Unloading my think tank...

Nov 26, 2008 is a date that'll go down in history as the day when a city was taken hostage. A day of how a handful of young men (no more than 26-27 probably) leave aside all sanity, and decide to bomb places around downtown Bombay for no reason. Blood everywhere. People running scared. Mayhem. 

Purpose solved? Yes? If yes, then whose purpose is solved? And how? Is there sudden peace everywhere? Have apologies been tendered and lost lives got back? Have the Israelis and Palestenians made peace? Bush says sorry? Al-Qaeda boss retracts his statements of Jehad and condemns voilence? Kandahar forgotten? Dec 5 1992 forgotten? Advani repents? Guantanamo Bay closed? Mothers who lost their sons and daughters to suicide bombs, other forms of terrorist attacks, got them back? If all this is long shot, then at least has the path for any of the above taken?

NO.

So purpose solved? No? Okay. If no, then when will it? And now, if this is the way to achieve something, somebody explain why they think firing at innocent people at a railway station in random will begin to achieve what their leader envisions for them. Pray tell in what way this kind of behaviour gets any message across. 100 killed, 186 injured. Explain each one. 

Terrorists have been rounding up people with British and American passports, and Israeli people hostages. Point being? You think war since years will cease once you've taken them as hostages? Terrorists call themselves from a group called Deccan Mujahideen. Mujahideen! Log to apne aap ko aise hi mujahideen bolte hai. As if people dying from natural causes, suicide, diseases, accidental deaths wasn't enough that we have these men trying to kill? Who are these men anyway? I cringe, I cry when I look at the news reports. Have these people got any sense of what is compassion, mercy, peace, praying, faith. Or even having fun like watching movies, falling in love, marrying someone, bunking classes and go to watch movies, play cards, take a vacation, have a family meal together - anything?! Bloody anything at all? GUNS is all they understand. No purpose in life. No meaning to the life they are living. All means to try and show some balls. Avenge for revenge for something thats happening, the root for which is probably their predecessor terrorists like themselves. 

The Kandahar incident is a major contributor to this. If we hadn't released Mullah Omar (calls himself a Mullah!), he wouldn't have instigated. I believe that Osama talks and also provides money for ammunition, and this Omar breathes fire in people by way of his talks. No behind are Advani and Praveen Togadia. Saala saare fasaad ki jad ye hai aur bhugatna kisko padta hai? 

Check this picture. The kid is not even 3 probably. She's got bloodstains all over her. Who's she? Which religion does she belong to? The watch on the policeman's wrist says 11.10 PM.  The kid should've been asleep dreaming of fairys and playground and toys dammit! Not be in a hospital!

I see that Army, NSG Commandos, and RAF are in Oberoi and I hope all terrorists are killed - regardless of who they are, and which religion they belong to. I don't care if they are only rounding up non-Indians. It doesn't matter. An iron hand is needed. 

My prayers are with ATS chief Karkare's family, and all of the families who've lost their dear ones. Its as much a loss as everyone's as theirs, and may God give them strength to cope with a grave situation like this. May peace, happiness and sanity return to this world. AMEN. 

My Orkut profile today says - Today's fortune: You will have some wonderful new experiences. AMEN to that!

My 5-day vacation to my hometown was great. But I got lots pending here. My mailbox is flooded, I got lots of packing to do, change my spectacle frame, buy few warm clothes - and probably something more that I haven't realised yet.

Anyway, the engagement function was so grand it looked like wedding reception! Poo looked radiant :) She's all gung-ho about moving to US. I even went to Belgaum to meet my elder relatives, which was actually the main purpose of the trip :) My kaka was li'l sad that I would be leaving him and going so far. And my kaku cried a little. Makes me feel that I should've done more for them. I get overwhelmed everytime about it. I feel that I should've done more for them, for my mom, my sis...

Confession - there's never a time I'm not guilt-ridden.

Anyway, the towns are as dusty as they were when I left them. Why? Hardly any development. I pay my taxes regularly. And I expect them to go to develop such places. Or isn't what I pay not enough? I'd say it is. And when we passed these even smaller towns and villages on the way to meet my relatives in B'gaum, I saw small wheel-shops on the roadside, selling Lays ke chips and Coke and Pepsi. Even the diet variety! I thought, "Coke and Pepsi aa gaya, saala development nahi aaya!". But people are warm-hearted as ever :)
One man (a raeeta (farmer)) said - "Eee bus raylay tashannakka nindar taeetenri?". Translated to, "Does this bus stop at the railway station?". I burst into laughter hearing his accent.
Another man (again a raita (farmer)) goes - "Oh conductraa, wand swalp sheetee hodi paa bus nindars lagootne!!". Translates to, "Conductor, please blow the whistle and stop the bus quickly!". He could've just asked him to stop. It can even without the whistle. LOL. I again laughed out loud. Auto rickshaws still take 25 to go to any part of the city. Man, I'm really going to miss all this.

