Vicious Circle of Life!!

I am pretty sure there are lots of persons who would disagree just on seeing the title but from my personal experience many a times i feel that life surely is a vicious circle. Why so a friend asked me recently.. my reply was its for you to discover that .. Looking back at my own past. As a child when I was so carefree I wanted to be a grown up adult so as to get the freedom which as a child would always wish for. Now as a adult we just want to shed our responsibilities and would give anything to go back in time just to be as carefree as a child. There are so much other instances that can be easily quoted at least from my life. When I was doing my undergrad I just wanted to go out and start working to earn money , and when I did start working i soon got tired of the monotonicity of life. I am right now doing my grad studies and here I am just wishing to get back to work to earn the green stuff. So Contradictory but then so Real.

I am pretty confident that a person who had understood whats the true meaning of life would surely appreciate living every point of it . Guess I really need to start working on that aspect. i have read somewhere that our life is actually a circle.. think about it.. We are born to this world as a baby, helpless and who needs full attention for survival, we grow stronger each day till we come to our prime, then comes slowly the reversal process of growing old. We soon become old and there comes a time where we need help for every single thing and we depart . The curious case of Benjamin Buttons has almost depicted it to perfection.

Hoping to see the world in a better light and enjoy what it gives ....

On Valentine's Day

A Dear Friend...

On Valentine's Day
I could never forget
a dear friend like you.
You're truly one of
the kindest souls
I've met.
You've been there for me
the whole year through,
and I could never express
how much I appreciate
all you do.
and I'm sending you
this Valentine,
because I want you to know
that your heart touched mine

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mon Cher Amie

Dunno when she and I became friends.. even if i go unwound the past i am sure it will still be a mystery. But to this day I am thankful for Lord... for letting him have his Angel as mon cher Amie..

She is always there when i need some one to listen to me, some one to get angry on, some one to cry to, some one who can advice me... some one I can just be myself.. There's so much to write abt .. and am sure if i start writing i can surely name it as Book of friends... I am proud of mon cher amie.. She has made me what I am now .. everytime i am in bit of soup I still run to her for help..

Time has now passed and now so has its effects passed on to our friendship.. we had kept all the promises..... like we would be there for each others wedding.. she would take an appointment and meet me in my office.. we would say to our grandchildren abt our beloved friendship.., but now mon amie claims that I am forgetting her..



Today is her bday.. and this is for her..



My dearest Amiga....

.....You are very dear to me

...........How can I ever forget you

..................Special people live in heart

.......................and you are having special place in my heart

.................................You will always remain as mon cher Amie

................................................ Cause u r special. u r my gift from God

................................. ......................... to be treasured always.. ...

............................................... ..........................Forever...


.......................This is my promise for life..

Men are Cooks too.

... From a family where men in kitchen is unheard of.. From a Nation where only women folk prepare dishes..but strange are the circumstances... they change everything. I never used to help in kitchen. I used to enter to smell the beautiful aroma when my mother prepares. They always keep me spellbound. But as like how the ways of the world are.. the good times are not always to stay. I left for India for my higher studies and then after which i started working... survial on outside food though initially was a pleasure soon turned out to be bad for health.., the indian way of cooking made sure that ghee and oil are in the utmost quantity.My roomies (name dawn and vimal) and I decided its high time we enter into the culinary world. We started with the essentials stove, gas connection and plates and all the necessary stuff..

But we hit upon the roadblock in our big plans.., none of us knew cooking.;-) we all had just seen our moms cooking and never did we attempt to help her out. So our first attempt was just barely eatable. Rice was over cooked more like paysam (semi solid almost like a paste) and the curry its better not to talk abt.. we even attempted with Chicken once and after we finished having it we had our hands full yellow due to the excess tumeric...

