Mystique at the Grocers'

The smartest thing to do when there is nothing unique about your product- mimic the packaging of a well established brand.

Check this out










It was surprising to note that the 'enriche' product had actually managed to secure the rack right at the entrance to one of the corridors in the retail outlet, while poor mr. pears was lying in an obscure corner in the same store. The same brand had also cleverly mimicked the leading insecticide, hand-wash & shampoo brands as well.

That was probably the only significant observation this evening, while I went grocery shopping and out for dinner. No! There was this other thing I realized while waiting for the food to arrive; I can solve a hard level Su Do Ku and most of the daily cross-word before the order was served. (approx 15 mins)

Have seen a couple of interesting movies in the last two days. If you wish to know more about them, then click!

Movie Updates

1. Oh My God! (Hindi) - A very simple movie about a very idealistic guy (Vinay Pathak) and the divine intervention in his life. Very different from Bruce Almighty. The Director's perception of God (Saurabh Shukla) is interesting. Competent performances. A decent movie.

2. Dasvidanya (Hindi) - Something on the lines of 'The Bucket List', but a desi-fied version and a less extravagant version. The central character (Vinay Pathak) finds out that he ails from the cancer of the stomach and has roughly 3 months left to live. An average man, Pathak compiles a list of the things he should do before he breathes his last which forms the rest of the story. The casting director has done a good job. A must watch and a precursor for a future post.

3. Role Models (English) - A crude but funny comedy about two guys who have been sentenced to 150 hrs of mentoring program as part of their parole. Starring Seann William Scott of the American Pie fame and Paul Rudd, it is a nice way to spend the afternoon. Review

4. Body of Lies (English) - An American spy movie; directed by Ridley Scott, this movie stars the likes of Leornado di Caprio & Russel Crowe. Its an average espionage thriller, greatly lifted by the performances of the two leading actors. Review

Do check out college humour videos on youtube if you can. Kickass timepass!

Mishmash

No! This post has nothing to do with the big owl, wait.. really BIG owl in my class. Had it been, this post would have been titled Mish-bash.

Shoo.
(flap flap. flutter)

Ok, so where were we? Oh! I haven't started. So..

December has been pretty good so far (discounting my Cat's all India tour) and it feels great to be lazy again. Really! and click to find out

What I have been up to lately

Movies:

1. Oye Lucky- One of the most awesome movies to have hit theatres in the recent past. Not very dramatic, but great performances. Best part is that it doesn't try too hard like many movies these days like..

2. Dil Kabaddi- Actors are good, few lines are good, but then where is the story?

3. Oh My God! - Decent watch. Competent performances.

4. Knocked Up! - Not exactly a 'Juno' type movie. Again, a decent watch. Review

5. Bolt - A really cute animated movie from the house of Disney. Not very different from other animated movies, but is very endearing and has excellent visuals. Review

and there are a some movies you should never miss if you happen to come across them while channel surfing like Scary Movie (dubbed in Hindi) :P

Picture this : The 'Waazaaaaaa' parts in the movie have been replaced by 'Kya Horailaaaa?' in the same pitch!

also the odd Chinese movie (again dubbed in Hindi). UTV Bindass is your source for such movies.

UTV World Movies shows some really good movies, while HBO and Star seemed to have lost it!

Youtubing:

Have seen a million videos and have been going through a zillion old videos. Advertisements from the 90's to the dance videos of those days. Some of them are really howlarious.

The Kitchen:

Have had a lot of fun in the kitchen lately, much to my Mother's chagrin and here is a really nice recipe I came up with this evening.

I suck with measurements, so please follow your instincts in case you actually try it out.

It was meant to be a Frittata ( A type of Italian omellete), but there were certain ingredients I didn't have in stock.

Ingredients: Corn kernels, Green Chillies, 2 Eggs, Potatoes, Milk, Butter, Mozerella Cheese, Cheese Spread, Maida & Salt.

Boil the potatoes for a while till they are soft.

In a separate pan, we need to make white sauce. For this, Make a semi solid paste of butter and the maida. Heat this for a while, make sure the combination is not very lumpy. Add the milk and the pepper and keep stirring on low heat, till you get a nice sauce like mixture.

