The fragrance of Innocence

A few weeks ago, I hopped in to one of the flats of my co-operative society to pay a small kid a visit. The kid, barely in Sr.K.G (as she proudly mentions her academic status) suffered severe burns on her tummy in a freak accident while playing with crackers around Diwali this year. I got the news, thanks to this virtual network of kakus (the neighbour-aunts, in familiar terms), just in time for a month to end following the incident. How the kid got the burns is not important over here (though the mistake lies with her elders of not keeping an eye on her activities with the don't-even-touch-them crackers). The kid, of course, is still at home, recovering from the burns, half-happy due to no studies, and half-sad due to restrictions put on her favourite activity of running and jumping all over the place. Her mother, as a matter of fact, narrated the entire incident (which I had already heard from my mother, a passive participant of the kakus network). I was busy putting glances at the kid to catch her responses to her mother's narrative, which I guessed from her expressions, was for the umpteenth time for the umpteenth visitor. She appeared to have been used to this and stood there, moving playfully for a couple of times, watching her little frock sway with her movements. The moment her mother finished, she pointed at her little tummy and said 'Look! It was paining her but now I'm fine!' The glow on her face could give all the Fair and Lovely users a complex and the smile on her face inspite of the burns not subdued yet could give the groaning patients a much-needed boost. This led to an instant smile on my face and my mind said 'God Bless You,Child..' So never miss a chance to experience the innocence of a child. Works wonders.

vocab for the week 59

Keep your pecker up!  (British informal)

something that you say to someone in order to tell them to be happy when something unpleasant is happening to them  

 

eg. I know things are hard, love, but keep your pecker up.

 

source : the freedictionary.com 

vocab for the week 58

cuss a blue streak

to curse a great deal.  

 eg. When she dropped the brick on her toe, she cussed a blue streak. Bill could cuss a blue streak by the time he was eight years old.

 

 

source: thefreedictionary.com

vocab for the week 57

a load of crap (rude) 

nonsense

eg. So, according to you, classical physics is a load of crap.

Usage notes: often used to react to what someone else has said.

eg. What a load of crap - I love her and I always will.

 

source: thefreedictionary.com

Crack-a-song n Sing-along!

Received the following e-mail last week. And it made me smile (read: laugh out loud!) Crack the clue and Don't forget to sing the song as you go through the hilarious mail:

vocab for the week 56

a diamond in the rough

someone or something whose good qualities are hidden  

eg. This film is one of those diamonds in the rough, a wonderful gem that almost no one has noticed.

 

source: thefreedictionary.com

vocab for the week 55

land of milk and honey

an imaginary place where there is more than enough of everything

eg. She came to the United States thinking it was the land of milk and honey.

 

source: thefreedictionary.com

CWG 2010 Baton Route - Maharashtra

Here is the CWG 2010 Baton Route via Maharashtra..

1- Day of Relay

2- Games Countdown

3- Day, Date

4- City

Source : www.cwgdelhi2010.org

   1    2                               3                                      4             

075	025	Wednesday, 08 September 2010	Kohlapur
076	024	Thursday, 09 September 2010	Kohlapur
076	024	Thursday, 09 September 2010	Satara
076	024	Thursday, 09 September 2010	Pune
077	023	Friday, 10 September 2010	Pune
077	023	Friday, 10 September 2010	Mumbai
078	022	Saturday, 11 September 2010	Mumbai
079	021	Sunday, 12 September 2010	Mumbai

CWG Theme Song 2010!

So finally A.R.Rahman is ready with the CWG Theme Song 2010. Yet another vibrant track by Rahman! He tweeted the topic which got re-tweeted by 100+ (that includes me!) in 25 minutes flat! Loved the electric guitar music. And the beats at the end do give a desi feel to the song! Here is the link provided by him:

Enjoy..Jai Ho!

http://soundcloud.com/arrahman/cwg-theme-song

Expressions for all seasons!

Here is my list of multi-purpose words that might act as a saving grace for you too..Just another addition to my silly posts :P

(in alphabetical order and NOT in the order of preference):

1.  As far as I know (I normally use it to sound formal :p)

2.  As far as I/he/she/it/they are/is concerned (I normally use it to stress upon a point)

3.  Great!  (sounds well during super-shocking times, be it +ve or –ve!)

4.  Ha!~

5.  How very interesting.. (my fav  tool while being sarcastic..hihi)

6.  I guess (I normally attach it with well, oh well)

7.  Nice.. (sounds well to give a genuine compliment)

8.  Nonsense..  (one of my  top-three favs!)

9.  Nope*

10.Oh well.. (I normally use it towards the end of my conversation)

11.Okhays#

12.Shut up! (my tool to end silly debates!)

