Monday, December 31, 2007

The End

It is 2008, well almost. It is 2008 back home though. Funny situation! The time lag never seemed so big. A complete year crossed over in it!

1. Sarvana Bhavan

An authentic Chennai restaurant. This is the best Desi food I have had here. We actually changed trains, walk a few miles - to reach there. The food is fresh and tasty!!!

2. Madam Tussauds

I don't need to say anything about this. Lots of 'explicit' poses and pictures happened :-)

3. The Bucket List

A very simple - amazingly acted out and scripted movie! Nothing 'great', but definitely good enough.

4. War Pigs

I don't know what fascinated me the most- the broken rhythm, the deep heavy bass, Iommi's thundering (literally thundering) riffs, Ozzy's haunting voice or just marvel the composition. I heard it for the first time on 'The Ozzman Cometh'. It was not the version released originally - but that's the best. It is called the Basement Tapes, as far as I remember. I used to listen to it again and again and again- all the time sometime in 2nd year of my engineering. My mom, neighbors, their children - were convinced on one thing. I may not be crazy all the time, but at that point in time (the song going on a repeat frenzy for hours)- I definitely was crazy.

Me and Dixit (my roomie) got hooked on to heavy metal by an album called 'Nativity in Black - Tribute to Black Sabbath'. Those days we were experimenting with music - 'If you cross my path I'll make sure you feel my wrath'...kind of times.

The lyrics are anti war, one of black Sabbath's best. If you ask me now - well I don't identify with them as much as I used to. But, yes as far as this song is concerned - Wow! same old feeling. Going into a repeat mode.

38 years after it was released - it is like a foundation stone for heavy metal. Well respected and followed and copied.

\m/ \m/

YouTube live video



Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of deaths construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds, oh lord yeah!

Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor

Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait till their judgement day comes, yeah!

Now in darkness, world stops turning
As the war machine keeps burning
No more war pigs of the power
Hand of God has sturck the hour
Day of judgement, God is calling
On their knees, the war pigs crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan, laughing, spreads his wings
All right now!

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Drifting away in NY

It was one of those days, where you don't bother to even try to decide on anything. Walk out and seek. That's what we did. With a map in our hands - we walked into New York.

1. Brunch...Oops Lunch actually

With the time lines being followed with due diligence - we ended up having lunch instead of the planned brunch. Why? Well we spent a lot of time researching Shreesanth's antics on the Cricket ground watching YouTube videos. It was fun anyway. Some time back a friend of ours, obviously a keen follower of the game, had provided us with an insightful answer to a question thrown at her.

How many days does a Cricket Test Match run?
Ans - Hmmm ... 30 days?

Reaction - blank and shocked faces.

Ans (Contd.)- Ok, but I am sure it runs for more than week. I have 'seen' it myself.

We finally had to settle on 7 days. God we pray for mercy Please Let her go!

2. MAD

We started for Museum of Modern Arts - but then like our brunch - we missed this too. So we landed up at the Museum of Art and design (MAD). It was quite unique. Some of them looked (that's all an untrained eye can do) rubbish. Some of it looked breathtaking! Different themes, mostly dark and deceptive were laid out. I enjoyed it thoroughly (real thorough - when my friends waited for at least 30 mins for me to come out of the place )

3. Boys boys boys


8 guys fought with all they had in them, at the Sports Center at Chelsea Perkins, along side the Hudson river. Bowling, Speed Hockey, Dance, super fast basket ball... and off course with a Budweiser here and there.

4. Drifting

There are no lyrics. This song was forwarded to me on YouTube by Yaya long back. Today I was showing it to Patty's friends. The guy creates real magic with the guitar. I won't say much - just enjoy the YouTube Video

In the same room, smart in blue and Clouseau

  1. Webcam. I love webcam... its almost like being with the person you're chatting with.
  2. My new blue top... its simple and smart, and almost hides my tummy... and it gives me an opportunity to wear my new halter too.
  3. Inspector Jacques Clouseau in The Pink Panther series... he's just too adorable. How can anyone not love the bumbling, clumsy man?

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Hurray hurray its a holi holiday!

1. The Code is broken... :-)

A long awaited communication channel has opened up. It works better than any instant energy drink.

2. Books, music and movies...

NJ public library is not one of the best libraries in the world, but it is right next to my house. coming from India - the facility of borrowing twenty books for a month and seven CDs, at a time for a week - for free is a luxury.

3. Virginia waale aaye hain

Patty and Co. have arrived. They will be staying here for the new years. They don't have much of a plan, as usual. So we will have to figure out ...as we go ahead...

4. Like Old times

Sridevi's house is full of people. Some sleeping on the bed, some on the couch, some on the carpet... it is looking like a hostel room now. I don't mind the carpet, that much :)

5. Ethiopia

I get to eat in a famous Ethiopian restaurant in NYC. Somehow, we get there on time and place is very small and cozy. It is highly rated by Zagat. I have no idea about where is the country placed on the map. Meskerem is the name of the restaurant.

6. Here comes the Sun

This is a song which gave me the goosebumps, quite literally. I had liked it always, but when I 'saw' it getting 'created' in front of me in LOVE by Cirque du Soleil, I didn't have words to describe my emotions.

It was like one of the most beautiful moments ever. I have been to quite a number of musicals and shows (mostly in India), but this has to be the best. Yes, it being based on the music of The Beatles has created that bias in me, but still it was out of the world. Highly recommended to anyone visiting Vegas. This Intro will give you a glimpse (may be), into how it would feel to be sitting live and breathing, while such magnificent visuals are getting displayed in front of you.

The preview starts with 'Here comes the Sun'. The hearts starts to beat faster as soon as you see the chain of lights enter the stage. The acoustic guitar starts strumming and then comes the Sun - full of lights and drama.

The YouTube video might show you Lennon, but then he didn't contribute to it. He was recovering from an accident when Harrison wrote it. Harrison was quite disturbed and busy those days - with a number of issues. One day, during that tough phase, when he was relatively relaxed - he had visited his then good friend Clapton's house. While strumming on Clapton's acoustic guitar in his garden- he wrote the song. It came in their muti platinum album - 'Abbey Road'




Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right
It's all right

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Life-force, flurry and back to school please...

  1. Dharana is back. And she won't stop talking. Its as if the whole place is alive again.
  2. After we have decided we're not participating in the bay-decoration competition at work, at the last moment we decide we are (mostly because Dharana makes such a fuss, and no one has the heart to refuse her..) So there's suddenly brainstorming sessions being held, and a flurry of dicussions and then hectic activity that goes late into the night, to decorate our seating area. The theme we've chosen is Candy Land. And when we finally leave for home at 2:30 a.m (yes!!), we have quite a few of our artefacts ready. My major accomplishment has been two large trees which grow candy
  3. Working late into the night, with craft things, trying to create pretty things. There's art and craft material lying around everywhere - coloured paper, thermocol, cardboard, paints, brushes, glitter... A lot more people turn up to help, than I'd ever expected, and there's some 10 people working as if possessed. And I'm suddenly so excited and am enjoying myself so much, making all the stuff, that I want to go back to primary school and make all my craft projects all over again...

Beep Beep...Back again!

Hopefully the problems have been cured permanently. BTs over the past few days as I start again...

1. I sleep and I rest and then I sleep before resting again... :)

That's how the past few days have been. Laziness has never been so beautiful. She is actually dancing all around me. I don't know when was the last time I have been so lazy. Is it Christmas or is it just me or just is the year end (just rolling over to the next some how).

2. Weather God had mercy (and I missed it yet again!)

For the past few days it has been a pleasant weather. I know I haven't seen very much of it, but whatever I have - has been good.

3. Boxing Day

Ind-Aus series started on the boxing day. I have been waiting for it for a long time. Too many articles have been read, millions of interviews have been viewed and countless ultra-intellectual verbal battles have been fought. Action time now, Boys! Get on with it...

4. My own very solitude

After frantic schedules of traveling, meeting people, taking pictures, recording amusing tit bits... finally some time alone. Which has led to some sole (oops Soul) searching. It is yet to come of any use but the process has started. Trying to even out the edges which have popped out lately...

5. Old Friends

This is one of the most expressive songs I have come across. Listening to it - is like watching a movie. The words come so naturally- so simple and deep. A real good feeling, comes inside- heals you, protects you and leaves you happy and wanting.

Their harmony is just perfect. The voices appear to have been made to give each other company. Would you believe - they have acted together in 'Alice in wonderland' and their formed their first group and called it - 'Tom and Jerry'!!!

Rolling Stones magazine ranked Simon & Garfunkel at No 40, on their list of 100 greatest artists of all time.

