The Rose - by Sulamith Ish-kishor

I didn't read many books. I never had the patience to read many books. I never had the slightest inclination to read many books. It definitely had something to do with my father. Now how would any kid react to the onslaught of Shakespeare when he barely could understand the English his father spoke. Thou hath... sheesh why would anybody speak like that....


I was (emphasis on past tense as it is long long ago, so long ago that no one remembers how long ago) very young. So young that even I knew that I had no freaking clue about what love is. As I grew older the confusion often consumed me. I, at times, was sure that I knew what love is and was even an expert on it and then within a few days  I sulked to the song "Whats love got to do with it".


So I was very young and had no clue about what love was and yada yada yada....
But I do remember reading one story from a short stories collection, and I remember thinking about a line "... his heart skipped a beat..." I concluded that you can be alive even after your heart skips a beat and so in theory even after skipping a few beats... I remembered the name Test of True Love and I also remembered Of Human Bondage and Rose.


Fast forward to present tense... I still haven't read many books and which is the reason why I still remember the story with Of Human Bondage and Rose. By the way, just because of that story I even tried reading "Of Human Bondage" and I got through about half a page and gave up. Recently I was reading about a controversy about how Max Lucado used a story without properly crediting the author. I read a few more lines and realized this was the story I always remembered ( I am exaggerating, I only remembered the gist of it).


And then curiosity got better of me as always and I had to find out who it was, what the story was etc. I figured things out (again, as always :) ). I however could not believe that the things I remembered the most from the story were heart skipping a beat, the novel "Of Human Bondage" and a rose. This I did not try to understand... because there is no way I would have figured that out, but I did figure out that when people copy or claim to abridge a story they do change a lot of things... skipping a beat??? test of true love??? whatever... 


I, however, am grateful that the abridged/copied version didn't mention Uncle Sam, because my curiosity levels were equally high back then too and I didn't even know about something called world wide web...


The whole thing also made me remember the illustration (or it could be my imagination) for the story was a road with a clock tower with buses and the guy leaning by a lamp post lazily... if only I knew how Grand Central looked like...


In any case if you want a good heart-warming story (YUCK!!!!!)... read on...


The Rose - by Sulamith Ish-kishor

Six minutes to six, said the great round clock over the information booth in Grand Central Station.  The tall young Army lieutenant who had just come from the direction of the tracks lifted his sunburned face, and his eyes narrowed to note the exact time.  His heart was pounding with a beat that shocked him because he could not control it.  In six minutes, he would see the woman who had filled such a special place in his life for the past thirteen months, the woman he had never seen, yet whose written words had been with him and sustained him unfailingly. 

He placed himself as close as he could to the information booth, just beyond the ring of people besieging the clerks …. 

Lieutenant Blandford remembered one night in particular, the worst of the fighting, when his place had been caught in the midst of a pack of Zeros.  He had seen the grinning face of one of the enemy pilots. 

In one of his letters, he had confessed to her that he often felt fear, and only a few days before this battle, he had received her answer:  "Of course you fear...all brave men do.  Didn't King David fear?  That’s why he wrote the Twenty-third Psalm.  Next time you doubt, yourself, I want you to hear my voice reciting to you: ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me’...."  And he had remembered; he had heard her imagined voice, and it had renewed his strength and skill.

Now he was going to hear her real voice.  Four minutes to six.  His face grew sharp.
Under the immense, starred roof, people were walking fast, like threads of color being woven into a gray web.  A girl passed close to him, and Lieutenant Blandford started.  She was wearing a red flower in her suit lapel, but it was a crimson sweet pea, not the little red rose they had agreed upon.  Besides, this girl was too young, about eighteen, whereas Hollis Meynell had frankly told him she was thirty.  "Well, what of it?" he had answered.  I’m thirty-two."  He was twenty-nine.
His mind went back to that book--the book the Lord Himself must have put into his hands out of the hundreds of Army library books sent to the Florida training camp.  Of Human Bondage, it was; and throughout the book were notes in a woman's writing. He had always hated that writing-in habit, but these remarks were different.  He had never believed that a woman could see into a man’s heart so tenderly, so understandingly.  Her name was on the bookplate: Hollis Meynell.  He had got hold of a New York City telephone book and found her address.  He had written, she had answered.  Next day he had been shipped out, but they had gone on writing.

For thirteen months, she had faithfully replied, and more than replied.   

When his letters did not arrive, she wrote anyway, and now he believed he loved her, and she loved him.

But she had refused all his pleas to send him her photograph.  That seemed rather bad, of course.  But she had explained:  "If your feeling for me has any reality, any honest basis, what I look like won't matter.  Suppose I'm beautiful.  I’d always be haunted by the feeling that you had been taking a chance on just that, and that kind of love would disgust me.  Suppose I’m plain (and you must admit that this is more likely), then I'd always fear that you were going on writing to me only because you were lonely and had no one else.  No, don't ask for my picture.  When you come to New York, you shall see me and then you shall make your decision.  Remember, both of us are free to stop or to go on after that--whichever we choose ...."  One minute to six ... he pulled hard on his cigarette.  

Then Lieutenant Blandford's heart leaped higher than his plane had ever done.

A young woman was coming toward him.  Her figure was long and slim; her blond hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears.  Her eyes were blue as flowers; her lips and chin had a gentle firmness.  In her pale green suit, she was like springtime come alive.

He started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was wearing no rose, and as he moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips. "Going my way, soldier?" she murmured.
Uncontrollable, he made one step closer to her.  Then he saw Hollis Meynell. 

She was standing almost directly behind the girl, a woman well past forty, her graying hair tucked under a worn hat.  She was more than plump; her thick-ankled feet were thrust into low-heeled shoes.  But she wore a red rose in the rumpled lapel of her brown coat.

The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. Blandford felt as though he were being split in two, so keen was his desire to follow the girl, yet so deep was his longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned and upheld his own; and there she stood.  Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible; he could see that now.  Her gray eyes had a warm, kindly twinkle.

