Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Wordless Wednesday : The sun sets on 2014


"Perhaps, the best thing about the future is that
 it comes one day at a time..." ~Dean Acheson

Clicked at the Gateway of India, Mumbai, 31 Dec 2014 

PS: Although I've called it a "Wordless Wednesday" post, I couldn't help captioning it (and writing this PS as well :) )
Happy 2015 folks!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

All I ask... : A prayer

The other day I had a "re-org" attack and was looking at old pics to organize.
As usual, I got lost in looking at the pics and recollecting the "good ol' days" (Well, not that the present days are any bad, but saying "good ol' days" has its own charm :P)
Anyways, I digress.

I found a pic of a poster I had put up on my hostel wall.
The pic is a tad bit blurry (yeah, yeah I didn't have the fancy smancy 10MP cam then :P) Good old Nokia. *sigh*
So here's the marathi version (as I had read it somewhere) :
The original Bengali version is here [Courtesy : SG]

विपत्ति मधे तू माझे रक्षण कर
ही माझी प्रार्थना नाही.
विपत्ति मधे मी भयभीत होऊ नये
एवढीच माझी इच्छा...

दु:खतापाने व्यथित झालेल्या माझ्या मना चे
तू सान्त्वन करावेस
अशी माझी अपेक्षा नाही.
दु:खावर जय मिळवता यावा,
एवढीच माझी इच्छा...

माझ्या मदतीला कोणी आले नाही,
तर माझे बाळ मोडून पडू नये,
एवढीच माझी इच्छा...

माझे रक्षण तू करावेस, मला तारावेस,
ही माझी प्रार्थना नाही.
तरुन जाण्याचे सामर्थ्य माझ्यात असावे,
एवढीच माझी इच्छा...

माझे ओझे हलके करून तू माझे सान्त्वन केले नाहीस
तरी माझी तक्रार नाही
ते ओझे वाहायची शक्ति माझ्यात असावी
एवढीच माझी इच्छा...

सुखाच्या  दिवसांत नतमस्तक होऊन
मी तुझा चेहेरा ओळखून काढीन.
दु:खाच्या रात्री, सारे जग जेव्हा माझी फसवणूक करेल,
तेव्हा तुझ्या विषयी माझ्या मनात शंका निर्माण होऊ नये
एवढीच च माझी इच्छा...

~रवींद्रनाथ टागोर

And since I am bitten by the translation bug these days, I had to attempt a translation Simply could _not_ leave it alone. ;)
Here goes my attempt at translation :

I would never pray for you
to protect me from perils;
That I never be frightened by perils
is all I ask...

I would never expect you to console
my soul that's fraught with pain;
That I can conquer the sorrowful sea,
is all I ask...

Even though none comes forth to help;
Let my strength not fail me
is all I ask...

When the world fools me
and I face betrayal;
Let my mind be strong, and let it not waver
is all I ask...

I would never pray for you
to shield me from dangers;
That I may have the capacity to stay afloat
is all I ask...

I would never complain even if you
do not reduce my burden;
That I be strong enough to carry that burden
is all I ask...

In happier times, I will bow down to you 
and recognize your face;
In dark times, when the world betrays me
Let my mind never doubt you,
is all I ask...

~Rabindranath Tagore

[Translated on 11th Nov 2014]


Friday, October 31, 2014

High on Life!

Sometimes life gives you a high
And you can't figure out the reason why!
You jump, you float;
You cry, you gloat;
And you can't help but say I'm high;
High on Life!

Sometimes life gives you a high
And you can't figure out the reason why!
May be you resolved a tricky bug
Or was it that your best friend gave you a hug;
Could've been the ginger tea your Mom brews...
Or the sky decked in sunset hues.
And you can't help but say I'm high;
High on Life!

Sometimes life gives you a high
And you can't figure out a reason why!
May be you got to work with a father figure you admire
Or you just saw stacks of fresh flowers piled higher and higher;
Could've been the effect of your recent haircut...
Or the race to book a tatkal ticket.
And you can't help but say I'm high;
High on Life!

Sometimes life gives you a high
And you can't figure out a reason why!
May be you found an antique earthen lamp decor
Or the seed you planted just sprouted a pretty blue flower;
Could've been the project deadline you successfully met...
Or the Chips and Orange Minutemaid you always get.
And you can't help but say I'm high;
High on Life!

Sometimes life gives you a high
And you can't figure out a reason why!
May be you just finalized a trip with friends
Or finished a Poirot novel with awesome twists and turns;
Could've been the pasta you cooked...
Or the Marathi play ticket your Mom booked.
And you can't help but say I'm high;
High on Life!

Sometimes life gives you a high
And you can't figure out a reason why!
May be you suddenly saw lots of fireworks in the night sky
Or just laughed over a PJ till you felt you'll cry;
Could've been that the late night radio played all your fav songs in a loop...
Or someone made you hot Manchow Soup.
And you can't help but say I'm high;
High on Life!

And you realize these are just ordinary little moments
No rocket science or phenomena strange
Even small reasons suffice;
Trivial things bring happiness...
'Coz you're high on Life!

~Written on 31st October, 2014 #Original

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Mask(s)

Came across a pic clicked sometime back, made me think of masks...

Masks we wear
Masks we think we've worn
Masks people make us wear
Masks people think we're wearing
Happy ones, sad ones
Funny ones too
Masks totally unlike us
Sometimes transparent too!
Masks we make people wear
Masks we think people are wearing...

