PK : the name of a movie

My facebook feed in the last few days is full of "why only Hindu bashing in this movie PK" statuses written by highly offended Hindus and duly shared by moderately offended concurring friends. I thought I'd add my contribution to all your feeds too in response because i'm tired of being the mute receiver of such distressed cries.

First of all, the movie does not shun Hinduism or faith in general. At the risk of giving out spoilers (I know! hah!) they clearly show how equally ineffective every faith's method of prayer is. They were unable to touch upon Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism (?), Confucianism and Scientology. Maybe the movie makers don't like them either (or maybe they consider these ones perfect).

More importantly, they have been careful enough to not go down the atheism angle. Said Gods might know what would have happened had they done that. Or maybe that would have been a good thing. The Hindus would not feel all singled out then. The movie embraces faith but with sane viewpoints that one would expect most educated theists to already be in possession of, or at the very least not be offended by. (Oh List it out you say?) Use common sense, don't be swayed by the myriad 'godmen' in existence, take care of ailing family before leaving on a pilgrimage to heal them, don't expect a prayer/10 prayers/100 somersaults to change your life and so on.

Having said this, the movie is not all that great. It has many genuinely strong laugh-out-loud moments, good dialogues, but the songs are unnecessary and a complete drag, multiple scenes are redundant and a few scenes to the end are so ridiculously cliched we managed to squeeze a few good laughs out of those as well.

Run? Who? Me?

I've caught the running bug. I have. It's contagious, but for better distribution of the infection, I'm writing a post that I hope will be its carrier. Be patient, and do not dismiss this as yet-another-athlete-who-runs-magically telling me to run. If you need an equivalent synopsis, it's "someone-who-huffs-and-puffs-just-like-me". Trust me, it is a positive message :)

First, to truly connect with this, let's start with my background. Let me know if you can relate to any of the following, either for yourself or someone you care for.

• Love/Hate Live-with/Hate relationship with weight issues for most part of my life.
• Little to no exercise for months at a stretch. 
• Inconsistent attempts at joining the gyms and aerobics classes
• Bordering-on-social-disorder shyness to step out and attempt to run. (I had multiple issues: more on that below.)
• Inability to run for more than about 60 seconds (3 minutes if I'm in those bouts where I've been exercising a bit)

Those of you who know me personally, know that I ran a 10K in 2011. Of course, it was awesome. But I'd like to clarify, that I didn't run the whole distance. I did a run/walk - with more run than walk. I had been learning to run before that with a group of wonderful people and raised funds for more wonderful people. If not for them, even if I'd managed to sign up for a 10K, breaking free from the shyness, there would be a lot more walk than run.

So why shy about running? The gist for the purposes of this post is that I feel odd, I am abnormally wary of men staring (very common in a place like India) and I would fear meeting people I'm supposed to have been introduced to and can't remember their names, no matter what! Ideally I would have liked to run early in the morning when it's still dark, when no one can see me and I can see none.  I started writing about this with the intention of keeping it brief, but it turned out there was so much I wanted to say, so I've shifted this to a whole new post (link to come soon).

So how did I shed those inhibitions? I ran with a group, and I ran inside Cubbon Park, Bangalore, to begin with, where everyone else was also either running/walking/exercising. So you don't feel odd when everyone's doing the same thing as you are.  Even later on, when I would step out on my own, at any of those nearby parks in India, where there are running tracks, there were always other people walking/running. Of course, if you're a girl,  you're going to get an extra look or two, but it seems safe. In fact, you'll be surprised to see elderly 'aunties' doing uncommon exercises as well! Make sure there are enough people and there is enough daylight. Of course, this is an India-specific safety concern. Runs in the US have been very comfortable.

Also, don't wake up early if you don't want to! Do it in the evenings if you're not a morning person. One less excuse to make to yourself.

How about feeling conscious about my ability? Well you have to understand that you aren't the same as other people, and if they are already fitter to begin with, they are going to have a headstart. So you have to quit comparisons of any sort, and race with yourself like the recently mentioned sunscreen song says:

Sometimes you are ahead, sometimes you are behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

(I hear groaning, enough with the "sunscreen song" already! I hear you!)
After a while of huffing behind other people in the group, I didn't care about that anymore. I had my personal targets and worked on them.

The key is to start small, but don't stay small. Last year, I started small, trying to improve my running-at-a-stretch time, but didn't improve as much as I would have liked to, mainly because it was such a rough self-goal that I had given myself. Something like "little more than last time." (And I wouldn't even remember how much 'last time' was.)

