Travelling in Chennai's Autos and Share Autos

Some time back quarter life crisis came calling and I took many impulse decisions! I quit the magazine, got a new job, got new projects, scheduling workshops and such stuff. I also reduced my work hours and took a decision not to work on weekends. Realized that its simply not worth it. Also a close brush with a probable Cancer Diagnosis 2 months back helped me to take this decision. (But that's fodder for yet another post)

Before launching into the post, I am conducting a Basic Photography workshop for Hobby Photographers on 6th & 7th August, 2011 at & Studios. Details here. Interested people do attend!

Anyway coming to the post, due to my job change my daily schedule has changed immensely. I have quit taking buses and switched to autos/share autos. Mainly because of the longish commute time in bus. (auto takes half the actual time in this route). So here is my 2 cents about the terror ride aka Autos of Chennai.

From time immortal Chennai auto-drivers are known to take you for a ride quite literally. I strongly believe that these drivers have these strong notion of "7th Sense" which makes them sense how rich you are. Someone said "Dogs can smell fear". I am afraid Auto-drivers can smell urgency.  The route which I take regularly costs me around Rs. 40 (or 50, if it rains). One day I had missed an appointment and had to rush. I did my best not to show my urgency but still it cost me Rs. 120. @#$#%% The driver had a gall to ask me extra 20 bucks when I reached the destination stating mumbo-jumbo of reasons. I has in a hurry and in no mood to argue. Anyways, I just ran away and didn't pay anything more, but that's a different story.

Don't let the auto-driver know how unsure you are about the location. As far as I know, every mobile has GPRS connection now (Don't get me into GSM, EDGE, 3G and all such stuff now!) Just Google the approximate location. For example, If you have to go somewhere in Kodambakkam, Google a bit. Be confident and say you have to reach Sekhar Emporium.  If you think he is saying exorbitant price, just say "What brother?? I take that route 4 times daily. I pay only 40 rupees". Seriously, most folks relent to it :-P If you don't have a mobile or any connectivity, ask around. People ARE helpful!!

Always ask how much they are going to charge before getting into the auto. I luckily learnt this lesson in my very first week in Chennai. I was still in college and had to reach Guindy Railway station. I hired an auto without asking about the cost. Bleddy he looted Rs.70 for an otherwise 20 rupee ride. His reason, "Madam. I have driven 7 kms. 1 km is 10 rupees. Better pay up or i ll hit you". :-\ And in another instance the driver actually hit me for not giving him extra 10 bucks. :-(

No matter how much greedy they are, I have always found Chennai auto-drivers to be very helpful. (Except some, may be) I have heard cases of auto-drivers driving single woman into lonely lanes and having their way with them in Bangalore and Delhi. Have actually heard a recount of a college senior who went through such a harrowing experience but escaped, thanks to her presence of mind. She just RAN at break-neck speed!! :) But I haven't heard of such incidents in Chennai. Correct me if I am wrong. According to my personal experiences, I have always found auto-drivers very helpful and some even making sure I reach home safely, in case I am hiring an auto pretty late in night. Couple of instances I have even seen them helping with my camera gear if I am carrying any, even without asking.

To me share autos are the safe bet. Though they don't ply in all the routes, they do run in some of the busiest routes and sometimes where buses are scarce. The prices are pretty cheap. Starting from Rs.5, they highest one charges is Rs.20. And they will ply even if you are the only one onboard. Ok, may be they will dilly-dally a bit at the stops but they won't make you disastrously late.

Share autos are my safe option when I don't know the route exactly. I get on one and ask the people or the driver himself. And mostly some or the other will point me in the right direction. And most times I have the funniest conversation in these share autos. I leave you with couple of anecdotes.

Random lady: Oh god! Your lips are pink!
Me: Ummm is that a crime??
RL: Oh no. They are just umm kissable. Can I borrow your lipstick?
Me: *facepalm*
By now, the other fellow male passenger was laughing maniacally. And no, I don't use any cosmetics.  

Random guy: Nice boyfriend haan?
Me: Excuse me??
RG: Oh you are glued to your mobile since you got into the auto. Thought you are texting someone.
Me: Oh no! I am just tweeting.
RG: Oh what is that??
Me: (He looks like a software guy so...) It is like blogging. Just a shorter version of that.
RG: Aah nice. Then you should blog about this auto-ride and me!! hehehehe
Me: Yeah Rite!!

Oh wait!!!!

Wondering out loud!

As much I would like to keep this blog clean of my rants (yes, I pretend to be all grown up at times), I couldn't resist the charm of introspecting on my 'personal' blog.

Ok wait, let me get comfortable. Ah good ;)

Anyways, here we go.

# Not so long ago, I was on the way home in a bus. As a habit I read during this long commutes, hence was seated on a window seat with a book. 5 minutes later I heard a low humming/buzzing sound. I let it pass. It continued for another 5 minutes and I looked up to find the other person seated near me struggling with the mobile. The radio was turned on accidentally and the passenger didn't know howto turn it off.  Now she was a eunuch and no one came forward to offer help. I was getting bit irritated with the buzzing sound, so I got the mobile from her and switched it off. She gave me a big smile and knocked me off in the head. Wtf? seriously, I didn't get that. Given she was still smiling and saying Thank you, I hoped it was some way of blessing someone. I can't even ask anyone what that meant, can I?

# One Sunday a close friend of mine had invited me for a party at his house. It was a working Sunday and I was cutting too close with my regular schedule. I had just stepped out of my swimming session and was still in my gym clothes when I decided to go over to his place. When I say gym clothes I mean a track pants, vest and a jacket over it. So imagine my confused face when a lady on the road asking me, "என்ன dress போட்ருக்கே?" with all scorn and expressions. (It roughly translates to "What the hell are you wearing?"). I was stunned and stood in front of the mirror for full ten minutes at my friend's place wondering what was wrong. Let me not go into how i tortured him asking if it was revealing.

Strangely enough, it so happened that I went to office two days later in similar attire( yeah again after a session at the swimming pool). And the reaction was different. To quote my office boy "இன்னிக்கி தான் நீங்க நல்லா dress பண்ணியிருக்கீங்க" (You have dressed nicely only today or something to that effect).

seriously!!

A city girl's guide to travelling in Chennai Bus

Travelling in a bus across Chennai city is an art. Or in any city for that matter. But I really haven't traveled in bus in any other city, so I will limit my gyaan bataoing to Chennai.