13.That’s good.. (I normally used to encourage or keep up the work)

14.That’s it! (I normally use it at eureka moments!)

15.Well.. (I use it to kickstart my speech!)

16.Yup^

~ Includes Duh!

* Includes versions like na, nay etc.

# Includes versions like k, okie etc.

^ Includes versions like yeah, yuppies etc.

vocab for the week 54

a bite of the cherry  (British & Australian) 

a part of something good, especially when there is not enough for everyone who wants it  

eg. Job-sharing would give twice as many people a bite of the cherry.

source: thefreedictionary.com  

vocab for the week 53

Well, change is good they say and hence I've decided to give the 'vocab for the week' label a makeover. I'll be updating an idiom with its meaning and an example. That doesn't mean The Hindu (the original vocab source) ain't good enough! Am all grateful to it :) As for now, here is some vocab for you:

a banana skin  (British)

something which causes or is very likely to cause embarrassing problems  

eg. The new tax has proved to be a banana skin for the government.

 

source: thefreedictionary.com 

Leadership Lessons from Green Day : Robin Sharma

Following is the extract of Robin Sharma's Newletter for the month of July titled Leadership Lessons from Green Day. Green Day is my favourite band, no doubt. But never knew I could learn so much from them! Here it is:

Leadership Lessons from Green Day

Last night I watched a documentary about the rise of Green Day. They have morphed into one of the world's most popular as well as influential rock bands, selling over 65 million records, filling stadiums in cities across the world and inspiring a whole new generation of musicians.

Here are the 5 business as well as personal leadership lessons we can gather from Green Day's ascent:

#1: Every dream starts off small.

Green Day started off called Sweet Children. They played to empty halls and few gave them any chance of being successful. However, their vision was larger than their doubts and they stayed the course like the best Leaders Without Titles always do. Amazing things happen when you stay in the game longer than anyone thinks you should.

#2: They out-practiced their competition.

The original members of Green Day came from broken homes. Parents were not around much. So most of their free time they practiced. Often they would write songs all day and play guitar all night. Like all genius-level performers, relentless practice over an extended period of time births extraordinary performance.

#3: They were well grounded.

After Dookie sold over 14 million copies, the members of Green Day reached superstardom. However, rather than succumbing to the seductions of success, they remained grounded. They started their families and they remained true to their roots. This has allowed them a longevity that so many rock bands never achieve.

#4: They understood the power of renewal.

After the success of their breakthrough album Dookie, Green Day toured the world relentlessly. But then after that - at the peak of their success - they took a complete year off. They spent time with their families. They pursued other musical projects. And they refilled their well of inspiration. Rather than burning out, this period of time allowed them to come back stronger and to continue having fun at their craft.

#5: They dared to innovate.

The albums that followed their breakthrough release actually sold many less records. However, Green Day were willing to relentlessly innovate. The album they were working on before American Idiot came out was actually a mess in the sense that their master tapes were stolen. Many bands would have given up. However Green Day saw it as an opportunity to rewrite the entire album. They came up with an idea of a rock opera and released American Idiot. This became their biggest seller and 15 years after they started, they reached a whole new level of fortune.

A Powerful Idea for World-Class Organizations: Distributed Leadership

In many ways, the whole idea behind Leading Without a Title is the democratization of leadership. Yes, positions are important to the smooth running of any organization (whether that organization is a business or a community or a family). Having said that, the new model of leadership (leadership 2.0) is all about every single stakeholder showing leadership in the work they do. This is really all about distributed leadership. Every single person who works within a business, for example, owns the responsibility of showing leadership at their craft. Every single teammate is the CEO of their own small business unit called their job.

(The following pic is not included in the newsletter. Couldn't resist to add it! :p)

The Secret

Listening to 'The Secret' by Rhonda Byrne. As per the Wikipedia, the film is largely influenced by Wallace D. Wattles' 1910 book The Science of Getting Rich and the book is based upon William Walker Atkinson's prior works and school of thought. The audio is worth listening to instead of blogging over here! Back to The Secret now. Geared up for an amazing 'aural' advice and action!

Things to Do this Monsoon (and the coming ones too!)

