During my college years, I stayed with a family who took me in like I was their own son. Their son was my closest friend, and we did everything together – from flying kites, racing bikes to enjoying music.

Later in life, we parted ways over ego issues and petty fights, and though I have remained in touch with the family, he and I never really managed to patch up.

He moved to the USA, where he died in an unfortunate accident a few years later, and I was never able to set our relationship right.

Today, the 6th of June, is his birthday, and I would rather remember my friend full of life, sitting on the doorstep of the outhouse we occupied, drinking his mother’s heavenly coffee with me, than the fact that he is no more.

Happy Birthday, Jaikishan

I don’t know if you can hear me up there, but if you can – I am truely sorry.

On with life…

Thanks to a tip from Jyoti Bhargava of J Design Lab, I brightened up the colours of this site a bit. Hopefully, everyone will stop cribbing about this place being unreadable because of the dim colours.

Yesterday’s entry seems to have triggered off bunches of people who called or wrote in, enquiring if I was OK. Relax, I am. Some of the things happening to me are unavoidable, some of them could have been avoided, but weren’t.

You can take me off the suicide-watch now, thank you.

Recently, I ordered “Pink Floyd – Echoes” from Fabmart. When the CD was delivered, I was shocked to see an advertisement for a cigarette company stuck both on the outer sleeve and the inner jewel case. It turns out that the company marketing the CDs (Virgin Records) had got into a promotional tieup with this cigarette company, and plasters these stickers on every CD they sell. When you try to remove the sticker from the outer sleeve, it tears, wrecking the sleeve.

This is something I will not accept. I don’t want to come across as holier-than-thou, but I completely support the ban on tobacco-related advertisements, and will not tolerate having a tobacco company advertisement stuck on CDs that I spend good money on. Worse – the quality of the jewel case the CD came in was so cruddy that it disintegrated on arrival, scratching the CDs it was supposed to protect.

So if you are buying CDs in the future, avoid any that are sold by Virgin Records that fall under the Charms Collection campaign. If you order one unknowingly, complain and return it.

I have complained to Fabmart, and they should be marking such CDs in their online listings as being part of the Charms Collection. Watch out for them, and avoid them at all costs.