TAGGED... its amazingly fun... :D

Okay …replying to Meghna’s tag..

3 names I go by apart from Anshu:
-Aashi
-Dolu master
-Ashura

3 things that scare me:
-Letting down my loved ones
-Lizards
-My mom when angry

3 people who make me laugh:
Before I go on this I have to tell that I’ve a cheerful face and a rather sensitive funny bone. I’m accused of laughing even in serious times… its not my fault. Its very easy to make me laugh.. also, I tend to laugh more when in trouble than otherwise… ok,, now my pick

-Shin chan and Joey
-My dad with his quick sense of humor
-J K Rowling with her timings in HP- supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Apart from these, friends from daily walk of life.. Can’t help but take 2 names in particular- Krittika and Meghna ..their timings are great.

3 things I love: Only... 3..?? Let’s make it 5.... at least !!
- My family
- Books – I’m a voracious reader..no scrap can escape me
- Adventure sports
- The sound of pouring rain
- Spirituality

3 things I hate:
-Flies on my food
-Unsolicited calls by Vodafone who call to tell about those asinine tariff plans
-The night before my exam

3 things I don't understand:-
-The concept of time being the fourth dimension in the relativity theory
- Why do girls bitch about each other
- Why do I think so much

3 things on my desk:
-My PC
-Files,folders,books
-Bunch of CDs

3 things I'm doing right now:
-Feeling irritated with the pimple that showed up this evening
-Cursing Meetu for making me spend 100 bucks on afghani tikka… a crow would have tasted better!! huh
-Worrying about the upcoming entrance exam

3 things I want to do before I die: Its an endless list.. But i'll write 5...
- Write an award-winning fiction (if possible, direct it too)
- Buy a house in Florence
- Adopt/sponsor a child
- Cruise on ‘Freedoms Of The Seas’ with family
- Discover a mummy in Egypt by accident

3 things I can't do:
- Reach class on time
- Take a neat shot of tequila
- Be rude to people

3 things I think you should listen to:
-Your parents….they’ll always want the best for you .
-Lectures in class (saves an awful amount of time. So, when at home or with friends one can easily enjoy and not worry about studies! Besides its so difficult to sleep in lectures with teacher speaking continuously for 45 min.)
-NEWS (respecting the importance of 46 chromosomes given by God, we as the most intelligent beings should be aware of our surroundings)

3 shows I watched as a kid: i was a huge TV buff back then
-Small wonder
-Dekh bhai dekh on DD.
-Duck tales and lots of other cartoons

3 things I want in a relationship: actually 4...
- Unconditional love
- Respect
- Honesty and trust

3 things about the opposite sex that appeal to me:
- Intelligence
- Good manners
- Good looks and physique

3 of my favorite hobbies:
-Dancing…my best stress buster!
-Photography
-Day dreaming

3 beverages I drink regularly:
-Juice
-Coffee (black and strong)
-Tang
(Although nothing beats the ‘gol-gappe wala pani’..but yeah i know thats not a beverage and nor do I drink it regularly )

3 things I like about myself:
-I retain my calm even in the most demanding situations
-I prefer being a perfectionist
-Good listener

3 things I hate about myself:
-My slogging at work even when people around are irresponsible.
-Bathing on alternate days in winters…ok ppl out there I confess but I cant help it… the freeze just kills!
-Over analyzing everything

3 of my everyday essentials:-
-My ‘every season emergency kit’ which contains everything; ranging from a cold cream to a stapler.
- Water bottle
- Cell phone

3 things I am wearing right now:
-A cool T-shirt that I got from Big FM

-Baby blue PJs.
-I’m also wearing copious amount of oil in my hair, if u count that.

2 truths and a lie:
-I’ve never lied to grand ma
-Left the house saying that I’m going for tuitions when actually went to a friend’s place for party.
-A lie…ummm.. I’ve been to NASA.

3 people I want to tag:-
-Anuradha
-Meghna
-Dash

You're TAGGED!!There you go...:)

ONE LIFE TO...

LIFE...... its strange how casually and blasphemously we take it ....little do we understand its significance. Only those who have been on the thin line separating life from death can gauge its importance and know the miracle this four lettered word is...

Unfortunately or fortunately, I’m one of them.

It was 29th sep and the eve of my birthday. I was in anticipation of the next day as it was going to be special this time. One of my best friends had flown to Delhi especially for the occasion and I was going to meet her and others after a long time. We had vividly charted out the whole thing.

But this wasn't meant to be…

As the night progressed, I started feeling uneasy; by midnight I was shivering badly and in the wee hours was taken to a doctor. I was diagnosed with a fatal form of Dengue arboviral fever 2 days hence. Hospitalized immediately, the trauma thus began… from the emergency ward to special care to private ward…the journey was a hell. Nurses pried on me 24*7, injected needles in my body from every possible angle, ultrasounds, x-rays…doctors came at regular intervals and eyed suspiciously at my condition which was getting critical as the days were progressing...

