Hello 2010

And the New Year is here ...

Time to make new promises ,

Feel a surge of hope, Happiness and cheer

Time to connect with every one around...

and celebrate the dawn of a fresh year...

So here is wishing everyone a great year

Hope the new year brings fulfillment to all your desires...

and peace on earth..

Happy 2010!!!

Gud bye 2009

Looks like the heavens was giving a tearful send off to 2009 ...

and I was at home enjoying the rains today ...

So here is a pic of me frolicking in the rain.. and the lake in the back ground..

101 crushes of 2009

With everyone writing about their resolutions and non resolutions for 2010 ,I thought I would write about my 101 crushes of 2009.. Yeah ...101 .. what do I say I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve.. :)

Lets not get naughty ... all these crushes are not 'he's ...They are all 'its' and lets get realistic and narrow the number down to 10 ..and listed in no particular order...

1) Honda C-RV - Ruff n Tuff...Civic is just a pale memory now

2) HP Mini - Love at first sight!

3) Itouch ipod...Sigh..

4) Crosswords in MG ... After 6 yrs in Bangalore... Finally ...and well I have found my soul mate..

5) FabIndia.. you make me feel so special..

6) The Twilight series..yet to get over that one

7) Grameen .. Pixie...I owe you one ..

8) Big Boss ... yeah the second time in two posts.. I might be in love

9) Nokia N97 .. what do I say ..

10) And well the last one .. and perhaps the one I have been oogling

for the last couple of days ... ASUS wireless router...dont ask.. (if anyone is curious check it out - the model is wl 700ge)

and as crushes go, some or most of it is unrequited .. *wink* and now me going back to an unlisted love ... the other idiot box

Void in the Paradise

Inspite of the title , nothing earth shattering is happening in my paradise. (forget about my paradise , nothing seems to be happening in the 4 km radius around me.sigh!)

So back to the title and the reason for my whining, Bigg Boss has ended and i do not know what to do with my TV slot between 9 to 10. And a whack for anybody who even thinks of turning his / her nose up in the air at that sound of Bigg Boss.. :)

Oh those cat fights and ego trips and silly tasks... The best part was the horrid music that used to knock the contestants off their beds... I know I am being a sadist but there is something about watching people sulking at not getting 10 hrs of sleep .. :D

Anyways .. its all over and its left me flipping channels aimlessly..

Done with the best goals of 2009, Ranbir Kapoor Senior doing the lil dance to the tunes of Damini Damini oh meri Damini. Even watched an extra large guy cook something scary... and Schwarzenegger swatting a few 100 human beings... cricket hooligans in their full glory...

And then finally ... there is this lovely movie about two women fighing over a guy... Its silly fun... especially when one of them happens to be a ghost...(ugh! )

sigh... I miss Bigg boss...

Help me not...

It's been an interesting couple of weeks. A friend of mine, an acquaintance (Z), has been helping me out on something that has been giving me a lot of heartache for sometime now.

What is interesting is not that there was an extra large pit in my path but that , Z has been hand holding me out of it. The first time, I considered it to be fluke , the second time just that he is a nice human being, but the third time , I started questioning his sanity.Hmm its left me thinking , during the course of my adult life , have I become so jaded that I am unable to accept an act of humanity for what it is ?

Most of us have no such problem at 5 when the girl with pony tail who sits beside you offers to help you out with a complicated spelling or at 19 the guy in your class offers to ride with you the first day you take your scooter to college .

As part of earning the 'adult' tag, we learn to be less trusting, to watch out for the wolves and yes we do become quite adept at it. Most of us are good judges of character. I am not denying the necessity of being careful. All I am worried about is that in the process of being careful, we probably have stopped appreciating the essence of being human.. :)

Its' a dangerous thought, tomorrow when I see a flower in my garden , I would probably want to question the Creator's intentions .. :)

Wheee... It's a Kodak Moment!

A pic that I had taken some time ago at home ...Kerala... Hmm How I wish I had a tail...