This year, I came across this plan from another blog:- the NHS C25K nine week plan. It's the Couch to 5K plan, or more accurately, How to go from being a couch potato to running 30 minutes at a stretch. They assume you'll be running 5K in those 30 minutes, but that's a stretch for us newbies. And in fact, from the community for this plan, I found that I was not alone. There were plenty of people running - running alone - running slowly - but they were doing it.

The plan spans nine weeks, where you will go from running 60 seconds at a time to 30 minutes at a stretch by the ninth week. It comes with ready to download MP3's that you can play while you're running. The audio is timed to tell you when to start running, when to stop and walk to recover and when to start running again. And it's not some set of mechanical Start-Stop-Start commands. They've made it very 'human'. A person called Laura speaks to you like she's running along with you, giving you running tips, encouraging you and of course, timing you. Each week's plan has three runs with a rest day between each run. This works because you start off so small you just can't give up! This works because it feels like you're taking a personal trainer along with you! Each week I built over the last and ran. Although it starts small, in time, you are trusted to make the bigger leaps. It makes sure you don't underestimate yourself.  Not having run in almost a year did have its consequences, but the structure of the program worked. Time and again, from the community, I found people who had done the jump from one week to the next, so I knew that I could do it. That's one way of plowing through the mental blocks.

The other thing I did was to remove the weight-loss goal from this endeavor. Weight loss and fitness goals are different from each other. There may be some overlap, but the two can be very different. I wanted to run this time, just to be able to run better. I wanted to run, to be fitter. I think that took off a lot of the pressure. A lot of people attempt running and give up when they see there's no change on the weighing scale. That's not to say you won't lose weight. If you eat carefully, you probably will. A lot of difference will not be on the weighing scale but on that measuring tape. But if you want to run, you should do it just for the sake of running. Feel that sense of achievement when you go further, longer than the last time. Sometimes people advise me on how to make my running 'more effective' (ie, how to lose weight). But I know what I want - I want to hit the next milestone!

To summarize, if you want to catch this running bug too, here are a few of my suggestions:

• I highly recommend a structured plan like NHS Couch to 5K to get started 
• Try to run with a group
• Separate the weight loss goal from your running target. Start running just to RUN.
• Don't compare yourself with others. Your best sense of achievement will come against your own personal targets.

Happy running!

Validate me!

Hello friends! Today I am going to talk to you about a very important topic for human beings. It is the primary driving force behind most actions, and many reactions. It is (wait for..) the need for (..it) validation! Oh the title already gave it away. Repeating it, since it's likely all those brackets and unnecessary what-nots distracted you: The Need for Validation.

Everyone wants to be praised, to be appreciated, to be acknowledged for the things they do, the things they create, the way they do. Someone puts up a link/photo/factoid about self on facebook, they want it to be acknowledged, they want it to be liked. I write a blog post, I hope for wait for dream about some comments and hopefully some appreciation (in case you didn't get it, that was a big bold HINT - wink wink?) A child wants you to tell them how good a drawing they made, a wife wants you to tell her you're proud of an achievement, a husband wants you to praise the food he made lovingly for you. See what I did there? :) Ha!

Of course, this varies from person to person. Some people keep telling the world what they did, and the world, for the most part, duly acknowledges, fueling the circle. Then I think there is a category of people that try for appreciation, but give up at some point and adopt a devil-may-care attitude. Some people are born with that attitude. I get it, some of you don't care! But face it, where we want or seek validation may differ, but we do tend to want it. It may be from the workplace, home, social circle, anything. Maybe you want people to think you're funny, maybe that you're awesome at programming, maybe you make a mean gajar halwa!

Deep down, I think most of us are  a bunch of love-hungry attention-starved humans. And sometimes we forget that we're not the only ones, so we forget to give before we can get.

How about stepping out today, and telling someone what you appreciate about them?

Homosexuality

I support homosexuality and homosexuals and their right to marriage and all other regular constitutional and human liberties. I feel I have to say this out loud, because, I have had conversations where people have argued that it is not natural, therefore not normal. I suppose the definition of natural for them would be a union that produces offspring and contributes to the evolution of the species.

