nituscorner

My Delhi Attraction.....!!!!

2011-08-01T11:45:00.005+05:30

Apart from all the great things of a metro city like Delhi (minus the heat of course), that I love for a break, this little darling is someone who can make me forget even the heat here.Advik, my nephew has turned two now and sure has changed since the time I saw him last. A bundle of joy that he is, makes sure to keep all of us on our toes.....highly curious about all new things, my shoes and my glares didnt escape his sharp eyes. So I caught him just in time with my camera ,trying out these....right now his attention is on Aunt Nitu.....and thus keeping me on my toes too( hope I lose a few kilos in the process).But as my short break would come to an end very soon, I know parting would be the most difficult moment for me. He stole my heart with his chitter chatter and I for sure would go back heart broken once again.Children grow up so fast.....that by the time I get to see him next time may be would show me a different Advik.But as of now I would treasure these moments.
And yes we have a huge thing common between us.....Shoes!!! Now that sure is some "Konnection" !!!!.lol!!!.

An Unplanned Day......2 !!!

2011-07-26T22:13:00.005+05:30

I am late posting the second part but never the less its here......some classic black and white photographs from the museum. I loved this gallery and these are some pictures which you would hardly get to see in reality these days. Modernity has touched every sphere of life and with all its advantages have also taken away the innocence in us.I always found black and white photography so classy so obviously I could not miss these awesome pictures and am sharing it here for all my friends.....and specially for you !!! Hope you like them too.

An Unplanned Day At The Museum.....1 !!!!

2011-07-15T22:33:00.006+05:30

Yesterday was one of those days when I can say started on a wrong foot but ended on a right one. My day started as early as 5am .....when I got up to leave for Gauhati. My friend and colleague was suppose to pick me up but of course the time stretched from 6.30am to 7.30am and then finally when we did start our journey, we got stuck in one of the worst traffic jams and in spite of knowing Shillong like the back of his palm, we could not escape the jam from which ever route we tried and before we knew...we kept coming back to the same place, till it was too late for us and so we finally had to give up our plan.....the back journey was no better so my friend did an about turn and said instead of spending the day on the road and behind the wheels we might as well go and spend some time at the Museum. I just could not believe my ears......and for a while I actually forgot our terrible morning.It was our first visit to the Don Bosco Museum,.....though museums are one of my favorite haunts somehow I could never visit this in spite of seeing this place from our balcony every day. I had planned with an outstation friend that this is one place we would see together but even that never materialized.....and here today of all the days I get to see this treasure house.
The Don Bosco Museum is a store house of information of the North East. I managed to take some pictures which actually caught my eyes..... may be I will put up in two parts here....The jewellery section left me spell bound with what fashion was once upon a time....the musical instruments that were once played by our ancestors made me wonder about the talents they must have had because these sure needed skill to play....no hi tech here......made from wood and bamboo, these must have played some of the most soul touching tunes.Knowing my weakness for shoes , well how could I not take a picture of these wooden pairs.....wow!of course I would like to own one....any body listening??!!!! lol!!!

By the end of the tour I felt rejuvenated and walked out of the museum with a much better mood.I cant thank my friend enough for after all making it a great day....!!!!

Down Pours.......!!!!

2011-06-30T20:46:00.005+05:30

The monsoons came early this year and before we could really gear up, it was on us. It has been raining every day now but yesterday was one of those days that the Rain Gods overworked. So Polo ground and the adjoining places saw the water over flowing from all direction. In many houses rain water harvesting is a common practice and here Neelav would have given his right hand to stand under that shower. Of course every body came down on him with a big NO. So poor fellow has to be satistifed with the hot shower in his bathroom.

The Journey of St.Don Bosco.......!!!!!