And Merry Christmas... and wish you a nice long weekend :)

Creativity - Yet again!

Since I had wasted ink on ranting about lack of creativity .. or scope for it at work , putting up this one ( feeling of guilt is a great motivator!) as part 2. You would remember that I was going for a session on creativity today . And?

It was interesting. Lots of food for thought was passed around during the course of the day. Wouldn't run through the session here but just a couple of things, since I think it has had a deep impact on me . For example, generally when someone describes a problem, the first instinct is to come up with 'A' solution and then refine it , re refine it and finally present it .. Now one of the creativity tools discussed during the session talked about coming up with 100 solutions. Cant? Force yourself. What happens is , after say the 20h solution, we start tapping into those that have never been explored before. Its one of those small things that could make a lot of difference in the end.

Ok, another one, want to make the one I that have just described a little more interesting, pick one word from the dictionary. Say 'pig'. Now write as many attributes of the animal as you can ( smelly, cute, fat, cute tail,). Now try to tie the attribute to the solution of your problem. Sounds silly, I agree, but its actually a very interesting way of coming up problem busters. It may not be much of a solution producer in itself, just that it gets the creative juices flowing and its so much fun!

Hmm... Bless the place where I work... :)

P.S : Thats a Chrismasy me in my creative hat...thank you Google.

Christmas of '89

I like this time of the year - the holidays, the excitement of a new year and the whole place looks colourful , thanks to Christmas. I think the origin of the 'excitement' is from the good ol days of Doordarshan. Those were the days when the film stars used to descend on the Indian homes only on the night New years eve. Hmm.. those dances in glittery clothes and garish make up and the look of 'that 70s show'. Then there were the likes of Baba Sehgal, Alisha Chinai, Parvati Khan - the Indi popstars, no correction , I think there was one rapper, one pop girl and a couple of others who tried everything else.

Those were the days when you had the film stars and then there were the TV stars. Mix n match was a no no. Today of course you see the film stars more on TV than on the silver screen . They prefer doing their thing anywhere but on the big screen these days. Not too hard to understand too - it is hard to keep your nose out of the cricket field, the reality shows , the dance shows, the musical shows, the comedy shows, the spelling tests , the elocution contests, poster competitions- err I would stop. I think you would have got my point. Yeah, thank you, I did miss GK contests from the list but it is hard to find candidates of the same 'intellectual level as the 'stars' - It is not easy to find earthworms at this time of the year. Sigh!

If extra TV time was not enough, there was winter vacation, cakes, handmade cards with cheesy lines to bring lots of cheer.. Yet another Sigh!

Christmas this year is not going to be as exciting as the one in 89 but then there is still hope. Just saw the cakes on display in Nilgiris... :)

Mushy Musings...

Statutory warning - This is a very girly post . Reader discretion is advised!

My status on FB today reads : 'Setting myself up for a lovely afternoon... drawn curtains, Jayne Anne Krentz and a new play list.' Perfect day to laze around too. Its cold , no exams to write and nothing much that would need my immediate attention outside the four walls of my abode.

When I was going though a pseudo intellectual phase, I would shudder at thought of someone seeing me with a M n B or Sandra Brown.. Hell no, Ayn Rand and Naomi Wolfe is all I read. Small concessions would of course be made for Grisham, Cussler and the likes. Admitting to liking mush would be suicide on the social front. That was THEN!

But then I think its a heavily guarded open secret that most women like reading mush .. or at least the ones around me do and not one of these are the airy fairy type. They enjoy serious literature as much a good love story. So what makes today's woman read about one of them falling for a guy who is interested in her inheritance. Of course it helps that the guy is not a hideous brute but if a pretty face was the only reason, a good movie would do. But it is not the same. I would pick a book over everything else. But talking about why a book over a movie would form a different post altogether. Back to the subject on mush, its not thought provoking, its does not give me a high the way a Cussler novel does. I would also agree that most of it is even silly.

