Will It Make It To The List?

With movies like The Bucket List, Dasvidaniya and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara doing the rounds for years, you will more often than not come across people listing out their personal Bucket Lists - on either one form of social networking or the other. Blogs to the effect of '10 things to do before you die' have been the in thing for a long while now.

I have always been inspired to publish my Bucket List... but have somehow not bothered to take out time for it. Maybe I am lazy, maybe I am not managing my time well enough, or maybe I am hesitating to publish my only item on the list that I would want to do before I die - 'To prepare my Bucket List' (and obviously live to see it materialize!) :P

I am not quite up to getting this list published as yet. I need some more nudging and pushing. I also need to spend some time and prioritize my wish list - just to make sure what I desire the most gets due attention before the cliched 'bucket' is kicked!

For the moment, I am listing out random thoughts that are screaming out loudly enough to ensure they make it to my coveted list. Maybe I can refer to this list later when I get down to preparing 'The List'.

Make My Trip

I wish to travel to every corner of India and if I am done with that, then possibly nearby countries and eventually the rest of the world. I want to meet people of all kinds, eat all kinds of vegetarian cuisine, experience all the must-do's and must-see's of all the places I visit, take loads of pictures (it's been ages since I had photo updates on FB :P) etc. Basically this one's about realizing the freedom of being able to experience everyone and everything that has been created around me.

Chit Chaat

Another of my wishes is to satiate my appetite for Indian chaats, leaving no plate unturned :P. From all the details I have collected so far Indore's street food and chaats seem to top the list. So for the moment the plan is to travel down to Indore for a day long chaat experience and catch the last train back home :)

Are the Roads Ready for Me???
This has been a long pending wish. I wish to play Roadrash... real time!!! Several strings attached though. I should be allowed to drive as I please on roads and terrains of my choice. I should be allowed to switch between a whole array of automobiles that should be available at my disposal. I should be allowed to drive and ride at speeds of my choice. I should not be held responsible for all the bloodshed I cause en-route. I should be allowed to choose the people who would trespass my route so that I enjoy the bloodshed I cause (I barely knew I had a 'wicked me' hidden within :P) !!!

Trucking Along

This one's a more sober wish if pitted against my Realtime Roadrash wish above. I wish to drive a huge truck on an empty road. The truck must be fully loaded with goods to make the drive a tough and slow one. I don't know why I fancy this idea but I want to do it. Maybe I'll know why, when I do it eventually. I did forget though, to mention that the empty roads should have a couple of dhabas that dish out lip-smacking homely food. This will help me complete the whole truck driver experience :)

Winged Wish

This one is a rather simple and relatively achievable wish. I wish to fly a helicopter and am also OK with flying as a passenger. I'd rather leave the technicalities to more experienced hands to ensure I live to see my other wishes materialize :) I want to fly around places I visit by road otherwise and get a birds eye view of all those places. 

Super Powers

I so badly wish I am blessed with some superhuman powers to set right a few things and a lot of people around me. It hurts to feel helpless in daily situations where some 'strangely blessed' people get away with their ways. Whether it is a government servant not doing his duties, or a corrupt politician busy filling his coffers, or an educated idiot breaking traffic rules on the road, I wish not to feel helpless the next time I come across these kinds. I would like to have some superhero-like powers to be able to teach them a lesson. For starters, maybe, I should have the option of picking them up and hurling them onto some other planet... without a return ticket attached!!! 

Get Published

A very far-fetched wish this one. I would possibly surprise myself if this one materializes some day. But I still would like to fancy the idea of getting published in this lifetime. After all, 'Thoughts become Things'!!! :) I want people to purchase my paperbacks off bookstore shelves and I want to see my husband smile at them  with pride. He has been instrumental in getting me to dream big and get this one on to my wish list. Seeing him see me realize this wish means a lot to me, even more than getting published itself :)

Big Applause

Another crazy wish I have is to be able to get a stadium full of Indian cricket fans to cheer for me like they do for an India-Pakistan match. I am ready to practice a bit of cricket, try some rare shots like the Dhoni Helicopter or the Sehwag Uppercut or any other cricketing gimmick that will get the audience to roar in applause and cheer for me. I have no clue why I wished this one up, guess the self-obsessed narcissist in me got me to do it :)

I guess I am done for now. I think I should rather spend some time looking for brass lamps that I can rub out a Genie from. I am very sure it is going to take a Genie of sorts to get most of these wishes to materialize :)

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Back to School... A Walk Down Memory Lane!!!