The last paragraph of the song - is strangely rarely found on the internet lyrics websites.




YouTube Video


Old friends,
Old friends
Sat on their park bench
Like bookends.
A newspaper blown though the grass
Falls on the round toes
Of the high shoes
Of the old friends.

Old friends,
Winter companions,
The old men
Lost in their overcoats,
Waiting for the sunset.
The sounds of the city,
Sifting through trees,
Settle like dust
On the shoulders
Of the old friends.

Can you imagine us
Years from today,
Sharing a park bench quietly?
How terribly strange
To be seventy.
Old friends,
Memory brushes the same years
Silently sharing the same fears
Time it was
And what a time it was,
It was
A time of innocence
A time of confidences,
Long ago it must be
I have a photograph,
Preserve your memories
They're all that's left you

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Stress relief, back to the book and shaadi.com

  1. Getting a heavenly back massage and another equally divine head massage. The masseuse's expert fingers knead my back muscles and all my stress is released... it's pure sensual pleasure...
  2. Coming home early so that I have, after what seems like an age, a couple of hours to read... The Golden Compass seems to be a promising companion over the coming few days.
  3. Soumitra has some very interesting observations to make about a leading matrimonial site and the people whose profiles he sees there.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Togetherness, cause for concern and picture perfect

  1. I meet up with Manjiri and Sameer at Barista. Its good catching up. And its even better seeing them together. They have that quiet air of being together and so much comfortable with each other.
  2. Shenoy surprises me by getting me a chair. I pretend to get a mild heart attack.
  3. The pictures that I've taken on the trek have come out beautiful. I love my camera! None other is good enough... the clarity is super amazing, and most of the times, what I imagine is what I get in the frame - the camera doesn't limit me, my skills do... so my pictures will only get better with time :-)

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Hamlet, trekker and grandeur


  1. The charming little village at the base of Makarandgad. Its a typical Indian village, where most residents are farmers. There's are fields, and stone houses and haystacks. There's even a charming little school, where the children come in early to clean their school everyday. We reach there at about 7 am, but the village has woken up long before and everyone is already at their chores. The air is clean and envigorating, and though we've only slept for a few uncomfortable hours on the bus, we are all braced up and raring to start the trek.

  2. The immense physical effort the trek demands, and I deliver. For experienced trekkers, it isn't a big deal, but for us novices, it turns out to be huge test. Half-way down the trek, I'm quite ready to give up, but somehow manage to keep going and complete the trek. And somewhere I also find the energy to play a long, boistrous and energetic game of antakshari on the journey back home. Its a feeling of huge satisfaction, when you can command your self to keep going when you feel you can't anymore...
  3. The view on the trek is amazing. The Sahyadri ranges are majestic in their beauty. The sky up above is a clean azure, and the peak that we're headed up to rises grandly into the sky. lower down on the mountain, the vegetation is thick, and the foliage varied. As we head higher, the trees lessen in number, and there's grass dotted with pretty little flowers. The sense of quiet and space that the place gives me is overpowering.

No posts :(

I have decided to not to write about the weekend. Primarily because the text editor of the blog doesn't seem to function properly. I have to use proper HTML syntax to write here. I will write when I figure out - how other people are successfully posting on it.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Anticipating adventure, support and yawwwwwn

  1. All day, I look forward to the night, when we start for Makarandgad, for our trek tomorrow... I've been wanting to go for a trek with the trekkers club at work ever since I started working here, but have only managed it this time... I'm so thrilled about it! And even more so about the excellent photographing opportunities that I'll be getting. Maybe I'll get to see the sunrise!
  2. For the trek, I'm supposed to carry my own lunch. I forget to tell the maid to prepare it and as has become my routine, I come home from work really late. But Rashmi's there, and she quickly prepares rotis for me - doesn't even let me help.
  3. Taking a hot shower after coming home from office. Washes away the day's stress, and leaves me all warm and drowsy... my eyelids are drooping even now... But I mustn't sleep - the cab will be here in a few mins to pick me up, and we'll be off for the trek! Yay yay! yawwwwwn....

Friday, December 21, 2007

Not so funny, hot, wicked situation

1. She was all Hot and mustard ( how my ears failed my eyes and my buds failed my stomach)!


I don't know why I am tempted to write this as a BT. It was lunch time and I hadn't got any lunch from home. So, I decided to ask a colleague - 'What's the best way to have a veg sub at Subway?'
Now that i think of that moment, I tell myself - 'I should be more attentive'.

Anyway, I did order and got my prized lunch (haven't eaten anything for breakfast and the chilly winds I had to cross to get my lunch ..."this better be good").

More than eager to eat- I started with a big bite. Something seemed to be wrong. But then I have a problem. The nerve ends at the end of my taste buds are a bunch of lazy bums. They never seem to convey the message fast enough. Either there is an issue with competency or the technology used by God in my 'taste' area - was outdated.

Whatever the case may actually be...I kept eating (big bites followed). There should be a feedback system actually from the taste nerve center to the stomach nerve workers association - STOP giving the poor guy Hungry signals!! This doesn't seem to be good enough to be even called- 'bad'. But alas, it did not happen- and me in my hunger ate the whole thing.

Eventually the Taste buds did write to me - 'Well Sir ...as you can see ...there may have been a slight mishap- the signal line was overloaded by the stomach workers association and they wouldn't let us in...and then they had this special letter of recommendation... highlighting - no breakfast ...EAT fast...so Sir you see - it was not exactly our ...."

On further investigation it was revealed, that the whole problem started when my dumb ears failed to listen to my colleague - "Be careful... they put a lot of sauce, if you don't tell them specifically" ...and they didn't inform the Eye Alert Force... and as always - my eyes were busy absorbing the beautiful beings around me.

And because it was unknowingly a sacrifice to appreciate beauty - this turned out to be a BT.


2. Get Out!

I decided - enough was enough. I am human- I don't have to be careful about work all the time. I can be foolish and hence I can go back home (and not feel guilty till monday). So I just walked out early (quite early actually). The Mp3 player singing in my ears ...I have a wicked smile ...la la la ...la la... :-)

3. Not Funny at all but not quite Bad

For the first time - I come home really early and my dear roomie has locked me out. He is not going to be back for the next 4-5 hours. It was not funny. It was cold - I was hungry - had been thinking of heating something and eating. Actually the problem is - my Roomie - Mr. Sanket Kudav hasn't had the time and significantly strong emotional drive to get a copy of my keys (which are missing their original owner now, I am sure) made - for the last TWO damn months!!!

Any way, i thought for a moment and then called an old friend - to check if she or her husband were home. As it turned out - they were. I was relieved. I went there- and got the much needed attention and care. They are really sweet- totally lovable. We have like a millions of topics to discuss and fight on. After being fed properly - emotionally and 'stomachly', I went back home. I didn't have to cook - as I was full :-)

So it was actually good that I went there. We made some weekend plans, which seemed to be perfect with my plans - of not having a exhausting time.

4. 'Fake Plastic Trees'

There is something about the English, that is not there anywhere in the World. No, I am not kidding about their bla bla bla 'stuck up' bla bla bla ...all that. I am talking about - their Music and Literature. Boy, they have the best blood running in them, as far as these two things are concerned (Please, lets not discuss other things like sport or Wars etc.- the discussion invariably will go to a different plane)

Radiohead is what I am going to talk about. They are a 21 year old English rock band. I used to like them, but never quite understood them until a few years back. I used like their singles like - Creep and Karma Police. It used to play in the bars and pubs quite often, and everybody like it (and so did I).

The thing with Radiohead is - they are pretty much original and they have been in the overlap of a lot influences their career- guitar-driven rock, electronic, some mix of Jazz. Heavy and most of the times quite not so obvious lyrics. Thom Yorke - the lead vocals, has a unique Falsetto. His voice is as different as Radiohead's music. He seems to just get lost in the song. He doesn't sing it - he lives in it, just like Robert Plant (Led Zepplin). I know not a fair comparison- but the guy is really talented and has unique style of singing. Ok, lets take Chris Martin (Coldplay) as an example. This is a more fair.

"Fake Plastic Trees" is often seen as a turning point in the band's early career. It is also placed at #376 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.

There are a few songs, which lift your spirits. This is not one of them. There songs in which you find comfort, like a cover over you - protecting you, when you are in a particular state of mind. This is not one of them. For me, this is one of those weird songs - that pushes me to write. It brings you back images - of days like ... when you were walking down a lonely street and thought ..."Maybe I will write about it sometime". What did I think I will write about - a torn white plastic bag. It was floating around in the street. There was nobody there, except me and to watch it float in the winds.

