Devil wears Prada

I happened to read this fiction novel The Devil wears Prada recently. These are the few thoughts that came to my mind after reading it.

The book starts with the protagonist, Andrea Sachs looking for a job just after her graduation. She aspires to become a writer in the famous The New Yorker and is hoping to land a job in editorial first. She is selected by the famous fashion magazine Runway for an assistant post to the chief editor Miranda Priestly, which is a job that a million girls would die for.
Andrea learns that after serving the chief editor, the assistants usually get to go where they like. So she decides to ask to work for The New Yorker after her tenure at the Runway.

There is no story weaving through the book, but it only revolves around the weirdest and the most surprising demands made by the boss Miranda Priestly to her assistants.
The reader is reading through the book, just to see the end. Waiting to read if Andrea dumps this tormenting job of an assistant which has slowly taken all her life or does she really make it to her dream job after serving the monstrous boss!
It also revolves about how she is torn between the personal and professional demands. She often feels guilty of not being able to spend more time with the family, her best friend, or her boyfriend. It is pretty surprising to know that the other characters are very very patient and keep waiting for Andrea, while she is tending to her boss's demands.

It would be interesting to watch the movie made based on this book. Specially to see the characterisation of the shrewd and demanding boss.
The end is not very triumphant nor heart wrenching for the protagonist. You feel that this could have been done long back, instead of going through the whole ordeal!
Finally, it is all about fashion, clothes, and famous clothesline in which the average American is lost.

Rain rain go away........

From past one week, the weather is too boring and depressing. I say this because it is dark and dull even at 12 noon. There are strong wind currents blowing over which makes a scary sound with a hisssssss......When I look at the city from my office which is on a higher altitude, nothing is visible. Only the dark and dull clouds are visible......this put down my spirits all the more.

I found it very difficult to wake up early in the morning to get ready for work. And I even managed to miss my early morning office bus on one of the days. Specially when the other person on the bed is happily enjoying the early morning, most precious minutes of sleep, I grow even more jealous!

But thankfully, this morning it was a little better than the last week. And I was grateful that the weather did not add on to the most prevailing monday morning blues!

He was nervous

It was 6:30 PM already and still there was no sign of her. In the meantime, he had gulped down 3 glasses of water and visited the bathroom an equal number of times.
Five years...five long years since he had seen her. Today would be the first time they would be meeting after their graduation and he had decided to make her aware of...
Well, his ears turned red at the thought... Yes! today he would be letting her know how special she was for him....
It had taken him a couple of hours to gather the courage to call her, asking to meet at this restaurant.
And it had taken him a couple of days to finally decide upon exactly what to say and how to say it. He had learnt the lines by-heart, practicing before the mirror at least a dozen times.
But, now... as he looked at the red rose in his hand and the darkening sky outside, he was beginning to have self-doubts about whether she would come at all.....

Slowly his mind drifted into the past…..to the day they had first met. It was through a common friend that they had met at a party. She was a charming young lady with a kind of innocence in her beautiful eyes. He was so amazed by her beauty, that he could not take his eyes off her attractive looks.

After that evening, both of them had met several times and had gradually learnt that their interests matched, they often ran into hours of chatting and discussing many things which both of them enjoyed the most. Slowly they started looking forward for their small dates every weekend.

Staying away from home in a strange country always brought people from your homeland together. Likewise Richa and Rahul had started liking each other’s company fondly on the campus of Oxford University. The fondness slowly had grown into a deep friendship..........
Then one day, the inevitable came and Richa had to leave the Oxford University to return to their homeland. India was calling...........

Strangely both of their opinions differed when it came to going back to their motherland. After their Masters graduation in the UK, Rahul always wanted to settle there, while Richa wanted to go home. Though they were aware of this difference, neither of them dared to discuss it, because that would bring a topic of debate; which both knew would never win.
Although both Richa and Rahul held each other’s opinion at high respect, they never wanted to let go their own decisions. Bravely both of them went their ways, never giving a thought to what would happen to their....... budding love......
Days had rolled into years, while the two were busy making their careers in the countries they had chosen for themselves........

And now here was Rahul waiting in one of the best restaurants of the metropolitan city Mumbai, to see that stunning image again..........after a gap of five years.....five long years.......On a short business trip to Mumbai, Rahul had made up his mind to meet Richa.

A soft voice called from behind his chair….Rahul was jolted back to today. The much awaited scene was to unfold before his eyes, and he was nervous to turn around..........
An elegant lady was standing before him. He immediately recognized the face, the same innocence in the eyes........but; who was the little girl with her....he kept wondering.
Rahul rose from the seat like a true gentleman and waited for her to be seated. The little girl sat next to Richa with all the composure, just like her mother, thought Rahul. He had already concluded that the little girl was Richa’s daughter! They spoke for a long time of how they had made successful careers, but she never said a word about the child she had brought along today. Rahul had no courage to ask her about the child and waited till......again it was time for them to depart???!!!!!

Just before Richa rose from her seat, holding the child’s hand affectionately……Rahul blurted the words……Who is this child? You never gave her introduction. Richa was more than delighted to tell him who she was; after all she was waiting for him to ask her about the child.
O this cute little girl Riya is 5 years old and I am proud to call her my daughter. Rahul heard those words which he prayed never to hear.
Just as he was trying to figure out what was said, he could hear her faintly speaking…….
I found this cute little child abandoned on the road, unable to find her folks. I immediately decided to adopt her. You know Rahul I always wanted to adopt an orphan child and give it a beautiful life.........only that I never told you this secret wish of mine.
Rahul’s happiness found no bound when he heard this, he immediately bent down and lifted the child in his arms and proposed Richa. Finally the red rose had reached the right hands.........

