Fair and Lovely advertisement !

I have been officially certified as a good choice to model for Fair&Lovely, the before picture that is ;) in case you just had a "jaw-dropping" moment. It was based purely on my skin-tone :D not a yellow brown (as per a previous discovery) but a chocolate brown now.
And what brought that about was 2 days of playing in the sun.
The Game : Throwball.
For the uninitiated , throwball is a game that sort of resembles volley ball, 2 courts with a net in between , 7/9 people on either side. A best of 3 sets match which has the teams throwing and catching a ball.
After a looooooooooooong time, I got to play the game.With just 2 rounds of practice, meeting some of the teammates for the first time few minutes before the match. And we still made 3rd place (out of 12) . Takes a bow. :D Have been gloating about that all of today afternoon, let me have my moment of glory!
Its like a whole different world that I had stepped into, like a page from my memory past. Teams in different uniforms, nets and courts with white borders, referees , coaches, cheers from the supporters, heck, even the medicine sprays! Its funny how stuff that you did years ago stays fresh in your memory, just like that faint whiff of perfume or that old song that you haven't heard in ages digs up those memories that you didn't remember existed.
I have this mile wide smile on my face right now. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !
P.S. I am out of Fair and Lovely. So, the chocolate stays.

Group vs Government

What would a government do if groups of people started arriving in a country and say "This is where we were destined to live, will you leave now." The government would probably laugh it off and get them off the land because the proposal in itself is so foolish, it isn't worth a discussion. So, the group now gets down to business, because they do honestly believe that this is their destiny, just like a madman would believe his philosophies with all his heart, no matter who says otherwise. The group starts planning, strategising, gathers forces and starts attacking at the civilians in the country. The poor things have no alternative but to run for they never envisioned such a scenario.The government is losing land and people and furiously tries to put out this "uprising" if thats what it can be called. Civilians are still on the run, the group instates its own government and declares to be an independent country. The world decides to poke its nose into the whole affair finally and the emerging super power with all its brilliance decides to support the 'group'. The government rallies to its neighboring countries for support. War. Fights. Fears. Displacements. Loss of life. Loss of hope.
People thrown out of their own homes and living as refugees in a time where war should not have happened at all, esp. when you have a UN body.
The strength of the group increases, they flock in from the rest of the world where their very existence is being threatened, so the land looks very lucrative. Now this group is a very intelligent sect. They have the brains, they have sympathy from the world because they were being seriously discriminated upon, they have the support of the super power.They gain power, extend control, make thousands more homeless while they make homes for their kind.
The poor refugees cant sit quiet now, can they. So, they start poking the elephant with pins. The result, they get branded as terrorists. The whole world, who probably never knew this country even existed, starts looking at this development closely. So, here we have terrorists who are agonizing their neighbors for not much apparent reason. We have pictures of a people who are suicide bombers and what not floating around. People killing others and not afraid to lay down their own life in the process. What is it that they have lost ? Why is it so important to them? There isn't even a full fledged war. And what is it that they intend to achieve with the only superpower and the UN not on its side? What guts do they have to continue with pins? and why don't they give up? But, since the label says 'Terrorists' , they are the bad guys, right?
Imagine, a group of Buddhists enter America and say, "This is where Buddha is going to be reborn and we are going to set up a kingdom of Buddhists, will you leave now", what do you think the government would do?
Will it support them the way it has Israel? Will it make US citizens terrorists?

Tata 2007

Not much to say other than "I'm glad its over!"