I wrote Insignificance after listening to this song. There was this unfulfilled need and restlessness- to write about that plastic bag. After I did, I was at peace with the song and could enjoy it normally.

Here are the lyrics and the Video:-

YouTube Video







Her green plastic watering can
For her fake chinese rubber plant
In fake plastic earth.
That she bought from a rubber man
In a town full of rubber plants
Just to get rid of itself.
And it wears her out, it wears her out
It wears her out, it wears her out.


She lives with a broken man
A cracked polystyrene man
Who just crumbles and burns.
He used to do surgery
For girls in the eighties
But gravity always wins.
And it wears him out, it wears him out
It wears him out, it wears him out.


She looks like the real thing
She tastes like the real thing
My fake plastic love.
But I cant help the feeling
I could blow through the ceiling
If I just turn and run
And it wears me out, it wears me out
It wears me out, it wears me out.

And if I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted,

Lazily rolling and flying around

Lazy day today ... unshaven for quite a few days now... there was disinterested look on my face throughout the day...but then a quiet day...you need that...specially when Holidays are coming!!! :)



1. 'As you Like it'

Not many people in Office today. Holiday time!!! A lot work can't be done - because the people who are not there in the office, are actually needed. What does that mean? - less work for those who are in office :) (in some wicked sense - I like it)





2. 'Rolling'



The roll over effect of the previous day surge in work enthusiasm - helps. I do some pending work - personal and office. A lot that was pending for a long time gets over. Feel lighter baggage now.





3. 'Given to Fly'



Pearl Jam. Well what can I say about them. My first Love affair with a band. When I listened to 'Ten' with my eyes closed late into the night, alone in my college days- something happened deep inside. Something released inside. Seattle - boy I would love to go there. Grunge stands for raw, anti-theatrics, distortions, heavy sludgy guitar... lyrics full of ...angst, loneliness, rejection...to be it gave vent to the rebel inside... I totally identified with it! seems like it was coming from inside. I am not a very huge fan of Nirvana but.... PJ - I have everything that they have ever sung. Eddy Veddar- the most intense voice I have come across.





Given to Fly is a song from one of their lesser popular albums (there we go again). I used to love revising for my exams listening to this. My roomie - Dixit...used to hate me for this. He used to be tensed before the exams, and I didn't quite help, by playing the music loud and thundering.





The picture that comes to my mind when I hear this song (for all these years)..is of a Man- high up in the sky...flying over the mountains, over the high rising trees. There is fog and smoke (from probably a war) in the sky and he flies through it- fearless and brutal in his intent. It starts slowly...rises slowly...then come the drums... and then comes Eddy ...slowly it keeps rising...and then it flies off... goes into a climax... 'A wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw....' ..The video is in Argentina - he actually uses some Spanish words in the song ...and also speaks in spanish (reads it out actually)...to start with...





YouTube Video






He could've tuned in, tuned in


But he tuned out


A bad time, nothing could save him


Alone in a corridor, waiting, locked out


He got up outta there, ran for hundreds of miles


He made it to the ocean, had a smoke in a tree


The wind rose up, set him down on his knee





A wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw


Delivered him wings, "Hey, look at me now"


Arms wide open with the sea as his floor


Oh, power, oh





He's.. flying


Whole


High.. wide, oh






He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share


His key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere


But first he was stripped and then he was stabbed


By faceless men, well, fuckers


He still stands





And he still gives his love, he just gives it away


The love he receives is the love that is saved


And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky


A human being that was given to fly





High.. flying


Oh, oh


High.. flying


Oh, oh


He's flying


Oh, oh

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Not so duh.., go home and khoya khoya chaand

  1. After spending a whole day agonizing over a problem that I'm finding too complex to solve, I realise at the end of the day that others are also as much at sea about it, as I am... I'd almost begun to believe I'm the duh-est of the lot!
  2. Dharana pings from the US when she sees I'm still online, with a "Go home! why aren't you going home... ghar jaaaaooo" She used to say this everyday when she was here in India, and I realise that I had kinda missed this statement of hers (among others). Get back fast, girlie, it's getting boring in office with the neighbouring seat empty..
  3. Finding the exact lyrics of Khoye khoye chaand ki.. Now, I can sing along, as I listen to it over and over again, wihout missing anything. I realise its the poetry that has really attracted me to this song... such words deserve a better music. But then I love the timbre of Swanand Kirkire's voice in this song... My favourite lines from the poem:

kyun apane aap se khafa khafa jara jaraasa naaraaj hai dil

yeh manjilein bhi khudahi tay kare, yeh faasalein bhi khudhi tay kare

kyu toh rasto pe phir seham seham sanbhal sanbhal ke chalta hai ye dil

kyun khoye khoye chaand ki firaaq mein talaash mein udaas hai dil

Masala

A day full of unusual mood swings...distractions from work... emotional upheavals ...hard talk... relief... last hour slog to finish pending things ...and finally a dinner with a joyful couple...


Just like a masala movie... had everything...emotions, drama, a fight sequence (almost) and a happy ending!




1. "No"


The word 'No', never seemed more important. Anxiously waiting for the answer- hoping it wouldn't be Yes. Alas, it was a 'yes' :(


Still I don't give up ...discussions, negotiations, plain talk, hard talk, clarifications, elaborations ... and then finally it came. "No, ....."



2. "Focus Tanmoy Focus"



It struck me at 4 pm, that I haven't done enough for the past few days. No one is complaining, but I feel terrible inside.

'One of these days, I will have to sit late and finish it. Only if I had the will to swim against the waves'


I start to swim, but the water is cold. I am not motivated enough to work. So, I go down for a smoke and watch people leave. All are happy to go home, smiling and satisfied.
I say ..."Why the Hell not me?!"


I go back inside and start working. Get a call from a dear friend. I had not met her for a long time. The couple says, they will wait for me and then leave for dinner and that excuses won't work. I get 1 hour to finish as much as I can. The target does wonders and I end up surprising myself. Demons that I had postponed for days, crumble and vanish easily!

Maybe, I did have a faint smile, as I left the office but, the best part there was - there was absolutely nobody to notice it!



3. 'Nostalgic movie masala ladies fingers'



Curiosity over how bad could have been Sawariya?, discussion over why they had to show nudity in Beowulf ?, old college talk, good movie websites, and rubbish humor in a movie called 'Angrez'...that I am told ..."you HAVE to watch!"...amidst well cooked ladies fingers...


The best part is the reason why we ordered 'ladies fingers'... tomorrow it shall be a test for me and my roomie... 'let's see if can generate a better taste!'


I am confident... from the recent success with my new mastery ---The Cauliflower diaries...



4. 'Rain'


This song is by an English band called 'Uriah Heep', formed in December 1969. They are sometimes jokingly referred to as the 'Beach Boys' of heavy metal. They are pretty much melodic behind their heavy sound.


I think early last year, for a long time I had nothing much to do. Whenever I was in my senses, I used spend time looking for good music. That's when I discovered the powerful lyrics, loads of creativity blended in melody, soulful vocals and range of influences... I concluded they were somewhat Deep Purple...somewhat Led Zepp...and somewhat Extreme.


This song really defines how I felt, sometimes when I used to sit up on the bed near the window. Rains in Pune can be a mess, but this song gave it a different look. Again as always - this song is not one of their most popular ones ... but to me one of the deepest. I also like 'What should be done', 'Sweet Loraine', 'Why', 'Easy Leaving' (that's the popular one), 'What's within my heart'...


I love the simplicity in the music and the profound emotions in the lyrics... 'raining inside'... hats off!!


This is the Video and the album cover - 'The Magician's Birthday'. There are better versions of the song - but this is the best available on the internet currently.


YouTube Video










It's raining outside

But that's not unusual

But the way that I'm feeling

is becoming usual



I guess you could say

The clouds are

moving away,

away from your days

and into mine



Now it's raining inside

And that's kind of a shame

And it's getting to me,

a happy man



Why should you want to

waste all my time

The world is yours

but I'm mine



Rain rain rain in my tears

Measuring carefully my years

Shame shame shame in my mind

See what you've done to my life


Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Good start and beanies

  1. Tanmoy's first ever post on my blog... the post is so happy and colourful, and he seems to have had so much fun writing it...
  2. Refilling the bean bag... the beans run helter skelter, and we run behind them. The bag's nice and fluffy again

Yuuuhooooo!!

Yuuuhooooo hoooo hoooo!!



I get to write on Rashmi's Blog.