Clicked near Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Mandir, Sept 2012

Ordinary Masks, Colourful Masks
Godly Masks, Super hero Masks
and masks of Demons too!
Masks with protruding ears and pointy chins
Bulging eyes and frowns grim
Ruddy red noses and rolling tongues.
Sometimes golden, sometimes glittery...
Masks we're glad to pull off
Masks we're afraid people will see through...

Masks we forget to put on
Masks so ingrained,
We forget we had donned!
Sometimes just one
Oft times one over the other
Masks like mirages
Real, yet a figment of someone's imagination
True, with a tinge of falsehood
Almost there, never within reach
Never black. Never white.
Always. Grey.
Masks...

~Written on 8th October, 2014 #Original

PS: This makes for the 95th published post! 5 short of the magic number. Yayyy :D

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Random Thought #2

One of the things I keep reminding myself is "Thou shalt not judge..."
Whatever the situation, whoever the person, however sad/angry/happy/pissed off/spiteful you feel...remember "Thou shalt not judge..."

You can never ever completely understand anyone else's point of view/perspective/situation unless you yourself are that person...
So the next time your mind wanders and wants to make a caustic remark about someone, hold those words back...put those thoughts away and remind yourself that, "Thou shalt not judge..." :)

Trust me, the lesson is worth learning. You will walk away a better person from it...:)

PS: A series of original random thoughts that are concise...or may be I am just too lazy to follow up with longer text...

Thursday, October 2, 2014

The reason why...


I write because ...

... most likely I have something to say, 
... sometimes...just because I have to say something too...
... it clears my head of the "thought clutter" I tend to gather
... I can.
... it gives me a high ;)
... I want to.
... I can pester friends to read the posts.
... sometimes just talking to myself in my head isn't enough ;)
... it just happens that I have a pen/paper or keyboard nearby when I am thinking...(err writing) out loud :P
... some things are best left written (and not unsaid) :)
... I love the idea of being an "author" of a blog (It's one of my childhood dreams to be a famous author and have book signings of my own) :D
... I am a grammar Nazi 
... I love the feeling when I click on 'publish' for a new post
... I can vent out feelings : grief/anger/frustrations/extreme joy
... I love diaries and fountain pens 
... its become a part of who I am
... its funnn!
... I can go on and on and on and never stop... (Yes, this is a "two-in-one liner" - a reason as well as a concluding sentence) :P

There are reasons and then there are many more reasons...
This pic, is just one of them :)

Photo courtesy  https://www.facebook.com/enchanting.minds/photos/p.336499536510354/336499536510354



Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Mask-eD

Well, waking up early on mornings has its benefits :)
The awesome foggy Lonavala morning today made me type this out as I day dreamt my way to Pune ;-)


Foggy nights
Misty mornings
Puffy grey clouds;
And amongst them shines
A golden-ish glow
Is it the Moon masquerading as the the Sun
Or the Sun masquerading as the Moon...
You stare and wonder...

A faint blob of light
It's the morn and that's the east, they say
So it must be the Sun.
But the light's little weak
Struggling to break through in streaks.
so you wonder..
It might very well be yesterday's lingering Moon
Masquerading as the Sun...
Or is it the Sun himself - subdued, solemn...
Masquerading as the Moon ?

Photo taken from : https://www.travelblog.org/Photos/4322396

Suddenly its overhead
And no one's ever seen a moon at noon.
Over the afternoon sky it hovers
A milky white globe
It lacks the power of the noontime Sun
Can it be the Moon...
Masquerading as the Sun ?
Yet it looks very much like the Sun,
Who's just decided, with a low intensity to burn
Masquerading as the Moon...

Travelling to the west
As if on some brave conquest
Golden skies, golden rays
This has to be the Sun, they say.
The blob smiles and thinks, they've never seen
A golden glowing Moon,
Masquerading as the Sun...
It sits too high over the horizon for a rising Moon,
Accompanied by twinkling starlets,
Is it truly the Sun, wearing his gold spun...
Masquerading as the Moon ?

Night falls sure and slow
Further diminishing the whitish glow
Lit bright amidst the midnight blue
This has to be the full Moon.
Or is it just the lazy Sun,
Tired of travel; refusing to run
Masquerading as the Moon ?
No, that cannot be.
The fair Moon, this has to be
And perhaps never wanting to wane,
Is just masquerading as the Sun...

~Written on 23rd September 2014 #Original

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Racing raindrops...

It's been raining away the entire week...and "racing raindrops" is what my mind calls out every time I look outside a window :)

Something that rang in my head for quite sometime, finally putting it in black & white...

Racing raindrops - Clicked at Srinagar, June 2013

Racing raindrops over the window sill
Flowing one after the other; never keep still
You choose a 'drop'; a very special one
and hope it wins the run.

Racing raindrops over the window sill
Zig, Zag, and making turns,
Down and down goes your 'drop' in a frenzied pace
Suddenly it halts, as if holding its breath.

Racing raindrops over the window sill
Your 'drop' stands still and so does time...
You wonder what its thinking; all frozen as it shines
Does it think this race is futile,
A meaningless means to an obvious end?
Or does it know it has to flow,
Down and down till it dares to go...

Racing raindrops over the window sill
Your 'drop' sits there glistening, brooding,
Till another drop joins it...
Misty, shiny, raring to go.
And without a moment's loss, together they flow.
Faster and stronger,
Racing down again.

Racing raindrops over the window sill
Your 'drops' flow down
And out of sight
You know they have joined the blue pool down
And you sigh.
Never got time to bid goodbye...
So you just look up at the window sill
and choose yet another 'drop'
You make it your 'drop', a very special one
and hope it wins the run.


~Written on 3rd September 2014 #Original




Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Wordless Wednesday : एकला चालो रे...



