of the times, anyway.

It is comparatively easy in work place. The right and logical thing to do is clear and visible. However when it comes to the hours when Outlook is shut down, things are not always that clear cut.

So, after a quarter year or so, I sent out a long pending apology letter. It was not very long, I cant say that it was very well written. The egoist that I am, I tucked the apology away after a PS and between too many smileys.

But also tucked in between the lines were wishes for that persons happiness, and fond rememberance of the friendship we had. ( Im a biiig sucker for good friends). I hope that we resume our friendship, but do not see that happening from the other end.

But still, I said sorry, and I meant it. And I am happy that I did the right thing, eventhough it was not that easy. ( I have a biiiiig ego too).

Marriage woes

"I don't want to get married!"

There is resolve in the voice, and petulance too. There is frustration, which emanates from the fact that brother can remain unmarried and there is not even a discussion about it, but they want to get the younger one up and out of the family home. Understandably, the injustice of it all brings hot tears to her eyes.

"Alrighty.. not for the next twenty years." The mother is playing a dangerous game, and she smiles at me to denote that she knows it. I watch it fascinated, wondering how this is going to work out.

"No!!!! Not even after that!" She is very very specific about it, and being old enough to understand that twenty years is not forever, cuts the suggestion down.

We let her simmer in her indignation. Her mom turns to me.

"On the other day, we told her that she can find a nice boy from around here. But no, she wanted to marry someone from our community, and expected her dad to find her one." There is a hint of laughter in her voice. A Christian who has been happily married to a Hindu, she can understand the irony of those earnest but naive declarations much better than I do.

"Waaaa!!!! No!!!!!!" Oops. We had forgotten the fact that the little one can hear, and has a regrettably good command of English.

Waterworks start. She is in agony, you can see that from the scrunched up face and the deep, deep sobs.

"Alright honey.... don't get married... don't get out of home... stay with me and cook and clean for me..." says the mother. May be its me, but then again, there is a slight hint of regret and sarcasm in her voice. Regret that her daughter wont always be this innocent, this huggable ; sarcasm that is waiting for the future when she will be saying " but you never let me go anywhere!"

Did I say that I love them both, the spunky mom and her adorable daughter?

Excuses Galore

The past few days, Ive been visiting Murphy on and off.

First my laptop crashed. Then my personal laptop got such a viral attack that it was virtually sneezing and leaving goo all over my home. Then my colleagues laptop, which he kindly loaned to me, crashed. I guess I turned to Magneto for a day...

Upside: 1.5 days of unintended holiday.

Downside: Work being piled up. I hate not ticking off things on my TO-DO list, and the thought of all the work not done kind of took the sheen away from the dont do anything and stay home period.

Been to Rome. Been to rock climbing and I love the feeling of falling. The feeling of my limbs aching over the next two days, not so much. But still, will, go again.

May travel again next week, related to work. So it remains to be seen how much of blogging will be done. However my passport is with the US Embassy - I finally got the visa! - so need to pick it up for the travel. No biggie.

Ive not told you about the Manticore and his girlfriend, have I? Seems like her best friend is finally ready to tell us about them. This looks promising.

A boring story

When she was a baby, they told her about love.When she was a child, she knew all about it.

At eleven, she gave up waiting for a prince to come on a white horse.

At fifteen, for the first time a boy’s eyes met hers in love. She was in love for three weeks. Then he changed his hairstyle.


At twenty, she gave up on the bended knee. She was in love with a man who read Ayn Rand and was destined for great things.

At twenty two, her true love denounced world peace and decided that the greatest thing in the world was a US green card.She denounced him and world peace.

At twenty four, she forgot Valentine’s Day. She was studying for her exams and had a perfect score. She also had a perfect boyfriend, who actually read enough of and about Ayn Rand to realize that she was not perfect. One year later they broke up, as the intellectually mature man in her life could not accept that fact that she landed a better job than him.

At twenty six, she had a good job and a better affair with one of the senior partners of her firm. He bought her flowers, he bought her chocolates. And when one day he buried his head in her hair and asked her if she would like to be his wife, she coolly said no. She did not like to be cheated, and knew enough of people to try and change them.Shortly afterwards, she swore off roses and chocolates too.