(Jumping and dancing. No, I am still in my formal wear and I never intended to wear bright colours for this act )


:-)



I have been regularly reading this blog ever since it started. I can see it has been a successful adventure for her. So here we go ...my first set of BTs (they will vary in number, though I shall try and keep the Standard deviation to a minimum)




1. 'Before Time'


I come early enough to prepare for my morning meeting. I am attentive and creative :-)




2.'Mere Blog pe guest-author banega kya?'





Before going off to sleep, Rashmi asks me to contribute to her blog. My first reaction is "Oh Shoot! Now, I have to be correct with my grammar and spellings. Can't get away with it here, on her blog." Off course I never mentioned it to her. What I did do is pester her with :- 'Why?' and 'What will I write?' and 'I may forget to write' and 'You will have to order, I can't process polite requests'. So, finally after a one of the millions of intentionally started arguments that we keep having, I conceded - "Haan".




3. Happy Holidays, Lora D.


I find a packet of sugar coated Pretzels on my desk, as I enter my office. A snowman grinning, and poking out his plastic nose, behind the red ribbons - conveying "Happy Holidays, Lora D." My client manager took the pain of dropping it off, before I came to office.






4. 'The Sweetest Thing'




My BTs will end with a song everyday :-)



It was 1976, when a few Irish teenagers formed a band called U2. After almost 31 years, 22 Grammys, 170 million albums worldwide...they still ROCK! (far far far away from being Over and done)


The song was written by Bono as an apology to his wife Ali Hewson for forgetting her birthday during The Joshua Tree sessions. At her request, proceeds from the single went to her favorite charity. I know there are much better U2 songs. But this one really picks me up from the dumps - anytime !!! It has such an amazing and simple start. The video is really funny and 'sweet'. Bono making faces throughout.




YouTube Video





My love she throws me like a rubber ball

Oh oh oh the sweetest thing

But she won't catch me, or break my fall

Oh oh oh the sweetest thing

Baby's got blu skies overhead

But in this I'm a raincloud

You know she likes a dry kind of love

Oh oh oh the sweetest thing




I'm losing you



Oh oh oh, I'm losing you yeah

Ain't love the sweetest thing

The sweetset thing




I wanted to run, she made me crawl

Oh oh oh the sweetest thing

Eternal fire, she turned me to straw

Oh oh oh the sweetest thing

You know I got black eyes

Buy they burn so brightly for her

Mine is a blind kind of love

Oh oh oh the sweetest thing




[I'm loosing you....]




Blue eyed boy meets a brown-eyed girl

Oh oh oh the sweetest thing

You can sew it up

But you still see the tear

Oh oh oh the sweetest thing

Baby's got blue skies overhead

But in this I'm a raincloud

You know we got a stormy kind of love

Oh oh oh the sweetest thing

And now we present...

Everybody, please join me in welcoming Tanmoy to this blog.

Tanmoy is a very special friend and will be a guest-author for this blog for the coming month (and more if he so wishes, and is prolific enough)... he will of course follow the theme of Life ain't THAT bad..!

I'm soooo looking forward to a double dose of 3BTs everyday :-)

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

On duty, musical treat and funny man

  1. On my way to work, on a landscaped piece of land, a stork stands in the light drizzle by the side of the fountain. I idly wonder if any babies have been delivered in Magarpatta city today..
  2. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on Zee Marathi.... The final rounds of the competition have started and the three finalists are all so good, that it's difficult to say which one's better than the others... So each episode is an absolute treat for lovers of Marathi music. Saily Panse, one of the finalists, was especially very rivetting today, each of her notes very pure and very true.
  3. During each episode of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, the audience waits for Avdhoot Gupte's comments. He always has something funny and interesting to say and is so endearing.

Citrus perfume, small hope and self-invited

  1. Even after washing my hands after eating a very juicy orange, my fingertips have a tangy, citrusy smell to them...
  2. When I had almost convinced myself that I might not be visiting the US any time soon, I get some news which lifts my spirits and makes me hope again...
  3. Alok, a very very dear friend is marrying his long time girlfriend... the best thing is that the wedding will be in Pune in feb, so I've already invited myself to it

Monday, December 17, 2007

Hep, side business and fit

  1. Rashmi (not me, I know another one too... and she happens to be staying with me for a few days) gets a hep new hair cut and super-pleaased with it...

  2. Getting rid of a year's worth of old news papers - I sell off a whole nineteen kilos and earn a hundred rupees :-)... now suddenly there's plenty of space under the bed, where they previously sat.

  3. Meeting my cousing Shruti, who's come down from the US with her two boys, to visit her parents. I'm envious of the way she's maintained her slim figure and how fit she looks! But then, to give her due credit, she is a fitness instructor there, so she couldn't really be unfit herself, could she? But she definitely is a reminder for me get off my butt and into shape!

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Pajamas, where are the heroines and soft skin

  1. Because I haven't been feeling well, I take half a day off and come home... I'm just so drowsy by the time I reach home that I quickly change into my pajamas and head straight to my bed... the soft duvet is so comforting, and in no time, I'm into a deep, sweet sleep.
  2. Watching a very well-made report on NDTV which tried to analyze why there are no heroine-oriented movies in current hindi cinema. The female lead is mostly a prop, a stunning one, no doubt, but the question always is 'Who's the hero?'...
  3. Inspite of the cold and the dryness, my skin is well protected and feels nice and plump because of the cold cream that I'm using... I just love the feeling I get when immediately after a hot bath, I massage the cream in - clean, soft and fragrant

Monday, November 26, 2007

Bathroom Singer, strange feelings and company

  1. In the flat adjoining mine, stay a couple of girls, one of whom is a bathroom singer. The ventilators of our respective bathrooms open on walls that are perpendicular to each other and if I happen to be using my bathroom while she is in hers, I can hear her singing loudly (and mostly off-key). She sings with gusto and abandon, and I can't help but chuckle...
  2. Its a monday morning, but I reach office feeling surprisingly fresh. Dharana agrees and says she really feels like doing some work. With some amount of incredulity, I realise that so do I! This must be a first!
  3. When I've started feeling like I finally won't have company to attend the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival, I suddenly find out that Dipti will be attending with her family. Now I can go too :-)

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Higgeldy-piggeldy, creation and blessed technology

  1. Aditi's curls. They're all higgeldy-piggeldy and toss around crazily when she jumps and runs, which she constantly does.
  2. There is immense satisfaction in creating something. I have a whole afternoon stretching ahead of me with nothing to do. On a whim, I sit down to paint a watercolour. The result is a sunflower against a grassy field and a blue sky. I think it's rather nice... I just love the translucent and soft quality that watercolours have...
  3. Technology. Once I'm done with the painting, I badly want to show it to someone, but ofcourse I'm alone at home... but there's my DSLR which will take a very faithful picture of the watercolour, and there's the internet. Out goes an email to my parents, and they see it right away...

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Chai, grown-up and I won't sleep

  1. A hot cup of tea. I wake up late and the maid comes early. Its a happy coincidence because now she makes the tea. The ingredients are same, but for some reason the tea she makes is always so much better than mine... The aroma of ginger is very refreshing.
  2. Being treated like an adult by my uncles and aunts and given my space.
  3. Aditi, who's 3, and very very sleepy, refuses to go to sleep because she wants to be awake with everyone else. So she sits on the bed, refusing to lie down lest she fall asleep, her eyelids drooping, her head giving in to the temptation of gravity, waiting for her mom to come and tuck her in.

Companion, winter and Tum Se Hi...

  1. Having a friend with whom you can just sit and listen to music and chat about random things... with whom you can be comfortable and just be yourself.
  2. Winter's here. The temperature gone to 8.6 degrees and its definitely chilly. This means I can get all my sweaters out now. I like winters - there's a lot of good vegetables in the market, the cold whet's one's appetite and hot meals are a pleasure, one doesn't tire as easily... and even when not tired, falling asleep is easy, once ensconsed in a warm quit...
  3. Tum Se Hi. I've been listening to it over and over and just can't get enough of it...

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Ugly Duckling, medusa subdued and coterie

  1. I wear that new Fab India kurta I had bought a few weeks ago, and with the dupatta, it looks simply classy. Pallavi tells me so. And then an ex-colleague writes to say among other things, that he admires my 'graceful arrogance'. To be very honest, the word graceful pleases me, even though its attached to arrogance. I've always had the adjective clumsy attached to me. Indeed, I am an extremely clumsy person... so where did this come from?
  2. Finishing the coding for a piece of work that I seemingly had on my hand for ages and ages. The testing still remains, but at least the remaining work seems managable...
  3. On a day when I've felt very alone, I come home to discover that I'm considered part of a coterie. And there's someone encouraging me as well... Thanks Joe! Thanks Clare!

