The Weekend

The Gift of The Magi

"What's today's plan"? thats the usual Saturday morning dialogue from Jim. His heart secretly wishing that his wife, Della would let him sleep on the Saturday morning. Those soft fluffy puris which is usually on menu for the week end does make him drowsy.

Della was one of the types who gets into a fit of  bad headache if she had to spend those precious Saturdays at home.  It had been really hard on Jim  in those early years to even think of going out , and equally hard on Della to while away time at home on Saturdays. But then as time flew by, they were quite used to each other's habits.

"What's today's plan", the initial question from Jim just hung there when Della thought for a second and said, "I'm going to church. You stay at home and have your sleep" Jim was happy. He was free to sleep. Della asked Jim to drop her off at the church and thereafter  pick her up when it was over. Jim complied, dropped her off and went back home.

It was 12'o Clock, when the church was over. In Chennai, the climate just differs between 'HOT', 'HOTTER' and 'HOTTEST', and Della was finding it pretty difficult to walk down home. "These auto wallahs demand a fortune to give a drop. Its better walking down", Della decided. She thought of calling Jim to pick her up, but decided against it. "He should be having his beauty sleep now. Let him rest".

Jim was at home. the bed looked really inviting. and the hot sun too... making him all the more drowsy. The chappatis for breakfast was heavy down in this stomach and that was giving him the 'Chloroform' effect. But "NO" Jim thought, "I should not sleep, Della will call me any minute to pick her up, I should be awake"

So finally a "Saturday sleep deprived" Jim was forcing himself  to be wide awake, for Della's sake, to pick her up from Church, while Della for Jim's sake walks home in the hot sun  thinking her precious husband was having his beauty sleep.   

The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

- O Henry

The Fortune Cookies

With a desperate attempt of making sense out of an insensible buy, I fell into this mishap. Did I fall, or was it preplanned. The whole idea of this post is just to find that out; as my writeup is done with a totally confused mind.

It was the week end, and I had grown tired of shopping. I swore to myself, "The next month I am not going to shop anything at all". Maybe towards the end, I would pick on some chocolates and stuff like that but never to do any serious shopping for the next month. and believe it or not, I did not even want to go out. I just wanted to sit in my haven(My room),and enjoy the breeze blowing in from the open window, gaze at the beautiful clouds drifting across the clear sky and enjoy the bare trees just reviving from a severe winter. Everything looked so beautiful.

It was Sunday. After whiling away some of my time, I got the call from my friends inviting me for lunch outside in a Chinese restaurant. With a dragging foot, I inclined, I had to exchange my Xbox with the 250 gig for a 4 gig one. "Why?" you may ask. I did this insensible enquiry AFTER I purchased the Xbox; instead of doing it Before and found out that the 250 gig was for serious gamers and the 4 gig was enough for the casual ones. We as a family fall in the "Under Casual" category. With an attempt of saving a 100 bucks, I got ready to exchange the most coveted Gaming console.

As lunch was priority. We went in this quaint little Chinese restaurant, It looked just like the Indian "Andra Mess" but just a little better. We sat in the corner and enjoyed the Chinese Buffet. We were having desserts and then it came, The "Fortune Cookie"

From Internet Resources

"A fortune cookie is a crisp cookie usually made from flour, sugar, vanilla, and oil with a "fortune" wrapped inside. A "fortune" is a piece of paper with words of faux wisdom or a vague prophecy. The message inside may also include a Chinese phrase with translation or a list of lucky numbers used by some as lottery numbers, some of which have become actual winner numbers

Although many people do not take the message in a fortune cookie as a serious oracular device, many of them consider it part of the game that the entire cookie must be consumed in order for the fortune to come true. Variations on this idea include not eating the cookie if a fortune seems unlucky, eating the entire cookie as well as the fortune, eating the entire cookie before reading the fortune, or reading the fortune before any of the cookie is eaten. While some people believe the fortune will not come true if it is read aloud, or read at all, other people follow rules involving how the cookie is selected—including selecting a cookie with closed eyes, passing a cookie to another person at the table, or choosing the cookie that seems to be pointing directly at you. Some people believe that there should be at least one extra cookie so that every person has a choice to make"

I usually do not a believe such things, I get one of these fortunes every time I check for my weight in the train station and none of it has come true. When I took in mine Chakri reminded me of Freaky Friday, I laughed out and imagined what if something like that would happen to me.I broke mine to see the paper that was inside my cookie, and there it was.......

 foretelling a clear "Argument"

I frowned, and forgot the whole stuff, and concentrated on the new one, The 4 gig Xbox was out of stock in Best Buy. I had to return and get it else where. Okie.... Just my luck!!! I was pretty disappointed. Just wanted to open the pack with Alwin and see what was inside. Guess It just had to wait.