At twenty nine, she seduced the nineteen year old son of the partner. It was fun the first few times, but the boy wanted her ‘to be mine, all mine.’ It got trite after a while. She gave up on the semantics of ownership.


At thirty three, she went out for a beer with a friend of hers in a London Public house. They have been vaguely friends and good acquaintances for a long time, and given that they worked in related fields, they kept running into each other. They had swapped stories of sexual conquests and sexual frustrations over the years, and in the pub over some English ale, they were talking about life.

‘Lets make babies.’ She told him.

‘Lets get married.’ He told her.

‘But not now. Lets wait for a few more years.’

‘Yes – in may be five years? ‘

'May be.'

They agreed, and smiled at each other in embarrassment. Further discussions could not be carried forth as a pub fight had broken out and they were more keen to see it then to talk about their wedding.

That night, when walking back to his home discussing the finer points of the English Pub Brawl, she felt oddly thankful, and rested; with the satisfaction she had only experienced with a good score in an exam or a project well completed.

This is a bit boring.

We know.

So why did You chose to tell this?

Because this is one of the few moments in the game where We both were there, and in perfect harmony.

But it is boring!

Well, she liked Us.

So did he.

.....................................................

It is still boring…

You have become impatient. You spend too much time with them, carrying them around in Your stupid box.

Yes, and you take them away in the middle of the game! Not fair!

I have the Karma to look at, you know – cant let them have too much wear and tear…

Whatever. Lets go back to our game.

They rose as One, and went back to the game, leaving Carer alone. He sat staring after them, and then picked up his box and went after them.

Stories: Preface

First there was Love and first there was Freedom.

They came into being, chanced upon each Other, and decided to be together. Love knew that he will be complete and powerful with Freedom, and Freedom knew that Love would provide her with the intensity to be free. So, like most relationships, Theirs too was one of convenience. And like in most relationships, They got bored after spending sometime with each Other. Love failed to recognize that Freedom wants to be free, and Freedom failed to recognize that being with Love means not soaring away, but falling in.

They did not bicker or give each Other the silent treatment. Instead, They went and asked the Maker to help them out. For Love without Freedom is crippled, and Freedom without Love is never satisfied and they were enough to realize that.

The Maker had just made a game, and he gave it to Love & Freedom.

'Go and play.' he said to Them. ' Through this game try to understand each other and yourself. Be the driving forces behind the game, try to shape it and mold it.'

'What are the rules?' They asked, for They knew that the Maker loved to define complicated rules.

'For this one, there is none.' He replied, running his hands over the small round game platform. ' It and the players are pretty resiliant.' He gave it to Them, and it hovered exactly between Them. 'Go on; test it, play it beyond its limits.' Not waiting for Their gratitude, he walked away to his next creation.

It did not matter to Love and Freedom that the players appeared to have a life of all their own. The Beings who rule Gods do not care for such smaller details.

And They have been playing ever since. Sometimes Love wins, sometimes Freedom. But as time went on, they realized that the pieces of them game were also playing the game, mostly with each other. Once in a while a piece would come along and try to bring Love and Freedom together, or do something so illogical that They learnt about each Other and Themselves. They recorded some of the instances away. There are hundreds of them, and the stories which are coming forth are a very very tiny selection from them.

Oh, and the game? The Maker had called it Life.

1001 stories - the first 10 is here.

If life was a little more colorful and a little less sane, I would have become a wandering story teller.

It is the perfect job for me. I listen and observe, and then ask the important question of 'what if?'. And I am adept in disguising the protagonists or making them a concoction of the many whom I have known. I would wander from small bar to small bar, regaling people with stories from far and wide, and then listening to them. Payment in bartenders indigenous mixes, food and hospitality along with money; for when given freely, even the best things are not valued or worse, remembered.

However, as I work in HR, the most I can do now is to blog now, and occasionally tell stories to friends whom I talk to. Most of the times, laziness stops the stories being posted to the blog. However, I have quite a few to tell, and they have been asking to be let out.