I walked into a Staples store the other day and there were these posters that advertised some interesting 'Back to School' offers. Colorful stationary, school bags and all other interesting school accessories. Wished I was in school still.

June is the month schools reopen in Bombay. June was the month I loved because of all the new school time goodies we got to buy. New books, new uniforms, new school bags [if we managed to wear and tear the old one ;)], new ribbons to tie our plaits, new pencil boxes, new fountain pens etc etc...

We are almost at the end of June and I remembered that I had promised myself a post on what I miss about my times at school. So here it is in completely random order... just as it came to mind...

• My school itself - St. Agnes Girls' High School, Byculla!!! I miss the huge campus walking in and out of its gates.
• Calling myself an Agnesian - especially in the presence of girls from Gloria's and St. Annes. (do not know why!!!)
• Red House, Blue House, Yellow House and Green House - Red House being mine and my favourite :).
• The colorful slides, monkey poles and the towering yellow giraffe in the primary school garden.
• The framed rhymes that were displayed across the hall in the ground floor of the primary school building. Somehow those pictures and rhymes always had me awestruck... I have stared at them endlessly.
• The playroom that was full of colorful toys and games. I guess it would charm me even now... as much as it did when I was in primary school. It's the kid in me to blame again :).
• The audio visual sessions we had where we were treated to some nice movies.
• Moral Science as a subject and the notebook with colored pages for it.
• The huge black piano and the 'singing' classes we used to have.
• The famous freeze-bell.
• Lining up on the grounds and the assemblies that followed.
• Sitting cross legged in those assemblies and the knee-fights that followed ;)
• Playing Sunday Monday on the building stairs
• The samosas, ragda and bhel in the school canteen - and the gossips about how someone found a cockroach in the canteen food :D
• Sports Day - and the compulsory attendance rules for non-participants like me :)
• The Inter-school sports meet (cannot recollect the name) and the endless cheering we did for our school.
• The Agnes-Mary's girl school - boy school fights and wars :)
• Annual Prize Distributions - and how my parents clapped with pride when I stepped up on stage to collect mine :)
• Open Days and the exhibitions of books, craft work and needle work and the complimentary packet of Simba wafers from mom :)
• Prefects with their sashes and belts - checking our nails, rolled down socks, shorts, badges and what not.
• Flag hoisting and singing the national anthem on Republic Day and Independence Day
• Taking turns in class to sit on the last bench - learnt to play book cricket on one of those days :)
• The entire class getting punished and made to stand in a straight line on the tarred road in the hot sun.
• The chemistry, physics and biology labs - including the skeleton in there :)
• PT classes, Sir Andrew and his English and the way the girls took his case.
• The green benches in the corridors that served as our lunch tables in the primary school and the huge lunch room for senior school too.
• All of the teachers there... they all had something special about themselves and that could make another blog post by itself!
• Baking classes and Ms. Farida and her ways!!! I remember we once ate up the extra cheese after making a dish. We got one of her 'You girls are made (read made, understood mad)!' for that. :D
• Color dress days at school on special occasions.
• Going around the whole school distributing sweets to all the teachers on my birthday.
• Standing in front of a whole class of girls singing 'Happy Birthday to Priya' :)
• Falling down, getting bruised and having that red medicine applied on to it.
• The morning prayers and news being read out on the intercom.
• The raffle forms for donations that we had to collect. There were another 25 odd Agnesians in the campus where I lived. Imagine rushing to every house before the others did.
• The science journals that we needed to complete in senior school with diagrams and experiment observations.
• The Science Exhibition we had in Class X. We went on to win it and participate in the inter school competition too. We did up something on Garbage Recycling and were super excited about it.
• The huge library we had and the librarian Ms. Pramila Pant!!! Some of my friends got her convinced that my classmate Sriya and I were twin sisters :)
• Polishing the black shoes and washing and applying white polish to the PT shoes - a weekend task that my sisters and me did dutifully to avoid lectures from dad.
• My school uniform - loved the smart white uniform-red tie combination.
• Waiting for the school bus to come and pick us up in the mornings and searching for the 'Blue' bus every evening :)
• Travelling by BEST to school after seventh standard.
• Walking, talking, breathing, road crossing with Nancy Drews and Enid Blytons!!!
• Different subjects like arts, crafts, baking, community living, social service etc
• Identifying hills, rivers and state capitals with different colors on the outlined maps of India for the geography exam
• Standing in line to collect our corrected answer papers. Totalling and re-totalling the scores hoping the teacher had made a mistake.
• The Khandala retreat in class X.
• Picnics every year - from Hanging Gardens to the Planetarium to Esselworld and Tiku-ji-ni-wadi.
• Collecting the hall tickets for the board exams, the school farewell and finally walking out of school with our SSC marksheets :(