I don't know the physiology behind homosexuality. Feel free to skip the rest of this paragraph if you aren't interested in the history/evolution of homosexuality. I've read that recent research suggests that it there may in fact be a 'gay gene.' It's interesting how that goes against the standard perception of evolution that only a quality that may directly promote reproduction will survive evolution. There have been a few other theories to support evolution in this light, some not-so-convincing. For example, there is the kin theory, that suggests that homosexuals may have focused on the survival of their nieces/nephews (ie, kin with their gene). This is unconvincing to me mainly because I think evolution is selfish - a result of a fierce protection of the self. Other theories are that homosexuals have been primarily bisexual or that they have some other unspecified quality that is needed for survival.

Back to what I was saying - I support them. In theory. I say in theory because I have never had the exposure to them. Maybe I have known closet gays. But now that people across the world are coming out, I'm afraid that I may be a victim of my limited zero exposure and may be just as biased as so many people who are anti-gay. In fact, you see it even with supporters of homosexuals. 'He's so gay' is a negative comment as of this day.

I feel that to truly support a person that is different from you, you must make them feel no different from  you. When my turn comes one day (and it will) to personally know someone who is gay, I don't want these biases to come in my way. I don't want to become one of those close-minded people I dislike. The ultimate goal is that one's sexual orientation should have nothing to do with one's non-romantic relationships and should either be not considered at all or not known, and definitely not be anyone's business but your own (and your partner's), but today, society is structured on relationships. Relationships are a critical part of today's society and define you to a large extent. What I hope is that my life is enriched by my knowing as many wonderful people as I possibly can.

Now What?

I'm sure most of you have heard the sunscreen song which found its way around the internet as a commencement speech at MIT. You'll find the history and information about the original author (Mary Schmich) and the lyrics here. If you haven't heard it already, please go listen to it. It is a very feel-good piece, with some stellar bits of advice, or more accurately, retrospective insights on life.

Well, what reminded me about this song of late was the line:

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

..because (you guessed it) I find myself quite in the same predicament. It's all very well, Ms. Schmich, that you find these people interesting. But are they satisfied with their lives? Are they happy at 40, not knowing what to do and still interesting?

I am doing something in life, but is this what I want to do with my life? Hint: Probably not. I sort of went with the flow for a lot of choices I took along the way. Mostly it was the path of least resistance and lesser churn. But of course that isn't the path of most satisfaction. Or is it, if I try a different approach/work harder? Or is there something altogether different I should take on? Sigh. Is there some NON-trial-and-error approach that people are taking that tells them what they should invest their next few years in? Who are those people? Wave if you know.

Anyway, so the point is: now what?

Independence.

I am so sick and tired of the atrocities perpetrated on women. Every day there is a new event reported. I am ashamed of my country for being the leader in this 'act'. I am ashamed that I am from a country where wild, savage men roam freely on the streets with no respect for women. With no guilt, with no shame for the heinous acts they commit. Where they can cite morality at every accusation and throw money at every offense.

Behind closed doors, women are beaten. Women are set to fire. Women are not allowed to work outside of the house. Women don't eat till the men have eaten. Women are asked to dress a certain way. They are treated as inferior beings, and perhaps the worst problem, is that they don't know that they are.

Independence? I think not. It is nothing but a travesty of the basic human right to freedom.


I love my country, it has given me a lot of things, despite the strain on its resources. Maybe the more accurate thing to say would be, I was lucky to get a lot of things. And I know all the things above are not true for everyone, but the fact that it happens cannot be denied.

I cannot say with my head held high, that my country gives its women freedom or independence.

Down with some virus.

Clearly Me. Not the computer.

It's been five days and it shows no plans of diminishing. Quite a persistent thing this virus. I went to the doctor and he took throat swabs and sent it for testing and all and apparently it's just something I have to sit out and maybe have some painkillers till then. What's with the doctors here anyway? Family Dr. Uncle back home would have looked at my throat, given me an instant diagnosis (heck if he was in a good mood, he'd throw in a drawing of what was going on!) and prescribed medicines to have me up and running in atleast three days.

It's been a while since I took so many days off sick. I clearly remember the last time. It was during the swine flu panic. I duly fell ill and worried everyone in the family. After about 4 days of the same symptoms, mom took me to go get tested. We stood in a huge line with so many people coughing and sneezing, I was pretty sure if I didn't have that flu till then, I would get it there. So would a lot of us. I had been given a mask and I was wearing it feeling embarrassed, being good and not spreading my sneeze, when the man behind me sneezed. Toward me. Openly. No attempt to cover. I snapped. I gave him a good ol' angry talk about how he should be more considerate and use a handkerchief at the very least. I think he protested a bit and then shut up.

