Massage !!

 
The appointment was initially booked for my wife but she had to reschedule it as she had to travel out side the city. So when I called them and asked for rescheduling the appointment they said they would charge $30 for rescheduling. So without a second thought I decided to use that schedule for me.It has been so long that I have been looking forward for my first massage. I have read a lot about massages, visited their websites and was excited about the pleasure it brings when the warm oil meets the lazy muscles, to pamper the muscles to release all those tension and feel light. I always wanted one for a long time but never happened to book it as priorities often shifted gears and now here I was on my way for my first massage. I had no clue on to what was to happen there but I had heard from my wife that their ambience was soothing and the background music takes your thoughts into deep mystic woods to been lost and floating through it. As soon I reached there the front office gave me a form to fill it and as I did the paper work they had columns like what kind of massage you wanted and from my experience with all those readings before I wrote that I needed deep tissue and sports massage. I gave back the form to the young lady there at the front desk and she asked me to wait as my massage therapist would call me. I waited there in their couch flipping pages of an old fashion magazine.
 

  Soon a lady in her early 20’s called my name and she introduced her as Natasha and told that she would be my massage therapist. She walked me to the massage room that was having a full length table like i have seen at Doctors office. She told me that I could relax and remove what is needed and she would be back in some time. I removed my watch, my glasses, my cell phone and my shoes and I waited for her at the chair placed in the corner of the room. As I waited I observed the room and it had all that’s needed for to create a  perfect massage ambience. A Chinese music playing in background, aromatic candles burning to fill the air with those relaxing aroma, a show table on the other corner with few show pieces on it like a small china man, Chinese dragon and few Chinese symbols which I did not understand. I waited for her to begin my first massage and after few minutes she knocked on the door and I said a big yes. When she came in she was bit taken back seeing me fully clothed and I wondered why which I realized that I need to remove my shirt and trousers for massage. That cleared a big confusion on should I be removing them or not and now she had clearly defined it that I can remove that and place myself under the warm blanket on the massage table. I did expect for the inner wears which I had thankfully worn a nice one on that day and placed myself under the warm blanket with a thought that what a fool i was to expect the whole body massage as fully clothed. In a while she knocked again and this time I was really ready and the stage was all set to go for the first massage. We started with small talks and about my expectations and which part of the body really needed more care. She said that some people will sleep during the massage, some cry and others laugh and I was wondering what would I be doing. As she started with massage I heard a new term called muscle knot which I learned from her and she kept breaking it. The massage gained momentum accompanied by talks about muscle, life, her country Peru, life at Jacksonville and so on. Massage started with the back and it ended at my foot. 60 minutes flew like a wind and there I was after my first massage and with not sleeping nor laughing or crying but feeling relaxed and light. She told me to take my time in getting back on foot and getting dressed up as some people have a dizziness after their massage. As I stood on my feet I felt as strong as ever and after getting dressed up I walked out and there she was waiting for me with a bottle of water. I thanked her and promised to be back once in a while. As I drove back home I realized I had one wish less in my bucket list.

Mustache

 
When I was in my 8th grade I got the first few mustache hairs that started growing from no where. That was first few signs of my transition from childhood to adolescence. A beautiful stage of life where you are a rebel for no reason, you are shy to talk, you start getting the first pimples, you are concerned with your dress, you start having your little secrets and the first time you start consciously looking into mirror to see how you look like. Within few months I got few more hairs getting added to my mustache or at least it started becoming visible when you look at me from 100 meters away. It was fun but I was conscious of it. Then time flew like the morning sun and I was in my 12th grade and by that time there was significant improvement though it was still like a thin line like in the movies created during the 60’s.
 