2011-06-12T18:46:00.004+05:30

The glass casket carrying the life size wax statue and a relic of the 19th century Saint Don Bosco, more popularly known as a friend of the Youth,arrived in the city on June 4th. The relic, a bone from the right hand of the Saint in wax image is on a pilgrimage from Italy across 131 countries where Don Bosco Selasians run educational institutions . The journey was started in 2009 and would complete in 2015 to mark the bi centenary year of the Saint.
The institution in Shillong has been a centre of both informal and formal education for thousands of boys and we are indeed lucky to have such a school in our city.
Hundreds of people payed homage to the Saint and it was indeed a strange feeling to have Him in our amidst.May the Youth be truely blessed!!!.

The "Pink" Cabs.......!!!!!

2011-06-02T20:51:00.003+05:30

For a place like Shillong where women do play quite a prominent role in comparison,I feel women driven taxis came in quite late into the scene. We have often talked about this in the past as why women have not taken up this job where else we see them in all spheres of employment here. And this year when the first lot of them were finally given a "Green Signal" to take off on the road, we were sure glad to see them. But I have not been able to reason as to why is pink always associated with the female gender......from pink dresses when we were kids to pink cabs now.....some how reminds me of renaming them into "Barbie Cabs "..... It is an all woman taxi ...yes men not allowed above 12yrs. So sorry Dudes !!!! .I have not had the pleasure of taking a ride into one.....but of course I was already warned by Neelav though still within the age group....that I should not even dream of asking him to get into this pink(ugh!!!!) color taxi.

My Tributes.......!!!!!

2011-05-25T22:21:00.004+05:30

A year rolled by and before I knew 25th of May is here today......on this day last year I lost my friend June forever.....June left for her heavenly abode, leaving me and many others stunned as I saw her sinking and breath her last. A sight and day from which I still am yet to recover . Today it has left me with doubt if the old saying time heals stands true or not.....for me personally the grief and loss is still just as fresh as that very fateful evening. I look at her picture here and cant help my rolling tears.....the ever so cheerful laugh still rings in my ears....our arguments still leaves me wondering who actually won over it.....our jokes that we shared.....the morning jogs that we used to go for.....she way ahead of me and I would struggle with my asthmatic lungs to keep up the pace with her.....so many memories now locked away forever. Today as I pay my tributes and my respect to her I can only say a silent prayer ....." May your soul rest in peace June. Thank you for touching my life the way you did.You will be always remembered."

Trying My hand In Photography........!!!!!

2011-05-16T20:25:00.006+05:30

I know nothing about photography beyond its spelling.....but I have always loved to have the camera in my bag where ever I go......it is one of the many things I carry in my bag. Here I have some randomly clicked pictures which I had taken recently.....any suggestions on them are most welcome . Are people listening??? Lol !!!

Typing On The Type Writer........!!!!

2011-05-05T20:49:00.002+05:30

One fine sunny day I saw my neighbor cleaning his typewriter and putting it out in the sun to do away with dampness.......in Shillong after the monsoons a big task in hand usually is to air and sun out anything and everything. So as he sat doing his cleaning job meticulously , I stood with him watching him doing so and I was dying to run my fingers through the keys.Its been a long time since I did so. Yes , I did learn typing...in fact went to a proper school where they taught us typing and shorthand, during the break after I had given my Board Exams.....I had no particular reason to learn this art but I had time on my hand and a secretarial job did fascinate me for a while......thanks to the Mills and Boons book that we were into at that time, dreaming of a TDH boss. So I had learnt typing and had enjoyed the course then. I passed out with a 60 words per min result, considered quite okay for some one who actually went for a time pass. Lol!!! and then got into a Short Hand course.I found this course very interesting. It was like learning a new language but unfortunately I could not finish it as i had to go off for my BDS course.So a secreterial job and a TDH boss went out of the window and I landed studying for becoming a Tooth Doctor.Of course now the computers have the same key board but typing on a type writer is well different .Neelav had never seen this before so his young mind was highly tickled.Lol!!!!

Mother's Love.....!!!!!!