You must be familiar with the sab chalta hai attitude of my countrymen. No? It's when there's a sign that says 'no spitting' decorated with red spit marks. I guess this was a more serious situation so he decided to keep quiet.

Anyway, luckily I got to the front of the line that day. Waited a week for the results and luckily again, tested negative.

I hope I get better sooner :( Being sick is terrible. There are a lot of things I'm missing out on [that's a post for another day ;)] My head always feels like its lugging around some invisible rock. My throat feels like it grew a little garden in there overnight, only it's full of thorny bushes.


:(

Like

Just look at this word. If it hasn't become strange already, just try saying it out loud ten times. Now that you've experienced what I think they call Semantic Satiation, we can move on to what I had to say.

'Like' has got to be one of the most abused/overused words of the English language. It started innocently enough.

"I like ice cream."
"They don't like you."
"She likes to dance barefoot in the rain."
"She does not like catching a cold."
"He likes men."
 But then..
"You mean he likes likes them?" Yeah, likes likes.

Like-like used to be a phrase that described affection beyond the platonic realm. I like-like you means I like you more than, say chocolate. Okay, maybe that's a bit too much, I like you more than I like Mad Men, more than I like coffee, more than myself, but I can't call it love yet. I don't just like you, I like-like you. *Blush*

That was then, and what is now is 'like!' and 'super-like!'. Not 'I like this'. Not 'I really like this'. Those have been permanently replaced by the like button, 'like!' (for when the like button is not there: g+ I look at thee) and 'super-like' (for when the like button is just not enough to express how much you like)

I mean, FB's great and all. It keeps me updated with what everyone around the world is up to. I will know that that girl from college got married. I know who's got married to whom. I know who's going to which city to study what. I know who ran what marathon.

But this 'like' has again changed in meaning. I feel like it has become less of a tool of appreciation, and more of an ACK signal - I looked at your photograph. I'm in touch with you. Yay. Very often, I feel obligated to 'like'. To be part of a social circle, you cannot just play the role of the passive observer. So if you like your privacy and don't want to put that out for the world, then you like. Even though in most cases, I do generally like it, 'like' has lost its sheen and now I think I'm just playing catch up.

What do you think?

What I think I was doing

In the long long time that I haven't written or blogged, I've often thought about what it was that
(a) reduced my sense of wonder at things, and/or
(b) stopped me from penning it down when I did have something to say

A part of it is married life. Well, actually not married life, it is independent life that actually happened to me. I'd lived with parents earlier, when I got married, I suddenly started managing my own house. While it is split responsibility, it is still more than I was used to. And then when you're someone like me, who is not very good with time management, the result is a mess.

Obviously, this is not all of it. Of course I have free time. There are things that you have to do and there is the idling that you have to do. A friend says that the lack of things to put on the blog is probably because I now have one immediate outlet to share a thought with (my husband, in case you are wondering) while earlier that wasn't there. You thought of something, it waited, and you shared it on the blog. Maybe. Maybe not.

Another part of me thinks that there are things I think of now, but which I don't consider worthy enough to blog about now. In the sense that what seemed worthy then, seems obvious-to-everyone now.

Maybe I was just lazy. Maybe since I got busier than usual, I thought I needed to laze.

Well, whatever the reason be, I know I want to write. I was going through earlier posts, and I honestly enjoyed reading them. There's so much history associated with each and every one of them. Just from these last few lines, I realize that this feeling of penning down one's thoughts is incomparable to anything else. So I'm going to make an effort and I'm going to write regularly.

My sincere gratitude to all the people who used to read what I wrote, who would comment, who would appreciate, who would argue, even those who would nit-pick. I hope at least a few of you are still around. You are what made it fun!

Change

People never change, they just very slowly reveal who they actually are.

Read this somewhere once, and found it quite enlightening and even refreshing.

I have often met people who have difficulty coping with change in the people around them. It angers them, it hurts them, that the template that had been created for a person dear to them, no longer matches the reality.

I may not be immune to this; but I do think it only natural that people never stay the same, because change is an inevitable truth of life, and change is growth. And without growth, one would feel stagnant, out-of-place and lost. But this truth doesn't really console a mind disappointed or let down by change, unless you think of it the way it is quoted above.

Karthik comes from South India..

..as do AnitHa, ShrutHi, AnantH and NitHin..

