FRIENDS

I started watching friends when i was in college and they have become a part of my life. It seems to me that the characters of this TV show have grown on me. Chandler, Monica, Ross, Rachel, Joey and Phoebe are a part of my world. I've watched every episode on Z Cafe and Star World and bored my apt-mate to death. I say FRIENDS Rule. They make me laugh, smile and feel sad. I could sit tight in a place and watch friends for 2 hours straight.. no questions asked.

There are some funny things i've read abt friends. For instance, every man wants to be like joey, thinks he's like chandler but is actually a neurotic like Ross. I couldn't agree more ;-))

From cheesecakes to pumpkin pies, from frooseball to name-all-the-states games, from young girls to moms these people have gone thro a hell of a time!!

Somehow when i saw the last show of Friends i was as sad as they were .. 10 years of acting a part, its very difficult to let it go!!!

I've watched them in the Oprah Winfrey show.. i've watched the BLOOPERS and i love watching FRIENDS and sadly i make no secret of it. I wish this show is never taken off the air but i can just wish.

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INDIA - The MIRACLE.

“You want to know what India is like…right now…? Take a champagne bottle…shake it for an hour…and open the cork…! You don’t want to come in the way of the cork…!”
- Friedman, Author (The world is flat)

A method to madness, self-organized existense!!

India - 1 billion reasons to care!!!

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Ribbon cutting Ceremony

After a long wait, i gave my space a face lift.
From a colorful green, its back to black and white.

The absense of colors adds to the beauty

I cordially invite all of you to be present for the ribbon cutting ceremony @ 2.00-2.30PM .

Today is HOLI "Festival of colors"- bring them out and smear them on my face but spare my blog for it likes this serene silence.

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Under Construction

Curently under construction. Hang on...:))

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Burning minds

I had chanced upon the Blank Noise project and decided to write this post.

Disclaimer: This has nothing to do with Women's liberation, women's day or equal rights!!

I learnt what you wear doesnt matter!!
If you wear western clothes, men will size you up, pass lewd comments and will prob stray their hands on you. If you clad yourself in traditional clothes, its easier for them. So what would you do? Never mind what you wear, they would do it anyways!!

I Learnt being alone in public places is a curse
What would you do to commute from home to office on evenings? Take the local bus. You have just given yourself away to men waiting to clutch this offer. I had done that once and sworn never to do it again. When men press your back with their crotch, when their hands are crawling on your body and your trying to keep your feet on the ground in a jam packed bus, When the man next to you has white hair and no teeth slides his hand down you front.. your love for 'man'kind jus diminished into a thin invisble line. What had you done wrong? You had boarded the local bus.

Justice is unheard off when it comes to exploitation and harassment.
Everyday when i listen to the evening news, there are stories about women raped in
trains, buses, toilets. Your father-in law, brother-in law, uncle, boss any of them could be the demons waiting to strip you off your pride.Did anybody tell you that its not your fault. You shouldn't be ashamed of what happened because some men are born without morality or humanity.

This is not about men in general, this is about men who cannot see a woman with straight clear eyes without wondering how she would be in the nude or fantasizing ur hands drawing patterns...you cannot claim what is not yours. Your one moment of raging lust would leave a scar so deep it would take a lifetime to heal the wounds. You CANNOT Undo it!!You lewd souls are to be slashed, whipped and hung till the tears stop.

We are the weaker sex - that was nature's order. And that is no excuse to exploit us!! If you have the power to commit a crime and do a wrong and still you let it pass and do nothing.. that my men is what is strength.

I cannot stop all the men in the world from such shameless acts but i will protest.
P.S:This was written after reading Ponc's and annie's post.

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Two Down!!!

Couple of weeks ago, one of my college friends got married. And that makes it Two Down!!

I have written a lot about matrimony so i wud save this space from that. This is not about matrimony, not as a whole that is.