So here's the deal. I will post some words i happened to hear, each from real life, that had stuck with me in the past few weeks. You tell me about which ones you want to know more. And I will write a story on demand, inspired from the life behind those words.

'You dont answer a question, you provide a message.'

'That's so easy, so Im choosing the difficult option.'

'Why does there have to be something involved?'

'We change. But its upto us on how we change.'

'Boredom leads to suboptimal choices.'

'You did not know I was unhappy?'

'Life teaches in its own way.'

'This is not nice to me.'

'There is no pressure.'

'Let's make babies'


So tell me, which of these do you want to feel more about?

Travels around the reality

I have been reading Terry Prachett's books on Discworld.

It has been some kind of an addiction.

Mr. Prachett was introduced to my by his writing partner Mr. Gaiman, whom I met accidentally in one of the public libraries in Finland where I was looking for Bruce or Clark to hang out with. He took me - actually, gave me a visa and a set of unimited open tickets - to Discworld.

And I have been dropping in, ever since. They are all flawed in one way or other, they behave uncannily like some people I know or some people I could become, and they are all fighters in their own way. They do not wimper ( may be except for Angua ) when they are down and out, they fight, and if all hope is lost, they go out in style ( Unity). They understand that doing the right thing does not necessarily mean doing the nice thing.

I had a short stop at Chicago, to meet Vilma and Roxie. After the musical, I have resolved to earn up and spend money on such experiences more. Them too, fighters. May be not as moral as Captain Carrot, but valiant fighters. I like them too.

Like Mr. Vims and the Black Ribboners, I too am taking it one day at a time, one step at a time. And I plan to channel my inner Esme, especially when it comes to matters of ridicule.

Ours is not to reason why....

... but we can always wonder why.....

People always assume that anyone not following their life choices are making a mistake ( or at least missing out on what life has to offer).

So many otherwise impeccably dressed men here think having their hair styled like the rest of the guys in a birds nest style make them stand out.

Petite girls mostly have Labradors, German Shepherd's and Huskies, while men who make the Rock look like a wimp have pocket dogs in pink collars.

We are not willing to give what we would like to receive.

We lie when their lies fall apart around us so easily.

We insist on absolutes when we live in a relative world.

- On that note, goodnight folks!

Walk in the night

I am a huge fan of walks in the night.

The roads glow orange. The streets are silent. The pathways show insomniac bunnies hopping away. There are not too many bugs to crowd around your head. The ducks and migratory water birds all sleep, their head tucked in between their wings and floating gently like diyas with the fire put out.

In a night walk, you can share the silence or reject a conversation. Words and feelings flow more freely, may be a bit more than what you would have been comfortable in the day light. Life is more clear, decisions come to you fare more easily, when you sit upon a cliff and look up at the stars.

Every step you take is an adventure. There are no lights, only shadows, and you feel your way around than seeing it. The wind is chillier and more sneaky, finding its ways to be closer to your body despite being fully covered.

The city lights reflect on the low clouds. One the walk back home, you have a little more time to think about the strangers who speed away on their vehicles, think about their stories.

And old songs come back to you, which you sing enthusiastically off key, comfortable with yourself and with the sweet mite of a girl who is a new friend.

Filler

Life, as of now is....

... of telling stories. For fun, necessity and by compulsion. Arabian Nights redux? May be. Or may be not.

... about making my moral compass - for the time being, at least - a comic book about Anti Christ which says : 'First, do no harm.'

... about expanding my freedom by letting go of a lot of baggage, allowing my feelings to wash over me like a wave without loosing my footing and flirting a bit with my fears.

... about keeping my mouth shut about myself, my work and the problems of others.

... of being doubted by someone about something which I didnt do. why do people assume that their petty self deceptions interest me? Amuse, yes. Interest enough for me to get involved, no.

... of vivid images inside my head and hazy talk inside my ear.

Am I happy? Yes. Completely.

Could I be happier? Definitely.

And so, life is good.

Happy times

I feel happy. Actually, I feel happier.

So what caused it?

well...