In a glass bowl, mash the potatoes, add the chopped up green chillies and the corn kernels. Mix the mash with some cheese spread and beaten up eggs. Add the white sauce to this mix and top it up with a layer of Mozerella cheese.

Keep the glass bowl in the oven/microwave for ten minutes under normal heating conditions and voila, you have... You have... ?!

Oh I forgot to name it. Anyway, its open source for the moment. Do whatever you want to with the secret.

Moms like it. Dads usually don't.

It was very tempting the moment it came out of the oven, else I would have taken a pic. Next time ;)

Blissful Ignorance

Rohan was barely two years old when his family moved into an independent house, in the suburbs. He didn't have much of a clue about his whereabouts prior to then. As long as he had people tending to his every wail, it really didn't matter where is room was located. The new house was a part of the GreenDreamz housing society, which consisted of 50 odd homes, all belonging to people from the middle class strata.

If there was any word that could explain his state of mind, during his initial years in GreenDreamz, it would be bliss. A carefree life, doting parents, loving grandparents, caring uncle and aunt, the jovial household help Ramu Kaka and of course cartoon network. Beyond the four walls he had his first set of best friends, Vaibhav, Suhana and Jacob, to roll in the sand with. And to him, his neighbourhood seemed to be a modern version of the fairytale towns he heard about every night, before getting lost into dreams of unlimited chocolates and superhuman powers.

School was a novel experience and slowly all the mysterious characters that had been around him, started making sense, albeit slowly. After school activities included playing with peers in the housing society, which was the norm those days. There was a temple in the society, which seemed perfect, for the 'all-less-than-a-metre' gang, for a round of hide-n-seek. Kids are all budding mimic artists, each one of them. Hence, Rohan and his group, always finished the day and went back home with a dab of sandalwood paste or sacred ash on their forehead. On one such return trip, Rohan and David walked back together and found that their mothers were engaged in a light conversation, in front of David's house. There was a different expression of David's mother's face, observed Rohan. The moment they arrived at the gate, David's mother used her right thumb and made a cross out of the fresh sandalwood paste, on his forehead. Rohan was in awe of the cross, and so he looked up at his mother and asked, with an innocuous smile, "Maa, I wan't a star on mine."

Full Story

Rohan loved Farrukh uncle, the same way kids love all storytellers. Though he was Suhana's nana (Maternal grandfather), his immaculately dyed hair didn't let Rohan think beyond 'uncle'. Quite often during an interlude in the story, Farrukh uncle mentioned "I wish I could go become a kid again." It perplexed Rohan as to why he, who had all the freedom in the world to stay up as late as he wanted to and no homework, wanted to give it all up. He concluded that it was the convenience of playing with toys and no one rasing a brow, uncle was after or maybe uncle wanted to to run around the playground every evening without taxing his body. "You'll know when you reach my age Rohan baba", was what uncle said at the end of the interlude.

Grade 2 saw a Rohan as someone who was totally mesmerized by his class teacher, enchanted by the hypnotic power of celluloid and equally bemused by Vaibhav moving out of town along with his mother. "Who is the new aunty at Kapoor uncle's house?", he once asked his father, looking for an explanation as to why Vaibhav's father had stayed back. His father in turn asked him "I heard you've become the class monitor. Teacher's pet is it?" It was enough to divert the little, then blushing, Rohan.

Sometime around the end of the his grade 2 summer break, he started growing up. By the end of his 9th year on the planet, he had learnt that 'dog ate my homework' was lame, while 'I had a high fever, hence managed to do only a little' coupled with a few coughs and exanimate eyes, worked wonders. His grandparents passed away in quick succession, within a span of a year. A few weeks after his grandmother left for the heavens above, he felt something amiss. One evening, while Rohan was watching the television, an argument broke out between his father and his uncle. He was immediately directed to his room, his howls of "but its the best part of the movie" being drowned by the increasing volume of the two adults. Over the next few days, Rohan felt that all but his young cousin Neha, had lost the power of speech. Such was the eerie silence in the household. One day when he returned from school, he saw masons at work, and a week later, where there used to one home, now existed two houses.

