Power play.......

He was the one. Omnipresent and omnipotent. All-pervading and strong.

He would blaze down with all his strength leaving destruction in his wake. Everything alive, everything thriving would be no longer.

He was the very essence of power, intellect, confidence and virility, all rolled into one irresistible package.

He could leave no stone unturned in acquiring what he desired. Many a times, he demanded to be satisfied, no offering too less for him. He was insatiable, asking for more, and getting it nearly all the time.

He had admirers, followers.... devout and faithful. But he preferred to remain untouched by all, favouring to remain aloof…. alone........and free.

Until, he met Megha and was captivated by her dark beauty. His senses reeled every time he encountered her dark doe-like gaze. She was all fire, all thunder, and all sultry siren, beckoning to him with her slender form, and muddling his senses to such an extent so as to make him forget himself. In her company, he was all but a pale shadow of himself, half-heartedly trying to be his blazing former self, but ending up reining in his brute strength just to please her, to indulge her, to preen under her shower of affection.......hoping......hoping that she would reciprocate. But there were times when he showed signs of impatience, and reverted to his former glorious self, albeit for a brief period.

Thus, it was sunny for a whole of five minutes today in Bangalore ;-) :-D!

Random thoughts of a busy mind

Ever heard of this “Two parallel lines never meet”. Chitraaz corollary states that “Two things in parallel planes are made to meet by the means of (yuxtremely silly!) comparisons”. Like the way people take in the brilliant hues of a real flower and exclaim, “Is it real? It almost looks plastic.” Geez…! It is almost similar to comparing ghar ka khaana with hotel food. You got my point na?

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I spent five minutes pondering (mind you, not agonizing) over what ear-rings to wear for work today. I had a pair of long shoulder-touching hangings which went extremely well with the dress. However, the ear-rings had “Not for office wear” written all over them! I removed them, contemplated by bare-eared image in the mirror, dug further into the box and came up with a relatively less-lengthpair of earrings.... the one at the yuxtreme left. To my surprise, compliments poured in for the same :-) ! Hmmmm….looks like my tomboy's dying a slow death. And I have mixed feelings regarding the loss……

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This week greeted me with a big pimple sprouting on my left cheekbone…..so big (and ugly) that it caught the attention of most of my female colleagues (oh well…. the males have work to worry about, don’t they?), and got them talking about the myth centered around the origin of pimples. According to them (ahem), I have been ‘blessed’ with a pimple because someone (apparently!) has a crush one me. Please note that it is not vice-versa. All I am hoping (in my free time, of course) is that the crush-bearing person should be a guy….. and a handsome one at that, so that he could have a pimple or two (at my expense) ;-)!

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If a two plus hour movie makes me all fidgety, a two plus hour bus-ride makes me all tired. Throw in lack of light (to read a book) and lack of food, I transmogrify into a angry young woman! To avoid scorching the bus (and thus saving the junta), I picked up sweet corn soup along with a fruit platter on my way back home today. The soup was not that thick. But it was peppery, oniony and corny (forgive the pun!). And hot. So hot that I was worried as to how to prevent it from spilling all over me during the bumpy parts of the ride. Hah.......day one successful. Looking forward to day two……. :-).

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I am at a loss to deal with an issue which I should have given attention long time back (in fact, several years). Thanks to my repeated ignorance, it has now grown to a full-fledged problem, emotional connections complicating it all the more. And I am at a loss how to deal with it. I have cracked my skull open (and spilled my brains all over my work-desk as well....something which I rarely do) but the solution is not at all in sight :-(. It is one of the (few) times I feel like relying on my age-old friends – time.... and hope.

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Could anyone clarify what ‘taken for granted’ means? How easy/difficult it is to take someone for granted? What are the warning signs? And how early/ late does a relationship get affected by this ‘taken for granted’ status?

Ah... well... :-)

What Chitra Means

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

And while I suffer sleep-deprived nights due to cough, there's no dearth of endearing words! Chalo...... suhaane aksharon mein na sahi, par html mein hai na....!

:D !

Thanks Ashma!

December mein baarish?

.........................................Proof.........


.......................................and effect :-)

Wanna know more?

TaDaaaaaannnnnnn TaDaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnn !!


For all ye folks who are curious (irritatingly so), on their tenterhooks, on the verge of madness ( :D :D) on knowing more about me, here is some classified information!


Truer words were never spoken.... !


Tee hee !

A trip abroad and a proposal later....

He jumped out of the driver’s seat with the alacrity of a man half his age. Giving me a friendly grin, he hoisted my bag into the cab and motioned me in.

