Trail Mix 4

* So did you cuil?

* Apparently we are all CPA-ic at different levels. No, not the person you go to for your taxes. I am referring to this CPA.
An excerpt :

Continuous partial attention describes how many of us use our attention today. It is different from multi-tasking. The two are differentiated by the impulse that motivates them. When we multi-task, we are motivated by a desire to be more productive and more efficient. We're often doing things that are automatic, that require very little cognitive processing. We give the same priority to much of what we do when we multi-task -- we file and copy papers, talk on the phone, eat lunch -- we get as many things done at one time as we possibly can in order to make more time for ourselves and in order to be more efficient and more productive.

To pay continuous partial attention is to pay partial attention -- CONTINUOUSLY. It is motivated by a desire to be a LIVE node on the network. Another way of saying this is that we want to connect and be connected. We want to effectively scan for opportunity and optimize for the best opportunities, activities, and contacts, in any given moment. To be busy, to be connected, is to be alive, to be recognized, and to matter.

* This past weekend, a few friends stopped by for lunch. A simple meal of roti, mattar paneer, pulav , raitha, veggie crisps and badam halwa. And then they sprawled in the sun room, we popped a dvd in and settled in. We watched Dil Chahta Hai. What a brilliant movie, always a delight to watch.

* An update on the dead tree- Well, its been removed, finally! And I didnt have to write off my first born, thank God. A new one has also been planted- a beautiful Japanese maple.

* August is just around the corner, can you believe it? Time for all the lions to be born :D.

Alright, thats it for this edition.

So long, farewell, good bye, khuda hafiz and such other pleasantries.

Click-a-tea Click

I've been itching to click for a few days now. It happens sometimes. The camera beckons and I go in search of a subject.

The garden didnt have anything interesting to capture; I went nowhere worth mentioning over the weekend either- spent both days finishing chores; so last resort I went here. Jai and Bee tell me this month's Click is about coffee and tea. I was in no mood to have either. So I just used the ingredients to make a still life. I actually clicked two, Seren picked my official entry for the Click event.

Clickety Click!














I post the other one, for posterity's sake.

Lost in time

I read somewhere that...

"It's no good running a pig farm badly for 30 years while saying, 'Really, I was meant to be a ballet dancer.' By then, pigs will be your style.”
~Quentin Crisp

I've come to realise this for myself. For a long time I kept at what's now turned into my career- that of an IT person, in the fond hope that one day I'd go back to my REAL longing which was really to paint. Hm, yes.

I love water colors. I love charcoal. I love oil, acrylics. Besides all these mediums, I love feasting my eyes on art work. It gives me a high. But these days, looking at art makes me sad. All the artistry and creativity makes me heavy with all the time lost.

In the mean time, pigs have become my style.

Life, interrupted

Life, interrupted
Sometimes a bitter pill,
Sometimes a sweet candy
Forever changing
Leading on
Like a child
Holding on
With an index finger
Thus we sail
Wave to wave
A high, a low
Washed ashore
Spent, displaced
But never back
To square one
Change, constant
Life, interrupted.

Eh, what gives? This past weekend, while I went bloghopping I ran into some posts that talked about life and its change of plans. How does one see oneself faring over a period of time? Did life go just as planned? Or totally on a tangent?

Thus this post.

Looking back, from this vantage point in time- what do I see?

Some dreams have come true, some never took off, some were never meant to be, some got replaced with better ones over time, some unexpected gains, some unforeseen losses- you win some, you lose some. Its said, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Yes, that, pretty much, is the essence of life. Many a time have I taken for granted what I have, many a time have I hoped miracles will work their way into making things happen and they havent, many a time have I been hopelessly defeated, many a time have I been pleasantly surpised, many a tourist destination languishes in my must-visit list- but all the time I have come to know that there are no gains without pains. Every significant event is part of the life force, the same force that which turns food into blood in our bodies, that which brings rains to parched lands, that which lets us know that everyday is a miracle and in this glory we all play a part in the magnum opus called life.

Its close to 10 years since I've moved to this country. 10 years wherein I've moved from NJ/NY to Atlanta to beautiful Virginia. I still remember the time, when I was an FOB, I worked at a financial firm right across from Radio City Music hall, 2 blocks away from Times Square. Then, I had no idea who the Rockettes were and held no amazement when I caught an impromptu street performance of the said wonders in summer to celebrate the reopening of Radio City Music Hall after a renovation. It was JA and JR, two of my coworkers , who dragged me outside so I wouldnt miss this once in a lifetime opportunity. The two girls were of Hispanic descent, so full of joie de vivre. They showed me a lot of things- right from the best places to eat in the Big Apple to bookstores to introducing me to the wonder called cheesecake. When I moved to Atlanta, I was heartbroken. But move I did and eventually over the years, I have lost touch with both of them.