The viral campaign over the new batman movie, maybe? Love the fact that someone finally got it right. You can read about it here.

The sun. The sun is so bright that it is almost like a divine presence. May be this is a day when the gods walk the earth, at least in Finland

The top gear sound tracks. Edgy enough without loosing the happiness.

A walk, soon to be had, through my favorite walking route.

New friends.

A horde of books home, from the public libraries.

And two days of weekend.

What more do I want?

The newest words of angel

Am reading Brida.

From a website.

Of the publisher, which complied with the authors wishes.

An author who encourages piracy.

An author, who is 60 plus and yet is younger than many of us.

As I feel more alive than before, what better book to start on than the story of a woman who wanted to learn more?

And it happens again.

Metamorphosis

After one of my so called bouts of stupidity, I have decided to quit being a nice Indian girl, and live life a bit on the edge.

No, this does not mean bungee jumping - Im still afraid of falling.

This means that my inner Charlotte will be making way for Samantha. Ive been too mice, too naive, and now Im out to have my pound of fun and some more.

As a Charlotte, I was an incurable romantic, willing to put the other person before me, and thinking up excuses in my head for them.

As Samantha, I can be myself, kick men in the ass when they try to play me, and just have fun being myself.

And if and when I find some one really, really special, I might let Charlotte out a bit, now and then.

Mission : Impossible

So I was told that I will finally make my parents proud: I will go to US of A; and that too, New York.

Coming from a land full of engineers and doctors, USA is considered as the promised land. There were many who wondered aloud that they have never heard of a state in US called Finland. "Surely you don't mean Cleaveland?" They queried.

If you cannot go to India, the next best option is to go to USA to meet with family and friends. Friends from the past, their counterparts, new friendships in the making, new circles to be forged. Relations. to meet a nephew by blood, a brother in law I have never met face to face, to meet other smaller nephews and neices by love; stronger than the blood bonds.

Also, the chance to have some real sun, a real holiday. With friends. Wine tasting in Napa, shopping, the beaches, the museums, treks, hikes and shopping some more.

I am what they call wheatish in Indian matrimonial columns. I call myself dusky, with pride, and there were many times when i saw ( to borrow a red Indian term) the pale faces look at me and my tanned skin with envy. So in the morning when I stepped out to go to the embassy, and in the tram when a Nordic God with deep blue eyes and hair like the shining sun asked me if I was from Middle east or Egypt, my inner cat purred, but just gave a tiny smile and shook my head no.When I stepped out of the tram to my destination, he waved me goodbye with a slight smile, which I would like to think was tinged with regret. Any other day, I would have jumped back to the tram ( I am nothing if not impulsive ) to exchange numbers, but not today. Today, NewYork and California were beckoning, and blue eys became yet another unknown stranger.

The embassy reminded me of a prison. huge walls, guards, security cameras. I was called for the debriefing. And asked about myself. What do I do? Why do I have this contract and not anything else? How long have I been working for my company? How come my MBA is only for two years? ( at that question, i peeked a look at his ID badge and indeedy, he is an American - and then the way he has been asking questions made sense).And what did I do for my under graduation?

I did engineering.

Oh!

And what did you do it in?

I knew I would regret telling him it the moment the words were out of my mouth.

Electronics and Telecommunication. ( also known as branch of engineering which teach terrorists to make bombs)

He practically shoved the form which said that it would take at least a month for my visa to my hands. And all but shooed me out of the place. One month. At least. My managers letters didn't mean zilch to him. Nope.

I came back, opened my laptop and canceled all conformed meetings at work and with friends. And then I tried to answer their questions about my non existent research and publishing of papers without any sarcasm and as much clarity as possible. I was especially stumped by the last question, where like a nosy relative whom one particularly dislike, they wanted to know what I wanted to do with my life and how long I plan to be in this country.

Nordic Gods, the next time any of you walk up to me and compare me to the beauties in Arab nations or in upper Africa, I am gonna give you a tight kick in the ass.I know its unfair, but don't think kicking the visa guy would have really helped.

John Mueller's theory

If you are a geek, chances are you have heard about Skirmisher. They call themselves "Mad. Filthy. intriguing."