Lieutenant Blandford did not hesitate.  His fingers gripped the small, worn, blue leather copy of Of Human Bondage, which was to identify him to her.  This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even rarer than love--a friendship for which he had been and must ever be grateful ….

He squared his broad shoulders, saluted and held the book out toward the woman, although even while he spoke he felt choked by the bitterness of his disappointment.
"I’m Lieutenant John Blandford, and you--you are Miss Meynell.  I'm so glad you could meet me.  May--may I take you to dinner?"

The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile.  "I don’t know what this is all about, son," she answered.  "That young lady in the green suit--the one who just went by--begged me to wear this rose on my coat.  And she said that if you asked me to go with you, I should tell you that she's waiting for you in that big restaurant across the street.  She said it was some kind of test.  I've got two boys with Uncle Sam myself, so I didn't mind to oblige you."

The con is on... on me...

Never remembered this, when I watched all the con capers (Oceans' series is one of my favorites), never thought of this when I read about famous con artists. But when I read about the judgement against Charles Shobhraj, I remembered something. It has nothing to do with Charles Shobhraj or what he did, but this was one memory which was linked to that name.

One of my cousins said, as we grow older, we do not remember everything that happened but a certain word, phrase or name will trigger the recollection of a chain of events. In fact, he remembers my day of birth very vividly, because, when I was born, he and his brother went to the hospital and enquired about where they can find a Ms. Kalyani who gave birth to a boy. This apparently attracted dirty looks from the hospital staff and was the cause of a minor embarrassment. Now Ms. is not a big deal in USA, I don't think is a big deal anymore in India as well (I don't think it should be either), but when I was born (seems like eons ago), it WAS a big deal. So he remembers my birth because of the dirty looks he got. (Not sure if thats a good way to be remembered). And to my cousin, "If you are reading this, I am sorry to have let your secret out.

Back to CS. So I remembered that I was conned, comprehensively, when I was 16 years old (then is the only thing that could save me a little from the embarrassment).

When I was home for holidays, I met one of my Dad's old students at our house (Let's call him X, for lack of my creativity). He was a nice chap, talked about many things and with a generally agreeable character (Wow! that sentence seems to have been lifted from a Jane Austen's novel. YIKES...). That was my last day at home and I was back at my boarding school the next day. Just back from holidays, my wallet was fatter than it usually was :).

 A couple of days later, it just so happened that I had a visitor.

ZOOM INTO MY MIND

What did I do now? I am pretty sure I have been as good as I could be. I haven't hit on any girl (or did I?) when I was at home who might have complained to my dad about the wayward ways of his son. Why did Dad come to see me, that too just after two days? Did he miss me? May be not... Did Mom miss me and wanted me to come back for a couple of days?... may be...

Half the way to the Visitor's Lounge, my mind was racing to figure out what I did and as I was unable to figure out anything, the other half of the way was spent on figuring out a generic excuse that would cover any or everything that I might have done. So, when I didn't spot my Dad, boy was I was relieved.

However Mr. X was there waiting for me. He gave me a box of sweets (I might have mentioned I have a sweet tooth) and told me that my Mom asked him if he could carry a box of sweets for me when he mentioned that he had some work near my school. I thanked him and he left.

I was impressed by my mother's resourcefulness. Of course I ate half of what I got there itself, because, there would be none left the moment I entered my room.

So I was happy, and happy minds are inducive for a lot of learning, so I was seriously studying ( I may have doctored this detail a bit), then I had a visitor again.

This time I was sure that it was not my Dad, so I went to see who it was. It was X again. He was distraught and he said that when he came to meet me, someone stole his luggage and all his money was in the briefcase. And that he had to go to Madras (now Chennai) on a very important business matter failing which, he would incur heavy losses and that he had a train in 45 minutes. And he wanted to see if he could borrow some money which he would give me on his way back. And he asked for an amount which would make a big hole in my wallet and would leave me with enough money for a couple of movies, one call home  and no ice-cream.

ZOOM INTO MY MIND

Ah! the poor guy. He wouldn't have lost his luggage had he not come to meet me. What are you doing? Be the ever shining beacon of hope for the beat up and downtrodden. Dad would reward you greatly for this nice gesture and you can watch more movies and eat a lot more scoops of ice-cream. No pain no gain. A couple of days you will have your money back and with lots of brownie points.

So I gave him the money and went to watch a movie thinking about all the rewards that were in store. On my way back, I just felt like talking to Dad and to earn the brownie points ahead of time. So the conversation went something like this.

Dad : Weren't you supposed to be studying?
Son : Yeah, I needed some stationery, so I came out with a group of friends to buy those.
Dad : But you have a store in the campus.
Son : The quality is cheap. I would much rather buy outside.
Dad : Of course you would. By the way, remember, Charles Shobhraj's case that we were talking about, an article in the paper said that they have found some very good evidence against him. (Dad was the source of my then current events).
Son : By the way, Mr. X got me the sweets that Mom gave. Thank you so much.
Dad : Mr.X? Why did he come there?

Thats when it struck me. I have been duped, conned. comprehensively. *(^($(*%($) To say or not to say was the question. I had to, so I did. I was not the only one Mr. X had duped. My dad and a few others gave him some money too as he lost his briefcase. I did earn some brownie points because I tried to help someone in distress. I did however fail to mention, conveniently, my thought process.

Tryst with destiny

Time: August 14, 1947 towards midnight

Location: Indian Constituent Assembly

Jawaharlal Nehru made this speech

Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long supressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of Inida and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity. 

At the dawn of history India started on her unending quest, and trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her success and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her strength. We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future? 

Freedom and power bring responsibility. The responsibility rests upon this Assembly, a sovereign body representing the sovereign people of India. Before the birth of freedom we have endured all the pains of labour and our hearts are heavy with the memory of this sorrow. Some of those pains continue even now. Nevertheless, the past is over and it is the future that beckons to us now. 

That future is not one of ease or resting but of incessant striving so that we may fulfil the pledges we have so often taken and the one we shall take today. The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity. The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over. 