Clicked at Badami Temple walkway, Karnataka, June 2014



Tuesday, July 1, 2014

People I admire


The more you read about him, the more you find him enchanting. Mr. Rahul Dravid :) Although I was will always (be) a self confessed Dada fan, Dravid has this absolute honest-to-goodness quality I almost everyone finds irresistible...
And in a "jamana" of instant gratification, the man who speaks on patience is a man to look up to and adore indeed!


Rahul Dravid on “Patience”



“When I’m requested to speak to youngsters I like talking about this phase of my life and liken it to fascinating plant: The Chinese Bamboo. You can take a Chinese bamboo seed and plant it in the ground, water and nurture the seed for an entire year & not even see a single sprout. Infact, you’ll not see a sprout for 5 years. But suddenly, a tiny shoot will spring from the ground. And over the next 6 weeks, the plant can grow as tall as 90 feet. It can grow as fast as 39 inches every 24 hours. You can literally watch the plant grow.
What was the plant doing during these 5 years, seemingly dormant period, it was growing its roots. For 5 full years it was preparing itself for rapid, full growth. Without this root structure, the plant simply couldn’t support itself for its future growth. Some would say the plant grew 90 feet in 6 weeks, I would say it grew 90 feet in 5 years & 6 weeks”
PS: Saw some link on fb and suddenly realized how much I respect and admire this person :)
PPS: That's not to say I am a lesser fan of Ganguly now...once a 'Dada'giri fan, always a 'Dada'giri fan ;)
It's just that they are two vastly different people and I somehow "relate" and identify more to Dravid's outlook as a person :-))



Thursday, June 26, 2014

Random Thought #8

Loved this thought. Had to go on the blog :

"How I wish there was a perfume with the fragrance of a book..." B-) Aaaah :-)) #Bliss [Idea from here]

PS: A series of original random thoughts that are concise...or may be I am just too lazy to follow up with longer text...

Sunday, June 15, 2014

DIY : Mosiac Glass bottle

Q : What to do when boredom calls and you need a quick daily shot of inspiration @your desk?
A : Put a used flavoured-milk glass bottle and your ageing glass colours to good use.
A simple  DIY :



Pretty, ain't it? Sits happily @my desk B-)

Thursday, June 5, 2014

GoT Character Quiz

Ah! Though I would've loved getting Dany Targaryen, but this is not too bad ;-)




Take the quiz here 


Tuesday, April 29, 2014

चुकली दिशा तरीही... : Day#30/30

Last day! :)
Want to post this poem, by  Vinda Karandikar, just to keep reminding myself...

Loosely translated the poem means :
(I had to google and think quite a bit for the equivalent words...translation is a difficult task! Promise, I won't laugh at Google translate the next time around ;-) )

"All is not lost; even though the way is lost;
For a wanderer, every star is his friend.

I walk ahead, because I want to go on;
In the stupor of this pace, the roads seem all alike.

For those who fear the storms, I have this to say :
Once you break the sails, all winds are favourable!

I have torn the fate mapped by proud destiny;
And embers of the past now lie extinguished.

Even if you lose the way, you still stand under the same sky,
One who realizes this, can go anywhere.

Hope and hopelessness matter to the cautious;
The unguarded need not fear these cinders..."



Image taken from somewhere on the Internet



Monday, April 28, 2014

Margins : Day#29/30

The second last post! #Almost there :)

My desktop calender says this today :



Time to look at the 'margins' in life.
After all, they hold the most important lessons! ;-)


Sunday, April 27, 2014

Motifs : Day#28/30

I dragged PP to a संस्कार भारती (sanskaar bharati) rangoli basic workshop, organized by मराठी संस्कृतिक मंडळ, IITB this weekend.
And PP being the sweetheart that she is, came along even though she had done the workshop last year :P

Credit for all the pics goes to her and her HTC ;-)

I wanted to write a post on "motifs", but am too tired to write a long drawn post, especially after an afternoon spent standing and sweltering in the heat of StaffC. 

Post takeaway :  A fixed number of "standard" motifs can give you unique awesome designs if you combine them correctly! ;-)

The teacher taught us basic five motifs that make up the main components of a संस्कार भारती rangoli : बिंदू (dots), vertical and horizontal रेषा (lines), केन्द्रवर्धिनी (we called it jalebi since its easier to remember) and गोपद्म (the heart-like symbol, traditionally used to represent a cow's hoofs). He drew these :

5 basic motifs

These were the first dots I made, so haphazard that PP decided they were 'pic-worthy' ;-)

Dots 101
Practice made us a lot better :

Practice! :)
Ganpati

Some pattern

And we graduated to "inventing" bigger and better designs :


butterfly
peacock
Another pattern me and PP made : 

SquareD :)

This was the rangoli made by all the participants (with groups of 6 completing each motif) Hardly took ~15 mins to complete!! B-)




Overall, two weekend afternoons well spent :)


Saturday, April 26, 2014

My Fav People : Day#27/30

Love these people!
Blessed to have them in my life! :)


Including the person who clicked this : RT! :)


Friday, April 25, 2014

When in doubt... : Day#26/30

Idea courtesy : PP.
She fwded me this pic :


Then sent a whole lot of "When in doubt..." quotes from here
Extremely hilarious...