And they posted this gem from John Mueller on Rambo.

Laugh laugh laugh

After removing a drunken post from my other blog - nope, you dont know where it is. And if you ask nicely, you may get it. Actually, mostly you wont unless our only connection is via the blogs - and where were we?

Yup; after removing a drunken post from my blog - oh, c'mmon extended family and old friends, stop being so shocked - i was depressed. Then I ended up in this blog, where the author had posted a hilarious video.

That really did not tickle my funny bone, so I googled a few of my favorites and sent them to him. And at the end of all the watching, I was laughing. Again. Awesome!

What is a better tag than one where you ask readers to post five videos that crack you up anytime you see them?

These are mine:


5. The younger brother of Ticktickticktick... :)



4. Jolene, Jolene, Jolen Joleeeene.....



3. Eeeeeeeeeeef you come todaaaaaaay....



2.Shut your F.... :)



1. Welllllllllllll......



Thats me. Always a sucker for bathroom humor. Its a good thing I dont have any kids with this sense of humor. What good mom will laugh at these?

Love's Labor Salvaged

There is an episode of HIMYM where Ted realizes that Robin's dogs were all gifts from her ex boyfriends.

So gals; and guys; let us look at the happy stuff : Yeah they were idiots to leave us/ nor reciprocate our crushes ( includes the preschool ones too) . Yeah they lead boring or unhappy lives now. Yeah, we will have our days of glory and will have our happily ever after.

So, being not bitter and being fabulous and magnanimous and all, lets take a look at the good things that we got and cool habits that we picked up. Five of them the max. Btw, saying "I learned how to identify an a$$h¤l£ doesnt count. Lets be positive here!

Here is my list:

1. American Dad: I was way away from home, and I met this cute guy who absolutely loved American Dad. But despite being introduced to the Smith family, we broke up.

2. A coffee mug: I stole it from one of my major crushes. Stole as in; took it and told him I was going to keep it.

3. Trekking: I realized I have the stamina to trek all day when we went trekking in Chirapunji. He was the trek organizer.

4. Books: From the coffee mug guy and the trek guy. Again, stole them; and explicitly told them that they are not getting them back. Aaah... the good times... ( wrt free books, not wrt lousy emotional choices)

Yup. Thats about it.

So... whoever reads the blog, do compose your list, and let me know by dropping a comment here.

Tagz!

Tagged by Usha... feel free to think about this...

Caveat: I will not mention about - well, if you know it; i dont have to say it here; if you dont, you dont have to know it.


I am:happy.

I think: mostly logically; and allow impulse to take over the reins once in a while...

I know: things aint that important... :) well, except for a few things anyway...

I want: to soak up the sun in a cotton dress, which doesnt seem to happen in Finland :(

I have: great friends

I wish: for a bunch of roses with heady fragrance.... cant pick them from the parks here... and the ones in flowershops doesnt smell... :(

I hate: people taking me for granted

I miss: monsoon and mallu food...

I fear: falling from great heights. Most of my nightmares are around that.

I feel: peaceful

I hear: wind

I smell: hot tea and my basil plant

I crave: for hot tapioca with grounded green chilli & small onions, with a bit of oil n mustard powder

I search: at the drop of a hat

I wonder: how it would be in California ( well, will mention it just once!)

I regret: wasting my time on duffers.

Though I wouldn't really like to acknowledge it, and convince myself that I shouldn't really regret.. For all those actions shaped me into this person that I am proud of. ( copied this from Usha)

I love: good blogs, dogs and kitties, humor ans sarcasm where it is deserved.

I ache: naah, im good.

I care: more than I show.

I am not: perfect.

I believe: I believe. Period.

I dance: when Im comfortable with my surroundings.

I sing: when Im happy.

I cry: when I feel frustrated.

I don’t always: act the same way.

I fight: for my loved ones.

I write: when I feel like it.

I win: Signed out of the win-lose games long ago.

I lose: See above.

I never: believe in absolutes.

I always: see above.

I confuse: a lot of things.

I listen: a lot of things.