This past weekend, as I was browsing through an HGTV show, I realised JR was on it. Yes!!! JR. I sat through the entire 30 mins of the show and still couldnt believe my eyes. But there she was! Amazing, isnt it?

So yes, from school to college to work life to the 10 years here, I have met many interesting people, learnt many interesting things including some very important life lessons, been to different places- all this and so much more. I wouldnt trade what I have now for anything I could ever have dreamed of for myself many moons ago. Inspite of everything- challenges, joys, sorrows, hopes, despair, anger, frustrations- inspite of it all.

"The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures. It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers. It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow. I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment."

~Rabindranath Tagore, from Gitanjali

Everything's gonna be okay

Kabhi kabhi Aditi zindagi mein yoon hi koi apna lagta hai
Kabhi kabhi Aditi woh bichad jaaye toh ek sapna lagta hai

Aise mein koi kaise apne aansuon ko behne se roke
Aur kaise koi sochle ki everything's gonna be okay

Kabhi kabhi toh lage zindagi me rahi na khushi aur na maza
Kabhi kabhi toh lage har din mushkil aur har pal ek saza

Aise mein koi kaise muskuraaye, kaise hans de khush hoke
Aur kaise koi sochle ki everything's gonna be okay

Soch zara jaan-e-jaan tujh ko hum kitna chahte hain
Rote hain hum bhi agar tere aankhon mein aansun aate hain

Gaana toh aata nahi hai magar phir bhi hum gaate hain
Hey Aditi maan kabhi--kabhi saare jahan mein andhera hota hai
Lekin raat ke baad hi toh savera hota hai

Kabhi kabhi Aditi zindagi mein yoon hi koi apna lagta hai
Kabhi kabhi Aditi woh bichad jaaye toh ek sapna lagta hai

Hey Aditi hans de hans de hans de hans de hans de tu zara
Nahi toh bas thoda thoda thoda thoda thoda thoda muskura

Tu khush hai toh lage ki jahan mein chhaiyi hai khushi
Sooraj nikle baadalon se aur baante zindagi

Sun toh zara madhosh hawa--tujhse kehne lagi
Ki Aditi woh jo bichadte hain ek na ek din phir mil jaate

Yeh Aditi jaane tu ya jaane na phool phir khil jaate hain
Kabhi kabhi Aditi zindagi mein yoon hi koi apna lagta hai

============================================================

Jaane Tu ya Jaane Na

The only things going for this movie were this song and some wonderful camera time with Ratna Pathak Shah, Naseeruddin Shah's cameo role as the "portrait", Anuradha Patel and Jayant Kripalani. Pratik Babbar shows promise for character roles. The rest was barely ok.

Summer garden report 2008

Hm, with so much of basil, some basil pesto is definitely the need for the day.

A nose by any other name..

....would work just as smell!

"I wish my hair was thicker, and I wish my feet were prettier. My toes are really ugly. I wish my ears were smaller. And my nose could be smaller too."
~Britney Spears

Yup, I couldnt agree with her more. The nose. Yes, that is what this post is all about. No writeup about noses can be complete without a mention of "THE nose" aka as Cleopatra, isnt it? In his Pensées, philosopher Blaise Pascal contends that Cleopatra's classically beautiful profile changed world history: "Cleopatra's nose, had it been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed."

That is how historians have managed to preserve and extol the virtues of perfect noses. In short, it means my nose will never make it to the annals of history. Sad as that may be, Rhinoplasty isnt an option I want to consider. I neither have the money to afford it nor the time to spend in reclusivity while the new nose takes shape(literally and figuratively speaking). And who knows if I will be the same person when I get a new nose! Apart from having an unshapely nose that which I am not very proud of, I am thankful I dont have some of the nose woes referred to here. Thank God for small mercies!

I leave you with a small nose related anecdote. As y'all can see I've been hanging out at this website for way too long.

"It was my mother who discovered my nose," Bob Hope once recalled. 'Call back the doctor,' she cried, 'He's taken the baby and left the stork!'

A-ha! So who's hiring?

Obviously, I've grown up and have been in the wrong job for a lot of years....

You Should Be a Manager

You're very organized, motivated, and methodical. Fair and objective, you can see all sides of a conflict. You are a good mediator. You are task oriented. You do well with deadlines and schedules. And while you can be a task master at times, you're good at managing people and listening to their input. You do best when you: - Must have attention to detail - Are in charge of people You would also be a good accountant or personal assistant.

What Should You Be When You Grow Up?

Life, Liberty and ...

...the pursuit of happiness.

4th of July weekend has come and gone. Here's what I have to show for it.

(No, this is not a trip report on beaches, tanning, seafood and resorts.)

* Watched some cool fireworks at a nearby field. Didnt have to go into the city for just this.

