Buzzzzzzzzz

Wordfly for the moment : manifestation

The Namesake

Pic courtsey : http://www.impawards.com/2006/namesake.html

Unlike "The Devil wears Prada" or "Count of Monte Christo" or the million other movies made from novels, this has been the first time a great book has been translated into a wonderful movie. Its a first in many accounts for me because I have never had movies depict settings exactly as I imagined them to be while reading the book. This one delivers the same setting as though Mira Nair was tuned into one's mind. Delightful depiction of sentiments and emotions, Calcutta's ethnicity and authenticity has been digitally captured with great success and the brilliant star cast ties in with the strong storyline thus earning credits worthy of an academy award.

All in all a wonderful package of visual delight worth every penny spent, every ounce of energy invested.


Rating : Awesome(which is 4.5/5)

Sibling

One day at a time

Twas dawn when I walked every day for my classes
And dusk when I walked back
And all day long as I walked twas the gulmohar
twas those trees that gave me shade
they gave me the cool air and the sweet scent
they'd make it fun, they'd make it easy
now i've learnt a lot, but i dont see the trees
the same ones that helped me get here

The concrete jungle has overcome
That which nature provided with love
so now let me give back what i gained
to have one day back
to those times when i'd hop skip and jump
en route to class under the gulmohar trees.


Can I get one of those days back
When mom would walk me back from school
Under these shady branches
When mom could look at me with hope
that my life would turn out far better than hers

I want it all back, thats all I want
One day at a time!

=================================================================
[Err, thanks to the chiclet for pointing out the error, the earlier picture has been removed(the owner definitely agrees that it was a very good one) and replaced with a pic, kindly lent by Chiclet herself of the same gulmohar trees referred to in the poem . Sigh! What would one do without such kindred souls as Chiclet!]

Uno

I honestly believe photography is as much art as watercolor or oil. Any medium that is used to depict beauty in everyday life is just as artful than any.

And so, just as silently as it came into existence-with no birth announcement or fanfare, sneaking in surreptitiously "it" has turned one. I mean my blog and I also find this to be my 100th post as I make this whimper of an announcement.

When "it" started there was no category to file it into, the owner had stumbled upon this world quite by accident and quite late in the game. Like Alice in wonderland, herein was a world with blogs in every category, rewards for the best in each one, friendships and communities being made, a new social networking that had risen and all so suddenly and rapidly that the owner felt quite archaic to be finding it this late in the technological calendar.

Be that as it may, this space is largely unpublicized, and was started as a medium to talk about some of the owner's interests such as movies, books, music , photography and surprisingly travel(objection sustained, there hasn't been much action in that front) and all and sundry in between. Unlike other blog(ger)s the owner is unaware of the likes or dislikes of the target audience that reads this blog. But blog hopping has led the owner to a wide variety of blogs-literary, humorous, mommy land, baby land and so on and so forth and has definitely been an interesting adventure.
Except for a handful of them, there might not even be too many visitors. The owner doesn't believe in showcasing personal trials and triumphs and/or debating on controversial topics, to that extent this could be a private journal. It could also serve as a calendar of sorts.
For most part, visitors that stray here might find it to be quite a "normal" and mundane blog(ho hum perhaps!). But for the ones that do emerge to leave comments as well as for the lurkers that silently endorse this space, this post is a small and humble token of appreciation . For those anonymous'ers that have left comments commending the good work and requesting that the owner continue to do the same going forward, thank you and welcome.

On that note, all ye come, grab a berry, pour yourself some bubbly, unwind and lets clink glasses- if not anything else spring is just around the corner, those skirt lengths will soon shrink, smelly socks and heavy boots will vanish.

Its a tiny landmark but nonetheless lets toast for many more of these small, simple and cozy pleasures.

Bits, bytes and beyond

The irony is that, growing up, I never imagined that life in my time would be so totally different from my parents. I am sure they never imagined mine to be so diverse from what they'd known and believed. I am referring to this extreme proliferation of technology and computers in our daily life. When I went to school and even during my years of undergrad, I never guessed that I would belong to a generation that would use, exploit and abuse bits and bytes to the extent I know I do now.

All around me, be it the PDA, the ipod, the GPS, the laptop, the desktop, the digital camera, the multitude of flash cards, portable USB drives- you name it and one begins to use and adopt these gadgets into one's daily life like fish taking to water. I amaze myself some times at the ease with which I master the use of these. What is it that makes one bristle with excitement at the newest toy thats been announced? It always takes me a while to train my parents to use simple gadgets. It isnt even that I am a computer whiz, I know and understand the basic components, hardware and function- but for most part what I know and how I use is very intuitive. The only good thing(and this can be attributed, to a large extent, to my short attention span) the first thing I do when I get a new gadget is to read the manual end to end :).

I have a stash of Palm pilots, chargers, old cell phones that weigh a tonne, car charges and the like which I am just unable to sell- be it at eBay, Craigslist or the lamest yard sales. I guess the shelf life of gadgets is shrinking by the month(as opposed to years, only a short while ago). I cannot imagine a world without DSL(dial up sounds so archaic already!), laptop, cell phone, ipod and so on and so forth. Are we just living the cutting edge 21st century new age?

Hail Bits?

