Best Part Of My Life - S.P.I.T

Well Just a facebook status thanking u’ll is not what u’ll deserve, isn’t it??? You’ll mean much more to me :) :) :)

Each one of u is special to me and I realised I have created a permanent place in your hearts in some way or the other. So here is my way of saying that each one of you are special and my heart too has a special place for each of you.





Arihant --- Bade, I am pretty sure you don’t know the level of raw truth the poem you have written has. You are someone who understands me without interacting much. That’s interesting because very few people do that. I cherish those moments in class we sang together and also the talks and chats we had about our lives. And about our problem, I think such things will always remain a problem. :P :P :P

Ashima --- I don’t think we have fought since a long time and this is what has made our relationship stagnant. We need to fight with each other to know ones value in the other’s life. Don’t worry we will fight soon when you bang me with your aviator :P :P And ya though our thinking’s our poles apart we understand and at the end respect each other and i think that is what is important :) :) And pampering a girl is something i never expected to do but you are the lucky one :)

Badal --- Bhai you are one gem of a person and a friend to die for. But saale hum log baat nahi karte toh tu try bhi nahi karta baat karne ka. Admin team :P :P . Lonavala trip is something i really cherish. Chat club pe teri baatein and you talking about your future. Your nature of thinking everything is easy calms my mood. Tu gaali jab deta hai mereko sahi mein bahut hassi aati hai :) :).

Bhavin --- U r still the funniest guy in our group according to me. Saale isme bhi tu ne ITSA dala :P :P But sachi mein ITSA ka chairperson tu nahi hota toh ITSA nahi chalta and main personally itna kaam nahi karta.And my interaction with you was more thanks to ITSA :). Your academic success is what used to make me proud of you but off late tereko meri hava lagi hai :P :P But i know you have it in you to top again :) :)And when it comes to trusting someone you know I trust you a lot and I guess its the same from you side. It will remain the same :) :)

Binal ----Binallllllllyyyyyyyyy. Cute small head of yours when i hold and move I feel good and happy that you still are close to me. I know we haven’t been interacting much since long but thats my case with everyone and I apologise to you and everyone else also for the same.You are generally a calm head and someone I would approach when I needed a view on something. Aur tera dad itna jaldi logon ko bhulta nahi :) :)



Darryl --- U put it well we don’t come under the category of traditional best friends. I always tend to ignore all ur shortcomings because 4 me they r not shortcomings. That’s the level we have adjusted to. I cant find anything wrong in you easily unless someone else tells me because for me I trust you blindly and I know you will never ever lie and to me I know 200% u will never lie and this is something I want others also to note and this is your special quality and same with me I don’t find any reason of lying to you. :) :) If honestly is the base of a relationship nothing can shake it and hence we r strong however less we communicate and I feel best friends should be like this :) :) and I had a lump in my throat while reading yours because I felt you used to not communicate with me and felt it was your fault more than mine because you know more than the others how busy I was.


Ekta --- Your forever sweet and caring nature is something that is so unique. You are really a sardar but :P :P Thats what makes our interactions fun. I like to pull your leg. And we have had very good interactions and I want you to know I am always there when you need to say something. Also your bubbly nature keeps things lively. I know you are very comfortable with me which makes me feel happy because I know I have hurt you and that is something I will never be able to make up for I guess.

Girish --- U know I don’t need to say anything to you. I love you because I know you will never judge me come what may and this makes me tell you things I never thought I would tell anyone ever. And you are someone I understand inside out but you also might not know that and may be I am wrong but I would love to think that way. And my interaction with you also didn’t reduce much when I was busy showing how much I cherish our interactions and I really feel we need our sessions just like a drug addict needs his drugs :P :P And finally “You are to me what I am to you “

Iffat --- Bhookhe you are another person I understand very well and that makes me interact with you more. I’m glad we spoke about our problem and we will be the same soon.   You always lightened my mood and I miss the times you used to tell me to study but never specifically what ?? :P U always told me 2 study everything :P :P But you always help me and I like that :) :) And 1 more thing i like about u is u tease me but are never successful ..hahahaha...But the most special thing is that you feel responsible to me for things you do and you have made me feel very special knowingly or unknowingly :) :)