What's with the extra H that South Indians add to all their names? I've heard countless non South Indians ask with so much shock it amazes me. And then they say that if you spell it AnitHa it's actually A-ni-thhha (you know, thhh of thhhumb, or thhhirst). Its supposed to be Anita.

First, what warrants so much surprise?

Second, supposed to be ??

Third, .... so???

I'd like to clear this up here on this space: It's just the way we spell! So there! Say, how do you pronounce water? Tomato? Terrace? Tamatar?

So is it OK to use the single 't' for the sound of t from tea? Well, we think so too! :)

Then we add an extra H to soften that hard T.

Its as simple as that.

UPDATE/EDIT/DISCLAIMER (a side effect of being surrounded by too many north Indians :P): I'm NOT saying this is the correct way to spell. I'm saying it's not incorrect. I'm saying its OK either way. I'm saying what's the big deal??

Logic.

Traffic congestion at a railway track crossing.
Recognize the need for a road over bridge at the railway track.
Plan to spend Rupees 15 crores and 18 months on building it.
Actually spend 20 crores and 5 years.
Complete it.
Wait a month.
Wait another month.
Paint (??) the walls on either sides of the ROB beautifully.
Make the Chief Minister inaugurate the ROB.
When it is time to finally use it to alleviate traffic:
-* Yesterday *-
Block routes all around the area because the CM is coming.
-* Today *-
All routes around the flyover are jammed. The bottleneck shifts to the next junction.

Sigh. I wish I had a picture.

on how he saves the city..

..one auto-wallah at a time. :)

I can go on and on about auto-rickshaws given my extensive dealings with them and those who drive them, for 3 years and over. But wait, i'm not going to (go on and on, that is). (Read: Don't leave me yet, pleeeease.)

Although I would still like to record today's incident. Today we decided to take an auto-rickshaw back home. I succumbed earlier than usual for the wun-ann-haff-lagega-achha-ok-twanty-rupees-ekshtra, even though A. still had a little bit of fight in him. I persuaded him to settle for the first auto that we found that offered to take us home.

Surprise of surprises, we had landed ourselves into one of those specimens that zip and zoom in and out of traffic. These have no apparent fear of death. They can zoom into a lane of traffic from nowhere and even drive into opposing traffic (to swerve at the last moment) with alarming calm. Societal rules and restrictions hold no meaning for these carefree spirits. They are not ones to be bound by the rigidity that is human society.

The next precious minutes of our life consisted of me holding on to the edge of the auto, auto-walla merrily flouting all conceivable traffic rules like jumping the red signal and jumping ahead to the front of the signal by risking our lives onto oncoming traffic.

A. was already not in the best of moods, so when, after about 20 minutes, he tapped on the auto driver's shoulder asking him, "Aap bangalore ke hain?", I knew what was up. I gave the quiet signal to him that said, let it go. Duly ignored, he asked again, Are you from Bangalore?

Auto driver's response: Grunt. (In an affirmative questioning tone)

A. then began doing the hero-dialogue in all his anger. I wish I could do justice to his Hindi rebuke. You are from the city and even then you do all this. You break all the rules. Don't you care, being from the same city. Don't you know anything about rules. Look at all the others, aren't they following the rules. What is your problem? I can't understand you guys, you are from the city and yet you do this. And on and on.

All the while the auto driver adopted a what-do-i-care attitude with Aapka kya jaata hai? Baaki logon ka problem hai yeh to. Aise karenge nahi to chala nahi sakte yahan.

(Meanwhile I'm now down to trying the let it go let it go let it go to no avail)

I braced myself for impending doom. I half-expected him to tell us to get out of his auto, or even stop and start yelling and then who knows, find some friends to get together and and start yelling at us and god-knows-what.

But surprisingly, once the verbal sparring was over, auto-walle-bhaiya settled down, much like a sulking teenager who knows you're right but just won't admit it. He didn't stick to his lane (that's a bit much to expect from him ;)) but he slowed down, didn't jump the next signals; basically he didn't pretend he was on a racing track.

I couldn't believe it, A.'s admonition had worked! And I suspect (and really hope) it will stick for some time atleast. Dropping the chalta hai attitude, if momentarily, had done some good, and I'm pleasantly surprised. :)

Do you have any saved-the-city tales?

as is tradition..

..we do a year-end post.

Only we procrastinate, and then it becomes a new year post.