In bed, half-conscious and helpless, it was then that I realized what life actually means- to me, to my parents, to my loved ones. Thoughts came and went out of my mind. I recalled what people had said….

Life is a responsibility, perform your duties- parents had said

Life is a mystery waiting to be unfold- grandma had said

Life is a party, enjoy hard- friends had said

Life is a goal, achieve it- teachers had said

One life to love- a friend in love said

But what relevance did all these sayings hold for me lying there on the mercy of drugs and oxygen mask??

I opened my eyes and looked around. The room was swarmed with visitors who had come to ask about my well-being. But I was looking for someone else. The door opened and my dad entered with the doctor. My grandma was sitting beside my bed, holding my hand. Mother was standing behind her, timid and teary eyed. As the doctor began his check-up, I looked towards my parents, into their eyes, which were filled with fear, love and reluctance. I couldnt help but smile at their attempts to look calm and composed. I got what I was looking for …. My answer .… life means YOU, said their eyes.

All my doubts concerning life were cleared. Life is one which a person lives for another human being, It aint any mystery or party or goal or anything.. Life isn’t lived for selfish purposes because then it wouldn’t be called life, it would be a mere existence! Cats, dogs, other animals...they simply exist….It’s in the innate nature of humans to ‘live’ for others but sadly we are forgetting this subtle thing because of our complex lifestyles. Life is a blessing and thus meant to be lived selflessly. Life would be a wonderful journey if people understood this.

Ok, agreed, one scoop of selfishness at times wouldn’t hurt as a bonus!

And from that point on I decided to live life for my parents, not to disappoint them in any way and make them proud. I tried to catch up with them on the lost time that I had given to other people who now hold little importance. It was a time to amend things, life-style and relations.
Of course, there is another close group of people too for whom I share the same feelings and some others towards whom the degree of selflessness varies per se…

My stay at hospital also gave me a reality check of the surroundings. I was humbled by seeing the kind of ailments the patients adjoining my room were suffering from and empathized with them. Besides, I conveniently demarcated my ‘supposedly good friends’ and ‘SMS’ friends from real friends. Priorities in life became clear.

Slowly my condition began to show improvement and when more friends, family and relatives used to pour in to see me, the environment would become a celebration of sorts. I enjoyed all the gup-shups and chit-chatting among them and used to feel disappointed when they left, thinking of the boring night that would follow.

By the time I was finally discharged, I had made friends with many nurses and doctors. I left the hospital feeling contended and happy… not just happy because I had thwarted Dengue out of my system but also because a new meaning of LIFE had dawned upon me which would make my life worth living… not just for myself, but also for others!

FACTS STRANGER THAN FICTION....we wince no more!

A princess with long golden hair...A wicked stepmother who sends poisoned apples...A witch being pushed into a baking oven by two tiny kids...A mermaid who is reduced to foam because she can't hurt her beloved....A mother who dies to save her son from a certain dark wizard, leaving him a realm of protection and a scar.Strange stories....my childhood passed as I escaped into these worlds.

A 6 year old girl is pushed into an oven because she, coming from a lower caste dared to cross a road 'owned' by someone from a higher caste. She shrieks and screams as her flesh peels away...nobody comes to her rescue. ..... A certain husband claims that his wife committed suicide, when the whole country knows better...the candles burned and melted..the placards were painted and washed away...'suicide' claimed the woman whom he loved. ..... A 25 year old youth was butchered by his girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend. The duo then burnt the peices,dumped it in a forest… and went out to dinner! .... A 15 year old schoolgirl killed by her father (maybe with consent of her mother too) Her throat was slit open and she was left to bleed to death in her own room....Stranger facts....inescapable reality.How long can we wince as we read these news and turn the page? How long can we close our eyes and pretend? How long can we not hear the shouts? Not answer the questions raised? How long can we just shrug....Fact is stranger than fiction?????

Earlier I used to find a horrified fascination in reading about the deeds of fellow humans and what they are capable of. But I soon realized that no matter what, demon exist in the form of people. And they will continue their outrageous acts. We want to have the power to stop these things but we can’t. Why is that?? I think because all this news over a period of several decades has rendered us incapable of feeling the pain, the loss because we hear the news everyday, see it on our TV screen everyday when there is nothing better to do. Momentarily we sympathize and the next instance change the channel to some saas-bahu saga. We don’t feel what’s happening around. All that is left to be cared about is the latest trend at levis, the gadget in fad or the latest music on our external drive. Yeah…facts are stranger than fiction.

All the chapters in our heart are closed just like the files in a police record... Yet we all wish for something which can be done-for us, for ourselves, for this society.
Do I have a conclusion? Nope.