And so we have to labour and to work, and work hard, to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world, for all the nations and peoples are too closely knit together today for any one of them to imagine that it can live apart Peace has been said to be indivisible; so is freedom, so is prosperity now, and so also is disaster in this One World that can no longer be split into isolated fragments. 

To the people of India, whose representatives we are, we make an appeal to join us with faith and confidence in this great adventure. This is no time for petty and destructive criticism, no time for ill-will or blaming others. We have to build the noble mansion of free India where all her children may dwell. 

The appointed day has come-the day appointed by destiny-and India stands forth again, after long slumber and struggle, awake, vital, free and independent. The past clings on to us still in some measure and we have to do much before we redeem the pledges we have so often taken. Yet the turning-point is past, and history begins anew for us, the history which we shall live and act and others will write about. 

It is a fateful moment for us in India, for all Asia and for the world. A new star rises, the star of freedom in the East, a new hope comes into being, a vision long cherished materializes. May the star never set and that hope never be betrayed! 

We rejoice in that freedom, even though clouds surround us, and many of our people are sorrowstricken and difficult problems encompass us. But freedom brings responsibilities and burdens and we have to face them in the spirit of a free and disciplined people. 

On this day our first thoughts go to the architect of this freedom, the Father of our Nation [Gandhi], who, embodying the old spirit of India, held aloft the torch of freedom and lighted up the darkness that surrounded us. We have often been unworthy followers of his and have strayed from his message, but not only we but succeeding generations will remember this message and bear the imprint in their hearts of this great son of India, magnificent in his faith and strength and courage and humility. We shall never allow that torch of freedom to be blown out, however high the wind or stormy the tempest. 

Our next thoughts must be of the unknown volunteers and soldiers of freedom who, without praise or reward, have served India even unto death. 

We think also of our brothers and sisters who have been cut off from us by political boundaries and who unhappily cannot share at present in the freedom that has come. They are of us and will remain of us whatever may happen, and we shall be sharers in their good [or] ill fortune alike. 

The future beckons to us. Whither do we go and what shall be our endeavour? To bring freedom and opportunity to the common man, to the peasants and workers of India; to fight and end poverty and ignorance and disease; to build up a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation, and to create social, economic and political institutions which will ensure justice and fullness of life to every man and woman. 

We have hard work ahead. There is no resting for any one of us till we redeem our pledge in full, till we make all the people of India what destiny intended them to be. We are citizens of a great country on the verge of bold advance, and we have to live up to that high standard. All of us, to whatever religion we may belong, are equally the children of India with equal rights, privileges and obligations. We cannot encourage communalism or narrow-mindedness, for no nation can be great whose people are narrow in thought or in action. 

To the nations and peoples of the world we send greetings and pledge ourselves to cooperate with them in furthering peace, freedom and democracy. 

And to India, our much-loved motherland, the ancient, the eternal and the ever-new, we pay our reverent homage and we bind ourselves afresh to her service. 

JAI HIND.

Regardless of what my opinion in general is, I do think that this guy could speak. He is a great orator. His words hold true even today, because even after 63 years (in another 15 days), we have not really achieved what we could in the way we should have.


Yes, experts are saying that we would cross China by 2050 in terms of development using whatever metrics they find convenient, which I doubt seriously because, our growth is not really in manufacturing (I am not belittling service sector, I work in it).


Video on youtube



Found this video online as well :D

Very Legal but definitely unethical... 1

Recently I started paying more attention to the really small print on a EULA or a contract or a warranty card etc. And as expected I started to find so many things which one would never realize, unless of course , one reads the fine print.

Disclaimer: I am not waging a war against anyone :D

BestBuy is a place that I frequent. Not necessarily to buy, but to look at all the new toys :P, though I end up buying mostly from the store, that is definitely not the intention. I still like the store a lot but recently have become wary of a lot of things.

An experience that I am definitely not happy about is buying laptops from them (online or in-store).

ASUS definitely makes good laptops and I am a big fan of the RoG line. I cannot buy something without first actually looking at it physically, so I went to BestBuy to look at an ASUS laptop, liked it and of course bought it even though I was unhappy with some options not provided :D.

Bluetooth module- It is a $15 add-on option (internal) which BestBuy chose not to take. Its legal, disappointing but definitely not unethical. However it was puzzling that a store which sells electronics and whose loyal customer base is mostly gadget crazy population thinks Bluetooth isn't a great option. Of course the sales associate offered a free suggestion to buy a rocketfish micro Bluetooth adapter for about $40 (Meritline sells it at times for $2)

Then there are "supposedly better" Geek Squad treated laptops where they install an antivirus and supposedly clean up unwanted programs (I can vouch that they do not clear all unwanted programs). It is helpful for some customers, I don't need it and guess what there are very few laptops in the store that are not "treated". Guess too much free time for Geek Squad. And of course you pay an additional $70-$150

Anyway coming back to the unethical stuff. I didn't accept their homegrown service option from Geek Squad, (I believe that I know more than them about a laptop, you may call it arrogance, but it is what it is :D), also because the warranty from ASUS would cover me for a year.

As a proud owner of an ASUS RoG laptop, I registered the product online at ASUS' website. --SHOCKER-- I am not eligible for ADW (ASUS' accidental damage waiver for when I pour coffee on to the laptop :p). It is provided free with all of their laptops, but of course BestBuy actually cancelled that program on the laptops that they sell and try to convince customers to buy their Geek Squad program which costs about $300. The ADW fine print is here. Incidentally, only 3 retailers opted out and of course all three have their own versions of the ADW. Now this, I think is perfectly legal but grossly unethical. Denying what should be mine for free and offering to sell the same for about 300 bucks. And you are not privy to this information till you actually go and register for the ADW.

It is a long post but then equally greater was my frustration :D Though I am a little happy cuz its vented. But not opting for a Bluetooth :o .... c'mon... If I never use ftp and still have the capability on my laptop, why did they think I don't want Bluetooth on my laptop :o

By the way, I was not buying a BestBuy laptop, I was buying an ASUS laptop. BestBuy was not the selling point, ASUS was. Darn it, BestBuy has DELL and HP laptops too, why would I buy a BestBuy laptop? arghhhhhh.....