After I settled myself comfortably, he started off, both with the driving and a volley of questions:

“You from India?” was the first question.

“Yup.”

“You must be surely a student.”

I gave a smile and replied, “I am working.”

“Where?” was the next question.

“Edinburgh”.

“Aaaah…. Nice place. But you don’t look like you are working. You too young, you see.” And he twisted sideways in his seat to look at me while he spoke the latter sentence.

I could not help smiling in response, however indirect the compliment was, but remained silent.

“You have a boy-friend?”

The question caught me unawares, and after a second’s hesitation, nodded in affirmative.

“Where’s he?”

“And I thought we Indians were overtly curious......”was my wry thought before replying “He is back in India.”

“So you would be marrying him after you go back?”

I barely suppressed a grin before nodding a yes.

He wore a disappointed moue of expression, “That means you would not be marrying me! I was about to ask you so.”

This time I could not control my laugh, “We honour commitments very seriously.”

He mulled over my statement before asking, “When would you be coming back?”

I answered honestly, “I don’t know.”

“Whenever you come in, do drop in to say hi. My name’s JC. You can ask anyone in the lounge. Don’t forget.” he said wagging an admonishing finger at me.

By then we had reached our destination. His parting shot as he deposited me with my luggage was, “A pity! A great pity!”

I laughed and walked towards the airport terminal to catch my next flight.

This post.....

.....is all about my close friend’s cute daughter – a precocious two-year old.

I know it’s a big challenge for parents to bring up their children. But from the perspective of a third person (read as good ol’ me), not subjected to the tantrums of the child all day long, it is fun. Pure unadulterated fun :-)!

It began with little S watching Animal Planet on TV. Before you nod your heads sagely and comment, “Wow.....educational stuff. Good for children. They can learn all the right things”, I would beg to differ. Things which can be perceived as ‘right’ by children need not necessarily be ‘right’ for us.....or vice-versa, as narrated through the following incident.

So...where was I? Yes....... lil S and Animal Planet. During the episode, she came to focus on the particular information that animals use the river water to pee. Well..... I can hardly blame them – who can construct toilets for them? Unfortunately, lil S is not old enough to logically piece such sequence of thoughts to arrive at the (so-called) right conclusion.

The result – lil S refused to have a bath because she thought that the water was impure :-)!

p.s: It took a whole of two hours - including a neat drama of fetching ‘fresh’ water from outside (which in reality was the tap-water) and boiling it in the kitchen – to convince her about the cleanliness of water.

Wow...... kidz!

I am sure SA and her hubby would be opining, “Sigh/phew.....kidz!” :-)

Hoo boy...!!!

You scored as Mermaid. Mermaid: Mermaids are also known as Sirens. These creatures were beautiful women who tricked sailors into becoming completely entranced by their haunting voices and found death soon after. Not all stories of Mermaids are about gentle loving sea people. They are mystical, magical, and extremely dangerous. They have a way about them that brings anyone they are around to seem enchanted. They are very mysterious creatures and to meet one... Would mean certain Death. Let the song of the Sea fill your soul, for you are a Mermaid. .

Mermaid		92%
Angel		83%
WereWolf		67%
Faerie		58%
Dragon		58%
Demon		0%

What Mythological Creature are you? (Cool Pics!)

I dreamt that.....

I was aware that I was in a room resembling a hotel lobby. Even now, I remember the gleam of the polished wooden staircase spiraling upwards from one end of the room. A man at the desk is offering something to me. I take a step closer to discover that it’s a bowl containing the most scrumptious ras-malai :-). He extends the bowl in my direction. Just as I take a step towards him, I feel myself dragged back by several pairs of arms.

And then..... I woke up!

And I still remember the chagrin I felt, not because of some unknown people dragging me away but because of not being able to taste one of my most favourite desserts when it was being offered to me on a platter.

Tee hee...... once a foodie, always a foodie :-) !

Catty tales

Big B sauntered in just when I got hold of the broom.

She came as if she owned the house, pride and haughtiness dripping from every sashaying step of hers, and plopped right in the middle of the hall. My resolution of cleaning the house flew right out of the window and settled on the highest tree-top, out of my reach.

And then came.....correction....skipped in Chota Shakeel and BaDa Shakeel fighting with each other like there’s no tomorrow. With all that fighting, I keep wondering how they manage to see what’s lying (in wait?) before them......

Soon the hall was abuzz with activity comprising skidding, running, yowling, screeching, hiding and seeking. I joined Big B, who was now reclining like Cleopatra, on the divan, in witnessing the mini-destruction (devastation is more like it) in the hall. Katrina could not have done a better job.....