Now were do I start?? It is necessary for you to understand the different types of buses and bus boards. Bus board is that thingy which has the bus number, origin and destination of the bus written on it. The funny thing is Chennai may be the only city with atleast 4 types of buses and 4 bus board colors. And each is a different service and has a different meaning.

First you have normal buses (if you can call that so), then you have Luxury buses, then you have vestibules, and finally the king of all, the AC buses.Luxury buses are anything but luxury. Lesser seats, no proper ventilation and exit/entry has doors which will open only if the driver is kind enough to let you get down. Lets forget for sometime the luxury buses with the doors prised open and tied to poles by some goondas who don't like technology or just want to get down anywhere at any time. Then you have vestibules, essentially two buses linked together like railway compartments. I don't think, I need to explain AC buses, which seem to be the boon for many folks.

Moving on the color of the bus boards, you have white, yellow, green and blue, the purpose of which is lost on me. White board buses have a minimum ticket price of Rs. 2, followed by yellow with Rs. 2.5, then green with Rs.3 and blue with Rs. 5.  Then you have buses with electronic buses with minimum ticket price of Rs.5. AC buses charge you Rs. 13 as a minimum price.

Are you still with me?? Hello!!!! Someone bring water for these fainted folks plz.. :D

So now you know the basics of Chennai moffusil bus service let us get on with our guide to travelling in a bus in Chennai.

Interiors of an AC Bus

1. When you are taking a bus to a new location, always ask a friend, check, cross check, ask someone, ask the conductor and then get into bus. For example lets take an example that you are taking a bus from Teynampet to Besant Nagar but have to get down on the previous stop. Your friends will ask you to take 23 series bus. But then again you have 23C, 23V, 23C (yup, 23C with a cut), M23C, 23C (LSS) and so on. and then you have electronic board buses, which have the habit to skip a stop if it stops at one. 23V goes to some other location. M23C will take a round about route, which will be a brilliant Chennai Dharsan. And 23C won't plain stop anywhere but at the destination stop. You get the drift. So you always ask a friend, check, cross check, ask someone, ask the conductor and then get into bus, never in any other order.

2. Each bus will have three rods, one at the entrance, one at the exit and one in between. If you are someone like me with no clue about grace, agility and err are basically a clumsy cat, hold on to these rods like your life depends on them. Prefer the ones near the entry/exit as extricating yourself from the middle of the bus will be close to impossible when you want to get down. And RESIST the urge to pole dance on these rods no matter how empty the bus may be. The pain is so not worth it. ouch, rubs the temples.

If you are tall enough to reach the bars on the bus roof, well don't bother :|

3. Carry change. By change I mean 50p & Rs. 1 coins. If your ticket value is Rs. 2.50 or such fractions, you can as well say good bye to the 50p change, unless it is your lucky day.

4. There is no such thing as Ladies section and Gents section. Oh yes, you will see the left portion of the bus reserved women folks. But the last time I saw someone adhering to this rules was err.. way back in the medieval. If you wish to stand all through the journey, you can stick by I-wont-go-sit-in-the-gents-side rule! And there is no such thing as you will be safe from guys if you stand near the ladies side. Bullshit!!

Women getting off a bus

If someone is horny and wants to grope you, he will grope you no matter where you stand. The best thing is to 'accidentally' step on his toes or 'accidentally' drive your elbow forcefully into you-know-where so that it pains and blame it all on the moving bus. :D Or if you prefer drama, just start asking him 'what are you doing?' in a loud voice and watch him being thulped by the aunties on the bus :D

And feel free to kick anyone who says you to dress 'conservatively' so that you won't be troubled by the guys. Seriously!! I have seen girls in Burqah/Purdah harassed more than a girl in shorts and tank tops (the latter being me). Wear anything you want. Just be confident and that will keep any guy away from you.

Normally crowded bus!

5. And the major point of getting seats. On a crowded bus when you see a seated person packing her handbag, closing a book or just adjusting her clothes, thats your cue. Move, wriggle, struggle and elbow your way towards the said seat and land your ass firmly there. Don't give in to any other elements present unless you want to spend your whole two hours of journey standing :|

Its up to you if you want to give your seat to someone. If you see a pregnant lady, a really old lady or someone visibly ill, please be a human and offer your seat. But if someone is using the most cliché "You are young, you can stand" line on you, feel free to bonk their head. Chances would be you would have taken that bus after a 12-hour-brain-wrecking-time-at-office-which-included-a-6-hour-marathon-meeting and the utterer of the sentence would have just emerged out of her house after a  refreshing bath and on the way to meet her family friend. Just give them an ugly stare and proceed to sit or if you are me just ask them "So, which office are you working in and how was your day?" and smirk :-D

The mighty Rs.30 ticket

6. If you are a daily commuter, purchase a pass. This is not only economically good but also helps when the crowd is impossible and no one is passing your ticket. There is also a daily pass system for women, frequent travelers and so on. If you are not a regular but have to travel on a bus way too many times on a single day purchase the Rs.30 ticket. This is not a pass but gives you freedom to travel any number of times , anywhere in the city for one whole day.

Well thats about it. Exude confidence, take that random bus and rule the city!

P.S: I have not included Night Service Bus in this post as I have least knowledge on it.

Disclaimer: These opinions are my own. You may have different experience in a bus. Feel free to disagree. and the pics used are not mine. Thank you Google baba!

Randomness

The other day I was waiting for bus at the stop... The vehicles were stranded as it was sorta rush hour and traffic jam was at its peak... There was this car stranded right before me and i noticed that a pool of petrol had formed beneath it.. I guessed that the fuel tank was leaking... I thought about it for some time and decided to let the guy know that his tank was leaking... 

Me: taps on the car window and motions to roll down

Car fella: Yes??

Me: I think your fuel tank is leaking.. There is a fuel puddle beneath your car.

Car fella: Gets down and checks the fuel tank, looks at me and shouts "Why the hell are you staring at my vehicle"

Me: What the??!!

ASSumptions!