I told you it was a long list. I am sure I have missed out a lot of other memorable things. Probably because I got carried away thinking about these. Would love to read your opinions on this.

Whether you were from Agnes or not, I am sure my school day memories would have taken you back to your own!!! Spare a moment and walk down your memory lane. You will come back smiling :).

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dil toh bachcha hai ji...

It has taken me over a month now to get over the fact that I am a year older all over again!!! I am one step closer to stepping out of my 20's and it is a somewhat weird feeling.

I am not of the vain variety who dreads growing old. I do not hear an 'aunty... aunty... aunty' echo when younger ones call me 'aunty'! I do not freak out when I see that odd silver strand on my head. Well, atleast I do not yell loud enough to let the neighbours know :)

Aging, according to many other like minded people, is a state of mind. And thankfully for me, I have managed to keep the child in me alive and kicking! There's a thin line between holding on to the kid in you and being kiddish and immature. I am guessing I haven't crossed the line. Maybe the grown-ups around me can answer that. :)

I was reminded today of all the fun things I did as a kid. Took this chance to list out some of them.

School
I miss everything about school. From classes to special classes, homework to handiwork, black shoes to white sneakers, uniforms to 'colour dress' days, Open Days to Annual Prize Distributions, Class I to Class X... I miss it all. I still remember how we had this freeze bell rule at school. Whenever it was time for class after a break, we would hear 2 bells. The first bell was called the freeze bell. It was like a game of statue. You stand still and do not move for a good 30 seconds or so. On hearing the second bell we were to line up and get to class. Funny and peculiar it may sound, but we did it day in and day out. So much that I miss it till date. Loads of memories from school time are flooding my mind now. I think I will save them all for another post.

Summer Vacations
You call it jealousy or you call it reminiscing old memories but I simply cannot stop envying all the school kids in my apartment. Their summer vacations are on... and they are in the best of spirits. This part of the year used to be the best in all my years at school. I loved making that day long train journey from Bombay to Madras for a 2 month vacation with my grandparents. I miss all those long warm summers that I spent with them and everything they did to make my vacation even more special. Love you thatha and paati!!!

Doordarshan
Satellite transmission and DTH services have taken the television by storm. Channels have run into triple digit figures. Reality shows are the order of the day with melodramatic serials not far behind. Kareena Kapoor can throw a tantrum about missing her favourite saas-bahu serial, only to see Saif recording it for her to watch later!!! Cut back to a few years ago (few is not an understatement... the kid in me adds :D). Doordarshan was our only source of entertainment on television. DD-I and DD-II were more than enough to keep us entertained. I miss all the TV shows I watched on Doordarshan as well as the movies that were telecast over the weekend. Nukkad, Wagle ki Duniya, Mungerilal ke Haseen Sapne, Jungle Book, Circus, Fauji, Byomkesh Bakshi, Tehkikaat, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Superhit Muqabla, Chitrahaar, Daawat, Udaan Surabhi, ... Oh I miss them all!!!