Life on Hosur road

Travelling has become so synonymous with working these days, specially to people who work in offices that are set up outside the city. And I happen to be one amongst that lucky lot (or the unlucky)!
I travel as long as 40 kms daily, putting in my 4 to sometimes 5 precious hours of the day. It pains to realize what a waste of time, but hey lets look at the other side too ;)

There goes a lot of preparation to travel the distance and make use of the otherwise wasted 2 hours of travel time. You can find most of the employees beeing around the cafes in the campus, queuing to buy takeaways like a bag of chips, cookies, biscuits, coffee and the like.
Or there are people who just hook to the radios on their mobiles or to the i pods, listening their fave music station or assorted songs. There are some who try to read, read and read in the dimly illuminated bus. (These buses operate from the office campus to various locations in the city.)
There are many more who are dying to turn the small seat in the bus to a mini office by opening their laptops and trying to analyse or finish off that one last pending review for the day.
A few are trying to hook into the phone to participate in the weekly status call with the client (read GOD!.......phew) or are trying to feel comfortable in their extended office!
And the others who are doing nothing are the wisest amongst the lot, because they are sleeping!

Every single soul in that dreaded bus is complaining of reaching home late night, or being unable to attend that important family wedding or gathering. But each one knows that the travel is inevitable and has to bear.
So you again find the same set of people queuing near the cafes and boarding the bus to reach home....... Home sweet home :)

March

The month of March brings a happy feeling to me. Not just because it is the month of my birthday or the month of vacations, but because it is the month of fresh flowers and cool breeze, the onset of summer! There is a joy and cheer everywhere when its March. The trees shed their leaves and the flowers bloom out full. The cool colors of the flowers are so fresh and cheerful. The mornings are light and bright sunny, this reminds me of the school days. It was time for exams and vacations.

Trek to Brahmagiri - my first trek :)

The day had finally arrived and the group had gathered at the KSRTC bus stand. We were leaving to Gonikoppa in a bus scheduled to depart at 12 midnight. The air was cold and chilly, and I had a big bag pack on my back like the rest of them. Huh! How much I waited for this moment to come! I was on my way for my first trek experience.

Irpu Temple


Next morning we reached Gonikoppa, a small, quiet town. After some refreshment and hot breakfast, we started towards the Forest Office in Srimangalam. This is where we would get permissions to trek in the forest and a guide to accompany us. From Srimangalam, we hired a jeep to reach Irpu Waterfalls. This is the place from where our trek would start. There is a small temple before we can walk up to the waterfalls. After visiting the temple, we started our walk towards the waterfalls.




The waterfall is a breath taker. The water is crystal clear and very cold. It is a small waterfall with a lot of rocks and huge trees around it. Sitting on the rocks and listening to the sounds of the gushing waterfall was far more inviting than the traffic! Surrounded by lush green forest and the chirping birds in the woods, it was a real getaway from the city hustle bustle.

Irpu Waterfall

After a few photo shots and a little play in the waters, it was time to start walking towards our destination. I had no idea of how far we had to walk and for how long. The plan was to walk and reach the base camp first and from there start again to the Bramhagiri peak. So the trek was divided into 2 parts.

As we started walking I realized that it was not very easy to walk carrying a bag pack filled with clothes and food. The terrain was steep as we started covering the distance.
After a trek of around two hours, with a few pit stops to relax, we reached a small stream. All of us were happy to see the stream after a tiring trek. We ate the jolada rotti that we had carried, for lunch by the stream. Another round of relaxing, refreshing and we were back again following the rhythm of walking. As we were approaching the base camp, I started feeling very tired and lost. I almost felt that I can never reach up there. With lots of encouragement and help (I refused to carry my bag any further!) I could finally reach the place.

Brahmagiri peak

It felt like heaven when I saw a tattered wooden cot in one of the rooms (in the base camp we reached), and all that I knew I did was, sleep!

I still regret for having missed out on one of the many activities in a trek, that of collecting wood for fire and arranging some water to cook. It sure must have been fun. Next on schedule was to walk up to a small hillock near by to watch the sun set. It turned very cold once the sun set, and we headed back to the camp to start our cooking. After a round of hot soup, which came as a blessing to all; it was time to cook some rice. It got chillier through the night as we made arrangements to sleep.

Sunset as seen from the nearby hillock

The next morning we were to trek the Brahmagiri peak. We had some hurihittu and cup noodles that were carried for breakfast and started walking. There is a trail that can be followed which takes us to the foot of the peak. The trail is easy to walk with a very few ups and downs. However, climbing the peak was not very easy for first timers like me. By taking short breaks to look around us as we climbed up and up we were able to scale it. The view from the top was amazing; it was something which I had never seen before. Green mountains all around with a very few concrete structures scattered here and there.

Early morning dews....

Scenery as seen from the peak

Something different about this place is that it borders 2 states; on one side it is Karnataka and on the other side it is Kerala. Elephant activity is very prominent in this range of forest. Though we were unfortunate to spot any, we saw huge excreta of the animal along the whole trail we took. Here and there we saw the giant had crumpled grass and shrubs. It is hard to believe that such a giant animal can walk around small and narrow trails all along the valley.
This was definitely a different and a unique way to end the year and welcome the New Year 2007…….