Kapil --- The connection we shared in the first year is lost somewhere. We connected at some level even I didn’t know then but sharing things with you was a treat because I knew you understood. I made you cry made me sad then but now I cherish that because I am close enough to you that I could have such an impact on you even though it was in a bad way. Our interactions have been less because of you not coming to roam according to me because thats the time we talk. Otherwise when I want to talk to you you always come after 11 and my mood changes by then :) But we have a lot to share because I think ours is a Kismat Connection even though it sounds gay



Nikita --- My pampered lil negative girl who is changed for the better and you know how much I love you. You always bring the best out of me but keep me philosophical all the time with your incidences and that helps me understand you more and though you say no one understands you trust me I do and that to a great extent. Your caring and helping nature to everyone especially me makes me very happy and makes me smile and thats why i personally don’t like it when people say you cry and all because others have cried much more than you and you make people smile by helping all the time   As a daughter you have to be under constant check from me I think because tu kabhi nahi sudhregi and I have no problem with it :) :)
Sneha --- Sneha I found your writing and description very very cute and the fact that you actually drew a graph was awesome. But ya the content is something we need to work on. Abhi se we will chat more fikar not. I will be online more 4m now :P And even though we have problems with each other I know we have some connection and hope that connection stays and improves :) :)



Stuti --- Eeeestuti kocharrr(in my style) firsty u didn’t mention the times i dropped you 4m goregaon station after jude.That is something about us I cherish a lot. Also the times we travelled by bus.Yesss u used to travel by bus once upon a time. And about our long walks from college back we will have one soon. You just let me know and I wont get my bike. And I haven’t spoken to you since long so it feels like a connection loss kind off  But I know when we talk we don’t stop easily :P :)

Taruna--- Batliiii.”wassup sam” :P :P My cute little sister whom I love so so much   U r as cute as a doll and I say this after knowing you for more than 2 yrs. Your respect for me makes me feel special and though people think you r gogi I know you are very smart.   :P There are times I just want to sit with you and no one else because I know only you can make my mood   And your Paa dance trick was really very funny  I don’t find any problem in you till now and that is something which sets you apart from the rest for me :) :) Tu meri batliii hai and tu hamesha meri batlii rahegi   And I know that in my life I will never find a person like you and I feel proud to call you my sister :) :)

Viswesh --- Mote ... Our main connection was football but due to circumstances :P :P :P you aren’t to interested in football these days and hope your interest in football increases once again. I have always told you that as a person I respect you a lot and thought our thoughts may not match visibly I realised after you pointed out they do to a great extent. Its just how we potray it many times. And I know that though we may have difference and problems it doesn’t affect our friendship too much coz I feel we talk in more or less the same way all the time. And your article for me was a demonstration of your witty and smart brains. I really like the concept but the 1st part is not so true saale :P :P And same question as you asked " When are we going next???"



And i would like to add the link to this video
I know its the emotional side of me and college is not over yet, but I really don’t know how life would be without you people around me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMEF9m_OCkg

(kab milnge naa jane hum
yaaron fir se sabhi
laut kar ab naa aayege woh masti bhare din kabhi
ho dil ye apna kahe ki ae doston )-2


(i am really gonna miss this place
i am gonna miss my college days)-2

yaad hai woh saare lactures
humne jo bunk kiye the
proxy kaa pakda jaana
ho lafde kya kam kiye the

milke likhna woh journal
or submission last minut par
exams ki woh taiyaari
ho likna woh 3 ghante
or bahar aake woh kehna
saala kya bekar paper set kiya tha yaar

milta 1st class kabhi yahan
to lagti thi KT kabhi
laut kar ab naa aayege woh masti bhare din kabhi
ho dil ye apna kahe ki ae doston
(i am really gonna miss this place
i am gonna miss my college days)-2

yaad aayege tachers humko dil se humesha
yaad aayega ye campus or iski apni duniya
ho yaad aayega humesha ye aashiyaan
(i am really gonna miss this place
i am gonna miss my college days)-4