My thoughts of throwing them out were interrupted by the peal of the doorbell followed by SRM’s voice. Immediately, all there jumped to attention and were as quite as mice. The sight of SRM drove them into a meowing frenzy with SRM periodically soothing them with words like, “Yenamma?”, “Haalu bekaa?”....... I mentally reviewed my wish ......hopefully it should be granted in another 50 plus years.

p.s Big B stands for Big Brownie – our family cat. BaDa Shakeel and Chota Shakeel are her kids. Together they consist of one big happy family.....hey..wait a minute.....did I just compare them to mice?

G for...

Gears, gadgets and girls - men love these and not necessarily in this order.


Women have been blamed for being fussy, shopping for hours unheard of (and capable of setting a Guinness record) and being too emotional. Well......the latest trend (or it could be since time immemorial, who knows?) guys are really catching up with such 'feminine' aspects. They can spend hours and hours (and hours and hours and hours.....to the power of n) deciding what car/ mobile/ laptop/ computer/ PDA/ MP3 Player/ IPod.....and the list continues, to purchase. And then conducting a thorough post-mortem (read as 'investigation') on the (finally) decided product, and when the time does arrive (planets, stars all favorably inclined to 'smile' on you) they take a peek at their neighbour's possession and change the tack! Huh.....so much for the 'analytical' mind!


Conversational scraps like "Macha......you should see that 50GB(?) IPOD....sakkath features.....video anthe, audio anthe.....just imagine, you can store around 10 films! WOW", or the likes of "Yen kaNo......you should have gone for a better colour combination than boring blue. Now what you can do is make it look much better by stripes blah blah blah..." Needless to say, I am referring to a car here and not a zebra :-) ! And how could I forget this, "Now this camera has xyz focal point much suited for taking close-shot snapz. Now with the help of this abc convertor, you could extend the focal range to a large-range shot." All I could do was enthuse "How awfully techie".......


And if you think that it's the 'problem' with techie guys, you are wrong.....dreadfully so. Me thinks that such men are trained right from their crib days.....more so in the modern age where men too pitch in a hand in helping out their wives with kids. So, just imagine the 'technical' influence on the young one if he has a Daddy shouldering him on one arm and discussing business deals on his mobile instead of singing lullabies. Hoo boy!


So guys, the next time you complain of the lady taking long hours to shop, just pause (I know it must be frightfully difficult to actually pause that train of thought) in front of a mirror. You just might get the answer.........

Woes of footwear(ing)

My footwear wore off.

So, whatz the big deal?

I am smart, intelligent, talented [:D]; but when my sandals wear off I strongly feel that the balance has been set right in the sense I have been blessed with a pair of uniquely-sized feet, which requires a tour of nearly ten (plus) shops to be clad ‘properly’......and ‘fashionably’.

It was only while shopping for footwear that I realized utility and fashion rarely go hand-in hand – those which were fashionable looked like they would fall apart the next day….and the less said the better about those attention grabbing sturdy-looking ones.

So……early this morning, my footwear wore off.

And I was left seriously contemplating a monstrosity of high-heels which I had splurged for in my vacuum-in-the-brain-days…just because it proved to be a very good accessory for sarees….and for usage of relative short periods, back-ache and ankle-twists unaccounted for.

If you are not that good-looking, intelligent and have a pea-sized brain, the best way to attract not any persons’ (a.k.a halpless victim’s) attention is by wearing high-heels. So there I was clippety-cloppetting in my heels all the way to the bus-stop, to my office, to my cube, to the canteen and ….back again.

With all these drawbacks, I was left contemplating the advantages of high heels: apart from adding a couple of inches to your height, it can serve as a good weapon :)!

Food - my one (and only?) love

The problem with good friends is that you can neither lie nor explain the truth to them. So I usually go for the go-between in them – a white lie – a half-truth.

However, I have to admit that it does not work all the time.

It all started with a deceptively simple lunch date with one of my friends, AS, a person (one of the few) who can make me squirm in my seat in her quest for answers.

To finalize a pending treat (I am a sucker for treats for all menial victories against the world) I had chosen a place near home.

Lo behold the opening lines of the conversation:

AS: Chitu (she is one of the few people whom I allow to call me by that nick-name), have you ever fallen in love?

I was too busy wallowing in the depths of my ice-cream (my most beloved flavour) to answer immediately.

AS: (a tad icily) I believe I asked you a question, Chitu.

I finished by ice (albeit a bit noisily I believe) and answered with enthusiasm, “Ya… loads of times.”