Monday, November 19, 2007

A boggled mind, a fab job and a pure note

  1. The crazy rush of adrenalin caused by the anticipation of imminent travel. Will I get my visa? When will I fly? What places should I visit? Who all will I be able to meet? Will I see snow? Will I really go?
  2. Pallavi has landed a job on Day 0 of her campus placement. She's yelling on the phone like a mad-woman, with excitement. And I'm yelling too... we're both super-excited!
  3. It's Dipti's birthday. At the small celebration we have for her at work, we all holler for a song. She finally obliges and sings Hothon se chhoo lo tum. Her notes are pure and everyone listens in a hushed silence... She sings softly, but her voice fills the space...

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Simple pleasures, safe from temptations and ergonomics

  1. After many many days, I sleep in on a sunday morning. And for the first time this week, I get fresh hot home-cooked food. There are fewer pleasures in life that equal the satisfaction of eating a full, well cooked meal on a sunday afternoon.
  2. Going for a long walk in the chilly evening air, and popping into random shops, checking out stuff on a whim. I'm safe from any temptations, because I'm not carrying my wallet - just some change in my pocket, which won't get me anything, anyway.
  3. The hard keyboard has been replaced by one with soft keys... typing is a pleasure once more - my fingers no longer hurt when I use the home PC.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

First Birthday!! Movie buff, Bollywood junkies and tasty

It's 'Life Ain't THAT bad..!'s first birthday today. We're ONE! Happy birthday!

  1. Watching Om Shanti Om. Wow! Its the perfect masala movie. Awesome to see the audience respond. And then at night, Nisha and I rent Perfect Strangers. Good to have company to watch movies at home too.
  2. Shenoy and I admit, first with some guilt and then with some pride that we've both turned into Bollywood junkies. We're constantly discussing bollywood gossip, listening to or humming hindi film songs and of course, watching movies. Aiding us in our latest obsession is The Bombay Bitch.
  3. Having a corn grilled sandwich at Sidewalk Cafe.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Refreshing, banished and comedian

  1. Aditi. She's full of surprises and quirks at all times. And we think alike and react similarly to most things. Talking to her always leaves me feeling like one does after having a hot and strong cup of coffee.
  2. The rush of excitement caused by an unexpected good news chases away a headache that has lasted me the whole day... a clear head suddenly seems so good.
  3. Having a cup of coffee with Kris and listening to his nonsense. Thinking out of the box is second nature to him... no, actually, I believe he has trouble thinking inside it! The man should seriously consider an alterntive profession as a stand-up comedian. He has me in splits all the time - his timing is just spot on.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Morning air, good at his job and chocolatey

  1. Going to office early. There's a chill in the air still, and the sun is still very soft... But the best part is that the traffic is still not heavy and the heavy dust and pollution have not yet risen. So driving is a pleasure.
  2. Attending a training session where the trainer knows his stuff inside out. Not once do I feel bored. And this has nothing to with the fact that the trainer is handsome.
  3. Chocolate sandwich. The guy at the sandwich corner makes the most delicious chocolate sandwiches - there's cheese and butter and a very rich chocolate paste in it, which just makes it too heavenly to resist...

Friday, November 09, 2007

Family time, stars in her eyes and food in her tummy

  1. After lunch, we all sit together, chatting, joking, laughing, making garlands for decorating the house... Jui keeps hunting for a good Ganesh picture for the rangoli design... Ananya is busy doing silly things. Papa is pulling everyone's leg. Aaji won't stop giving instructions. Its family time on Diwali... Wish you all a happy diwali too! Hope you're all basking in the warmth of your family's closeness.
  2. Watching the fireworks from the terrace. There are so many, I never know which way to look! In all directions, gold coins are splattered across the sky and the boom boom reverberates across the city. Ananya's eyes go round in wonder and gasps and claps in glee when a brilliant shower of sparkles brightens the sky...
  3. Ananya decides to have dinner with us, and I end up feeding her. She runs around, jumps, and does all sorts of gymnastics between morsels and I have to keep inventing weird stories to catch her attention, so that she'll stay still for a minute and take a bite.. but we manage to finish the whole plate without any tears being shed or any tantrums being thrown!

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Curls, long time no see and vrooom

  1. Having a good hair day... my new hair cut has finally settled down after 3 or 4 washes, and it it now naturally falls in place. I just love the way my hair curls - no rollers needed for me, its a natural wave... and my hair is so much more manageable and soft - the water here in Nagpur definitely makes a difference in as little as two washes! (OMG! I sound like a shampoo commercial!)
  2. Meeting Ajay and Uma after a gap of eight years.. it feels strange and nice at the same time... they're both so American and so sweet and eager!
  3. I'm getting a car next month... and I can't wait for next month to arrive!

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Ananya, my toys and beautiful eyes

  1. Most of my day has been taken up in running around doing stuff, never pausing, except when playing with Ananya... She's a quiet child who likes her space. The more you leave her alone and give her time to get comfortable, the more she's willing to open up to you...
  2. All my old toys and games which have been carefully stowed away are brought out for any little children that visit. After dinner, we sit and construct 'my dream house' from a kit I had as a child. Ananya is super-awed, and asks if the house will have enough space for her mummy... She's happy when I assure her that it will...
  3. I like looking at Ananya's lovely wide eyes and her long eye-lashes...

Being horrid, relaxation and same pinch

  1. Finding a perfectly horrid piece of doggerel that we had written as children, about a girl who we teased mercilessly... I simply laughed my head off when I read it... it was marvellous!
  2. Getting a facial done... the one hour is utter relaxation...
  3. Chatting with Aditi... we always love the same kind of books and always react the same way to imaginary situations :-)

Sunday, November 04, 2007

One up, moisturised and driving lesson

  1. Nagpur has two new FM channels. That's one more than Pune... yay yay!
  2. The weather here is nice. Nice for my skin, that is. My skin isn't getting all scratchy and itchy because of the dryness... which is actually quite surprising, because this time of the year, there's usually a very dry chill in the air in these parts. But a couple of days of rains have ensured a very comfortable amount of moisture in the air.
  3. My first driving lesson! Papa lets me take the car on the road, and I even drive my way through a traffic signal... not as effortless as I'd hoped, but better than I'd expected!

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Home, my bed and whole week

  1. Home. And Mom. And Dad. And Aaji.
  2. The deep sleep I slip into, in my old bed at home, after lunch... I sleep so tight, that when I wake up, for a moment, I'm quite surprised to wake up at home.
  3. Looking forward to a whole week of being home. Oh sighhh...

Friday, November 02, 2007

A different sun, familiar face and misery's company

  1. The sun has changed. The harsh october sun is gone, and in its place, we find a soothing, mild and gently warming november sun that doesn't burn.
  2. Lost in thought, I walk from the pantry with a cup of coffee towards my desk. As I pass a group of guys, someone taps me on my head. Perplexed and a little annoyed at being disturbed out of my reverie, I turn towards the perpetrator of the action, and find myself staring into a very familiar face, one that hasn't been seen around here for a few months now (4, I'm later told). Digant is standing there grinning his boyish grin, and everyone, of course, has gathered around to talk to him...
  3. Finding out that someone else has internet woes (and that too with a different service provider than mine) and hearing him blast the internet guys on the phone. Wellll... misery loves company, doesn't it? But right now, my internet is workin, touch wood!

P.S. After a long time, there are a few pics up at Trigger Happy... Take a look!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Sexier, slow n steady and infusion

  1. I notice two styishly dressed guys walking on the street by my house. Each of them has a toddler in his arms. One of the tots is fast asleep with its head resting on it's dad's shoulders, but the other one is very much awake, and looking around at the sights with much curiosity. The men walk on, engrossed in a conversation, and I think to myself that there is some truth in saying that men who can handle kids with ease look a lot sexier and attractive than otherise...
  2. I think I'm too tired to walk home from the bus stop. I decide to give it a shot anyway... it takes me a good 20 mins at the slow strolling pace I take, but I do make it, and am none the worse for the walk. In fact, it makes me feel a little fresher and my muscles get nice n loosened up.
  3. At a new cafe that has opened in KP, I have a black mint tea with ginger... inhaling its warm vapours feels so good... and then drinking it feels even better...

