Estranged

--A Sequel to Sunny Boy--

A gentle romance had bloomed between our hero and heroine. The relationship had progressed so far as to calling each other by their own private pet names. Soumya was 'Jenny' to Vinay, after his on-screen sweetheart. Vinay was lovingly called 'Vinu' by his girlfriend.

Vinay was in a good mood. The next day was his birthday. His girl had promised him a surprise gift. He had tried to find out from her what it may be. Try as he might, she was pretty adamant about not giving him the least hint. "It's gonna be something that nobody else has given you before" was all she would say. He spent the whole day day dreaming what she might have in store for him.

"Happy Birthday Vinu!", of course it was her voice that wished him at the stroke of midnight. "Thanks baby", he was happy that her wish came first. What continued was another of those talks-that-last-through-the-night! It had become a habit to Vinay to discuss everything under the sun with his Jenny.

The next day dawned bright and clear. She met him with a parcel. "Here's your gift".
Vinay eagerly tore the wrapping. Inside was a talking clock!
"A clock??", he was surprised.
"To remind you of me with each tick", she smiled. "Also, I want you to wake up with my wish in your ears".
"What do you mean?", enquired Vinay.
"Check out what it plays for the alarm tone", said Soumya.
He pressed the button to play the alarm. "Good morning Vinu. Have a happy day!" trilled Soumya's digitized voice.
"You're right. No one else has given such a thing to me", said Vinay trying not to show his disappointment at such a tiring wake up call!

As the days went by, Vinay began to get the feeling that he was having too much of his girlfriend. Not only was she constantly in his mind, she was physically present by his side at every available opportunity. Though their workplaces were different, they met for lunch, coffee and evening walk. If they did not meet, they conversed over phone. Or it was text messaging. Vinay felt that they each need a bit of personal space. The danger of them becoming much too dependent on each other was imminent. Such a thinking led him to accept a project at Delhi.

Though it almost physically hurt him to think about leaving his Jenny, he convinced himself saying that a separation might actually do them good. When Soumya heard this, she was devastated. "You're gonna be gone for a month?"
"It's an official assignment Jenny. I can't say no", he tried to persuade her to let him go.
"I can't be away from you that long", she wailed.
Heightened of his earlier impression about their increasing dependency, he told her with a hard and firm voice, "It just has to be done".

Is this the parting of ways? Or will distance teach Vinay the preciousness of their time together?
Or will the same distance help Soumya understand that she can be happy in her own space?
Only Old Father Time has the answers.

Mood Music

A drive in ECR is always pleasant. If you have music to accompany your drive, it's the tops!
On one such drive, I was fiddling with the radio to find a good station. My taste in music usually changes as frequently as the weather. That day, I tended towards melodies. I hit on a station that was playing a hitherto favorite song of mine, Evano Oruvan from the flick Alaipayuthe. A soulful high pitch rendering by Swarnalatha.
I was shocked to hear my friend say, "Hey change the damn song. Why is that female screeching so awfully? Find a station that plays a better song".
He changed the station to a one playing a lilting number. He looked at me and said, "Why are you listening to such sad songs now? Let's hear happy songs Mat".
Though I didn't realise at that time, the change in the tune made a definite impact on my mood.

Another time, when I was listening to another melodious number, Mudhal Mazhai from Bheema, my friend came up to me and suggested that I hear another song from the movie which was of a buoyant nature. The Rangu Rangamma she suggested played a significant role in keeping my mind in a happy frame.

Generally when we're sad, subdued or in silent contemplation of life, we tend to listen to music that reflects our mood. But, I find that people such as my aforementioned friends, who tend towards cheery songs are invariably almost always in a cheery mood. They liven up the place.

Do songs define our mood? Or do we select the songs we wish to hear based on our mood? I found that whatever my mood be, listening to a bouncy number always perks me up! Life is happier :-)

Sunny Boy

--This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living is purely intentional--

-- Dedicated to RNVK--

Vinay was your average kinda guy. Although if you go upto him and say this, he won't accept so (like the other average guys).

He had an average life - he studied engineering with a hundred thousand others. He signed up for work at a software company like a million of his fellow engineers. He had the average dreams of a young Indian. He had crushes on movie actresses. He was crazy about Jennifer Aniston. He was in love with Andrea Jeremiah. He dreamt about the perfect girlfriend. He had the average gang of friends.

In the average life of our hero, the next average thing to happen was an interest to pursue higher studies. Marketing was his forte. A distance-learning course of MBA was his choice.

The students taking the course planned on meeting each other and sharing notes. Little did Vinay knew that he will be sharing more than notes at the proposed meet!

They all met over coffee. Vinay glanced across the table. The world stopped. Time froze. Eternity became nothing. Never became forever. He had seen his Andrea. All his universe was concentrated on a single point. SHE was there. He did not know her name. He did not need to. She was his Jennifer. She was his dream. He felt like he was falling through a black hole. He was not scared. Because her hands were there, to hold him up, to cradle him, to soothe him,
to love him. He knew that all the 24 years of his life, he had travelled many paths just to reach this destination. She was his destiny.

He woke from his daze to realise that someone was talking to him. He shook his head and saw. It was HER!

"Hey Vinay ", she smiled.

"How do you know my name??", he was surprised.

"Oh I asked. Listen, I heard that you need some help with accounts. Maybe I can help you with that?", she offered.

Can you feel hot and cold at the same time? Vinay did. Like many average guys, he does not read Shakespeare. But if he had, he would've identified with the bard who said
"There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;"

Vinay knew this was such a tide."Thanks. I'd love that.", he grinned.