 When I joined college I realized that my mustache was an under performer as my batch mates had strong, thick mustaches. This made me more conscious of my mustache and I started thinking of ways to accelerate the growth. People recommend that I need to shave every day so that it grows faster, but I was too reluctant to remove my little mustache. I couldn’t find any cream or tablet to accerlate the growth. During those days I went to Sabrimala and a street vendor called me and recommend 'karadi ney’ (fat from Bears skin) to be applied on my face and that could accelerate the growth. I believe this belief came under the impression that since bear have plenty of body hairs applying its fat could replicate that kind of hair growth on humans. Whatever the belief was that blew up my pride on my little mustache into thin air and made me look more conscious. Soon life at college started picking up and I started realizing that life was much more than a mustache and it was always better to keep a french beard than just a mustache. So I started trimming my beard and mustache to create a french beard. Then I realized that I did not have a connection between my mustache and my lower beard. The idea was simple, get a black marker and put some dots and connect it. I did that few days and then soon I lost interest in walking that extra mile alone. By the time I passed out of my college I had a french beard that was not best but it was good on me or in other words I considered that as the best. As years went by and now when I look back to those days I feel how foolish I was to think so much on it as I should have realized that it had a natural cycle to follow and I just had to wait through it.

The night a nation waited for !!

Well we all have started talking of the world cup that’s coming up next year and the hopes are high, as the spirit of winning last world cup has not dried up within everybody. I still remember that evening when we won the world cup as I was watching from my two-bed room in Thiruvanmayur, Chennai. We had planned extravagantly for the Finals buying in 44 bottles of beer and named it beer-festival. You never can imagine how difficult it was to transport 44 bottles from the beverages to my home and the auto guy who helped got inspired and even gave us discounts. Ahh.. the faith in humanity restored.. :) ..Anyway, in short, we were well prepared for that evening and everything was running on schedule. As the crimson light outside was fading away with the sun setting down the horizon, the hopes inside each of us was levitating.  The little crowd that I invited to share the spirit of world cup had assembled around the pile of bottles that we stacked in a beautiful order. So then it was time to do some pre-match analysis within and lots of speculation on who will win, score a century, get a hat trick. The needles of the clock was sliding beautifully in a constant fashion that brought us closer to the opening of the first ball of the world cup final 2011. As I watched my little crowd there, there had been lot of changes from what I saw in the beginning. My roommate was physically there with his eyes closed and travelling through the dreamland. He had the privilege of joining us in the pre-match analysis and going to dreamland before even seeing the first ball of the world cup final. Soon the 44 bottles emptied out with spirits within us as roaring and an entire nation swinging to ups and downs of each bowl delivered. Soon Sri Lanka was out for a modest score of 274/6 that was something that could be chased down with the strong Indian lineup.  But to make it melodramatic the Indian batting lineup was swinging sometimes making us feel victory is so close and at times giving us a bitter taste of failure. But as the story unfolded, we won the cup and then it was time for us to celebrate it, as we couldn’t contain our emotions within the four brick walls. So we decided to hit the beach and voice our celebrations. As expected we met with multiple flocks that had the same spirits and chanting Sachin and India which was breaking the silence of otherwise a peaceful night. We walked and talked and with the night moving in felt the tiredness of the hard won victory and time to hit back home. As soon I saw my bed and I fell on it and the next thing I could remember is the next day with the newspapers celebrating the victory. Now almost 4 years have passed by and the again a entire nation is waiting to taste the victory of success again!!!

A Week without Napkins !!!

