Something beautiful...

Recently saw a beautiful movie - 'Prime'...one of the lines from it just stuck with me...

"sometimes..u love..and learn..and move on.."

beautiful thought...so simply put...

Time to say goodbye..

It's pack up time again! Time to get all the bags out and cleaned..as i get into this mode it feels like the end of another chapter in my life's book..and of course the beginning of a new one..so as i say goodbye to Melbourne, i add to my bag of memories, a lot...mostly good, some absolutely breath-taking, a few strange and amusing...in a nutshell..mostly 'memorable'! I am glad i came here with an 'open' mind without any pre conceived notions/expectations..and that's why i believe this place has left so many imprints on me..and made this one year so incredibly special...so cheers mite..here's to Mel..

- the land of the aussies...where there are more sheep than humans! (had always read and heard that..now saw it too!)
- the entire continent's population is equal to the number of people in Delhi!!
- a place where for the first time, i found colleagues who got astonished whenever i spoke..and commented.."u speak very good English"??!! (do they really think Indians don't know how to speak in English...well..i give it to their 'innocence'..believe u me..aussies are genuinely nice people..to the point of being silly!!)
- a place where u can LITERALLY have all the four seasons in a matter of a day! (was snowing just last week..and this week it's 36 degrees! crazy!!)
- where people think 'India = Bollywood' and 'Indian food = Butter Chicken' (kudos to the Mumbai film fraternity and the enterprising panjus who have opened a 'Taste of India' in every nook!!)
- where public transport is an epitome of clock-work...oh how i will miss our every morning runs to the station (all because of T..i always got ready on time!!!)
- where 60% of the women are obese! that explains why i could not shop any clothes for myself...could never find my size!!! ughhh!! (T is very happy though...)
- a land where mother nature is at its full glory...mesmerising beaches, mountains, deserts, forests, wildlife...wish we could have travelled a bit more!
- where SPORT (any kind!) is religion..it's a way of life..and that can of beer is the life saviour!
- where people are generally sweet, good humoured and trusting..greet you with a huge 'Hii..how ya goin mite?' everytime you enter a store...these people just LOVE to talk..have myself had many random conversations with complete strangers in the trains, trams..believe you me..it is all in good spirit..
- a land where they eat their own national animal...CRAZY!! and then call it 'skippy'!!
- this one's my favourite - people (irrespective of industry) work 9-5.30..and calling your colleague/client on work after hours or during weekends is considered 'un civil' and 'rude'...and you have every right to tell them so! (would we ever reach this state in India!??!!...guess the answer is negative...sigh)

well..i could go on and on...this list is never ending..memories never fade..do they? So goodbye to you...thanks for making me feel at 'home'..hope our paths cross again sometime...till then..cheers mite!! :-)

Married happily to....Happily married!

I have often been accused of 'clinging' too much to the past..thinking of the times gone by..of being too nostalgic and so on...well..may be i am..love being that way..'coz i inherently believe..the person one is 'today' is fashioned profoundly by one's past..past experiences, successes, failures, mishaps..past is something like that 'birth mark' that always stays with you no matter how old or how ahead you get in life...

So, now as i near the two year mark of my 'married' life..i can't help but introspect! I have often been asked by my friends, family...'how has marriage changed your life?' and somehow i have always found myself at a loss of words answering that question...have either laughed it off or said something completely vague!!

Now i reckon it is time to give this thought some 'thought'! As i look back at the last two years..one feeling completely over rides every other emotion...'how less i knew of myself'..and 'how much i have discovered'...what a journey it has been...

It's been a journey where i have learnt (and still learning) what 'sharing a life' is, what the word 'us' actually means and that happiness lies in all the seemingly 'small and irrelevant' things and episodes...i always thought i am a very patient and calm individual (people around me said the same too)..but after being with T, i understand how significant the word 'relative' is (hahah!!)..he seems to me the epitome of composure and patience and makes me look impulsive!! (can u imagine!!)..there is a very fine line between being 'determined' and being 'stubborn' or may be they are just two sides of the same coin..i used to think i am a border-line case! but oh Boy...this man has completely revised the definition of 'determination' and 'stubborn-ness'...just wait till something gets into his head...he just never gives up!! (i have learnt my lesson and promised to myself i will never again ask him to fix anything in the laptop!!)

We are two individuals..as different and as similar as two can be..over the last two years..guess both of us have discovered new dimensions about our personalities..bringing out the best in each other..

You complement me..you complete me...you make me realise that 'marriage' is not just a ceremony and a date..it is an ongoing process..process of knowing and discovering each other, of sharing the good, bad and ugly..a relationship where i can be just myself...

As i embark on the journey from 'married happily' to being 'happily married', i don't think i have 'changed' or life has changed...yes i have certainly 'evolved' and life is becoming much more 'complete'....:-)

Irony...huh?

Just came across this..LG in Australia has come out with a new television set, the USP of this set is its 'ad-skipping' technology! The TVC promotes the same..and guess what all the TV channels (free as well as pay) have banned the commercial! Ironical?? Any tips/suggestions for LG .. what say fellow media planners?!!

What's in a name??

As far and as long as i can remember i have always taken my own decisions, good or bad, fortunate or drastic, whatever may have been the consequence, have always stuck by them...to the extent that i have been termed 'obstinate', 'in-flexible', 'stupid' and the works...but have i ever cared!!?!

