Sneha tagged me.Here goes the set of questions along with answers:

1)What is your occupation?
Love to multi task at times. :)

2)What colour are your socks now?
Barefoot right now.

3)What are you listening to now?
Pink Floyd

4)What was the last thing you ate?
Garam garam samosa :D

5)Can you drive a stick shift?
Yes.

6)Last person you spoke to on phone?
My school friend.

7)Do you like the person who sent you this?
Yup, though never met her.

8)How old are you today?
Don't want to say!

9)What is your favourite sport to watch on TV?
I don't watch sports.

10)What are your favourite drinks?
Bisi bisi kaapi (coffee) and green tea.

11)Have you ever dyed your hair?
Nope.

12)Favourite food?
chapathi.

13)Last movie watched?
Broken arrow. Just watched it yesterday.

14)Favourite day of the year?
all 52 Sundays :D

15)How do you vent out your anger?
Silence.

16)Favourite toy as a child?
A doll which would close its eyes when made to lie down.

17)Favourite season?
Rainy.

18)Do you want your friends to email you?
Of course.

19)When was the last time you cried?
Last year.

20)What is on the floor of your closet?
Nothing.

21)Who is the friend you have had the longest?
Too many.

22)What did you do last night?
Started reading White Tiger.

23)What are you most afraid of?
Layoffs and marriage. (same as stated by Sneha).

24)Plain,cheese or spicy hamburger?
Cheese.

25)Favourite dog breed?
Pug.

26)Favorite day of the week?
Sunday :)

27)How many states have you lived in?
Only 1

28)Diamond or pearl?
Diamond and pearl :)

29)What is your wish for this new year?
Hope I have loads of work :)

30)New year resolutions?
Too many, too many.

I tag:
xh
Reema,
Arvind,
Vishesh,
Kanagu,
Apar.

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

If you love solving mysteries, then you will love this: https://www.5minutemystery.com/

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

Yesterday evening, I visited SP Road, one of the busiest street in Bangalore well-known for the electronic gadgets available for reasonable prices. In other words, you name it, they have it! Its narrow road and One way with people commuting at any hour of the day.

I wanted to buy 500gb HDD and was lurking to find a shop which would offer the best deal. In less than an hour, bought it for the best deal.

Meanwhile, my attention was caught by roadside vendor who was selling lassi, badam milk etc in a plastic tumblers. The lassi, milk was packed in a huge steel container inside a box on his cycle. To the huge box, a plastic cover was tied which was used as a dust bin.


I was amused by his wit. I appreciated him telling him that his idea was great and people didn't throw the used plastic tumblers on the road...and yes, I couldn't stop clicking this. :D

Though, he didn't have a dust bin, he had at least found a substitute. If each one of us contribute, we can have a clean and tidier place. Each of us can make a difference.

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

Wanna experience the telegraphs in the age of PDA's? The have a look at this .

What an innovative way of introducing cutting edge technology through a telegraph..!  :)

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

I have been consuming Homeopathy medicine for more than five years. Since my childhood, I had been suffering from frequent throat infections due to tonsillitis . As any other parents, my father took me to a doctor who would prescribe antibiotics as a dosage as required. But still, it wasn't of much use. Then, he would increase the dosage for 5,7 and 10 days to the max. Sometimes, the throat infection was so intense that in spite of taking antibiotics for 10 days would not bring down the pain due to the puss and I had a great difficulty in swallowing food, water or even saliva :( This made him give injections for 5 days to reduce the throat pain.


Six years ago, I underwent tonsillitis surgery. After a couple of months, I had frequent throat infections and I was fed up. A few acquaintance suggested Homeopathy medicine would cure throat infections. Small sugar balls are mixed with the medicine in solution and are given in the tiny bottles. After taking these medicines for a month or two, I was relieved of throat infection. Ever since then,  I have been taking only homeopathy medicine for cough, cold, fever....

After I came back from Udupi in May '08, I had ear infection with severe pain around my neck and ear due to Eustachian tube . This time, I took homeopathy medicine and was cured. But most of my friends and relatives had no belief in homeopathy and repeatedly insisted that I should have taken allopathic medicine and shouldn't rely on homeopathy in case of ears :| Though, I was cured, no one was ready to believe that I was cured and pestered me to visit a ENT specialist. I took an appointment and here I was:

Me: I was suffering with severe ear pain, last month. I took homeopathy medicine and no longer have any ear pain. I am able to hear perfectly.