PS : Please dont go on the length I have written :)
Why I say the best part of my life and name it as S.P.I.T also is because once I get out of here I will only be holding a degree of this college but what I will remember is only you’ll and the time I have spent with you’ll and these are the memories all of us will cherish in the years to come

Faith Formation and Information

Children belonging to the Roman Catholic background attend something called Sunday school also known as catechism from the 1st standard to the 9th standard. After this they attend Confirmation classes in the 10th and 11th standard.
What is Sunday school (catechism)?
Sunday school basically is a one hour interactive and informative session for children that aims to increase their knowledge of the Holy Bible as well as build up their moral values. Sunday school sessions have become much more fun in the recent past because instead of only lecturing children, efforts are taken by the priests to make it more interactive with the help of the Sunday school teachers in the form of activities. It helps the children develop their communication skills and think more about life situations and decisions. They get to know the Bible better and at the same time apply what it means to their lives.
They also have interesting competitions for the children such as card decoration for parents’ day and Christmas. Also the children perform in various plays and even in musicals during the course of their Sunday school. It is the organisers generally catechists themselves who help the children get the best out of themselves. This opens the child to the outside world and helps the children become more confident about themselves in more way than one.
In the 4th standard the children receive one of the seven Christian sacraments –‘The Holy Eucharist’ also known as ‘Holy Communion’. Children receive the body of Christ for the first time and this is one of the happiest and most celebrated moments of a child’s life.
Now coming to confirmation:
Confirmation is another of the seven Christian sacraments. During the two years of this journey, the children, now turned into youth, are strengthened to face the real world i.e. the world of decisions. In the 10th standard classes are conducted for hardly 4 months and even in the 11th for around 6 months. And considering its only Sundays, the time is very less for faith formation. So here another important issue is tackled which is the decision making phase of a human. Youth at this age are generally confused about the decisions of life because they are exposed to the world for the first time and have to take decisions which will shape their future, career wise as well as their social life. At this stage there is also a strain in the parent youth relationship. So sessions are held even with the parents of the youth so that they understand the problems faced by the youth and help them through their tough times.
All this helps the youth in many ways as parents pressure decreases to a great extent because many priests and catechists take responsibilities of the youth and their decisions as well as parents trust their children more. This is one reason I personally feel that parents of catholic children are generally the ‘cooler parents’ of society. The youth get the backing up and support they need from various sources including parents. The youth also have to fulfil certain social responsibilities in the form of hours of service to the community. In simple words they have to do social service in small ways which again increases their interaction with people and widens their horizons. A certain number of hours of service is made compulsory in many parishes for the youth to be eligible for the sacrament of confirmation. On successful completion of these hours and a simple exam the child becomes eligible to receive confirmation.
And at the end of the 2 years the youth renew the promises that their parents and god parents made at baptism(another sacrament), if they choose to that is. They can choose not to receive confirmation if they don’t feel close enough to Christ. But the youth who receive confirmation are new members in the army of Christ.
Notes :
The seven sacraments are
1. Baptism - Where the child is blessed with a name and welcomed into the catholic church
2. Eucharist – Where the child receives the body of Christ in the form of bread
3. Penance- Also called confession where the people ask for forgives of their sins from the priests
4. Confirmation - Confirmation of the promises made by the child’s parents and god parents by the child himself
5. Matrimony- Marriage
6. Holy Orders – Becoming a deacon, priest or a nun
7. Anointing – People who are critically ill are anointed by priests.

All this information is from the point of view of a lay person so there may be things different in different places. Apologies if there is any wrong information and please do notify me about the same.
I have written all this because I was a confirmation animator for the 10th standard this year. Though the experience was not too good I will learn to be a better animator. 
And this was some information about the faith formation in our faith.

