The Flame Tree

As I sped down the dusty lane
The gulmohar caught my eye.
The flame tree, in its scarlet splendour
Waved me a flowery goodbye.

It seems like yesterday
When we had gathered in its shade
In the evenings after school
And on every holiday.

It stood tall and resolute
Weathering rain and shine.
A silent witness to our lives
Laughter, joy and pain.

Early spring burst in bloom
Laden with fiery red.
Come autumn, brown and bare
The very last leaf shed.

It lets go, and tells us too
That moving on is part of the plan.
It is not the destination,
But the journey that maketh the man.

Dinner for Two

June 2 - H's birthday. Brings back fond memories of the first of his birthdays since we got together. His birthday came early in our "face to face" relationship. And I was all set to grab my chance to get things moving. This one is for posterity... and for the English alphabet.

1. G for Generous
I call him up at 12 midnight. Was way too sleepy to wish him properly, but soon learn that Pooja, the *&%#^&*, had called him up at 11 already. Because she's at home (in Barhampur, Orissa - go ahead, look it up), and wont be able to get at the phone at midnight, she went ahead and called him up an hour early. That takes very good care of the surprise element. He knew beforehand that I would call, so didn’t bother to go to sleep...!!! How G!

2. T for Thoughtful
I send him flowers. Or rather, had MC send him flowers (Am yet to pay MC for it. My IOUs to MC calls for a separate post).Was I expecting too much when I thought he'd call up to say thanks ?? Anyway, he sends me an email to say thanks. How T! And so I call him up anyway - to wish him properly, in my full hosh-o-hawaas.

3. R for Romantic
I ask him for a birthday treat, and he says his friends are busy. How R! I insist on a dinner for just the two of us, telling him I will be way too embarrassed if his friends show up. So he gracefully agrees on dinner for two. It was a Friday and I was on production support that day, so I was back home by 5.30 pm. Some hurried priming and preening later, I wait and wait for his call, which finally comes at 9.30 pm. And you know the rest.. there was this problem in office... no-one knows how to solve it...blah blah blah. Its a good thing that he remembered to call me up then. Little did I know that this was just a precursor to the rest of my life with him. Cant say I was not warned.

4. U for Understanding
He says we will make it Saturday night, but also lets slip that his friends will not make it as they are going to watch Fanaa. Whatever happened to "dinner for two"?? Understanding wife-to-be that I am, I ask him to go ahead and watch Fanaa. After all, what’s in a dinner ??? How U!

5. S for Sweet
At long last we meet up on Sunday, at Eden, Besant Nagar, which is the best vegetarian restaurant in Chennai. (According to him. What do I know about vegetarian restaurants ??)Just before I crossed the road to Eden, all the butterflies in Chennai made a beeline for my tummy. And for once I wished I had not asked for a "dinner for two". I just was not ready to meet him alone - I mean, its one thing to write unending mails to a faceless entity half way across the world and another to make coherent conversation across a table while a pair of eyes bore into yours. I was so flustered, my hands were shivering. And I ordered fresh lime juice instead of the sweet lime I wanted..!! In a hurry to get it over with, I give him the shirt I got for him, and Calvin n Hobbes 10th anniversary edition. He loves Calvin n Hobbes. And he likes the shirt too, says blue is his favourite colour. He looks perfectly at ease, as cool as a cucumber, and puts me completely at ease. How S! Teri har gunah maaf!

6. L for Lucky
And then, just when I had clawed my way back into normalcy, lady luck frowns on me, and my hair clip broke, bringing down a cascade of freshly shampooed hair right into the soup (I must mention here that my hair clips have a habit of breaking into two, all by themselves and in order not to let them get the better of me, I carry spare hairclips in my handbag. I am resourceful, are'nt I? ). So I dig into my (universally famous) handbag to get the spare one, which as is wont, broke even before I could clasp it on. So there I sat, my hair falling loose all over while I plough my way through dinner and dessert. At last he gets up to wash his hands (before they could bring on the finger bowls), and I get to plait my hair. I am so darn L!