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Talent, chic and ability

  1. Picking up a fight with Gullu after lunch, just because I need to do something to keep awake, or I'll fall asleep on my keyboard... I discover I bicker pretty well even when I'm half asleep... quite talented, I am!
  2. My new haircut looks good. Or so they tell me :-)
  3. I read this and think to myself that I must never forget it: Love is not a feeling, its an ability.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Indulgence, being 'nice' and deciding

  1. It is a day of indulgence - we lunch at Chhaya, our favourite Paratha place in Pimpri, where we haven't been since I moved to KP... The onion parathas are just as good as ever, and are made all the more sinful by the butter melting on them... I hog! And then at night, I give in to tempation again and have a blueberry cheese cake at Sweet Chariot. Every bite is a mouthful of heaven...
  2. I'm cross, and to make up with me, Shenoy tells me, "Uh... nice shoes." I almost forget I'm cross till the time he points out that I never really can stay cross for a long time!
  3. The feeling of relief on reaching a conclusion and a decision. The uncertainty has been banished and now action can be taken. Its quite liberating...

Friday, October 19, 2007

Matter of faith, missed chance and far, yet present

  1. Waking up early, and keeping my resolve of going to the temple. Its Ashtami, and Navratri is almost over, and I hadn't yet been able to visit the temple to pray. It feels good to do some things as a matter of faith and to take the effort to get them right...
  2. Dharana is very excited about watching tomorrow's 20-20 match between India and Australia at the Wankhede stadium, not just because of the day long outing with friends, but also because she expects to see some action. At the previous instance when she had gone to watch a match at the grounds, it was the first day of a test match. The only action during the entire day had been the fall of one wicket, which she missed, because she happened to be yawning just then!
  3. Though I'm hundreds of kms away from home, I attend the evening Aarti for the first time this navratri via telephone. Its not exactly the same, yet standing by the side of the road, I sing along with everyrone. I'm the only one who can hear me, but I can hear everyone... its a strange feeling to be part of a family ritual from so far away. A good strange feeling, of course...

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Indulgance all the way

  1. I'm not feeling up to it. So for once, instead of dragging myself to work, I decide to take a day off and stay at home. I just sleep sleep and sleep all day!
  2. Today is a day of indulgence. I treat myself to a coffee-walnut ice-cream from Natural in the evening. I especially enjoy the chunks of walnut in it.
  3. A long chat with George. George's exploits are always entertaining!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Lovely pictures, LRG and catching up

  1. Receiving a lot of mails telling me that my Goa pictures have come out splendid.
  2. Harshal sends a long email, which starts with a 'Hey LRG!'. LRG stands for 'Little Radical Girl' - something he's called me since we've known each other, more than 5 years ago. Sounds funny now - I'm neither very radical any more, nor do I fit the bill for 'little'! But I still love the way he insists on calling me that :-)
  3. Chatting with Aparna after what seems like ages... well naturally, it has been ages! She's off on a vacation soon and sounds pretty excited...

Monday, October 15, 2007

Picked up, evolution and Johnny Gaddar

  1. After travelling part of the way in a shared ric, the luxury of being picked up in a car.
  2. I note with pleasure how much Chinchwad has changed since I moved out of Nigdi. The place is getting hepper by the day. The swanky new adlabs multiplex, especially, is something that the area absolutely needed, because, with it comes not only a good place to watch movies, but also a lot of hangout places for the young crowd there, which earlier had no option but to head to Pune for entertainment.
  3. Johnny Gaddaar. Wow! What a thriller... the pace is quick, and the story sharp. Neil Nitin Mukesh doesn't look like a new comer. And he's handsome!

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Culmination, siesta and walk

  1. Finally, after the weeks of waiting, the internet starts working at home... Its such a pleasure to be connected from home...
  2. After lunch, feeling drowsy and taking the time to have a shut eye... is there anything sweeter than an afternoon siesta... umm... well yes, but its still good fun to be able to take a nap when you're feeling like it, instead of having to strain to keep your eyes open and maintain a semblance of looking deeply interested in work!
  3. Shenoy and I go for a walk after dinner. Its very cool outside. I'm reminded of the walks we used to go for when I was still staying in Nigdi and he lived nearby too...

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Great colleagues, home and just checking

  1. Everyone chips in to help when I'm stuck. A big thanks to Jatin, Dharana and Kaushik.
  2. Finally finishing my work just in time to catch the 12:30 a.m. office cab home.
  3. Tanmoy calls up to see if I've reached home. It almost feels as if he's still in Pune...

Friday, October 05, 2007

False impressions, ice cake and film stars

  1. Starting the day thinking that there is a lot of work, and as the day progresses, realizing that it only looks like that...
  2. A birthday is celebrated at work. Because the birthday girl is fasting for some reason, she can't eat cake, but she is allowed vanilla ice cream... so a slab of ice cream replaces the birthday cake and everyone enjoys the birthday party with a difference
  3. They're shooting a promotional video about the company in the office premises. The film crew is all over the place, with their huge lighting equipment, cameras, rollers and thingamajigs. When they shoot in the cafetaria at lunch time, the excitement among all present is palpable. They even film us eating (and Gauri is upto a lot of buffoonery)... which is the whole point of this BT anyway..

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Internet, retail therapy and Poirot

  1. The internet. What a blessing it is.
  2. Going grocery shopping to Food Bazar. I enter feeling quite irritable and somewhere in the aisles of the supermarket, checking out merchandise, freebies and discounts, I lose the irritation and come out feeling quite content. That's retail therapy in action for you...
  3. Reading Agatha Christie's Poirot mysteries. The pace is usually slow, but the books are nonetheless charming. They take me back to my school days when I'd read them all.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Lemony inspiration, hilarious, sunset and voice

  1. There's no milk, so I make black tea. And then, as a last minute inspiration, I squeeze a few drops of lemon in my cup... ummmmm...
  2. Watching Loins of Punjab presents. Its hilarious. No one is spared. An hour and a half is spent in absolute mirth.
  3. A most gorgeous sunset. We go on a long drive to Mulshi lake and meet the setting sun on our way there... the sky is breathtaking
  4. A phone call and a voice ensures I sleep well.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Lacework, chronicles and passionflower

  1. The lacework of shadows on the road made by the late morning sun light filtering through the leaves of the tress by the side of the road.
  2. Reading An Indian Summer - the journey of a young American woman in India. She chronicles her stay her with candour, and in what I feel is a very balanced style. She praises what she likes freely and raises questions about things she doesn't agree with. Free from bias, she writes about stuff the way she experiences it, and at times when there are things happening around her that she does not fully understand, she openly says so. Manjiri sent me the link to her blog, and I must admit that I spent the better part of the afternoon reading her posts, and with pleasure.
  3. After a prolonged and dusty bus ride back home, a hot shower using the Passionflower shower gel makes me feel human again...

Monday, October 01, 2007

Temple bells, getting crafty and friend

  1. At a distance, hearing the temple-bells ring. I like the clear resounding quality in their notes.
  2. Shenoy and I discover a very quaint and charming shop called 'Hobby Ideas'. True to it's name, it stocks all sorts of art material and craft and DIY stuff. Its a cheerful and lively place and everything's so tempting. The prices are a little on the higher side, but the pretty stuff has me drooling. I'm saved from spending my money ('coz I know, I'll just buy the stuff and never really use it) because the electricity goes off and the shop does not have a back-up generator!
  3. I think Shenoy understands that I'm feeling low and is nice to me in his own way. He even drops me home, in spite of him having stated quite firmly that he isn't going to... :-)

Friday, September 21, 2007

Again, Barti rules, lucky charm and lovely parents

  1. Telling everyone I'm going to Goa, and having them exclaim "Again??! Wow!"
  2. Soumitra is falling in love with Bartimaeus too!
  3. According to George, I'm lucky for Team India. Everytime I watch the cricket match, India wins... :-) A painful responsibility, I can not resist saying...
  4. And an extra one, because I won't be posting for the next few days. In the washroom, one of the office-help ladies asks me if the people on my desktop are my parents. I reply in the affirmative. She says - you've got lovely parents...

Cold breakfast, sixers and the dream of a breakfast...

  1. When I walk into work late as usual, I find everyone waiting for me. I'm immediately bundled away to the pantry. There's ice-cream to be eaten and everyone's been waiting for me to turn up... Kaushik is fulfilling his promise of getting ice-cream to office if Dharana successfully completes the fasting that she has undertaken. There's a whole tub to be eaten, but it vanishes in no time. Ice-cream for breakfast! That's a first for me!
  2. I'm no cricket fan, but Yuvraj Singh's spectacular sixers - that too six in a row, in the World Twenty20 against England are breathtaking. I find myself exclaiming in delight and clapping my hands with glee everytime he hits one more six!
  3. Realizing that I'll have one extra breakfast at Heritage Village Club, just because I'm reaching in the morning, while my folks are reaching in the afternoon... mmmmmmmmmm... just the thought of the scrumptious, royal breakfasts there makes my mouth water!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Alive again, short fights and zapak

  1. Its good to have Dharana back at work, hale and hearty. Office is a livelier place with her around.
  2. Having verbal duals over sms. Its stimulating because of the limited text one can use. The most effective text message must be composed and one must pack a good punch in a couple of lines. Its not only a good mental exercise, but also a lot of fun.
  3. Finishing work early so that I can play silly online games on Zapak.com...