I remember the times we were all together in BITS. A bunch of girls, born to have fun and we dint have a care in the world. There was always a smile, a bounce in our feet and a cheery attitude. We had whacky ideas, wild dreams - some came true others.. well,we still have time dont we?

I landed in the marriage hall the previous day for the reception and decided to camp for the night there. There was much catching up to do - I hadn't met some of them for over a year and so much would have happened.

It was nice to watch my friend getting dressed to stand in front of a hundred people alongside the man she loved and was to spend the rest of her life with. I was so happy for her. It was nice helping her around and fussing about. After all this was her day, she was the only star the would light the sky.

As gorgeous as ever, she walked center stage, beamed at her fiancee and a small tear rolled down my eyes. Sometimes when ur whole heart is choked with such emotion, a queer display happens.

We enjoyed looking at her from a distance, teasing her and letting her enjoy these precious moments.

I spent the night in another friend's house and we talked abt this and that and slept. When we arrived the next day, we had missed some parts of the wedding.

Finally when it was time to tie the knot, i went near them to take a picture.
I like doing that.
Freezing that moment into eternity.
When ur thoughts fade and become memories,
this one frame would help you bring those moments alive again!!

Now was the time, they had become man and wife. They were entering into another dimension in their lives. Till death do us part. And that makes it Two down!!

I slowly slipped back into my chair, remembering those together times!! Time races past us and instead of racing with it, i let loose my reins, laid my guards down and enjoyed this moment....!!

Viji, this is to you.. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness.
May the romance and the insanity never end!!!

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When your not welcome..

If u had read the hindu yesterday, u wud know what i'm talking abt!!

Yes it is abt the visit of the PRESIDENT of the United States and how clearly he is not welcome here in INDIA!!

This article by arundhati roy clearly states the anguish and humiliation people suffer from this man's action.

I, for one, can only mock at George Bush. For those numerous forwards i receive when this man is caught in the act to his 'WAR on TERRORISM' i can only MOCK!!

There is a committee of people who are protesting this man's visit. I'm just curious abt what he would say, when in India.

Like i said, you can fight them, shun them but you cant ignore them.

Well, this man's visit proves one thing...
India is part of the game and we always play to win!! ;-))

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All the road is a dustbin!!

I was walking past the KARNATAKA Pollution Control board and cudn't help but smile at the irony. The board was fully blocked by a group of men (middle-aged mind you) and a cloud of smoke. Certainly, Pollution Control Board!!

While i was driving in chennai there was a guy in front of me, driving a moped and the number of times he spat right in the middle of the road oblivious to people around him, if he had done it at one spot there would have been a pool of salivia. I'm disgusted.

When people come out of theatres, get down from BMTC, walk out of shopping malls, they just get rid of the bills, tickets immediately. You see all the road is a dustbin.

So a quick question how would you feel if i came to your house every morning threw confetti and spat on ur walls and got a few animals to add to the stink. Not very good i presume, so what makes us, Indians, to do it in public places. Shouldn't we be more conscious of using public spaces?

Most of us have visited places abroad and am sure you would agree that u cud even sleep on the streets. But sadly in india, people do sleep on the streets, not because its clean but they have nowhere else to go. Its used as a huge garbage dump.

My colleague from Germany once told me a very interesting story. There were four of them in all, drunk and groggy-headed. They had just reached home, it was well past midnight and they had opened the gate. One of them had to pee and he cudn't wait till he reached the rest room inside his house. So he opted to use his own garden. Unfortunately, for him, the police was patroling and caught him in the act. And he was charged with 'Public Nuisance and indiscipline' in his own garden. BEAT THAT!!??!

So you see fellow conuntry men, we have a lot to learn from people across the globe and its only when we become aware of such issues will we be better people and responsible citizens . Till then, neither u nor i have the right to question what the government has done for us dutiful tax paying, law-abiding citizens!!

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'Tis a SMALL world!!

After a long hiatus am back again.

I was watching the movie Bride and Prejudice sometime back and something in that movie made me blog. There are lots of things about the movie that dint impress me but its the attitude of the actress that made me think!!