Bedtime@9.30p.m.
The Parent's Rule Book at our house clearly stated that we needed to get to bed by 9.30pm. That ensured we caught up on all the sleep our body needed. Over the years I have been wishing my family a good night's sleep later and later on the clock. I cannot remember when was the last time I went to sleep as early as 9.30pm. It is well past midnight by the time I retire for the day. Crazy lifestyles need a little order too. I have decided to consciously work on this. Early to bed and early to rise (the bigger challenge!!!) will surely make me healthy, wealthy and wise... on second thoughts let us make that - healthy, wealthy and wiser :)

Fancy Dress Competitions
I miss the many fancy dress shows I participated in. My mum looked forward to these more than me :). I remember getting dressed up as Baby Krishna once and as a Hawaian girl on another occasion. I won prizes for both :). We had these annual functions in our residential complex for Diwali and New Year's Eve. The whole process of deciding on what we're going to dress up as, preparing for it and going up on stage and enacting it out was a wonderful experience. I also participated in some group dances for some of these functions but somehow the Fancy Dress Competitions linger on in my mind. I will look up some of the pictures and hope to P.S. them to this post.

Kid Books
Tintin, Asterix and Obelix, Noddy, Chacha Chowdhary, Target, Tinkle, Champak, the complete Enid Blyton series, Secret Seven, Famous Five, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys - I am sure all or most of these feature on your list of favourite childhood books. I used to eat, drink, walk, talk, yawn, sleep and breathe books. Somehow, over the years I have not been able to devote as much time to books. I still love reading all of these books. I actually enjoy it even more when I read them now. I remember bringing down the library shelves in our clubhouse to find the best of books. Since I could get only one of them issued per week I would hide my personal selection behind some books that were rarely ever touched by the others. This would ensure they remained there for the rest of the week :). The best part would be the glances others shot at me when they saw me climb up a chair to reach the top-most shelf. The glance would be followed by a feeling of awe and shame put together when they noticed that the top-most shelf stocked books as heavy as micro or macro economics, physics or nuclear research. They thought they needed to learn a few things from this whiz-kid called ME :)

Fun Games
There used to be a host of games we kids would play every evening. Played a lot of interesting outdoor games like Catch 'n Cook, Blind Man's Buff, Kho-kho, Lagori, hopscotch (Googled this out... we used to call it 'Tippar' or 'Tipri' :D), Kitty Kitty Coming, Chor Police, Saakhli, Langdi, Hide 'n Seek, GoooooooollllllddddddSssssppppppott (that's how we used to yell it out :D) and many more. It has been years and years since I have even made a mention of these games. I have not seen kids playing all of these in the last so many years. Let your kids be kids and let them come up with silly yet interesting games like these and give it a name of their choice. Urge them to use their PC games and TV videogames as stress busters when they are much older.

*******

Wow!!! This post has been such a refresher. It took me back down memory lane and brought back many pleasant memories... each with a smile on my face. There sure are a lot of other things that may come to my mind. Will share those on my blog space later.

My take on growing up would be - Grow up as you are doing anyways but remain a child at heart always. I love to pamper the kid in me. I try as much to do everything I loved doing as a kid. This post has only helped me strengthen my stand. The kid in me is happy! The kid in me is jumping with joy! The kid in me is waiting for more! The kid in me is nudging me to hum along... 'dil toh bachcha hai ji' :)

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Have you seen your golden house yet?

Got this story as an email forward. Food for thought I must say!!!

the house with the golden windows

The little girl lived in a small, very simple, poor house on a hill and as she grew she would play in the small garden and as she grew she was able to see over the garden fence and across the valley to a wonderful house high on the hill – and this house had golden windows, so golden and shining that the little girl would dream of how magical it would be to grow up and live in a house with golden windows instead of an ordinary house like hers.

And although she loved her parents and her family, she yearned to live in such a golden house and dreamed all day about how wonderful and exciting it must feel to live there.