Phew. So much for "dinner for two"...!!!

New Haircut

Finally, I did it !! I cut my hair short. And yes, it is a major milestone, one worth a post! Its been years since I wished to cut my long tresses short. I've wanted to do it since I started growing it long. More as a means to escape the endless ritual of oiling, washing, brushing, blow-drying and styling my hair into submission than any desire to look beautiful. I believe there's more to the beholder and her eyes than I can illude by a mere haircut.

My mom was a huge fan of my long hair, the only one that I know of. There is only one reason it took me so long to take the step. And thats mamma. To cut a long story short, I finally cut my hair short. And my mom loved it !!! There's one thing I regret though. I didnt get a "before" picture. Its only after I sent the "after" pic to everyone that I realized this omission. I have searched high and low for a pic that shows my hair in all its lengthy glory, but then, why would someone click when I was looking the other way ?

Namma Chennai..

It feels wonderful to be back in Chennai. I hadn't realized just how much I have missed the city. I used to think it was my gang of friends that I missed. Now I realize the place has its own charm amidst all the cacophony of share-rics, MTC buses and bullock carts. The house that we have rented is very cozy, though its nothing when compared with Eden (where we used to live before we shifted to Hyderabad). Nevertheless, after checking out the rental scene at Chennai, I feel a tad lucky to get such a "clean" house. We did see a beautiful penthouse apartment, which had its own private terrace with a beautiful view. On the flipside, it had 3 bedrooms and is a bit too big for a family of two. We'd probably get lost trying to find each other! So its a modest 2 BHK on the ground floor for now.

It does take a little effort to get used to "normal" life, outside the ISB campus. Campus life was so eventful, life outside seems to be in perpetual slow motion. H has a more daunting task, at least I had some taste of life outside campus on a daily basis. Suddenly he has a lot of time on his hands, and literally nothing to do till he joins work. Sometimes I feel lucky not to be in his stead! Its a bit hectic at work, leading a team from a remote location is not an easy task. It gets boring, working without a team here. There are talks of starting a team here in Chennai, and I am pushing with all my might. Lets see where it goes. Life has settled into a routine now. Need to bring in some life, catch up with some old friends, invite them over for lunch some day. After all, why should only H suffer ??!! :) :)

Cognizant Makes it to Fortune 1000

Based on 2007 revenues, Cognizant enters Fortune list at 859 - in the 14th year of operation. Way to go..!!!

Yem Bee Yay !!!

Its D-day. H has realized his MBA dream.. and I, have conveniently pushed GMAT and the official guide to the back burner. For now, I'll bask in the reflected glory of an ISB alumni and stake my claim to fame on a pseudo-MBA.

Tomorrow, we say good-bye to this beautiful campus that was our home for a year, and to the wonderful city of Hyderabad. I am going to miss ISB, my "small" gang of friends, my team, midnight dunking, sizzlers at City Centre, movies at INOX and IMAX, haleem during Ramadan and a myriad other things which may seem trivial but contributed to making the past year the most wonderful and happening period in my life.

It was a steep learning curve, both professionally and personally, and I look forward to returning to Hyderabad, in pursuit of yet another dream... hmmm.. Co2010, maybe?

Happy B'day to Me !!!

Celebrated my birthday today - with 3 cakes !!! One from H, one from SFA and one at office. Getting dunked first is a privilege reserved for the birthday boy/girl, but I managed to get H dunked first.. It was fun, but I would still rate one of my previous birthdays as the best so far. Simply because I missed having a few of my very close friends with me, this time around.

The day also acted as a much needed "flight of time" check. Its been 10 years since I wrote my Class X board exams. Boy, you sure feel old when you look at it that way! At 25, one would have believed the colorful days of lollipops and balloons are past. Well, I beg to differ.. I am not convinced about the whole idea of growing up. I am not there. No, not yet.