Doctor: People still believe homeopathy can cure many diseases and don't turn up to us unless pestered.

Me: I have been taking homeopathy for years, now.

Doc: I do agree that it can cure diseases like piles, skin allergies and skin diseases.
[Carefully examines my nose, throat. Ear is examined with a help of a special torch and the vibrations of a tuning fork]
You have severe cold due to which had ear infection. Eustachian tube must be infected. Ears are perfectly fine and you don't have hearing problem.
[Explains about Eustachian tube which I didn't understand.]

Me: Even the homeopathy doctor told me that both my ears are fine and I need not worry.
 [Smile with glee :D]

Doc: Are you allergic to antibiotics?

Me: Yes.

Doc: [scribbles few medicines]

Me: Thank you, doctor [..and leaves the place]

Every medicine is based on trial and error. Few diseases in some stream can be cured instantly. It is baseless to detest Ayurveda, Homoepathy or Allopathy. But most people believe Ayurveda and Homeopathy are obsolete and so are the people who follow and preach it. :(

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

Drafted: 24 Jan '07

Geisha reminds me of beautiful kimono which is a traditional dress (like saree) worn by Japanese women. It also reminds me of the white painted face with lips painted deep red .

Memoirs of Geisha authored by Aurther Golden describes the life of a Geisha : Geisha is a profession which no girl would take up and forced to take up without any other choice. The book is a story of young girl, Chiyo Chan, happily living in a small village with her elder sister and parents before the World War. Her father, a fisherman, much older than her mother. Once, Chiyo questions her father,"Why do you look so old than mother?", he says,"Is it so? I don't know." The very next day, her mother takes her to a cemetery and shows three graves,"The grave of this women is your father's first wife, the other two graves were their children. That's why your father looks very old than me." Chiyo, a beautiful girl with blue eyes just like her mother.

Chiyo's mother falls ill and her father being poor, has no money for her treatment. Before her death, Chiyo and her sister are sold to become Geishas. Chiyo is sent as a trainee to a Geisha House called Okiya and the care taker is the mistress of the Okiya. She finds another trainee of her age, Pumpkin. Chiyo's attempt to escape from the Okiya fail. Once she meets a Chairperson on the way who consoles her and buys her an ice cream. From then, she is motivated to become a Geisha hoping to see the chairperson in the future. The struggling journey of young Chiyo as a maiko to renowned Geisha Sayuri with the help of Mameha. The survival of Sayuri from others jealousy, find a danna, during World War and migrating to America to start her own Tea House.

Memoirs of Geisha gives a detailed description of their day-to-day life. How difficult it is to maintain such a hairstyle, makeup and long flowing kimono. As a trainee, Geisha are taught high discipline, to walk slow, never spill tea while sipping, eating etc... They are taught dancing, playing instrument and required to visit the Tea House very often. Once they decide to marry, they have to give up their profession as Geisha.

Arthur Golden interviewed many Geisha including renowned Mineko Iwasaki . In his book, he acknowledges her for telling the life style of Geisha. He was legally sued by Mineko Iwasaki for including many false inaccurate descriptions. Later, Mineko published her own autobiography, Geisha of Gion.

Geisha's are neither courtesans nor wives. They are performing artists.

© Manasa. All rights reserved.

Mobile phones have become an integral part of our day-to-day life. A couple of years ago, cell phones had antennas with black and white display, so called basic handset. Now-a-days, phones are not only used to make calls, they are more likely used to click instant pictures and listen to music or radio with camera and music player integrated. Adding to these, internet browsing, GPS are additional features.

At times, I think, a day may come when you can control washing machine, dishwasher or even microwave oven with your phone. :)

How about owning a phone which prepares coffee, serves the purpose as a shaver, a projector, harmonica. Pomegranate phone provides them. Go, check the fascinating phone here: http://www.pomegranatephone.com/

I wouldn't mind, if any of you gift it to me. :D

© Manasa. All rights reserved.