I had no time to meet Madhu or Krishna. Been ages since I met them.

And this one time we were going to B'lore, I remember seeing small star marks near our names in the list attached on the train bogie. Legend below said we were upgraded from 3AC to a 2AC compartment! Wah wah Lalooji ki jai ho!

Since then, me hourat girl (hourat is greedy in marathi), I always check for star marks near my name everytime I travel :D hoping that I am upgraded to 2AC :D What?! Who doesn't want freebies?! Sadly, this time, both ways, for all 4 trains, I had to travel in 3AC. No upgrade-shupgrade. And to top it, the train from to Chennai, arrived 45 mins late. And because the waiting room closes at 11 PM, I had to wait on the platform in biting cold until 12.15 AM. Lalooji hai hai.

Waise, he has done a great deal for the Indian Railways. And its actually a pleasure travelling in trains now :) The comfort, the options to take a train, the service - is all good :)

I'm gonna miss that too :(

I watched Quantum of Solace last night. In theatre. From 10.30 PM to 1 AM. And I fell asleep post-interval HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. No the movie wasn't bad, just that I was too tired. When hubby woke me up, I asked, "Oh! Movie khatam? Kya hua end mein?" ("Movie over? What happens in the end?"). He replies, "Bond jeet gaya. Ab chalo ghar chale!" ("Bond won. Now lets go home.") LOL.

One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his sweatshirt by himself.

Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?"

"It depends," I replied. "what does it say on your shirt?"

"University of Oklahoma", he yelled back.

And they say women are dumb...

*****

A couple is lying in bed. The man says, "I'm going to make you the happiest woman in the world."
She replies, "I'll miss you..."

*****

"Its just too hot to wear clothes today,", said Jack as he stepped out of the shower. "Honey, what do you think the neighbours would think if I mowed the lawn like this?"

"Probably that I married you for money", she replied.

*****

Q: What do you call an intelligent, good looking and sensitive man?
A: A rumour.

*****

A man and his wife, now in their sixties, were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. On their special day, a fairy came to them and said that because they had been so good, they could have one wish each.

The wife wished for a trip around the world with her husband. Whoosh! Immediately she had airline.cruise tickets in her hand.
The man wished for a female companion 30 years younger. Whoosh! He turned 90!

Gotta love that fairy!

*****

And my favourite...

Dear Lord,

I pray for wisdom to understand my man, love to forgive him, and patience for his moods. Because, Lord, if I pray for strength, I'll beat him to death.

AMEN! :D

... key... well forget it. There will be thieves everywhere. "What can you do? Leave it."

Lately, the kind of people I seem to encounter are jerk-people. You know, the kind, who are narrow-minded, or are overtly-proud of themselves (not in a nice way) and mean. It bugs me no end to face these people every single day and if I didn't have my priorities right, I'd show them where they could all go.

I say "if I didn't have my priorities right", because I'm not going to jeopardise my future for a bunch of people who don't even figure in my future.

Yesterday, I went to get a solid case for my guitar. I took a bus which I thought would take that route. The bus conductor says this bus takes a diff route, you can get down at blah blah stop. I'm like okay. But I got down few stops earlier and went to opp side bus stop, thinking I can take a bus that back to where I wanted to. Not wanting to take the wrong one this time, I asked few people which bus to take. ALL, can you believe it, ALL replied, "I don't know!". So I took whatever bus I thought was right, and ended up getting down one stop before a bus stand thats close to my house! Well! Its so confusing with the names all written in Tamil, and conductor nodding his head when you ask before you board, only to be told while taking the tkt that this bus goes nowhere where you want to. So at the bus stand, I marched into the control room and asked which bus would take me to place A; my sentence spoken very very slowly, clearly, and supplemented with actions.

Finally! But guess what. The market was closed as it was a Sunday, which of course doesnt apply to "pattu" saree shops and "thanga maligai" shops. Silk sarees and gold jewellery. So I didn't alight from the bus (I could see the music instruments shop that I wanted to go to, was closed), instead went all the way upto a stop where I knew that crossing the road to opp. side bus stop would help me take the same bus back. Else, I would've got entangled in that whole "I don't know" and wrong buses and one ways again.

So this was one uneventful weekend.

Can't wait for Nov 11th, then Dec 14th, then Dec 26th, finally! :D