Was off the posts for a while, felt short of words you see (and that's the topmost reason why tweeting tops and blogging doesn't!) Here is some simple stuff (in Alphabetical order) I would like to share and strongly recommend to do ALL of them before the lovely monsoon season ends!

Cleaning up your limbs whenever you return home drenched (and muddy!)

Get thoroughly wet under the natural showers!

Hanging out with a bunch of close pals in an eccentric eatery Eg. Poptates.

Having a bowl of Maggi/Soup Noodles/Top Ramen (Maggi rules though!)

Having Cutting Chai at the road side without giving a damn to hygiene.
(psst..a tip: Ask for an empty glass from the Chai wala and put your Chai glass into that empty one to protect your fingers from getting burnt!)

Having home-made bhajiyas or vadas with dollops of spicy and sweet chutneys!

Keeping your cupboard neat and placing naphthalene tablets (come on now don't crib, you don't want your favourite jeans to rot do you?!)

Listening to songs with some natural effects like some chirps or rain water sounds.

Putting on your new rainy shoes and kicking water on the road as you walk!

Observe the beauty of nature around you..Be it on the tracks while train-travelling, the slow growth of light green coloured leaves in some pots at your home, the moss on the building walls as you walk, the earthworms in the mini-puddles on the road, the sun amidst running grey clouds, the sudden change in the skies from grey to pure sky blue, a butterfly or two fluttering somewhere, the burst of grass on every empty patch of land..(Am all smiles now :))

Reading a book with nature as the primary or secondary theme (Eg. Himalayan Tales by Ruskin Bond)

Quite an obvious list, I know. But hey you can use it as a checklist and tick out those you've already done or as you do! See..my posts aren't that silly as you think..Ha! 8-)

Yawn..Huh?!

Yeah..the title aptly describes my status! Mix some sleep and some stress, a bit of cold and cough with a dash of confusion toppled with insane PJs and garnished with some silly smiles. Result : Me as on a never-to-come-again lousy lame morning of 30.06.2010! A time where I should be blogging on some good food for thought but here I am, all clueless as to why did I click on the 'New Post' link?! Hahaha (there goes a lame one!)

vocab for the week 52

What is the difference between "disposed of" and "disposed off"?


When you get rid of someone or something, you normally say "disposed of", not "disposed off". "Disposed off" is unacceptable.

* I want to know how the murderer disposed of the bodies.

In informal contexts, when you say that you disposed of someone, what you mean is that you killed him. Perhaps you hired someone to do the killing.

* The don asked his hit man to dispose of his former accountant.

vocab for the week 51

What is the difference between "blue collar worker" and "pink collar worker"?

A "blue collar worker" works in an industry and is always involved in manual labour. You will find this individual in factories sweating it out on the shop floor. You won't find him sitting behind a huge desk in an office. Nowadays, the term can be applied to both men and women. "Pink collar workers", on the other hand, are always women. Low paid jobs available in offices and restaurants are usually referred to "pink collar jobs".

Canine Talk

Wrote the following last night. Hope you patient enough to read till the end! :p

It was hardly a few seconds that I had just stretched my limbs for my siesta. No sooner did I put on my thinkin’ cap that the white spotless SUV, the only one in this town, zoomed down the lane where it looked horribly out of place. How miserly is the owner to squeeze such a beauty in this filthy ol’ lane – I wondered. I bet on my shiny black skin that he will spend a bomb if the white beauty dashes some tenement on its way! Sigh..these humans..how silly their brains work at times! Oh, as I rest, I must make a respectable mention of the ol’ woman kind enough not to shoo me away from the footpath before her single room ‘den’. Of course, she needn’t to since I display with all my ‘art n mind, the best canine behaviour when it comes to good ol’ humans. One sniff of my nasty nose and I can tell ya if you’re a good ol’ human or the opposite. If you good, I smile (which you won’t realize) and if you bad, I bark duh! As a matter o’ fact, I would like to mention that there has not been a single robbery in my territory that stretches from the kind ol’ woman’s den to the rusty ol’ meat shop 200 metres away. Well, I have no clue as to what these 200 metres are but the pale ol’ red rascals’ (read: municipal men) board near the meat shop says so. Hope you’re intelligent enough to what that means. The meat shop is a busy place and the most famous among my fellow friends for its stinkin’ leftovers on which these fellows hog on. I prefer having some bread at the nearby bakery followed by munching on some wild leaves along the century ol’ chawl that can crumble down if we fellows bark our lungs out! And I wash all down with a dash of borewell water off the li’l puddle below the chawl’s common tap. It serves as my bath tub during the monsoons. You might laugh or wonder why am I so conscious or crazy but dont’chya like to eat good, feel good and be merry?? That’s the way I feel too. Oh, and I’m proud of my shiny black armour too apart from my fellow beings except for their indescribable and at times stupid way to live. But they have true canine hearts and that’s what maters to mark our presence in the midst of these humans as well as retain our territories! We, five to be precise, have fun at the evenings near the nukkad. We’ve marked it as our own by our muddy paws. The point of debate and discussion now-a-days is the latest howl created by a crazy fellow. I suggest you too should try it. Here’s how – inhale deep and howl in a thinner tone that usual and bark a bit in between. Crazy. Yeah, just like the crazy fellow. And this is followed by my very one bark-pop song. Oh hang on! The ground seems much cooler and the nasty ol’ sun doesn’t seem interested to linger any more. And that indicates I need to sneak out form here to the nukkad! Here’s what I’ll be barkin’ off in some time. Till then, bow-vye!