2011-04-28T06:33:00.002+05:30

I often wonder that if you could call only a human mother......if that is so then what would the relation of a pup and the bitch who gave birth to it would be???? So , I really don't know, if the term is correctly used here , but I would still call the bitch who gave birth to the pups "the Mother".... in fact she doesn't even have a name on her so for reference purpose I would address her as the Mother indeed. Well,this mother is not our dog.....she is homeless. I saw her frequenting our house recently....and she was pregnant. I don't know how she managed to make herself feel so much at home when we already have three dogs in the house who are very possessive of their domain. But surprisingly , Winnie, Rony and the youngest of them lot Fido were all very gentle with her, even shared their space."DUH".....My Maid with her hands already full was not happy to see another addition into the family.....While I didn't have the heart to send her off , not in her present condition.....so there were always big arguments when it came to meal times for them. I told DUH put an extra plate for her , if she is around....which was violently objected and I would start off with my emotional crap and well at the end of the day I still see her hanging around in our house.....and then one fine morning DUH comes and tells me she has given birth to five pups.....found a place for her self in a corner of our garden and now there was no chance of even thinking of sending her off.....so at present the Dog scenario in the house is five pups with the Mother and our already existing three dogs. That was something to be thought off....now I could hear the discussions between my mother and Duh saying that as soon as the pups are off their mother's milk, the pups should be given off. I dare not say lets keep them....So I very cautiously said lets keep at least one of them. Well,four pups were given off, two of them to my neighbor.....and that evening I saw the Bitch Mother frantically looking for her pups. My heart went out for her but I could do nothing....it was more disturbing because we could hear the pups crying.....I am sure she did too because she was trying to look for them. A Mother after all !!!! And guess what happened ???? The next morning we found her bringing back her two pups to the house again.... those neighbours could not do anything.... they were scard because she almost bit one of them....Well, it was surprising and I should marvel at the Mother's instinct because it seems she waited patiently all through the night.....my neighbor said.... outside their gate and when everyone was asleep she jumped over the hedge and carried her pups back one by one ......and then climbed over the wall of our house as the main gate was closed and brought them in. Who ever said Dog were animals....think twice.!!!! Even they have emotions.....even they show love.....they even cry....!!!! Above all they are very loyal. So we have something to learn from them. And yes I am happy....for the time being the pups can be with their mother.When tomorrow comes ....we shall see !!!!!

Break Of Dawn......!!!!!!!

2011-04-19T18:11:00.004+05:30

No prizes for guessing where these photographs were taken. Thats right!!! I stood in the southern most tip of India and witnessed the break of dawn here in Kanyakumari. The meaning of the word "Dawn" seeped in, in me after I actually saw the sun rise here.It was a sight so spectacular that it leaves me short of words to describe the moment.For the first time I saw and felt those few fraction of a second when darkness is lit with the first glow of light and obviously my picture here is after those seconds because I just could not miss to see this with my own eyes.....and its a picture that has been etched in my mind forever. I was left spellbound as I held my good old camera.....to capture some few shots and share with my friends here.

(PS: The quality of the first picture is not great because its taken by my simple digicam and then while I was taking it a gentleman standing behind me almost pushed me down while trying to get a better picture for himself.lol!!!! )

Man-Made Disaster........!!!!!!

2011-04-12T19:22:00.005+05:30

The Sun....the Sand.....the Sea.....three fatal combination for me.....and I want nothing beyond that if I was given a choice....but it broke my heart when I saw the state of this particular beach.....the garbage that was left behind here and also those that was brought in by the waves. Well it looks like the sea water obviously has more in it then just salt and other minerals which is the reason why the sand here has black residue on it. And we have only ourselves to blame for this.....all our waste that we collect sitting on the beach is hurled into the sea.....in fact many a times trying to see who can throw the empty can the furtherest into the sea as if its a shot put throw..... and then what could be more disastrous then to find many an outlet of sewage put directly into the sea.Now am not aware if thats the best way one could dispose off garbage or sewage water.....but it is definately sad to see the state of the beaches and the colour of the sea water along the beach.I could not allow Neelav to open his shoes and walk bare feet here.....forget about touching the water.I left this place with a heavy heart. Wake up people !!!! lets learn to respect Nature lest She gets angry and bestow Her curses on us.

