Dabboo's Jolly Ride

Just when I started thinking the day was going to be dull and boring as always, my sister reminded me that we were supposed to take our dog for her yearly vaccine. Fine, something pushing me out of the house today. So we got all ready and got out to go, put the dog lash for Dabboo who was all excited to go out for a walk (she hardly knew this was a looooong loooong Jolly Ride instead). 

A few steps from home, we found an auto who insisted for a flat 100 bucks just for a ride which would take not even half of the amount. Well, like I'm going to spare him. I haggled and finally concluded since we are taking a dog I'd pay him 20 bucks more. So there we (me, mom and Dabboo) set out on the auto while my sister had already gone half way by her scooty (she loves it >.<). Dabboo loved the ride on the auto, believe me, though I had to hold her real tight just so scared she might jump off the auto. Now for those of you who know nothing about my dog aka my Dabboo - she is the most untrained but the friendliest Labrador Retriever ever. Anyways, so Dabboo was enjoying every bit of the beautiful weather of Bangalore as well as the "Cars" that passed by. I wish I could understand more of her doggie language and feelings so I could tell you through her words. But all I could comprehend was that she loved the cool breeze, counted the number of cars on the road that passed us and was over-excited. 

Now, when we reached the hospital, Dabboo remembered the place she visited a year ago, faintly. All the pain came back like a flash of agony through her eyes. She whined and yelped to go back but when she understood that she had to undergo the same she got really restless, walking around not knowing what to do. She didn't let the doctor check the weight nor her temperature. She just sat up on the pedestal type of steel platform salivating vigorously, sniffing to find way to jump off the place she sat upon. Then the doctor filled two syringes full with vaccine and my eyes popped out seeing two painful injections into my baby. I, myself, do so much drama when I have to bear those needles going through my skin, how would a mute creature bear it all? And, two? I turned to my sister and gave her an "OMG" expression, she had the same too. Next what happened was the worst ever. We had to hold an overly-aggressive dog, so what did the doctor think of? Yes, tie her mouth so tight that it wouldn't open. We agreed as it would not allow her to bite us. But that idiot tied it with her tongue stuck between her teeth in the front and he said "Yenu agalla" ("Nothing's going to happen") so sternly and ruthlessly. But still when the doctor injected the first vaccine, Dabboo agitated and tried pushing away the needle. Then the needle went through. We held her real hard so that she doesn't move. And when the needle went in completely, Dabboo gave me that one look of "Why did you do this to me when all I gave you was my love, love and all love? Why did you let some idiot hurt me so bad?" - that broke my heart into a million pieces for letting her take up all that bitter pain. She started palpitating with foams coming off her mouth. And she quietly took in the second injection. She didn't agitate nor push the needle away. But just kept looking at me the same way and that's when I wanted to cry a million tears. 

The injections were done leaving Dabboo palpitating and salivating out of pain and fear. I took her out right then and we found another auto to go home. But this time, even before I ask the auto guy if he'd come Dabboo was already into the auto. The auto guy had to agree then. This time, on the way back, Dabboo was much sober than she was earlier. She lied down flat and watched the slight drizzle fall on her and the awesomely cool breeze blow on her face. She enjoyed it utterly. We knew. She loved the jolly ride on the auto as well as when people saw her and kids tried gaining her attention. Most of all, I felt proud when people around said "Such a pretty dog she is", just like my own baby girl (Yes the first thing I did was to put a black spot on her when I got back home keeping away bad sights).

When we got back home, all tired, we found Dabboo under the sofa, completely quiet and sleepy. Yes, she was tired, but most of all, the horrifying pain she underwent made her stay calm, probably. Well, it was a day to remember and Goodness me, it's going to come back every year. I just hope we learn how to train ever-willing-to-learn Dabboo how to stay calm and imagine that the needle going through is just like an ant-sting, just what mom says whenever I have to take one. I know it's really hard, but we've got 365 days more for all that. 

My Daddy Strongest!!!

I dream of a day

Like the one I had before

In your arms I play

And cry for more.

Then gently go to sleep

Always by your chest

Wondering how do I peep

In the morning from my cradle best.

