Friday, June 29, 2007

Spam, Spammer, Spammest!

Now this sucks!

I haven’t been doing any online purchases or taking any online surveys or anything online for that matter that demands my yahoo email id, which is more of a private and personal email id of mine which I would like to maintain in a formal way.
But these net goons somehow succeed with their hoaxes in successfully implanting those “sick-at-subject”, “nerve-racking”, “unbelievably-agonizing”, “fairly-spooky” SPAM emails onto my innocent inbox!

Well, after reading the instructions over and over again for nearly half an hour, about how to classify an email as a Spam, and what happens to the emails that are marked as Spam, I chose to do that on those weedy emails that kept pestering me for a really long time; which I gathered was because of those online purchases that I did in U.S early this year.

Unfortunately, these mails kept returning to my inbox after a while……with those big bold irritating subject lines that read “Confirm your Free IPod Nanos, Free Plasma TVs, and what nots?!”

Repeatedly, I kept marking these mails and many such mails as SPAM, only to receive them as always, a couple of days later. I couldn’t a figure a way out of these SPAMMERS, when none of my friends complained of such a bad experience with yahoo!

Wondering if I was doing something wrong, I checked my SPAM email settings, only to see the following information made available to me promptly!

For messages SpamGuard identifies as Spam:
check-box:1 Immediately delete these messages upon receipt. (Note: If you choose this option, you will not be able to review the messages before they are deleted.)

Mark Spam + Not Spam
When I mark a message as Spam, in addition to deleting the message:
check-box:2 Add the sender's email address to my blocked addresses list.

In both the cases mentioned above, the check-boxs' have been selected, yet to my surprise I keep receiving spam emails in my inbox while my bulk folder remains naively empty!

Grrr…….. Why the heck is this happening to Saloni’s email id…????

Monday, June 25, 2007

Attitude determines the Altitude!


As I woke-up for the music of rain, which came in from the rain water splashing on the asbestos sheet that was laid beside the corridor that’s no more than an extended shed for parking the vehicles in front of my present home. Wow! What a wonderful change of weather thats gotta be after those hot & fuming sunny days!

Groggily, I got up and stepped out into my veranda to take a peek of street which was already buzzling with activities of the morning crowd and traffic, amidst that heavy downpour.

It was first of the month and the milk-man of our colony was standing a minute or two longer in front of each of his customers’ house ringing his bicycle bell harder and louder so as to imply that it was his Pay-Day!

Wives, mothers and maids of Businessmen, Software professionals, Teachers, Doctors of the colony were having a tough time to catch hold of the milk bowl, the umbrella and also the money that needs to be paid for the milk-man. Although it was not a sight to be laughed at, but it was quite funny to look at each of their expressions in trying to save themselves from getting drenched, getting dirty with the mud & dirt on the road, and also trying to save the milk from the rain water.

It was my mom’s turn too to perform the same custom, lucky her she dragged me along to hold the umbrella for her. And so, with the last quota of the day's yawning leaving my mouth, I went down with my mom to do the needful. She paid him some 1000 bucks which included two 500 rupee notes and some change.

The milk man hurriedly took the money and stuffed it in his jacket pocket, when from no where there was a wind that whisked his rain-cap off his head…. Poor thing, he hooked his bicycle in its stand and then ran to pick his cap up and wore it back on this head and gave me a contented smile, in the event totally missing out on the two 500 rupee notes, he received from my mom, that just fell-off his jacket pocket when he bent down.

Off he went without even taking a second look at the place, when I had to run to pick up the money from the mud, wipe it as cleaner as it could get with my wet hands and yelled at the top of my voice to catch his attention. Startled, he halted and turned around giving me a confused & questioning expression on his face.

Puffing and gasping for breath I ran up to him to give his 1000 bucks and told him what had happened. Even in that rain, I could see his eyes glistening and getting moist with overwhelming emotions of gratitude.

He thanked me and told that I had saved him that money which would be the school fees of his youngest daughter. I felt happy for the good deed and the good rain that led to this little sweet instance that I cherish till date.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Fundamental Flaw

It’s such a strange feeling that cannot really happen to everyone, but yes, there are a few that go through this purely because they are highly emotional in character and a wee bit sentimental about the relationships that they fall into and realize with a sudden stupor, the sad demise of their relationship one fine morning, which had been leisurely falling apart for a while now, even without their knowledge.

Is this because the parties involved are quite careless about the way the relationship is getting molded to or is it because they never really wanted it to take a shape in their life making them get entangled with its surrogate mother (of all problems) called Long-Term-Relationship (aka)“Marriage”.