The previous day, Saturday was beautiful, Went just as I had planned. Alwin was online and we kept chatting for a long time. It was fun. All was going fine and just then he commented "Just look how we are spending time happily as if in a park". I screamed a "Shut up" with in myself. Bad things often happen when he comments like that. I have been noticing it for a while. 7 years actually.

Now I have two misfortunes hovering above me.... still pushing it at the back of my mind, I slept over on Sunday. As per folk-lores fortune cookies are supposed to be valid for 24 hours. I got up on Monday and there it came by, by the early hours.

So now folks, I sit here wondering, are those "Fortunes" within the Cookies  for real. With the zest to find out, I hand over Chakri's Fortune from his cookie which says "A Financial investment will yield returns beyond your hopes",with a " It works"

And FYI, I am not opening a Fortune Cookie ever again.
- The End.



The Twenty-Eight, clear

Its been long since I had blogged. So many things happened, so many things forgotten. February is a short month indeed, not for me though. I started February with the hope of a few things like returning back home, wearing skirts for the whole month as the snow was just starting to melt and days were getting longer. As an approval, the clothes that I had brought from India started to shrink..... Of course I am not growing fat!!!. Its because of the heat in the dryer. Or Am I??? Well guess what, you guys have to find out when I come back home. But I'm really in love with the skirts here, gonna buy a bunch of them on return.

Chakri's First Day.

Monkey Capped Chakri

That is Chakri. After a horribly drab month of no fun and laughter, Chakri's arrival brought back the life, atleast to an extent. (Karthik Sundeep and Hema are not here duh!!!) His first few days in office were hilarious. With painful two fingers, he escaped from sharing work at home and he had a good few days comfortable stay here because of that. His second day to office was all the more hilarious.

Chakri's Hair Raiser.

Asked him to remove the cap so that
I could take this picture :) 

Waking up on usual alarm which goes on at 6.00 am, I opened a groggy one eye and switched on the laptop to hear the music I hear everyday in the mornings. Did not notice the beeping mobile with almost no charge under the pillow. I had already asked Chakri to come to the bus stop around 8.15 ish. "He is not a baby, He would come", I said to myself. Did all the usual less hectic morning chores and got ready and was out of the house. To check on Chakri, I pulled out my phone to call his roomies moblile. My mobile went dead - Absolutely No charge. Wow!! What a timing. I always have this problem of forgetting to charge mobiles, Even back home Mom yells, Alwin thows my mobile at  walls. But still I keep forgetting.Yeah... That me. The forgetful one.

Well, That was supposed to be a flashback, Now Coming back to this situation, as usual, I waited for the bus, got into it, said "Good Morning" to the driver with my sweet, ringing voice( Common!!!, I can flatter myself), hoping Chakri would be waiting in the bus stop, I got in and took my usual seat. The bus just moved out of Franklin drive, Chakri was not there. Oh Oh... Thats Bad. It was raining, snowing, freezing almost a very messy day. I reassured myself, Maybe Chakri is coming with his friends by car.

I went to office, and started with my usual work. Glanced at the time, Oh dear!!! Its 9.30, he should be here. Is he coming? Did he get into the bus ? Did he get down at the right stop? What if he had  gone all the way to Trenton? What if had got mobbed?  were the quite "What Ifs" which did a horrible ballet in my beautiful mind.

At ten minutes to ten, Chakri comes into Office, with all his hair standing straight... Practically STRAIGHT. Boy!!! was I relieved to see him. The poor guy had been waiting in the bus stop in freezing temperature and rain mixed with sleet for more than an HOUR as he had missed the bus which comes to stop at 8.22am!!!He had seen the bus schedule on the wrong side.