Still dreaming of those eyes

Of love and hopes ahead,

Sculpting a future that lies

Of the riches the world has said.

"To the one who would be identified,

By my name to you

She would bring to me, pride

Like leaves sparkling with dew."

I dream of a day,

The same weary eyes

Overjoyed they'll say

"How much ever she tries

To be bigger, bolder

She'll still remain my baby girl never older!"

Today's blog is dedicated to the first man in my life, my first love, and the one who sets a high standard for all other men I meet to be compared to and obviously no one stands up to the required expectations. My dad's not a great man for the world but for mine he is. He is the one who taught me that not only are the clouds in the sky painted and created in subtle perfection but so are the beings on earth and especially me. All we have to do is retain and nourish the talents within us so we stand respectable, sincere and honest and are answerable to the Almighty for our deeds at the end of the day.

My dad's not my role model but he is definitely the one who has inspired me the most throughout my life teaching me new things every other day. As a matter of fact, the first song ever I learned was from him. We still sing those and many others. Even if we fight like cats and dogs when together, we chant exaggerated songs of praise and acclaims for each other when we are not around each other. Probably that's what makes our relationship so special other than being closely identical in physical features.

For all of us who don't want to be associated with our fathers, remember he is the reason for our existence on earth today. He is equally responsible and important for every single breath we take as is a mother.

Love your dad 
--> for he is growing older, 
--> for he is acting funny and childish, 
--> for he had borne all your tantrums the same way when you were a kid, 
--> for he had been fulfilling and still does fulfill all your requirements as and when they arise, and especially, 
--> for he is your Father the reason for your existence!!

Happy Father's Day to all the Awesome Superman Dads around !! :) :)

Bow Wow --> Be My Friend, Will You??

How difficult is it to show love to another dog right in front of your own? How difficult is it to make your pooch understand that she would be loved forever like always no matter whichever animal or creature comes in between? Ummm ask me, it's really difficult unless your dog is a really understanding one. Well, I was in a similar situation lately and after it all I felt the urge of blogging about it too.

My sister's friend and her husband had to go out of town for a day and so asked us if we could take care of their dog which happens to be a 7 month old Pocket-Pomeranian(I'd like to call her PP for now). We readily agreed since I was really fond of her :) But obviously we had only one thing troubling us and that was - how are the 2 dogs going to take up the feeling of each other's close proximity? Dog Lovers out there and everyone else who know about dogs would know why that is important. 

The day finally came when PP was coming home and so I instructed Dabboo (my pretty little 1 and a half year old female Yellow Labrador Retriever) that she is supposed to behave when the guest arrives. Now, Labs are really friendly dogs, be it with humans or even other dogs (check this Animal Planet video to find out more  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cj81wHmfXc). PP comes like a princess and Dabboo goes around sniffing her to get to know her. One growl, and Dabboo moves back, starts barking. Now since PP is really tiny, we thought she would not be able to fight Dabboo who is much huger than her, so we put her out. Now Dabboo sees PP licking my hand and feels threatened. She starts barking at the top of her voices. There you go Mother of Insecurity!!! That incident makes me a "Traitor" in the eyes of my ever unconditionally loving dog Dabboo, which is very very remorseful (Have pets and feel that, it's crazy). So I take her out for a walk and also do stuffs we always love doing, and i.e., sit on our favourite spot on the terrace and talk. Yes, I did talk and I do that whenever I feel low, and believe me that's the best time ever, because I cry and I know there is someone listening to me though that someone can't actually talk back to me but at least wipes my tears off placing her paws on my palms, sort of assuring me saying "Don't worry everything will be fine". Now to such a friend who is feeling sad over all this it was my turn to do the "consoling" bit. So I went on to tell her how much she means to us (especially me) and how much we'd love her more than any other pet on earth, all because she was our first :) :) And seriously, believe me, she did understand me a little. 

Dabboo was fine sleeping out near the door but PP would go get her attention and then run back to us, as in for support against the bigger bully, and in case we did give her the much-needed attention she'd back back at Dabboo with that rather cute squealing voice. Once we sisters found out it was all a intently performed ritual to show off to the other of the security and affection the pooch enjoys from its human masters, we stopped heeding to it and "minded our own business" then. The night passed out, so did the next morning.