When she got to an age where she gained enough skill and sensibility to go outside her garden fence, she asked her mother is she could go for a bike ride outside the gate and down the lane. After pleading with her, her mother finally allowed her to go, insisting that she kept close to the house and didn’t wander too far. The day was beautiful and the little girl knew exactly where she was heading! Down the lane and across the valley, she rode her bike until she got to the gate of the golden house across on the other hill.

As she dismounted her bike and leaned it against the gate post, she focused on the path that lead to the house and then on the house itself…and was so disappointed as she realized all the windows were plain and rather dirty, reflecting nothing other than the sad neglect of the house that stood derelict.

So sad she didn’t go any further and turned, heartbroken as she remounted her bike … As she glanced up she saw a sight to amaze her… there across the way on her side of the valley was a little house and its windows glistened golden… as the sun shone on her little home.

She realized that she had been living in her golden house and all the love and care she found there was what made her home the ‘golden house’. Everything she dreamed was right there in front of her nose!

The little girl's story higlights the fact that we tend to, more often than not, take what we have for granted. We tend to conveniently overlook what we have and how much it matters to us. The grass on the other side of the fence always seems greener. What is not ours appears to be bigger and brighter than what we have just earned.

It pays to be ambitious in life with newer milestones being set everyday. But it pays even more to spare a few moments to celebrate what we have already achieved.

The little girl in the story represents each one of us. I am only hoping each one of us have seen our golden homes... shining back at us with a smile :)

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Generation Fast Forward!

The young and trendy like to be referred as Generation Next... but the generation that's catching up loud and clear is Generation Fast Forward - a generation branding that I've done for the kids of today, clearly much quicker in thought and action than most of us who'd want to call ourselves GenNext just coz it sounds cool.

My little niece, who's as little as one does so many things that we would have probably never imagined when we were that age. She does everything from humming a lullaby to put her doll to sleep to walking around so matter-of-factly with a mobile when someone calls. She even speaks in some kind of language that she understands so well and speaks with a 'you don't understand this??!!' attitude!

When we were kids, we were known to be sweet, cute and cuddly. Kids of today are not just all of that but are also smart, intelligent and quick!

Here's a conversation I heard at a bookstore between an affluent mom and her smart little kid, a young guy all of 7 years maybe:

Rich Affluent Mom (RAM): Come on son, we've picked up enough books for yourself.
Smart Little Kid (SLK): Yes mom, just for Rs.2000. We can add some more to it. Check out this one, its ONLY Rs.675/-
RAM: Don't you think its expensive, son!
SLK: It's really worth it, mom! I've read about it somewhere and it is really worth the price (economics pro in the making... I never knew to judge if things were worth their price at 7 years of age!!!)
RAM: Son..!!
SLK: Come on mom, be a sport! You could even pick a copy for yourself!!!

Now how mean was that! Just imagine your own kid not willing to 'share' his books with you. Imagine him/ her asking you to get yourself your own copy of music, books or whatever else. I'm sure the kid didn't mean to sound rude, he was just being practical and detached... Now whether that's a good sign or a bad sign or no sign at all... I'm really not sure. Somehow that conversation struck me... and in a way made me believe that Generation Fast Forward have ways of their own... ways that may shake you up at times.

I'm intimidated at times... sometimes amused!!!

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Be an Alchemist

I had heard loads and loads about Paulo Coelho's 'The Alchemist'. One of the most common reason this book was recommended for reading was its extremely positive remarks about how it pays to remain in pursuit of your dreams - no matter how long it takes.

I happened to chance upon a copy of 'The Alchemist' at my aunt's place - picked it up for reading instantly.

I believe in omens and I am always on the lookout for them - in my own small way. Some of the dialogues between the shepherd boy and the people he encounters are so striking. I am not sure whether this book would have the same impact on everyone. I loved the book! Never felt so positive and charged up about my own dreams ever before. I am not sure if I am over-reacting; but somehow I can relate to almost everything that the shepherd boy goes through whilst pursuing the treasure of his life. I don't know... maybe this is an omen by itself!!! And I chose to believe that it is a good omen!