About Roman Catholics

I have been asked many times what work i do in the church or y am i there 4 so long ....I am explaining not exactly the work but more about our church..
Will explain what work(youth activities I am involved in a little later)

The Roman Catholic church is headed by the pope who resides in the Vatican city , Rome (Roman catholics). Our pope at present is Pope Benedict XVI who was elected after Pope John Paul II who served a term of more than 26 yrs which is a really long tenure.
Structure of the church

Diocese and Archdiocese : A diocese includes all the churches belonging to a particular city,village or district and if the diosese has many churches under it i.e. if it has many churhces then its called an archdiocese.The head of a diocese is a bishop and of an archdiocese is an archbishop
For example we have the archdiocese of mumbai whose archbishop is 'Cardinal' Oswald Gracias .(Cardinal is a bishop who is involved in the election of the Pope )

Deanery : A group of churches belonging to a particular town or area under a diocese is called a deanery . A deanery is headed by a dean or archpriest. A deanery is generally found in a large diocese and is gaining significance in recent times.

Parish : A parish is all the people belonging to a church i.e. the priests and people under the area of that church.A parish is headed by a parish priest. Now a parish is divided into various zones depending on the locations where people reside. So for example Orlem parish has zones tank colony,lourdes colony,evershine nagar, etc. And each zone is divided into sectors based on residence of ppl again means a group of buildings for example.A sector is further divided into clusters. A cluster may consist of a society or few buildings in close proximity.
Each zone is assigned a priest of the parish to guide them in their activities. Each sector has a parish councillor who represents the sector at the zonal and parish level. Also each sector has animators who are responsible for the clusters.

This has been the structure for quite long and even though clusters existed they were not that famous till a few years back. But at present, clusters are being given a lot of importance because the leaders of the church felt the need of neighbours knowing each other well and also to socialise with people of other faiths. So emphasis was laid on clusters and this is turning 2 be a success.

( All this information is as much as i know of.There may be more information which i may have left out. Please do post it or bring it to my notice asap. Also i have written the parish divisions based on my parish 'Our Lady Of Lourdes' which is a big parish and so all the subdivisions present here may not be present in all the parishes.Thank You for reading.)