Eddies Sports 2011.......!!!!

2011-04-07T19:13:00.006+05:30

St. Edmunds School today had their Annual Sports and its an event that we all look forward. There are various drill displays by each classes starting from the junior most kindergardens to the out going class ten . Its always a pleasure to watch these activities. But personally one particular event that I really like and find very impressive is the handing over of charges by the out going captains to the new ruling ones.Its a very solemn occasion and also very emotional for the out going boys as this would be the last school event for them ......hence a chapter closing in their lifes. From now on its a preparation of dealing with the out side world.
The photo graphs here shows the old school captain handing over the flag to his successor for the 2011 and he is escorted by the different house captains.
Neelav took part too and got a 3rd position for relay...good try for him!!!!

Caught in the Act......!!!!!

2011-04-05T18:34:00.002+05:30

One night before going to bed, Neelav took exceptionally long to brush his teeth...which instantly sent a warning bell in my head....."what is going on in the bathroom"....I wondered ??....I remembered all my shampoos that went inside the bubble gun and the perfumes used as fresheners..... The door was luckily not bolted (which he often does now a days), so I slowly peeped in to see what was taking him so long and found that he was trying out a shaving act....I ran to get my cam so that I could capture this very scene without him knowing.....( so in case the picture is a little dark please bear with me, I could not risk using a flash)as this I simply had to show it to his father....Neelav imitating him. Thankfully he did not try the electric razor which Prakash with some good sense kept it above his reach.I suddenly realized he was growing up and very soon his papa will have to mark the level of his After Shave...he!!!he!!! I could not help grinning !!!!

Cheers India.....!!!!

2011-04-03T21:29:00.002+05:30

After that glorious win India sure deserves a toast. It was one of the most thrilling matches I had ever seen in a long long time . Not that am a die hard fan of cricket but when India and West Indies....another of my favorite team plays I do make an effort to watch the match.....and yesterday I reached home just in time to watch India bat.Though the opening I guess did make all of us sit at the edge of our seat.....the end without doubt made us stretch our backs and ease out. I felt all the tension melt down from my body.The feeling I had was the same relief that I felt after I gave my final year viva.....the euphoria was unbeatable.....and as we stood in the balcony of our house, we could hear the people of Shillong join in the celebration and watch the Shillong sky brighten up with the choicest of fireworks. It was quite a surprise because the city of pines was known for its love for soccer....time has changed I guess and cricket has found a place in the people's heart here too.
" CONGRATULATION INDIA "

My Style of Celebrating......!!!!!

2011-04-01T12:34:00.003+05:30

Well my first post this year and I thought what better way to start but write yet again about my favorite obsession....and this time I do have good reasons as to why I added these few pairs to my collection......its my way of celebrating several happenings.....I was reconnected with friends....one my childhood friend with whom I literally grew up through mails...and another back from college. We would have gone out and toasted these occasions but as its not possible for the distance , to commemorate such lovely reunion, I had to get these two pairs...one in honor of each of them. Then of course a friend of mine got married recently...and it was only natural of me to get a new pair for the wedding.....its a different story that because of the distance could not attend it....they say its the thought that counts and I believe in it too. So to celebrate his wedding I naturally had to get two pairs.My extended vacation this time also demanded a new pair. Come on.... I could not risk going with out shoes could I ???. Then of course no prize for guessing the ultimate reason why I simply had to get the rest.....and that was the day after India won the cricket match against Pakistan.It obviously called for a celebration. And celebrate I did......all this in a span of a few weeks. OK! I know I did go a little over board but then I had valid reasons....what do you say ???? But have promised not to look at shoes for the next 6 months.

Life filtered through the lens.......!!!!