Coming back to the book; I think Paulo Coelho has drawn a brilliant parallel between human dreams and alchemy. Relentlessly trying till you're smiling about what you've achieved is common to both. The metaphor is striking and leaves an impression.

I've compiled some of my favourite lines from the book and what I feel about them. Here goes...

When you really want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.

This one's the best... has inspired many included our very own SRK in Om Shanti Om :P. I blindly trust my conspirators... whoever they are, wherever they are!

The world’s greatest lie: At a certain point in our lives we lose control of what’s happening to us and our lives become controlled by fate.

This one's for those who have stopped having faith in the earlier line :( We cannot let fate control our lives... it's just not right!

Most people see the world as a threatening place, and because they do, the world turns out indeed to be a threatening place.

Lesson for me... and maybe a couple of you too.

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.

Another gyaan byte for us :)

Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.

Especially true of all nosey uncles and aunts who somehow have an opinion about everything we do or want :P

If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return.

Beautiful simile!

It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

I agree totally... your dreams are your only true companion for life!

Never stop dreaming.

Believe me... it serves as enough motivation to keep on trying till you get there someday! Don't forget to keep the fingers crossed too :)

Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And every search ends with the victor’s being severely tested.

I don't mind... all's well that ends well.

Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him.

Makes me feel special! I'm waiting for mine.........

Wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.

Wow... Paulo Coelho even gave us a hint :)

If I really am a part of your dream, you will come back one day.

Some call it emossional atyachaar... some call it pyaar :)

“Even though I complain sometimes,” it (heart) said, “it’s because I’m the heart of a person, and people’s hearts are that way. People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them. We, their hearts, become fearful just thinking of loved ones who go away forever, or of moments that could have been good but weren’t, or of treasures that might have been found but were forever hidden in the sands. Because, when these things happen, we suffer terribly.”

How true... we subject our poor li'l hearts through a whole lot of what not. I actually found this dialogue between the shepherd and his heart really really sweet - almost like an innocent kid giving an alibi! Let's stop being mean... let's be good to our hearts!

Life really is generous to those who pursue their destiny.

One more reason to keep going.

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Hope is a Good Thing

After months of having got myself a copy of the movie The Shawshank Redemption I finally decided to watch it yesterday.

The movie is based on a Stephen King novella [new word I picked up when I wiki-ed for the book :)] called Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.

Tim Robbins plays the role of a banker called Andy Dufresne who is given a double life sentence for murdering his wife and her lover - a crime that he badly wanted to commit but had not. As fate would have it he was sent to Shawshank Prison where he spent the next 19 years of his life!!!

Morgan Freeman plays the role of 'Red' who was another inmate at Shawshank Prison. Freeman sure has a class of his own. After this movie and The Bucket List he has one more fan in me :)

The movie is hard-hitting with a whole lot of dialogues that leave you dumbstruck. It is yet another visualization of how harsh things can get on the other side of the bars. It is yet another attempt to convey that there is nothing more powerful than hope. It is yet another attempt to reinforce the fact that no matter how mean life can get, it is that undying spirit of hope that will help us sail through and come out smiling despite the hardships that we will eventually leave behind.

I am glad the movie has influenced me positively. I only feel more positive about clinging on to my hopes, however irrational they may seem at the moment!!!

I decided I should put up a post about this on Bindaas Baatein. There's nothing more satisfying than spreading one's positivity around - who knows, this might just make you want to change your mind over things you have given up on.

I'll sum this up in Andy Dufresne's words from the movie - 'Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies'.

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50 and running

2009 is probably yet another year with a lot in store for all of us. Our year-end posts will take care of summing that up :)

Among other things, 2009 marks the golden jubilee of 2 of my favorite comic characters - Asterix and Obelix!!! Just wanted to let them know how much I love them and the rest of the Gauls :)

I've read practically every one of the 33 titles and I doubt if I'll ever get bored of reading them up over and over again. The names of each of the Gauls - including the cute li'l Dogmatix - is something that always charms me.

The complete Asterix collection is definitely worth its space on your bookshelf - and mine too. Did I hear someone saying 2009 is good to go gifting??? :P

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