Calvin and Hobbes

So the third and last favorite in the trilogy after this and this is












I have been a huge fan of Calvin and his pet tiger Hobbes. This is the first full collection I have of my favorite cartoon. I also love painting this pair and enjoy bringing out the various expressions that come oh so naturally on Calvin's face. As usual wiki says it all.

Genetically decoded

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Picture a poem

Bridge Over Troubled Water
P. Simon, 1969
(From the album of the same name by Simon and Garfunkel)

When you're weary, feeling small
When tears are in your eyes,
I will dry them all
I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found

Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

When you're down and out
When you're on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you
I'll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around

Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Sail on silver girl
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
When you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind

Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind

Sabbath

As you lie down on Saturday night and set your alarm because you find out you have a busy day and an early morning for a Sunday, the thought of not getting to snuggle in bed is disappointing. So when the alarm goes off at 7 am on a Sunday, you amble out of bed to turn on the coffee pot, you open the blinds lazily and you realize - Nature has made a decision for you. She has decided that one neednt be this busy on a Sabbath- the day God decided that men rest from all labors. She has taken it upon herself to make sure you laze, veg, unwind guilt-free. She has decided to cover the ground in a wintry mix-there's snow, there's ice, there's a wintry mix. You trek back to bed and smile as your slowly sink into a deep sleep!

Doesnt pass for time pass

For all the hype and hoopla this was a typcial case of "much ado about nothing". The interviews and the music seemed promising. Reema Kagti's directorial debut, Farhaan/Zoya's promising venture- all this sure cooked up a khichdi which turned out bland and tasteless.

A disappointing investment of time, money and energy for a Friday dinner and a movie!

Totally agree with this review.

Rating : 2.5/5

Blue's blues

Once upon a time, when I was a frequent flyer(both for business and for pleasure), like any common (wo)man, I have had my fair share of flight related woes. Right from being stranded in transit at O'Hare due to weather to sitting on the runway for 5 hours at Newark due to mechanical problems. One learns over time to demand for hotel vouchers at the right time, to never stand in the line AT THE AIRPORT for rescheduling the ticket(you call or go online, silly!) and equipping oneself with ipods, laptops, cell phone chargers and many more gadgets to while away one's time. One also learns tricks to check in standby, to carry the minimum makeup items to not have to checkin baggage and so on and so forth.

For about 4 months during this "frequent flying" period I was supposed to fly from DC to Boston regularly, every week Mon-Thu. I had perfected the routine of leaving early on Monday mornings, taking the first or second flight out, renting the car, driving the 40 mins to a Boston suburb etc etc that I could do all this and be able to THINK clearly of my day's workload. In these weeks, out of trial and error I had figured that there was nothing as punctual or smooth as Jetblue airways. Much like Jetblue, thy name is punctuality. If I had a flight at 7am, so long as I made myself available near the gates by 6:30am, A Jetblue flight would definitely take off and land at the designated time, without fuss.

And that, in today's state of domestic airlines is just a mammoth task, something no other airline(I have tried every one of them out there) has been able to accomplish. I used to read JetBlue's sky magazine and had long since fallen for its simplistic ideals and dedication. I was very impressed with the founder's story and the history behind the airline. I totally agree, for such regular travellers there's no other luxury required except that of travelling on time with no hiccups. Who needs business class and champagne during a hectic work schedule AND for a one hour 20 minute flight? I enjoyed the satellite TV that this airline offers and the "blue" chips so characteristic of this wonderful airline. Also many a time, I have walked out from another airline's ticket counter filled with disgust at their shoddy service and cancellations and delays and lo and behold! a helpful JetBlue rep would print out a new ticket for a flight that left in 30 mins and I'd be back home just as I wished! In all those times, I have saved a special prayer for JetBlue, long live the airline.

So recently when I read about the cancellations at Jetblue due to the storm that clouded the North-East coast during Valentine's day and the commotion it stirred, I was not surprised. All the other airlines were waiting for such an incident to happen to JetBlue so they could feel better about their miserable service. Another case of "how the mighty have fallen" in their eyes. They must have gotten tired of hearing customers rave about the Mighty Blue.

But I am sure none of JetBlue's loyal customers are going to change their minds, such an incident cannot and will not cause a stir. And the way JetBlue has apologized and is making amends, kudos! I was reminded to write this because I actually received an email from JetBlue apologozing for their disruptions. Their new customer Bill of Rights makes one wish the other domestic airlines would be half as courteous as JetBlue is and has been. I mean, which airline takes the trouble to email every customer apologizing for its mistakes? In the first place a weather related incident is god send for these airlines to disrupt their flight schedules. I dont even believe JetBlue needs to be fully responsible for bad weather! Any other airline wouldnt even reschedule/refund or give hotel vouchers conveniently blaming the weather and washing their hands off all and any kind of blame or responsibility.

And I cant believe all the other slimy creepy airlines are trying to maximize on JetBlue's forthrightness! Pathetic!

JetBlue rules and soars!


--a staunch Blue fan

"suji wa dokushin ni kagiru"

Greek? Latin? Neither- its Japanese meaning "the digits must occur only once" and SuDoKu is its acronym. And now I have the latest....

It started with an innocent looking 10 page booklet that I grabbed at a Borders in San Jose airport some 2 yrs ago. Then the collection grew to Sudoku books ranging from beginner's, easy, medium and tough.
and daily Newspaper puzzles
and then Web Sudoku
and then Jigsawdoku
and then yahoo groups Sudoku
and then iGadget Sudoku
Now Sudoku cube.

