Some of the best and worst moments of my student life for the past four years had been on the road where I would frantically try to catch the college bus.
After several futile attempts ,one week,I agreed to give my dad the privilege of escorting me to the bus stop because he demanded it !! Unfortunately,the bus was surprisingly early tat day.We were told by the shop keepers near my stop that the bus had juss left.So my dad decided tat it was his duty to chase the bus.The Bus screeched to a halt once it could no longer tolerate the incessant honking from our bike!!Not to mention,I was very embarrassed.
Once my friends spotted me walking hurriedly towards the bus.Good friends as they are,they asked the driver to wait for me.I noticed that the bus was in wait and slowed down a bit too much. A huge mistake because the driver lost his temper and by the time I reached the rear door he was so furious that he simply took away , breaking my heart.Can you believe that?
One day everything went well and I was well on time for the bus.But just when the bus arrives I realize that I had left my record notebook + lunch at home. I had practical examination that day u see!!
Finally, I decide to take my bike to the stop,park it somewhere and then board my bus.But even then I was late.I chased the bus and by the time I managed to get close I was right outside my college itself !!
My first self-ride to college.How many times had I begged my parents for this !! I was grinning from ear to ear.However my parents had special treatment waiting for me at home.What I went through that evening is another story!!
Btw I have never been late to college.Not even once;)
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
A Strength So Great....
"I don't want you,mommy.Go away" my three and a half year old nephew tells his mom hugging her tightly ALL the while,frustrated as he was with my aunt stopping him from doing something.I couldn't believe a small boy,just barely waking up to the way the world works-or so i thought-was capable of using such language.I burst out laughing,which he doesn't really appreciate!!
Children ,we often mistakenly think,are ungrown ,empty receptacles waiting for the teachings of the adults around them to fill them up. My nephew has taught me that nothing could be further away from the truth.I know now that we learn far more from children than we teach them.The above mentioned nephew Anish,since his arrival has been such a source of knowledge about the workings of life for me,that I can't help but think that if we only paid closer attention to the way a child's mind works and learn from it,we could all be happier,more fulfilled people.
When I see my nephew focus with undivided attention on the ball being thrown at him and the way he keeps trying everytime with plenty of gusto to catch it inspite of the numerous misses before,I can see that he doesn't need any lessons on the virtues of concentration and perseverance.He does it naturally because he loves the game.
When I saw him sharing his cake with everybody in the car including the driver I was amazed at how he had already discovered the joy of sharing.
He pulls out an old toy he hasn't looked at for months and proceeds to play with it with the warmth of someone reuniting with a loved one after years and I know that 'No one likes being neglected,not even toys' was the clear statement he was making.
When I playfully ask him if I could try his new shoes,he politely and very sweetly tells me that he would get me a new and bigger pair and that his were meant for kids!!
When I shout at him or when I forget to do something that I had promised, he has forgiven ,forgotten and is even ready to gimme another chance a few moments later.
He never holds any anger in his heart.I marvel at the resilience and strength of a child's heart that is able to do that.And I hear people telling themselves arrogantly that they need to teach values and morals to Children!!
Children ,we often mistakenly think,are ungrown ,empty receptacles waiting for the teachings of the adults around them to fill them up. My nephew has taught me that nothing could be further away from the truth.I know now that we learn far more from children than we teach them.The above mentioned nephew Anish,since his arrival has been such a source of knowledge about the workings of life for me,that I can't help but think that if we only paid closer attention to the way a child's mind works and learn from it,we could all be happier,more fulfilled people.
When I see my nephew focus with undivided attention on the ball being thrown at him and the way he keeps trying everytime with plenty of gusto to catch it inspite of the numerous misses before,I can see that he doesn't need any lessons on the virtues of concentration and perseverance.He does it naturally because he loves the game.
When I saw him sharing his cake with everybody in the car including the driver I was amazed at how he had already discovered the joy of sharing.
He pulls out an old toy he hasn't looked at for months and proceeds to play with it with the warmth of someone reuniting with a loved one after years and I know that 'No one likes being neglected,not even toys' was the clear statement he was making.