Friendship's Day 2010

Well friendships day tomorrow and i don’t have anything 2 give my friends yet. I am not a gifts person. But i know some of my friends are. So was wondering what to do.
Well making cards is a good idea but i guess my drawing skills fail me there. So what else can i do then. Buying gifts is something i generally don’t like unless the gift has some significance and the problem now is i haven’t thought what i should be giving. So if i go out to search gifts and that too in such heavy rains i am bound to be disappointed.
So here’s what i thought i could do. I write a few lines for each of my friends who mean so much to me.
“ There are somethings money cant buy” and i guess this is common with all of my friends mentioned below.
Darryl – Thank you is something i don’t say to you because we don’t need to . But today i say thank you for making me realise how important a best friend is in life. I recollect the gift i gave you for your birthday. That is what our friendship means to me.One thing i would want you to do is become more independent. And no suggestions on how to do that.
Ashima- Thank you for teaching me( knowingly and unknowingly )how to interact with girls. You will always be special 4 me and u will always be under my care. I would like to see your confidence restored to its initial value and also would want to see you truely happy once again.
Catherine- Thank you for being so understanding all the time. I know we don’t talk much now but you are a special part of my life too.I would like to see you too happy with your life and also would like our interaction to increase once again.
Alister – Well you know my son why i care for you so much. 1 thing i leant 4m u is how not to behave after a relationship ends. You are amazing when you are in good mood. But you have to realise that you are losing people when your emotional part comes in. So try showing less of that.
Arihant- I don’t call you “ bade” for no reason and you know that. You are a person i love a lot and you are a special character in my PC :P .I like the way you shouted at me and keep doing that because it makes me feel special. And the silence we share during lectures is something that i like though people might not understand.
Girish- You know how long i can keep listening to you and how our conversations never end. The best part about us is we can talk anything anytime and we don’t have to make each other realise how important we are to each other. But please stop thinking so extra-ordinarily because you end up complicating the simple things in life.
Venonah- You pivoted person understand me really well. The thing i like about you is your frankness. You are a personality who can influence people so use it for the good.But I would want you to be moderate about yourself when it comes to learning things because i feel you think you know everything which is a wrong attitude.
Binal- Someone with whom my thinkings match. You are ‘binally’ a new word in my dictionary wich means a friend i just like interacting with and who is a good adviser. For you i don’t have advice but i feel you shouldn’t take tension in small matters also
Iffat- Moody friend of mine who laughs with a 32 teeth smile  . I like the way you respect me and my words and also get scared of me because that makes me realise i am your own and you are responsible to me for your behaviour . My same advice as always don’t be so moody.
Nikita – My daughter like character who is bubbly most of the times .You are very helpful and patient when it comes to helping.That is something I respect about you but you have to learn to “Think and speak positive”.
Kapil- You are a funny and emotional friend whom i connected with very well earlier. Somehow i don’t feel the same connection now though we still are together so often. Someday you will go on to do great things I feel so keep your innovative mind working all the time without rest.
Dylan – Well learning and respect is what I associate with you. I learn a lot of things from you and also i respect you for the person you are. Sometimes though you should release work off you to me and others. Trust me we also can handle things now .So slowly start doing less work :P
Parag – My brother is what i have introduced you as to many people. I know what an amazing person you are and you haven’t changed with me at least. I like your nature and the way you handle things. Keep that forever and stop working so hard all the time :P
Nimesh- A fun guy. I like the way you smile all the time. I also like when you get annoyed. But your excess of knowledge in everything we say keeps our group alive after mass.
Marisa – You are my every so bubbly friend who is lively most of the times. But i don’t like it when you are sad and don’t tell the reason also. But you are a gem of a person. I feel if you calm down a little you would loved even more.
Taruna- A person I never had any problem with as a person so long. My little sister is something you will always be. I like your helping, sweet and cute nature. And what people don’t know is that you also are a mature person.
Sneha – A very frank person. Smiling all the time. Like your jolly nature and way of teasing many times. But don’t hold on to old things, they will only hurt. And i like your company.
Badal- Badal Bhai. Tu mast aadmi hai. One of the purest heart I have found. Like your calm nature and also your don’t care attitude to things which shouldn’t bother you. You don’t think too much when it comes to friendship and thats why you will have many true friends in life.
Bhavin- I liked the first and second sem wala funny bhavin. You have been a balanced character when academics and co curricular stuff come. And even extra-curricular stuff you are balanced but not as much as earlier I feel.
Ekta- Your lack of common sense is really funny. And the innocent way it comes across really funny. You will definitely have a successful work life because you know how to handle things well. But become physically stronger is what i can say.
Stuti- Really hard working and smart. Like your innocence in many issues. Sometimes you are lost in your own world which is good as well as bad.You have a set of values you wouldn’t change for any reason whatsoever but that may come across as being stubborn. Keep smiling.
Viswesh- When it comes to expressing you views you are the best. I like the way you don’t trust people also easily because you are smart and know that this world is full of people who break trust and you are right to a great extent. But listen to other people’s views also even if you wouldn’t follow them.
Pronit- A hard working guy and i respect your nature of trying harder each time you do something. But I feel sometimes you try too hard for things that are unnecessary and end up wasting your effort which deserves more.
Akshata - New things happen in life and you are the best new thing that happened to me. The thing i like between the two of us we have been frank with each other right from the start and this is something i would want to continue forever. Stay mad.

Well for all my other friends – Happy Friendships Day. You too have a special place in my heart.


Thank you all for encountering me in this journey called life

PS – Please feel free to comment whatever you feel and sorry if i have hurt any1 of u

Why I am what I am?