High school, saw Rohan's theory of having been delivered by the stork, disproved. He got to learn about things which are never mentioned in the prescribed text, like the intricacies of the social structure, the fact that majority of the population is driven by avarice and his favourite, the laws of attraction. With every passing day he peeled out layers of masks off the faces of people around him and abiding by the law of averages, he developed some of his own. He no longer seemed to be able to converse with Ramu kaka, and instead get peckish, when Kaka made an attempt to reconnect. Ego displaced Hotwheels from the number one slot on his list of 'most prized possessions'. Maintaining it cost him a lot, but he never let it go. Manipulation had become the order of the day and the inexplicable need to slog, to maintain a face in society, took charge of nights. His curiosity and the instinctive urge for survival had placed before him the harsh reality of life, the seven deadly sins. He didn't have the option to shut out his senses from them either. And by the end of schooling, Rohan was still a virgin, albeit only physically.

A few days before his first day at college, uncle Farukkh passed away. Suhana, who was still a dear friend, had left him a text message. He wanted to meet his favourite storyteller, for the last time. As watched as Uncle's body was laid in the pit, with his head facing the Qiblah. When his turn came, he went towards the pit and poured three handfuls of soil into the grave. While his lips recited, "From the (earth) did We create you, and into it shall We return you, and from it shall We bring you out once again.", he thought about those days of blissful ignorance and as he walked away from the grave, he looked up at the skies and had a final, silent word with Uncle.

"It didn't take me that long to realize what I have lost."

Monday Blues

"Massa emerged winner at the French Grand Prix, yesterday. He led a Ferrari one-two to win and take the lead in the Formula One championship for the first time. It was his...", blared the TV, placed at a corner, in the Rex's studio apartment.

Rex slouched at one end of the couch. His right hand was toying with the remote control, while his left hand gently stroked Ashley's hair. She had made herself very comfortable by stretching out and capturing almost the entire span of the couch. She liked resting her head on his lap, when they watched television together.

"I missed you during office hours.", said Rex, his eyes still glued to the screen and continued, "Had one of those days that I would never like to recollect."

Ashley ditched the television and now gave all her attention to Rex. She didn't utter and word of concern. She had gauged his mood, the minute she saw him and now waited for him to finish with all that he had to talk about. As always.


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"Italy lost. Monday blues. Skipped breakfast. Traffic Jam. A cab bumped into the rear of my car and left a horrid dent. Was blasted by boss for arriving late and the day had only just begun.", Rex mentioned, with a mildly agitated tone.

"Last night's rain had left my cabin in a very pitiable state. Had forgotten to shut the Windows, when I wound up on Saturday. The carpet seemed like a paddy field when I entered my cabin this morning. Thank god Mom's favourite crystal vase was intact. She would have been furious otherwise."

"Dick really lived up his name. You remember him right? My boss? That scrawny guy with the wierd laughter, whom we met at the park, last week. Avacon Enterprises have proposed a mutually beneficial deal, and out of all the employees, he chose me to represent our company. He wasn't ready to even give audience to my opinion. He very well knows that Samantha works there."

"Its been two years since we split, but somehow I can still taste the bitterness at the back of my mind. Crossed paths today, at her office. Had to go discuss certain terms with the managing director. Hoped that I didn't have to see her, but then you know how Murphy operates. That brief eye contact tagged along so many repulsive memories, that I pondered if we had ever had any good ones."

"Returned by bus today. The car's battery is dead. All sounds scripted to perfection, doesn't it? Left the car in the office parking lot. Will get someone to jumpstart it tomorrow."

"Now, after telling you all that I had been through, I feel lighter.And in a strange way, I feel as if it wasn't really that bad a day and is just a speck compared to what I went through 2 years ago. First, mom and dad taking that ill-fated flight, then Samantha walking out and the last straw, me losing my previous job. Shudder at the very thought of it."

"Remember that evening in the park. The evening when I first met you. I had been through the worst three months of my life and it all changed the moment you walked into it. Don't think I can ever thank you enough for being there for me always. The way you accepted me the way I was, made me overcome the odds. The never-ending love means a lot to me, you know?"

A tear escaped Rex's well forted lacrimal glands. Ashely was quick to respond. She gently licked the drop of his face and continued looking at him, with the same devotion. A huge smile appeared across Rex's face.

"Its a beautiful night. Coming for a walk?", asked Rex, as he got off the couch and turned off the television.

Ashely got off instantly. She stood on her fours, stretched a little more and shook off the laziness. She liked the late evening walks.