Rules of Engagement - A Man's Perspective

I had to post this. I did not create it but do agree with each and every one :)
Credit to the original writer ....

These are our rules! Please note.. these are all numbered ‘1 ‘ ON PURPOSE!

• 1. Men are NOT mind readers.
• 1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
• 1. Sunday sports It’s like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.
• 1. Crying is blackmail.
• 1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!
• 1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
• 1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That’s what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
• 1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days.
• 1. If you think you’re fat, you probably are. Don’t ask us.
• 1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one
• 1. You can either ask us to do something Or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
• 1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
• 1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.
• 1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a colour. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
• 1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.
• 1. If we ask what is wrong and you say ‘nothing,’ We will act like nothing’s wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
• 1. If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to, Expect an answer you don’t want to hear.
• 1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine… Really .
• 1. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as football or cars.
• 1. You have enough clothes.
• 1. You have too many shoes.
• 1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!
• 1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; But did you know men really don’t mind that? It’s like camping.

Who is the REAL "Fake IPL Player"?

I guess the phenomenon called Fake IPL Player (link to blog) is going to come to an end tomorrow or at least that's what Prem Panicker says via his tweet.

And I am guessing now the whole corporate drama starts.... they also say that there could be a criminal case slapped on the player.....

I thought the guy was crude (esp. the names) but he had a great sense of humor. He may have stepped on innumerable toes who are ready to get back at him... But a criminal case in the offing?

cmon.... the guy is from a free country, democratic I might add.... many have died for his freedom of speech. Some nicks he has given, I agree are libellous, but the blog itself, I think he had every right....

Revealing dressing room secrets??? Am sure national security matters were not being discussed there....

Match fixing??? I don't understand how the information he posted helped other teams, and mostly after the games

Calling names???? He was creative about the nicks, but for what it is worth, he has a disclaimer.... Can't say he is cheating any more than IPL by calling the break a strategy break rather than a commercial "give me more money" break... individuals who we think are referred  in the blog may try to sue him, but how would he be a criminal??????????

Depressing brand value???? then what about negative reviews of a product online?
I don't know how it would end, but I would sure miss an interesting blog

IPL and racism

Two black cheerleaders asked to sit out because of their skin color.

The agency denies allegations. The story is here

But knowing the Indian mentality, somehow I feel that they might have said that. We cry foul when we are subjected to it in other countries (and rightly so), but at the core of India there is racism and no one even attempts to realize it....... By the way, I think I have faced it more in India than in America (UTAH being the only incident).

Calling someone with darker skin moila (means dirt in Bengali), the multi billion dollar industry of "fairness" cream, the search for a "fair" skinned match, equating skin color to status and beauty quotient..... after seeing all these, would you be surprised if those darker cheerleaders were asked to sit out?

We want India to scale new heights every day, but with this rampant racism together with the age old regionalism, is it possible? No sir, it is not.

I want Barack Obama to win, not because I like his ideas (as his supporters claim) or something else. Just to see how the turncoats would change (I am not talking about,just India here.) and start looking at their darker countrymen afterall, the most powerful person in the world is dark.

And last but not the least, while refuting the allegations, some gone case Manjeet Sandhu said

"Stopping anyone from performing on the basis of colour of skin is not only illegal but unconstitutional. If such a thing has happened, especially against women coming from abroad, it should be condemned and action taken against those at fault," said Manjeet Sandhu, district secretary of the Chandigarh chapter of All-India Democratic Women's Association.

How can you say that? especially against woman coming from abroad.......

What is with these guys. I agree no one should be subjected to such horror, but why especially someone from abroad? Why cannot you treat your countrymen (rather women) well?
That statement although very apt minus that blunder reflects the thought process..... And you want India to scale new heights.....

A rare gem

Please click on the title to go to the story by Associated Press.

The article is about a picture that was taken in 1888. The picture of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. The first time I got to know about Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan was in the movie "The Miracle Worker". A friend had it so I watched it out of sheer boredom. After a few months, I heard about "Black". I definitely felt that the Hollywood version was closer to the truth. And what's Bollywood without masala anyway.

A picture is worth thousand words. This picture made my day. It tells you the story which is almost 130 years old. Am not saying anything about the story, because I am pretty sure everyone knows the story.

This 1888 photo released by the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston shows Helen Keller when she was eight years old, left, holding hands with her teacher, Anne Sullivan, during a summer vacation to Brewster, Mass., on Cape Cod. A staff member at the society discovered the photograph in a large photography collection recently donated to the society. When Sullivan arrived at the Keller household to teach Helen, she gave her a doll as a present. Although Keller had many dolls throughout her childhood, this is believed to be the first known photograph of Helen Keller with one of her dolls. (AP Photo/Courtesy of the Thaxter P. Spencer Collection, R. Stanton Avery Special Collections, New England Historic Genealogical Society-Boston)

not bad... not bad at all...

I have for a very long time mulled over the decision to do something about corruption in India, which is rampant at each and every level, and... every time I came to the same conclusion that something should be done. And like a billion people (literally) never followed up on my thoughts.

I have always thought that the system should be changed, but never acted on it myself. And the excuse is the same every time.... I can do something but that would be a drop in the ocean, so why waste my time and energy...

And how pathetic is that excuse...

I almost stopped blogging because of my really busy schedule, BUT one thing did inspire me to take some time to post.

I know that most people read rediff everyday and if there are any of those in the readers that do not, please read this article in rediff. This article seems to have appeared in most newspapers. But I decided to put it on the blog anyway.

The site that is mentioned in the article is this.

So much was I impressed by this couple, that I have no other words except the title of this blog.

The husband, a very honest IAS officer who is being "transferred around" because he is a whistle blower for corruption in the system.

The wife, who chose to do her part and support her husband in his fight. And do more... start a website to fight the corruption

The son, is not far in his support. Instead of trying to persuade them not to do so (for fear of life), he is providing the tech support needed to reach a wider audience.