Call me eco friendly or call me lazy but I have lived almost one week of my life without using one single piece of napkin. It started with last Sunday when I reached home after soccer and realized that I was running out of napkins. Since it was already dark out and running low on energy after 8-4 defeat I was not in high spirits to drive out and buy the napkins. So I decided to call my friend called procrastination and he approved my idea. The next day started cold and I woke late with my mind commanding my body to sleep more to wash of the physical wear tear of yesterdays defeat and mind won. The day raced down to evening and by the time I was out of office I thought why not go home change the business attire and put some casuals on go out for shopping. As soon I reached home to appreciate all my days work I decided to brew a cup of black tea to soothe my body and soul with the freshness and warmth of a hot tea. As the tea was brewing I opened amazon prime and just browsed to see if they had some new action movies over there and soon when i realized that earth was still moving it was 09:00 and then had to call off the idea of shopping. So that’s when I decide to use all the commercial news letters that I get through mail to replace napkins. So I identified the ones that are soft and could suck water pretty well. So I opened a new rack for my new napkin alternatives. That’s when I decided to challenge myself with this crazy idea.Then the next few days flew with me each day waiting for those news letters, advertisement that could fill my arsenal for napkin alternative. I never had so much of appreciation for all these advertisement that these big retail chains print than this week. But believe me though at times I cursed the idea most of the times I have been successful and water has been very friendly to let it absorbed by these alternatives..Now just one more day is left in my challenge to beat the belief that live without napkins is impossible :-). I will stick on for the rest of the day and who knows may be for one more week. But at times its good that such crazy ideas gives a different perspective and even play a small, a very small role to save the world.

21st AGENT OF CHANGE

Change is the word that is most beautiful at times and at times most lethal. You love change when it happens for good and you dislike it when it tears apart your comfort zone. Change touches you every day, every second with or without you knowing it. Agent of change has been having various forms throughout the different timelines in history and now when we stand in a world made smaller by those long running optical cables across it, the agent of change has never been so close to us.

Back in 90s, we had the telephone landlines that helped us to get connected with each other and as we moved towards 21st century cell phones came that made us closer. Though they made us close we were never close enough to know what exactly is happening each day in your friend’s world. Then orkut came that changed the game, the way it had been being played for all these years. Orkut brought a new dimension to our life until the day we started logging into facebook that showed us that the new dimension shown by orkut was smaller. Though I joined FB in 2007 I was never an active user. Before I write further let be clear that I am not here to write praise songs for FB.

Slowly with passage of time my inbox started getting numerous requests from my friends and from people whom I had no clue who they were, as the race to increase the friends count had started. FB had started making its mark in world’s largest democracy and the marketing gurus were realizing the potential it could open up for a one to one marketing. Initially I logged just once in a week and that soon changed to once in every day which soon ended with every couple of hours. The fun of exposing my life to others and pleasure in peeping into others life were all time high. Number of likes for every crap we put out there was like medals on the chest. I could see change sitting in my home, at park, car or even at office just by running my fingers across the smart phone. I could see change kissing my friends every second. I could see where they are, what they are doing, whom they are with, what they are eating, what they wear, did they sleep or woke up, did they exercise, do they love their mom, did they graduate, did they engage or break up, how it looks when it rains in Dubai, what movie they saw, which car they are driving and even what they are feeling right at this moment...In a nutshell I could see every second in their lives when change touches it. As we walk down further and the present becomes past and part of the history I am sure this agent of change would be remembered for a long time, for the generations to come.

1995 - Dream Faded by Magic

I was born at a time when my generation used postal service as a mode of communication. So if I had to send a piece of message to my dad who was stationed at Kashmir with his regiment, I had to walk in to a post office or an authorized centre, buy an inland, write my letter, stick it with glue and give it to amma when she goes to office next day so that she can post it. It would take few days before he gets the letter and it would be further delayed if he was on duty at the border. But hope keeps me spirited that the letter would have reached him and he would have replied to mine with a promise that he would be soon back at home with the Sony Walkman that he promised last time. After a few days I got a letter with my name written bold in ‘to’ address. I was ecstatic for two reasons, one that was the first letter that I ever had received under my name and second it had the news that he would be coming for his annual leave in May. It was only March and I was occupied with the year ending exams. Summer heat was getting hotter with each day passing by.