Our Moms were not the ones to watch us do the blunder so they started coaching us through phone and internet.. My mom stays in kuwait while Dawns in neighboring state.., It was fun.,. Mom says the whole recipe through the MSN and then while cooking if doubt arises she will come on voice chat.. it was fun. She might be busy in work (she works in airlines) and when she is busy with a customer I come pinging her "Ammas how much chilly ? 1 spoon or 1.5 spoon and is it teaspoon or big one?":D

Once we were armed with the basic cooking skills and were not bad at survival we decided to upgrade ourselves to the next level. The whole new portal which was revealed to us by the internet.. our fave site are pachakam.com and bawarchi.com . we used to experiment ourselves with exquisite dishes...from carrot halwa to pepper mushroom masala and lot others..

I moved to Korea and Dawn and Vimal moved to China for Job assignments and still our cooking skill didn't go to hibernation mode there.., I started experimenting korean style.. the sauces, thakalbee, bulkogee, kimchi... and we all came back and guess what.. we started doing fusion stuff.. Indo Korea, Thai Indo.. and some times when we are experimenting we just name something to it.. I remember the Chicken do Pyaza, Tuna Afghani.. nd many more..

Now don't u think that we were experimenting ourselves... my family had come and judged it and passed us.. . Dawns had come and also passed us.. Vimal's girl friend had come and said she couldn't believe that we cooked the appam and stew ourselves..

I wonder why at least from our side of state men are made to stay away from kitchen.. maybe its just the fact that men are truly good in mastering things..but i do agree to the fact that behind every success story of a man there is a woman.. and for us .. it was our mothers.., ;-)

some of the moments I had when i was with my roomies..

Gulab Jamun time.,


Parippu vada prepraration


Cooking in Korea


in US

Chassidy

...... ..... ..... ..... .... ..... .. ... ... ... .... ...... ..... ...... ...... ..... ....... ...... .... .. .......Actually my mind right now is just moving on like the dots in front..... The sight today which I saw made the greatest impact on me.. I don't think I have ever been influenced so much before....... before I go much into what exactly this is all abt and of course what exactly Chassidy means...

I am a person who takes matters revolving around work and studies seriously... Mybe even of life and relationship.. Guess that accounts for everything..So come work or studies If I have a deadline I do it round the clock to get it done.. Come Exams I never feel confident enough.. study this. study that.. it never ends.. and of course I keep wondering why God has abandoned me then... Might be too often I blame Allmighty for not helping me out.... Yeah i Do crib a lot to him on our personal communication channel..

After 4 years of work...being quite successful at what I was... I came here to Univ Of Texas to do my Masters.. and now and then I sometimes feel bad abt .. again being dependant on others.. like being short on money always.. asking for rides from others.... getting back to studies.., and so on..kinda judge me now ? Yeah I do know Life is not a bed of roses and there is no straight path .. and its full of challeneges.. and if there is no challeneges and no surprises then life would be monotonic and Black And White.. but yeah I do tend to crib when things dont go the way I feel... and the other person who listens to all my problem is my mom.. She hears me day and night.. and prays for the same.. yeah.. Its a big relief having both of them at the standby posts just to hear my worriees and calming me down...

Well next week is my Mid term for one of my courses and I was on my way to Study hall in the Central Library..Was wondering how long will i need to be there.. planning out my Algorithm course study schedule and my mid term study preparations...I pressed the up button on the elevator and was waiting for it to come.. in midst of thoughts.. i saw a Smiling face.. A face which had absolutely no worries... a lady who's face could bring u instant calmness.. my thought process stopped when i returned back a smile to her.. she was on a wheel chair.. she was not just having any disabilities.. she had only half of all her limbs.. they were just like stubs on her body...but She was still moving in a totally capable manner with her chair.... She was well dressed and even had a nice handbag on her shoulders... I asked her which floor she wanted to go and pressed the same for her.. She dropped off at her floor and went to some section I couldnt see from the elevator..,

when the elevator stopped at the floor i wanted to get down . I was not able to .. I wanted to know more abt her.., I wanted to talk to her.. I pressed the floor which she got down and saw her near the computer. She was in front of that looking on to the screen. I am really clueless on how she got on to that page.. I introduced myself and as like any other person in US. they were quite not sure how an Indian got such a Roman name and ..she introduced herself as Chassidy.. A Junior doing her studies in psychology.. a proper resident at texas.. She said that she used to come to library often and we parted by telling each other that we will catch up..