Ashley was just a month old when she had strayed away from her mother and found Rex sitting alone in the park. She had felt at home when she snuggled into his legs, for the first time.

"So madam, how was your day?", Rex asked as he opened the door and like a gentleman, waited for her to walk out first.

"I am sure all the hounds will be extremely envious of me, when they see me walking beside you.", he remarked, and then he shut the door behind him.

The End Of Mankind

"NO!", exclaimed Arnav.

"Why not?!", retorted Kriti.

(To make things easier for the reader, the ensuing conversation between the two homo sapiens has been presented in the following format.)

Arnav (nonchalant): Simple. I don't like it.

Kriti : But you've not tried it! How can you possibly conclude with something like that?

A (more nonchalance): Cause, I'm the Oracle. I know everything. I don't need to do something to experience the outcome.

K (A sardonic smile appears across her face) : Thats so cool Arnav. Man, I really wish I had such psychic powers too. You know everything right? Tell me whats going to happen in the next few minutes na. Please?

A: Well.. You see. I can't reveal such things to mere mortals. It is...

THWACK

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A (with his palm over his left cheek): OW! That hurt.

K : I thought you'd predicted it, O' Great Oracle.

A : Very funny.

K : Now that I have squeezed out your super powers, do as I say.

A : No way!

K : Come on Arnav. Be a sport. I am sure you won't regret the choice.

A (Big eyed, cute kitten expression) : Meow. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

K (straight faced) : Not working. Snap out of it, this instant.

A (licks his paws.. err.. his fingers)

K : ARNAV!! Stop it. Whats with you? Why can't you listen to me? Its not like I'm asking you to jump off a plane without a parachute. Its much less dangerous than that. In fact, a mere fraction.

A : 5/2 is also a fraction, you know? 2.5 times the risk!! I think i'll go with option number 1. Lock kar diya jaaye.

THWACK

K : Galat Jawaab. Arnav, now you have to listen to me.

A (Very seriously): You really want the extinction of mankind, don't you?

K : Huh? What?! How is that possible?

A : You really want to know? You think you can handle it?

K : This, I got to hear. Go on.

A : Ok. Here it goes. Consider the scenario where I go ahead with your directives and the experience scars me. You know how dreadful it can be? I might never be able to see myself in the same light. The excruciation would make feel like ripping myself apart. You would then, refer me to a psychiatrist. I would be imprisoned in an asylum, lest I pose a threat to society. Taking into consideration, my superior mental caliber, I would devise a plot out there, resulting in me escaping the asylum along with a few other inmates. One of inmates will run on a busy street for sure. They are mad, after all. That inmate will eventually come under a car. The driver will panic. He will speed away, in order to evade the situation and cops. His conscience will not let him drive his car ever again, thus forcing him to travel via cabs and other means of public transport. This would lead to increase in consumption of fuel. Do you have any idea of the events that might ensue? It will lead to further reduction of crude oil leading to an acute shortage of the natural resource. And one day, there would be no petrol for cars. Pregnant women would struggle to make it to hospitals in time for their delivery. With people not being able to visit hospitals, doctors will be left penniless. The medical profession will go out of vogue. Mechanical engineers went out of vogue when petrol reserves dried up. Then, Indian parents looking at the bleak career prospects in the two fields will start worrying about their children's future and eventually sterilize themselves. This will prevent their may-have-been kids from the lack of good career options. With the Indian population on the decline, every industry/sector on the face of the planet will come to a stand-still. Ofcourse, with no one to work over-time for peanuts. Eventually everyone will become jobless and just sit around all day. Then one day, a man, starved to such an extent that he starts hallucinating, would bite another mistaking him for a sandwich. The victim would turn out to be of another religion. Now since everyone is jobless, the two groups would clash. The remaining religious groups would take sides, for kicks. The atheists would choose to have popcorn and watch the proceedings, but during one such show, one of the atheists would spill his cola on another's new designer clothes. This dramatic event will divide the entire atheist community and lead to one of the fiercest battles ever witnessed in the future of mankind. Soon there will be only one person left on the planet. Most probably it would be 'Baa' of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi fame. Loneliness will make her contemplate suicide, which would be a very tough task. With all conventional methods failing, she will take the extreme step of sitting through 'RGV ki Aag' and the human race would have been totally wiped out off the face of the planet, much before the opening credits.