Its Shifoku(go figure this one :p)!

Curiously strange encounter

7:45am on a weekday

Lunchbox, gym bag, laptop, cell phone-check, check, check and check. Ready, set go. And the calendar alarms pops :"Meet Debbie at 11am".

NPR news drones about the latest bomb attacks in Iraq.

8am same weekday @gas station

Swipe credit card, set grade to 93, remove nozzle and set to fill.
Favorite pastime : People watching.

At the pump next-door, is seen a youngish woman/girl most likely in her mid-twenties, with highlights, a red pant-suit with a brown trim, brown boots, long and flowing black coat, gloves, shades. She repeats the steps as outlined above and returns to the car to continue with the rest of the unfinished makeup routine.

While she can be seen dabbing her makeup, "What could she be thinking right now?" is the muse. I warrant a guess after making a mental note of the absence of any rings on her fingers. "Hm, maybe I could do Chipotle for lunch today. Need to call XYZ before 9. And I have client meetings at 10 and 11 and some more at 2 and 3. Need to email Mom and send her pics from this weekend's ski trip. ..........."

"Beep, beep" chimes the pump and says thats its done filling the beamer up. "Printing receipt" and it spits out a flimsy piece of paper out telling me just how much one spent early in the am on "gas"- the most controversial and in demand commodity of modern times". Gas tank gets closed, and with a casual pat, I get in and drive away to begin yet another busy day at work.

11am same day at an office :

"Ma'am, I am here to meet with Debbie. I have an appointment with her for 11." I say.

"If you'll have a seat, she'll meet with you in a minute" says the receptionist as she dials Debbie and lets her now that her client was here.

Out of the narrow corriders of the offices walks a girl in a red pant suit. My senses realize within minutes it is the girl from the gas station. "Hello " she says, while extending her hand, "I am Debbie, nice to meet you. Lets sit in my office and discuss your case- you said you got a speeding ticket?"

The voice of reason has spoken...........

You Should Be a Painter

You have the vision, patience, and skill to bring your unique visions to canvas. And you're even tempered enough not to cut your ear off in the process!

What Sort of Artist Should You Be?

Yup, I totally agree. My childhood dream profession was to be an artist. Hence Paris held a special charm(akin to Alice in Wonderland). I would read many novels that talked about the amateur artists that moved to Paris to make it big, and the Renaissance movement. I could almost see with my minds eyes, artists flocking to major European cities, learning new and improved techniques, collaborating with the best and brilliant. What a time, what an age, what an era!

And wonder of wonders another voice of reason says.........

You Belong in Paris

You enjoy all that life has to offer, and you can appreciate the fine tastes and sites of Paris. You're the perfect person to wander the streets of Paris aimlessly, enjoying architecture and a crepe.

What European City Do You Belong In?

The asterix affection

Alright, time for another trip back in time!
I first got introduced to Asterix comics when my uncle(mother's bro) bought two brand spanking new copies (I believe it was Asterix and the Big Fight and Asterix and the Soothsayer) from Gangarams on his annual visit.

Having been spoilt by Tintin I was reluctant to give these a try. The trick with trying new comics is the initiation process of learning about the characters, the history and background. Sometimes one prefers to laze comfortably in the known world of Five Findouters or Famous Five or some such. When I'd run out of other options, try I did.

I instantly fell in love with the characters, the setting, the history-I fell for this series lock, stock and barrel. I borrowed every book in the series once and many times over such that now I know every story and have memorized most of the lines. But I can always go back any time, any day and re-read another one of this wonderful series. What always amazes me is the ingenuity and creativity of these authors to have produced such a great setting, the stupendous characterization, the humor and the jest. And last but not the least, sheer appreciation for the names used(this is by far the biggest highlight). Credit must also be given for the translation, which has maintained the essence and impact of the stories without taking away the nuances of the vernacular.

Feature or bug?

- "Hey" pops a window from one of the many messenger sessions.
- "You've got mail" says the voice from the laptop.
- "Ringgggg...." goes the cell phone.
- The never-ending drone of the TV is heard in the background.
- Half of glass of coke and a plate of cookies can be seen somewhere in the vicinity.
- The dish washer is heard cranking away to glory.
- The steady churning of the washing machine adds a rhythmic beat to the noises around.
- The slow cooker is "slowly" cooking a delectable meal for the evening.
- And with all this half a shirt is left un-ironed(the auto-off feature on these modern-day irons is SUCH a help!)

Has multitasking become a modern day luxury or a manic menace?

Footnote : Movie of the week(end) was Eklavya. Very passable fare, thank god it was a short one. Some brilliant photography and set design. Despite the strong cast, the weak storyline kept this kite from flying too high.

A rose by another name....

....would be V-day!

Soup-er Zen

Live to earn or earn to live
Give and take or take and give
Either way you see the rules of life
In glory or in strife
All that glitters sure is not gold
There's no comfort in drinking soup turned cold.

Happiness is...........

........eating chocolate cake together!

Reviews and rehashes

"The Spanish Gardener" by AJ Cronin

- I am surprised the wiki has nothing to say about this masterpiece by AJC. I happened to buy this as a used book recently for a re-read.

