Some words

Is there a word which captures the expression of "however" as well as However? I have so many times checked out for better synonyms of words and replaced them while writing. But never for a "However". The listed synonyms include - though, but, still, yet, nevertheless etc but somehow they never are replacements for "however".

All the synonyms of money - cash, bucks, grands, quids strangely dissimilar words.

to be contd. (or updated periodically)

A letter

For the first time in 14 years, neither of your sisters is with you on your birthday.
I don't know whether that's a good thing or bad ;)
I know its not the time for some unwanted gyan so there will no preaching..but may be a little sentimental crap. You know what exams and distances can do to you. There is so much of self thinking and revisiting of memories going on.
I have always always tried to be a good friend of yours - I dont know how much did I succeed, but I really hope that you at least count me as one of the friends.
Later comes the sister or rather the elder sister - I think I kind of missed out on that one. You have hardly been treated as a younger brother - ever. From my side you are a cute little friend of mine whom I can be a good Agony Aunt to and a Horrible one too..when I keep scolding you on your silly Maths things..
You know something at times when I shout at you for being silly while doing maths (more so over Skype as I cant give you one of my deadly stares :D) I feel its the feeling that you should not at any cost be weak in maths - like me. I could never perform well in Maths, and have been frequently embarrassed in class on my inabilities. But now that I know what I could have done I feel its my religious duty to guide in the best possible way I can.

Gosh you are 14. Now that is a big number - isnt it? Next year you will be mid way through the teens! I can still imagine you as a toddler. You know - jiji & I used to flaunt you :) We had the cutest baby brother on the block after all! - It was so cool :)
You have been so much a part of our growing up even if you were born a decade later. Actually I guess both of us realised how big we were only on seeing some one so little as you :) When you came we were the responsible kids, looking after the baby. Not that we did not have enough "big girls" things before but with you it became official - we could be left at home alone while mum dad went out, we could order food and we could use the gas stove :D Honestly, not before I started warming milk for you (we didnt have the microwave then) on the gas stove I was not supposed to light a match on my own. And I must confess - at first I didnt like it - you know why should I do things for you ;) After all I had never done things before but then I guess it just comes to you naturally. I think it was with you that jiji and I knew that we can actually love somebody so unconditionally.

We made sure you had a fun time growing up too! We would make you drink Pepsi and lick ice creams when you were hardly 6 months old. We would love to shop for you - all those tiny dresses and shoes. And dress you up in weird clothes. I wish we had the mobile+camera gadget then, we could have filled the entire house with your pics.
We have always been protective of you. But I am glad the way you have turned out - not a sissy at all. You can take good care of yourself now and I am proud of it. You are the man in my life (Cant claim jiji's after she is married ;)) I want you to have all the best things in life, I want you to be the smartest kid around and I want you to be smiling always.

I wish you a fabulous year ahead and I wish that you have many many many more best birthdays coming up. For you I can never settle for anything but the best!!

H@PPY Birthd@Y to one of my most favourite persons ever :)
Love,
jiji

Reality Check

A cousin of mine just gave birth to a baby boy. I am really happy for the couple and the entire family who are jubilant on the occasion. Both the mother and son are healthy. God bless them both.

Just a little after thought - She is 23. Got married at 22 and is yet to celebrate her first anniversary.

What happens to her life? I am an engineer, worked for a year and now doing my Masters. I am yet to be convinced about marrying. Do I ask for too much or what?

Suffering from "Online Streaming" Part II

I caught the infection around 5 months ago or rather the infection was there from longer it was diagnosed then (Part I) I am on alternative therapy (Bollywood to Hollywood) but the results are not very encouraging.

A Walk to Remember
A Very Long Engagement
Pretty Woman
50 First Dates
The Lion King
Pride of Simba
The Mistress of Spices
The Notebook
You've got mail
Sleepless in Seattle
Forrest Gump

I am sure to have missed at least a couple of couples more..

Activist Investors - An unlikely introduction!

Though the teaching term officially ended a couple of weeks ago, I am still very new to finance and business. I will be taking an exam (its a seen one) on that subject in exactly 10 days (9 to be fair) and one of the questions deal with Activist Investors.

I don't know if attending a class at 9AM makes other people sleep in the class or not but for me - title holder of "Pro-at-sleeping-while-sitting-anywhere-anytime" for almost 5 years now, its health issue :))

That was a bit of justification why I am still blank about many of the concepts in this area. But tonight I got a real deep insight into what 'Activist Investors' are from a very very unlikely source. Just like yesterday - it was movie time after dinner and today it was Pretty Woman (1990)

Richard Gere is as charming as he could be as he plays the role of an Activist Investor who 'buys companies which are in trouble and sells them piece by piece to make money'. Julia elucidates - 'its like stealing cars and selling the parts'.

I am sure there is much more to the topic than Richard, but for an inspiration to know more I think he is brilliant ;)

The Mistress of Spices

As usual, I was not feeling like to start looking at dry financial reports of companies I am not bothered about but rather unusually I chose to watch a movie.

I've been watching movies on YouTube for many months now (there was even a post for it), but mostly its by chance that stumble upon some part of a movie (most movies on YT are 10 parts or more) and then go on to complete it. Tonight, I actually searched for movies to watch. This is strange for me as I am the kind of person who would feel guilty for watching films with exams lined up.

And the movie did not disappoint me. Apart from the fact that Aishwarya Rai used to be a PYT 4 years ago, the narrative is captivating. Though it is more like an occult sort of thing even for Indians - 'to see things' it was rather feel good. The spice store has been done with detailed attention to colours and looks quite an authentic piece of art. The characters picked out of streets [though they have been portrayed on screen so often now they have stopped being 'next-door' {Thanks to NRI genre of Bollywood flicks}]* have been played convincingly by many known faces.

I liked the movie for one more thing - I can tell my spices now by names and not colour :)

It was a good distraction from business but lasted only for 2 hours..I guess I should sleep now and conserve some energy for tomorrow's clash!

* Sorry for using braces within braces - I guess that was a bit of Maths in English literature :))

How-do-you-feel-when-you-dont-know-what-you-are-feeling!

Yeah Ok I know that's a very stange heading. But I am really lost. I don't know where or why. I have loads of research/reading to be done. I have books spread in front of me and several word docs open on my laptop. Still I find myself cruising through blogs..random videos on YouTube and some sites on handmade jewellery. Isn't that weird? I even watched a movie - 'A very long engagement' - First World War :O I never never watch war movies. I find them so dull and depressing, but today I just want to be busy with anything that stops me from going back to my dissertation.

I have been trying all day but can't get hold of my train of thoughts. They seem to be on a wild run today. Something is amiss, I just cant put my finger at it. May be it's the fact that I haven't spoken to my folks today or may be its just a novice writer looking for excuses to escape from work.

I want to have a lavish meal, a walk in the sun and a new dress. I want them now.