I owe a lot of things to many people. But I owe the most to my parents, like almost everyone does. I am a product of what they have made me and what their teachings have taught me. My value system is the biggest gift they have given me and I will always be indebted to them for that. I am not a expressive person by nature but I am truly emotional and when I love someone it is with my full heart. I have never told my parents how much I love them. But I know they know. Their faith in me gives me confidence to do what I do and make decisions very quickly knowing I have support standing right behind my back. This is also because I am more or less sorted about my priorities in life and it is them who have made me set those priorities right.
I know that every human being has a right to freewill. But I don’t expect children to get as much freewill as much my parents give me. They know I won’t do anything wrong and that makes me what I am. Honestly speaking I don’t think I have ever done anything that they would be ashamed of or would put them down, from the time they have given me the independence they have given me.
The most important thing about being a parent for me is to know when to let your child free. Up to a certain age you feed your child all you have learnt from life and instill in him all the values that can be taught then at a certain point you have to just let go and have faith that the value system you have given your child. Then it is for the child to use the lessons learnt to learn more about life. This according to me is the true test of parenthood and I think my parents haven’t just passed but achieved close to perfection when it has come to dealing with me. The result is they never question me what I do in college, what I do at home when I am all alone, where I have spend the money they gave me or even what are my marks in the tests .But they do tell me to eat all the time but that I guess is because I am thin and weak according to them.
The consequences of not letting your child go are something I haven’t experienced but many of my friends have. And the results are not good at all. Once a child knows that he is always going to be questioned about the decisions he has taken he starts hiding things from his parents and this distances the parents from the child. They start doing thing out of frustration which they would never want to do and even their parents wouldn’t want them to. Then finally if parents do come to know what their children have done, they are shocked because they don’t expect their children to do such things and feel that they have always known what their children have being doing.
It’s not that I don’t hide things from my parents. But I don’t think I have done anything which would surprise them or something because I don’t interact much with my parents.
I am not a parent myself. So all these thoughts are only my views and parents who don’t agree to them may have their own way of dealing with things which may be perfect for them because perfection according to me cannot be achieved when it comes to parenting because we all are humans and have our own ways of achieving perfection . So the path to perfection may be different but excellence should be encountered somewhere along the path :) :)
Thank you mummy and daddy and also my elder brother and grandmother for making me what I am

My New Bike -Honda CB Unicorn

Plans of buying a new bike:January 2010
Bike booked at showroom by darryl and me:23rd January
Waiting period Mentioned :3 months.
(
What!!!!!!!! 3 months...How the hell would ever wait for 3 months?? It was like the bike was mine but my bike didn't exist.. It really was a tough time.Especially the initial days after booking the bike.Because darryl used 2 count the days and tell me every morning today is day 1,day 2,day 3,,,,and by day 15 i was bored and irritated .So i told him you are making the wait even longer b reminding me the no. of days gone by because the days left is still a large number.So he stopped telling me the day number and we tried 2 distract ourselves from it.But saala everywer we go we see a unicorn and more often than not a brand new shinning one and again that was a very bad feeling'There is my bike but i cant ride it yet'.But this is how famous my bike is..This gave us the assurance that we have selected the right bike.But then somewer in feb end my dad gets a mail that the delivery is getting further delayed by a month which meant our countdown to 90 wud have 2 start all over again...:( :( :( :(
But then we realised that thinking about it wasn't going 2 help.So we just tried 2 forget the bike once again after those 2 days of a shi*ty feeling that the countdown starts again.But at the same time my dad was at the back of these honda ppl and was asking them the reason for the delay and troubling them so that they would deliver it asap.And then we r ourselves got busy in the coll work and all..So the time then went normally.but there were those instances wen we say the bike on the road and wud be like shiiiiiii yar wen will mine come...But feb passed slowly and march too but quicker than feb..and somewer on 5th april i get a call to pay the remaining money for the bike which meant my bike would be mine within 15 days and so i was very happy.But darryl didnt get a call so he was a little tensed.But when we went there we went there they accepted his also money and both of us would get our new bikes very soon..And I was relieved at that time that my bike is coming soon.But at the same time that was a rough patch in college and days weren't that good.Then on 7th april was a very bad day at coll but then at the end of the day in coll in the evening i get a call from honda showroom to come and collect my bike and i really wasn't in the mood.And also darryl didnt get a call again and so again we both go there and ask what about darryl's bike. This time though they said that my bike had come and his would come the next day.So i said fine even i dont want mine today.We will come again the next day and collect both together.The next day we go there darryl was very sick but the enthusiasm of getting the new bike took us there in a happy mood..And once again the honda people never fail 2 diappoint us and say that his bike is still in the garage and he would have 2 collect it the next day.And we were super pissed.But then we two decided that i atleast should take my bike because we never knew wen his would come and we couldnt believe their false promises any more.
)
So Date of Delivery:8th April 2010 :Also the birthday of my brother like friend Parag Vaidya. (So i was happy about the delivery date although the day was bad..But i hadn't felt that joy i expected to feel because it was a very bad day indeed in college.Then in the night i go 2 wish my friend parag on my new bike delivered the same day he was 20 yrs back...So i was a little happy then..And then i went to church at 1130 in the night to get it blesses by Fr Nigel and i got a double blessing because both Fr Reuben and Fr Nigel Blessed my bike...And that ride i had from church to home at 12 in the night was the time i finally realised i had a new bike..Yesssssssssssss I have a new Unicorn the bike i always wished I had...
What an awesome feeling that was..Silent night on a silent bike..............A heavenly feeling....