Bow-wow-wo! Oh the sun drowns down,
Here comes High Five geddin’ rid o’ the frown:
This is Spotty – pale ol’ dots outta in
Then there is Yo! – with all that bling
Lo! Here’s Barky – with a supa voice to sing
Dances Dr. Dre – this brainy li’l thing
Last but not the least to complete the stack,
Shiny n savvy – I’m Sirius Black.

Vocab for the week 50

What is the difference between "impassive" and "impassioned"?


When something bad happens and you remain "impassive" what you are doing is keeping a wooden face. You are not displaying an emotion of any kind. It could be you do not feel any emotion, or you have chosen to hide it. The heroes in many of our movies remain impassive in all situations. They are the strong silent men who remain unmoved.

*After killing the man with his knife, the hero looked on impassively at the sea.

"Impassioned", on the other hand, means someone who is "full of passion", an individual who displays intense feeling about something or someone.

*The impassioned speech by the Vice-Chancellor brought the audience to its feet.

What NOT to do at Coaching Classes Contd..

Here is the second part of the above title. The Disclaimer for the first part is applicable over here too.

SITUATION III : URGE TO GOSSIP/TELL-A-FACT TO YOUR CLASSMATE

STUFF ON THE SIDE : The piece of information/gossip/joke/or anything blunt!

HOW TO GO ABOUT IT : I assume here that the classmate sits right beside you and not metres away, else no use following this! Try using minimum number of words. The use of code language will be an excellent option, provided you share a good chemistry with your classmate. Voice modulation and decibel level should be kept to the bare minimum necessity of letting the classmate receive your message.


SITUATION IV : EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Eg. Playing X-O, Word Building Sudoku

STUFF ON THE SIDE : Anything to write on and to write with, A classmate (the assumption of Situation III applies here too), Printed material as per the activity (Eg Sudoku)

HOW TO GO ABOUT IT : If your classmate is willing to participate in the extra-curricular activity, kindly enter the activity details on your own writing base with your own writing material and ask your classmate to follow the same in the same steps in a way that when compiled, the activity should be complete in the true sense of the term. For eg. While playing X-O, you enter X on your writing base and the corresponding space for X on your classmate's writing base should be empty.

SITUATION V : TEXTING/ATTENDING A CALL ON THE MOBILE PHONE

STUFF ON THE SIDE : Without a doubt, a mobile phone with a message/call waiting to be attended to AND its an emergency.

HOW TO GO ABOUT IT : Well, I'll leave this to the personal experiences and styles of the reader to attend to!!


Now that you've gone through the whole kind-of-a-ready-reckoner, I would like to suggest to pay more attention to the lecture rather that the stuff posted here! The lecture is important over and above of these not-to-be-done-things. The true purpose of attending coaching classes should be served right! Keep smiling :)

Teen Tigaada!

Circa June 1, 2007. Nothing noteworthy for you, but my blog turned 3 today! Wanted to point that out and that's it! Now you can get back to your work, you've already wasted 10 seconds or more reading this! :P Cheerzz! Hic! :p

What NOT to do at Coaching Classes

Here is a sort-of-a ready reckoner of What NOT to Do at Coaching Classes:

Disclaimer : Following work is based on self-tests and others' experiences and is meant to assist the reader Yet, the author undertakes no guarantee for any loss/harm/damage done to followers of the same.