I can usually be found:at work or at home; when Im not at other places.

I am scared: of losing my chances and living to regret it.

I need: faith - in myself, in you, in the world.

I am happy about: the fact that I can be happy, and my happiness depends on me.

Tagging time!

There is no better time to blog than when you are sick. I have an early morning meeting tomorrow, I hope I can sleep off the sickness by then. Else it is going to be a hell of a day which is going to end in an office dinner. Not going is not an option. There is an inhouse doctor, and chances are I hve better chances of survival if I collapse in the office than if I stay at home. Our company have a emergency helpline number to call in case of personal need, but who is going to dial the number when I am sick? My plants?

So, here we go with the tags. as MacD said, I am the source of all things taggy.

Share with us five things which made you feel special very recently. End each incident with 'I felt special'.

And here I go:
5. Today when I was walking, a labrador came upto me to be petted. This when both her owners were with her. I felt special.

4. I got a spontaneous 'thank you' from a colleague who is way more senior wrt age, position and experience. In public. In front of my manager. And said that it was the opinion of the whole team. I am the junior most member there. I felt special.

3. My girls from engineering talked to me today. Via Gtalk. Via Gmail. I felt special.

2. Last friday, someone whom I have just recently known got me couple of pictures of something I wanted to see. I was not expecting it. I felt special.

1. One the bus, a handsome dude of five years was staring at me. When I smiled at him, he blushed and smiled back. I felt special :-)

And then I had to fall sick... :(


And I tag:

MaryP
Jinns
Usha
Seema
MacD

and the rest of you who feel like bragging a bit on how special you feel, join in! :)

Movies; Moments

R for a Racer called Speed

Psychedelic fantasy; pure escape for the length of the movie. The races were awesome, I should get the videogame version for my cousins next time I go home. Didn't like Xtina Ricci though. She acted as if she knew it was a comic adaptation. Susan Sandron didn't. And absolutely loved Matthew Fox with hair on his head. He looked way hotter then in Lost.

C for City with the Sex:

A long winded avatar of a favorite serial; some breasts and a penis on screen; the largest collection of women I have ever seen in this city. Was it just me or did they all look and sound a bit paler? Why did Carrie have to marry Mr. Big? And what with all the war references? Took a bullet? Is she delusional? ( the character, not the actress.)

H for Hulk, that Incredible guy:

My heart breaks into pieces when I call this one boring trip. I was playing Sudoku on my E90 half the time. How come I didnt like a movie with Edward Norton and have comic book heroes - two parameters which make me love movies? Because here they wanted to be artsy, and comic booky. The focus was on Ed Norton, and not on Hulk. And the movie was dragging for a comic book adaptation and jerky for a story about a man's struggle for freedom. It reminded me of a moral science text book that I had to learn by rot when I was a kid. The only redeeming moment was Tony Stark, and Ed Norton's blue, blue eyes.

F for Forbidden Kingdom

I used to read the Monkey series of Chinese mythology as a kid. My favorite place was up the staircase, away from the bustle of home, looking up at the mezzanine, whose window ledge lined with money plants were my sanctuary. I still can take myself there by closing my eyes. And I can also see the illustrations on the book, the Monkey King resplendent in flowing robes, the Jade Warlord nothing more than a snarling entity.The movie tackified him - and I need to buy that Monkey King series now for my library, as an atonement for watching this C grade kung fu movie and actually laughing at it.

K for Kung Fu Panda

Funny the first time, bit boring the second. Flashes of brilliance in some scenes; why didnt they adopt the Samurai Jack style of animation? Kung Fu Hustle has nothing to fear from this one as my favorite kungmedy movie.

There is magik in the world

I am going to say this only once. I dont want to say more than what I want to. Someday you might get to hear the whole story, with a bit of luck. May be you wont. But this is not about how the story ends. This is about what the story proves.

Miracles exist. Magik exist. And if you wait your turn, while not too worried about whats going to happen, and really and truly let go and enjoy the here and now, and did not compromise by taking up what you know you wont enjoy just to have something; it will come knocking on to your door, without notice, without hurry or delay. And it will be exactly what you want and need, and what you then decided was too good to exist and forgot with a regretful shrug.