Random Old Frayed Lady (ROFL) in bus: Hmm.. So you don't have a boy friend??
Me: I am sorry?
ROFL: No.. need not be sorry..
Me: What? I mean, i didn't get you.
ROFL: I am guessing you don't have a boy friend.
Me: Oh?
ROFL: Yeah.. In past one month, i have seen you quite a few times in this route.. I have never seen you get a message or call from anyone even once.
Me: ugh ugh.
ROFL: I have never seen you check your mobile either. so you don't have a boy friend.
Me: [baffled look]
ROFL: So how long are you dieting?
Me: eh?
ROFL: Yeah.. I notice you are a health freak. You got the most flat stomach, I have ever seen.
Me: Duh.. [mumbles] Thanks
ROFL: Yeah.. I see most guys stare at your stomach. They are fascinated. You look like a model..
Me: oh.
ROFL: Why don't you like Music?
Me: What???
ROFL: Yeah. I have never seen you listen to music in bus. Don't you have an iPod?
Me: ummm
ROFL: Buy one. Music is good for lonely people. It will bring you solace when you see other girls going around with guys and you are single.
Me: eh? [thinking WTF?]
ROFL: Join Facebook or Orkut, you will find many good boys. [smiles] I know you are not in there.
Me: Ugh ugh.
ROFL: and stop working too much. A good girl should be in home by 5 pm.
Me:  Ok bye. i have to get down here.
ROFL: Oi. your office is at Nandanam. Two more stops to go. Sit! Talk to me. You need to learn to make more friends.
Me: [thinking more friends? oh god!] errr
ROFL: Don't you have good boy's in office? Guess they are all married or engaged. No good guys or girls stay single for long.
Me: Huh.
ROFL: yeah... Go out and meet people. You will find interesting guys. You need to find someone and get married soon.
Me: [by now very amused] hmmm which places do you suggest?
ROFL: I dunno... CCD, Barista or  any of the coffee shops.
Me: Oho. Umm Aunty what do you do?
ROFL: [Proudly] I work for *** Dept of TN.
Me: Oho and as what?
ROFL: Oh i am a clerk.
Me: Do you have any kids aunty? Are they Good boys and girls?
ROFL: Oh i never got married..
Me: Err.. So, you, who never got married, are asking me to find a boy friend and get married, though you can visibly see I am still young. Is that right?
ROFL: Err,i have to get down here.. babye..
Me: ROFL!!!

And that my friends, was what happened today morning on the way to Office in 18K bus route! :-D :-D

Gaah!!! i need to repair my mp3 player before such maamis find me a target for their lecture yet again!! :|

Travel Diversions or so they call it...

What do you think of someone who takes a break from his office and takes his family of a wife and three kids for a trip across the country... all this when the kids where aged 9, 6 and 3 respectively and the country being India... and yes that man is my father and i was the middle one, the 6 year old.... Now you know when and where the travel bug bit me...well lets just say, it bit me mighty well...

so Blogadda comes up with a contest again..It is Travel Photography this time and so here is my entry.. Thanks to Biker dude for tipping me on this contest...

 Water, Water, Everywhere:

This was during a road trip to Pondichery and beyond.... Pitchavaram Lake is a famous salt water lake and more famous among the photographers for the sights it hides among its mangrove roots... i was with a bunch of photographer friends.... the best part was the sight of rain approaching us... no words can help me to describe that feeling.. sigh..

In Photo: A Bunch of tourists from North India, who got excited when we started clicking them... Shot at Pitchavaram lake, Tamilnadu

Jewels, little Jewels of Nature:

 We were taking a break en-route to Nagalapuram, a quaint village at the base of Nagala Hills, Andrapradesh... it was early morning at the dew drops had just started to settle down... this beautiful jeweled spider web is one of the bests i have caught till date...

In Photo: A spider web laced with early morning dew drops... Shot at on the way to base camp of Nagala Hills - Nagalapuram, Andrapradesh

Floating away in time:

We were on a bike trip to Mahabalipuram when the Rain god thought otherwise and was lashing at us like it was his only chance... With no chance to click anything, we stopped at Salt lake backwaters at Thiruvidandhai on the way back... the rain had slowed down a bit but the wind was still on our face... so you know why this umbrella is floating somewhere instead of being over our heads :)

In Photo: A red umbrella floating away to oblivion (we rescued it, obviously)... Shot at Salt lake Back waters, Thiruvidandhai, Tamil nadu

The Point is life is Endless:

Lepakshi temple is a trip i won't be forgetting in this life time... not knowing the local language, getting lost, fun and total awesomeness... this is a click of the forgotten corridor which surely needs some support... the magic is the corridor looks unending much like our life..

In Photo: Corridor behind the Lepakshi Temple, Andrapradesh

Play with Colors:

after our brunch at Mysore we came out to resume our bike trip when i spotted this "then unoccupied" home... though the home lacked activity, the wall and the things placed in the window spoke volumes...

In Photo: A plain yellow wall with a orange window.. shot at Old Mysore, Karnataka


There i am done.... oh yeah i forgot something else, the link back rule...

Me and Road to Freedom!!

If someone had told me two years back that i ll transform into an adventure loving chic who takes off and hits the road every weekend, i would have probably given them my worst stare and called up a psychiatrist to fix an appointment for them... Now, my friend's complain "Be in the city for atleast one weekend" :-D

My trekking interest started in the year 2007 when my class guys bet about reaching the top of a random hillock at Yelagiri.. yours truly happily reached there first even before any of the guys could make it...i still trek, atleast once a month...  but the interest in road trips was sparked by a impromptu trip with friends in December 2009...

One fine evening M just called and said "You are joining us on the road trip to Pondicherry, this Thursday".. was cut off before i could argue about office schedule... the trip was fun.. it was just us friends, the car and the road... and yeah pit stops, loads of pit stops... right from finishing of all Parotas of a local road side eatery that the cook had prepared for the whole day to getting lost along the lanes of Pondicherry, the trip was total fun... had the most beautiful experience of watching the rain approach and cross us, as we were seated in a boat floating on the Pitchavaram Lake... its another story that i started shivering and P had to hold me for a long time to keep me warm... i had my first treatise with cigarette and alcohol, and mind you no regrets... that bridge is crossed now :)

2010 had a great start with me starting off with a single backpack to Bangalore, Karnataka and to Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh from there.. Re and me were the partners in companion...  Re knew a bit of the local language compared to me who acted dumb all through the weekend... the Lepakshi temple and the nearby rock hillock which we scaled bare foot were all fun.. but the real fun part was our return trip... we got lost.. yup, you read it rite :) we got into the wrong bus and realized it a good half an hour after the bus was on its way to some other place.. the conductor let us down in the middle of nowhere... did we panic??