Its funny . At 18 I used to silently giggle while reading an M n B (well, a guy , a horse, sunset, and those things together were still within the realm of reality). Even now, when I no longer look at the world with rose tinted glasses, the reaction has not changed much and from the looks of it, I do not think it would change at all in future too. Some time back, I had struck up an unlikely friendship with Ms Laing who loves mush perhaps even more than I do and she is about 60. I do not think I have any hopes of being cured. But I agree with her when she says , when you are ill, physically (err.. or emotionally), 3 hours of mush works like magic.

Also, its an escape .. Successful romances, passion and ideal ends to love stories is like a vacation from real life.. :)

Now back to Jayne Ann. Phila and Nick are about to get into another squabble :D

Forty Winks

And its done. Finito! The thing that has kept me awake for a while is over. I sure had fun while at it but 40 winks was literally what I was getting at night. And the end result ? I see pillows floating around everywhere! So after eight hours of zzz time, I am chirpy as a well fed bird today(hmm.. well fed cat sounds better, but then they are lazy!). Simple pleasures in life - sleep and potato chips.. :)

Have I not read somewhere that the Nazi prince survived on 4 hours of sleep everyday ?Wonder how a heart attack never claimed him. The world would have been spared of a world war.

I am not big on losing sleep over anything - work, studies or good old stress, A cranky me is not in the best interests of mankind. Moreover, after one of my colleagues died , possibly due to insomnia and 'workaholism'', I am paranoid..and well I love my beauty sleep :D , lets not make any excuses :-)

While on that thought, if H had slept better his disposition would have been tolerable..Charming would be far fetched, maybe tolerable.... Just a thought!

Have been adding sentences to this post since morning and the mood has dipped from chirpy to weary..

Oh by the way , the guy up there does seem to be in a very benevolent mood . After that grump story about creativity, there was an announcement about a workshop on creativity ( at work) and well,yours truly , has promptly got herself nominated. Not sure, if its going to bring creativity any closer to work, but it would definitely keep work away from me for a day :-)
And while he is such a good mood, may be I should be asking for that holiday in the Venice that I dream about!

P.S : Trivia time - Hitler died the day after his wedding . Something in common with Romeo and Juliet ? :-)

Cant seem to stop today - A song from Sathiya is following me today. Just when I was done listening to it on my mobile, its being played on the radio.. :) 'Aye udi udi udi'

Creativity on Crutches

I cannot sing nor can I dance. I cannot draw a straight line even if my life is on the line. So any art performed on an easel, wood, glass, roads, clay , beach, (did I miss anything?) all of them goes right out of the the big fat window near me. So what do I do , I write about what I wish I could do. Yeah, I am leaning towards the grouch couch today :)

And before I get cozy there, my thoughts for the day. How many of us actually get the chance to be creative at work. I am not referring to the painters or musicians who had spare brownie points carried forward from ir previous lives. I am talking about the ones like me who stare at the the monitor the whole day and some more during the night. In theory, creativity can be deployed ( Java ?!!God I need sleep!!!) in practically everything we do .

Theoretically . Yes, the first time we try something , perhaps we think of new ways to do it, there is that positive energy that propels us towards something interesting. Perhaps even the second and third time, but after that what do I do with all my pent up creative urges ? Search for a new assignment, new things to learn , or a new job ? (By the way, that was sarcasm, my ego is still a midget..:)) . But on a serious note, I am thinking about what others do to chase the boredom away out of working life. Some people would say that , the day goes by too quickly

to think about creativity , some keep hunting for that elusive change, some of course do not

really worry about it as long as they get to see home as early as possible. I do envy the last kind.

Again, its just boredom, not really frustration... Any ideas , anyone?

And now back to my grouch couch .. :)

Poinsettia

I love poinsettia. It's made me rich. For the last couple of weeks I have also been sharing the spoils with all my dear friends and the best part - it takes just a day to bloom. My life has undergone a major makeover since the time I discovered the flower. I have managed to buy a new house - a cottage no less, a small pond right in the middle of the designer garden, a tractor and a seeder.