Temperature at Ottapalam was reaching new highs. Bharathapuzha was dry causing water shortage in the region. We always say that water level in the water well in our compound and the level of water in Bharathapuzha are same. Though never proven I wished to believe it that way. As exams ate a good number of days in March I was too close to the day in April when the world loved playing practical jokes on every one. School had announced the closing dates and it was mid of April just after the Vishu. For me Vishu always had a special place though Onam was considered the state festival of Kerala. The special part of Vishu was kaineettam which helped me raise my pocket money for the next year. My school was closed two days after Vishu got over. Amma had got a letter from dad which said that he would be landing at Ottapalam on May 7th. That gave me a new goal line that I need to target for. 

Though I was spending my vacation with the days split between mine and relatives home I always took some time off to dream on what I would be doing when I will get by Walkman. I dreamed of hearing the music in bus, on the banks of Bharathapuzha, in bed and on and on. But that was fun as they say what you heard is sweet and what is yet to be heard is sweeter. I had decided that I would go to Ottapalam railway station to pick my Dad. Then came that day, the day when sun shined a bit brighter. I was in my best dress. A red checked shirt untucked against black trousers. I took the platform ticket and waited at the platform number one. Twenty more minutes were left for the arrival of Kerala express. From the platform I could see Bharathapuzha.It was dry with only a trail of water which flowed on the left side of the river. The weather and illegal sand mining had taken a heavy toll on the river. They were saying Bharathapuzha was dying and I hated to hear that. The diesel engine roar broke all these thoughts, the long whistle signalling everyone in the train and on the platform that it was coming to a halt. I adjusted my position where S10 compartment would stop. Train slowly passed me and I could smell the friction between the running iron wheels and the mighty rail as the engine tried slowing the train. There goes S2 and then S3 and I could see dad’s hands waving signalling me. That moment was always special though how many times you would have had it before. I need to say that I hated the same moment when the waving hand was moving against me. It always wets my eye though even after years when I was the one who was waving hands and dad was the one at platform. As he came closer to me and I could see him clearly. S10 stopped in front of me and I helped Dad to get his luggage out from the train as the stop was hardly for two minutes. We did it with more than a minute to go and I need to say that his training years in Army had moulded him to be fast enough on his responses. He hugged me and I was so happy and excited. We rented an Auto from the Auto stand in front of station and reached home in less than 10 minutes. 

All are excited and the family was re-united after almost a year. I don’t know, but there is always a special fragrance when dad comes for Vacation and I and my sister loved it. We sat in our front room with his luggage towards the side of the room and he shared his train experience which we loved to hear. Amma prepared tea in between as we listened to all those exciting experiences from Dad during his train journey. Dad could see my excitement as well the hidden curiosity in me about the walkman. The next best part in Dad’s vacation was opening his luggage though years later I never felt it when I came with a bundle of luggage for vacation. May be he would have felt it then. Dad told me that he had got me Sony walkman, four set of batteries for it and couple of cassettes too. In the mess of luggage and the train journey he had forgot which suitcase or box he had kept it. So that left us with the beautiful task of opening every box and suitcase. We opened all that he brought in but couldn’t locate the walkman. I could see the batteries as well the cassettes but not the walkman. He was sure that he had packed it and he had no luggage missing. Latter we found a cut in a box that you would observe only if you closely look in.  A cut that was done smart enough for a hand to go in and grab the treasure there.  But next came the question of when and who? Dad had carried it all the way in his hand and the only time when he was away from the luggage was when it was carried from his camp to railway station and someone in the crew in the rickshaw did this magic of vanishing my walkman. When he did that magic he never knew that 3800 kilometres away he had vanished dreams of a boy too. Though it had dampened my spirit, I was cheered by the fact that he had brought a small little calculator with a flap to cover it. Though it couldn’t replace the walkman at least it could fill the vacuum that made me better. As I finished the tea we had relatives walking in to see Dad and that made me forgot about my dream faded away by a magic.

my life in 963 words...