AS knew me a too well to fall into this trap. Pat came the answer, “I am not talking about your cats, Chitu,” followed by the most patronizing grin I had ever seen.

I grinned widely before asking “How did you know?”

She put on a resigned expression before repeating her question.

I took my sweet time pondering over the question (anyone Kaun Banega Crorepati?) before admitting “Ummmm…no,” before adding, “not really.”

AS poured her sympathies which she usually reserves for people who are not sailing in the same boat as hers and one which goes by the name of ‘marriage’.

And I did not explain the difference between falling in love and being in love.

Eat cricket...

A die-hard Indian cricket fan heard commenting about the recent showdown of a match between India and West Indies:

"Oh man...it's cloud-seeding all the way!"

'Never say die' attitude

Thanks to burgeoning workload, I have not been able to enjoy some of the finer things in life......mainly my morning quota of tea.

Come to workplace, stare into the PC screen, go for lunch, stare into PC screen, go for tea, stare into the PC screen...... I think I have memorized the total number of pixels on my monitor screen. And ya......I did manage to get ‘some’ work done in between!

After a self-imposed hiatus of (few) loooonnnngg days (phull of er..... ‘work’), I happened to visit my usual haunt of a cafeteria today for a cuppa tea. Nothing could have prepared me for the enthusiastic welcome which they provided.

The vendor had the tea coupon ready even before I could open my mouth. The lady asked with apparent concern if I was keeping well or not. Well.....I realized that I look like a zonked out zombie (all zzzzzzzzzzzzzs) without my elixir of life. Then it was the turn of the tea supplier to show concern over my apparent road to thin-ity. Wow....see....... I don’t even have to try hard to reduce :) .Ran into a couple of my friends who seriously enquired if I was in love. I gave a wry smile and actually replied in affirmative - I can hardly wait to let the rest of the world know that I have fallen in love.. :) - and had a hard time putting a phullu-stop to the barrage of questions that followed

Bottom line – addiction has its effects felt :)!

My phursht 'weird' tag :)

Thanks to Shruthi who has tagged me to list five weird things about me.....and five is too less a number for a total weirdo like me :)!

• I am a foodie.....I love food :)! I do not converse much while I am eating. People have to drag out monosyllabic replies. So it does not take a Sherlock Holmes to figure out that any meeting luncheons/dinner organized during the course of my professional life will remain a surefire disaster.

• I do not talk much.People who have known me during my college are the first to point out this, where I was a pakka chatterbox. However I am a yuxtremely good listener - I can remember the nuances of conversations carried out quite some years back rather well......and tend to surprise/shock people with it. My RAM sakkath good, you see :) !
  

• And then there is the type of weirdness associated with being a lady and not able to fit into a stereotype of one. Oh.....I can go on and on about this but I will limit myself to just one thing – I love trekking. I can be ready for a trek at very short notices (you see.....it does not take more than half-an-hour for me to pack) but the place has to capture my interest first. However, if the company is good, I am willing to travel to the ends of the earth :)!
  

• Most of my weirdness has to do with the fact that I am a mixture of opposites. One such thing is my penchant for beaches. I can sit for hours staring into nothing on beaches but I cannot bear to sit (still) for a three-hour movie.....and a senti one at that (Psst.....I simply walked out of Devdas – too much of melodrama is injurious to my health).
  

• Another weird thing about me – I do exhibit the feminine virtue of tears from time to time but for totally unexpected reasons. I still recall watching Rang De Basanti when people left-right and center were weeping buckets. I was too concerned about the dwindling popcorn in my hand. And I cry for reasons as obscure as seeing off my close friends at the airpot/bus-train station. Or when regret creeps in.....
  

I am a closed person - I do not like talking about myself. But then, what have I been blabbering about all this while?

Weird? Paradox? Yup.....that’s me.

Naya profession

September 23rd is one special day for me. And no....it’s not my birthday.


This day happens to be the birthday of two special individuals I know – one HG, a friend from my college days.....and the other - one of my closest friend AS’s daughter, SS.


SS will be complete a full three years on this day this year.


As per the reports, she was supposed to be born much before September 16th. But then, fate had other plans for this little lady.


During lunch one September (three years ago, of course), I gamely predicted that the child would be a girl......and she would be born on the 23rd of September all great people are born on this date.... *wink-wink*!


And lo behold, she was born on the 23rd!!


Today NR sent me a long blistering mail mock-blaming me for his spat with his GF. I promptly retorted that it was pre-ordained keeping into consideration the (pathetic) way he treated her. And I did nothing to facilitate this. But no.....NR is sort of convinced that whatever I tell turns out to be true. Aaaaahh.....pearls of wisdom, you never know........