 The Naga-devis at Lepakshi temple, found at the base of Nagalingam

Well as Re said, Lets have some tender coconut from that street vendor before we figure out something... so Tender coconut it was... a local came to help and put us on a "van" towards a major bus junction... middle of nowhere, around midnight, two females, dark roads, beaten down vehicle, and i expected him to demand skyrocketing fare from us, if not do something else... we didn't believe our ears when he quoted the fare... "3rs. each madam" bless his soul.. we gave him a ten rupee note and walked away... Reached back Bangalore around 2 in the morning and rest of the weekend was uneventful..

February sent me on a trip to Anaikatti for a Photography + Trek trip (bus trip) and March saw me marching away to Nagercoil (train trip)...

April saw me on the road again... Me and the kiddo S planned a one day bicycling trip from Tambaram to Chengalpet.. a total of 120 kms.. the ride towards Chengalpet was total fun.. first pitstop was at Thailavaram.. we had to click a Hanuman Mandir there... it turned out to be a hole in the wall temple and took us atleast three to and fros on the same road to figure out the temple... but the Curd rice they gave us as Prasadham was total yumm... with breakfast done, we moved on till SRM Lake... took out the camera for the first time...we took several pit stops for water, sugar cane juice, mosambi, tender coconut etc, thanks to the scorching Chennai sun... the next stop was at Singaperumal Temple.. fun again... had a great time by discussing Hindu Mythology (my favourite topic: Captain Obvious) with the kiddo... took a detour through Mahindra City and had the most fun lunch at Wangs, The Cake shop of Taj...

 Our Bicycles at one of the pit stops

After two hours we reached the final destination, The Chengalpet  Lake.. we managed to cross through and get into the lake.. i seriously didn't know that the lake was off limits till we reached back to the city... though i dint have much to click, kiddo had great fun clicking me as a machi-waali and what not :-P

the trip back was okayish, till i got the sun stroke and we took the train back to the City... it was total riot, right from the Tea uncle near Tambaram, giving us a boisterous smile when he heard us taking a bicycle trip early in the morning... on the return journey, when i couldnt take it anymore and went off to sleep it was heartening to see a guy saying his kid "come this side and sleep , don't disturb akka, she is tired"... and it was total awesome to have S kiddo as your partner in crime... psst: he is gonna call me aunty for ages for calling him kiddo in this post :P

May was the icing of all the trips i took... Yuppo, a bike trip... if you are a regular reader and following me for a long time, you might know about my bike accident 8 years back and my fear of bikes... i just took the risk as i was not the one who is going to ride it, i was just a pillion passenger or luggage.. :P i was still wary of the long ride and the speed... i reached Bangalore at around 5 in the morn and we geared up at the railway station itself.. i was really a sight, jacket, yellow helmet, wrist band and all... :D

First stop was at Chennapatna for breakfast.. i lost count of the pit stops after that as we took way too many... not that we were tired but both of us were shutterbugs and we were like "hey that looks nice..stop stop stop we will click" :P our first proper destination was Somnathpura... a temple for Vishnu, with him in three various forms... Several clicks and "Eshtu" later we were off to Mysore... reached pretty late.. i saw the lighted up Mysore Palace.. man wat a sight!!

 The Nagamandala at Somnatpura Temple

Next day we took a tour of Mysore Palace, roamed around the old Mysore part of the city and did things that a regular tourist won't do.. :-D the ride back was awesome and in break neck speed given i had to take an early bus and we were pretty late while starting from Mysore... i wouldn't forget this ride for various reasons...

and my fear of bikes, errmm gone.. or atleast hiding for the time sake...lets hope i just don't get too brave and take on to ride a bike myself...

What next: More of these trips and something new... that parasailing at Pune which Satti suggested sometime back is really tempting me now!!

Gagged and thrown askew...

Had to be at Bangalore for the past 7 days with Pop being suddenly ill... i shud have realized this is gonna be an one helluva week when i saw the following hoarding somewr along the NH-7 near Hosur...

XYZ - Logistics and Whorehousing 

i was sipping some water and spluttered instantly... this hoarding on the National Highway and no one noticed so far??? WTF!!  the one moment i regretted for not carrying the camera.. #sighs... was staring out at every hoarding after that.. pretty me...

Pop was in ICU that means i had to burn my ass on the Hospital corridor and run around like a headless chicken everytime Pop's name came over the hospital speaker... needless to say, most of the time i took out my ideapad and sat processing some click or doing stuff.. No connectivity inside the hospital :(  This made me a curio item with every security fella passing me every 5 mins just to take a peek into the screen... one fella said "Computer?" everytime he crossed me... mind you i hate the word "computer" now.. You will too have u been subjected to the word like 300 times every day for 7 continuous days :-|

actually the Laptop brought me closer to the security guards, who started allowing me to visit Pop even though no one was allowed into ICU... he he he he.. me and my charm!! #EKSI

and i was rechristened "Sandwich Madam"... there wr these CCD counters at each floor and i would go ask for a sandwich around dinner time daily... dunno abt my luck but they ran out of sandwiches every single day... the final day when i was leaving hospital the counter fella came running "sandwich madam, sandwich madam, we have Chicken Mayo today"... umm *facepalms* this in front of hundreds on patients and visitors :-\

Language barrier was another thing.. u shud have seen me dancing like a "boom-boom maadu" every time someone started off in Kannada.. Pop's Doctor was the best, even after clarifying several times that i understand no Kannada, he insisted speaking in Kannada to me and in English to my Mom... errrmm shud i say Mom understands no English.. #grammargandu :D

One nurse went further, she insisted my mom that i can understand Kannada.. mom was stunned and asked "since when??" *facepalms*

Perhaps the highlight of the whole saga was this interesting Male nurse with an even more interesting name...
Actually me being me was reading through Pop's treatment chart and taking notes to consult Google baba to understand stuff... This nurse came over and started asking stuff about me... ahem the fella was tall, cute and ahem ahem sweet... so i was flirting along.. that was till he took out his name tag from his pocket... i balked and moved away within seconds... You would too had you seen the tag.. who in the world will name his kid as "Dildo Raj"... Duh!! oh wait, will u?? seriously?? :D like how did he survive college?? oh wait he was a Malayali... :D

sighs... i am going back once i am free, the roadside trees and flowers are beautiful, i say...