"The Right to Information Act"

I didn't even know that there is a Right to Information Act in India. I am sure the politicians who upheld it never thought that it would come back to haunt them. I am sure they passed it to look uber cool and to have everything USA has.

I knew about NIC long back. I have a cousin working for it. But never asked him about what it was thinking that it just is another government organization.

I am really glad that someone had taken the initiative. Now all the educated public (which is the first to shy away from responsibility) have no excuse. All those who said "Let someone else start" have their starting point.

As the website requests I am putting it in my blog in the hope that at least one person who is not aware of this would get to know about this.

At the very least this start is not bad... not bad at all....

Google has gone mad

You don't believe me..... then judge for yourself....

Look at what it asked me to do....

All I wanted is directions from my home to Bristol Myers Squibb. I was waiting for Google to give me a choice of addresses to choose from. Instead it pulled a fast one and gave me directions from the US to France.

That is understandable given that BMS might have an office in France (Head Quarters are in Lawrenceville, NJ), it is sarcastic nonetheless. It did not advice me to take a plane or a ship or something. It actually asked me to swim some 3500 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

It did use the word swim. So someone must have entered that a water body has to be swum across. So some PhD had entered it somewhere to prove his sense of humor. Actually geeks do need to prove that they have sense of humor, lest none would believe.

I was astonished at first then had a good laugh. Someone is working overtime on their sense of humor at Google.

But I guess this very unapologetic nature of Google is giving some new search engines a chance to survive. Angel Investors have already invested millions in creating a more humane search. After all I guess the people in this country realized that more is always not better. Why give me a gazillion results I don't need instead of the a hundred that I would need.

Green Screen of death...

I feel so honored that I got something different from Microsoft. Something other than what it had been dishing out from I don't know when.

I mean come on....

If you look at it, Microsoft's Operating System Windows or even its browser Internet Explorer,
however many editions or versions MS releases ultimately neither the OS nor the software is "logical" bug free, because it is just a color change here and a form change there, squares are made round and rounds square..

I mean I am not talking about extreme case defects. Regular defects that common sense would not allow.

You do not need to store 20 days of history by default.
The browser should not hog so much memory.
You need not update it first and then again roll them up into one and apply the patch again.
You need not restart after installation of every update so don't ask it.
And restarting is NOT a solution.


However, since I am also one of the many many windows users, I should not crib much.

But I was pleasantly (??) surprised to find a rare phenomenon (finding something new is rare) in MS's software.

If you haven't heard about the blue screen of death, then may be you need to use your windows based computer/laptop more. Its when the whole screen goes blue and you HAVE to restart the machine.


So I guess the DELL laptop is old (one year is how long they work properly, but cannot complain for the price they sell them for) suddenly decided to show me the SCREEN. But to my astonishment, I didn't get a blue screen, instead I got a green screen and that too fluorescent.

I had some unsaved text files, So I almost said the F word out loud and was hoping that the machine would respond, cuz it is not blue.

But well MS seems to have played a prank on me. This screen is same as the other screen. just a difference in color. Another MS strategy to fool people into thinking they got something new .

I present you the new MS Screen of Death, a non-adobe-photoshopped image. Look at it for yourself. All those who are about to tell me that it may be because of the Media Center edition and that the base tint for media center edition is green, well thats what MS does, change colors and package it as new...

Yay!!!!!!! No dentist for 6 months FINALLY

Yesterday I successfully endured the weekly visits to the dentist and I AM GLAD...... (sounds like an ad for GLAD, but it is not, also am not even remotely remotely related to another GLAD, I am straight like an arrow. To be politically correct I think I should say that I am not associated with it and will probably not be interested, lest they think I am a hater and get hate mail)

So it turns out in the office that my colleague asked me why I had appointments for so many weeks. Sheepishly I replied that it was because I haven't been to a dentists for four years. Hearing that her motherly instincts came out (she is due pretty soon) and told me that it was long time and that I should not repeat it and I deserved all the pain . I was about to say something when my boss intervened and told her that he hadn't been to one for eight years........

Relieved that the focus is not on me, (I hate answering dentist related questions, they suck and so do dentists) I was silent for the while and then we moved on to the next topic (i.e. work).



Anyway so when Dr. Moon told me today that I should make the next appointment after 6 months, I was kind of relieved. Though I didn't like him for the pain on my first visit, the subsequent visits haven't been that bad.

The thing that caught me off-guard was that he was not his usual self wearing formal clothes, but he actually wore casuals and on the t-shirt it said MONKEY BUSINESS..... and am I not GLAD that it was my last appointment... at least for now????????????? Look at the picture..... and it looked to me that the monkey was drilling into something. Am I wrong to be scared????????????

Remember Kutchu????? and his glasses???

This is a very funny story about a friend who is quite absent minded...

The story as she narrated to me (of course modified to fit the style of this blog)....

She was doing her Post Graduation in some college in Delhi. She usually drives to the college as it was just 10 mins away from her home..... (dunno kaun sa galli wala college)

One day due to her extra-ordinary driving skills the car had to go to the service station as the gears were not responding. So her dad dropped her in the college and asked her to call him up in the evening when work would get over so that he'd come n pick her up....(seemingly her dad doesnt trust ND autowalahs)...

After the classes were over, she came out to the parking lot and started searching for her car. She went berserk trying to imagine what happened to her car and of course the dirty looks she is going to face from the family. She started thinking of all possibilities like the car got stolen, or got towed away...

She knows that she is absent minded so she even went to check the neighboring college's parking lot. And after checking for a couple of hours with tears in her eyes, she returned to her college.

The guard at the gate who saw her condition offered to help. He searched with her the whole parking lot two more times.

And then he said. "beti tumhara car ka insurance to hoga... tum apna ghar phone karke batado aur FIR darj karwaalena...."

So expecting a lecture from her dad she called him up. And her dad said "Should I come and pick you up?"

Thats when she realized that her car was at the mechanic and that she had not driven down to college that day.

So she slunk out of the back gate..and used it for the next 3 months...

One one day the guard caught her and asked...beti aapki gaadi ka kya hua...??

She smiled and said nothing.