Finally, we sisters decide to let the dogs be friends so we take them to the terrace holding our hearts in our hands (Ok now I don't know why we got so scared then to let the 2 of them open up to each other). We still wish we'd known it was not that difficult. As not actually expected they ran around the place, one after the other, and in no time became really good friends. We were glad and also relieved that we could now concentrate on our usual household chores. 

But then, sadly for the new pals, it was time to separate. It was time to say "Good Bye" with a lot of whines and barks. Well as it's always said "All is well that ends well", I went in for a 12 hour sleep after the really tiresome day. But not everything was good. The 2 friends were really sad after that. What makes me say that? They didn't play around like how they did normally, just not interested in doing anything. Maybe dogs do have feelings. They do know what it means to be in peer groups too. They do know what it means to be friends and what it means to get isolated. They do know how it feels when you don't have that one friend with whom you spent some really beautiful moments of your life. We humans feel that every now and then, right since our childhood. So this blog goes out to all my dear loving sweet close and not so close friends, the ones I know since ages and the new ones, the ones really far away and the ones who I don't see often as well as my once-upon-a-time friends, whatsoever it is 

I miss those old days 

When we had loads of fun 

Under the sun 

Not fearing what may come 

Acting really dumb

Laughing out loud till we went all numb

I miss those old days

Let's get back to our old place :) :)

Sometimes all you need is

1. A cup of coffee --> just when you feel you have no energy left :)

2. A hug from a loved one --> just when you need that reassurance that there's still hope left somewhere like a ray of light coming through the corner of the room :)

3. A crazy verbal fight --> just when you are extremely happy so you realize you've not forgotten how to cry :)

4. A walk in the solitude --> just when you are feeling low or depressed so you find yourself back :)

5. A wake up call --> just to get up and get going to work your dreams out ;) ;)

Mother's Day

Beauty in your eyes

Love in your arms

Heaven at your feet

You are definitely the one I'd seek,

May it be in my joy or grief

Though my stay with you will be brief,

You remain with me I believe

In my heart and soul;

In making me whole

Counting every step I take

Till I'm inspired to be the one I make.

So it is the second Sunday of May again, and all of us are busy wondering what we'd do today to make it the most memorable for the most wonderful woman ever on the planet. The woman every man seeks the ultimate love from and tries searching for in his lover/wife; and the woman every lady seeks as the biggest inspiration for her to be the way she is. Yes, indeed, she's the same woman who bore you for 9 months 9 days and some times a little more or even less undergoing 57 Del of pain while giving birth which is equal to getting 20 bones fractured at the same time. I'm sure everyone reading this would already know all this and so I'm not going to stress on the same old fact of "you should love your mother because she suffered a lot of pain for you", which of course is something some of you would not agree to, perhaps because you find an evil witch in that lady instead of someone you would want to adore. 

Well, a "mother" is that creation of God who is indispensable and perfect and the only one you can turn to when you need any help. As a Jewish proverb goes, "God couldn't be everywhere, so he created mothers". A lot of us reading that would say "OMG so true". Almost everyone of us would make greetings, do stuffs our mothers love like get her flowers, do the household chores, cook food, bake a cake and so many other stuffs. 

She may be the simple, homely person or the extravagant, outgoing types, whatever she may be, she is a rockstar in your eyes who'd do all the complex jobs in a very simple and elegant way and place it in front of you like it was nothing at all. Ask me and I'd definitely tell you that you've not tried it out before you tell me that your mother's actually dumb. She may be naive to your new modern worldly matters but deep within she is that person who knows how to save that last rupee of your dad's income so that your future may be settled. She may have married young and foregone her education, but she'll always be the one to support you for your higher studies even if the world says you are not worth it. She holds you close to her heart and her first prayer of the day would be for her children's well being. The slightest of the cut on your hand makes her worried, and if not then she is the type of mother who sees her child as a strong individual but deep within she cries for every drop of blood falling off your body. It's easy for us today to forget all that she has done and even send her to the old age home when she seems to be a burden for your family someday. 