I still remember being 15 and crying buckets of tears over this book. The narrative is excellent and crisp, the emotions are wonderfully conveyed and the setting is simple and realistic. I cant say more except that reading the book is such a fantasy ride akin to those roller-coasters in a theme park. With good writing, the scenes and characters come to life in a bygone era and with varied emotions and psyches.

One of my projects is to try to re-create the "Two sister, on a terrace" oil painting by Renoir in watercolor. Its my sister's favorite paintings and I have a soft corner for it myself. No, we(sisters) are not even this close to being as pretty as those two girls in the painting, but the minute we sighted this painting, we instantly related it to us. That was my highlight of visiting the Art museum at Chicago.

-The End

Irony!

You Should Travel to India

You're a passionate, gusty traveler - and India's gritty urban centers won't scare you away. Maybe you'll take in the Taj Mahal, eat the best curry of your life, or attend a huge street festival.

What Asian Country Should You Visit?

Comfort in crossed legs

Blame it on my short stature or small build, I enjoy sitting in a cross-legged position. For many years, ,meals in my grandparents' house was always on the floor, sitting cross-legged on cane mats and eating messy but superbly tasteful south indian fare.

Till we could afford dining tables. Then most of my homework was done sitting cross-legged next to an open french window, with brief pauses either to smell the roses or gasp for a breath of fresh air. I believe my best intellectual moments have been whilst I have been seated thus.

When I started working, there-in I began to run into this problem of never finding an opportunity to sit comfortably(as in cross-legged) and work. My inital years as intern and a "beginner" in the office had me literally on my toes and I'd willingly give up my first born in turn for some time to put my feet up and sit. But my kind boss would give me a few brief minutes in a day to indulge in my love for sitting cross-legged. While working late in the evening, he'd look up from his desk to catch me sitting cosily in the old rickety chair , toiling away to glory. "You really should head home now" he'd say quite unconvinced, after this sight. Sure one wouldnt feel like going home, if one already FELT at home in this position.

And then when I came to the US, I sure was in deep trouble, to say the least. For the first couple of years, I made desperate attempts to never give in to my evil thoughts on sneaking this posture in. I was afraid that I'd get fired(yes, believe it or not, call me timid!). After a couple of years, and I had settled into a comfortable rapport with my colleagues and cohorts, one lazy afternoon- I did it! I slipped my open toed sandals out(it was summer then) and sank into the swivel chair in my oh-so-comfortable posture. Man it felt heaven! The next 2 hrs flew by while I effortlessly worked with my headphones on. I am sure there were quite a few coworkers that passed by with a second glance. I even heard some taunting over the cube walls.......but I trudged along. I even had a couple of others indulge in this pleasure when they had mounds of work piled up that needed them to stay put at their desks. Since then on it was a regular sight to see minnie-mouse(which was a nick for me) bundled up in her seat and typing away to glory. No one complained to HR and I believed I had won a small and non-existent battle right then.

Since then, everywhere I go, I normally resort to my "patented" position when I have loads of work to do and a lot of people stop by to marvel at how I could curl myself into this challenging position and not feel cramped! Thats when I feel like saying "I come from the land of yoga, its in my blood!" :)

I am in this heaven right now as I chug along yet another work day- hey I figure if work is inevitable, why not make it enjoyable?

Candle light

 

Story of the Iwo Jima

Sometimes it takes a movie or a book to understand the significance and daunting history behind any memorial, artifact or relic from the past.

I have been to this memorial many times with visitors and as a visitor myself, passed by many times, but never really understood the poignant tale behind till I watched "Letters from Iwo Jima".

Brilliantly crafted piece by Clint Eastwood, moving, somewhat lengthy- but definitely warrants all the Oscar nominations.

We get to watch Ken Watanabe(of the Memoirs of a Geisha, The last Samurai and Batman fame) and the movie has a wonderful message-that of the massive price paid in wars of the many lives of normal people who take up the onus of serving their country. The Iwo Jima invasion was a landmark in Japanese soil, a perfect example of "do or die" orders from the Imperial Govt.

The wiki and imdb say it better, as always.

Splash of color

“A single rose can be my garden...a single friend, my world.”
Leo F. Buscaglia

Freedom at midnight- a recycled review

Still moving some posts from Sulekha, a recycled, renewed review repost in lieu of Gantrantra Divas(Republic Day):

Freedom at Midnight by Dominique LaPierre
(Also the author of City of Joy, Is Paris burning and O'Jerusalem)

I read this book some years ago, and was absolutely impressed. I bought a copy for myself this time I went to India and of course, that warranted a second read. I was never a history buff and the stuffy school textbooks really didnt aid the learning process a whole lot. While I ramble on admiring author's superior style of writing and the darts of humor and wit that dot the landscape of the narration, I will also be inserting some memorable lines and dialogues from the book, that are totally noteworthy. If you havent learnt much about India's struggle for freedom and all that remains in your memory are the ashes of a multitude of dates that your history teacher committed into it, this sure is a refreshing read.
The book starts off with Lord Mountbatten being chosen by Britain to be sent as the last Viceroy of India and the mission bequethed to him was to ensure a speedy settlement for handing over India and if possible, a partitioning of the land to avoid conflict. Once Mountbatten arrives in India, the book then goes on to explore the lives on Gandhi, Nehru, Jinnah and Patel, before plunging into the political events that led to the moment when Mountbatten decided that August 14th was the day India would attain freedom. Convincing Gandhi that partition was inevitable has been beautifully narrated. There is a chapter on how the princely states were coerced into merging with the union. The princes and their eccentric lifestyles can have one in splits. The process of how India and Pakistan's demarcation boundaries were drawn and the events that led to the day of reckoning is but a poignant essay and a great tribute to the people involved. The following chapters have been dedicated to depict the riots that wreaked havoc in Northern India due to partition and the refugees that swamped both nations. The final few chapters concentrate solely on the events that lead to Gandhi's assassination and how the nascent nation called India survived and strove to rebuild a strong and progressive country.