SITUATION I : HUNGER (first things first!)

LEVEL I (1) : Somethin’s cookin’??

STUFF ON THE SIDE: Peppermints, Chana or similar products, Poppins or any chocolates (Kindly avoid the sticky, melting, chewy or noise-making wrapper varieties)

HOW TO GO ABOUT IT:  Place the stuff carefully on your palm but below the desk or such a place where you cannot be caught. Remember to place it on the palm of the hand you do not use for writing and hold in your fist. This is to avoid arousing suspicion in the mind of the teacher and thereby continue with the writing work, flipping pages etc. Then rest that arm on the desk and slip the product to your mouth when the teacher is not looking at you! Another option is to use your writing hand for the same. Get your hands together and rest your elbows on the desk as if you are in a serious mood (with the product intact in your non-writing hand). And then slip the product to your mouth with your fingers when the teacher is not looking at you!

LEVEL I (2) : Ouch! Manageable though..

STUFF ON THE SIDE: Chips (Kindly avoid the big sized or noise-making wrapper varieties), Baakarvadi (strictly the small ones), Glucose energy biscuits/chocolates (preferably broken down to smaller pieces in advance).

HOW TO GO ABOUT IT:  As specified for Level I (1). However, please ensure the product is broken down to smaller pieces so that it requires minimum movement of the mouth to chew up.

LEVEL I (3) : Stomach on fire! Or Growling!

STUFF ON THE SIDE: Protein-powered Laddoos, Even the brain of the one sitting beside you (no matter even if he/she doesn’t have one; even empty ones can be a life saver at this point of time!)

HOW TO GO ABOUT IT:  As specified for Level I (1) and Level I (2).

SITUATION II : SLEEP

LEVEL II (1) : Ho..Hum..! yawn...

STUFF ON THE SIDE: Chana, Hajmola (to take advantage of its tangy flavour!), Avala supari (to take advantage of its salty-flavour and medicinal properties!)

HOW TO GO ABOUT IT:  As specified for Level I (1).

LEVEL II (2) : YAWWNN…

STUFF ON THE SIDE: Glucon-D water (Strictly lemon-flavoured; to give an impression of drinking ‘water’ and not any energy drink!), Chilled water, Lemon juice (for the same reason as specified for Glucon-D water!)

HOW TO GO ABOUT IT:  Take your bottle in your non-writing hand while keeping your eyes fixed on the teacher (if he/she is explaining) or on the board (if he/she is writing/explaining on the board, if any) or on the book (if anything is being read or written). Casually drink small portions of the product not more than two times at a time. Only once will be excellent. This is to give an impression that you are more interested in the lecture over and above satisfying the bare need of quenching thirst! Keep the bottle at its place without letting your eyes off from the teacher/board/book.

LEVEL II (3) : S.O.S! Will drop dead on the desk anytime!

STUFF ON THE SIDE: Wet tissues (strong-flavoured will be a better option), Damp Handkerchief

HOW TO GO ABOUT IT: Use the product to wipe your face while keeping your eyes fixed on the teacher (if he/she is explaining) or on the board (if he/she is writing/explaining on the board, if any) or on the book (if anything is being read or written). You can hold the product to your eyes for not more than three seconds. Avoid wiping only the eyes to prevent the teacher raising a doubt of your sleepiness! Keep looking down at the book to get a few more moments of half-opened eyes!

A few more situations to come next month! (when my blog turns three..yippee!). Till then, keep practising and smiling :)

vocab for the week 49

How is the word "brochure" pronounced?

The "o" sounds like the "oa" in "oat", "boat", and "goat". The following "ch" is pronounced like the "sh" in "should", "ship", and "sharp". The final "ure" sounds like the "er" in "her" and "herd". The main stress is on the first syllable. This is how the British pronounce the word. The Americans, on the other hand, pronounce the "ure" like the "ure" in "sure", "cure" and "pure". They tend to put the stress on the second syllable. A "brochure" is a booklet containing information about something.

*We want to bring out a brochure for the upcoming seminar.

Of Forgiving and Forgetting

Forgive and Forget - goes the age old but true saying. Often followed by many, attempted by many more. But do we Really forgive and then forget? Or do we forgive and Really forget? Here is my simple-but-may-be-thoughtful interpretation of the same:

I guess the latter question is a bit easier to think upon so let me take it up first. At times, we do forgive be it for any reason -
-To get rid of the problem/person for the time being
-To ignore the problem/person
-To protect oneself from future contingencies arising out of the current situation and
-At a very few instances - Forgiveness from the heart.