Missing in action, Ratzzz

And Definitely no one missed me this time.... :-\

on the other hand... this break wasn't planned or purposeful.. it just happened.. to all those who felt that, that my last post was a random tantrum.. u wr absolutely right, NOT!!!! my whole diwali weekend was a disaster.. spent the whole diwali on bed, with heavy migraine... cudnt even drink a draught of water without feeling nauseatic.. got up around 10 pm with a client calling to check my work progress.. yeah right!! puked violently at around midnight and went back to sleep blissfully... sad part, i was so sick to even inform The Boy or in that case my parents back home.. :( next day was okies with me dilly-dallying in bed and having a lunch date with the great girl, Me Myself... but i know so many ppl that i get recognized everywr i go...

At a coffee pub, met atleast dozen who wr like "u are Ratzzz? right??" Grinzzz.. ultimately a friend came to the rescue after that we went "coffee-hopping" :-) food hopping and ice-cream hopping has become a regular event thanks to The Boy and the mentioned friend.. Both are big time foodies... :-)

if i am not on a Holy Grail, then the time is spent writing or sleeping or reading, but never in any order... the grail being the Food here.. chennai never had been better than this...

yet have to decorate my "bachelorette" pad.. DV and Soph are playing there part perfectly, reminding me every day :( only i got no motivation.. all the wall paper and paint are staring at me blankly :(

went for the Save Tada - Clean up trek yday.. was shocked to see so much litter in such a remote place... happily plonked into the pool to clean it all up... separate post later.. never realised that it had so many glass bottles before i woke up today morning... both my legs have cuts and scratches at multiple locations :-| and not to mention a tired body...

230 dustbuster, 2 tons of garbage, enuf blood and cuts... later, we were still raring to go... 

not to forget the various new folks i met... from naughty guys to Down to earth photographers Hari and Makka(Karthik Ramalingam) every one made my day... d trek was as usual super fun with all of us jumping into the pool, without even knowing how to paddle o_O ok no comments abt my non swimmer self :P

Nemesis, my cam had a field day though.. as usual forgot to click the people and concentrated on wild flowers and algae... :P thats that.. tired body needs more sleep as of now..

and hey, yesh!!! on other news, i got PUBLISHED!!!! yay...  i toned down version of my last post.. go check out here ... It is an upcoming Mag and this is our first publication... and ahem! u can be nice and demand a print of the mag... this is a demand on print Magazine... now shoo, off u go to Thebanyantrees... :-)

 The Banyan Trees..

P.S # 1 : Gils.. hate u.. wont talk to u or comment on ur post till u make up for making me cancel my evening plans so as to meet u and not turning up at time :-| no chocolates wont help!!! nor will Vadai!!

P.S # 2 : Speeling and Grammr nazis... off u go.. i turned dyslexic for today... but then again, i am like that only :P

Turn off that noise please....

You, yup i am talking to you.. seriously, you need to rethink your priorities completely... You, the one who doesn't even know your mythology and history properly... yeah You, the one who thinks its his right to do anything with cities environment...

Can you just think over your deeds.. if not for me atleast for the kids, old folks and lastly our pets??? please...

you know how many times i have bit my tongue and hit my head against The Boy's  helmet in last one week because of your attitude to surprise me with untimely crackers?? what's the fucking need to burst crackers at untimely hours... and you, you stupid git with an battery widget instead of your usual organ, what really gave you the idea that i'll fall in love with you, if you light up an atom bomb when i cross you??? like hell, i ll... had not i been scared to core by that sudden blast, i would have blasted your head instead of that cracker...

You know about the number of calls my colleague gets.. you ask why.. ok hear this out, the daughter of his, a mere 3 year old kid, is scared to the marrow and is shivering for past two days because of all the noise you create... she is just a toddler, dumbwit.. can't you please spare her???

and do u know, i haven't passed a stray dog or cat or cow in that case for the past week while walking.. ever wondered why?? you doofus, the racket you create scares them.... it makes them hide and cower in fear....

Can you please put mute on the noise atleast this year... haven't the so many rules about decibel levels, time limits and stuff told you something yet??

oh heavens Sake.. Diwali is a "festival of Lights" not a festival of noise and air pollution, i say... please guys, burn lights and diyas not Crackers or a hole in your pocket...

go ahead.. i say go ahead, if u wish to see your head blasted into a thousand fragments....

Graffitis and one-liners...

i went to my alma-mater some time last week...  though it was my own college, @Manorath offered to accompany me (no moot points for guessing that he is my junior there :P)

though i wasn't looking forward, i visited my Hostel at the campus...  CEG girls hostel is pretty famous and well known.. but our ACT hostel is secluded and cut off from the rest of the campus... so its pretty peaceful and at times "shady" making it an ideal location :P

i really didnt expect anyone to recognize me... but what to do, i am that famous that the hostel staff squealed (with joy or fright, i don't want to hazard a guess) :D  i went to my final year room just for the sake of it...who am i kidding, it has more memories linked to it than my whole four years in college put together...

During my final year, i was living alone that i had filled up the walls with so many graffiti works... every time i felt bored i'll take out my colored pens and set out to work...i was happy with my work... it is another story that the hostel staff was appalled :-P they were planning to get my room painted so as to erase all that stuff..

so you can imagine my surprise when i found all those works still there on walls... :-) every writing, every single pencil sketch, every word proclaiming that "i am the best"... everything was there... hostel manager said a staff had fought for me to keep it there and said sorry that the following year an inmate had tore of my wardrobe paintings before they could stop her...

it was yet another graffiti done with multicolored spray paints on a white background... it had palm prints and abstract art among other things.... i was bit said that it was gone.. but yet happy that other works were there... lucky i carried my cam with me.. so i happily clicked all my mishaps :P

Dreamvendor and Soph may object to my habit of mine.... but i still love painting Graffiti and murals...ok i am against De-facing our historical places, public buildings and public transport but still Graffiti are great...

well you see, i had my first visual lesson on sex education during one train journey...  i was in my class 7th then, i think... i innocently went to the loo to see a detailed art of what goes where and does what with all the nitty-gritties neatly explained... even my peer group and Zoology teacher failed to explained me so efficiently....

i was attending a national conference at IIT-G during my college where i got my first taste of graphic novels... marked into the desks of these kids  was a complete comic script of such a story... these kids are a genius , i say.. and if not for these engravings how in the world could we recognize their hidden talents, i say...

and you should read the walls of Chennai metro train instead of eavesdropping on what the female sitting next to you is gossiping...  you ll know updated details of who is going out with whom and fresh leads of whom to hit...