When I playfully ask him if I could try his new shoes,he politely and very sweetly tells me that he would get me a new and bigger pair and that his were meant for kids!!
When I shout at him or when I forget to do something that I had promised, he has forgiven ,forgotten and is even ready to gimme another chance a few moments later.
He never holds any anger in his heart.I marvel at the resilience and strength of a child's heart that is able to do that.And I hear people telling themselves arrogantly that they need to teach values and morals to Children!!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
If only we'd known sooner
When I was a teenager ,there had been a lot of stupid things I and my friends did that makes me wish we had already known not to do them.
Some are funny,some are serious and all are very true.
* Don't drink coffee while wearing a white dress and walking to some place hurriedly.
* Pressing the keys of your cellular phone's keypad(W350i in particular) continuously kinda makes the keypad come out of your phone.
* If it hurts,DON'T DO IT AGAIN.
* Always stay after class because that is where connections are made.
* While getting your bike out through the gate,always,ALWAYS make sure that the gate is open.
* Sometimes smart people can do very very stupid things.
* Don't take GRE twice if you already have a good score in the first place.
* If your conscience tells you not to do something,then don't.Your conscience is not stupid.
* Your mom will find out if you cut your hair and then keep asking her if there is anything different about the way you look.
* Siblings are incredibly precious and if you don't know this now,you will...trust me!
* Life moves fast ,but not so fast that you can't slow down to enjoy it.
* Do not try to show off your balancing skills in front of everyone unless you are very VERY good.
* Never try to run away from your mom while she's scolding you.She'd start screaming and everybody will know.
* When someone flirts with you endlessly, it doesn't always mean that he/she likes you.
* The heart does heal.
* If they do not respect you then they are not worth any of your time.
* While chewing gum(especially Boomer!) during classes,never blow a bubble.
* Ten years from now most of what we freak out about would seem like nothing.
Tat is all !!
Some are funny,some are serious and all are very true.
* Don't drink coffee while wearing a white dress and walking to some place hurriedly.
* Pressing the keys of your cellular phone's keypad(W350i in particular) continuously kinda makes the keypad come out of your phone.
* If it hurts,DON'T DO IT AGAIN.
* Always stay after class because that is where connections are made.
* While getting your bike out through the gate,always,ALWAYS make sure that the gate is open.
* Sometimes smart people can do very very stupid things.
* Don't take GRE twice if you already have a good score in the first place.
* If your conscience tells you not to do something,then don't.Your conscience is not stupid.
* Your mom will find out if you cut your hair and then keep asking her if there is anything different about the way you look.
* Siblings are incredibly precious and if you don't know this now,you will...trust me!
* Life moves fast ,but not so fast that you can't slow down to enjoy it.
* Do not try to show off your balancing skills in front of everyone unless you are very VERY good.
* Never try to run away from your mom while she's scolding you.She'd start screaming and everybody will know.
* When someone flirts with you endlessly, it doesn't always mean that he/she likes you.
* The heart does heal.
* If they do not respect you then they are not worth any of your time.
* While chewing gum(especially Boomer!) during classes,never blow a bubble.
* Ten years from now most of what we freak out about would seem like nothing.
Tat is all !!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Haven't we met?
"Hey! I know you. I know you have a very special name. I just don't remember it at this moment. Hmmm. Its Bina. No,its not. But it ends with an 'a'. Huh!"
I was losing my mind and there she was,glaring away at me threateningly. I knew I had embarrassed her,a long lost friend of mine whose name I had sadly, forgotten. I have always had trouble remembering names. I am terrible with date of births also and when I decide to take note of DOBs in a handbook I end up misplacing or losing it and sometimes scribbling on already written data.
However,I did manage to find a solution to my problem with names after I joined college.As everybody is aware,its mandatory for college students to go whereever their mobile phones go.And it was my phone that came to my rescue.
It so happened that one day i managed to bump into a schoolmate of mine at a technical fest after a really long time and of course there was no way I could remember her name.