2011-03-31T21:38:00.005+05:30

My break from blogging this time was longer than usual.....no particular reasons as such only that life did a little twist and turn and I had to adjust to the gear as I drove on.....but I had safe navigators with me all the way so there was no question of my driving off road.I am here today....back to my little corner. I should thank all of my blogger friends and non blogger friends for encouraging me to start writing again...... for friends who have appreciated my writings and also told me my flaws....for friends who have taught me what life was all about.....and have made me grow and now see life through another lens.....and no I have not forgetting You for introducing me here and also my Hot mail and Face Book connections.....specially for people I did not know who took an interest in my blogs...... I thank you all for being with me.....and guiding me through . I hope I can continue writing here.....

Autumn Rains.........!!!!

2010-10-08T19:00:00.005+05:30

As October rolls in ,apart from the festivals that I look forward to, I also look forward to the Autumn season which happens to be my next favorite season after Spring.But this time in spite of October being here, Autumn seems far away, what with the heavy showers that we are still having....now that is nothing surprising for Shillong because we can have Spring Showers, Summer Down pours, Autumn Rains , Winter Drizzles.....but after that long wet summer months , I was looking forward to a clear blue sky and an Autumn evening....cool breeze..... a time just perfect for walks and as the leaves turn golden.....I wait for the winters to set in.The last two days its been raining continuously bringing down the temperature considerably. It was a chilly day and as I got back from work,before I entered my house I looked up towards the sky if there was any hope for clearing up tomorrow.....well I saw no stars . Sob!Sob!
I guess another depression in the Bay Of Bengal......and a wet chilly day for us.

Mistaken Identity.....!!!!!!

2010-10-04T21:52:00.002+05:30

In all my years as a dentist ,I was never as embarrassed as I was today . I was seeing patients as usual in the clinic , when I had this well dressed smart looking gentleman walk through the door . I made him sit on the chair and listened to all his complains and then my usual history taking......habits if any( smoking or tobacco chewing)....medical history....etc. All consultations done, I took my prescription pad to write his medicines....and while I was writing his details, I was politely corrected female instead of male. I apologised but for those few minutes I wished the ground would open up and take me in.It took me some time to compose and reframe my addressing mode from Sir to Mam.....and after everything else explained and next appointment given , the patient left and I sat back trying to recall how could I have made such a mistake. I have met typical tom boy ladies but this was no where close to all the tom boys I met earlier. Madam looked a perfect gentleman....smartly dressed , jackets , shirt, shoes , back brushed hair in fact even her teeth looked manly.There was no sign of feminity.Before she left , she told me,I was not the only one who have made this mistake....as if that would have made me feel any better....or may be it did lol!!! A sure case of Mistaken Identity !!!

( PS: I dont have her picture sitting on the chair for obvious reasons....)

Any Buyers Here ???........!!!!!

2010-09-28T22:11:00.005+05:30

I was walking the streets of Mysore and had come across this little baby boy lying on his stomach, manning his little shop.....I stood for a while watching him .....wondering how could who ever was with him ......mother , father , sister....leave him like this on a busy road at peak hour???? Reasons could be many but am sure none more important than his safety.....I wonder if he knew that he was left alone to take care of his shop.....its heart breaking when you see a baby left in the lap Nature like this. I could not have done anything for him but I certainly could not leave him like that alone at peak hour. I looked around me. Nobody seemed to notice. I guess its a sight too common......"We have no time to stand and stare " But as I was on a holiday I had all the time on my hand....so for once I stood and waited till I saw his mother coming across the road.I saw a bottle in her hand.I guess she went to fetch some water. Language was a barrier between us. But that night , I went to bed wondering about thousands of street babies like this without a shelter over their head in our country.....A country where in just a few days time will be hosting one of the most prestigious event.......and yet as the choicest of food will be laid out on the tables, thousands of children will still go to bed hungry. These are the ironies of life.

My Indispensable Duh.....!!!!!!

