Alter Ego

Birthdays

2010-09-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

The one day in the year among all the dates,

It is the day the kid eagerly awaits,

The day to look forward for endless fun,

For on this day, he is the special one.

In a few years, as a scrawny teen,

In the journey of life he is in between,

Navigating feelings that are so complex,

As he tries to impress the fairer sex!

As time goes by, he turns another page,

With the crisis that is sometimes called middle age,

The reflection in the mirror shows a person that is stout,

With just a hint of the emerging self doubt.

Years later, the day makes him reflect,

About how his life has been far from perfect,

But the smile on his face reveals the inner joy,

The one he felt when he was a little boy!

Heart over mind

2010-09-09T12:36:00.001-07:00

Why is it that the heart does pine?

For something that cannot be mine,

Like a dog that chases a shining car,

Instead of just admiring it from afar.

Why is it that the heart does ponder?

If distance indeed makes it grow fonder,

Of something that was once within the reach,

And put a smile on the faces of each.

Why is it that the heart does feel

The need for a moment to steal,

And store away in an inner recess,

Deep within where no one can guess.

For the heart will do what it is meant to do,

It does not for an instant rue,

That it like the monsoon wind blows,

To a place where the mind never goes.

Short story

2010-08-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Her is my first attempt at writing a short story:

Lessons in the fall

He was running as fast as he could. And then he slipped. Some careless worker had left an empty bucket of paint on the roof. He tumbled and fell, right off the edge. He felt the chill of the autumn wind on his face. He could count the stories as they went by - 10, 9, and 8. The ground seemed like a spot to his eyes. The cars below appeared as lines of different hues. But his mind was far away. His entire life was flashing before his eyes.

He remembered the time he got his first gift from his dad. It was a little black and yellow yo-yo. He was only 5 years old then. He had broken his nose at school. It was his first day in class. The chubby little girl sitting next to him was very possessive about her space. So she gave him a not-so-gentle shove. The next thing he knew he was on the floor feeling a strange wetness on his upper lip with the entire class screaming around him. His dad picked him up from school and bought him the toy on the way back from the doctor. Oh, how he loved all the attention!

He remembered his first crush. Anna was the new girl in the neighborhood. She had the sweetest eyes and the cutest little nose. As an eight year old, it was the first time he understood that girls were different. He would follow her around everywhere like the cute little dog in the Hutch ads. How he missed the sweet innocence of childhood infatuation!

He remembered the time he left home for the first time. He thought he would relish the new-found freedom. The truth was that, for about a month, he felt completely homesick. And then he met this amazing group of people who would be his friends forever. How he longed for the all-night chill-out sessions that they used to have!

He remembered his first day in office. Everything seemed confusing and intimidating to him. And then he saw her in the cafeteria. She was in a conversation with some of her friends. She had the most beautiful way of flicking her hair when she was laughing. Before he realized, he was staring at her across the room. And then she turned and looked straight at him. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before his colleague interrupted him with a cup of coffee.

Ever since, he had wanted to tell her about his feelings. After a year of dillydallying, he finally gathered the courage to express his love on this day. He saw her headed towards the terrace. He knew that she liked to go there to clear up her mind whenever she was stressed. As he walked up the stairs, he saw a black German Shepherd crouched at the landing he passed by. And then he remembered – it was ‘Bring Your Pet To Work Day’ at office and everyone had warned him about Diablo, the CEO’s dog. Before he knew it, Diablo lunged at him. Between ‘fight or flight’, his instincts decided in favor of the latter.

He braced himself for the final impact. As he opened his eyes he was a engulfed by a sea of white. He thought to himself that this was how Heaven might look like. And then he heard a faint bark in the distance. As he sifted through the stuff, he could see the bright company logo on the terrace and the dog beside it. That is when he realized that he had fallen right into a parked truck with a load of cotton for the mill next to their office. As he got up and dusted himself off, he heard her sweet voice in the distance. She ran towards him and hugged him as tight as she could. As he looked up, he saw Diablo still standing on the terrace with a huge grin on its face. He grinned back at the dog – as if to thank it for its role as Cupid.

The Choices We Make

2010-08-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

The choices in life that we make,

And the road that we did not take,

Will we ever turn back and repent,

Of the time that has already been spent?

When a dark cloud looms over the horizon,

And a fresh wave of doubt has just arisen,

Do we look back and wonder,

What was it that took us asunder?

When your chosen path comes to a bend,

And there is no light to be seen at the end,

Do we step back and bemoan,

Of the chances that have since long gone?

When Fate deals you a tough hand,

And you feel the gravity of Life’s quicksand,

These thoughts we may just have to stow,

And hope for the gold at the end of the rainbow.

Career quiz

2007-08-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

I happened to come across this website recently which had a career quiz - to tell you which kind of a career suits you best. So, just for fun, I decided to take the test. Well, guess what it told me .

"You are ideally suited for a career in editing, teaching, composing, inventing, mediating, writing or the clergy. "

To say the least, that is quite a bit different from what I currently do. And I couldn't foresee myself in any of these professions, except writing maybe. So that's it with career quizzes for me !!