Some lines found by your truly:

 "Padithathum Marandhu vitavum" (Forget once you read this) 

 "Jobless!! go goggle at that big breasted woman" (Now, seriously!!) 

 "Raghu, I Love you - Yours only Raji

 Sorry Raghu, your widget is too small.. Surya, you are my hero"

The last one had me flabbergasted and in splits that i wondered if i am really in Chennai....
 

and so.. what graffiti or a public line did u enjoy??

Musings of a Chennai Ponnu...

Who am i??

i usually take a walk from Chetpet station to my office near Egmore every morning.. this makes up my dose of exercises daily... in the process i have to cross a slum settlement with loads of chapels and small shrines... last week there was some function going on there along with distribution of food packets by the localites... some young guys were re-directing vehicles and people to take a different route as this was a sacred function... to my amusement, they let me pass through saying "Dei Machan andha ponnu christian da.. vidu pottum" (hey, Brother-in-law.. That girl is a Christian..let her go)

I was wondering when did they get me converted when i noticed the guy pointing at my rather hefty gothic Crucifix,that i was wearing as a pendant... like duh!! what they missed to notice was a prominent ॐ and a Crescent hanging from my charm bracelet... duh!!

why this preference to one's religion and community... i dont understand this at all... i keep wondering...

Inflation Ba!!

I dunno how many Adyar ppl know, but there is this parallel shop besides Adyar Bakery aka Shakes n Creams.. practically situated at the parking area of Adyar bakery this quaint little shop churns out awesome vadas, cutlets, pakoras, bhajjis and such things...

during my college time, i used to throng this place every evening.. and they had started only during my second year of college... i was all nostalgic and stopped by there yday.. i handed out a ten rupee note and asked them to pack a couple of cutlets... the guy took a look at me and my note and said "Velai eri romba masam aaradhu ma.. innum rendu rooba kodu" (its months since the price rose.. give me two more rupees)...


I asked why the price hike and got the cliched reply "Inflation ba" (inflation dear)

Metro Train:

 Early morning also sees me taking our own "Metro" train to Chetpet... Its an experience in itself, i say... by any chance if i miss the 7 15 local then its surely a hell ride for me.. right from being jostled from one corner to the other, being spewed at with a volley of bad words (thankfully i dont understand much), being stamped and trampled, huh its worse than hell...

but i get to meet special "Specimens" only here... once by mistake i climbed into a general compartment... there was this guy staring at me all through the journey and doing antics to get my attention.. i purposely was looking at the other direction.. this happened till i was about to get down... as i got down, that specimen came close near and muttered something like "Look at me please... i have a bet with my friend " or something to that effect... i burst out laughing... ha ha ha.. needless to say he lost his bet... :-P i know, i am evil...

Street Photography:

I have taken to street photography too much these days.. apart from the group walk at Mint Street on 22nd Aug and Pondy Bazaar walk  on 30th Aug, i always tend to indulge in some clicks if and when i see something curious..

it so happens that there is this temple festival near my place.. they had arranged this big Amman  paper mache statue and several small god statues... i started clicking them yday as i passed it, and to my amusement there were these random strangers who wanted me to click pics of them along with these "gods".. they took a look at the pics and said "you take pics nicely" or something to that effect and left... they didnt even bother to ask if they will get a copy.. they just wanted to be photographed...

like how narcissistic can we become!!!

Talking about Narcissism, i have to mention a certain thick-head thick friend of mine, Vasu... if u take the pain to notice, i have posted my awards from fellow bloggers in the side bar as sticky notes... the idea was originally Vasu's.. naturally he wanted his 15 minutes of Fame..

the actual transcript of our chat:

me: i stole ur ideas of sticky notes

Vasu: a lot of my ideas get copied.. so no probs. u can use it :)

me: poda poda

Vasu: oi! put up a thnx for me too for d idea :P

me: inna? ok ok..alpame... ll do that in the next post

Vasu: :D i also need publicity.  i am stil single.  :P

me: tho da....  i am gonna copy these exact lines.... revenge revenge :P

Vasu: it wil only give me more publicity :D

me: ha ha ha..

 
:P Should i say anything more, you single girls??? off u go to his page... incidentally our darling is an Aerospace engineer (from MIT) , pursuing his MBA at NITIE, Mumbai... the  doofus also stood first in his CAT exams, i think... and has several awards to his name.... and yeah he worked with Infosys for a couple of years too :P

(revenge revenge.. i pictured u as a Geek, Vasu.. muwaha ha ha ha ha ha)

 P.S # i am off to hang out with DV, Soph and Aru at Citi-center.. meet you later guys...

So there...

Last week was ummm... if i say hectic that wud be a pretty understatement..

After 2 years:
Last weekend I was off to Chennai... the main agenda on the card was a trek trip to Nagalapuram.. but the weekend also saw me catching up with my lovely friend Malar after 2 years.. no points for guessing that i was staying with her too...

I did so many thing that I thrived on doing during my Chennai days...  the list includes visiting a Spencer's Daily mart, visiting Odyssey (my fav. book shop), eating prawn curry, paying over Rs.100 for an auto ride /*seriously i never paid over Rs.20 at Indore :( , eating Caramel Popcorn, eating Ghee mini-idly, buying a strand of Shenbaga poo and so many other things... i also checked out a new restaurant "Daawat".. the butter chicken masala and Biriyani is a total hit... goes into my must visit again list..

The Trek: 
Nagalapuram and the hills near,are a complete paradise by themselves.. its so unexploited and away from the dust and smog of the concrete jungle... the water is so pure that i didnt feel like getting out of the pool even after a hour long of soak... and it was a complete surprise that i didnt catch cold as i feared... the Water is magic, i say.. Met a quite a few new nice people... :P no eye candy though :(

Work calls: 
I was on the return bus to Hosur, only to miss a call from a new company.. return calls, sample work, more calls and i am employed now... not that i need a job now... but i do really want to get out of home now... i was getting too comfy with Mom and Papa pampering me at any beck and call... and also i miss hanging out with friends, the beach and mostly COFFEE... Papa says no no to coffee, so now i get all the chance...

Me, the Mannequin: 
If you were following me on Twitter, you would probably know that i was designing a silk saree along with my Mom... well i got the right occasion to wear it too... i am now at my native, which u had a taste here and here... that trip was mainly a soul searching trip and i was all alone then.. now i am here with my whole family (minus my brother)... a local temple festival and i get to wear the saree.. my only prayer "Please let not be any guy-seeing-ceremony there".... please please...