(A takes a deep breath)

Silence.

A : I warned you. Knew it would be tough for you to comprehend the magnitude of the situation.

K (flabbergasted): What if you enjoyed the experience?

A : Oh! Same result.

K : How?!

A : If I liked it, it would result in me getting hyper excited, eventually causing me to running out of the front door and on to the street. I would come under a car and the rest you already know. (and then he smiles)

WHAM!

( Kriti throws the tray of freshly baked brownies at Arnav and walks away in utter disbelief. It was her maiden attempt. A few pieces stick to Arnav's face, one of them in proximity of his tongue. He snaffles it quickly with the aid of his tongue and places it within his mouth.)

A : Hey. This is really good. Kriti, its awesome.

(A runs around the room, commends Kriti on the amazing bake and in a fit of excitement, runs out of the front door.)

CRASH.

E poi ci è stato Magic

There was a good ten minutes more till 6 PM, according to the Time and Frequency Standards Laboratory at the National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi.

"Move. Mooove. Moooooooove you nincompoop", exclaimed an uneasy Jerry, looking at the minute hand of his watch. To him, it seemed as if the minute hand had fallen head over heels for the number 50.

"60 is sexier, you know?", said Jerry, using his PR skills to the optimum. Alas, the minute hand seemed more interested in taking things at its own pace. It had just made promises of life long commitment to the classic 50, when the second hand came along and posed as the villain. If one paid attention, he would have heard the wails of the love sick minute hand, followed by his 'Hey gorgeous, you're looking fab tonight' opening act, for the sultry 51. Wait, this story is not about the exploits of the minute hand. I'll reserve that for a spin off. Lets steer back to the starting line, back to Jerry.

Jerry's Story

Earlier that evening, his eyes had lit up when he saw that the table for two, opposite to the jukebox, empty, as he walked into the place. The spot was perfect for those with a dislike for inquisitive eyes, Oh yes! The paranoid ones and also for those without a leash on their hormones. The glow in his eyes was shortlived though. A couple beat him to the table in vogue, thus leaving him no choice but to park his body at one right in the centre of the cafe.

So here he was, right in the middle, a tad bit uncomfortable, sitting alone at a table meant for four. Initially, he sat on the chair facing the service counter. He couldnt help getting enamoured by the mystical liquids being served in equally exotic vessels. His eyes followed them all, the luscious brown, the charismatic white, the enticing blue, and sometimes even the odd glass of plain water, from counter to table. This was too distracting and he reconsidered his seating choice. Though, it was just a dignified excuse. In fact, it was the person behind the counter who had caught sight of Jerry, staring and drooling (well...almost) at the brew, who made the latter conscious.

Next, he chose the adjacent seat. This one faced the glass wall of the cafe, which overlooked a busy street. One of the waiters handed him a menu card and then went about tending to other customers. It was customary for Jerry to always analyze the column on the right hand side of the menu, first.

"80.. 65..94.. 99...67... 55... 20.. 85... 75.. huh! 20? This sounds reasonable", he muttered to himself and steered his sight towards the other column. "Extra whipped cream?!! Drat! Why did I walk into this place?",he pondered.

He flipped the page and scanned the next one from bottom to top. He overshot the upper boundary of the page and what he saw next made him reconsider his choice again. There was a lone middle aged female sitting at the table across. unfortunately, at that precise moment in time, their eyes met.

"One tms (telepathic message service) received.", echoed Jerry's mind. Jerry gave the command for it to open and it read 'Tere ghar pe maa behen nahin hain kya? Rascal.' He picked up the remnants of his self respect off the floor and changed position.

He avoided the seat facing the entrance, citing some Feng-Shui jargon and opted for the only seat left now. The one right in front of the plasma TV. "Jeez! Thats huge", he murmured as he looked at the 54 inch, wide screen visual output device.

"Sir..Sir...SIR!?"

"What? Where? Who?! Huh?!", exclaimed a surprised Jerry. He had been keenly following the graceful, elegant and refined moves of the dancers in a music video being aired on a music channel. Yup, an all female troupe. Basic insitincts, you really can't blame him. Now lets kick the male psyche aside, and get back to the scene. The waiter wanted to know if Jerry wanted something.