All in all, this book is as comprehensive a history book could get, without the trappings of a school textbook. The lines that I promised are as below :


"Jinnah's meeting with the Viceroy and his wife had begun with an unhappy gaffe, a gaffe poignantly revealing of the meticulous, calculating Jinnah to whom no gesture could be spontaneous. Realizing he would be photographed with the Mountbattens, Jinnah had carefully memorized a pleasant little line to flatter Edwina Mountbatten, who he was sure would be posed between the Viceroy and himself, Alas, poor Jinnah!! It was he and not Edwina who wound up in the middle. But he couldnt help himself. He was programmed like a computer and his carefully rehearsed line just had to come out. 'Ah' he beamed, 'a rose between two thorns'. "

"Mahatma Gandhi walked into Buckingham Palace to take tea with the King Emperor dressed in a loincloth and sandals, a living portrayal of Kipling's Ganga Din with 'nothing much before and rather less than 'arf o' that behind'. Later, when questioned on the appropriateness of his apparel, Gandhi replied with a smile 'the king was wearing enough for both of us'."

"Time often hung heavy on the hands of the indolent gentlemen who inhabited the palaces. While the pastimes of some were grandiose, there were others less flamboyant, albeit pious. The ruler of Benares , by tradition, required that he open his eyes each day on a sole and unique vision, a Sacred Cow. Each dawn a cow was led to the window of the princely bedchamber and jabbed in the ribs so that her mooing would stir the princely Maharaja from his slumber.Once, during a visit to his colleague, the Nawab of Rampur, fulfilling the tradition posed a grave problem because the Maharaja's quarters were located on the second floor. The Nawab finally resorted to an ingenious tactic . He brought a crane and hosted the cow in a sling up to the Maharaja's bedroom window. Terrified by her unnatural voyage, the poor animal emitted a series of moos so piercing that they not only woke up the pious Maharaja but most of the rest of the palace as well"


There are more such passages, some humorous, some touching, some just historically noteworthy. The author sure has a strong sense of style and fluidity in writing. Enjoyable!!!

"For years to come, the one great memory left by 15th August 1947 in India would be the crowds, the multitudinous hordes inundating in a human sea the event that had been designed as the high point of the new nation's independence celebrations"

Duel for the dual sided

"Clunk, Rrrrrrrr, clank clank, " and many such groans later "Please check the right, left and middle doors for paper jam" spat the photocopier.

Its the 26th of January 2007, we are well into our 21st century but photocopiers still choke when you try to make "1-2 sided" copies of a 12 page manuscript.

Objective : Turn 12 pages of a document into 6 pages(flip like a book, NOT a calendar) and I dont ask for much, just one frikking copy!

Thank you.

You feed the sheets "facing up" as it politely asks you to, set the "1->2sided" and press "start". And then most photocopiers miss this one vital step that should be taped into all of them that warns-"this is when you cross your fingers and start praying".

It tells you very methodically to have saved each sheet into memory. But its at the spitting out of memory into actually production of turning 1 sided sheets into 2 sided is when something goes haywire! I didnt program it, all photocopiers HAVE this built in. I dont know if these things are QC'ed but I am yet to run into ONE photocopier that has mastered this function like a well oiled machine.

And God save you if you asked it to make 10 copies of this "1->2sided" program. Somewhere amongst assembly language code, this behemoth goes into dysfunctional space. The choking and spluttering you hear in that process really makes you wonder if these machines were developed in caveman times.

And then it sweetly says "Check the right door first", you pull out the right door to find 2 sheets stuck out there"

Next "Close the right door and open the middle door now and pull out tray 2"- You obey the machine and find 2 more sheets stuck there.

Next " Close the middle door and open the left door"- Yes sirree, to find two more sheets out there.

So you've got your 6 sheets with half the content. It warms up for 5 mins after that and settles into a satisfied silence akin to achieving nirvana after a job well done.

One's left to one's discretion of whether to try this all over again OR maybe the printer would behave better(eureka! goes the bulb in your head).

So printing preferences are set to print on both sides(again, like a book and NOT a calendar).

Rush to printer and lo and behold! "Check right door for paper jam."..........

The long, lean,skinny and curvy of the jeans

Many moons ago when Maggi mused on a similar topic, I shared the pain and exacerbation that she poignantly describes. For a long time, I've disliked jeans mainly because for those vertically challenged, it really becomes a challenge to find a size and fit that is the right height. In India, in those days(I mean before this mass globalization and springing of Gap and Banana Republic in major towns and cities), my only option was to buy a random pair of jeans and sit with my tailor for the next two days to make sure he right-fitted them. Since then, I'd never schedule for a shopping trip just to buy jeans, because it never happened that I got jeans when I was looking for them.

