Wish me, younger, Brisingr and making way for the new

1. It's Dharana's birthday today. She keeps insisting every now and then: "wish me happy birthday!". We do. We wish her a happy year.
2. It's Stafford's birthday as well. I ask him how old he is and give a theatrical gasp when he tells me. "Yeah yeah... I may be older than you, but I look younger", he tells me. "That's just because of your juvenile behaviour," I tell him. A throaty laugh comes from the other end of the line. May you have many such laughs this coming year, Stafford! Wish you a happy birthday.
3. Come evening and I can't wait to get done with my work and the gym so that I can rush home and get immersed into Brisingr again.
4. Papa's camera has arrived and he's thrilled to bits with it. Mummy has called him up at the courts to tell him a gift has arrived for him from Delhi, and has refused to divulge any more information, so he has come home wondering what it might be and who might've sent it. He is already making plans of how and when to use it and of getting rid of his old point and shoot.

Gym girl, dad will shoot and Gujju Thali

1. Finally! I've done it! I've gone to gym 5 days in a row for the first time in my gymming career! I'm so proud of myself.
2. I spend a good part of the day researching digicams. I have discount vouchers both from Indiaplaza and ebay, and now I really want to buy a camera for dad. I'm especially thrilled at the idea of ordering it online and having it delivered directly to him, because online shopping is still a very new concept for him.
3. Again I join Sriharsha and Sachin for dinner and we go to a Gujrati thali place. The food is just like home! Simple and tasty! And the rotis! sighhhhh... I just gobble them up! Its sheer contentment...

It's free, come what may and encore!

1. Talking to my grandma over Google talk - she sounds so astonished and delighted to hear my voice. She's initially worried that I'm spending too much money over an international call, and finds it hard to believe that it's free!
2. Many mishaps later (we first melt a vessel in the microwave, then the microwave starts emiting sparks), we finally manage to cook a mixed veg 'kolhapuri'... and it turns out surprisingly good... the fruits of hard labour are indeed tasty! Perhaps fate had mercy on us when we wouldn't give up.
3. Looking at the pics taken at Eilat, I feel the thrill once again and as usual, fall in love with my camera all over again...

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 :-)

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...

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..

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!

Justice, say cheese and jive

1. An extremely cheeky, rude and annoying person gets a taste of his own medicine. For once, he's at a loss for words and appears flustered. That shuts him up for sometime.
2. It rains. There's thunder and lightning for accompaniment. I remember the old joke about smiling when there's lightning - "Say cheese! God's taking your picture.."
3. Dancing in office. I show Dharana some jive that I had learnt while in college. I'm quite surprised that when I try to, I can recollect quite a few steps in spite of not having jived in years...

Click away, unnecessary celebration and healing

1. We go on a looooong drive. There are plenty of opportunities to do some photograpy and I get some awesome frames. The light is perfect and its good to be outdoors.
2. Champagne! There's something very sexy about champagne...
3. At the end of the day, I feel tired, but healed... as if something inside that had been ailing for long, has finally found something that can cure it and nurture it back to health.

Narcissa, mission and oxygen

1. Wearing my colourful and vibrant pashmina (?) stole... it's so soft and feels so luxuriant. Today I team it with a black top and black jeans. I could've spent hours preening myself in front of the mirror today, if I didn't have to go to work. Nevertheless, I do manage quick peeks into the mirror (read any reflecting surface) through out the day...


2. Some pictures that I took on a colleagues camera have come out really well... I have a new mission now - photographing the reflections of clouds on the glass walls of the office buildings. And the good news is that the monsoons will soon be here, and I'll have all the clouds I want!


3. Because I have a flat tyre, I have to come back home by bus. This means, I get 20 minutes which are absolutely mine in between gym and catching the bus. I use them to stroll around aimlessly breathing in the cool clean evening air. Magarpatta city is not called the oxygen zone for nothing...

Zzzzzzz, trigger happy and silences

1. Catching up on sleep. First, I wake up really late... and then I give in to temptation and have a long afternoon siesta.
2. Going through some of the pictures I have taken and and giving myself a pat on the back.
3. Going on a long drive after dinner with friends with whom I can be myself. There's understanding and the long silences are not awkward.

Multi tasking, bride and photography

Checkout my new blog Trigger Happy. I'm going to upload my attempts at photography here. No blah blah. Will let the pictures speak for themselves.

1. Gulmohur. Everywhere I go, I see the flaming red of the gulmohur. The entire city seems to have donned a bridal veil.
2. A weekend spent with friends talking, laughing, eating, partying, drinking, teasing, and generally having fun. This is the kind of multi tasking I like!
3. Manjiri's photograpy. Again and again, I look at the pictures she has taken, and her eye for detail, symmetry and lighting, and her talent for creating frames continue to amaze me.