Why do we get offended when americans or for that matter Non-Indians say something about our nation. From their point of view, the minute they land in india, its a cultural shock, its noisy and its DIFFERENT. They probably expected this but some are well-prepared and some are not!
I have known people who are surprised about certain things that we indians do but they dont mock at us. Infact in this film, nothing Mr.Darcy does or says is by far offending. We would prob react the same way, if we take a trip down to the deep African nation.

Why do we indians always associate patriotism with how far we defend our nation from critics? Why are we so unwilling to hear their opinion?
Why do we think that people who have gone to the US to pursue their studies or who are working there are betraying the nation? Coming to think of it, i(and you would all gladly agree)can name a few fatsos' who sit right at the heart of the nation, doing more harm than good!

India is emerging as a powerful nation and we would probably see more foreigners make their way here to this colorful nation. If we do not adopt an attitude where we make them feel welcome yet make them aware of this culture-rich nation we are not going the "global" way!

Sometimes the fact that we are good should come from within us instead of hearing people say it, there lies the problem!!

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Horoscopes and Holy Matrimony

Recently when my college friends visited bangalore for the new year bash we were having a conversation about marriages and astrology.

Finally it bottled down to horoscopes and how the squares make sense in our life.
Sometimes if u have a certain star in a certain square and if the groom has another particular star in another square then your relationship would proceed in a particular manner.

Somehow in this world of science and reasoning i refuse to hand my future to the stars!!!Its a time tested method and it might work but lets say i dont want to risk it.
I dont know how many of u share the same philosophy and how many of have got married the other way round but am not ready yet!


A birth chart (also known as janma kundali, janam kundali, Vedic horoscope) captures the precise astronomical positions of stars and planets at the individual's birth moment. Using the vast amounts of information provided by your birth chart, Vedic Astrology could predict every important event and possible opportunity that can arise in your life.


I dont know if the stars can predict my compatiblity with another human being, i dont want to know the future yet, i want to go through it. I like the element of uncertainity in life. I'm ready to make mistakes and take the pain of failures but i want to be sure that i want this.

Some of us do it because it would make our parents happy some of us do it cos we haven't thought about it but its my life and i better be sure abt whom am goin to share the rest of my life with. If it doesnt work out atleast i wont blame the stars.. it wud be my mistake. And that is ok too.

We have spent a good 25yrs with our parents and now we have to think abt spending the rest of the 75yrs with another human being. I dont think i can let the planets decide what this person would be like and how many kids we would have.

I willing to ammend my opinion but i still haven't found a convincing reason to change my view. Is astrology really true or is it yet another money making gimmick. Is it wise to let the most important decision in ur life be taken based on the planetary positions?

Somtimes its scary.. have these beleifs gone so deep rooted in our society that we actually find it hard to beleive that its not true? This is the information era, the technology boom we are the generation X who beleive science is supreme. Are we also falling prey to this? Its not just astrology there are so many other such things that have become a part of our life, an imminent way of living that somehow stops our nation from progressing. Are these the ones that are truly challenging us?

I wish there was a fast forward button in my life!!Sadly there isn't any...so am stuck!

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My Resolution

How can u lead a life where u get up at the same time,do the same things, see the same people and continue to do it the next day and the next and so on..
Have any of you asked these questions to urself? will tommorrow be another day or would it be a better day?
I used to think of these things when i started working. Why am doin this? Why is there a droning noise in my life.Why doesn't something spectacular happen every day?But i dont think the same way now!


I guess its all in ur perception. You always see things the way u want to see them!!
Everyday is a different day, full of surprises.
Every second in your life is full of surprises.
All u have to do is Beleive!!! And i did!!