It’s has been almost one year and 4 months I landed up here..Life has changed from been a baby boy to someone with responsibility..I love this and I am proud of this..It wasn’t all that easy from the day one when I landed up on this beautiful planet earth..I had my mum with few of my brothers..She fed us..I never knew who my father was..Mum told it was god and till today I love to believe that way as it gives me strength and wipes out any kind of loneliness I felt...I was fighting with mum and brothers for my share of milk from her..though it was a big family we were happy..But as said life isn’t that easy..It always throws challenges at you..to make you better and more better as the master programmer knows what he is doing..I lost my mother someway which I am yet to figure out..I don’t know and all I knew was me and my brothers were left out alone in the street against the cold wave and the hot sun strokes as our companions during night and day..I knew that my existence would be hard and I would perish down the soil with no one knowing the time I was born nor I died..life played again..I lost my brother to the changing climatic conditions as he was too weak to withstand the brutal forces of nature..I was counting my days laying under a shelter near a mechanic shop..My brothers moved out as they thought moving was a better choice than staying back..I never saw them again…It was November when the cold was creeping in and I was freezing in a corner..I closed my eyes and I could hear death walking around the streets towards to me to wrap me in a golden sheet and take me with her..I could hear it in the air..I closed my eyes and I could hear my heart pumping against a body which was bidding farewell to the world with still a hope of one more day in this beautiful earth.


But faith always pays off..I could hear sounds though my eyes were too heavy to open for my body was weaker to move..I gained strength..Shrugged against the wall and opened my eyes..I wasn’t dreaming, but was I ? I wasn’t... coz I could feel the energy in the room when I opened my eyes..I could hear those exciting voices touch my ear drum..I could feel the warmth of body against mine...From the roadside to a home..I was just too happy for been alive though my body was too weak against my strong emotions..I was bottle feed for the first few days..Food came from time to time and all I had to do was sleep and wakeup for the next round of food on my table..Days passed by and I gained strength to walk around the house..for I never knew that this was the place I was born for..


Turning back one and half years now looks like a story I love to tell..I have a strong Dad my Master, beautiful Mum, Lovely sister and a Bold brother..I have a family whom I can Look on..I am happy now coz I am the pet of the family…I have a beautiful kennel ..I have my own plate..I have my own territory defined and most of all I have the love I really want..I have the freedom for everything..I play, I run, I chase, I sleep, I hang around at times lazy but mostly I bark... coz that’s my business...


I was so happy when I heard my Bro found his girl..I was happier coz he was happy..I was waiting for the day when I could see my new sister..I was excited and thrilled which I didn’t hide and ran around my territory to diffuse my emotions..My bro though away from home comes to Visit me once in a month..He plays with me a lot and we used to share a bond of friendship.. Who said Animals can’t speak coz we speak without speaking...I loved him coz he was naughty so was I ..My eyes would always be wet when he finishes his vacation and moves back… But life had to be moved on..I was happy for him; though I would miss him…after all he is my only brother.


I was shocked and devastated when I heard it.I couldn’t believe what I heard..Why was this been told? Why was life giving me a shock again? Air froze around me coz I as not able to breathe, I was losing my hearing as I couldn’t believe what I heard.  As my new sister didn’t like me nor my brothers and she wanted me to be shipped to some different house..She was fearing that I would lick her, I would go near her..If I had an opportunity to speak in my life I would have told her that, that’s the way that I show my love, that’s the way I show my gratitude..How can someone do this to me..I am all alone and by shipping means I would be plucked from my sweet home, away from my loving parents to a territory unknown to me..away from home…away from what I had been all these years…I couldn’t cry as I was too weak and sick for that..My world has been torned apart..I have a bleak future..I could be back to the streets where I was born..to be survived if I am wild enough among my other brothers..Or to be perished to the soil, fighting with them or hit by a fast moving automobile, but this time with a gratitude that my small sacrifice made a huge difference for my master’s life..I wish if I could speak I would have told her why I lick...I wish I could speak

~a dog