"Give me sometime and I'll let you know. By the way, how does whipped cream taste with water?",enquired Jerry.

"What sir?!!"

"Oh! Nothing. I'd like some time.", replied Jerry with a photographic smile.

The waiter went away and left Jerry wondering. He didn't want to get caught gawking at someone on TV either. So now he shifted position to base 2.

"Oh no! I don't want any more tmses."

Shifted to base 1. The man behind the counter gave him a wry smile. Shifted again, this time to the seat facing the entrance. It was six now.

"YIKES!!... LOOK OUT!!", came a shout from behind.

"Damn you!! Damn you Feng-Shui!!", grumbled an exasperated Jerry as he saw the brown stain overpower the sleeve of his shirt.

Much earlier that evening, Jerry was standing in front of the mirror. He was living one of the better known stories from aesop's fables. The one involving two cats and monkey, remember? The one where the monkey offers to distribute the piece of cake equally among two cats. Well, here the monkey was enacted by his razor, the cats by the two sides of his chin and the cake, by his beard. The beard met the same fate as that of the cake. Jerry wanted to sport a goatee that evening, but was all that remained was a nick on the battlefield, caused by the property dispute that arose between the chin and the razor. The next twenty minutes were spent in removing the hard gel he had applied on his hair. Apparently he was not too pleased with the 'hyena meets wilder' beast look. He finally settled for the his usual side-parted style. He spent half an hour ironing out every single crease on his favourite white, full sleeved shirt. With a desire to sport the classic 'guy next door' look, he matched it with a sand-blasted, blue denim. Another five minutes saw him dabbing a few 100 ml of after shave, a thick coating of deodrant and a final touch up with his father's prized cologne. He then raised his arm and sniffed under them for a final inspection. He lost contact with reality for while following the near death experience. When his head stopped spinning, it dawned on him that he had forgotten to take a shower. Drat!

It was eight minutes past six. The waiter was apologizing profusely for the accident, but it did little to make up for the burning sensation and more importantly, the dark stain on his favourite shirt. Jerry had made an elaborate foolproof plan to throttle Feng-Shui.

It was then, that she stepped inside the cafe. She wore a black, sleeveless, short top, exquisitely designed with elements. "Elements?!" Ok! I concede. They are called something, but that, only a girl would know. Pretty nevertheless. The black blended splendidly with the military green capris she wore below. Her slippers were perfect. She seemed to have been in a hurry. A few locks had strayed upon her forehead which she pulled back elegantly and placed behind her ears. The earrings glittered in the lights, but paled in comparison to that spark in her kohl lined eyes. Her lips curved to form an innocent smile, as she walked towards the focal point of the current chaos. She was beautiful.

"Sorry", she said looking at Jerry, "got my timing wrong." She squinted her eyes and made a child like expression in apology.

"What happened to your arm Jerry?!", she asked and seated herself, gracefully, next to Jerry.

"Show me your hand.", she ordered. She held his palm in hers and gently blew cool air over the affected area. "Does it hurt?", she asked, "Jerry?!"

Jerry was speechless. He just gave a goofy smile. He couldn't feel the burn anymore. He didn't feel awkward anymore. The right hand side column of the menu vanished. The inquisitive eyes too. Everything seemed perfect now. It was his first date. The magic had just begun.

My Way

He looked at the cover of his favourite audio disc, his smile reflecting off it's glazed surface. He placed the disc on the cd tray, pressed play and waited for Sinatra's magic to replete the room. He then took off his jacket, placed it carefully on the armchair and walked towards the bay window. He rolled up the sleeves of his spotless white shirt, undid the button of his waistcoat and removed his tie, which he considered to be no better than a hangman's knot. The soft smile never left his eyes, even for a moment, as he gently rolled the strip of cloth and stuffed into one of his trouser's pockets and looked at the city skyline. April had a pleasant surprise that year in the form of light afternoon showers.

The droplets of water amused him. His eyes followed them as they pattered on the pane and slowly trickled down along it. He tried to look for a deeper meaning in them but gave in soon, accepting the simplicity of all things beautiful.

Barney barged into the room without excusing himself in. Pretty unusual, considering the fact that Barney was a a mellow guy, but then his facial expressions weren't in favour of normalcy either.