600 College Road East

We were going back home in the evening, and I had told him how things work here, Not that I know of those much, I really did not have much of practical experience in doing all that stuff.Guess I get lucky, People around do it for me, and I just enjoy it. For Instance pressing the "Stop requested" button in the bus, Govind, my collegue used to do it for me, nowadays, a sleepy guy does it for me. The thing is he sleeps in the bus and gets up  at the exact place where he has to get down and luckily I have to get down there too. So he gets the honor of pressing the "Stop requested" button.

Oh! where we left.... Ya Ya that was a flash sideways (People seen LOST would understand.. he he), I asked Chakri to press the "Stop Requested" button as we were nearing his stop, He gets up peers around to make sure that he is getting down at the right stop and goes forward to speak with the bus driver to request him to drop him off at Franklin Drive, while the bus whizzes past his stop. That was Chakri's first lesson on how to ride on a bus in USA. Lesson  no 1: only if the "Stop Requested" button is pressed, the bus stops.

Chakri had to walk his way back to the previous stop to go home.

@ Trenton

Me @Trenton

I was waiting for Chakri for two reasons. One, he is funny.Two, I had to get my SSN. I needed company to go there. Did not want to go there all by myself.
 This time I turned out to exhibit stupidity. After the usual "Get Ready" process  I skipped outside in my skirt, The climate was good, I need not look inhuman with the huge snow coat around me, went to the busstop at 7.55 am to catch the bus. The SSA office was in Trenton.With a series of instructions to Chakri ,I came to the bus stop at the exact time humming my favourite tune, And then I realised it. I had fogotten to bring my Passport and that  is the most important document to apply for SSN!!!

What Trenton Makes. The World Takes

I hated myself when I had to tell that to Chakri. Me being "stupid" was supposed to be secret. Of course Alwin knows. He should, after all he has put up with me for 7 long years.Well, I had to return back, pick up my passport and returned back to the bus stop after an hour.This time I had everything, I got into the bus and prepared myself for the huge 1.30 hours of travel. I started to feel dizzy just the way Alwin used to feel when he travels up hill to Ooty. I should have caught this from him. We reached Trenton, and then we realize that we did not have the "ADDRESS" of the SSA office in hand.

I had the idea of going to TRENTON and then taking a cab to the SSA office. Chakri was strictly against it for some unknown reason. The whole place was filled with 'கருபனுங்க' and I started to feel a bit queasy. "Thank God I came to this place with Chakri, I have someone to protect me atleast", with such a though in mind I glanced at Chakri, He sounded and looked more tensed than I was. OMG!!!!!

The River Train

He further goes on to explain "You know, This is where shootings take place". I could have taken a cab from Princeton and finished the work and gone home. Atleast I would not be shot at. I have to live to wear my skirts and the pretty  little grey boots that I had just bought for 30$!!!

We did not know where the Office was and went up and down  "EAST Street"  a few times. Finally giving up, I suggested we  take a cab. His suggestion was the "River Train". Its cheaper, just 1.50$  he said. But Im sure if we had gone we would'nt know where to get down as we were visiting the place for the first time.With me nagging him to take a cab, he succumbed and we went to the SSA office by Car. "Wow Nagging works fine, and I'm good at it".

The work was done and, return was better and cheaper by 6.00$, by the River Train. Again in the NJ Trenton Transit center we had to wait for more than an hour. The "கருபனுங்க" there looked so weird and scary and horribly huge. Chakri was murmuring , and I was too freaking out a bit. Oh it was not obvious. "The Inside Me", If u guys would remember. That was the one which was freaking out.

Finally the 600 bus came in. We happily got in, we were the only ones in the bus and I sat in my usual first corner. Chakri sat behind me. I heaved a sigh of relief just to hold back my breath. A whole bunch of "கருபனுங்க", that too loud boistrous ones got into the bus. There was just the two of us and a whole bunch of them. Chakri started to murmur, He does that when he gets tensed. keeps babbling or reading whatever he sees. He will deny it though. He even read what was written on a wig shop and asked me to get a wig too.

Anyways... It was a big day, we came into office tired and hungry but safe.