Those Days....... (Dedicated to Royston and Rohan)

I miss those days of childhood
When we played on the guava wood
Those days we spent in Goa
Playing cricket in that backyard.

Where we took our stumps to play
And Rohan used to cheat and run away
Taking one stump and halting our play
Then bringing him back after some delay.

At home when we played cricket
Using a plank as bat and stool as wicket
When mummy threw our bat on the terrace
We felt bad, fought and created a menace.

Played 3 sided football in our hall
As if it were as big as a mall
Teasing mummy as she called Alisha Alu-doll
And her favourite dialogue “Dont play ball”.

Those cricket cards from stickers we made
Those chess tournaments at home we played
We believed whatever Royston said
As we played our funny game “Ah !! I’m dead”.

Singing our anthem “Sayi de palatyose”
Laughing at daddy touching his toes
Fighting for the remote of the TV
And the video game adding to our woes.

I will never forget that Udaipur trip
Where my memory took a bad slip
Also the day Roy’s SSC results came
When more than him we were in pain.


The nights we slept listening to stories by ‘Mai’
Those tiny smart works I did impressing ‘Pai’
Almost 6 years have just gone by
I always wish they didn’t die.

Those were the days we were together
Had fun as we teased each other
Now we 3 are going our own ways
And I will always miss THOSE DAYS......


-Samson Fernandes
{For Rohan and Royston}

The First Temptation

From childhood I have always wondered: “Why did God restrict Adam and Eve from eating from that particular fruit tree?”
He created the entire universe for them and allowed them to use it however they wanted to .So what would stop him from giving that one tree to them. I am pretty sure he didn’t need that tree for himself. So Why? Why would he do such a thing? While people blamed Adam and Eve for disobeying God I used to somewhere believe he was at fault because he tried to test them. There are things God does which are hard to understand but I found this the hardest to understand.
I got the answer to this question of mine a few days back.
Just before my exams I ask my dad if I could take the unlimited download and he said yes and told me we shud have taken unlimited earlier itself.I know i am one of a lucky few whose dad is so cooperating when it comes to such issues. So we got the unlimited net. Then a few days later i told my dad that the computer isn’t working properly again.And he was pushing me to buy a laptop since long now.But i used 2 delay it because I knew then my desktop would go to waste. But I also was fed up of repairing my pc by myself all the time.Installing windows every 10 days and also keeping the cpu box open all the time with the risk of getting a shock. So i told my dad lets buy the laptop.The next day he goes 2 work and sets the necessary quotations on the dell site and mails me 2 see if i have a problem.I checked it made the necessary changes and mailed it back to him.And guess what he orders the laptop the same day.And he also made the dd to be sent to Chennai the next day.So my exams going on and i am going 2 get a new high end laptop and i already have unlimited net which i wasn’t being able to utilize bcoz of my faulty desktop. So i knew now once my laptop comes i am bound 2 be stuck 2 it.As ppl having unlimited download might know the first month u download the most bcoz u have had so many things in ur head 2 download but the restriction had stopped u earlier.
Now the analogy to my earlier question. Why did god have 2 test adam and eve? In my case my dad didn’t test my capabilities of studying with these temptations knowingly. But i knew it was a test for myself. If i wouldn’t have had that challenge of studying and yet enjoying my new temptations the success in my exams wouldn’t have been so enjoyable. I had got 68 % each in my first two semesters without any temptation. But in the third one i got 73% despite enjoying each and every day of the exam on my laptop with unlimited download.No doubt I felt I studied less.But I realise now that i might have studied more but because i enjoyed the laptop so much i thought i had studied less.Portion wise yes i studied less.But in engg i don’t believe completing the portion ensures good marks,but studying the whatever little you have studied properly that ensures good marks. And please note i said ensures good marks doesn’t make u a good engineer.
My dad never told me directly don’t over use the laptop.Thats why i never had any guilt in mind while using it.Yet at the same time God had asked adam and eve not to eat the fruit of that tree. So they wanted to see what is so great in the fruit of that tree.If my dad would have told me not to use the laptop i would have definitely not followed what he said after a period of time. That is simply human nature.If we are asked not to do something deep inside we want to do that thing even though we might not do it on majority of the occasions .
So the answer to the question:”Why did God have to test Adam and Eve?” What is life without temptations and hardships. The joy of overcoming a temptation is much more than the joy of enjoying everything you ever have. Although the adam and eve story may not be real but it has really a deep meaning regarding human behaviour...