When in doubt, don't.
~Benjamin Franklin

When in doubt, take more time.
~John Zimmerman

When in doubt, use brute force.
~Ken Thompson

When in doubt, tell the truth.
~Mark Twain

When in doubt, mumble.
~James H. Boren

Combine above two, and you get :
When in doubt, mumble the truth? ;-)

When in doubt, do something.
~Harry Chapin

When in doubt, throw it out.
~Jeremy Jackson

When in doubt, exchange.
~John Zimmerman

When in doubt, make a fool of yourself.
~Cynthia Heimel

This is as good as :
When in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.
~Laurence J. Peter

When in doubt wear red.
~Bill Blass

Probably, this author didn't like red much :
When in doubt, go with black.
~Leigh Lezark

When in doubt, sing loud.
~Robert Merrill

When in doubt, take the next small step.
~Paulo Coelho

When in doubt, take a selfie :P
~don't know the author

When in doubt, google it out! (seems legit ;) )
~don't know the author

I'd say :
When in doubt, stay doubtful !! ;-)
(I looked it up, no one's said it yet...probably because it doesn't make sense when you are in doubt...but that's only going to take you in recursive circles of thought :P)

When in doubt, what do you do??

PS: PP says,  When in doubt, you can always turn towards the sea. :)

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Inked! : Day#25/30

I have skipped almost an entire week and it's also the nearing of the 30 day challenge too...promise I will post the missing ones soon enough!

I have had my own reasons for skipping writing - a code freeze looming up @office and (the real reason!) I was busy 'wolfing' down (pun intended!) book 2 of the Game of Thrones series.  ;-)

Simply UNPUTDOWNABLE :P Superbly brilliant.
I just finished reading it and so so wish I could just run to my library and get the third book ASAP - which surely is the first thing I'll do tomorrow morning - just hope its not issued already...
It took all my willpower to not carry the book to office, or call in sick this week :P and when I did live in 'our' real world, and not in the land of Westeros :P, I remembered I had to travel home to fulfill a "voting" duty as well :)

To be honest, I am never one to hotly debate and take sides - pro-AAP, anti-Congress, Modi-fied, etc etc, but, whether to vote for the MP candidate in the area, or look at the party's PM candidate and vote for the party rather than the candidate, is one issue I thought a lot about and also discussed a lot @home, with friends...

Some interesting links : this, this, this and this cartoon...


My take :
The MP usually doesn't have much budget to spend on the constituency and is more concerned with representing his people @the national level, so if you would want someone to "look after" local issues, he's not the one to hanker after - the MLA or the Corporator is the one more likely to be actively involved.
For the purpose of Loksabha elections, just thinking a MP candidate is good, he'll do "good work" in the constituency is not enough. We would need to look at the bigger picture - the party's PM candidate as well.

Luckily, the BJP-ShivSena candidate, this time around in my constituency, is quite a "clean", highly educated, young candidate (at least at face value).
So a part of me thinks since the candidate is good, and their high profile PM candidate could prove to be good (although I'm not ready to believe him entirely innocent of the Godhra carnage and he obviously is no magician or a "saviour" as many claim. Also, I think the "Har Har Modi...Ghar Ghar Modi" line is in very poor taste too, but a leader who will speak his mind, who will take a stand will be a welcome change), it wouldn't hurt to support them.

That said, it does not mean I disrespect Mr. Manmohan Singh...I agree the man might have not "stood up" to his party president and he was much better as a FM than a PM, appeared 'meek' and all that, but he's an extremely intelligent economist and we have to respect that fact.
And the way the social media and the people at large make fun of him and his "silence" is really pathetic - people who don't know a thing about governance and economics and party politics assume they have freedom to take digs and pot shots at him - just because he hasn't bothered to lash back at them.
Seriously, give the man a break. I'm sure history will be more kind to him, as they say...

But, I digress.
The point is - one part of me wants to vote for the new clean well educated MP + dynamic PM combo, while the other half is pro-AAP.

I fear that if "we, the people" don't give AAP a chance this time, "we, the people" (not AAP!) might never get a second chance the next time around - AAP or no AAP. And that would be really really bad.
We can be sure the "big fish" out there would make sure no future "small fish" try to rise and oppose them next time. Read this, if you haven't already.
Although I was upset over all the Delhi drama that unfolded and hope they have better governing sense the next time around, it would really be a pity if the AAP "movement" fizzles out for lack of public support. Which makes me lean a bit towards them and wonder if I should shout "Accio, broomstick" today ;-) ( !(original) joke, read it somewhere :) )

Anyways, I hope I'll sort out the confusion and make up my mind by the time I get to the poll booth :)

PS: I did make up my mind. Of course am not posting my decision here!
Here's my vote selfie :)



PPS: On a lighter note, this faking news doing the rounds on fb is hilarious :P

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Earth Day : Day#23/30

April 22nd is celebrated as the Earth Day.

Here are a few things _you_ can do to help :
1. Carry a cloth bag to buy veggies/groceries. Always keep one in your purse/laptop backpack, so it's easily accessible.
I really really hate it when someone next to me in the store buys a small packet of maggi, or a few eggs, or a single shampoo/oil bottle and asks for a plastic bag. Please please please do not ask for plastic bags. We already have enough of them :-|

2. When travelling, carry tickets on SMS, opt for e-statements from your bank. Avoid printing unless absolutely essential. And if you are printing, print on both sides, or reuse some old single sided printed paper.

3. Recycle newspapers, glass bottles and small metal objects. Your kabadiwalla /raddiwalla will gladly give you some money in return.  Also most Nokia care stores have drop boxes to recycle e-waste. Drop your old, broken, unusable cell phone parts, batteries, headphones, chargers there; instead of dumping them into the normal garbage bin.