Friday, September 14, 2007

Dress lover, don't worry and to be

  1. Rediscovering A Dress A Day. A few months ago, I had followed it avidly, but had somehow lost track in the past few months. Erin, who authors this delightful blog, loves clothes, and shall we say, screams her love from the roof-tops... I know I'm never going to wear any of the dresses she writes about, but the reading is still enjoyable.
  2. A conversation I overhear. A colleague is on the phone with his wife late in the evening. "Are you home? Have you cooked dinner? Aww... don't worry... Wait till I get home and then we'll figure out dinner."
  3. Being where I want to be, as I want to be.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Impressed, Goa plans and EOD

  1. Dharana is on a fast - since last saturday, she has eaten nothing, and is surviving on boiled water. And she has resolved to continue with the fast till sunday. While I don't approve of such fasting, I must say I'm very very impressed by her will power, and by her attitude. When I'm hungry, I'm irritable. But Dharana seems to have lost none of her cheerful disposition, in spite of being so very tired and low on energy. Where did the baby of the team get such maturity from?
  2. Making plans about our imminent Goa trip with Mom and Dad. what clothes to take, which bags will be more convenient, what are the beached we'll visit... there's no end to the things we can discuss... we're all soooooooo excited, we're counting days...
  3. After a long day, sinking into bed is such a pleasure...

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Shelfari, music and new meaning

  1. Getting around to writing my first review on Shelfari. And what better book to start with, than The Prophet... I've added a widget here on the side-bar, so do check out what I have on my book shelf. And if you're a member of Shelfari, feel free to add me in your friends' list, or to request an invitation to join up!
  2. Being able to listen to the radio while driving back home on the bike.
  3. Finding a totally different meaning to a song that I've loved for years. "Tarun aahe ratra ajuni, Raajasa nijlas ka re..." - roughly translated, is "The night is still young, oh my love, why have you gone to sleep.." I've always taken it to be a love song, from a woman to her lover, who is spurning her. I learn that the situation is actually different - the song is the lament of a young martyr's wife, as she looks at his body lying in its shroud. Its a whole new perspective, and suddenly, the earlier lament no longer seems important enough...

Monday, September 10, 2007

The Fortnight that was

A couple of weeks have gone by and I haven't posted for a multitude of reasons, the most significant being that my internet has conked off again! So here are the BTs the past few days have brought my way, in no particular order...
  1. Anna sends me a small little teddy bear - a most unexpected gesture. It now occupies a place of pride among the other little beings on my desk - Donkey, Yo Mo and the chicks.
  2. George turns up on a sunday morning. I later on discover, that I was the only one unaware of his plans, and everyone was instructed to keep mum so he could surprise me :-)
  3. German Bakery. I hadn't entered the famous bakery so close to my house in spite of living in KP for more than 8 months. Something always stopped me from going there - I considered it a hangout of foreigners who come to Pune, and thought I'd feel out of place there. I'm pleasantly surprised by the place's ambience. Its a charming little place, the breakfast is yummy and the menu quite interesting. Yes, there are foreigners there, but there are also an equal number of Indians, and the place has a very friendly feel to it... I'm definitely going back there...
  4. The music player on my new cell phone. Its awesome! The sound quality is superb.
  5. Manjiri sends a mail that has just one line - Every kick in the ass is a step forward.
  6. Rohit loves the kurta I got him.
  7. Tanmoy and I have an ugly fight. This is good because for almost a week after we patch up, we're nicer to each other than usual. Tanmoy, maybe we should fight more often :-)
  8. Seeing Ananya in Mumbai, and also Pinda.
  9. A second trip to Mumbai, couple of weekends after the first one - the journey is a lot more pleasant than the first one. I have great company and there's plenty to talk and laugh about.
  10. George makes mouth-wateringly delicious chicken curry. George is a good host and he does all he can to make us comfortable.
  11. Meeting Kris's wife Vrunda. They're a cute couple.
  12. Stafford comes over to lunch with us in our cafetaria a couple of days.
  13. Shenoy likes the the books we get him for his birthday - The Amulet of Smarkand and The Golem's Eye. He likes them enough to want to complete his collection of the trilogy, with the third book - Ptolemy's Gate. We both agree that Bartimaeus rules!
  14. Watching Chak De! Its fun - each of the characters in the movie has been so beautifully portrayed. No where does the movie makes you feel it's not real. And the characters are colourful nevertheless, and spunky.

I'm sure there's plenty more, but I can't remember specific moments... Maybe that's why I should write everyday!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Letter on the move, Fab India and inspired

  1. I'm on the station to see off Veena Maushi, talking to her through the train's window while she sits inside and we wait for the train to move. Suddenly I realise that I can send the rakhis for my cousins Gaurav and Ajikya with her. Like never before, luck is on my side - the packet of rakhis is in my purse, and so is a writing pad. I thrust the rakhis in her hand, whip out the pad, borrow her pen and start writing a letter standing on the platform... the train begins to move, and I have to hurriedly sign it, the last sentence unfinished... my cousins are definitely going to think I am crazy...
  2. Fab India. No one else makes clothes like they do. They love cotton, and they understand India! I find a lovely kurta for Rohit there, and in the process, pick up a nice red cotton top for myself too...
  3. Men Of Honor. While watching it, at times I forgot to blink... and I haven't yet completely recovered from its impact. Highly recommended for everyone.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Student, horoscope and cosy

  1. My horoscope for the day tells me that this is a day for learning new things and acquiring knowledge. It indeed is.
  2. Gauri takes the effort to scan the horoscope from today's newspaper, and photoshops it, so that his horoscope for the day reads 'Rashmi will have a crush on you today.'... then with much glee he sends it to me... All this because I keep telling him I rejected him even before he had a chance to propose... and of course, he claims it was he who rejected me first, and not vice versa! He's got to be nuts!
  3. When I drive home in the evening, there's a definite chill in the air, and I'm glad to enter my cosy home and curl up in the bean bag for a while... I almost drift off to sleep, but rouse myself with some effort...

After a long time, a couple of new pics are up at Trigger Happy... Go look!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

King's fare, insanity himself and well received

  1. Puranpoli for breakfast! Mum has sent puranpolis with Veena Maushi. They're worthy of a king's breakfast table...
  2. Stafford visits us at work, and the amount of noise he makes is unbelievable! Its good to hear his familiar laugh ringing across the room. I can't believe I've worked diligently so that I'd have free time when he comes! And i'm not disappointed - he's just as insane as ever!
  3. Receiving ready help from a senior just when I most need it!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Perfect week, relative time and Blue Umbrella

  1. Wednesday was a holiday. A holiday bang in the middle of the week makes the week a very easy one. Two days of work, a day off, two days of work again and then the weekend - friday feels like a tuesday, and saturday and sunday are extra special, because they are not spent in recharging in recuperating, but in having fun.
  2. After much confusion (don't even bother to ask me what...) I finally get Veena Maushi home from the station. The remainder of the day, we just can't stop talking... there's so much to discuss and narrate... Pallu turns up later on and then the three of us head to Laxmi road to shop... need I say more?
  3. The Blue Umbrella. A very very refreshing film, made on Ruskin Bond's story. The characters are all very interesting, the story line very simple, no masala... yet the movie touches a chord somewhere through its simplicity, and I find myself involved in little Biniya and her blue umbrella... A special mention must be made of the riveting camera-work.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Early, liberation through healing and sweet reunion

  1. Finishing my day's quota of work well before 6 p.m.... I can get out of office early.
  2. I get a few pending tests done, some that I should've gotten done 6 months after last year's operation... its such a liberating feeling to see normal results and to know that there's no recurrance... now, I feel truly healed. Thank heavens!
  3. At one point of time, a few minutes ago, I'm chatting with with Aparna and Stafford and am on the phone with Shenoy... an unplanned reunion, no less sweet for the physical distance that separates the four of us! I'm the only one connected to everyone... so I get to be the messenger...