* Surprisingly, its been a cloudy weekend with scattered rains and thunderstorms.

* Long walks along the W&OD trail, each day with new additions to the ipod. Sightings of rabbits, robins, squirrels, canaries along the trail.

* Watched Hancock and Get Smart.

Hancock : There's been much talk about the twist in this movie and about movie twists in general here. I, for one, did enjoy the kick of this twist. This is one movie you just go, watch, enjoy the 2 hrs and not psycho-analyse. Will Smith and Charlize Theron are simply entertaining, not a lot of show.

Get Smart : Funny-yes. Drags for a bit. Could've been much shorter. But it was passable. I wouldnt expect raving reviews for this one.

* Watched the thrilling, exciting, well fought, well deserved Wimbledon Men's finals between Nadal and Federer. Having watched King Fed's finals many times, live- seeing the speed of his serves, his powerful masterstrokes, his superior game, his determination and style- it has always made me muse on who, if ever, could beat this phenomenon. And post-Sunday, I have to give it to Nadal. To have given the 5-time Wimbledon champion a remarkable fight and winning- is no lean feat. A superb entertainer, wish I could've been there and watched it in person. Ah well, maybe US Open this year.

* There's basil, lemongrass, cherry tomatoes and mint in the backyard, there's lilies in the frontyard. I am told hummingbirds love to flock around lilies. Yet to see one, would love to see one.

Case of a clutch

Of the many definitions for the word 'clutch', the one that best relates to this post would be this :

clutch
[kluhch] –noun
Also called clutch bag, clutch purse. a woman's small purse that can be carried in the hand and usually has no handle or strap.

After I graduated and started a career, I realised the need to own a decent handbag. Shamefully, when I was studying, I owned nothing remotely resembling one. Most times, it was a fabric(or any other suitably sturdy material like canvas/jute etc) "holdall"(that which has now been fashionably renamed a 'tote'). It was a dumping ground for notebooks, pens, paper, a small wallet for cash and change(credit cards were unknown and unaffordable at that time) and a school/college ID card.

So post-graduation, a fancy, stylish handbag was the need of the day. There wasnt a need to lug books or lunch boxes. I was quite at sea debating what to carry in a hand bag. Just for my appeasement, I'd carry a novel(since I used to drive, there was really no point in doing so, but oh well), the same wallet carried over from college and some pens(being a teacher's daughter-pens were dime-a-dozen at home and Amma was always a hoarder of some interesting looking ones). Now it was a pathetic sight when I bought an oversized handbag to hold these paltry items.

Over time, the wallet has grown to hold about 20 different cards for various purposes, specially after moving abroad- library card, video rental card, credit cards, gas card, grocery store card not including the key tags which is a separate chain(literally and figuratively) in itself. I am constantly trying to minimize and simplify this card hoarding mentality. But some of them are just unavoidable. These days the items that need to go into a handbag include keys, a cell phone, this bulging wallet with cards and cash, a pen, some lip balm, a tiny-foldable hair brush, a small case with business cards, important contact information, family wallet-size photos, God's pictures, some vibhuti and a prayer book.(Ok ok; no need to gape over reading this-what to do, we are like this only!)

Which brings me to my dilemma. How do people fit these bare-necessities in a tiny bag? Either they dont carry so much(and I need to be downsizing) or they carry miniature sizes. And I have a problem with oversized holdall handbags. My cell phone gets wedged deep in its recesses some place and it takes me forever to grope around and I find it hard to receive calls promptly or I am having to invert the contents at unexpected locations like the landing to my house in a desperate attempt to find the keys. I have also seen handbags with holders for every item conceivable...if I were that organized to put everything in its right place in a handbag, I'd be Martha Stewart for sure. Now that I am coming to the end of my devious route to get to the point of my post, let us all mouth the word "clutch" in chorus, to begin.










I see many celebrities and aam junta carrying one of these for socialite events and parties. Granted, it looks fancy, hep and cool. For the bourgeois that I am, a more important point would be- HOW do people "clutch" this throughout parties and such? Some time between chatting up with people, eating and other diversions that are common in any party, I'd have totally set the clutch aside someplace and forgotten about it. Because, you see, for the likes of me, when I am at a party(which isnt the talk of the town or anything) or shopping or plain jay walking, I need a handbag that I am not "clutching" with my hands. I need hands free. I've seen the sophisticated Shabana Azmi with one of these and she places it under her arm and walks about casually. That seems a like a lot of discomfort to me.

Some years ago I got this pretty sequined purse with a metal chain, perfect for parties and such, as a gift. Tried and tested, over time, I realised I could only carry a dainty card case with a total of two cards(a driver's license, a credit card and some cash), a cell phone and keys in this delicate darling. I tried to learn the etiquette of going to parties in style.




More recently I got gifted this ornate, brocade "clutch". Now I am flummoxed.