Threesome in 2011

My Sweet l'il Child

Dheera turned 6 in February 2011 and its a bit depressing not to be there when she cut the "Choota Bheem" cake. May God give her the very best. Alwin took beautiful care about her B'day made all the arrangements perfect. He surprised me this year by being "Mr Perfect Dad". Great!!! "Hats off" to him. But anyway Baby, Im coming next month.
The morning dawned with the mail box flashing in a new mail, A "Congratulation " mail form Syntel. Its been three long years in Syntel and the client that I am working with. Turning back, I see two pairs of "Footprints" in the sand.

Alwin and Dheera on Web Chat.

A kindle, a new Laptop, a leapster for Dheera, and an XBOX Kinect where a few of the priced things I had longed for. Being with Alwin, I picked up a liking on such stuff too. February saw me buy 'em all. I was really exited  to go home and enjoy them all with Mom and Dad, Alwin and Dheera. Just a few more days, I kept saying to myself.  When I got "The Call" Project is extended by a month again.......Not another month of Web Chat!!!!!





The Church Bells

The day dawned with a red tinge in the eastern sky. Shining down directly on my face, I was rumpled out of my beauty sleep. Starting the day with the usual phone call  to my mother, I decided, I would go out today for the Sunday Worship Service at a church I found on the net. I rarely miss Church on Sundays. My Daddy was particularly strict that we attend church and that too on time. I remembered the days he used to be mad at me when I wanted to watch 'He-man' or 'The Jungle Book' that was telecast on Sunday at the exact moment we had to start to church. This was during childhood though.

I was not yet familiar with Plainsboro and I did not want to sit at home on a Sunday instead of going to church. Dad helped me develop that habit. And today I am glad that he did.

So I set out, with the map in hand (although I did not know much to make out of that map) to find the church at Plainsboro. I walked, praying in my heart that I would find the church without much trouble, I walked, and walked. It seemed so never ending. The service was supposed to start at 10.30 am, and I was already late, late by an hour.The snow was still piled up after a twelve inch snow storm and it seemed there was not much way to walk down. I crossed the road and walked. Took a turn and walked..... the wrong turn..... Common' you should have guessed, after all, "I" interpreted the map. 

The roads seemed so deserted, a new fear rose inside of me. I retraced my steps, and then it occurred that I had come the wrong way. I rechecked my map and walked a little further.... The cold freezing wind was blowing right at my face, and by now I was exhausted and scared. The little voice inside my head too sensed it, it said "Better return home now, You are alone remember". I stopped; and turned back; to go home, when the bells rang, The Church bells......

I was not alone. I turned and walked towards those ringing bells which said "COME".

Gospel Fellowship Church Plainsboro

Around the world in 100 hours

I had to prepare for the trip to US again on 26 December 2010. The Christmas was a hurried one, and I was getting prepared to catch the flight on the early hours of the Boxing day of 2010. Alwin dropped me off in the airport. With stolen tears,I bid farewell to the dear. Hoping the period of separation would be just for a month, I headed towards the immigration

 Boarding the British Airways with the i-pod glued to my ears, searched for my seat, made myself comfortable and braced for the huge travel for around 18 hours. Turning around, I saw an American smiling at me. Jim did not sound like the Americans in the movies, He was so different, just like the Indian grandfathers filled with lots of love and family values. The conversation between me and Jim probably sped up the travel. London, Heathrow airport was approaching, and we said our good byes and good lucks. Little did we know that we would be seeing so much of each other in the next few days.

 The flight landed in London's Heathrow airport at 9.45 am. Well braced for a six long hours of wait at the transit, I moved on towards the lounge to get myself on the Internet highway back to the arms of my husband. He was waiting for me there. "Your flight is canceled due to the snow storms in the east coast of North America" said a lady in the original British airways uniform. I looked at her with a mixture of disbelief, panic, and confusion.

After a lot of running around, between the BA officers I got myself a hotel voucher for the stay overnight and 24 hour transit visa into London. Hoping  I would be bound towards  US by the next day, I hobbled out of the airport cold, tired and hungry at 5.30 pm, clutching the baggages which the airlines returned back to us as they did not have place to stack them up. It was a typical Chennai travel in the bus bound towards the Holiday Inn in Sipson Way, London. "Things were supposed to be different here" said a little voice inside my head. 