You would imagine she wouldn't repeat the same thing again.

But she did it again some time the following year.

I was speechless but still asked, "How could you not remember such a thing?". She answered, "I usually recollect stuff after a year has passed, but in the span of one year I usually forget."

This time I really was speechless....

Third time lucky??????

So.... the tooth needed to be attended to....
Let me check if I have a good dental plan....
It seems like I have a decent dental plan... so find a dentist in the area....
Dr.Moon, well if he is going to make me dance using his fingertips (albeit with a drill in hand), I might as well not make any fun of his name....or else....
In any case I never had a bad expeience with a dentist.... so i am hoping that what people say about dentists doesnt come true...

First Visit......

Dent:Where are you from? Whats your ethnicity?????

Me (wondering if I didn't look Indian) India......

Ahhhhhhhh.... you eat a lot of spices.... Do you eat spicy food...

Me (not knowing what to answer): I would not eat them from today if you don't want me to....

No no no... these spices make your teeth acidic.... thats why you have these stains.... I will give you a light cleaning first.

Me (thinking in my mind) Dude.... cleaning can wait.... get me out of the pain....
Me: Ok... as you wish.....

after some moments of buzzing drill and constant repositioning of my head.... cleaning was done....

Dent: Whats the problem now
Me: (thanking God) I have this toothache and I do not want to be in pain anymore....

Dent: lemme take some x-rays....

that guy took x-rays of every possible angle of all my teeth......

all this while his beautiful assistant standing in front of me... I had to wonder if she was hired strategically....

Dent: I have faxed your treatment plan to the Insurance office. I shud get a go ahead in about a day... But I know that root canal is covered. So we will do the rootcanal now.

Me: okay..... as you wish... just get me outta this pain....

Asst: I will give you the anesthesia.

The doc starts drilling and even the beautiful assistant couldnt divert me away from the pain..

It was baddddddddddddddd
I held his hand and said no I cant take it....

Dent to his Asst: Did you give anesthesia?????
Asst: Yes Dr. Moon

Dent: I think you tooth are acidic..... I dont think you are getting numb.... you should take antibiotics for a week and then may be we can try....

Me (wondering why antibiotics, Cant I eat baking soda or something to reduce acidity) Ok.

That evening I was in PAIN cuz he drilled a part of the nerve and it was pain personified....

So I called the office for some prescription. She had faxed it to the pharmacy and I got it. Much to my despair it was Ibuprofen and this whole ordeal took about an hour. I was like.... Cant we just buy these without a prescription in India.....

Anyway that subsided the pain and I was getting ready for my second visit.....

Second Visit:

Dent: Did you take the antibiotics?

Me: Yes.. all 21 of them.... I dont know what will happen to my stomach....

Dent: Ahhh you will be okay.... Lets finish what we started

After anesthesia he tried to drill and got a lot of it out....

Dent: 2 roots down, I will have to kill the last nerve......

He didnt even finish the sentence, I was in hell.... Now I know why they are called gatekeepers of hell..... And all this while I was thinking why people get so scared of a dentist....

The Dent gave up and said "ok.... we will try again next time

Dent: Did you drink last weekend heavily?
Me: Last weekend? I havent had a single drink in 15 days....
Dent: Do you have any liver problems????
Me (obviously worried): None that I know of....
Dent: Then the infection may be too big to get it numb, so we will try next week.
Me (even more worried): Ok

Now that he had put this thought in my mind, I had to find out if I had any symptoms of a liver problem or so.... I browsed for four hours and finally figured out that I dont have any symptoms

Third Visit...

early in the morning 7'o clock appointment (cuz I dont think that taking half a day off for yet another dentist appointment would stretch it at the office....)

Me: Dr. Moon, just curious... what is the max sittings have you taken for a root canal?

Dent: 2 and I have seen a case like you for the first time....

Me (frowning): Do you think I will be done this time.....

Dent: Yes, cuz I have already done it.... just need to do the filling.

May be they are not that bad. Then again.... he made me browse for 4 hrs last week to figure out why I wasnt getting numb.....

After he killed the roots... he put in artificial ones....

I was intrigued as usual and asked him about those....

He says, " Well in third world countries the treatment is cheap, so they dont use these artificial ones. They just clean the roots and leave it like that. This makes the tooth very weak.... and a chance of nerve growing back."

At this instant I was a bit hurt and obviously retorted, "Well, I have had another root canal done in the US and they haven't done it here either." But realized that I needn't be so harsh cuz he still can make me dance do his drilling buzz.....

But Yessssss I was third time lucky....


However before leaving the dentists office I did ask him one question... the one that I wanted to be answered bad...

How bad is smoking for teeth?

Smoking stains and thats it.... It has other health problems, but not for teeth... Don't drink cuz it hurts your teeth more than smoking....

Well I have one less reason to quit smoking.... but then again.... he started making me think about drinkin toooo.... :(


So may be my policy of not going to a doctor till it is absolutely necessary works for me after all... I think :p

Is summer here yet?

Apr 23rd the first bona-fide summer day of the year (after spring officially started long ago)..... temperature in the 70s.... and a drastic change from a couple of days ago....

I do not know how the building support guys in those centrally air conditioned skyscrapers cope with these extremes... today they have to heat the whole building to 65 and then suddenly they have to stop the heat and start the AC to cool it off to 65 the next day..... and that too before people walk in to the building every morning.... I am glad I am not working there.

The tell-all sign of summer has arrived. Dangerously dropping neck lines and soaring hem lines, to the extent of becoming one is already evident all over the place. Not that everything is eye candy, but it is getting really hard not to hate it because no attention whatsoever is paid by the beholder. I work in the Fashion District...... no not on "fashion" but the support activities like web traffic analysis for fashion (does not sound too exciting, does it?).

And I already started feeling the heat. I drank five bottles of water, which is atypical of me, cuz I prefer aerated drinks to water and aerated drinks are just not cutting the thirst today.

I kept on wondering if the weather needed to change so drastically. But then again I realized that it is this drastic change that gives all the fall colors and beautiful springs that I enjoy so much. I just thought that nature needn't have used the "no pain no gain" policy at least here, but well who am I to think that way?