4. We use smart phones, its time we get smart with our garbage as well. Segregate. Wet and dry garbage. PMC has made it mandatory, but even in other cities, seperate the wet and dry trash.
How will it help if it ultimately is going in the same collective bin, you ask? Well, compost your wet waste. And recycle the dry waste - paper, metal, glass and ewaste should never reach landfills. They can be reused if we dispose them correctly - to the kabadiwalla, raddiwalla, ewaste collectors etc. You'll end up reducing the amount you actually"throw away" and the Earth (also your children!) will thank you for it.

5. Like I said earlier, compost your wet waste. Here's an amazing site to tell you all about home composting and how you can do it quite easily.  They also sell products and provide support that makes composting much easier!

6. Please please please avoid using plastic cups and stirrers at office. Get your own mug for coffee. It's time you used that fancy mug (often you'll have more than one, am sure!) you've got as a gift!! :P  Invest in a funky water bottle and keep one @your desk rather than using a plastic cup every time you want to drink water.

7. Ever seen someone in a BMV/Audi or some such "posh" car driving ahead at full speed, only to go a few feet ahead,  and fling garbage (fruit skins/chips packets/plastic bags/even beer bottles and baby diapers!) from their "posh" windows? Quickest way to turn admiration to disgust, if you ask me.
Keep a small (yeah plastic! works just fine) bag or an old newspaper with you at all times so you could dump your trash in it, in case there's no trash can easily available.
There's no shame in carrying the empty coffee cups/chips packets you/your friends had (yeah, the chips/biscuits/chocolate your friend ate and didn't share, counts too!)
Simply carry them in a bag until you find a garbage bin, or dump them when you reach home. This applies to chips packets, biscuit wrappers you buy and eat in trains/buses as well... Please don't throw them out of the bus or train window... If you buy tea and think it's too messy to carry the cup, and you're too lazy to remember that trains have a dustbin that's located near the wash basin, then at the minimum keep the empty cup beneath the seat, but please don't throw it out the window. I really think Indian railways must come up with a "The window is not a dustbin" campaign. People unfortunate enough to sit next to me and trying to throw stuff have already gotten doses of unasked for advice :-P

8. Fix your broken/leaky taps immediately.  Read this awesome story for inspiration and remember the man the next time you get too lazy to call the plumber on Sunday mornings. :P

9. Donate your old clothes to some charity. Donate old toys to an orphanage or just give them to your neighbour's kids. Circulate books you've already read amongst your friends and relatives. Borrow books you want to read from a library. Reuse.
Remember to teach children there's no shame in using second hand stuff. Teach them to be proud of the fact that they will send less stuff to the landfills.  It's a consumerist world, and we need more people who will think twice (may be thrice or even more!) and look for reuse opportunities before actually "buying stuff" :|

10.  Use water sparingly. Skip baths ;-) (It's one excuse to give to mom the next time she pesters you to leave the Sunday morning newspaper and hurry for a bath :P)

11. Be wise with electricity. Use it _only_ when you actually need it. Look for natural cooling options this summer. वाळ्या चे पडदे (curtains made from a certain kind of grass that cools and gives out a pleasant fragrance when its wet) is a grander option than any AC you'll find in the market. Wiki knows वाळा too :P.
Think about having staircase lights with sensors in your building, so they are ON only when needed.


Happy Earth Day people!!

Image sourced from somewhere on the Internet


Remember, every small act counts in the quest towards a greener planet.
Lets give our dear darling Earth more reasons to smile :)


Monday, April 21, 2014

My Experiments with Food - II : Day#22/30

Making Lunch when Mom is away.
Decided to make stuffed tomatoes, a la Hostel 11 dinner special. ;-)

Here's how I made it. I really don't follow measurements and hence am not giving them here as well. As my Mom says, "अंदाजे घाल" (put as per what you think is right)

The pre-preparation :

1. Chop off a little disc from the top of all tomatoes, keep them aside.
2. With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp and keep that aside too.

For the stuffing :
1. Mash together boiled potatoes and green peas, finely chopped onions. Add a little ginger garlic paste, salt, chilli powder, haldi, garam masala, jeera + coriander powder as per taste.

For the gravy :
1. Grind together some cashews, dry red chillies, coriander leaves, the tomato pulp scooped out earlier, salt, green chillies (if you want it more spicy), a teeny tiny amount of sugar, jeera, ginger, some black pepper, lavang, a tiny dalchini stick. Add some water, as per liking.

Actual preparation :
1. Stuff the mixture in the tomatoes and cover it with the "lid" we had cut off earlier and keep aside.
1. Heat some oil in a kadhai, add the gravy and stir till it becomes a little reddish brown.
You could add a little water and adjust the spices if you think it's needed...
2. Slowly add the stuffed tomatoes to the gravy, taking care the "lids" don't open and spill over.
3. Cover the kadhai and allow them to cook for some time, no need to "stir occasionally" ;-) :-P
4. Garnish with chopped coriander and a little cream if you wish to...
5. Done!
6. //TODO : Test this on Rohit  ;-)

Stuffed Tomatoes

PS : Apparently, it wasn't bad, Rohit survived :-P
PPS : The leftovers actually ended up tasting much better the next day  ;-)


Sunday, April 20, 2014

Faith : Day#21/30

Faith!
Img source  : https://www.pinterest.com/pin/124693483406603895/

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Kintsukuroi : Day#20/30

I'm writing Day20-24 posts a bit later than they were supposed to be written, all because of the GoT addiction ;-)
Writing these missing posts feels so much like those school times when we were supposed to write one paragraph and do 10 sums per day for Diwali homework. I usually ended up doing the entire week's (or the fortnight's) homework in a single day (yeah, just the day before school reopened ;) ) :D :D
This seems so much like that!