Momma Rat:
i reached my native today and was cleaning out my bedroom... it is kept locked eversince my last visit... As i opened my wardrobe , out came flying A CAT!!!... no not the Katzzz (though i wont say no to him hiding in my ward-robe :D) I wore my Sherlock Holmes cap to find a couple of cute kittens underneath the ward-robe... the momma cat returned to carry away the kittens but left one back though.. i dunno why... i was the kitten's secret keeper so that my anti-PETA dad doesnt find it out... the kitty was whining so badly that i fondled it... i could sense its hunger but couldnt do anything... the Kitty was barely a day old and hadn't opened its eyes even :( a part of me wanted to keep the kitten for myself but i also knew the need of its momma...

at around 6 pm the Momma Cat returned though... only i cudnt witness it carrying away the kitty.. i was attending a call and mom called out that my kitty is gone... i somehow feel happy that i didnt actually see it.. maybe i would have felt bad had i seen the Kitten being taken away from me.. :-)

Yup i notice that i have typed this blog with sub-titles... blame it on my sleep-less-ness and throbbing headache... So there

The Great Indian chuk-chuk-chuk

So how many of u make those unplanned journeys.... the one which involves no reserved flight/train/bus arrangements, no proper food alternatives and no proper accomodation at the destination???? well once in a while everyone would have been-there-done-that... but let me introduce you to the specimen who makes unplanned journey everytime... yes i mean everytime... well as you may have well guessed by now thats none other than yours truly....

its just that, it happens so.. i remember one journey i planned elaborately in 2007.. i got all the tickets, accomodation and everything down to T, only to cancel it the day before the journey... Poof... the other time i had a proper arrangement for a two day journey, only to miss the train by 5 mins and take the next train- unreserved general compartment... :-(

not that i regret my trips... Travelling in general compartments can be an experiance on its own... once during a leg of journey between Kolkatta and Guwahati, i learnt the following things.

• yup, Love can bud during these overnight journeys, esp between a guy aged 60 and a female aged 50... and the female in question 'll always save the seat if the guy needs to stretch and the best portion of aloo-poori.. poor me, not even a flying mosquito looked in my direction
• Peanuts are also called as Badam...
• The electronic items sold in such trains are longer to last than the branded ones you buy at authentic e-malls with guarantee period
• However you try to sleep, you ll be awakened by the person next to you to announce the up-coming station
• the Surprise Birthday Cake you receive in such crowded compartments is the sweetest.. :-D
• Everyone smokes irrespective of the "No Smoking" sign and closed windows, hence no air circulation.. believe me , i thought i ll die with lung cancer the next morning..
• and Finally if you sit at a single place just because you dont want to give up the corner seat, your legs are bound to resemble an Elephant's leg by morning..

During college, i tried to travel from college to home atleast twice a year... tried is the best word... i made only 6 trips during my whole of 4 years of engineering... it so happened, i had to make succesive trips with in 2 months... holy moly, a lady who recognized me from the first trip saved a nice seat for me during the next trip... love that lady... :-D she even defended me when some random crack nut claimed that i was sitting in her seat... :P

the recent trips have all been unplanned except for the Indore - Chennai trip... i was used to general compartment and its eccentric crowd largely... so you just have to imagine my agony when i asked to board a luggage van by the TTR... Like hell... even then all was well until a gang of Gypsies entered thae same.... ever heard of the term Non-Stop nonsense.. they just gave it a new meaning.. and all the chatter-patter by my lil sista seemed so quite to me... sheesh...

i remember the first trip home from Indore.. i planned to surprise my mom for Diwali... only thing was i got surprised since all vehicles aka bus/taxi/auto/tempo had stopped runnin on the same day... Poor me atlast i reached the place, Udumalpet i think, only to realise i have never been to this town... my folks had transferred while i was lounging in Indore... i just roamed around the town in a friendly auto, which i hired after a looooong story... Was saved by the blanket mom had left outside to dry... Phew.....

So ... i Love the great Indian railways... wat are your experiances...

P.S # All is well.. i am at the end of my inner journey
P.P.S # The Yercaud trip got postponed.. thanks to a nosey sister... :(
P.P.P.S # i am reading all your blogs though i commented in none.. i ll make it upto you dearies... :-)

'Ta

Wat the FISH!!!!

Of the trip to Mom's Village... playing the "cousin from the big City"... the patronization from cousins...

Of the walk to the farm...the green unripe mangoes... the wild flowers... the bump from an unruly Goat... getting drunk on fresh tender coconuts....

Of the Road Trip with a cousin.. the wind in my hair... the NH-7 and its wide berth.... the lake on both sides... the stumps that rose out of the water....

Of the juicy mangoes tripped on... the ice candies and balloons... chicken patties unshared....

Of the live river fresh fish.... the cleaning by Mom.. the aunt closing the doors to keep out the cat.. the cat fooling her before hand... The Rat running chasing the cat... it eluding and jumping of an open window..


ha ha ha ha ha ha... seriously Wat the Fish!!! i love it here.... 

but i miss the earthly comforts of TV, bed and proper mobile network.... arghhhh... :-P

Laugh while u ride...

Scene 1 #
Morning 6 o clock... on d way to railway station in a bus... a huge guy gets on and promptly parks himself on a seat reserved for ladies..

Conductor : Sir that's ladies seat.. please come and sit over here..
Huge guy: I see no ladies waiting for this seat...i ll get up wen someone comes..
Conductor : No sir.. i insist u to change now..

HG gives an ugly stare and shifts his huge mass..
At d next stop, another guy gets in and goes for the same seat...

Conductor : Sir that's ladies seat.. please come and sit over here..
Guy 2: I see no ladies waiting for this seat...i ll get up wen someone comes..
Conductor : No sir.. i insist u to change now..

D conductor gets another nasty stare while d guy moves next to our Huge guy... they both started arguing with the condutor and the huge guy said, "i bet u, no lady will board the bus till d end of the journey...if someone comes then ok, if not we will both beat u.."

Rite on cue the bus stopped and an eunuch boarded the bus and took the above meant seat...