Thank you for reading .May be u might have also asked the question I asked. Hope I have been able to satisfy at least a few with my answer.

Caste(Catholic) Stereotyping

Well I dont know whether I should be posting this or not.But I am doing so because this is something related to my religion and I have been hurt and I want others to understand something.NOTE: This is applicable only to a few people,so those who know they do it please try to avoid it if possible or do it only if it is positive.
Living in a country like India especially in a city like Mumbai where we find so many people belonging to different backgrounds and following different religions this is something I should have expected which I did.But still it hurts when people knowing you reveal certain things about this issue.
Being a catholic I am well aware of the catholic traditions and also the behaviour of catholic people.Well not all catholics but there are a few or i dont know many who spoil the image of catholics and I know that there are catholics not so well accepted by the society because of their habits basically drinking which according to majority people and religions is wrong.Well let me clarify one thing here first catholics are allowed to drink doesnt mean that all catholics drink or all catholics must drink. This point I raise because I have come across the question "Arre you are a catholic na so u drink na" ,"So you eat this and that(non veg stuff) na" "You know how to play the guitar??" "You play football well na" .. Well all these are a few examples which I have come across. Although the last two questions dont hurt but they also are a kind of stereotyping. The first two hurt and hurt real bad especially when I know i dont drink. Let me make it very clear I have no problem with drinking .I have a problem only with excessive drinking. And about eating non veg I dont consider it wrong at all but at the same time I respect the veggies and would avoid eating non veg in front of them.
Also people have a common notion that catholics are party animals .We just party on every occasion and drink at every possible celebration. And this too hurts.And this hurts to the extent that I myself hate those catholics because of which the remaining are stereotyped.
I would like to make it clear that I am not against stereotyping.Well I do it myself .But only if it is a good thought.I dont do it much .But I would like to narrate an example.For me i like gujurati people because i have come across them as the smarter lot of people study wise and also the kind of people who enjoy life balancing it well with their responsibilities.And I say this out of personal experience bcoz I had many gujurati friends in school who were almost all smart.Then I was in a gujurati minority college where i met even more smarter guju ppl.So now whenever I see a gujju I sense that he is a smart person.And if I tell that person that would make that person happy.
Well my aim of writing this is to make the few who have made me feel hurt indirectly that all human beings are not the same.Please dont make an image of a person before you know him based on his looks and most importantly his caste.
Thanks a lot for those people who know what kind of a person I am and not allowing caste to decide My First Impression on them....
Thanks a lot ...And felt a load of my chest after posting this ...Sorry If it has hurt anyone..But i havent narrated incidents or taken names for the same reason...
Thanks a lot for reading my post although it may not involve u....