She greeted me with a huge smile and told me that she was delighted to see me.I was quick to respond,determined to succeed at getting her name without embarrassing her:
"I am absolutely delighted too.I thought I had lost you.And hey,before we discuss anything else I wanna make sure that I don't lose your contact again. Gimme you number!"
She obliges,smilingly!
"By the way.How do you spell your name?",I fiddle with my phone trying hard not to look at her face and appearing as casual as I possibly could.
She tells me, "M-Y-T-H-I-L-I"
"Yep.Saved it! So,what are you up to?Howzz life Mythili?",I ask her,cautiously looking up at her face and there it was!
The smile! Still in place.
I was full of glee and had a difficult time trying hard not to use her name in every sentence I uttered!!
Mission Accomplished:D
phew!!
I was losing my mind and there she was,glaring away at me threateningly. I knew I had embarrassed her,a long lost friend of mine whose name I had sadly, forgotten. I have always had trouble remembering names. I am terrible with date of births also and when I decide to take note of DOBs in a handbook I end up misplacing or losing it and sometimes scribbling on already written data.
However,I did manage to find a solution to my problem with names after I joined college.As everybody is aware,its mandatory for college students to go whereever their mobile phones go.And it was my phone that came to my rescue.
It so happened that one day i managed to bump into a schoolmate of mine at a technical fest after a really long time and of course there was no way I could remember her name.
She greeted me with a huge smile and told me that she was delighted to see me.I was quick to respond,determined to succeed at getting her name without embarrassing her:
"I am absolutely delighted too.I thought I had lost you.And hey,before we discuss anything else I wanna make sure that I don't lose your contact again. Gimme you number!"
She obliges,smilingly!
"By the way.How do you spell your name?",I fiddle with my phone trying hard not to look at her face and appearing as casual as I possibly could.
She tells me, "M-Y-T-H-I-L-I"
"Yep.Saved it! So,what are you up to?Howzz life Mythili?",I ask her,cautiously looking up at her face and there it was!
The smile! Still in place.
I was full of glee and had a difficult time trying hard not to use her name in every sentence I uttered!!
Mission Accomplished:D
phew!!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Smile ! There is nothing more powerful
Waiting tensely in the huge dining hall,10 km away from my place,I could hardly control the knot of nervous excitement forming in my gut. It was my 10th birthday and my dad had decided to celebrate my birthday at this home for the aged by making a donation.Though I was a little disappointed about not being able to celebrate it the usual way with a huge cake and birthday presents from everybody who comes to the party,I soon became quite excited about this new way of celebrating.
The sisters who run this home asked me to stand at the center,telling people to come in and have their food.I was thrilled and eager to be actively doing something,but I was also very nervous and curious.However,there was no turning back now.It was time.
People trudged in. A mixture of dark,fair,Indian,Anglo Indian,healthy,weak,very old and a little old, men and women entered. I watched with a kind of naive awe,searching their faces,wondering what their reasons are for living this way,imagining what it would be like to live without any food for days together when nobody makes a donation.
I was fidgety,having little to do at this point except wait for the people to finish their meal,so i focussed on the house director: "lots of people here would love as much to see a friendly smile as to eat the food,so don't be afraid to smile"
This I could handle with great ease. Smiling the warmest and most sincere smile I could muster,I caught the eyes of every person I could,and though a few smiled back,I felt good about it.
One old woman kept lookin at me with an expression of far-off wonderment.Vague gray-brown eyes shone amidst the wrinkled skin of her face and a not-quite-all-there smile beamed out with childlike simplicity.I was greatly touched by her evident pleasure at alternately swallowing a handful of rice and staring at my face. When she motioned me to come over closer ,I was not at all alarmed.Her speech was slurred and gentle.As she reached out her hand to take mine,I felt no threat in her grandmotherly gesture.
"I just wanted to ask u"she murmured sweetly in perfect English,"how much do I owe you for your smile?"
In a laughing rush ,I told her, "nothing" and that aged smile grew even more wide and amazed.
"well,in that case,may I have another?",She asked.
I complied with a helpless blush. She told me that as long as she remembered that smile,she d be doing just fine.
I thought,Me,too.
Sometimes that is all it takes.
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