Whatever it may be, for me my mother is the prettiest and the most adorable lady ever born. She is someone I'd turn to not only when I'm not keeping well or feeling low but also when I'm overjoyed. She is, in fact, the first person to know the reason for my happiness at the moment. A million words are not enough to describe my mother and my love for her nor it would be vice versa. But this blog goes out for all those mothers, who like mine, are a symbol of inspiration, influence and affection in our lives but are really far from us in geographical distances.

This mother's day I ask all of you to chant a prayer for your mother and just go hug her and kiss her, which is all what will make her the happiest and feel loved and cherished for all the hard work she does all day, in case you can not get her the best gift at the stores or do something else. Believe me she doesn't even care for your efforts(like your girlfriend), instead wants you to be there for her. 

Happy Mother's Day Mom :) Keep smiling (even if I know you are really sad within) I love you a lot and always will :)

5 things I hate about Bangalore

3 years ago, I stepped into the land of the great ruler Kempegowda, sniffing the moist air above me, my mind filled with dreams like I've finally reached the Promised Land, where I'd find new adventures, new friends, new life, especially new MYSELF. Those 3 years passed like never before and here I stand with my list of the top 5 things I dislike about the once-upon-a-time Chosen Land.

1. The first and the foremost disgrace to the beautiful land I live in is the huge traffic load. Though a lot of people come up with a lot of affirmative statements and articles of "how to find the muse in Bangalore Traffic" I still find it, in one word, ANNOYING. I don't find the honks tuning themselves, I don't find anyone smiling at each other when they find themselves being stuck up at junctions, I don't find the smoke emitted making creative clouds around, I don't enjoy the plight of being around the same place for hours n hours together. In short, I hate the Bangalore Traffic !!!!

2. I was never an environment-friendly individual, not until I spent the first half year here, when I started missing all those beautiful trees which were cut down for God-Knows-What-Development! The glory of the city, the pride of the land, all washed away bit by bit transforming it from being the Garden city to a Concrete jungle. After a lot of protests, which still continue now and then, the officials promised to plant trees, but then, once lost glory takes a lot to regain, right???

3. Trees lost = Beauty lost = Climate change. Well, it's true we can not blame it all on the trees cut but didn't we all learn once upon a time that no trees = no oxygen = more carbon compounds = increased heat?? The cool climate, the one everyone loved about the city, the reason for the increased immigration into the place, I wish it comes back someday, though I know it's going to remain as a wish never coming true.

4. The worst ever, is the road widening and the Metro constructions. The deviations you got to take while travelling, the pitfalls here and there, the road blocks, the dead-ends and the worst part, this remains for months and months over and begins right over a so-called well planned out road. And then you blame the Bangalore Traffic again and curse the traffic cops and it continues like that all over :D

5. The last but never the least, perhaps a reminder for all those who are new to Bangalore and travelling for the first time ever, DO NOT TRUST EVERYONE ON THE ROAD TO KNOW ALL THE ROADS IN BANGALORE, because all they are going to tell you is "full straight hogi, munde ondu left siggutthe, dead end right, matthe left, matthe full straight" (go full straight, take the left, dead-end right, again left, full straight). My advice GET A FULLY LOADED GPS and just because he is an auto rickshaw driver doesn't mean HE KNOWS THE WHOLE OF BANGALORE!!! 

Well, my problems are all traffic related, probably that's the worst thing ever in Bangalore. So you want to sweat it out in this city, you are welcome to tour the entire place in at least a month, however you wish to travel :) 

Exams ko maaro goli, when IPL is Holy!!

Well, all the students would definitely blame the Universities and Boards to time the exams in such an auspicious season like the IPL season. Be it the favourite players, regional teams or the sexy cheerleaders, every cricket-enthusiast and non-enthusiast would find some or the other reason to watch the match. That probably answers the question of why there are more than 400000 tweets at #ipl only after a week of the season. That's not it, major sponsoring brands have brought out exclusive strategies like Volkswagen Vento and Polo with live match displays, Mystery chips flavours by Lays Chips, etc.

With the big brands pitching in and the people multitasking, IPL has definitely brought in the much needed break through the stress and monotony. But I'm sure it'll all remain till your regional team exists in the game. Till then, cheer the teams and increase the Set Max's TRP :D