I till this point thought I had a tough time with my life..but here is Chassidy..who is taking Life as it gives to her.. and is living the life to its fullest in her means... she doesnt show any remorse or being left alone.. she infact is competing woth other students on their same level... She really made me feel a lot for my lack of confidence and my continual needless worries.. Sometimes we really don't tend to appreciate the good things in life we just see the bad parts and judge by it..So much that we even kill the joy of good things in our life.. but Chassidy has made me look into my life in a whole new perspective... and hope that it might bring some enlightment to those who are reading this and has the bad tendencies like me.....

IRB

Piqued with curiosity on what is IRB? Tried Googling for it? Well It doesn't stand for International Rugby Board.. Well Hold on to ur horses... and Read on

She studied with me from my pre- school days onwards, Head to head in every class. Raced her to it most of the times

Well . Found her in orkut some month back or more i guess.I was putting a pose with her in one of ma class photo .so when we met We migrated from Orkut, to Yahoo and finally to SMS and then phone .

Of course 12-14 years gap makes u say lotsssa things. Filling in each other makes u keep on the move k..Is she mallu(from Kerala ,My Home place)??

Naturally a proper Keralite Christian Catholic. Well we filled in each other our past, present and future views .So she had a previous boyfriend, and somehow it was broken and it happened some time back I knew she was feeling sad about it and I know what u will be saying "and u sympathized with her?" Anyway . we were talking about the school crushes and she was saying that I had crush on one of the girls of our class who was the 2nd competitor to me and she said she will disappear for me to have a straight line with her. It made me uneasy on hearing this anyway there were many lines in which I felt there was a certain double meaning .I was talking about ma bro marriage and how my mom will also be soon looking out for me and she said “I will jump in front of ur mom hoping that she will notice her” again took that as a joke. We went on to discuss how our future spouses will be like and I said normal things with one addition that my wife should be able to read ma mind ( so that she can escape if I am in hot temper) she soon reckoned that she can very well read ma mind .Many a times got uneasy feeling which I remarked to Dawn(Ma Roomie) who suspected something goofy happening every moment she comes to chat and me with my smile.

There came a point at which she said she was very lonely and I commented that "U wanting a boyfriend or wat ?" and she said yes .Me in my helpful way said ok till u get a actual one I can be a virtual one . of course I had no qualms of saying that as she was my oldest and a very good pal she was like u serious ? I said that i will act like one till she find one on her own then got the title of IRB (Inter mediate Replacement Boyfriend )but she wanted me to be the permanent one though she didn’t say specifically in her conversations it was pretty much clear .Dawn was a witness to whole of this . Anyway.She was like why can’t she be the gal in ma life .I usually voided that question ,frankly Dawn and ma pals said I was mad and they were asking why couldn’t I be? She wanted to have "deep conversations".Wondered what they were but then realized it something like heart to heart romantic talk.

I would love ma pals to say that I have some gal but somehow i couldn’t see her as one in ma life .Guess major factor was she was my competitor and she shifting to.Of course I didn’t feel that way and dawn was wondering if I got rocks in ma mind She once told me to blurt out She wanted to know why I couldn’t see her as the gal in ma life .Finally came a point where she asked whether I came to be as an IRB just to get her out of loneliness feelings. and I thought for some time on how to reveal it out and then said its better for all rather than making it out all murky so I said yes and I told that the major factor was a gal in ma past and i slowly said about a cock and bull story of a girl in ma past and how it was a unsuccessful one :-) .Come on I needed to say some excuse to stop her from becoming serious and that was a perfect story , Of course How could I say to her that I was out waiting for ma mother’s choice of gal and me being Mother’s boy…. Anyway …. She quite understood me… and Went on to reveal her full story ….. she started with an apology abt she forcing me to be her boyfriend.. then she said why she did the same. It was like she had a boyfriend whom she loves dearly but due to some reasons they were kinda far apart .. due to a petty incident.. and she wanted him to be jealous and I came into pic.. and she wanted me to be so that she could show him that there was another person… Man… anyway… was happy that it turned out to be this way…. Anyway .. now I cleared her misunderstandings of her guy and assured that its gonna be all right soon. Hoping it will be soon all-right for her… funny huh….