There was a movie in tamil called anbe sivam. It had an influence on me. I cudn't forget it for a long time.I dint cry or wail when i saw the movie but there was a silence in my mind, a calm thought, sometimes i think this movie opened something deep in my heart. The prodding was silent but the effect was deafening. I had begun to question a lot of things that i was doing, i had begun to appreciate a lot of things that i had otherwise taken for granted.
The movie is about a man who fights for what he beleives is right. He falls in love with a girl and they decide to elope since her father does not agree to the wedding. On the way to the wedding the bus meets with an accident and although he is alive he is badly injured.A quirk of fate.The movie takes off from here.

The girl's father comes to meet this half-dead man. He says i pray for two hours everyday and the god i have faith in will never betray me.This is the crux of the movie. We pray to god and then we commit all sins and still go on with life thinkin one will make up for the other.
There are times when the movie takes u thro such curves which strikes a raw chord.

Love is the universal god. A man who can love unconditionally, who can shed a few tears for someone he does not even know, a man who beleives god exists but does not rule us is a god in himself.

How many times in a day do we jus cross the road unmindful of whether they wud be a lorry racing down on us. We always play it safe but what if the man on the other side doesn't? There are a lot of people who dont have clean water to drink.. how many of us keep the tap open as long as we finish brushing our teeth? People in africa or even in india still die of hunger. How many of us dont finish our meal and throw the rest in the dustbin?How many times have u ordered a delicious meal in a restaurant, did not complete it but left the plate like that? What stops you from packing it and offering it to the needy on the way home? NOTHING!How many of us would rather drop a 1000Rs in the hundi of a temple rather than offer it to a orphanage.
There are a zillion things that come to my mind right now. But these are all small things. We all can change but we dont and most of us wont. We carry on like nothing would change.Most of us would shrug our shoulders and say that they are unfortunate and its not your fault.Its not your fault that your on this side of the balance. Its not your fault that you see this world in rose-brimmed glasses.Its not your fault that you were born in a more fortunate family. But its your fault if u dont care. You could have been there without water, food or land.All we have to do is stop and think about what we are doing!We are all so selfish and self-centered. We care only about us, our family and friends. We have such a narrow vision.

This is my resolution. This is not a new-year resolution 'cos that means i wud jus have to do this one year through. A resolution that in my small way i would try and make this world a beautiful place to live in. I would think of the things am grateful for and love everything god has given me! It might take a long time before i sit back and feel a sense of acheivement but i'm goin to try. And this my friends would make everyday of my life a better day to live. A day full of surprises, satisfaction of having lived a life and not merely existing in this world!

(P.S: This is the not philosophy)

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Friday night Fury!!

Thank god it was friday!!
I was releived that the rather hectic week was coming to a close.
I boarded the shuttle with a rather satisfied look and felt the air of satisfaction with my colleagues. Little did we know how uneventful this friday was goin to be!!
Although i hadn't booked any tickets for the evening and dint have any 'happening' plans to spend friday night..i was counting on stretching my legs and lazing ard.
While we had almost reached the outer ring road i told my apt-mate who was sitting beside me that radio city has just reported a jam in the ring road. We both hoped it would clear off by the time we hit the spot.
But nope, bangalore has its own traffic bottlenecks and this was the worst of all. We slowly rolled in to an already long lane of cars, trucks, buses, vehicles et al and finally the engine spat out and stopped.
People got out to stretch their legs and we got out to check the line and i was shocked.. for it was a maddening line of vehicles and extended till my line of vision and mostly definetly beyond it too. Yeh hai Bangalore meri jaan!!
So i started listening to radio city's traffic news and apparently the jam had started from around 5.00PM.It was almost 7.00 and there were no signs of any clearing up. So we told the driver to take a turn and hit another route but he preferred not to listen. So we waited. Another odd hour passed. Now all of us were restless.We were all stuck in traffic with nothing to do. My apt-mate and i tried to lighten the moment with some mallu learnings and games. But we were all pissed, darned irritated.
Finally the driver decided to take our advice and took the next u-turn and we were finally moving. It felt damned good to be moving again beleive me!! We rode through another hour and finally i was close to home. We got down somewhere close to my house and took a rick home. The girl who lives downstairs was just walking home when we closed the gate, so i stood to hear her side of the story. She was pissed and irritated and totally furious abt the traffic. I asked if they had taken the U and hit the alternate route.
It turns out that she had started only at 7.45PM from office and since they were already alerted about the traffic scene they had taken the alternate route and reached home. So some of them got lucky.
Yanyways the point is when something happens accidents, road mishaps the whole city grinds to a loud halt. I can only imagine if there were some emergency vehicles were struck in this god-foresaken jam. God bless.
But i have learnt to count my blessings so i shall wait for a day when there would be a direct flyover from my home to office or when my company would start offering sky-bourne pickups and drops!! Untill then long hours of wait on the roads are a part of my life.. What do they say.. 'If you can fight them, Join them'!!!