But one decision about myself..and an important one too...was not taken by me..'coz then i had just about arrived in this world and had no experience with 'decision-making' till then..in all his good intention and out of the in depth knowledge of the Sanskrit scriptures, my grandfather, before anyone could even think of anything..named me 'Ipshita' (the root of the word being the Sanskrit word 'ipshit' which means 'the desired one')..and voila what a decision that was...a decision of a lifetime!!!

Then came the natural progression of going to school..making friends..interacting with teachers and so on..and as days passed by..i found that i had kind of started hating answering one particular question -- 'what is your name?' 'coz everytime i would say 'My name is Ipshita'..the standard replies would be 'what?', 'sorry can u please repeat?', 'can u please spell it?!!!', 'oh deepshikha (that was the craziest i reckoned)??!!'...NOT a single person could ever understand my name at the first go!!! After 2-3 attempts (rather struggles), i accomplished the 'name' mission..before i could even take a sigh of relief...another one hit me..'oh that's a different/nice/never-heard-of name..what does it mean?' fortunately for me, my dadu (grandfather) was also my tutor at home..and obviously by then he had made me memorise what my name meant...so there i rattled to anyone and everyone...'my name means.......' by this time i was quite tired and sick of my own name (believe u me..i was!)...as time went by i thought how lucky all my friends were...'Anu', 'Pooja', 'Neha', 'Rati', 'Parul'...and so on...noone ever gave them 'that confused look'...why on earth did i have such a complicated name!!?! (It was only later that i realised that my predicament was one of the perils of growing up in Delhi - North India...away from the 'Bong' land...'coz in Kolkata..noone seemed to have any issues with my name!!) So there...i was the only 'Ipshita' in my entire school..and by the time i passed out...everyone (hopefully!) knew how to pronounce 'it'...and as i had added one more name in their dictionary of names...they added multiple to mine...so now i was 'Ipshy', 'Isha', 'Sheeta', 'Ips'...and probably many more!!

Then came college...again another round of introductions (ragging i meant!)..and once again my name became the topic of contention...by now i was grown up and took it all by my stride...i spelt it even before anyone could give me that 'confused look'...in one of my ragging sessions i was asked to explain 'why i was the desired one?' ... well that's another story...will delve into it sometime later...my micro-economics professor was so impressed by my name..he spent almost half the session delving into the beauty and gravity of the sanskrit language...i must confess by now...the feeling of repulsion towards my name was gradually turning into a kind of 'pride'...for the first time ever i felt being a bit different/out of the ordinary was good...so once again i was the only Ipshita in my entire college...had reconciled myself to the fact that my name was probably unique..that was a good feeling...TILL....

I reached MICA!! What a shocker!! In a batch of 58, i had two namesakes!! My name was no longer UNIQUE!!! I felt devastated (hahaha!!)...as one can imagine very well...three Ipshitas in one batch certainly became a topic of discussion for others...for the three individuals who held that name..it became a matter of confusion..total chaos...phone calls getting answered by the wrong Ipshita...all three getting up and running off whenever that 'name' was announced...oh what a mess!! then thanks to the kind soul (or souls?)..(i still do not know who)...for bringing some order to the ongoing chaos...the three Ipshitas were given nick-names...so there from that day on..from Ipshita i became 'IC'...my other two namesakes became..'De' and 'Ghosh'....and 'Ipshita' got lost somewhere....and till this day...i am known as IC to many...

I can't even begin to explain my predicament with my name once i reached Aussie land...just imagine...!! Those who turned 'Kolkata' to 'Calcutta', 'Bengaluru' to 'Bangalore', 'Mukhopadhaya' to 'Mukherjee' and 'Gangopadhaya' to 'Ganguly'....could i ever think they would spare me!!??!! So my adventures (rather mis-adventures) with my name continue...in the last one year..numerous permutations and combinations have been added to my name-dictionary...impossible to even jot down with the written word....

Well...thanks to you Dadu...for if it were not for u..i would have probably missed out on all these numerous interesting experiences/anecdotes!! and would have probably never wondered 'What's in a name?'!!

Hey..How ya goin mite?!!

January 29, 2006, Sunday

I land in supposedly the 'world's most liveable' city - Melbourne..it is a hot sunny day (am glad to have escaped the chill of Delhi!) and I and T set off for our new home..our home for the next one year..a mixed bag of anxiety, excitement, curosity..all kinds of emotions over riding and over whelming me...our cab passes by the MCG (oh what a feeling to see it right in front of me!!)..suddenly the cab halts near the Rod Laver Arena..and for the first time i see more than 20 people standing at the same place (till then i had been thinking..there are no people in this place..who are these roads and flyovers for??!!) ..ah yes i realise it is Australian Open Men's final today!..and i am told it is Roger Federer vs some kid from Cyprus (Baghdatis is it?)...we just dump our luggage at home and without wasting a moment set off for the city...for the first time i get on to the famous Melbourne tram..and in no time we reach the Federation Square...the heart of the Melbourne CBD...oh my GOD! where have i come!! more than 5000 people dressed (or rather un-dressed..it's summer in melbourne i am told!!) in Greek colours of blue and white shouting their hearts out in front of the giant screen (that's broadcasting the match live from the arena)...do they really think this cyprian kid would beat Federer??!! i look closely and try to observe...i can see people of all kinds of origin...chinese, vietnamese, indians, greeks, italians, lebanese..and of course Aussies...all seem to have been seamlessly united by the 2 'spirits'....love of sport and of course BEER!....as i am assimilating this moment...in the midst of the deafening noise..i hear a loud roar nearing me...'hey..how ya goin mite??!!'...i just smile and say to myself..'welcome to melbourne!'