Came across this photo and it just had to go on the blog :


Here's the wiki page for Kintsukuroi (pronounced as keen-tsoo-koo-roy), the Japanese art of mending objects with gold lacquer.


Not only is there no attempt to hide the damage, but the repair is literally illuminated... a kind of physical expression of the spirit of mushin....Mushin is often literally translated as “no mind,” but carries connotations of fully existing within the moment, of non-attachment, of equanimity amid changing conditions. ...The vicissitudes of existence over time, to which all humans are susceptible, could not be clearer than in the breaks, the knocks, and the shattering to which ceramic ware too is subject. This poignancy or aesthetic of existence has been known in Japan as mono no aware, a compassionate sensitivity, or perhaps identification with, [things] outside oneself.
~Christy Bartlett, Flickwerk The Aesthetics of Mended Japanese Ceramics

The thought is so amazing - that things are more beautiful for having been broken...

Extrapolate this to life...Sometimes we stumble, life deals us hard blows - and we don't have much option except to pick ourselves up and carry on...

But we need to appreciate the scars, the bruises and the welts - for each and every wound changes us - for the better.
A mark to remind us we can be much much stronger than we think we are. We can battle on long after we think our strength has left us. Reminders of our ability to stand through and bear it all.

Battered, bruised, broken - but all the more beautiful for it :)




Friday, April 18, 2014

Fireflies : Day#19/30

A tiny spark that disappears if you blink, suddenly reappearing somewhere else.
Surrounded by the fragrance of moist earth, the twinkling with a orange glow seems almost surreal in the cool monsoon night.
You stare and suddenly there are many more of those tiny lights glittering about.
Fireflies! :)

My first encounter with fireflies was when I was about 4-5 years old, and although I don't remember much from times back then, I can clearly remember standing in our balcony after dinner and looking out for fireflies with my father. We used to have a firefly spotting contest and I used to pester him with lots of questions on light, sky, night, the moon, why the flies glow, how the stars twinkle, blah blah, the usual questions kids demand an explanation for and he used to patiently try his best to explain the workings of the universe to me...:)

Then I didn't think much about them, couldn't spot them that often after we moved homes, and our new home didn't have such a huge open space nearby...
So they were a reserved sight on the occasional monsoon trips/train journeys where you could spot them just for a moment or two.

Much later, during hostel days, as I walked back late nights to H11, they became a regular sight once again. This time around, I spotted a few glow worms on tree roots as well...It was almost magical...Fireflies and glow worms pottering about on cold windy rainy nights. :)

Of late, when I travel by trains frequently to Mumbai, there's a patch just before Palasdari station that has lots of fireflies flitting about. And the train almost always stops by for a signal here. The twinkling sight makes me super nostalgic...and I've started taking the train's stop and their being there almost for granted, a part of my journey home... :)

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Unsaid Wishes : Day#18/30

A hot summer afternoon, and how he would love to plonk down on the squishy sofa, a tall bottle of lemon or kokam sherbet by his side, a dish of wafers/popcorn to munch, the AC set to full blast, curtains drawn to put out the harsh sun, and flick the TV remote to his favourite super hero movie.
The scrawny teenager smiled at that image in his mind.
"Someday...." he thought to himself, tuck the address list in his pocket, hung the big brown bag on the handle, mounted his cycle and started on his rounds of grocery delivery...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She saw kids come with their parents every weekend, sometimes they thronged on weekdays also...especially now that the school holidays had begun.
She saw her own little Radha in every small girl who tried on pretty frocks and tops. She imagined the joy on Radha's face when she would bring her to the store and try that new green dress or that latest orange kurta that they had put on the statue kid...perhaps she could also get her those colourful rubber like slippers with holes on the top...'Crocs' she thought they were called...
"Someday..." she thought to herself and went back to scanning the tags and telling the people that only three garments at a time were allowed into the trial rooms...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He climbed the stairs down the bridge hastily, hoping to get a glimpse of her. A fleeting glance and they smiled at each other. The jostling crowd, the April heat, the impending work deadline, the landlord's threats to end their contract if he didn't agree to the increased rent, all went out of his head for that one single moment. He smiled goofily. He wanted to talk to her, ask her - her name, who she was, where she worked, books she read, films she liked, food she loved, her family, her world...but never ventured to say a hello ever.
"Someday..." he thought as he saw the train chug into the platform and plunged into the sea of multitudes waiting to board the second class compartment...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She saw the shiny brochures and the colourful life each of the destinations offered. She smiled thinking of the fun they would have on top of the Eiffel, and while taking a camel ride for the pyramids, standing and gazing at the Niagara and walking along the Great Wall of China on a moonlit night.
Clicking pictures of cherry blossoms in Japan, or Tulips in Holland. Going on cruises along the Nile, deep sea diving amongst the corals in NewZealand.
"Someday..." she smiled and answered the next enquiry call to help plan a vacation for some starry eyed tourist...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Much that's fair : Day#17/30

Taking the easier way out and posting a quote for today's post ;-)

I rarely 'buy' books, I prefer to get them from my library. And only buy the ones I'll re-re-read ;-)

But, I absolutely love! LOTR and its complete box set is one of my most prized possessions B-)




Image source : This fb page.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

The Elephant in the room : Day#16/30

Have you heard of the elephant in the room syndrome?
Well, even if you haven't heard, I'm sure everyone must have gone through it at least once...

It's like this:
Imagine a room where people are sitting, discussing stuff. They may be colleagues, may be friends, may be family...
And there's an elephant right in the middle of the room.
A huge elephant.
Everyone 'sees' it, but no one wants to 'notice' it. No one acknowledges it. No one talks about it. No one brings up the fact that there is an elephant in the room, although each is aware the other knows of the elephant's existence.