Even the most passionate lovers, go through a phase where they get to see their relationships getting shattered to pieces right in front of their eyes, yet they are so helpless about it. Call it some kind of disability, affliction or even chicken-heartedness, but this has for some reason, (to be more specific of late) become the ground rule for all those relationships that go “unknown” or “unnamed” or “non-existent” with the course of time.

I really don’t want to take a gender bias here. But as I have always seen and experienced through the closest of my buddies, in 76% of these cases the girls’ turnout to be pure hypocrites. Believe me I am a feminist and yet I am here to blare-out this blunt truth to everyone and anyone who would read this.

That said, now is it true that;

“The more passionate a relationship is the more prone it is to falter?”

“Why does a relationship fade off or at the least get tainted with time, didn’t someone say it’s the other way round?”

“Does this mean the relationship itself is not a right one to be christened as one of those flawless, soothing, blissful bonds between two sexes?”

The superciliousness with which people get into a relationship is the culprit I would say as that’s the reason why two souls that couldn’t be separated at one point of time are desperate to get-away at any cost after a while. While its easier to blame it all on the pompous couple, its not just that which takes the credit to create this disgruntle amongst the pair.

Demanding physical intimacy and/or sexual needs are other reasons why the relationship touches both the peak and dip of the bell-curve with a click of fingers.

Two complete strangers having extremely distinct thought processes and unique success factors and exclusive achievement criteria set for their lives, meet each other. The initial attraction takes all that’s required to keep them busy in knowing more about the other person and it’s a sweet jog with no sweat at C/O Paradise, cloud-nine, heaven’s colony, world of sweet intoxication.

The next level comes in as a harbinger of the erosion that has already began showing its gory face, in the name of “Misunderstandings” of both minor and major class. The intimacy between the two starts diminishing, with exchange of arrogant dialogues slowly resulting in contorted faces and the finally loathing to even looking at each other’s face at one stage, when the saturation point is reached and there’s no more flexibility or elasticity left in the band of life. The spectrum ends there with a massive full stop in the highest font, bold and underlined in red.

Papers Signed and Exchanged…

Court Orders Declared…

Physical freeness accomplished…

But mentally stuck in deep-shit of the past-life….


“YOU ARE BUSTED!!! GAME OVER!!”

The life’s curtain is drawn before them with a dreadful laugh!

Dad and Determination!

Around 2.30pm last afternoon, I kicked my bike to life and sped past all the noon-time share-autowalas and other traffic in a mad-rush to reach home as fast as I could, reason being; My dad was heading back to Chennai after his 5 days stay with us in Hyderabad since Saturday morning.

This is habitual now for almost an year ever since my family shifted to Hyderabad (with the exception of my dad of course) sometime in June 06.

For some reason this time round, my entire family was pretty sentimental about my dad leaving. We have all been asking him to stay with us forever; calling quits to his year long residual service, but in vain. With 40 long years of experience as one of the most sincere and dutiful Government Officers working day-in and day-out, without failing a wee bit in his daily contractual obligations and responsibilities; my dad has seen his worst and the best his career and life could offer him.


He is a man of supreme character possessing a noble and kind heart, which, he always extends towards the fellow human beings. I haven’t heard him saying “NO” to anyone for any favor that he has been asked for. He is an epitome of hard work and a quintessential living example of dedication and devotion blended with loyalty towards his work.


Honestly, it gives me goose-bumps if I start admiring his dedication towards his work and his thrive to keep going at it even after all these years. Where as I, with, close to 3 years of work-life in software industry feel as if I am over-n-done with this crappity-crap of a worrisome and annoying work environment, with obvious occupational hazards like :

  • Endlessly jabbing at the key-board in a monotonous way.
  • Staring at the bland tri-colored monitor with teary eyes.
  • Blabber mouthing the same organizational bullshit over and over again.
  • Mentoring the new team members with the same run-of-the-mill code.
  • Yapping about the same kind of lunchtime gossips and politics.
  • Bad-mouthing the bosses for their biased or partial managerial strategies.
  • Cursing the clients for their immature decision making techniques.
  • Cringing over your better performing (especially opposite sex) counterpart.
  • Sticking an ear to the mobile phones and muttering something or the other, useful or useless, meaningful or meaningless, needful or needless for almost 24X7.
  • Fake smiles, Fake sincerity, Fake honors, Fake promises and Fucking Fake everything.


Not that any of these are ever a part of the Government Service, I would rather say otherwise. But its all about the endurance with all these formidable occurrences on and off and still going good after forty dear long years..