And when it does, the only thing to be done is to go with the flow, and murmur a prayer in thanks to whoever delivered it.

Excuses & Book Binge

It has been almost a month since I blogged.

But hey, I have a good excuse. When your landlady ( thankfully 'ex'ed now ) turns out to be the wicked witch of west, blogging takes a back seat while nervous breakdown and murdorus impulses vie for attention.

Ah, well. Comin gback to book binge.

Here is my list:

Agatha Christie ( All hail the Empress!)

• Evil Under the Sun
• Murder on the Orient Express
• Mystery of the Blue Train
• Poirot's early cases
• Murder in the Mews
• Five Little Pigs
• The Moving Finger
• A Caribbean Mystery
• The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
• They do it with Mirrors
  

Neil Gaiman ( All hail the Emperor!)

• Good Omens
• Sandman:The Kindly Ones

Ruth Rendell ( Say Hi to the barmaid )

• Some Lie, Some Die - meh; dont bother
  

Matt Ridley ( All hail the Magician)

• The Red Queen - its non fiction, and very interesting
  

Dorothy L Sayers ( All hail the crown Princess!)

• Unnatural Death - I became obsessed about Dorothy L Sayers after reading this. Need I say more?
  
• Murder Must Advertise

Moni Mohsin ( All stone the traitor)

• The end of Innocence -I wanted to kick the editor for allowing the publication of this book. I am still recovering from reading it.

Re-read: All things bright & beautiful : James Herriot

Now reading: The Complete Robot : Issac Asimov

Four little doggies

Riding a bike from 1030am to 0720pm; eventhough with brakes in between; is enough to make me tired. Never mind that one of my fellow bikers was calmly eating beef jerky and drinking cider (never heard of dehydration, that one!) and another is planning to go to a 40x2 Km bike trip to a national park and trekk there. They are ironmen ( and a wonder woman too was there) but I am only mortal.

And given my love of dogs, let me classify them with their canine counterparts.

The Labradore ( a golden one, this) had a cool time. He was able to push the grumpy old Jack Russell Terrier's buttons in a snap. He was very friendly with the chirpy Pekinese and the Big Alsatian. Despite the button pushing, the Terrier ultimately forgave him and bought him food.

The Pekinese was happy all around, and cooked lunch for the Terrier and the Lab. They both heped her, and she also fed some squirrels nuts with her hands. She invited the Alsatian over, and the four went cycling.

The Alsatian never barked. He was amused by the enthusiasm of the labradore and the tenacity of the Pekinese. The Terrier and him discussed their mother tongues.

The terrier was grumpy. She felt like giving the irritating lab a nip, an in a weak moment, did do that ( after fair amount of growling). The lab seemed not to mind. She had squirrels eating our of her hand, and staring at her eyes. The lab made her bark in the park too.

Update, Shupsdate

Another tag! Again, created by me.

Now, on this blog, just post five bits of information about you which you have never shared with your blog readers before. No "I plan..." or "I hope..." here - lets look at what has already happened.

Here is my list:

1. I am learning Finnish
2. I bought a bicycle & have started cycling to work
3. I am very sensitive to the long days of Finland and have started waking at 530 am without an alarm clock.
4. I resort to tags to avoid writing a blog post :)
5. I am not fond of chocolate as I used to be. [ This from the girl who conquered one of her worst fears for chocolate ]

And now....

MaryP
MacD
Karthik
Seema
&
Connie

Go forth, my minions! Go forth and spread the tag!! Buahahahaa!!!

Anyone for Binging?

So.... do you read a lot?

If you do, if you want to, or if you wish you had, then this is for you.

From May 5 to June 1st, keep a track of all books that you read. Lets see how many you have managed to complete!

And, copying with pride from MaryPs site ( she may not agree, but she is Mary Poppins guys. He blog is pretty much interesting, and is very relevant to us corporate types on how to deal with negative behaviour - and with a lot of examples).