However, the point here circles around Forgetting. Often we tend not to forget in the situations cited above except for the last one at times. There can be n number of reasons for forgiving but not forgetting. Man has this nasty little thing called Ego which doesn't let him forget so soon. Also, he has this big bad feeling of if-he-hit-me-he-will-be-hit-harder. The badley-ki-bhavana, to put it in a desi way! Hence I feel Ego and the Feeling of Revenge are prima facie the hottest reasons for Forgiving but not Forgetting.

Coming to the former and the more important one - Of Really Forgiving and then forgetting. I guess the chances of forgetting are more once you forgive! The reasons to forgive, as I've posted above, are many. But do we genuinely forgive in the true sense of the term?

Forgiveness is a Virtue. Not forgiving (obviously not a virtue, duh!) I think, is backed by:
Craze for Revenge - I think, Craze for Revenge is majorly when one is badly hit (not literally though!) by the opposite person's words/actions for a long period of time.
Sadistic pleasures - Aah...I guess persons having this reason for non-forgiveness are simply crazy! No comments!
Self-benefits be it monetary or non-monetary - This is the most common reason after Ego. Man at times, cannot bear to spare even a rupee and wants to take full opportunity by not forgiving, thereby saving his pocket!
Ego - I firmly believe the social animal as well as all the savages have Egos, Man being the highest stake-holder of this big bad junk! Ego is the topmost reason for not forgiving the opposite person. The only way out is Attitude - in the right way I mean! And the only source of change is - YOU. Hope I've let your mind ticking on this! :)
There are times when we just Cannot forgive the opposite person without any reason as such. How ambiguous man is!

Would like to make a respectable mention - Of simply forgetting! Time heals all, they say. That's the trick. Simply forget. Donot see the person you do not want to forgive and/or forget for some time. Or divert yourself from the scene/tension/irritation. Give yourself some time. And lo! All forgotten as if you've been struck by the 'Obliviate'*  spell by a wizard! 
But I strongly support Forgiving and Forgetting, even though there were times I couldn't implement it. May be I was a victim of the reasons above? Or I simply chose to forget? Well that calls for another self-check!

* Refer the link on the word Obliviate.

vocab for the week 48

What is the meaning of "once bitten twice shy"?

If you fall in love with a girl and the girl ditches you, what would your reaction be? You would probably be really angry, but at the same time you would be scared to fall in love again. Having had a bad experience previously, you would be reluctant to put yourself in the same situation again. That's what the idiom, "once bitten twice shy", means.

*The caterer arrived three hours late last time, so Rama is not hiring him again. I guess it's a case of once bitten twice shy.

*The last time he ate fish, he almost choked. He's stopped eating fish altogether — once bitten twice shy.

vocab for the week 47

What is the difference between "intuitively" and "instinctively"?

If someone were to shine a bright light on your face, you would automatically close or shield your eyes. You would do these things without even thinking. They are responses you are born with; they are "innate". This is what we mean by "instinctively". We respond to things without really understanding why we react that way. Our responses are automatic; whatever happens, happens unconsciously. Both animals and human beings are born with instincts.

*When Raju heard gunfire, he instinctively dived/dove for cover.

When you do something intuitively, you do react automatically, but in this case there is a suggestion that you understand what it is you are doing. You are able to figure out a solution to your problem in a fraction of a second without really thinking about it. The story goes that the structure of Benzene came to the chemist Kekule in a sudden moment of insight. This is a case of intuition, not instinct. The word "intuition" is mostly used with human beings, and not with animals.

*Hari intuitively began to attack his opponent's backhand.

You know you are loved when..

Was in a happy-go-lucky trance a couple of days ago. Grabbed the moment to pen down this not-so-complex stuff:

You know you are loved when : (in the order-elders,friends,beloved)

-You ask for money from your parent without citing any reason and he/she gives you more than what asked without a twitch. 

-You get dinner at your table at the right time without any pleading while studying.

-You wake up suddenly due to a bad dream and you have a parent by your side at the very drop of a tear.

-You get blessings of your school teacher(s) as - 'You will soar high some day dear..'

-You get calls from unexpected friends/relatives concerned for your safety when you in an area (or even not related to it!) where a bomblast/transport problem has just happened.

