Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less!!

Here I am not talking about Jeffrey Archer's novel, but about the contents of my wallet by the end of yesterday. Not that I was on a shopping spree over the weekend which was the cause of me being penniless, but the mere assumption that being in the 21st century, having cash in my purse is no more a necessity. Afterall I am a proud owner of debit and credit cards.

So, when me and my roommate decided to go for movie in INOX on Saturday, we didn't much bother to check if we had sufficient cash for the weekend. Tickets were already booked, and we had just enough money for auto fares and lunch. For any other shopping needs, our cards would be there to rescue. After enjoying the movie and lunch, we proceeded to the shopping mall. Being girls, that's an area we never tend to avoid. We shopped to our heart's content, made the payment by our precious cards and happily returned home. Overall it was a happy Saturday!!!

Sunday began and the need to buy vegetables for the day arose, only to realize that our wallets were left with no cash. Too lazy to go to ATM, we started counting the coins. The one and two rupee coins had never ever seemed so valuable to us but yesterday. Yippee, the coins summed up to be enough for us to buy vegetables. Excitement was at the core that we are able to manage the household so well even with our meagre wallet balance. By mid-day I had exactly a rupee coin left with me.

After a heavenly afternoon nap, we mused over how to spend the evening. The first thought was to go to ATM and fill up our wallet. As fate would have it, the ATM machine was out of order. Sniff, snob....with broken hearts we walked back. On the way we spotted a small shop with all kinds of Filmfare and Star magazines. Tempted by the cover pages, we entered the shop and started browsing them one by one. My roomie selected a magazine to buy, but the biggest question was how? Now its too high an expectation for a small shop to accept debit cards, but no harm in giving a try. The result was a mocking stare of the shopkeeper and two girls fleeing out of the shop to avoid further embarassment.

There may be many such occasions when we depend too much on our cards hoping that they will help us all the time. But sometimes situations arise when we need cash since cards are not accepted everywhere and ATM machines cannot be cent percent reliable. Though I am aware of these facts but still quite careless to carry sufficient cash with me. So here comes my New Year resolution - "Never to keep my wallet penniless". And I hope I comply with it.

My mini library

In an affable discussion with my roomie last weekend, she confided that if she had to quit her job for some reason, she would happily open a public library for her time pass. Though I can also call myself a bibliophile having read quite a lot of books (borrowed from library or friends), but the idea of opening a library was not welcomed by me with a zeal. However, my visit to Odyssey yesterday made me ponder over the thought again. I have many a times before entered the books section in Odyssey and Landmark but yesterday the thought of a library kept haunting me. Afterall a mini library at my home would not be a bad idea!! Happy with my decision, I started browsing the book-shelves to find something of my interest, and I gifted myself with 2 books :)

The first one to adorn my library would be The Godfather by Mario Puzo. I have already read the book few months back and I liked it sooooo much that I had since a long time wanted to get a copy for myself and read it again. Initially, I was a bit apprehensive about reading mafia kinda books but some of my friends who were ardent Godfather fans suggested me that its a "must read". I was highly influenced by the importance the book gives to friendship, dignity, honour, love and sacrifice. Some of the powerful phrases of the don are worth remembering. To quote a few are ,‘I offer you my friendship and expect only the same’, 'I will make him an offer he can’t refuse’, 'The Don never asks for a second favor when the first one is denied’. And nothing can be more inspiring than the last words of the Godfather before dying - 'Life is so beautiful!'.

The other book that I bought was Vikram Seth's much lauded novel in verse, The Golden Gate. There were 2 reasons behind this selection - first my inquisitiveness that how a complete novel can be in the form of a verse, followed by my newly developed interest in poems. I started with this book yesterday and completed around 80 pages. I had thought that it would be a difficult read, but it is just like reading any novel, with the exception of appreciating the author with the turn of every page. More comments on this one would come after I complete the novel.

I have few other books in mind which I would like to own and after I am done with the above 2, the others would soon be proud members of my mini library!!!

Wonders of Green!!

When I started my blog, few of my friends asked me why is there so much of green shade in the background? Well, I have my own reasons for my penchant towards this color, which has gradually developed over a period of time.

To start with, when I was admitted to my primary school, I came to know that all the students will belong to one of the 3 divisions ( or 'House', which was the term used in my school), namely, Peace, Faith and Joy. Each of these house was depicted with a different colour. I belonged to Peace House and it was symbolised with green color. We often had inter-house competitions and I hereby declare with great pride that Peace house was the winner most of the times :) So, since my school days, it has been in my mind that green is a symbol of peace and victory!

Ever since my childhood, I have heard my mom emphasize on eating lots of green vegetables as they are good for health. Numerous advantages of eating green and leafy vegetables have been iterated time and over again by parents at home and teachers in school.

The Environmental benefits of green space within a city's boundaries is not unknown to us. Who does not want to stay in a clean, cool and pollution-free atmosphere full of green trees? When I went to US, I was really thrilled to see plethora of greenery in all the places I visited. It would feel so lively staying in a city where the saplings outnumber the citizens and where we can't see the buildings for the trees.

Even in my professional life, the green color somehow could not get out of my mind. In Infosys, we were continuously reminded of its EHS (Environment, Health and Safety) policy. And as if this was not enough, we had green colour Ozone umbrellas introduced in all the developed centres.

To sum it up, for me Green color became a symbol of peace, victory, health and liveliness. With this colour having so much influence on me, do I still need more reasons for my likeness towards it?

Memoirs of Stamford

Remembering the lively days I spent in Stamford, this post is dedicated to all my dear friends whose presence made my stay a memorable one :)


Memories of Stamford are an asset
Be it street art or the sunset
Stamford suites on Bedford street
Companions there were a big treat

Humour of Chuck and T-shirts of Larry
Nothing can beat adventures of Kally
Giving us inspiration was dear Shree
Be it gymming or shopping spree

Panks busy with his favourite "Friends"
And Savi brushing up with new trends
Kris's stories on spirits and ghost
I admit I was scared so I dozed

Work at office was mixed with fun
Ping on messenger was most common
Class diagrams and Useless cases
Seemed to go on and on for ages

Eagerly waited for the sponsored lunch
Not Cozy again, just cannot munch
Cafeteria n Taco for our rescue
Dakshin and Thaai also in the queue

Evening workouts with Gym and swimming
Basketball too with experts guiding
Our Nights were no less than happy
With movie watching on dada's lappie

Not to forget the weekly laundry
For which we left the office early
Boss asking "3pm ko Dukaan band?"
And soon the two words became a legend

Special mention of our weekend trips
Tales of which are always on our lips
From Niagara to Phili to Washington DC
And endless visits to neighbour NYC

Time spent in Stamford I cannot forget
Though a short trip yet no regret
No desire for dollars or yen
Just one wish - we could unite again!!

Perfect!!!

As I decide to start my blog, here comes my first attempt at poetry writing. A perfect way to start, is it?


It is a common adage -
"Practice makes a man perfect"
But then why practice
When nobody is perfect

Sometimes I sincerely feel
The above thought is not fair
I can at least try to be perfect
For exceptions are always there

With this in mind I lifted my pen
And started my new hobby with a zeal
To write poetry, prose and memoirs
And put into words whatever I feel

They say writing is an art
Its not just a jumble of words
For it touches the heart of readers
They may be poets or even nerds

So I should practice more and more
To give shape to my quest
And till I can become a perfect
I aim to be good, better, best!!!