Thought this was the end to it but then ma roomie on coming to know of this ending asked.. "You still didn't figure it out, right?" I watched him with ma puzzled face... He then took his time to explain to me that I just broke a gal's Heart and she in the end made up a story just to make me feel good.. I was aghast.. Told him No way.. But then later till this day.. The question remains "Did she or did she not ?" and I still wonder about it ...

Jjim Jil Bang

The name itself gives you the mystic shaman effect.. Even I felt the same when I first heard it while doing a shopping on the fashion streets of Meyong Dong @Seoul. My friend popped up the question of how about a night at Jjim Jil Bang.. He explained to me it was the Korean Sauna/Spa house and u can spend your time relaxing and getting your body toned.. But he warned me that u need to get naked.. Oh Boy!! Taking common bath in your birthday suite with Koreans itself was something I was just getting used to.. and this was something I was totally not prepared for. But from my colleagues and Korean friends I understood that Jjim Jil Bang was a usual resort and is very helpful for you to relax..

So now eager to visit this place, I plucker up my courage and Get the directions for one of the best Jjim Jil Bang... (Jjim Jil --> Korean spa/ Sauna/ bath house and Bang normally stands for room) and I was advised to visit the Heurest Well being Club.. since I was planning to spend the night there I arrived at Meyong dong(the place where its situated) at around 9pm.I got assistance from a 5 star hotel's Bell boy by giving me a map of the locality and pointing to me the destination point in the map. These guys are real helpful.. Now armed with a map I started scouting the streets and successfully reached at the Heurest Building.. The reception was at the 15th floor. The receptionist said to me that it was 4000 wons (approx 4 dollars) for just sauna and extra 1000 wons for Jjim Jil Bang.. I was bowled over hearing the prices.. So cheap.. She handed me a cotton T Shirt and a shorts and a locker number and said I can stay upto 12 hours. I was like. Oh Boy.. Here I go..

I put my valuables into the locker for which i got the key and then entered the hall. I saw men going to the the sauna section. Yeah they were all stark naked. Seeing i had to go with the flow. Even i removed my clothing and kept them in the second locker and went into the sauna section. One side was filled with the shower for bath. It was a pre-requite to take a complete bath and be squeaky clean before you use the sauna... So After my meticulous bath i look around.. wondering the first step... I see a Mild warm water pool, then a hot water pool and sonic effect pool and finally a cold water pool. I tried in sequence giving each 5 minutes. Oh boy the hot water pool was actually hot.. I felt like a chicken being boiled in a hot water.. actually there are the therapies of hot spring water from natural sources.. but since its the modern world we have a plain pool effect.. then i see the 2 sauna's.. the wet and the dry sauna.. After reading up the small description which was thankfully written for us foreigners in english. i understood that dry sauna was where perspiration which happens from the body is evaporated fast giving you a cooling effect and wet sauna is where you perspire the most.. I got into the wet sauna.. Man. it was hot and i was perspiring like anything..I was wondering how i will keep a track of time when i see this quaint hourglass. i reset the hourglass and start watching the hourglass so that time frame will be over..As soon as the last bit of sand fell into the lower part of the hour glass i jumped out of the room and allowed myself to be cooled.. then took my chances with the dry sauna.. I realized that my assumption of wet Sauna was the hottest was absolutely wrong.. Here i was having the absolute heat sensation.. Again hour glass came to rescue and i was walking up and down the room as sitting at one place was making my lower part fried.. finally i get out of the sauna to see the Body scrub man waiting for me. I figured out who he is by seeing the scrubber in his hands.. explained to me in koreanglish that the body scrub was 10000 wons.. I was expecting the ladies to come and do the scrubbing as in many other JJim Jil Bangs.. anyway I went with him where he made me lie on a stretcher sort of bed with a headrest. he wraps the netted stuff around his hand and starts scrubbing my body with expertise.. Since i had just come from the sauna my body was all soft and the scrubbing was removing the dead skins away ... After his expert scrubbing.. my body felt baby smooth and light.. I again took a bath and put back the blue uniform which they had given me initially.. The sauna floor was complete in all stuffs.. from Men's saloon to coffee shop, and even Big screen TV... I was wondering ok I have seen the sauna and how about the Jim Jil Bang.. and i cautiously asks the male receptionist. who said it was on the 17th floor.