I like the new year day, even though I agree that its just another date. I like the feeling of being on the edge on one year, reflecting on all the events that happened, and then on the dawn of the next, hope alive for all that you wish for.

2009 has been a BIG year for me. Landmark, direction-changing, preserved-forever-in-the-memory kind. Come to think of it, the marriage has been such a huge event for me, I struggle to remember what else happened in 2009. It seems to have overshadowed all else that in an otherwise marriage-less year, would be deemed blog-post worthy.

So let's see: January. Ah, how could I forget? See I have this crazy set of friends at work. By crazy I mean awesome crazy :) A couple of them decided it was time to do something .. well, creative. That couple inspired (and bullied) the rest of us into the scheme. We then thought of the kind of performances we wanted to do - dance, drama, music (we even had the popular 'miscellaneous' category ;))

We practiced day and night. Well we practiced in the early hours of the day, worked in the sane hours of the day and dreamed about it in the night. We tried our hands at things we'd never thought we'd do before. (To give you an example, I sang.) We co-ordinated an entire event from scratch, booked a place, organised a caterer, timed performances, created a schedule. And then we just did it! We performed in front of a 'select' audience, and never felt better. I have to use the word 'crazy' again because this is one of those things that other friends still tease us for (self-inflicted torture or something, they said :D) but it was one of the best things I've ever been a part of. The bonding, the fighting, the re-bonding, the struggle, the learning, the mastery (well sort of) - I wouldn't take it back for anything!

February and March were a sort of repeat : we held a similar event at work. We had more of the fighting here unfortunately :( but then we sorted it out. The event was a big success, I got to dance again, and thats all I need.

Come April and I had the best birthday ever! Beyond April was a very difficult redefining of relationships around me. I realized that the roles of every relationship around me were so tightly defined that a change in them brought about a lot of resentment. It brought out uneasiness even from those not directly involved. But well, such is life. More on that later.

May and June started off the whole marriage thought process. Ashish is a big worrier, and I am the don't-look-problems-in-the-eye kind of person. He is the cautious pessimist, I am the foolhardy optimist. It was in our face that the kind of marriage we wanted to step into wasn't going to be an easy one. Our families were/are very different : culturally, socially, geographically..you get the drift. We both also had traces of those differences. There were many questions with regard to this that we both had to answer. We answered some, we left some unanswered. And then we went ahead with it anyway. Everything went extremely well, rocky at first in some areas, but smooth at the end (oh right, the beginning ;))

Cautious Pessimist: 0, Foolhardy Optimist: 1

Maybe I should give him like half a point here. You see, he thought of all possible situations in which there might be trouble between us or the families, so we were all prepared for much of it and didn't get too much of a culture shock.

Cautious Pessimist: 0.25, Foolhardy Optimist: 1 :)

Anyway, away from score-keeping and back to reflections. So that and that in a nutshell, was 2009.

Which brings us back to 2-0-1-0. Wait, do you say two-thousand-ten or the very yankee sounding twenty-ten (twennyten)? I came across this condescending comment on the web about people using the former. "Its as if they don't want to be in the future," it said. Me no like.

Or ooh, are you a two-oh-one-oh ;) ?

In 2010, I'm trying to be more in touch with the people who I think are special to me. Also, in general, more out there. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad one, its just something I want to try for a while and see if it fits.

In 2010, I want to restart dance classes. This isn't a very hard thing to do. Its just an example of procrastination: that first picking of the phone, making that inquiry, committing to spending more than a couple of hours each weekend (including travel). But I do know, that once I cross these hurdles, I'll have a lot of fun.

Current status on this one: I got 3 numbers of the same place, called all of them. "Switched off", "doesn't exist", and "incoming calls on this number barred"! That's how far I have gone till now.

In 2010, I want to have a lot of water. On a regular basis. Everyday. Current status: A. made me keep a glass next to the bottle of water at my desk. So far its working; for the last 3 workdays this year I've had a lot of water for my standards :)

So there you have it. If you're still here, I congratulate you on the ability to bear with me. You have what it takes to be my friend. Ping me sometime.

In conclusion, may 2-0-1-0 be, in the words of Barney (yes I finally am catching up with HIMYM)

LEGENDARY

for all of you :) I'm looking forward to all the newness in sight :)

Rakhi, ab kya reh gaya baaki?