Yes , I do love poinsettia.

I can see a few smiles from fellow farmers.If you are wondering whether I am sleep blogging, then let me explain, I am talking about the game Farmville on Facebook. Where you earn points by sowing seeds that you buy from the market, sow , wait for a day or two and then harvest them. The time that you spend watching them grow is determined by the seed that you buy. There are ways to get bonus points - buy cattle , grow trees, get chicken, help other farmers, adding more neighbours so on and so forth. Just checked my friends list and found that about one third of my friends are addicted to the game, the age group being from 22 to 45. It has become such an integral part of our lives that the lunch table talk revolves around , date trees, black sheep, lost reindeer and carnival tents . ( I have never seen any of those for real!).

In fact its now getting into the land of crazy, last weekend a friend of a friend had to run back home after lunch and why ? Because it was time to harvest! . Another one had a sleepless night thanks to a faulty net connection . (Well, the crops wither if they are not harvested on time )

But no , as usual, there were some party poopers, walking around with their nose up in the air claiming to be above these childish activities. But the last time I checked, one of them was found begging for a 'white fence'!!!! (Wonder what happened to the anti Farmville groups they are members of . I am serious , there are such groups).

So any thoughts on why the game is so addictive ?

And by the way , has this managed to convert any of the innocents?

I do need more neighbours to buy a plantation ..:-)

Ghost Town

The other day in reply to a question on Bangalore,I had said that it lacks a soul. It was an instinctive reply.And this comment was made while comparing Bangalore to Chennai. Now, at that time, I had not really thought about why I had made that comment. Talking about 'soul' brought it back and I am left thinking as to what does Chennai have that Bangalore doesn't. Both are biggies. Bangalore is not a metro,but that does not take away anything from it . It shares the same IT frenzy, traffic troubles and unbelievable population figures as Chennai. In fact, Bangalore even boasts of a pleasant climate and taps guarantee water any time of the day , all through the year. So what is it that Bangalore lack.

I would say it lacks the warmth of Chennai. The rickshaw drivers for example. I know for a fact unless you are a veteran in Chennai, rest assured you would be taken for a grand ride. But, if like me you have the habit of getting lost whenever you are out on a two wheeler, the same rogues, turn angels. Some of them would even get out of the vehicles to have more space for the arm waving while giving directions and by the time it is over, I would be left staring at the halos floating over their heads.

Try that in Bangalore, and you would end up near the army barracks in Cantonment. I did!

Even otherwise, in the midst of the crowd in Chennai, there was a sense of safety, somehow, the crowd was like a warm blanket. Well, there is nothing really wrong with the crowds in Bangalore, its just that Bangalore has a large floating population and the chances are higher that the person next to you would be as ignorant as you about the city. The floating population also means that there no sense of belonging to the city, everyone is here for the ride, the youngsters to enjoy the first whiff of freedom, the others for the jobs that the city offers in abundance. Also, Chennai is or was more Old India, at least the last time I saw the city and I believe it still is . The neighbouring aunty would still you a cup of coffee if you happen to be on the terrace. She would also stare at you if your guy friend loiters around the street. Bangalore - well, I do not know whether its an aunty or an uncle who stays in the floor below mine.

After everything is said and done Bangalore is just not home although I still love the city for everything it has given me . Its like a rented DVD though, super fun as long as it lasts.

Oh before I forget , the other reason I have a soft corner for the auto guys in Chennai is , because one of them even took me to the hospital when I had dared to indulge in rash driving in the rains. Good Ol' Chennai.

P.S :

P -Take a deep breath before you comment :-)... Remember I am you friend!!!

Sting

Whenever scrapbooks made rounds around the classroom, one question that

inevitably came up after reading my entry under sun sign was 'Scorpio! ouch you sting?'

Well, people sting each other all the time, nothing new about it. Infact my Villy aunty would not even spare the unsuspecting strangers on the road.