Most times, I've managed to stretch(no pun intended) one or two pairs for years just due to the frustration in finding the right fit.

Recently, I mean about 5 years ago, during my customary stroll into a Gap store(primarily for window shopping, I was still experiencing sticker shock at that time) my eyes espied a wonderful array of jeans in different shades of blue neatly stacked. Someone had pulled out a random pair, I grabbed at it and measured it against my short leg. Whoa! The length was just right. I looked at the size and grabbed a few pairs of that size in various cuts and colors. That day I bought myself 3 pairs of jeans(my first in my entire lifetime).

Granted they were expensive, but finding not one, not two but three pairs of jeans that fit so wonderfully. Now that is a God send, at least to my kind of vertically challenged souls.

Since then, I love jeans, I love the fit, I love their new styles and yes, I am a Gap maniac.

Serenity with snow

And now its winter!! Really!

Wah Guru Wah!

In this wonderful interview Mani Ratnam says "The biggest advantage of making films is you get into somebody's character. You have an opportunity to be somebody else, other than your rational self. You can be someone totally opposite to what you are and lead his life. You then exist, think like, write like that person and understand what and who he is."

So I will take a stand. I have watched the movie and hopefully have taken back a message. And that is, yes Gandhism is a time-tested philosophy. But we are in the 21st century now and its evident that India is turning more capitalistic than it probably desired for back in the nascent stages of independence. Sure, we can question the means to an end, but in the end, what shows is that to make that quantum leap from mediocre to exceptional, risk is a vital bridge.

One can stay conventional and wary, tread in the path of righteousness, but in this competitive world, what makes people to take notice is when you display that killer instinct, that one vital step that places you ahead of the herd.

So do you blame other's aggressiveness and ambition for your not being there? Or do you, maybe set aside/tweak your principles to give a tough fight and race to finish?

Interesting storyline, interesting perspective, definitely a worth watch.

Some footnotes :

- Aish should stay out of dance numbers, her fakeness is just too transparent

- Another movie where she has played a role to some decent, creditable appreciation. The other would be Raincoat. Gosh, what it takes to get her to just emote!

- Abhishek is brilliant and supremely convincing as Guru.

- Madhavan(omg!!!) looks adorable and as always plays his part wonderfully well.

- Vidya Balan's short but sweet role- definitely worth a mention.

- Brilliant screen presence from Mithun.

- Wonderful, superb, stupendous photogrophy by Rajiv Menon.

- Gulzar's lyrics with ARR's music strikes a great chord again! Encore!

A piece of the poet's mind

phoolon ki tarah lab khol kabhi
khushboo ki zabaan mein bol kabhi

alfaaz parakhta rehta hai
aawaaz hamaari thol kabhi

anmol nahi lekin fir bhi
pooccho toh muft ka mol kabhi

khidki mein kati hai sab raatein
kuch chauras thi, kuch gol kabhi

yeh dil bhi dost zameen ki tarah
ho jaata hai daava(or daama?) dol kabhi

Written by : Gulzar
Singer : Jagjit Singh
Album : Koi baat chale
========================================

And a poor attempt to translate :

Open your mouth like a flower sometime
Talk in the language of scent sometime

One keeps analysing words
Try to analyse my voice sometime

Its definitely not precious
but try asking the price of the free sometime

All nights have been spent near the window
Sometime square, sometime round

This heart is also a friend much like the earth
Tremors are likely to occur sometime



And this should really be here

Brush and water unleashed

brush+color+hand=art!

"Use the aqua and the burnt sienna and unleash your brush to your will." said the instructor and that was all the nudge I needed to let my mind loose. The coarse paper was just the right texture for water color. No great masterpieces being created, just a brush, two colors and a hand.

I had no recollection of how the two hours creeped by, and all I had to show was 8 pages of squiggly art much like a toddler's finger paint work. But no, this was a class of adults, for adults, by adults trying master water color painting.

Yes, I have finally reconnected with my inner, inert passion for the paints and...

brush+color+hand=art!

The Innocent Man- John Grisham

- Only achievement to account for this long weekend.

- John Grisham was the perfect author to cover this true life incident. His maiden venture into the land of non-fiction and investigative journalism. Covers in detail the (mis)trial of two jail inmates who came very close to the lethal injection, being wrongfully accused for murder.

- The book did drag in places and some of the accounts were too detailed and delved too deep into facts and criminal investigation.

- Appalling the way forensic pathology worked until 10 years ago. Pretty sure there were a lot more of such wrongdoings.

- Some detailed reports on prisons cells, death sentences and bad forensic evaluation and criminal interrogations.

- All in all, its Grisham, its got to be worth a read!

- Now, on to the next.....

The Bard at the Capital- Part 1

Last night, I got to watch "Othello" in a ballet version as part of the Shakespeare in DC festival that is in town for the next 6 months. Having watched Omkara this year, watching a ballet version of Othello was definitely a different experience, this being my first attempt at ballet.

Let me start off by saying the Kennedy Center offers a fantastic setting for such theatrical productions. There is a old world feel to the building with its red carpets and the theater sets of the 18th century. I was glad to have reached quite early to explore the building. I literally felt that I had been transported to another world, another time and space. I kicked myself for not having visited the place earlier, having been in this area for 4 years now. Its been added to my list of regular places- here's to more shows!