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Flower POWER

"Take time to smell the roses."
And i went one step further, CLICK!!!
Although these are not roses nature is so beautiful.
When u sit with ur feet lacing the sand and the tide moving in...
When u hear the waterfall while your driving towards it..
When u can see the strong mountains towering down on u while u take those hair-pin bends..
What can i say.. give me more time to stand and stare!!!

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Coimbatore meets California!!

I had been to a wedding recently where an indian boy married a american girl. This is no longer so rare, happens in every family. What was very satisfying was the groom's mom was totally at ease with her daughter-in-law. I was also taken by the bride's attitude. She wasn't out to impress people and she was just the way she was.
Infact we all use to eat together, she was not the "healthy" eating-only-fruits kinds. She would plunge into our briyani's and sambhars and lick her fingers in utter satisfaction. After havin a conversation with her for about an hour u would forget that she's from a different country. Infact if not for the complexion i would never remember that as well!!
From my family's experience with intercontinental marriages i used to think that its not so good since the parents get cheated out of this deal. They can't go forward with it neither can they step backward. But this marriage made me correct my decision. I guess no matter the culture, religion, language barriers its the personality that makes the difference. U can feel totally foreign with a person from your own caste and creed but totally at home with a person from a different culture.
This is not about arranged marriages or love marriages, this is about compatiblity.
Somehow i liked the attitude about this women they dont shun other cultures, they are open-minded. They want reason and they have respect for ur beleifs.
Once she had asked why do u always want to offer Rs.501/-, Rs.1001/- instead of jus 500 and 1000 and after all the not-so-satisfying replies she hushed if its just a beleif am not questioning it..i just wanted to know!!!
Am not saying that we are right and they are wrong or vice-versa, am just saying when you can compare and pick up what is best in both life is great!!
There are some things that are absolutely great about our culture, the way we respect elders, kids and animals but there's something bad about it too. Although americans fall in love and get married they seem to lack the conviction to stay committed. So we cant follow one thing or the other.
At this point of time, i would like to have an open-mind and willingly learn other cultures. Lets just say it could be total fun when you have an american sister-in-law or an english brother-in-law or a french husband!!!
Happy 2006!!!

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Wikipedia

The traditional encylopedia is fighting hard to retain its status with this newly born. Wikipedia is an online encylopedia and its content is huge and varied.
The best part of wikipedia is anybody can contribute to this encylopedia. It maintains versions to prevent harassing and malpractice. So information is secure and there are lot of topics for which u can find detailed information. Although,they dont guarantee 100% correct information its an excellent starting point for your information gathering trip. You can go from there on to most relevant websites.
It easy to correct errors and since anybody can contribute to this, u can imagine the amount of information available.
This is the Information era and wikipedia is taking us one step closer to this progress. Besides i like the name too !!! :o)

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My possessions :o)

There's a saying that never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.
When you plant something u plant hope.When you water them everyday and see it grow, something grows along with it.It shows that you care enough to make another life possible.

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Mera Bharath Mahan !!!