Therefore, summarizing the 'discussion' above, I have two choices:

• Keep my big mouth shut......which is what I do anyways since I am very silent most of the times (well......exclude singing from that)
• Start touting my ‘apparent talent’ as a soothsayer and earn heaps of money.

Considering the fact that I am quite materialistic, I guess option 2 would be a better choice. But then, I guess I have to work upon option 1 to make it a success :) :)!! Hummmph...talk about difficult choices.........

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Today was something special – why? Read on.......

I was fighting the after-effects of one long journey in the bus – it’s indeed a ‘learning’ experience to fight back waves and waves of drowsiness induced by people who sleep.....no make that snore around you.

So, there I was.....ambling towards my building when I saw something gray swish across my path. I stopped and stared for sometime – you see, I had to ascertain whether it was my mind playing tricks on me because people around me passed by without even batting an eye-lid.

But no, it was there, snaking under the under the bushes, sniffing here and there, scampering across the green grass, and taking refuge under yet another hedge, its gray tail swishing about gracefully.

What I did not understand was the reaction of others – silent, sleepy and totally non-interested in what’s happening around. Hmmm.......have we become so jaded that we fail to appreciate the beauty, sometimes hidden sometimes rampant, around us?

After all, it’s not every day that you come face to face with a mongoose!

Main ek..par mere naam anek

Chits, Chitz, Chitu, Chitrahaar (came to know this through Khushi) – by some people whom I have met through my blog

Chi, Chits – by Aki and Anu

ViChitra - by both Ashu and her Father

Cheethakka -> Cheetha – by Adi. He cannot pronounce ‘r’ syllable yet :) ! Fancy me being compared to a leopard; the leopard would die of shame :) !

Chitraangada, Chitravaani, Chitrapushpa – by Mia.....eons ago

Chittu, Goobe, ChiTTe, Chitu, Chitraaaa, TaleharaTe – by Angii

Sprite, Picchi Pilla - by Bhopu. Still haven't asked him why (on the earth) he refers me by that name

Chitraanna, KaTThe, Goobe, KoTi and Chitra Aunty – by Bro dear. He insists that he will call me ‘Chitra Aunty’ after my marriage but has started calling me the same so that ‘I could get used to it’. Baah !!

Chaitra- by some confused individuals. Had to bear this confusion all throughout my school and college days. Thank God that there's no 'Chaitra' in my project.

Chitranna, Chitralahari, Chatri, Chithoo (pronounced as Chi-thoo :)..) – by most of my cousins in Hyderabad

Cibaca – namakaran by a few of my college-mates. Can’t say that I ‘loved’ it but ya......it definitely seemed better than Cutie Kitty given to some other classmate of mine. Phew!!

But the icing on the cake is LOHAPATAGAAMINI.

Perhaps I got the name due to the fact that I had become horizontally challenged during one summer.....or maybe due to my forceful nature. Aaaah......what’s for wishful thinking........:D

The rest are pet names which people close to me use.....but they can’t be divulged you see – top secret :) !

Meri list

• A laptop
  

• The entire book collection of TinTin and Asterix
  

• Calvin and Hobbes Comic Strip Collection
  

• An MP3 player complete with headphones and FM
  

• A rich silk saree
  

• Motorola mobile – RAZR Slim :)
  

• 2GB USB drive
  

• Home PC ‘upgrade’ (I want to prolong is as long as possible since I am really looking forward to Bro dear using this ‘piece of junk’ – as he calls it. Youngsters these days hardly know the value of money :()
  

• A banana platter meal - morning, noon and night
  

• A list of books which I have been wanting to purchase for a very long time, and which keeps on growing like Hanumanthana baala
  

• A week-long vacation in some obscure place
  

• Perfume(s) (I have to admit that I am quite crazy about them)
  

• Ondu voriginal pearl set
  

Very simple needs for a very complex person? :)

My wish-list for my birthday which is nearly six months away, the compilation of which was triggered by a book sale which had the entire (including the latest) collection of TinTin, each costing > Rs. 400. I remembered the toota-phoota collection which I had garnered long back, and which Bro Dear apparently (and conveniently) ‘donated’ to one of his friends and forgot all about it! Double sheesh......

And every time I keep reminding myself - “If you cannot forgive your own, who else can you forgive?”

And it helps because murder is a capital offence in our country.......

Ultimately, I know that I will not spend a single pi on myself but what the heck..... list banane mein kya hai?...:)