A few decades ago, when my ancestral home was still standing, one of my aunts had a dog. With uncle away and the house being inhabited by 3 women and as many ghosts ,a dog was a sensible choice. Now, this one was a monster. I love dogs , loved this one too but it does not change anything. I repeat- this one was a monster. It snarls , growls and would bite everyone in sight. Tommy,just didn't keep the thieves at bay, even the village postman was petrified. The letters would arrive by airmail - stand 20 feet away from the gate and shoot. Well, Tommy did pay for his sins and met his end before he reached old age. Someone poisoned him. Now the reason I am talking about Tommy is, I have a feeling ,Villy aunty would meet a similar end if she doesn't put a lid on her sarcastic instincts..

I can see my father's disapproving stare at the last statement and my mother's smirk..:)

Like I said at the beginning, this post is about the sting and Villy Aunty stings the best.

Why? because as Edward Cullens would say, blood, any blood is like a drug to her. And how do people handle it ? Like the village postman, most people just look for the nearest exits when they see her.

My mother has perfected another technique over the last few decades. Catch hold of the nearest aunt and talk about abhishekhams , homams, deeparadhana, latest CDs of devotional songs, temples , practically anything about GOD. That is one topic that Aunt villy keeps out of. I have my suspicions that amma even says a little prayer when she sees Aunt V coming. The uninitiated are usually reduced to tears .. literally. Pa of course belongs to the land of the brave. I have seen a few war wounds but usually he emerges the victor .. As for yours truly, I have learnt that there is not better way to handle bullies than to ignore them.

And in case anyone wants to know if I sting , well I am an aberration in the Scorpio land - a harmless pup.. :) ET of course is another story..:-)

Not Lonely!!!

A dear friend of mine mentioned about not being lonely in a long long time and that has got me thinking . For me, lonely means being alone and being miffed over it . A lot of people associate lonely with being alone physically - bereft of a near and dear ones. I for one have felt lonely in a room full of relatives with Villy Aunty spouting venom over her latest victim and the room echoing with the sound of chairs scraping the floor - the rest of my clan was trying to get closer to the drama.

Watching Goliath maul the weakling usually can get me going and amma's firm grip on my arm meant I am not supposed to interfere. I did think, am I the freak here or is everyone
really enjoying this ??

Perhaps I use the wrong example , but the point here is it is possible to feel lonely bang in the middle of a crowd - that too a known one !

Infact , I would say I have been more lonely when I am with people than when I am with myself.

There is a theory that are 2 kind of people - A - one who derive energy by being with people and B - the others who derive it from inside themselves. Which basically means feeling lonely is very very easy - man being a social animal, type B gets their chance to be lonely almost daily where
as for type A - it is difficult to be in the middle of a crowd all the time. so loneliness is bound to sneak in once in a while

So in a world where feeling lonely is a norm, my dear friend is one lucky girl! :-)

50th Post!!! .. yayyy!!!!

The destination of a nomadic existence
Filled with serene warmth and unintrusive love...
spontaneous gentle laughter..
and perfect harmony with co existing minds
A Utopian bubble or the manifestation of a dream?
No..its home...
I am home...

Look at me...

Look at me while I walk down the stairs...
Wait for me while I sit with you ..
Stare at me as I turn to face you
Judge me as I speak...
Laugh when I do ..
Question my thoughts..
Understand my actions..

Look at me ..

P.S..
This is a half finished one.. not meant for a spacial someone
A few words that popped in my mind as i did walk down the
stairs to meet a few strangers today .. :)

BTW.. new status :
would love to go to heaven for the weather and hell for the company!

Musings

A few things to ponder over while I count the dots on the ceiling today ...

1) Is there an equivalent for split infinitives in any of the Indian languages?
2) Famous Indians who could have been part of the Free Masons... An Indian equivalent to it?
3) *Giggle*... What if Edward Cullens is for real ? ...

This is another of those 'ink wasted' posts... But felt like posting something today ..:)