Gone are the days when England ruled India. The recent british airways advertisement tells us how much can change in the world.
"BA says 'Namaste' to India" - For India the world is waiting.
Then there was an advertisement about Deutsche Bank starting operations in India.
Slowly the world is sitting up and taking notice of the country which is not only geographically enthralling but diverse in every sense of the world.
When i was studying in college my dad used to worry about how the talented youngsters went abroad to study and later settle in India. About three-fourths of my family are permanenet residents of the US of A. But nobody is to blame. When there are oppurtunities galore nobody wants to ignore that.
But slowly things are taking a new turn. People are coming back to India with a new vision. You have German auto majors like BMW and Volkswagon opening manufacturing units in INDIA. MBA Aspirants from US bschools made their way to this asian sub-continent where the action was. They claimed that nobody could afford to ignore the growth in India and the potential to grow further.Businessweek states so.
Movies like Swades and Yuva are an inspiration to Indians who would not fall prey to the Dollar dreams. We are talented and we are destined to achieve. We have started shining and we are here to stay. To leave a mark and make the world stop and take notice of this growing strength. We are climbing the ladder slowly and diligently, there are some setbacks but we are still climbing.. just a matter of time while till we reach the pinnacle of glory. India is definitely shining bright!! A moment in history where i sit back and take pride in what my country has achieved ,admire my countrymen for making this possible and in some tiny way being a part of this spectacle.

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Transcending life

I finished reading a book and for once i wouldn't say that i enjoyed reading it. That's because you can't ENJOY reading THE FOUNTAINHEAD. I have heard a lot about this book. The elusive Mr. Howard Roark. People claimed that this was one book that had influenced their life and their thinking and i never had the time to finish this book. So when i had finally picked up the book with the intention of finishing it, little did i know that it would leave me with a feeling which is non-descriptive.
You can't pen the words of what its like to read FOUNTAINHEAD. Without u realising it, you start doing an introspection from a viewpoint that you dint know existed. You approach life with a different perspective, you work with a new commitment and purpose. You realise the significance of other people's opinion or the lack of it. Your life is your own and you define its principles. You would understand that failures can reach you only to a certain point and then it doesn't matter.Such is FOUNTAINHEAD, you can't enjoy reading it. It simply opens that door in your mind, a door which never existed. It lifts you to a new level of reasoning. Its a book that needs to be read to be understood or you would be reducing its significance.
FOUNTAINHEAD preaches the one important philosophy of objectivism -
My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.
— Ayn Rand

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These are a few of my favorite things.. :))

One of my all-time favourite poems...

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens;
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens;
Brown paper packages tied up with strings;
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels;
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles;
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings;
These are a few of my favorite things.

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes;
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes;
Silver-white winters that melt into springs;
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the dog bites,
When the bee stings,
When I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

By Julie Andrews.
Also from Sound of Music ;))

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Nothing Lasts forever....

When i first read this book i was so capitvated by the narration. I cudn't keep it down. Paige taylor, Honey Taft and Kat were real not figments of imagination. I adored Jason curtis, i wud fervently hope that Paige forget that creep Alan and marry Jason.. and when she did i almost cried. Then came If tommorrow comes, Master of the game, Stranger in the mirror, Other side of midnight, Memories of midnight, Sky is falling..I've read every book and i never once got disappointed. I have never felt so satisfied about a book as i did with Sheldon's writing. He had the touch to captivate the reader's interest.There was romance, suspense, plot,intrigue.. ask for it and u wud find it.. Yesterday to my delight i had found that he had released another one.. The other side of Me.. u can chk it out here..
The Other Side of Me
Although this his abt his own life.. am sure it would be another one of his masterpieces. He would always do justice to his readers, value for money. I have been reading other authors like dan brown, daniel steele, erich seghal, jeffrey archer, john grisham et al..there's something abt sheldon's books that i love. He has a plot and doesn't write to sell.
I have so wanted to witness the thefts done by tracey whitney, so wanted to see Kate McGregor, wanted to save Joshua from dying...sheldon's characters are so real.

This post is really a tribute to his works and i do hope there would be more books from him. Somethings last forever.
P.S: This post was written from a Net Cafe ;-)

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