About the ballet itself, I was glad that I knew the story quite well enough to follow it in the ballet version and was in synch. It would have been hard otherwise. I have renewed respect for the ballet dancers now that I've watched in real-time.

Photography was not allowed during the show so all I managed to take were a couple of photos of the opera house itself. The rest of the visual treat is tucked safely in my memories to be stored permanently in the life-sized vault!

Lunchboxes-all in the family

In all my growing years, my appetite or lack thereof has always been a major topic for discussion, amusement and dissection, not necessarily in that order. I am not sure how it happened, but I was a poor eater. I dont know if it reflects on poor cooking at home, my taste buds not developing fully or my own stunted growth or it could even be a combination of all this and more. But the fact was it was a feat to feed me. And what didnt help in this venture was I hated rice. I'd prefer to eat fancy food like samosas and kachoris, chaat and chips, icecream and so on and so forth, you get the drift!

One of my grandmother's favorite line would go "You'll never grow if you dont eat rice.". And sure enough, my height just didnt measure up and I guess it was a sore point of discussion for my mom with her own. "Why dont you do something?" would be Ajji's constant whine looking at Amma accusingly, like she had me bound in wraps so I didnt grow. My grandmother also conveniently forgot that she and my grandfather barely making the 5 foot mark wouldnt exactly produce astonishingly tall grandchildren. Be that as it may, Amma launched the "make altoid grow asap" campaign. There'd be this o-t-c concoction called Incremin(ugh!) and ferrous potent potion called Sharkoferral to make up for the iron deficiency. Doctors and quacks would be consulted for all possible solutions on this earth for this major catastrophe. This went for quite a few years until my mid-teens when my mother found other more pressing catastrophe's (like my sister missing the cleanliness gene in the dna build) to deal with. Sometimes I wonder if I hadnt gone through the campaign, if I would have turned out more vertically challenged than I already am. Hm, a real puzzler that!

But I digress, this post was intended to discuss my poor eating habits. A lot of people, family and friends included, would be appalled at the sight of ONE dosa or TWO idlis in my lunchbox at school which I'd laboriously toil to finish during the entire lunch break. I'd have to be enticed with Bisibelebath or puri/chole for dinner. And to add to the misery, my dad believed in feeding children only with idli at restaurants. That was a turn off in itself.

While in college, our not-own SLV cafeteria was my food haven. My mother would always wonder at how I'd prefer to demolish the idli swimming in chutney there and then come home and pout at the idlis she had made. Though my appetite improved considerably, it definitely wasnt anything to write home about. It appeared that I was eating, and quite regularly. And so my mother left it at that.

Now my sister, aah that is an entire story in itself. Her lunch boxes right from 1st grade would be one of those stainless steel stacked box containers. My mother would lovingly pack rotis with diverse sabjis, curd rice, pickle, a fruit, a snack and half the monthly groceries. She'd still come home famished and ready to eat us come 5pm. That gave my mother immense satisfaction, it was apparent people who cook like to be appreciated and nothing like empty stainless steel containers to vouch for the quality. My mother came close to signing up for cooking classes to hone her skills just to impress Miss. Lunch box. Fancier and fancier dishes would appear automagically and at 7am, right out of bed, my sister would be ready(with unbrushed teeth, nonetheless) to sample the wares. Instant gratification, was what it was. My mother would float back into the kitchen(with a self promoted halo) to finish up her other mundane chores(which included packing MY lunch box that could as well have been a ziploc bag.)

Since I started working, in India as well as here in the US, I have either had a cafeteria at work, or have come home for lunch. Though, mind you, being on your own, the fancy of going home for lunch soon wanes at the thought of having to heat up your own leftovers. However, and now we get to the interesting bit, since being on my own and being forced to enter the kitchen to feed the stomach, I have developed a pretty strong cooking skill that has helped improve my appetite immensely. It could as well be that since I am the ultimate victim of my own cooking experiments, I'm encouraged to cook better. Vicious circle, that! I do try to cook healthy- avoid fried foods and have never tried to enter the realm of making sweets at home. I try new recipes, new cooking methods and can safely say that I am a decent cook, all said and done.

So how is my appetite now?, you ask? In this newest job of mine, the work location is not close enough to go home for lunch. It does have a cafeteria. But guess what? I am extremely thrifty now and hence.................I get my own lunch :)

Just last month, I picked up this giant sized lunch bag. There are myriad boxes packed in them(unfortunately I cant find the stacked container lunch box from those good ol' times). Guess what it contains?

- 3 whole wheat rotis
- One sabji
- One raitha or cucumber salad
- Curd rice
- An assortment of cookies, cakes, snacks(ahem, all home made) that serve for breakfast and snack time.

I'm Miss Lunch Box resurrected!

And hence I come full circle! Have you heard that twins are bound together by this invisible bond by which when one hurts, the other senses it immediately? Or if one feels joy, the other feels it too even if they are miles apart? I think with sisters, each one grows into the traits of the other. For most part, we share the same voice. Many people have confused our voices over the phone. Maybe we will soon be exchanging other traits. For now, I cant imagine eating fried food first thing in the morning, in bed with unbrushed teeth!. Maybe that might just happen sooner, than later!

Disclaimer : Poor cooking at home wasnt the case, my mom is/was one of the best cooks ever!