You've got to hand it to her:

She never fails to come up with something to top her previous whatchamacallit. She was once some barely clothed item girl. Sometime later she started appearing in tiny forgettable roles in just-as-forgettable movies. Then the nation saw her hysterics on the popular reality show Big Boss (is there a bb or a gg somewhere in that?). This was the place where producers watching realised how much potential she had to bring up TV show ratings. This was where she declared her love for some wannabe model when someone else ridiculed her.

And then life was all cosy. And rosy. She and her beau appeared together in more reality TV shows, won some, lost some, but they were together and happy. The couple who made it from scratch. Together forever. She even had her own chat show!

Or not. Then the nation had to survive Mika's kissing hullabaloo and another news-channel-worthy Boyfriend-slapping episode. And she had to survive hearbreak.

Cut to today. Rakhi mourns the lack of love in her life. And then decides to do something about it.

And how! First, she cashes in on tradition. She not only commercialised the whole business of arranged marriages, making money out of the whole affair, but ends up becoming Princess Rakhi with her very own swayamwar!

In a nation where men and their families are still visiting potential brides to 'see' them, asking them to display their 'talents' and valuing them on how well they sing, cook or dance, or better, how much richer they could make them, she, the RAKHI SAWANT, makes the men dance and sing and woo her with love letters, while the nation watches. Some in shock, some out of curiosity of this whole new process, and the rest for the pure entertainment that comes out of watching people proclaim their love to Rakhi Sawant.

If you haven't seen the show, these are just some of the gems you missed ;)

1. Rakhi's ocassional pearls of wisdom (main apne pati ko humesha khush rakhoongi, kabhi bhi aisa nahi sochungi ki ab to mera ho gaya, ab kya karna),
2. Rakhi's laments (mujhe kisi ne nahi sikhaya ki pyaar kya hota hai, 'date' kya hota hai)
3. Ram Kapoor, in his unconvincing, if anything, role as Rakhi's friend and confidante.
4. her falling in love with some of her suitors (Manmohan ji ne to mera mann moh liya),
   
5. the attempt to show the simple girl Rakhi beneath the glamourous getup (oh the shock when she was offered a drink - Bacardi *beep*),
   
6. fluttering eyelids as she swoons to almost everyone saying a sweet word to her,
7. suitors ranging from the romantically poetic to the obnoxiously absurd
   

And...
COMING UP:

How much can you do for Rakhi?
Do you really love her?
Will you tattoo her name on your hands?? (Suspense music, shocked faces)
STAY TUNED ;)

I've moved!!! [I came back!!!]

... to this little place I call
A Li'l Drop of Me.

[Don't judge me, that one was fine but I like this blog better]

aMUSEings is still around, but its not going to be active anymore and I found myself drawn back to it.

I pictured a teary eyed note of farewell as I put to a close this blog that I started 3 years ago.

Heh. I'm looking forward to putting drops of me across over there.

Please update your feeds :) We'll meet more often.

With regard to food..

..my other almost-love. Unfortunately, this one manifests itself in some of the most unseemly ways. And then of course, there's all this thing about testing one's self-will.

So, dear handful of readers, I'll tell you all about my vow off all meat for a month.

Why? How? I was sitting in a not-so-fancy fast food joint one day with my two very vegetarian friends, and discussing what stops them from trying out meat. While we spoke about their conscious choice and the environment they grew up in, it struck me that when I go out to eat, I never consciously pick out anything vegetarian. The realization that I was so hooked on to chicken descended in all its glory. And didn't sit too well.

And so I imposed on my self, a month without chicken and other such meat. I figured one month would be just enough to see how I do. And how much further I would be able to. It started last monday, that 22nd day of June, which means its been about 10 days, and I've not missed it much. Considering I still allow myself egg, I haven't been too tough on myself.

Which should make me feel all elated and all, but as if to show a downside to everything, I've discovered the pleasures of unhealthy vegetarian food, especially if its fried, or served with butter or cheese :)

Also I fell sick on the 8th day, as though my body was trying to prove a point. But it shall not be allowed to rebel so. I still have another 20 days to go. And I have plans for the 30 days after. Further foody updates to come :)

Revisit 2008

Its been a year of firsts; an eventful year to say the very least!

Its December, Christmassy, cool, and since I'm holidaying, the atmosphere is perfect for me to sit back on a couch (the one at home - my couch - do not be mistaken) and reflect on the last twelve months.

