Here come the Rains!

The clouds were creating a ruckus this morning and in a while the entire place darkened. Within minutes the rain came pelting down. Seeing the first rains the children in the building excitedly ran down and began prancing around in the rain. Their joy was so palpable that I was almost tempted to join in their revelry.

The first rains hit our locality bringing in the good news that the heat would soon die down. I sat on the balcony ledge gazing out looking at the lil rivulets that were running all around our compound. The cool wind rushed past with so much force that the rain came in through the landing, sending water streaming down the stairs.

I prefer being indoors when it’s raining. I like to sit on our balcony ledge sipping hot masala chai and biting into piping hot vegetable bhajias while gazing out as the rains make the surroundings look squeaky clean!!! The rains make the earth give out a wonderful fragrance and nature looks green and abundant. The weather turns pleasant and it takes quite an effort to leave ones bedside in the morning.

Of course, there is the downside too. Clothes don’t dry. The roads abound in potholes and puddles. Traffic gets chaotic. Traveling becomes a hazard! Umbrellas prove useless as the rain still succeeds in soaking you wet!

While commuting to work, I pass through a place called Aarey Colony. This place is privately owned and maintained and one pays a toll fee to ply by this road. It’s a good 15 minute stretch by vehicle however it’s a joy traveling through the Aarey road. This is one place where greenery abounds. The road is like a slithering snake with forests on either side of it. There is a lake halfway down the road near a place called Chota Kashmir, also known as Observation Point. It’s a pleasure traveling down this road and during the monsoons this place takes on a different appearance. It’s simply beautiful! The lake is filled to the brim and shimmers in the morning sunlight. The trees blossom and are covered with flowers, most of which drop over the road, forming a carpet of flowers.

Ah the rains! I look forward to the onslaught of the monsoons dreading it at the same time :)

The Spark in my life

I remember growing up with a love for animals. I recall pestering my dad to get home an elephant or a tiger or a horse, and he'd patiently explain that it would be difficult to keep such animals at home. So I settled for a dog. And dad shrewdly ensured that I did well each year at school promising me a dog which never came. I got smart and started bringing home stray pups that I'd find. I'd bathe the pup with my expensive shampoo; line its basket with my old clothes. When I'd get back from school/college and in later years from work, I'd find that the pup had mysteriously disappeared from home. But I never gave up hoping that one day I'd bring my family around to my school of thought. My dream was shattered however when my brother married and we got to know that my sis in law was petrified of pups leave alone dogs. I wondered if I'd ever realize my dream, and then came 'Sparky'.

A year back my neighbor Conan in the opposite building chanced upon an abandoned pup at a petrol station and the lil tyke was so mischievous that he adopted it. Here was a dream come true, somehow Sparky and I got along like a house on fire. And at last I had a dog of my own without having to own one. When I get back from work and my auto is at the gate, Sparky doesn't even wait for me to alight. He's into the auto nudging me out and joyfully welcoming me. I just have to whistle and Sparky wherever he is comes running up home. He's of course not allowed in when sis in law is home, but otherwise he believes he's as much a part of the household as we are.

It's amazing to see the love that an animal can have for his owner/s. Sparks loves to play and literally pounces on you to get you to gambol around with him. Sometimes when I get back from work and am too tired to play with Sparks or take him for a walk, he quietly sits down beside me and I'm stunned to see how astute he is to my moods. When I'm down or have had a rough day at work, he invariably manages to cheer me up no matter what.

I must be blessed, to have a pet that I'd always dreamed off and that too without having to go through the pains of bringing up one. Indeed he's a spark in my life.

Sparky patiently waiting for a tidbit.

A Few Words That Define Life

The most destructive habit - Worry
The greatest Joy - Giving
The greatest loss - Loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work - Helping others
The ugliest personality trait - Selfishness
The most endangered species - Dedicated leaders
Our greatest natural resource - Our youth
The greatest "shot in the arm" - Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome - Fear
The most effective sleeping pill - Peace of mind
The most crippling failure disease - Excuses
The most powerful force in life - Love
The most dangerous pariah - A gossiper
The world's most incredible computer - The brain
The worst thing to be without - Hope
The deadliest weapon - The tongue
The two most power-filled words - "I Can"
The most worthless emotion - Self-pity
The most beautiful attire - SMILE!
The most prized possession - Integrity
The most contagious spirit - Enthusiasm

Monsters Inc.

The few vacations that I take are spent with my elder sis who's based in Dubai. And when there I spend time with my adorable niece and nephew watching animation movies. I guess that's where I must have developed a love for animation movies. In fact my collection of movies is as impressive as theirs :)

My favorite one happens to be "Monsters Inc." This is one movie that I love. I happened to be in one of my down moods and needed cheering up. So out came Monsters Inc which didnt fail to bring out a chuckle from me.

What is it that I find so endearing in this movie. Is it the simplicity? The fantasy of a world of monsters? Or the innocence of the little child? The relationship that the toddler shares with 'Sulley'- supposedly the scariest monster in the movie is unique and one of its kind.

The movie is worth watching just to see the lumbering, loveable Sulley and the wise-cracking Mike Wazowski. Sulley and Mike work at Monsters, Inc; the biggest scream processing plant in Monstropolis, but when one little child wanders into their world, it's the monsters who are scared silly. Thinking she is dangerous and toxic, Sulley and Mike do their best to return her to her bedroom. And it's here where the interplay between Sulley and the toddler come into play.

This is one movie I never tire watching!