Other rules:

- You can include books you re-read, so long as you re-read them in between May 5 and 31.
- You may also include books you start but don’t finish, just note the page at which you gave it up. Something like, “Quit, page 47 of 322″.
- You may only include books you read aloud to your children if they are at least 125 pages long.
- Students may include textbooks (if they’re at least 100 pages long).

If you would like to participate, leave a note in the comments. On Friday, I’ll post a list of links to all participants.

AND, for all you lucky participants, we have these lovely blog buttons! There’s a small and a medium version. All you have to do is copy and paste the the following code into your sidebar or post.

For SMALL (125 pixels wide, suitable for a sidebar),

For MEDIUM (240 pixels wide; your text will wrap to the right of the image),

Home sweet home

I got a new place yesterday and I will be moving over there on May 15th. yay!

The relocation agency did not help.at.all. I found the link to this place in our company intranet ( with help from JS ) and fixed up a meeting with the owner. After one hour, we shook hands and decided to take the place.

Let me blow a raspberry now to the imbecile who told me to take an apartment which was way over my budget and was angry when I didn't.

Let me blow a bigger, nastier one to my landlady, who tells me one thing and the imbecile another and is yet to pay a part of my money back. I pay for insurance so that you get protected? Pbbbt!

And let me give a virtual hug to the girl who offered me her home to stay put till the drama is over, and who kept reminding me that the imbecile is, after all, supposed to take care of my needs, and is supposed to serve me. Guess who is going to be complained about?

And yes, there will be a house warming party with a very few chosen personal friends. We don't have too many bottles of French wine to pass around, people!

5 people I hate

This is a tag meme created by me to vent and to dissipate all that anger/frustration. The rules are simple - you just need to list 5 categories of people whom you hate and why.

Here is my list:

1. People who think only they know what is right:

Granted, your ways would be good for you, but there is a reason you are you and I am I. If I need advice, I will ask for it. And yes, you are boring too.

2. Anonymous / random dudes who think I know them:

Listen up losers, I dont know who you are and wont too, unless you identify yourself. A blogger with a legit blog profile and a public blog but with a nom-de-plume has identified her/himself for all practical purposes. You with your lameass name doesnt. And unless we were bosom buddies, it is just common courtusy ( and intelligence ) to assume that I would have forgotten about you. So, please.identify.yourself.

3. Irritating buggers who get a high by bullying me:

I know I am tiny. And yes, I know I have a lot of quirks. But guess what, I am not put on this world to provide you entertainment. So unless you ease off with your bullying, at some point I am going to break and shower you with invectives and seriously hurt you.

4. People who make fun of homosexuals.

Hey jerk, yes, I'm talking to you. Do you know that one of my closest friends is homosexual? And that I am friends with, and work with many of them?And that I respect those people, and is pretty much fond of them? Take your prejudices somewhere else, and dont bother me.

5. People who try to emotionally manipulate.

Hey wimp, I dont need you permission to do what I want to do. And what is that? Oh, it is whinny noises that you are making? Frankly my dear, I couldnt care a damn.

I tag:

MacD (sorry gal, I am food obsessed these days :)

Usha

Karram ( bugger, where is your blog? )

DD

Jinns

Sigh. Guess this tells you a bit about my state of mind right now. Work , inexplicably, goes on pretty much cool. And on a weekend, why should any person living in Finland think about work?

A satisfied life

The Sad Truth About Relationships

And thus it laughs at the ordinary families, ordinary lives.

Few questions:

1. Taken in its entirety, without the depressing voiceover, is that really a bad life?



2. Why do many of us never get to doing that one great thing which we are very convinced would change the humanity?



3. Is not doing that necessarily something to be ashamed of?

Many a times, we all root for perfection and excellence. We bow before the great leaders, the strategists and the titans who spearheaded change and revolution.

But often, we forget or trivialize the faceless majority who believed in the idea, who accepted it and embraced it.The unknowns, the ordinary people whom we do not quite remember or hardly think about. It is they who nurture the ones who create greatness.

Now, more than ever, it is they who create the great and famous with each purchase, link, tag and click of the voting button. So this is just a scribble to their importance, to their significance.

And btw, pick me up at 8pm :)