Footnote : All said and done, sisters(no, I dont mean nuns!) rock! And sisters reading this post should realise its all in jest, all in the family ;)

To the letter

dear --

Its been many moons since we wrote to each other. I am sure a lot has changed for both of us, we have ourselves changed as well. Speaking for myself, I can say for sure that I have. A lot of inexplicable things that we used to wonder about, are clear to me. New ones have taken their place. SOme things dont bother me any more, other things that never mattered before are constantly on my mind. New fears have supplanted the old ones, new priorities have overgrown completely suppressing the older and lesser ones. I was never one to harp on "the good ol' times", I have always believed in the words of Billy Joel "The good old days weren't always good, and tomorrow's not as bad as it seems.". But I do surprise myself even now with my naivete and implicit faith that life will unfold itself and I just have to sit by the shore and wait. I still do it, though I have realised nothing happens when you are a bystander. Then one should not complain about the lack of excitement-right? or wrong? One of life's valuable lesson is that everything doesnt happen to one automagically, there's a lot of effort to be put in for it to appear so.

I actually have a ear for music now, I can never figure how that happened. I still read. Nope-no signs of my ol' painting skills. Maybe thats a dormant volcano that will erupt with a masterpiece many years from now. Or maybe that fire has forever been smothered. You might say I am still the loner that I used to be- I think I keep to myself-not because I am shy-but because I dont have much to say :).

I am curious as to what you'd say if you saw me now. What your overconfident, cocky take would be on how I've turned out. And thats right, my imagination never took off and I dont believe that kite will ever soar. I remain the eternal realist and bore myself with logic and practicality that the years have only made worse. I dont know what you'll think of my day job which I guess is also my profession. I feel old just using the words profession and career. But I guess thats what I have now. And when I am not at work, I try to have hobbies(remember how we'd talked a whole day about what qualified as hobbies?). All my music lessons went to naught- I cant sing to put a baby to sleep, for sure. I do love to travel, though I'd never make a lofty claim that I am well travelled. Again thats the "modest" me resurfacing time and again.

But as far as you're concerned, my best attempts at imagining only fail miserably. I see you just as I saw you many moons ago. Confident, cheeky and so full of yourself. Maybe life has smoothened your rough edges, maybe you are suave and polished but I cant imagine your motor-mouth to have slowed down in all these years. But life is so full of surprises, like Erma Bombeck says-"If life is a bowl of cherries, what am I doing in the pits?" :)

I am so eagerly waiting for your mail. Fill it with plenty of news about yourself and what you do and how you turned out. Remember how we'd exchange pages of our journals just so we knew what we were thinking!! I'd call that an invasion of privacy now :) but then all legalities aside, it was a good giggle time snug under the sheets with the torch light. Oh yes, my voice still squeaks like Minnie Mouse occassionaly. And when it does, it makes me take a short trip into memory wonderland.

regards
--

The day the moon stayed up late

Moon @ 10:30pm





















And you think thats the sun? Wrong! At 7:30am, the moon is still up!!!














Mr. Sun finally appears at 8am!!!!















And hence I was late for work. Because the Moon stayed up late.
I rest my case.

Blogthings galore-2007

You Are a Cupcake

Cute and fun, you never take life too seriously. People are constantly surprised by how delightful you are.

What Dessert Are You Most Like?

Your Ideal Hairstyle:

Layered Bob

What Hairstyle Is Right For You?

Your Element is Metal

Your power colors: white, gold, and silver Your energy: contracting Your season: fall You are persistent (and maybe even a little bit stubborn). If you see something you want, you go for it. You have a lot of strength, and it's difficult to get you down. Very logical, you tend to analyze everything going on in your life.

What Element Are You?

Your Fashion Style is Urban

You've got a style all your own... and it works Not too trendy, not too freaky - you've got streetwear down to a science You always look cute and put together, but keep it comfortable too You're the type of girl that creates trends and inspires others to be funky

What's Your Fashion Style?

Its a brand new dawn

As I age and thus ponder
Of a whole new year in the yonder
And of the 365 days packaged in a deal
Oh my, a day at a time sometimes is an ordeal!

Whenever I've wished upon a star
For setting a higher bar
I have soared in the skies and fallen with a thud
I now choose to pick myself up from the dust and mud.

I prefer to take it one day at time
And when my head touches the pillow as the bells chime
I ask for strength to journey to dusk from dawn
In peace and quiet much like a freshly mowed green lawn.

Every day is a miracle, I've learnt by rote
Let me be thankful for life's little footnote
That I find more often in many a shelf
Maybe I am rediscovering a new side of the self?

Frenchman's creek

It is here! I recently purchased a 1942 hard bound gold rimmed edition of my all-time favorite novel! Yes! Frenchman's creek by Daphne Du Maurier.

While Rebecca and Jamaica Inn are close contenders to the all-time favorite throne, Frenchman's Creek will always rule the roost, in my bookshelf, at least. As a young adult, this had always been my beloved novel to escape into the beautiful locales of Cornwall, to dream of the thrills and spills experienced by Dona St Columb with her characteristic chutzpah. Since then Cornwall and Wales have been topmost in my list of must-visit-places.

There is something in the way the author romanticizes the story that has me enthralled and being the unconventional that I've always been and wished to be, this book has been a great inspiration just going by the pure and spirited romance that the novel and the author have come to signify.

Herewith this book has been affectionately enthroned in my bookshelf with utter respect and admiration.





















~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Date with dusk