Good for him, shots and Bob T. Bear

1. A colleague gets admission into IIMC, K & L. He’s worked hard for this and the tension has been almost palpable for the past few days. There’s a huge wave of relief and then jubilation as the news of the results being declared spreads through the office. I love the way everyone right from the bosses are so concerned and so happy for him.
2. After thinking I’ll take the camera to work so that I can take pictures of the yellow blossoms for 3 days, I finally do. And I manage to capture some good frames.
3. I find Bob T. Bear’s Diary. Ha ha!!

Monkey business, perfect place and home theatre

Flashback: Sunday, December 31st.

1. We're on our way to Mumbai to usher in the new yar with friends and Tanmoy's antics on the bus keep me entertained. He's trying to take photographs with my camera, but the bus is moving too much to allow him to catch a frame and click it before the bus lurches or turns a corner or enters a tunnel... and needless to mention, he reacts with choice words every single time! We're in the last row of the bus, which has 6 seats, with the two of us occupying the two corner seats. The gentleman sitting by Tanmoy's side is fairly disgusted, because we just won't sit still!
2. Sangeeta immediately finds a place for the little terracotta pots I got for her... they look lovely!
3. We're at George's place at night and we watch Nagesh Kukunoor's Teen Deewarein on TV. Its a very moving and engrossing film, and its great watching a movie at home with friends.
   

Strengthened hope, tips and shooting spree

Flashback: Sunday, 24th December

1. We go to KP - Koregaon Park, to check out a flat and it looks really nice and spacious. Its right on the main road, close to my new office, and the housing society is clean and well maintained. Plus, the rent's manageable. My hopes of finally being able to live in KP are strengthened.
2. I meet a guy who actually owns a camera similar to mine, and he gives me some handy tips on using the SLR...
3. I go on a shooting spree, and anything and everything is captured in my camera's lens. Everyone else thinks I've gone crazy, but they don't know the high of having a new camera! They look at me with the kind amusement that one has, for a kid who's excited about a new toy... :-)

Veggie delight, Nach Baliye and blooms

1. I go shopping for vegetables, and the market is a happy place, bustling with activity. Its winter, so vegetables are cheap, because harvests are just in, and there are myriad varieties available. And since this is the natural season for most of the available vegetables, they are a lot juicier and taste much better than in any other season. The fruit stalls are loaded too. There's so much to choose from, I take a lot of time planning my meals for the next few days, and stock up on veggies...
2. Its the Mega Final on Nach Baliye and the normally hour long show stretches to 3 1/2 hours. There's a lot of celebration and the episode's very cleverly drafted. Malaika Arora gives a sizzling performance, and Saroj Khan dances too. Despite her girth and age, she's surprisingly agile and graceful (what else would you expect from a master choreographer?!). There's plently of leg pulling, and i stay glued to the TV through the hours. And in the end, my favourite pair - Tina and Hussain win the contest...
3. Lots of flowers are in bloom in the office garden and I think its finally time for me to bring the camera to office...

Luxury bath, preparation and surprising journey

1. A hot bath, which makes me feel squeaky clean, and warm and fragrant... winter means I can really enjoy luxurious baths, and then apply lovely smelling cold creams, and feel all nice and feminine... after the bath I want to just curl up in bed and drift of to sleep...
2. We go and buy a case for the camera, and a plug pin for the charger, so that I can finally start using the camera, and I can hardly wait to take my first shot! I wonder what my first frame will be.... Will have to think of something good...
3. When Soumitra is dropping me home on his bike after dinner, we're both expecting it to be *very* cold, and we bundle ourselves up in jackets/scraves/helmets and brace ourselves for the attack of cold... and to our pleasant surprise, we find that it really isn't that bad afterall! In fact, it turns out that the neighborhood we had dinner in was a lot colder than our route! Also, we discover that the road has been freshly made and is smooth, so what would have been a gruelling ride a month ago, is now an awesome drive!

Party goes on, camera shy and 1000 oaks

Flashback: Sunday, December 17th

1. George is in no mood to end the party (and neither is anyone else...), so even though he has to go to office on Sunday and has initially planned to leave for Mumbai by saturday evening, he rearranges plans, and stays back on saturday too, albeit with the condition that the party doesn't stop! And it doesn't..!
2. We spend a quiet evening getting acquainted with my new camera - a Nikon D40 that Shreerang got for me. And we plan what accessories need to be bought for the camera...
3. Come night, and we head to 1000 Oaks... the music there is awesome and spirits are high. Pallavi has joined us, and is in such high spirits, that she's singing loudly throughout! And Gullu has stayed back too, and when the clock strikes 12, we celebrate his birthday... Its a happy night for all of us!

Captured beauty, porridge and call

1. Seeing a gorgeous sunset and actually having a camera at hand to capture it...
2. Oat porridge - one of those meals that kinda grow on you. When I first had it, I hated it... now I actually look forward to my daily bowl of porridge for breakfast
3. A phone call that I had been waiting for, for days... can't tell you who called, but let it suffice to say that it made my day...