Two days and the grass is looking greener and the trees have young tender leaves and sprouts and amazing of all most of the plants have buds. What a change? and How in heaven's name is this change possible in two days. Cuz two days ago I was low with this stupid toothache and I STILL am low because I have the same freaking toothache.

Rain Rain Go away.........

Please come again another day.... anywhere but here....... please....

today is a Sunday..... i have been hit by Monday blues yet again. Well this happens practically every weekend, only the "torrential" rains made me even more gloomier....

Yesterday was good.... just as the day was supposed to be in spring... warm, not too hot, bright and as if full of life

Being in Calcutta, I never believed the weatherman. When they say it would rain, you will not, repeat , you will not see a single person carrying an umbrella.

I already noticed that the weatherman here is definitely more accurate, but somehow after seeing such a beautiful Saturday I decided to take the prediction with a pinch of salt.

So I decided to go meet a friend in Stamford, but needed to do laundry before I go there. However get the car to car wash while I do the laundry to remove the stubborn tar marks. Laundry was not on the list, but constant nagging by my soon to be better half made me add that to the list.

Last night when I went out for a "customary" smoke after dinner, I saw a few drops fall. Well it was predicted that the rain would start late evening and a heavy downpour is expected. So I am all set. It is just "drizzling".

I got up in the morning expecting a beautiful day, but faced a really ugly yucky day. It was raining, as the weatherman said it would. Downpour....

For anyone who is thinking that car wash could be taken off of the list, that's not because the rain would do the work of a car wash, but because the car wash is closed. The tar still remains.

Now I tried to convince my fiance innumerable times that doing laundry on such a day was stupidity of the biggest magnitude, but, as it turns out, she would have none of that.

Now to save the day and my plans, I decided that I would at least go and meet my friend as soon as the laundry is done.

.........


A day that started off bad has just become worse. In an attempt to finish laundry as quickly as possible so that I can be on my way to Stamford, I dumped all my clothes into the washer, put the coins in and started the machine, only to see a pack of cigarettes floating around in the water when it is being filled. Now I tried hard to open the door of the front loading machine, but the machine was one mean SOB, it would not open. I sent as SOS to the Hispanic lady who was overseeing the facility.

She came and looked at my predicament, and said "You are screwed." I was very kind and said "thank you for the reality check, Can you help me out?" She said "No. Once these machines start, the doors open only after it does its job". How is that possible? I wanted to lecture those makers of those machines on usability and what not. At this time after resigning to my fate, I started thinking of ways to reduce the smell of wet tobacco that would permeate my clothes. I have a feeling that my day could not be worse. Ok so I can get to a departmental store and get some fragrant sheets that are used while drying the clothes. I have around 40 minutes before that machine stops, so I should be easily back by that time.

So I went to the car and was checking my pockets for the keys. This, mind you in that incessant rain. Two pockets, down and two to go and I already started to have a feeling that the keys might actually be in the washer.

No I did not take off my jeans and put them in the washer, I had the keys in my hands when i was dumping my clothes into the washer. Checking my other pockets just confirmed my feeling.

Now, totally drenched, teeth chattering, (the wind speed was close to 30 mph), I went into the laundromat for some relief. By now I just wanted to have some technique of Bruce Lee so that I can freakin break open the washer. And I could hear my keys knocking themselves against the drum of the washer.

This lady saw me all drenched and came with a towel towards me. I was so touched by her gesture. I was about to thank her when she dropped the towel to the floor so that the puddle that I created does not expand any more. This time I thought that the skills of Jet Li would suffice.

The washer stopped, I frantically checked for tobacco strewn all over my shirts and I didn't find any. So I curiously took the packet out and noticed that it was empty. Now I cannot kick myself, can I?

Anyway, I was a bit dry, still shivering, put the clothes in a dryer, got my keys out and decided that I didn't need those fragrant sheets. I wanted to get into the dryer, but a notice which said "Not a toy, please do not let children climb into the dryer". So better sense prevailed and in an attempt not to make my day any worse, I refrained.

After 40 more minutes, I went back to the car, this time keys in my hand and opened the trunk, and I see my umbrella in there. But deciding that it's not time to be self deprecating, I loaded my clothes into the trunk and went back home

I got back and already felt that I might be running fever. But a shower made me feel better and I decided that I should continue on my plan of going to Stamford.

...........

Great..... roads are jammed and a few accidents have almost rendered the roads useless, so I came back after attempting to go to the highway. Not in a mood to let my Sunday go waste, I decided that I would go to the Desi bazaar to get some DVDs and eat some piping hot Indian food.

Glad that I am armed with my umbrella and not letting the rain dampen my spirits, I went to the Desi bazaar. I parked my car and went to dosa house. I got a Mysore masala dosa and started to eat it. One bite and hmmm its heaven......

Oh wait.... nooooooooooooo...... its freaking hell... what is this pain that shot out of my mouth and went all over the head and I felt I almost died.

I then realized that I have a very sensitive tooth and cannot eat anymore. I ran to the departmental store and got Orajel and used it after which the shooting pain subdued. I got wet once again.

I drove back with one hand on my cheek and decided that next time it rains, I am going to stay indoors and play mad gab.

What spelling?

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid! Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? Yaeh, and I awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt.


I raed it swoemhere on the web and it is not my own work

To beat or not to beat

I read this joke somewhere, I don't exactly remember where but it goes like this

A judge who is about to grant a divorce to a couple asks their eight year old girl

Judge: Beta, whom do you want to stay with? Do you want to stay with your mommy?

Girl: No mommy beats me.

Judge: Do you want to stay with you daddy then?

Girl: No daddy beats me too.

Judge (confused): Whom do you want to stay with?

Girl: Indian Cricket Team, they never beat anyone.

This pretty much explains the exasperation I went through after painfully watching the India Sri Lanka match, and hoping somewhere that Bermuda beats Bangladesh. But then again India didn't deserve to go to Super 8. If they cannot beat Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, I don't know how they would beat Australia or South Africa or for that point the 'Oram'juvenated New Zealand.