How many times do we ignore the 'elephant' in the room? The thing that's on everyone's mind, but no one wants to say out loud.
I am guilty of quite a few many times.

It takes courage to say out loud that there's an elephant in the room.  Recognizing an issue is the first step towards trying to solve it.

Here's to noticing the elephants and spelling out thoughts.
Speak. Talk. Discuss. They say it helps!
(Yeah yeah, I know I'm preaching...I go into infinite thinking loops and never say out whatever I want at the moment it's meant to be said)
Precisely the reason I identify most with the 'elephant in the room' syndrome.

PS: These days, I often start by saying, "I want to talk about the elephant in the room..." whenever I need to have those 'difficult' talks, and that in itself eases tensions and makes the conversation much more easier ;-)

Monday, April 14, 2014

Simplify : Day#15/30

Half way through the 30 days!!

There are a lot of things on my mind of late, and can't seem to do justice to all of them at once! :-|
So this is what sits on my desk to remind me to 'simplify' :)



Idea sourced from somewhere on the Internet.
#iSketch #OfficeTP #tissuepapersketches

Sunday, April 13, 2014

S.O.S : Day#14/30

This Sunday, went on my first night trek (Katraj to Sinhagad, or K2S as its popularly called).  It was a huggeee gathering of people (almost 120 in our group and some 60-odd of another group!) and full moon night being just two days away, we didn't really need any torches.
Although there were patches where one was better off with a torch and also one slightly teeny weeny time frame where I thought I had lost the track, and couldn't see anyone ahead or behind me. :P

In that infinitesimally small time frame, I thought I had no "effective" way of signalling for help, except obviously shouting till I went hoarse (and there was no need for it thankfully as well :P)
But, at such times, one realizes how few 'life saving' skills one has, and you wish you had paid more attention to all those 'knot tying', 'signalling' and other such sessions you had back in school ;)

This, and the fact that I am fascinated by Morse code, and have tried to read/remember it quite a few times made me post this here.

Morse code, simply put, is a universally accepted signalling system, usually used by ships/planes/defence personnel etc. It consists of dots and dashes that denote alphabets.  More on the wiki page.

You can't really remember every single thing...especially so since there's no real need to use it as often...

A simple S.O.S (Save our Souls) signal in Morse Code is :




(... --- ...) dot-dot-dot dash-dash-dash dot-dot-dot

And if you are using a torch/flashlight to signal, the dot is usually one second long, and the dash is two/three seconds long.

GK++ ho gaya :)

For now, (-... -.-- .)

PS: See this Morse code translator, for tp and if you want to annoy your friends next time you are bored ;-)


Saturday, April 12, 2014

The Art of Knowing : Day#13/30

Loved this pic, (here's the source) and had to put it on the blog...


"The Art of Knowing, is knowing what to ignore..." ~Rumi

Friday, April 11, 2014

Kar Chalna Shuru Tu... : Day#12/30

After the loonngg never-ending 100 random questions post, really wanted to take the easy way out...
Posting a song I really really love and can listen to infinitely....
Absolutely amazing lyrics.
Absolute beauty of a song.
Enjoyy maaDi :)


Thursday, April 10, 2014

100 Random Questions : Day#11/30

I was browsing through the Internet, and I found these 100 random questions...
Decided to answer them for today's post...
It's quite long, and I was quite exhausted by the time I finished :P
So read at your own risk...;)

Rambling onn...

Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.
"A yound Chandra learnt the merit of sharing one's resources at a very young age from his mother, who ran a very frugal household and gave her limited resources to the needy ones in their community"
(From the book "Legacy" by Sudha Menon. Had got it as a birthday gift for my aunt. Still sitting @my desk, waiting to be given to her...)
 
Stretch your left arm out as far as you can, What can you touch?
At office right now, so... my old computer monitor@office that they haven't bothered to take away :P

Before you started this survey, what were you doing?
facebooking

What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Been more than 3 weeks since I last watched TV, since I haven't gone home in some weeks...

Without looking, guess what time it is
8.05 PM(had just checked some time back :P)

Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
8.08 PM

With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
The AC in office, the person next to me typing or someone about in the office cafeteria getting coffee, and the CPUs whirring away in the server room

When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
Walking in the office parking lot and catching up on gossip with G, to while away post lunch drowsiness

Did you dream last night?
I don't exactly remember if I did :P

Do you remember your dreams?
Sometimes I do...sometimes I just remember I dreamt something, but don't remember the actual dream until days later when the dejavu feeling strikes :)

When did you last laugh?
Today evening

Do you remember why / at what?
During yoga class when we asked our instructor to let us hold Makarasana (head down) ;) for 100 counts :P

What is on the walls of the room you are in?
At office - so some paintings+posters of Sybase/SAP products  advertising their latest tagline - RUN ;-) (RUN like never before...RUN anywhere anytime) :D

Seen anything weird lately?
Nope
 
What do you think of this quiz?
It's fun :)
 
What is the last film you saw?
300 (part 2)

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
May be Paris, or some obscure small town somewhere, or may be some of the time in NY, some in Mumbai and the other half globe trotting ;) Provided it's really easy to connect/meet my family (may be if there's floo powder or apparition allowed :) )

If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
hmmm...have to think...probably a nice cottage somewhere with a big garden and a swing in it :)
 
Tell me something about you that most people don't know.
I love gifting people close to me...especially unique self made gifts. I can spend endless amounts of time thinking about my friends/family's hobbies/interests and what could be gifted to whom :)

If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Make people more compassionate and considerate of others.