-Your friends are irritated by your nonsense talks yet they admit they're entertained!

-A close friend hops to your home, checks the meagre fever you have, orders a pizza and says 'Aaj chutti na, chal party karenge!'

-You get a positive feedback of 'Keep it up pal!' from your friends on your latest poem/write-up.
-You overhear a friend talking on what a good gal/guy you are to a common friend.

-You notice a friend pointing you out and seems to be saying to someone 'That's the gal/guy I told you about. She/he is really a nice person!'

-You are late for a date by 30 minutes due to an unavoidable reason and are relieved realizing that your partner hasn't cribbed a bit.

-You beloved whispers sweet nothings in your ear.

-Your parent/beloved holds your hand while walking.

-You notice your beloved pointing you out and seems to be saying to someone 'She/He is the One..'

Cited the above scenes on the basis of self and others' experiences. Am sure you would have experienced at least one of them. If its a Yes, Congratulations! You're loved! If no, it will happen soon. And the purpose of my post will be served..

Awesome Foursome

What does one mean when one says to his/her beloved - 'You are my everything'? 
Can anyone make these fiery foursome words clear?

Its your Day Dear Momies!!

Yeah, Mother's Day today. Well a 10/- Cadbury Dairy Milk + A warm Thank you (apart from pulling her ears) is not enough from my side to match what my Aai has done/doing/will do for me..Nevertheless, i wished her (that was obvious, innit?!)

And this ones going out to all the wonderful ladies out there..

Happy Mother's Day!

vocab for the week 46

What is the meaning of "modus vivendi"?

In Latin, it means a "manner of living", or a "way of life". In English, however, the expression is not used to mean this. It is used to refer to a compromise, usually temporary, between two parties that are fighting each other. One often hears this expression used by foreign ministers. If someone in the foreign ministry were to say, "If India and Pakistan want to avoid a nuclear holocaust, a modus vivendi must be attained," what he means is that despite the many differences, the two countries must find a way of coexisting peacefully.

*The two rival gangs managed to achieve a sort of modus vivendi.

Desire or Deserve??

 The above two words were the only ones ringing in my mind, thanks to a kind-of-a-wake-up-call-cum-advice  by a teacher at my morning classes. That reminded me of what I had tweeted on 26th of March,2010. Following is the tweet:

'Me thinks: Life looks good when you get what you deserve and when you deserve what you get.'

Need to think on it a bit more..Will post it here as soon as I get a good streak of thought. Till then keep thinking!

vocab for the week 45

What is the difference between "choose" and "pick"?

Although many people tend to use the words synonymously these days, careful users of the language maintain a distinction between the two. Do you "choose" your life partner, or do you "pick" one? Normally people "choose" their significant other. Choose suggests that you have opted for the individual after giving the matter some serious thought. You have weighed the pros and cons of an issue — in this case, marrying a person — and have arrived at a considered decision. It is voluntary. Pick also means "selection", but in this case, there may not be any serious thinking involved. The word suggests that you have opted for something in a very casual manner — there may not be any decision making or discrimination involved. For example, when you go to the supermarket and see several cans of the same product, you normally don't take too much time thinking about which can to buy. Since the same company has made them, you "pick" the can that is nearest you. Most of us do not select our life partner in this casual manner. Similarly, we "choose" a present for someone we really like and care about — we buy the present keeping in mind the person's likes and dislikes. If we "pick" a present, what we are doing is buying something in a casual manner. We don't keep in mind the individual's likes and dislikes; it suggests that we buy the first thing we see in the shop.

vocab for the week 44

What is the plural of "formula"?

The word has two possible plurals — formulae and formulas. The "ae" in the final syllable of "formulae" is pronounced like the "ee" in "bees", "fees", and "knees". The stress in the case of all three words is on the first syllable. The Latin plural "formulae" is the preferred word in scientific contexts, while "formulas" is used elsewhere. For example, one talks about "mathematical formulae" and "political and diplomatic formulas".

vocab for the week 43

Which is correct? "Clinic timings/timing"?

In the Indian context, "timings" would be the appropriate word. After all, everyone in our country talks about "school timings", "bus timings" and "train timings". A native speaker of English, however, would find both "timing" and "timings" unacceptable. He would prefer to say "Clinic hours". The word "timing" has nothing to do with duration, and as for the word "timings", well, you won't find it listed in most dictionaries. It is a word that we Indians have coined.