2010-09-21T19:42:00.002+05:30

My maid lovingly called Duh.....meaning the youngest has been under the weather for some time.....though I have never seen her this bad. A person who does not really complain about her problems.....always smiling and hyperactive lying in bed like this is something that just does not jell with her and its only my scolding that has made her stick to her room. But as she lies there sick in bed ,I realize how at times I tend to take her presence for granted. We are so used to her running about here and there seeing to our needs as we rush through the morning for work and school, that I actually forget at times how importance her presence is in our house .And today as I am doing the clothes washing and then spinning them dry....the most boring job, I realize how indispensable is Duh to me and the least that I can do to repay her service is nurse her back to good health . God has His ways of gently reminding us of how important some people are in our lives and that we should hold on to them less they slip away.

The Monk In Saffron......!!!!!

2010-09-17T19:55:00.002+05:30

With the turn of September month,I started my walks again as the weather is not as wet ......but some days I do get caught in the morning showers and today was one such day. Now if you are a regular walker, you tend to meet the same people every morning and yes I happen to meet this monk in saffron every morning.....crossing the same place ....the same time almost every day....either he would be ahead of me by a few steps or I would....its almost like as if we have fixed a time and the route too because more often then not I would find him taking the same route that I take....and when I am behind him like I was today, my keen eyes would give him an over all look and marvel at the bright saffron outfit he wears....dhoti, kurta, sweater, over coat, shawl, socks all the same shade and I would wonder why does he leave out his shoes, which is black....and today he had a huge saffron color umbrella. Must be ordered specially for this group of chaste men. Talk of color matching !!!! Lol!!! He sure does brighten up a grey morning.

Rain Water Harvesting......!!!!!

2010-09-14T19:47:00.004+05:30

Though we get a good amount of rainfall here , people living in the city do face acute water crisis sometimes......so much so that in the winter months , when our Umiam Lake go dry too, because of the heavy power consumption we have power shut down every couple of hours till the rains come ......and a lot of people have to buy water to tide over their daily needs. So most of us try to do rain water harvesting in our house. Rain water is collected, and several steps of filtration is done ( we need to do these days because of the level of pollution in the air ) before it is used for consumption. I recall when we were younger, rain water was so clean that is was considered cleaner then the supply water we get through the municipality. Suppose to be rich in minerals, good for the skin, hair and body....after a couple of down pours, its great to take a bath with the rain water.

A Cluster of Premolars........!!!!!

2010-09-10T20:11:00.002+05:30

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I had a patient today in the hospital, who came in with a complain of severe tooth ache. As I was giving him a general oral check up, I found the most amazing thing.....he actually had four premolars on one side.......a very rare case. Usually in a human mouth , we have a total of eight premolars, that is four in each jaw , two in each quadrant. This usually happens as a result of attempted division of a tooth bud, but a cluster of premolars, all well developed just on one side is indeed a rare thing to be seen. This patient had ten premolars, meaning his total number of teeth in his mouth was 34. A Mouth full of Teeth indeed !!!!!

Golden Maize.......!!!!!

2010-09-07T23:05:00.002+05:30

Its been quite a while since I have been home.....at Nituscorner.....I have no valid reasons...only that at times or rather most of the times my heart rules my head....in fact I was going to close this corner forever.....if not for the three letter word...."YES" , that I picked up from my one and only "Inspiritional Pot" that I have, the only reason of my presence in this blogging world. Well, as much as I love blogging , I have realized that no words could flow from me, unless I have my "Pot" beside me.....my little imaginary world revolves round it and also my life.
Though I had not put up anything on my page.....I did take a few pictures with my cam, as I swayed in and out of my daily routine....Today after a break I put up my first post , as requested, on my favorite food,the golden Maize.....right now its the season and these in the picture are from our own garden....though its not me who tends to the kitchen garden....I am the only person who loves them and I make sure every morning to ask Duh, my maid to go down and pluck some. There are varieties of local snacks that are prepared from maize....it is either boiled, roasted, or grinded and steamed into small cakes . I love them boiled without any flavoring. Only then I feel ,I can get the real taste of the sweet corn. Neelav loves it hot with a generous lump of butter. Ugh!!!! not for me though!