Malfunction

Of late I ve noticed that electronics equipment tends to malfunction, more than it used to, around me. I had put down the fact that i never get outputs for lab exams to clumsy work on my side and a superstitious belief that i wont get output every odd semester. yet CROs had malfunctioned, power supplies had gone awry and the circuit itself had misbehaved on many occasions.
Now the issue has gone serious and it is everyday items like mobile phones and computers that put me to test. the landline phone in my house is somehow connected to the neighbouring line, which we( bujis) might call crosstalk, and every private conversation of mine is now a conference between the sender(me), receiver(whomsoever i am calling) and the third party( neighbours). and everytime someone calls their phone our phone rings for company. i had been putting up with a lot of crosstalk of late and had practically stopped using the phone.as if to remind me that this world is not entirely my own, my mobile phone has started having mysterious visitors too.
in one incident i called a friend (say D). i got someone else on the line. i could hear him speak and D could hear him speak. he could hear both of us speak. but we couldnt speak to each other. we tried to get him to act as our channel and pass on messages between us but he didnt find it an interesting pass time and didnt humour us.in another recent incident i called another friend A and instead of her "sweet" voice, got the hardy voice of a man who asked me 'which part of the temple i was standing at'. i disconnected and tried again and got my friend.
and then the computer thought of playing tricks. i asked for twitter, signed into it and what do i get...my gmail inbox .MAGIC (and black magicfor sure)
it is a jinx alright, a curse of the innumerable electronic components i have broken, burnt or mercilessly pulled off..

Mourning

Wanted to begin the year with a happy poem but this is what i got instead.


The shutters came down, the candles were blown
the flowers dried up, in their vases unknown
She was clad in a gown of gloomy black
her beauty hid beneath a veil so dark

It was raining all day, with thunder that stay
as if the sky knew that he had gone away
Sunshine stayed out of the room so dim
shy to intrude in the acute grief within

People came, shed tears and went
leaving the grieving widow to vent
her grief and memories of days spent.

Their words and hurts, many did repent
speaking in subdued tones that lent
a sepulchral quiet to the air's teary scent.

As a week passed, the shutters came up
the flowers were changed, in their vases arranged
the noise of daily life resumed
and the sun,with its warmth and light entered
the room,driving away all the gloom
but the widow sat alone, as in a reverie
visage vacant, lament latent!!

With Nature

Come vacation and a trip is always in the air. This time though, it was a one day trip. Morning saw us starting off, along with the suns rays to paalaruvi,which is around 90 km from our place. it was my first trip to the place. the journey took us above a mountain, through the many meandering roads that cut into the surface, like a serpent. the ride through the hair pin curves are a bit unsettling, if you have had no food and i was housing butterflies in my stomach when we reached the top. on the way we stopped to drink in the lust green scenery. a chill had descended on us as we started the climb and it got more pronounced as we snaked our way to the top. there were tall mountains reaching to the sky, covered in a velvet curtain of greenery, all around and there was a constant wind blowing, one that was cool and brought in the smell of the many fragrant bushes that inhabit these mountain slopes. once at the top, the road levelled out , leaving more room to appreciate the surrounding sights.
Paalaruvi,a tumbling cascade of cool water, medicinal from its constant camaraderie with the shrubs and herbs of the mountain, has in store for the visitors, a breath taking beauty, an awe inspiring magnificence that leaves us to gape at the insignificance we hold in comparison to its enormity and beauty.the falls is strictly off limits currently but there is a small path that forks out from the main road at the entrance, which leads us to a secluded spot. we had breakfast at the opposite side of the bank, after crossing the knee deep waters,with plates in our hands.there is a slight current, but nothing huge to take you of balance.the water is very cool and the first dip sends shivers,heightened by the cool winds that are forever in motion.. all around trees stand tall, atop huge mountains, while the water flows like a shiny mirror, down the mountain. a snake was spotted, so the safety of the place cannot be vouched for. there is a swing nearby, for that film like experience.
we reluctantly left the place as we had other places to visit.kuttalam had nothing in store except bathing bodies (people were washing loads of clothes and taking elaborate baths with soaps and shampoos), so we left the place in a jiffy.next stop, thenmala...by then the chill of the morning had given way to the scorching heat of the noon and no one were upto climbing to the top of the dam except a few of us. the climb was a bit tough, given the heat but the view from the top was awesome...the water lapping on to the reservoir walls, trees half submerged...everything added to the beauty.the drive down was equally bad, with its twists and turns but it was worth the pain.

The road leads on

The road stretches far, before me , behind me
I walk alone, not seeking and not sought
People pass by stopping to smile
Some a glance, a word or a passing remark
While some walk along, pushing me on
holding me steady while I trip and fall
Then they tire , not catching up
and fade away , urging me to move on

People pass by laden with treasures
yet fatigued under their crunching weight
and leave them by the side of the road
to move on, free, fast and light.
Some others pick up these treasures
and move on looking for still more..
Oh, by the cruel twist of fate
those who have, wish to abandon
and those abandoned, wish to have...

The road stretches far, on and on
some ways tree lined, shady and cool
the pleasant fragrance of wayside flowers
and the melodious tunes of birds
some ways scorching, searing and hot
with the stench of stagnant life
and the melancholy wail of the birds..

yet we move on and on,not looking back
until we round a curve and behold
the orchard, the final destination
and recline to rest our tired souls...

Series...

The past one week was total mayhem....assignments, record work, reports ....everything in a small time capsule...the project work had taken me to times in the night which never before knew to exist....after the chaos of the last week...its time to descend into some peace...but where is it? the series exams start tomorrow...assignments again, records still more and lab internals until the brim of the university exam.....the university exam itself is in a quite compressed time schedule too...WOW....god help all of us..

Rhyme: Spring's Views

Walking through the orchard groves
I let my mind, in silence, muse
while spring around in brilliant hues
make fruits brim with sweetened juice.

Birds, with their banter, amuse
and sweet notes, into the air effuse
while all around leaves and yews
and blushing flowers grow profuse.

dusk looms near and soon induce
a reddish tint that soon suffuse
birds give me their rushed adieus
and fly off...leaving me a lone recluse!!

Boring??

Who says life is boring??....just when i was thinking so , life turned back and shouted at me.....four accidents in the course of two days and being a part of the earthquake has led me to believe that life is indeed very happening!!!

the first accident left me unhappy, the second angry, the third afraid, and the fourth...numb....fortunately nothing happened to anyone so the aftermaths were restricted to material losses alone...then the incident of a robber being spotted outside our house at the dead of the night( luckily it wasn't i who saw him...and hence i live to tell this tale) provided enough food for thought and fear for a couple of nights....
and the earth quake...well i am disappointed that i dint know it was an earthquake...i thought it was a train passing close by as the rumbling sound resembled that of a train as it passes alongside our house...and the vibrations are common enough too...it was only later that i knew things weren't so common this time around....
these action packed bursts of happenings are interspersed in life just to show that god is a sport and doesn't let anyone be bored...