HG & G2 : Now go and move that person.. only u said that it is a "Ladies Seat".... (D whole bus was laughin by now )
Scene 2 #

8 am.. the train stops at a random station and a gang of gypsies get on d train...

some passengers are irritated and ask them for the ticket... d gypsies started making pathetic faces saying they ar poor and let them travel.. one peace maker passenger said he ll let them on a condition that they don't make noise... Peace reigned for some 15 min and then d gypsies started talking in their top loud voices...

Peacemaker Passenger : Hey i said u ppl to keep quite right?? see ppl are sleeping here..
Head Gypsy : Sir.. even d train is making noise.. ask it to keep quite..

:-P

P.S# D Rat is in her Native village.. d summer is sweltering here.. and mom has put her to clean their family house.. so if u see someone dressed in a latest fad Baby pink shorts and tee, weilding a broomstick and soap, u can decide who it is.. :-D

Emosional Atyachar!!!

Yay!!!

back to the city after some 10 months.. rough months...

the journey was fine, if i exclude a perverted cab driver.... for a change i had all d meals during the train journey... thanks to Mom's call to R, who was accompanying me... to someone who has been travelling alone for d past 7 yrs, d company was a welcome change... i had someone to take care of me, albeit the scene he created wen i refused to eat more than 2 rotis... Meh!!!!

Had some fine ppl fron Srilanka in my compartment... the train was overflowing with them... one fine fellow mistook R as my husband... he he he... little did they know that R was returning from his engagement... :-P

am staying at ummm... errr.. ok i dunno... 10 months is too long a period i thnk.. i am not able to recognize most buildings and places... its rather confusing to me.. lots of roads have been changed to one way or have been a round about way! the flyovers are a welcome change.. but the heat is rather opressing!! and i seriously thought it was raining today morning, except it was just me sweating like a hippo....

As in R's word i was d live package he had to deliver to Wookie... :-D so  i am tagging wookie everywr, including his Office.. :-P

we were at the Beach for a couple of hours yday... whew!! the salty air thru my hair and sand under my feet, sheesh i missed this bliss for too long.. no parks and malls can replace the felicity that a Beach provides me for free...  after the dinner at Murugan Idli shop, Wookie's friend and R joined us for coffee at CCD... we were literally thrown out of the shop at midnight...

It was G's bday and the usual facial ceremony ensued at his place... only change the cake was rather too good and it ended up in G's Stomach instead of his face :-P i have to hunt for a gift now.. i had no prior info that it was G's bday...

the major F up thing is.. i am still in denial mode.. i am not able to absorb the language yet... true that tamil is my mother toungue.. but i have been out of it for 2 years now and i didnt have any major tamil speaking crowd at Indore... even my thought process had been adapted to Hindi for so long now... i am answering back in Hindi to every individual who talks to me now.... the hit was, i was left staring at my present landlord at 1 am today wen he asked if i needed Water!! WTF i cudnt reply to him and ultimately u used broken hindi to communicate the thing!! its gonna be a hell, i think! i want MOMMMY!!!!!!!! :-(

presently typing this from Wookie's office... think i ll be out with him tonite again... hope to have loads of fun...

P.S # Candy is having a field time.. it has started recognizing me and responds to my calls... it has finally adopted to my sleep routine...

Ouch my upset stomach, not able to gorge on South indian food.. i am in denial mode i say...

Travel bug bit me...

Ouch.... :-P

so its a big bye-bye to Indore... bidding adieu finally tommorow at 10 pm... it was hard for the last one week.. buts thats fine.. i ave no emotional baggage left now.. hell even my luggage will leave shortly for its destination...

Thanks to all folks who stood by me for the past 2 years... really hats off ppl you bear me well, i should say...

so i am off to Chennai.. will be there till this weekend and then leave to Hosur... then i expect more travelling down south to my native village... w00t...


i ll be in chennai mainly to meet my friends.. so i expect a gala time, i suppose...

ciao on the other end folks.. take care

P.S # P gifted me a beautiful turtle as a farewell gift.. have named it Candy.. its as hyper as me... i am in love with it already..

Miles to go before i sleep...

...as seen written at the back of a walking-impaired person's motor fitted chair...

one of the moments wr i seriously missed my camera... the guy was cruising along in lethal traffic of my city.. u wanna get stunned, hear this...

he gave a lift to an able-bodied 20 something guy as he had heavy luggage... (thanks anon)

U think , u can beat this... i don't think so...


Psst # somehow i am disturbed by the grammar of the third sentence in this post... help!!!

edited to add: changed... thanks anon..

The Rat...

Ouch Moments....

Mgt Trainees : Err.. Excuse me... Wr can we find Ms BS? HR asked us to report to her..
Rat: Who do i look Like then??
Mgt Trainees: Ummm.. oh Hi... We expected to find a Madam...
Rat: (Ouch)

(Hello... the last time i checked i was a girl for sure... oh you expected an old lady.. sorry kiddo, for now u have to put up with me..)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One Mr.DG had recently joined our corp office in Mumbai.... After so many mails and tele communications, he said he ll pay me a visit as he was visiting our base camp....

On the D-Day...
DG: Hi.. i am DG..wr can i find Ms. BS??
Rat: (given i was d only person in my cabin) Hey welcome...In this very cabin..
DG: (SOme look i cudnt recognize) I meant wen will she be here... i want to talk to her directly.. not thru u, her secretary...
Rat: For now u have to talk to me, DG... Unfortunately, I am BS... (Ouch..)

(He hehe he.. loved that look on his face.. sadistic pleasure..)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After so many mails, Mr PNL got time to visit our base camp...

Rat: Welcome Mr PNL... I am BS
PNL: Oh.. so you are actually a girl...
Rat: (Ouch)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tamilnadu Express,
TTR: Ticket Please...
Rat: (offered mine for checking)
TTR: (As he got my ticket, to the nearby passenger) Dekhiye sir, aaj kal chote chote bachon ke akele bhej dethein hain.. kaise Parents hain... (See here, sir... now-a-days they send kids alone in travel.. what sort of parents they are?)
Rat: (Ouch) Kindly check the ticket for my age...
TTR: Oh!! Sorry Madam....

(Grrrrrrrrrrr.... when i said this to my parents, they ROFL for hours)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stranger in mall: Your accent is so Foreign... You look different too... You are not Indian, Rite?? (Billion dollar Smile, for guessing seemingly rite)
Rat: Ya... i am a Kryptonian from Planet Krypton... Wanna see my tail???

(WTF????)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ouch Ouch Ouch Ouch Ouch Ouch