For all of us know, Service in Government makes one encounter all those filthy rats of corruption that go berserk when caught under the desk or recede into thin air unnoticed when wedged awkwardly in a litigation. With all the pressure situations and mounting political influence ruling the roles of the key officials who directly report to the so called “Government” it’s a tough task to abide and stand still without falling apart. And thanks to the almighty that my dad maneuvered a brave demeanor on all occasions in all these years.



OMG! I can’t even imagine my stature with old age reckoning and taking-over me when I am 50 odds aged, let alone not losing the strive to work, that too the with the same mind-numbing, same tedious, same boring, same mundane, same dreary, same hopelessly unexciting job!



Hats off to my Appa for his determination and the ever green sense of perfection towards his work!



May the force be with him, to keep him going at it; as long as he wishes! :-)

Thursday, June 7, 2007

CATS ARE NOT DOGS UH?!

I came across an article this morning on the Featured section of Yahoo home page. , which flashed an innocent face of a cute-looking deep brown kitten with most of her face deliberately hid behind a pillow....and the title read "5 Tips for New Cat Owners"

Well, However interesting or otherwise this might sound... I cannot disagree that Cats being treated as Dogs does happen in our very own households too...

Haven't we seen our aunts/grannys suggesting that we eat/wear/do what our elder cousins or sisters or brothers in the family do.... For all you know, they can't even stand each other for one full minute.

On the otherhand, It's such an irony that the importance given to an Ambassador of the Animal Kingdom is seemingly at the higher end, as a result of which the expected quantities of respect, significance and even an acknowledgement of presence & existence at a bare minimum is being relinquished for the fellow human beings......

For some strong reason I dislike other living beings given prime importance over human beings.... I have a simple question to ask...

If you are DEAF,DUMB & BLIND enough not to Listen, Speak and See the difficulties of your own kinfolks what best would you achieve by being so nice, cozy and sweet to a living being that is one step below your standards; possessing just five off the six faculties of senses....

For those who would still want to read the article that I am talking about right here..... Scroll down and Help yourself...........

1. Do your homework. The decision to get a cat may have been unplanned and emotional, but the care of that cat can’t be impulsive. Talk to your veterinarian, read books by qualified experts, and learn about this new family member. Start off by being properly informed about what cats need, and you’ll see your relationship blossom as your kitty grows into a well-socialized, well-behaved feline.

2. Start out with the right equipment. There are so many litter boxes, litters, scratching posts, toys, and beds -- and the list goes on. How do you know what your cat needs? Resist the urge to buy a product based on its human appeal. Think Like a Cat and look at a product from your cat’s point of view. For example, a covered litter box is designed to hide the sight and odor of its contents from us. Unfortunately, the cover also traps the odor in the box, making it unpleasant for the cat. An uncovered box that’s the right size for your cat would be in line with what Fluffy would choose if she had control of your wallet. Use that same Think Like a Cat eye-view when deciding on other products. Is that scratching post appealing to you because it’s small and easily hidden in a corner? If so, that decision may cost you some damage to your furniture, because Fluffy would prefer something tall and sturdy.

3. Make your home cat-safe. This is crucial when a cat comes into the home. Dangling electrical cords are enticing to a playful cat, so you should firmly secure all wires. Plants pose another danger, and almost all houseplants are toxic to cats. Remove plants that are harmful, or use a bitter anti-chew spray made especially for plants (found in pet supply stores.) A dangling window-blind cord is another potential hazard. Cats also love to crawl into tight hiding places, and that could mean trouble if you close a closet door or dresser drawer and kitty is stuck in there. You’ll find lots of helpful products in the baby safety section of your local home improvement store. Many of these products will help the new cat owner as well. Cats can get into things you’d never suspect they were capable of, so safety is of the utmost importance.

4. Make your home cat-friendly. It may be hard for a cat to resist scaling the curtains or prancing across the top of the bookcase. Cats love to climb, leap, pounce, and balance. This is normal cat behavior, so don’t reprimand your cat for doing what comes naturally. Instead, provide acceptable outlets for that behavior by having cat trees, perches, and scratching posts in order to make your environment cat-friendly. Provide areas for safe exploration, cozy naps, climbing, jumping, playing, and just plain fun!

5. Remember -- your cat is not a dog. I know it may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many times I see cats eating dog food or being bathed in dog shampoo. Use food and other products that are specifically designed for cats. Many products that are safe for dogs are not safe for a cat’s sensitive skin. When it comes to food, cats require more fat and protein, so if Fluffy eats Fido’s food, she won’t be getting enough of the nutrients she needs.

Phew!!!! ........ "I dont like PETS even at Zoos or Museums!!" ......