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"This eccentricity is beyond me!", Barney shouted, "Have you sent your prudence on a vacation?"

Barney was a short, rotund chap and one of the most amicable in the office. It would have been bemusing for anyone to see him flare up like he had.

"Hello! Are you listening to me?, Barney said as he walked up to the player and reduced Sinatra's level by a few decibels and then continued, "Larry?"

Larry didn't move a muscle, nor did the smile fade away. He continued looking through the glass.

"Couldn't you hold yourself together for a few more minutes? He'd have finished talking and we would have gone about with our work like always. We all know Greg is a little unethical, but he has the reigns over our paycheques!! Doesn't that ring a bell in your mind before you react? This is not a movie script. This is the real world. Do you get it? R E A L. There is no room for your ideal views!"

Barney stopped for a breather and continued with the monologue.

"What is the harm in foxing a few when the bigger picture is such? On a retrospective note, Greg wasn't wrong at all. I liked his proposal. After all, he was talking in the best interest of the company. With the drastic improvement in medical services, the life expectancy has increased. The stock markets are too volatile for the likes of senior citizens, plus the interest rates are low and health care very expensive. Its is very easy to lure them into such schemes involving unregistered securities, promissory notes, charitable gift annuities and so on. They do not even get even a whiff of the terms we use for our benefit. From where I see it, they have money rotting and we are just preventing that from happening."

The smile faded away. and the wrinkles took over Larry's forehead, yet he didn't speak a word.

"And you had the audacity to get up, in the middle of the conference, walk up to Greg and interrupt the proceedings. Geez! For a second there, I expected to hear a loud whack. I was so perplexed when I saw you just standing there, staring at him and then all of a sudden there is this smirk across your face. Then you bend over, pick up his documents and then rip them off in a frenzy similar to a rabid dog. What were you thinking Larry?"

"You have put in twenty years into STR Corp. Does that amount to nothing? You were sure to be designated as Vice President, later this year. Why don't you understand that we can't always have things the way we want it? Now that you've thrown your id card on his face, I assume you are going to file in your resignation letter soon. Where will you go from here? He still can make life miserable for you, do you realize that? Its still not too late Larry. I am sure he will consider your apology and your experience and services to the corporation will only help. Just stop being the apotheosis of righteousness for a while and learn to be a little flexible. It'll do you good."

Larry maintained his silence.

"I could put across a word to Greg, you know. Say something like, you were not well, or better still, personal problems. That always works. Everyone will move on as if it never happened. For God's sake! Don't you have anything to say in your defense? Anything that will distinguish you from a mannequin? Larry?", said a flabbergasted Barney.

The mannequin spoke.

"Oh yes! Please increase the volume on your way out."

A speechless Barney did as told and exited in the room in a manner, totally out of phase with that of his entrance. The smile reappeared and magic repleted the four walls once again.

....
......
For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!
.....
...

The Race - (D. H. Groberg)

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure’s face,
my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.

A children’s race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn’t hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.
The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire,
to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy’s desire.
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,
was running in the lead and thought “My dad will be so proud.”
But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip,
the little boy who thought he’d win, lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace,
and midst the laughter of the crowd he fell flat on his face.
As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn’t win it now.
Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.
But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,
which to the boy so clearly said, “Get up and win that race!”


Full Poem

He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that’s all,
and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again.
He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace.
“I’m hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn’t try to race.”
But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father’s face
with a steady look that said again, “Get up and win that race!”

So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind the last.
“If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought, “I’ve got to run real fast!”
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten...
but trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again.
Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running anymore! Three strikes I’m out! Why try?
I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought. “I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad, who soon he’d have to face.
“Get up,” an echo sounded low, “you haven’t lost at all,
for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
Get up!” the echo urged him on, “Get up and take your place!
You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!”

So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit,
and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been,
still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win.
Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.
They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first place,
head high and proud and happy -- no falling, no disgrace.

But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in last place,
the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
you would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”

And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face,
the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.

For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.

And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,
another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race!”

- This poem was read out to us during the last English class of school life by our teacher. I liked it, so posted it. In fact I like the line 'Get up and win that race!'.

P.S- The last time I posted a poem I gave this blog the slip.