Though I never wanted to write something about cricket on my blog, the boys in blue forced me to do so.

But then again I am glad that I don't have to search for Rakhi Sawant's song or her item number on youtube cuz she said that she would do that at Mumbai Airport if India won the cup.

Paanch... paanch... paanch

Two days ago I was flipping through channels... when I was on a Japanese channel (curtsy DISH network, by far the worst blood sucking good for nothing network) I got a call, so I was talking on the phone and walks in a friend of mine and asks me what I was doing watching a Japanese channel. Not the one to give a straightforward simple answer, I asked him why should I not watch a Japanese channel and told him that language should not be a barrier and it is people like him who think that language was a barrier that actually hindered the concept of global village.

It felt very nice lecturing him that way, but it did pose a question if language was actually a barrier. Then suddenly I remembered something that my mother had done long back. For some time I was lost in memory of my mother. Although she is no more, she still is a very strong driving force in the decisions that I make in daily life.

This happened around ten years ago.

My mother's interaction with Hindi was minimal. The Hyderabadi hindi that my sister and I spoke sometimes at home was her introduction to hindi and anybody who speaks or knows hyderabadi know that it definitely is not hindi. And all the Raj Kapoor movies that were broadcasted when he died didn't teach her much either. And then a score of Telugu channels started and she never had to learn hindi.

During that time Naxalite movement was at full swing, so any industry which was earning "some" profit was provided protection by CRPF. It so happened that a few people were given quarters to live near our house. My dad was the happiest because he could buy liquor at the discounted prices of their canteen, he made a few friends in CRPF. Now there was this particular Rajasthani couple in those people. And quite odd as it sounds, they were the only people from North India and everyone else was a Malayali or a Gulti. So that Rajasthani lady who found my mother the most hospitable came to our house every now and then and stayed there talking to my mom for hours together.

Now this might happen anywhere and is not a big deal, except the non-tenable part is that my mother didn't know hindi and that lady didnt know anything except Rajasthani or hindi. So the two languages that my mom knew (Telugu and English) were out of question. So my mom wrestled with the little (which was very little) hindi that she knew.

I witnessed the fact that they talked for hours and hours together and when I asked my mother how she managed, she smiled and said that she understood pretty much everything that the lady tried to tell my mother and vice versa (I asked that lady about it and she told me).

I wasn't home much, but my sister narrated a very funny incident to me.

When a vegetable vendor passed by our houses, the lady screamed on top of her lungs,

"Oh sabjiwale bhaiyya, idhar aao".

The vegetable vendor who did not understand that it was intended for him just moved on selling his stuff. So this lady ran out and stopped him. Well my mother also had to buy some vegetables and she did just that.

My sister at this moment went next door to meet her friend. After my mother and the other lady bought the vegetables, the vendor asks her for fifteen rupees. Now the only problem being, he said it in telugu. Now the lady looked at my mother enquiringly.

My mother looked around for her escape route (my sister) and obviously didn't find her. Now that the onus was on her, she took an easier route. She paid for both of them. The lady took the vegetables home and came back with the money. She asked my mother

"kitne paise hue didi?"

Now my mom understood the word paise. She was about to say that it was okay because she didn't know how to say fifteen in hindi, but then she came up with the neatest thing that I have ever known.

She showed her five fingers and said paanch, she closed the fingers into a fist and opened them and again said paanch and finally for the third time she said paanch. Without blinking the lady gave my mother fifteen rupees.

After I heard this episode I never again asked my mother how she managed to talk to the lady for hours.

How much does a cigarette cost?

Well even with exorbitant state taxes as in NY or CA one pack of Marlboro Lights would not cost more than $10, that makes a cigarette not more than 50 cents.

But I know a guy who actually smoked a cigarette that cost him $230 + 15 cents.

The central character in this post is the same "oxymoron" guy. I think I should start a stereotype with his name, but was warned against it.

Now, this guy is a big Shahrukh Khan fan and fancies that he looks like the star. And he is always hell bent on making people say that he looks like Shahrukh. He still tries to convince me. I haven't succumbed to the torture yet. If it ended there, it would have been good but the problem arises when this guy even copies the star's mannerisms.

While driving his car which is barely "strung" together, which he drives with elan with his cellphone in one hand and cigarette in another. I don't know how he drives, but drives nonetheless. On the Interstate 95 where he is whizzing by all the lesser mortals who are driving within the speed limit, he suddenly thinks of Shahrukh and how he flicks the cigarette butt into the air. He flicks it the same way out of the window, into the air. This butt had a mind of its own and decided to go and crash against the cop's windshield. Well it is night, otherwise he would have noticed the cop behind him, I think.

Now cops in NJ are really not known for their forgiveness. So the cop turned his lights on. It took a few seconds for this guy to realize that those lights were for him. So he pulled over. He was rehearsing as what to say about the speed he was going at and he decided that he would say it was 74 on a 65 zone.

The cop asks him if he knew why he was pulled over. He said that he didn't (I wish he said that it was for speeding). The cop takes his license, registration, insurance tallies the database if he was a criminal then comes back saying that it was for throwing a cigarette butt on the highway. The cop gave him a ticket (amount not mentioned) for throwing the cigarette butt on the highway. He doesn't even mention about speeding. When I drive on the highway and I have driven a lot (more than 100,000 miles), I usually see at least one cigarette flying out of cars every other minute depending on the traffic, but have never seen anyone get a ticket for it.

Now he comes to my place the next day and tells me that he got a ticket for smoking a cigarette. I kind of understood what he said and told him that Highway Littering fine was $500 just to make him a bit more miserable. So he calls up the court and finds out that the amount was $230. He was happy that it was not 500.

Now the lady that talked to him on the phone had a hard time finding out the amount because she hadn't seen a case like this in her 10 years of service and was even thinking that it was the first case of its kind under that court.

And at the end she said (read in an African American accent) "How did yo get a ticket for this? If yo cannot dispose yor butt without getting caught, then yo should stop smoking..... and driving"