Lead India, chilling out and Arthur's Theme

  1. Times Of India's Independence Day special edition is a treat for the readers. They publish a supplement chronicling the achievements of 60 of India's 'movers' - 60 people who, in the 60 years of India's independence, have shaped the nation to become what it is, in various walks of life - politics, science, culture, business, sports... There's plenty in there to read. TOI has also started a 'Lead India Campaign', where they want people in the age group of 25 - 40 from non-political backgrounds to come forward with project plans for a better India. Its a contest, and he that wins will be launched into a political career... Sounds interesting.
  2. I have a totally chilled out day. I watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (that has to be the best Harry Potter book!), then I read Ptolemy's Gate for a couple of hours and then go for a walk in the evening... I already feel recharged.
  3. Having a very elegant and sumptuous dinner at Arthur's Theme, a french restaurant in Koregaon Park. For a change I'm a vegetarian, so I go there expecting to be disappointed by the food, but I'm pleasantly surprised! The casserole I order is delicious... I'm so full when we walk out, I have to loosen my belt...

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Baby steps, good to be unwell and Ptolemy's Gate

  1. For the first time today, I deal with two guests on my own. I'm not sure how I did, but it does look like a step forward.
  2. Because I'm not feeling well in the morning, I call up work to say that I'll be in only post-lunch. Suddenly, I have a morning to myself, and I can sleep in on a weekday. What's more, I'm at home when the cook comes and she makes me a lovely lunch. The hot, soft chapatis are an unexpected treat...
  3. Ptolemy's Gate - the third and last part of the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathon Stroud... This one's turning out better than the previous two, and I'm already very engrossed... Bartimaeus's witticisms and the foot notes he provides so helpfully, are an absolute delight!

Monday, August 13, 2007

In a shell, tiny looker and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa

  1. I'm a little low today, so I take the opportunity to draw into myself and close the world out... Thankfully, there isn't much work. Sometimes, its good to be only with yourself and to heed no one...
  2. Harshal sends more pictures of his son Adi... boy! is he a cutie-pie or what! He looks like a very happy child, always smiling, and even in the pictures, I discern a twinkle in his eye... he's going to grow up to be a looker, that one!
  3. SaReGaMaPa - a reality music show on Zee Marathi... all the contestants are talented and well versed in music. Today's theme is NatyaSangeet - the Marathi equivalent of Opera, you might say. All the singers carry of the extremely difficult songs with much panache and their music is sweet to my tired ears...

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Begining of the weekend, light and match making

  1. Waking up to a saturday....
  2. The maid makes masala puris... there's so light and soft and yummy, we just polish of one after the other...
  3. Teasing Shenoy. We've found the perfect match for him and we keep trying to convince him how good the girl in question will be for him... he keeps refusing, but the excitement is high...

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Small gestures, aunts and funtoosh

  1. Talking to Meenal and finding her basking in her new-found love. She narrates little gestures her husband makes, and I go awwwwwww.... little things like helping her out in the house and looking out for her comfort mean so much! What a truly cosy and secure feeling it must be, to have someone care so much and go the extra mile for you...
  2. Having a long chat over the phone with Veena Maushi... feels great to catch up with relatives, and Veena Maushi has for long, been one of my favourite people for a chat, 'coz she's always so easy to talk to and always has so much to talk about and so much enthusiasm.
  3. Reading idiotic jokes on Funtoosh.com

Monday, August 06, 2007

Sunday, Barista and juvenile behaviour

  1. Its Sunday. I sleep in. And I wake up only when I'm ready to. And then I have a large mug of ginger tea. Sighhh... is there a greater luxury than that?
  2. As I walk into Barista, a delicious, heady aroma of coffee hits me. I take a few deep breaths as I sink into the comfortable chair.
  3. Behaving like 10 year olds... we bicker, jostle, fight, tease and are altogether quite juvenile...

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Something on, lost and found and trrring trrring

  1. "It's not true that I had nothing on. I had the radio on." - Marilyn Monroe. I stumble across this and it brings an instant chuckle...
  2. Getting back on track and finding something I thought I had lost.
  3. My phone keeps ringing - something I had been waiting for.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

YoMo, Best of now and round the corner

  1. YoMo a.k.a Yo Monkey, a little stuffed monkey wearing a tiger-striped jacket with a hood, who hangs from a hook near my desk is a source of much joy. We picked him up at Big Bazar when we went to get a gift for Kaushik... and Dharana has been thretening to abduct him ever since. Incidentally, she's behind his christening too - 'he's so Yo! with the hood, he'll start rappin any moment' is the explanation that has been given...
  2. Now's The Time. I've been following Joe's blog ever since I started writing my own 3BTs, but somehow never mentioned him here. Today, when I catch up with his posts after having slipped on reading his blog for nearly 10 days, I rediscover my reasons for loving his blog - the rich variety of things he always has to write about, the very different culutre and life style that I get to peep into, and if I may be so bold as to say this - a strange bond that binds two so vastly different people, separated by continents and age into something akin to friendship. I again scroll down to read what he has to say in about himself - 'I was a journalist but now spend more time writing poetry and growing vegetables.' - and I'm first struck by the seeming incongruity between writing poetry and growing vegetables, and then I wonder if both aren't inherently forms of creating something and nurturing something....
  3. An email gives me a fresh perspective on success - 'success may be waiting just round the corner'. I'm told, that success will come to he that will dare to turn the corner, deviating from the straight and trodden path, onto a mysterious and unknown way, with courage. And soon, even the corners which earlier slowed him down will give him the winning edge, while the others, who stuck to the beaten 'straight' path will be left far behind. Funny. I somehow always took this phrase to mean that success was lurking around the corner, hiding from sight, waiting to pounce on me. All I had to do was manage to keep walking... but now I must turn around corners too??

Monday, July 30, 2007

Little people, happiness sale and comfy feet

  1. Listening to Atharva and Aditi's banter. Its been more than a year since I last saw the kids, and even then, had not really been able to spend much time with them. So it's awesome to see how much they've grown up. Aditi asks the cutest questions possible... ranging from why Pallavi's carrying clothes in a school bag (rucksack) to why Pallavi's cell phone doesn't flip open. Atharva, on the other hand, has grown quieter, but has more mischief up his sleeve. My greatest pleasure, however, comes from the fact that neither of the kids have forgotten me and I do not have to rebuild an acquaintance.
  2. Pune Central's 'Happiness Sale'. Its aptly named. Pallu and I pick up some great bargains.
  3. My feet are tired and aching when I finally come home after dinner ( a result of the marathon shopping spree, of course). Its so good to have them tucked into something warm and comfortable...

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Succombing, living it and the experience

  1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I finally give in to temptation and start reading it.
  2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Once I start reading it post lunch, I can think of nothing else. I drop pretense of work and plunge into the book shamelessly. I have to literally force myself to get up when its time to go home, and I immediately flop down with HP as soon as I reach home. Everything else is forgotten.
  3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. J K Rowling delivers. The book is mesmerizing and the plot well rendered. Most of the loose ends are tied up nicely... I think now that the whole story is out, a systematic revision starting from the Sorcerer's Stone down to Deathly Hallows must be undertaken...

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Book time, relief and cute?

  1. Because the train is late, I get an hour's reading time in the morning.
  2. I reach office really late and really tired, and heave a sigh of relief because there isn't much work.
  3. Tanmoy has a new haircut. Not only that, today he has bothered to shave too... so with all that extra hair removed from his face and around it, he's looking young again. I tell him he's looking cute and he brushes me off (fyi - 'men' are not supposed to be cute, little girls are!), but we meet Pallavi for dinner and there's no way he can stop her from yelling 'awwwwww... loooooook at youuuu... you're soooooooooooo cuuuuute...'.. His grimace could get him an Oscar!

Monday, July 23, 2007

Granny, stolen moments and reward for no sleep

  1. Meeting Granny. She's tired, and doesn't keep all that well, but she won't let me go without eating something! It's good catching up.
  2. The train's 4 hours late. The few extra hours at home are precious...
  3. I'm not able to sleep soundly in the train, and happen to wake up at 6 in the morning. As I look out of the window, I realise that the sun is just rising, and I'm lucky enough to have a window that's facing eastward. A serene dawn greets me - there's a mist clinging to the ground and the delicate sun rays colour it a pretty pink at places. The air is sharp and cool.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Bride, Groom and photographer

  1. The long awaited wedding finally takes place. Meenal is now married. She makes a pretty bride...
  2. Anup's ever-ready smile, that's always lurking just below the surface, ready to pop out anytime a slight chance presents itself. He's got a great sense of humor too... one, that I hope will go a long way in making life a pleasant journey for the two of them...
  3. Because I'm always taking photographs, and because of my camera, the official photographer notices me, and strikes a conversation. He's more than happy to give me tips, and when I recollect some of the great pictures he has taken at Manjiri's wedding, he obliges me with a few pics of me too! Needless to say, for once, my pictures have come out lovely! ALL it takes is a good photographer!