"Sure, anytime", she turned and walked away.

He realised he hadn't asked for her name. Though his mind said 'Andrea' and 'Jennifer' over and over again, he was sane enough to realise that he couldn't very well call her by either.

"Um..Hey..your name?", he called out.

His vision turned and threw over her shoulder the two syllables that were to be his mantra,
"Soumya".

So bloomed a gentle story of love and friendship. What happens thereafter? Ah well, that's another story. Yet to be written, by the Hand that writes all.

Umbrella

It was a sunny morning in Chennai. ('like a million others' I hear the voices in my head say disgruntled.) The 'sunny' in the above sentence definitely doesn't strike the same note as the "sunny beaches of Florida" you read about in guidebooks and adverts. This 'sunny' scorches. It makes you sweat copiously. It saps your energy. It spoils your mood. But I digress.

As I was saying, the sun was making itself felt ferociously. I got down from my bus and started the walk to my office buildings. I was not in a sunny disposition (pun intended!). The prospect of a walk in that sun daunted me. Nonetheless, I hiked on.

It was after I had taken maybe about 20 steps that I realised something wasn't just right. There was a bunch of guys walking maybe 20 feet ahead of me. They were under the sun. They had clearly defined shadows moving along them. Whereas me, I had no shadow to speak of. I didn't feel the sun either. I looked up and saw that a little cloud was shading me from the sun. I whispered a silent thanks and hurried on.

Now that's when I realised something very interesting. As we walked on, I was always under the shady part and those guys were always under the sun. I looked up and saw that the cloud was actually moving along the same direction as I. And at the same pace too.

Of course, such a natual phenomenon might occur to anyone. But me, I refused to take it that way! I felt absolutely special. I felt like The Alchemist's Santiago. I felt that all the Universe had conspired to protect me from the scorching rays!

Well, who else had their very own heavenly umbrella?!?!

In the Woods

"Lets stop here for a while. I want to rest", the pater stopped the car.
We were driving our way homewards when the above happened. There were nascent woods on both sides of the road.

My mind already crammed with romantic ideas sown by the likes of Enid Blyton, Nesbit, Lucy Montogomery etc., I could not pass on this opportunity to read in the woods!
Armed with my book, I took the footpath that snaked into the woods. There was I, in search of a good tree bark, wandering in that little copse. Sound romantic enough? Well that's when reality bit!

I realised that I had stepped onto some droppings (human or canine...no idea!). I cringed. My balloon deflated a little.Luckily there was a trickle of a brook running nearby. I went to it and washed my sandals clean of the soil.
Then I wended my way again in search of a suitable tree. I finally hit upon one and leaned on it and started reading. Soon, I was joined by other intrepid explorers such ants (large, mean looking black ones), flies (in varied sizes) and other less likeable members of the insect kingdom. To add to all these, there were blood thirsty mosquitoes that were pecking me.

Nonetheless, I bravely went on reading (just for the heck of it I admit!). My bravery paid off. I had the novel experience of sitting under a drizzle and not getting wet! That's right. Soon it started drizzling. And I realised that only from the pitter-patter of raindrops on the leaves. The trees grew close enough to form a green umbrella for me! So, to be fair, reading in the woods does have its perks! But it isn't such a song as they make out to be!

So the next time someone tries to sell you the idea that 'reading in the woods' is a romantic not-to-be missed experience, bonk them on the head.
Oh, and you're also free to show them this post! ;-)

Tiny Delights

• realising that you're opening your eyes to a holiday
• snuggling under the blankets when there's rain at the window
• eating ice cream and watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S
• smiling at a stranger
• reading your old birthday cards
• being kissed by a baby
• hearing that you're loved
• getting your favourite book at half price!
• getting the crack code of a coveted software
• having phone lines blocked on birthday night
• driving high speed and listening to woh lamhay
• getting drenched in the rain
• eating amma's hot pongal with tomato chutney
• falling asleep without bothering about the morrow.
• suddenly realising how much you love someone
• having a lot of comments to the blog (hint!)

Life of a Celebrity ;-)

I went to the pharmacist near my home to get some medicines. I was visiting the shop after a long time period, maybe 3 months. I got what I wanted and was waiting to pay. The shop assistant looked at me and asked, "Ma'm, don't you want ------?" (naming a medicine I used to use sometime back frequently). I looked up at him, surprised that he remembered and told him "No I don't buy it now".
"Oh if you do, don't go to any other shop Ma'm, always come to ours", he said.
"Ya. Sure. Whatever", I replied, still in a daze that he remembered stuff like that!

Another day, I went to get a wallet at a big departmental store near my home. I was browsing through their selection, when the salesgirl came up to me. You would expect her to say "May I help you with something?". I did too.
But what she said was, "You back from office early today, Ma'm?".
I was startled and looked at her and gave her an enquiring look. (When I'm surprised or startled, I tend to lose my vocalising ability!)
She smiled at my surprise and told me, "We see you everyday, passing by our shop in the evening".
I said "Oh". (not very good with words, as I said earlier!!)
I was even more surprised at her usage of "we". Then I saw her fellow salesman standing behind her a little way off, giving me the same smile as her.
"Oh....Uh....that's very nice....Uh....Yea I came back early from office..."


Well, now I know what a celebrity must feel like!!*tongue in cheek*
It must be tiring to lose your privacy and have complete strangers come up to you and recite your daily schedule,likes and dislikes!
Although I won't say that I didn't like these two little exchanges! As a human being, it does feel nice that others take notice of you!
:-)