Been thinking what it was that I did this past year that it sort of sticks in my head as a 'not-so-good' year. I cant really pinpoint what it was. I think I was in that state where I was basically unhappy most of the time "cursing my fortunes and choice of things to do" and whenever I was actually happy, I held on to that feeling for as long as I could, like trying to really stretch it. I lived in constant expectancy of some sadness waiting round the corner to pounce on me. I felt the strain of telling myself to be happy and think above all the stuff happening to and around me that I couldn't make myself face/fight/find a solution for.
Away from all the people I know and love, away from the place where I was sure of myself, away from the place where I had someone to depend upon always, being away from the only world I have known the past 23 years I suddenly found myself facing my worst fears. Sleeping alone at night with the lights turned on, having to eat half-burnt food that I had to cook after coming home in snow from a 12 hour workday, having no one in person who I could call a friend, depending on my phone and internet connectivity to put me out of my misery, kicking myself for leaving the comforts of home and family and great friends to seek the world on my own terms, surrounded by people who were really nice to me but who I could never accept, living under the same roof with someone talking to whom would only be a disagreement, waiting all day to run away from the workplace, waiting all evening for night so I could sleep. Each sunrise marking one day less on my calender for the tenure in my 'living' hell.
Wow ! that does sound pretty depressing doesn't it! :))
And on the other hand, I also know that there was a whole lot of upside to this year, and I know I would probably be willing to go all through that again just for the upside!
Its only after you sort of hit rock bottom that you appreciate all that you have. Coming back home did that for me. Its only when I did not have it anymore, when I knew what I had taken for granted wasn't with me anymore that I learnt its value.
I figured out, that I CAN live my life alone and independently but I know that I don't want to.
I figured out that my family is the most important thing for me, above myself too.
I learnt that I don't always have to be strong.
I learnt that there are so many people out there who make my life complete and stand by me at every step.My friends who would patiently hear me out on the phone at midnight, who would give me the strength to get through that minute.I am so glad that we met!
I met some amazing people this year who I always want to be part of my life.
I realized that I have grown up, unknown to myself.

A year of lot of firsts :
I started this blog in Jan 2007, been a whole year now. Though I don't really blog regularly, this sort of opened up a whole new world to me. And the world of blogging gave me a friend I truly cherish.

I visited more than a dozen places in 8 months. From theme parks to monuments to trekking & whitewater rafting & beaches , I have been the perfect tourist and enjoyed every minute of it.It was these trips that gave me my new favourite friends and brought me closer to my old friends.

I got to see snow and catch snowflakes on my tongue.I got to make a snowman.I got to see Spring, I got to see life start fresh and trees bloom with flowers.
I got to go swimming in an ice cold sea and hold a starfish in my palm.
I got to do the Shayana puja to a deity in a temple , I got to do abhishekam to a Shivalingam.
I got to drive at 70 mph on the freeway.
I learnt how to cook (no matter how bad it tastes :-P)
I got to go atop the Empire state building and stand amongst the clouds(literally)
I got to watch a show in Vegas and gamble.
I got to trek the Grand Canyon.
I got to watch a live football match and make fajitas.
I got to attend a dholak(Pakistani style) and a bridal shower(US style).
I got to walk down at a street at 2 in the night without being afraid.
I got play sand-volleyball for my office team.
I got to meet a US marine who told me how it felt to break down doors while he was posted in Iraq.
I got to meet a Korean who told me I reminded her of her daughter and that her father stopped speaking to her because she married a 'gora'.
I got to go to a AR Rehman show and see a whole lot of performers at their best.
I got to travel the subway in New York city. I got to travel in a limo.
I got to discuss religion and philosophy with a cab driver who was from Russia.

I am actually smiling now, maybe 2007 wasn't that bad.

and then, one of my fave parts , I came back home! How I had missed mom's food and not having to take care of the responsibility part, back to my friends.
I attended the weddings of 2 of my closest friends.
I got to touch an elephant and see the sunset by the backwaters with a coconut grove as the back ground.
I actually started driving. On a daily basis at that!
I got to see an Arangetram, live.
I got to see a rugby match, live.
You know what, 2007 really aint that bad after all !

Well, with 2008 , I hope for a fresh start. A fresh go at life. All new, a blank page waiting to be written on. New memories to make. I hope this year, I can handle gracefully all that life throws at me, that I find a reason to smile everyday, that I can actually pass it on to someone else, that I appreciate what I have, that I grow up a little more but not lose the ability to be kiddish, I wish for so much more, I wish for flowers everywhere, I wish all around me there will be only happiness, I wish that all the people around me are always happy, I wish .... Oh if wishes could come true!

For all out there, I wish for you a year, that fulfills your fondest wishes and gives you mostly what you want but occasionally whats right for you too !
Have a happy new year , 2008 .