26 Dec 2010

London Streets in the cold weather

Communicating to the near and dear was our major concern. We were completely not prepared for London and we did not have means of informing people back home that we were safe - almost. Things were pretty expensive in London. Somehow squeezed a call home and asked them to call back. My folks were relieved. and also they checked out the flight status and said something that I never wanted to hear. "Tomorrow's flight too is canceled" 
Though no means of communication, It was the best English dinner and breakfast I ever had. It was a royal  and a welcome one after skipping lunch.

27 Dec 2010

My stranded friends

The next day 7.30am , we stood at the bus stop for the bus. That's where I met him. Our angel in the darkness. Uncle Thavamani. A small group joined together to fight our way towards the destination - "The USA". Unknown people started helping one another as a family. We stood in quite a long and a slow moving queue and successfully got a standby  ticket to Washington DC. We had to report to the counter by 2 .00 pm for  flight taking off at 2.50 pm to get our boarding pass. Keeping our fingers crossed that we would get the ticket, we ran back to the counter at the exact time just to return back disappointed. Having learned our lesson on standby tickets, a tired and a hungry group (we) stumbled back into the crowded bus in Chennai ... Opps Sorry!!!,I meant  London . "Everything is premier but the price" was the tag against Premier Inn, the worst hotel in all of London.  Food was horrible and none was worth of even tasting. That ended the next day.We tucked ourselves into bed tired and hungry with no lunch and no dinner.

28 Dec 2010

Will add caption later

London was misty and foggy and showers of rain  poured in. We were at the bus stop at 7.30. Buses were once in half hour and this time we intervened into a  group. The girl wore a heavy make up and her boyfriend, a flowing haired not so appealing fellow was constantly kissing her while waiting in the bus stop. Oh! Would they ever stop!!! The lady and the gentleman in the group were a bit older and seemed to be the well bred types from the classics. They scowled at us and swore on Indians when my inner voice screamed "Meri Bharath Mahan!!!" 
I did not realize that It was too cold and rain was pouring down,  as we were standing there in the bus stop hoping that we would get into the next bus which never happened. We had to go one by one as they did not allow many baggages in the bus. Each in our group had two or more.   I watched sadly as the bus moved when Uncle Thavamani  stood at the bus stop  waiting for the next bus after making me board the bus with my luggages. We regrouped at the airport, got the hotel vouchers for the night at Hotel Renaissance. 

The Hall Way in Hotel Renaissance

 Hotel Renaissance - The place where we breathed relief.

 

My English Lunch

It was here we had our first lunch in London. Lunch was  a welcome break after frustration from  three days of long queues.

The English Pub

We went out for a stroll, visted "The Three Magpies", the english pub (of course from outside and resolved that I would come there some day with Alwin), saw Patni, had the devilish desire to give my resume there, but restrained, and set back to the hotel to have dinner. With the twilight nearing, I fell into a shivering fit, I realised I was down with fever.

29 Dec 2010

Getting into the bus at last

All exited that we were flying out of London that day and  my head spinning with the drowsiness that paracetamol had caused (I had taken some to ease my fever) , I got ready for the travel to the US of America. We boarded the bus in the early hours of Dec 29 2010 and went into the Heathrow airport with all hopes that we were leaving London. With the longest wait of my life for 7 hours,  without lunch or water, we heaved a sigh of relief when we boarded the plane towards Washington DC. Uncle Thavamani was waiting there to pick us up as he had already gone on a earlier flight. A to be wed couple was sitting behind us, they had thier share of fun during the flight. Too drowsy to mind any of that, I fell into a deep sleep. 

Waking up,I cast my first sight on the US of A  as the BA Boeing was hovering above Portland. Wondering what memories would US give me to take home. I was happy that we just had to land.

Friends from Trinidad and Tobago

Looking back, I'm glad I had these days in my miles, as it thought me two important things:

"Panic or hastiness costs. Keep your  cool in all situations - This helps to think".

and the most of all "Lend a helping hand it helps you inturn".

View from my room in USA

With happiness, that I  made friends for life and knowing the strength and courage  that was built inside of me in three days of December 2010, I smiled inward when I knocked on 216, Hampshire Drive, Plainsboro.