This is all Maya

5 people who top your shit list..... and why:

1. Anyone who wishes any sort of harm to a child. [Please follow instructions under 5 preferable modes of suicide below]
2. Any guy who resorts to violence against women. Be a man.
3. People who keep saying how hard they work and how busy they are. Everyone is busy. Shut up.
4. People who feel a need to keep giving unwanted advice. Did someone ask you?
5. People who didn't work for anything but still flaunt their "inherited" money. You don't deserve it if you did not earn it.


Close brushes with death/danger:

1. I was playing frisbee in the river down south while on vacation with my two cousins in 1994. One guy got pulled into a tricky whorl, I gave him my hand and off we went. Both of us were almost out of it when we were pulled out and were lying on the riverbank when the rumor spread that we were goners. I can only imagine what went through my folks and family's minds. The next time I opened my eyes I was surrounded by everyone I've known in my life! Saved by a kind soul who I still haven't met...my family has banned anyone from visiting the river since that day.
2. My family on my Amma's side has this tradition of serving food to an old age home in Chennai every year to mark my uncle's death anniversary. I was in Varanasi that year (early 90's I think) and since we couldn't go to Chennai, my parents and I went to pray at a famous temple in Mirzapur. On the way back, I was in the front seat of our jeep when the tire below me came off and rolled merrily away in front of us. The jeep dragged on its axle for quite a distance before stopping, and we did not topple over. Guess someone was looking over us...
3. Other than those two, I'm not too fond of flying so that's a close brush everytime for me. I also spent two years in Delhi getting on and off the now defunct Red Line buses. Guess I'm living on the edge allright!


5 Preferable modes of suicide, in descending order:

Naah, I think suicide is a cop out. Unless its spurned by some sort of physiological imbalance, [or if you're from my shit list above] I cannot empathize with anyone wanting to kill themselves. You suicide bombers can kiss my ass.

However, if I were giving someone any suggestions, then here goes:

1. Donate your kidneys, eyes, lungs, heart, brain, balls (if possible), and anything that can be transplanted including your face and hair. Death will embrace you.
2. Participate in some high-risk mega important medical research, make sure you sign off your power of attorney to me before though.
3. Become a hitman and take out some well known and universally acclaimed jackasses. Use a headshot always. If people get close to you, shoot yourself. Remember to use a headshot
4. Take a huge bank loan, donate it all to charity and then take your pick of the three choices above.
5. See option 4.


5 Guilty pleasures:

1. Reading police procedurals or psychological thrillers. I cannot stop till I finish a book, no matter what I have to do tomorrow.
2. Listening to Enya or Enigma with the lights out at night (recent one)
3. Sleeping. Anytime, anywhere, anyplace....Zzzzzzzzzzzz.
4. Yaaawn!...whaa?..oh..yeah...hmmm...Freezing people out for long periods of time. Its mean, but I do this a lot even when I know its wrong.
5. Clothes. No, no, not like that. I’m so attached that I can never throw anything away. Everytime I go to India I get shouted at for wearing jeans that are torn or shirts that are old.

5 things you never want to forget:

1. When I saw my twin brothers for the first time.
2. A deepest, darkest day last year when I lost my uncle. I was there, and I never want to forget how my family rose and came together.
3. The day I got my first job during my final year of college. I called up my Dad and said Hey Dad, congratulations. Your son just got a job. That’s become a tradition ever since.
4. Annual vacations at my hometown with all my aunts and uncles. Everyone is complaining about something, the sound is tremendous, and people are running all over the place. Yet there is peace and happiness. Everytime.
5. My friends.


5 things you wish to forget:

1. The fact that I could not be with my Aachi when she passed away.
2. The way I broke off with my first girlfriend.
3. My confidence when I got two job offers and an admit into a business school in Chennai as I was graduating with my undergrad. I thought I was invincible. Now I know...
4. The fact that my collegemates are starting to pop out kids...[why God whyyyyyyyyyy?]
5. My favorite fiction books. Then I can read them all over again.


5 really exotic dishes you have tried:

I’m not really much of a sampler. I’m comfortable with Italian stuff, but thats’ it. Here goes anyway

1. I had a babaghanoush peeta with Tzatziki sauce the other day. Still don’t know what was in it.
2. Some weird looking beans thingy at an Asian restaurant. The person with me loved it, she even ordered it twice. I thought it tasted like uncooked potato.
3. A creamy brussel sprouts dish at the Bangalore Oberoi. My manager told me it was exotic for India, so there you go.
4. Kerala meals while on tour in Hyderabad. That’s right, in Hyderabad. I choked on the rice, so stopped right there and had a malai chai.
5. Coconut «burphees» made from some special ghee and milk artifact. My Chitti owns a couple of shops in TN, so she had this made for me when I was there a few months back. One of the few sweets I like.

5 crushes/loves in your life... in chronological order (even initials or nicknames wud do. Oh, no ID attempts or requests pleez):

Honestly, I haven’t had serious crushes. I’ve «sighted» people, and like some a lot, but no crushes in the sense of the word.

1. My benchmate from standard 2 till 4 when I was in London. We fought when I went to the 5th standard.
2. My classmate in Kanpur, class 8. She was a terrific singer and very unassuming.
3. My first girlfriend. No comments.
4. My second girlfriend. Still no comments.
5. My second girlfriend’s sworn enemy (yup, that was fun)


Strangest dream you ever had:

I’m standing up, and falling into a dark well. I never reach the bottom. Strangely enough, its a feel happy kinda dream. Weird, huh?


5 most valued personal possessions:

1. The greatest gift I ever got from my parents – my twin brothers.
2. My grandma’s pic, and the letters I get from my grandpa.
3. My family. Guess I’m pretty much the odd man out to actually love his family. Nothing but love till now.
4. My Swatch Watch.
5. A cross I have that was blessed by the Pope - got it when my Dad was working in London, and we were touring the Vatican in late 1988.


5 favorite superheroes..... and why:

1. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Oh brother. Was I a fan or what. I have tapes somewhere of all the cartoons. Even practiced the transition words «By the poooower of Grayskull...» and the intro words « I am Adam, Prince of Eternia...». I was totally fascinated by the hero’s double life, his friends (Oracle, Man-at-Arms, Sorceress) and by his nemesis Skeletor, with Evil Lynn, Beastman etc. Ok, I’m going out and trying to rent it from somewhere!
2. Spidey bhaai. Love the way he is continuously tortured by his relationship with MJ.
3. Cyclops of the X-Men. Although Wolverine gets all the attention, I’m struck by how cool Cyclops appears (in the comics, not the movie).
4. All Indians who are suffering from poverty but still find a way to send their kids to school. Lead the way!
5. He is known as Captain, Puratchi Kazhaigar and as Gaabtun. Yes, ladies and gentleman, who else than our very own action man Vijayakanth. What's not to like? Some sample videos here and here.

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If you're wondering at the title, please don't. Everything here is the truth. I was referring to the fact that I was tagged by Maya. Ok, one tag down one to go.