- Had some good greaat times with some great people.
- Let down by some, and
- Had faith reaffirmed by some others. :) :) :)
- Went to GOA ! Had an abso-fantasto-amazing time. Fought a lot with the people of my blood for this, and I'm glad I did.
- Wrote an important exam :) and did well at it.
- My first job out of college suddenly ends as my company suddenly shuts shop. First layoff, if you can say that. Sniff.
- Frantic job search launch.
- A quiet and well, disappointing-for-the-most-part birthday in the midst of that chaos.
- Negotiation with potential employers.
- Adieu to the old place.
- Ooh - another secret first that i'd like to signal to people that already know it - how best can I arrange to do that - Umm.
- New job. New things to learn, new and amazing people to learn and get inspired from.
- New and different friends. A peek into bonds already formed, and an effort to make a place for myself in there.
- Old friends going through a lot of tough changes - and standing up for themselves. Yay!
- Coming to terms with the fact that some friends will be friends no more.
- An attempt to define a purpose: introspection on a deeper level than normal.

Its been a fine year. I do have a few complaints, I admit. But its a net positive. I learned so much about myself, and to an extent even applied those learnings in an effort to improve the self. :) That doesn't happen so often, successfully, at least. I'm still trying.

Although of course, there are a few things that the heart wishes it had. I wonder if 2009 is the year for any of those. I hope it is.

Vacation Chronicles #1 - Are we there yet?

Would you believe the Bengaluru International Airport is home to birds? That little tiny birds move about at a height of about a foot from the floor with carefree abandon? Is it planned? To make it look like you were in natural surroundings?

That was the only thing surprising about my first international flight out of BIAL. The rest has been spoken, written and ranted about enough to keep me informed - but no one told me about the birds :)

I travelled by SriLankan Airlines - which dictated a transit at Colombo. I spent two-three hours there, not before a short flight with a little energetic boy on one side (who was anxious to ensure that his food was vegetarian) and a man on the other side of the aisle who caught fancy with the fact that I read I guess - till I gave him a cold stare.

And would you believe it, the Bandaranaike International Airport had a blackout :( How tragic is the state of affairs. The electricity was restored soon enough, but only the main lights and basic requirements. The shops, internet connectivity, and anything beyond the basics were gone. And then the second flight that i had to get on, got delayed by another forty minutes. :)

The flight to London - looooong :(
Oh btw, to all those who wished me well before I left, no I did not get the drop dead gorgeous man by my side, who I would hit it off with really well ;)
I did have a sweet old man though as a travel partner, who watched all the movies peacefully.
I read the whole of a book called Girls of Riyadh. Quite interesting, and not surprising, if it is true.

And finally I reached hooome, my dear brother was there to pick me up with all the winter wear that he could possible wrap me up with, before we stepped into 5 degrees C of weather. I didn't feel the cold much, possibly due to the fact that I was one big Desi Wrap. Hah, I said 'desi'. I'm glad about that though, because the cold was one thing I was terrified about before leaving. I hope it snows before I leave !! :)

More to come later, I better live some vacation off the net too :)

Wednesday Weirdnesses #5

I missed it last week didn't I.. Matter not, since no one noticed/pointed out. Anyway, my excuse is cliched : forgot. I did remember, in the middle of the day, when I had absolutely no time.

So then I asked a friend to point me to some weird stuff on the net. And he said, I don't go weird hunting!!

Me: No one does... (except me off late.)

And then he suggested I post something non-weird... for a change.

Me: That sort of defeats the purpose.

End of conversation.

In parallel, a conversation with another friend.

He: Yeah actually I found something on reddit, list of sex offences, really funny, and weird.

Me: NO no, my blog is PG!

He: Heh heh, ok... so am I.
ME: How are you PG?
He: I'm very PG

Me: ????????? [Exactly that number]
He: whhaa... you son't think so?
End of conversation.

Forget not, that I really had no time.

Aaanyhoo. That would be quite enough of making public my chat conversations with friends. Lest my friends (aka the readers of this blog) not endeavour chatting with me anymore.

For today, I give you a word I haven't heard before. I say this because I have this funny feeling from the core of my womanly intuition that I am probably the only one who hasn't heard this before. But I'll tell you anyway.

The word, dear mathematicus, is Zenzizenzizenzic. :)

What fun!! - say I.

It means the eighth power of a number, derived from zenzic, "square of a number".

Also, since I skipped last week, here's a bonus one!

Honorificabilitudinitatibus !! which means the quality of deserving honour or respect.

Enjoy. No, really.