I walk up the stairs and discover that the women's sauna is on the 16th floor (I wondered if they too were having the same setup) and then i reach the 17th floor. Unlike the sauna the Jjim Jil bang are unisex and I suddenly felt myself in a combination of Mars and Venus as the men were all wearing the blue uniform and the ladies reddish pink. even though i went in the middle of Summer. even though i went on the middle of the week(summer) i still find the place full. Couples, business men, retires persons. All with the one purpose to have a healthy way of spending the evening be it for business discussions/ or with their dates or just like that.. of that the date concept I liked.. This would be the cheapest Date and the most healthiest date.. Who can beat a 5 $ date.. and that too which can go for hours. Here in Jim Jill Bang we find exquisite saunas like charcoal sauna, yellow sand sauna , Oxygen room, jade ice room. Coming from a place where avuyrvedic and massage is the best i was like .. ok let me try the Korean way of staying healthy... Koreans are health freaks... They are so conscious in what they eat and how the best to maintain their body. No wonder the Jjim Jill Bangs are always crowded. After taking a cursory glance on each sauna's description I understood that after every 10 mins session in a sauna u must use the Jade Ice cold room . This was stated as it said it will reduce the wrinkles and stuff..

I first entered into the Yellow sand sauna. It was written that these yellow sand emit infra red rays and these are helpful for our body.. So there i enter.. Place looks literally yellow with wooden walls.. and I lie there for around 10 minutes.... I see 2 persons talking business there and i was just trying to concentrate with the sweat flowing through my every pores in ma body.. after a 10 mins session i get out and go straight to the Jade Ice room where I felt myself getting into a freezer. It was written outside that repeated contractions and expansions of blood cells will help increasing the blood circulation and also reduce the wrinkles. After a 2 minutes session with miss Jade Ice cold room I jumped out to to get into the charcoal sauna room. This sauna is supposed to purify ur body from all the unwanted dirt in our body.. There were ladies also in the room Sitting in yoga position.This room was really getting hot.. Well it was not the ladies which made it hot but the fact that this room was being maintained at 77deg Celcius . A Korean lady even struck up a conversation with me, we both spoke gibbersih and we seemed to be pleased to the fact that we understood each other. after a 15 mins session again back to the Jade ice room. after a cycle of 3 sessions revolving charcoal , yellow sauna and jade ice cold i finally went to the oxygen room. Funny enough There are oxygen bars now becoming very popular and the oxygen content in the room is higher than normal and it kinda helps u in clearing ur mind, sharpening the thoughts and also increase ur metabolic rates .. Even this room was heated to a high degree..After these sauna experiences i went to have a Automated body massage which felt so refreshing . By this time it was way past midnight and my stomach was grumbling and my body felt dehydrated. I went to the coffee shop and ordered a snack and then went to the dorm where i slept on one of the bunks which was having a a nice view of Seoul through its adjacent window.I slept very comfortably that night with my body feeling so free of every impurity it had.
Korean sauna is a must be for every foreigner either to just see how korean sauna is or to just plain relax...