Do you like to dance?
Not really. Not at all in public :P

Would you ever consider living abroad?
May be for sometime somewhere down the line...not sure...

Does your name make any interesting anagrams?
avrup
vapur

Who made the last incoming call on your phone?
My Mom
 
What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer?
A group photo from an Esselworld trip with friends in 3rd year of Engg, which ST had shared...

Last time you swam in a pool?
Three days back :D
 
Type of music you like most?'
Anything with good lyrics
 
Type of music you dislike most?
Music with weird or meaningless lyrics

Are you listening to music right now?
No
 
What color is your bedroom carpet?
I don't have a carpet in my bedroom
 
If you could change something about your home, without worry about expense or mess, what would you do?
Create/re arrange storage areas more efficiently

What was the last thing you bought?
A baddy racquet
 
Have you ever ridden on a motorbike?
Ridden pillion, yes. Driven, no.

Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?
Sky diving

Do you have a garden?
Not unless potted plants in the balcony count :P
 
Do you really know all the words to your national anthem?
Yes

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning?
I am too lazy and sleepy to think or remember what I thought about ;)

If you could eat lunch with one famous person, who would it be?
Emma Watson
 
Who sent the last text message you received?
Canara bank internet banking service :P

Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Shopper's Stop!! or Mother Earth ;)
 
What time is bed time?
Anytime in between : 11 PM -1 AM

Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?
Nopez

How many tattoos do you have?
Zero.
 
If you don't have any, have you ever thought of getting one?
Yeah, may be a tiny butterfly on the nape of my neck, or by the side of my wrist. I doubt I'll ever act on this whim though ;-)
 
What did you do for your last birthday?
Celebrated @my room with friends, mid night cake cutting, TP, the works...
 
Do you carry a donor card?
Have a blood donor's card, but don't carry it around though.
 
Who was the last person you ate dinner with?
My roomie, PR
 
Is the glass half empty or half full?
Half full with water, half empty with air ;)
 
What's the farthest-away place you've been?
Kashmir, so far.

When's the last time you ate a homegrown tomato?
Never :-(

Have you ever won a trophy?
Yo! Many ;)

Are you a good cook?
Yupp, I would like to think so :D

Do you know how to pump your own gas?
If you're talking of cycles, then yes I do. Cars, no.
Else, I don't know what you're talking about! :P

If you could meet any one person (from history or currently alive), who would it be?
From history, Themistokles (may be coz I just saw the move 300 , and fell in love with the name, the actor and the character....in no specific order :P) or closer home, may be Gautam Buddha. If imaginary, definitely Harry Potter :)
 
Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school?
Of course. 12 years of my life :)

Do you touch-type?
Not really.
 
What's under your bed?
Yesterday's newspapers and a folded mat.
 
Do you believe in love at first sight?
Not really.
 
Think fast, what do you like right now?
Coconut water :P
 
Where were you on Valentine's day?
@office, duh

What time do you get up?
Between 7 to 8 AM most days.
 
What was the name of your first pet?
Haven't had a pet ever.

Who is the second to last person to call you?
One of my office friends, H.

Is there anything going on this weekend?
Katraj to Sinhagad night trek :)

How are you feeling right now?
Not too good, to be honest.

What do you think about the most?
Life!

If you had a Big Win in the Lottery, how long would you wait to tell people?
No time at all! I'll call up my near and dear ones immediately!!

Who would you tell first?
My Mom.
 
Do you sing in the shower?
Sometimes :P
 
What do you do most when you are bored?
Sleep.

What do you do for a living?
I so wish I could just say, "I write" :)
Well, I do write for a living...I write code :P

Do you love your job?
Yesh! Very much.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A doctor, or an author, an architect, a painter. I wanted to be so many things :)
 
If you could have any job, what would you want to do/be?
An author, or own a gift shop of my own, with lots of pretty and interesting gifts...:)
 
Which came first the chicken or the egg?
Out of wits to answer this ;)
I'll pass the question.

How many keys on your key ring?
Two.
 
Where would you retire to?
Never gave it a thought.
 
What kind of car do you drive?
I don't drive these days.
 
What are your best physical features?
My smile.
 
What are your best characteristics?
Straightforward, considerate, honest, compassionate and a good listener

If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would you go?
Japan or Europe or north east India, or Brazil, or Australia maybe...lots of places...how can you name a single one!

What kind of books do you like to read?
Fiction mostly. Of late I have started reading books themed around Indian/World history/fiction based mythology.

What is your favorite time of the day?
Early evening...5-7 PM ish

Where did you grow up?
Dombivli

How far away from your birthplace do you live now?
About 300 kms.

What are you reading now?
Malgudi days and the Book 2 of the Game of Thrones series.

Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Night owl.

Can you touch your nose with your tongue?
No! :P

Can you close your eyes and raise your eyebrows?
Yupp

Do you have pets?
Nope

How many rings before you answer the phone?
Usually immediately, unless I am really very busy.

What is your best childhood memory?
Friday night carrom under emergency lamp (coz Friday was usually a load shedding day back then) and Sunday lunches with family.

What are some of the different jobs that you have had in your life?
Not many different kinds I believe...just a Research Assistant at ASC, IITB and then a s/w developer.

Any new and exciting things that you would like to share?
Bas karoo!! Am tired of answering questions :-|

What is most important in life?
Being at peace with yourself and circumstances.

What Inspires You?
My family, lots of (small) things : full moon and a starry sky, rainbows, butterflies, white flowers on green grass...

Whew!! Done at last!! :P
Made me tired...