Blog titles

2007-03-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered how many blogs out there have the word "Random" in their titles?? Just a thought...

My First Town Hall

2006-07-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

Here's my experience at a recent town hall put into words :

Listening to the speaker,
My patience grew weaker,
Till a moment came,
When it all seemed the same,
The A/C was on in full swing,
But it didn't make it any less boring,
When this torture would end,
On the speaker it would depend.

The break provided me with some relief,
But it was destined to be brief,
So I treaded back with my weary soul,
To resume my passive listener's role.

The new speaker brought with her some hope,
But she dished out the same dope,
So I had to dig really deep,
To keep myself from nodding off to sleep.

But this gathering was not without its own use,
'Coz it gave me time to sit and muse,
As to how I should entertain,
Should such a travesty occur again.

Memories

2005-05-29T22:35:00.001-07:00

Here's another poem I wrote a few days back.

Memories

A whiff of air brought back the memories of past,
Of times that were gone and of moments that were lost,
Memory's lane was cluttered with a multitude of faces,
Some I could recall, of some I had but traces.

Each face brought with it a story of its kind,
But there were only a few which left a memory behind,
For these were the ones that I could forget never,
'Cause they were not just a passing phase, they were here for ever.

The moments with these friends were to me a great pleasure,
And these were the ones I would always treasure,
Fondly I would recall how we were without a worry,
With life passing us by in such a great hurry.

As I pause now looking at the road ahead,
Thinking of the path which I fear to tread,
I carry in my heart just a silent wish,
This bouquet of memories, may I always cherish.

Long Live Liverpool

2005-05-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

Liverpool have won the Champions League 2005!!!
Absolutely unbeleivable!!!
Finally something to rejoice after being a die-hard supporter all these years.
The resilience they showed was simply brilliant. I mean, how many teams can come back from 3 goals down at half time against a defence of the quality of AC Milan. All these years I watched them play, I beleived that they were not doing justice to their talents.

Last night was a time when everybody in the team performed. It was not about a single player or a group of 2 or 3 players. Even the usually lackluctre Traore came up with quite amazing saves in the end. And the commitment shown by Garcia, Alonso, Hyypia, Baros was simply awesome. And who can forget Carragher deadly tackles in the dying minutes of the game. And what about Gerrard's tackles deep into extra time. Last but not the least, Dudek has answered all his critics well with a performance to savour.

Here is to Liverpool hoping that they win many more titles like this!!!

Non-Limericks

2005-05-17T03:58:00.000-07:00

These are some lines that I wrote about some of my classmates.

From the desert State comes this naughty boy,
The fairer sex thinks he is a little coy,
The object of his affections is in a far, far place,
But the sound of the YM is what makes him race.

From the edges of space comes this Gray Hole,
He claims to be a veggie, but spares no fowl,
The story behind his name to no one he tells,
For what goes in is something and what comes out is something else.

Among the many bachelors, he is the married man,
You stir him a little and he doles out his gyaan,
His chats with the Profs are a part of folklore,
At the sound of his footsteps, they run from door to door.

From the marshes of the west comes this solemn guy,
He does everything in time and hardly seems to try,
His clean image, to date no one could besmirch,
Until came along the dame in the Methodology of Research.

From the big Metro hails this old man,
With a memory to store everything his eyes can scan,
Putting fundaes before the exam he loves most of all,
But his favorite pupil is the One that is Small.

The One That Got Away

2005-05-13T02:44:00.000-07:00

Through the sunny days and the starry nights,
And through the bright evenings in the City of Lights,
There was in my mind, but a single thought
For the One who mattered, For the One I sought.

Her presence made me feel so high I could fly,
But little did she know 'cause I was timid and shy,
When our eyes first met I noticed a gleam,
And from the very next moment, only her eyes I could dream.

I dreamt through the pleasure, I dreamt through the pain,
Dreams were all I had, which were but in vain.
I would sit and wonder when I could summon the gall,
To tell her how I felt and to reveal it all.

And then came the day, and came the shining Knight,
He swept her off her feet, and they rode off into the twilight,
Left alone in my misery, I had my only thought,
For the One who mattered, For the One I sought.

Baba Baba Black Sheep

2005-03-17T22:19:00.000-08:00

Well, you must be wondering why I have named this post after a Nursery rhyme. The reason is a little complex if you don't know the context. Simply put, it refers to one of my professors who is nothing less than a terror at our place. This is an attempt to put my sad thoughts in perspective after a bad preformance. Although it might seem a bit heavy, it is to be taken a little lightly. Well, to be frank, this is only my second attempt at writing a poem. So, here it goes

Baba Baba Black Sheep

A Cloud of Gloom,
hath settled over the horizon.
In the cold, dark room,
my sorrows have arisen.

In the distant past,
I had nothing to fear.
But now at last,
the End seems near.

The problem they say,
Is what I put to paper.
But at the end of day,
all hope has turned to vapour.

As a hazy blob,
In the melee it blends.
With a grievous sob,
My journey here ends.