I'm beginning to think that working at a Swedish company rubbed off a few typical Swedish traits...I seem to be posting about the weather a lot more than anything else. To explain to the uninitiated, Swedes are of the habit of talking of the weather to everyone! It is one of their favourite topics of conversation, especially in the summer :)
Well, everything said and done, the weather affects your daily life like no other. If it be hot, it brings with it exhaustion, all that sweating and huge electricity bills; If it be cold, you don't want to make the effort of getting out the comforter or any further than the heater's radius; If it rains, the sogginess, the slush and the having stay at home; the Snow I'm sure has its downsides although unfamiliar to me...
Reiterating what I started, the weather has such an ability to dictate habits, livelihood, food, comforts and survival measures as no other single entity in nature apart from the geographical location of one. In an urban setting, the weather becomes easier to manage- assured electricity most of the time, controlled temperature conditions in malls, offices and homes and a largely sedentary lifestyle wherein most things can be done at the click of a button. Whereas in the rural Indian setting, the harshness of the weather coupled with the rural power supply, or lack of, makes life a stark one.
It has been two weeks since we've set up shop here in Pallathur. Pallathur would probably qualify on as tier IV or tier V town. A small village with hardly a population of 500 and houses centuries old; dusty roads, erratic electricity. One Browsing center. One main road that runs for a length of about 200-300 m. Being a town so small, the guys who run the Electricity board of course give it that kind of importance...We are subject to power cuts at the drop of a hat. It could be an all-night er and then again continue through the day. It wouldn't seem so bad if wasn't for it being summer. Summer and with such vengeance! Every evening though, clouds and winds come to pay a visit but rarely bringing along any rains although thunder and lighting aplenty. And for respite of course, I've been wishing it would rain...Now, Apart from it being summer, it also the wedding season; so rains tend to throw plans off track and mess things up...
So there's the catch 22, its a sweltering summer and rains would help. But there are so many weddings (including mine!) that rains, if anything more than the drizzling kind, would totally throw plans haywire!! So...here's to another month of scorcing heat and power cuts!
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Smells of early-winter evenings..
I can't describe the pleasure that my olfactory senses bring me on winter evenings. It is first a smell that I discovered in madras, one that I still relate it to the evening walks with my doggie and my thoughts..And after more than 4-5 years, I've rediscovered this amazing smell and the magic that it adds to an otherwise regular evening/winter night...
I don't know what flower it is from; I do not know which tree it belongs too...all i know is that catching even the slightest whiff of that mild and refreshing smell makes me so happy and so energized...For some reason though i've come to associate "jacarandas" to this amazing scent...I am probably so off the mark associating the smell and the flower...but...well...ignorance is bliss!! :)
Although I can't really describe this scent or feeling...every chance i get..i shall spread the cheer and make introductions new to others ill informed :)
I don't know what flower it is from; I do not know which tree it belongs too...all i know is that catching even the slightest whiff of that mild and refreshing smell makes me so happy and so energized...For some reason though i've come to associate "jacarandas" to this amazing scent...I am probably so off the mark associating the smell and the flower...but...well...ignorance is bliss!! :)
Although I can't really describe this scent or feeling...every chance i get..i shall spread the cheer and make introductions new to others ill informed :)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wear Sunscreen
This is a song that came out a very long time back...back when i was in school...i really really like this song...calling it a song even is probably a stretch...its not even rap...its more like a guy telling you the thoughts on life with some background music...Its very true...very simple...very my take on life...and a very nicely done summary i should say...
For those of you that do not know Baz Luhrmann...he's actually an australian movie director...and this is his only piece of music..he's done movies such as Australia and Moulin Rouge...
Anyway here are the lyrics to this song...
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh nevermind, you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now, how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked, you are not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you
Sing
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss
Don’t waste your time on jealousy, sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind, the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults, if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
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.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, Maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary What ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can, don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Be nice to your siblings, they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard, Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, Maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen
For those of you that do not know Baz Luhrmann...he's actually an australian movie director...and this is his only piece of music..he's done movies such as Australia and Moulin Rouge...
Anyway here are the lyrics to this song...
Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’97
Wear Sunscreen
If I could offer you only one tip for the future,sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future,sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience, I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh nevermind, you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now, how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked, you are not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you
Sing
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss
Don’t waste your time on jealousy, sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind, the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults, if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch
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.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, Maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary What ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can, don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings, they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard, Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, Maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen
I love the part about advice...and about living in new york city ( although thats primarily coz it runs very similar my thoughts on delhi :))...you know it primarily talks of nothing but letting go...enjoying life and throwing away all those silly hang ups! i think i shall try...:)
Friday, October 02, 2009
Serendipity
Serendipity, luck, chance, fortuitous. There is no other way to describe such a meeting and all that followed…
Our little party traveling to Varanasi that day had been just in the nick of time to catch our flight out. Of course, being just at the nick of time doesn’t let one be very choosy!
So the lot of us got seats at different parts of the craft and most of them the middle row seats that no one actually prefers!
Well anyway…All settled into my seat, I promptly dozed off (having discovered that this is a great way to catch up on lost sleep!). Next thing I know, I was being woken up by the hostess to be served, except that she has only non vegetarian meals left and would I be so kind as to eat one of them! Being a vegetarian and a stickler for service, this just plain ticked me off! And I think I said something that amounted to “ this isn’t how things are done!”, not the greatest of conversation starters maybe but what followed was one of those really really nice conversations.
Just to clarify, I didn’t end up talking to myself! I was after all seated amidst two people and the person who actually chose to respond to irate me was sitting to my right…Late thirties, early forties and a geologist! From that moment on we had a two hour flight where we spoke of so many many things, everything under the sky from customer service to corporate social responsibilities to the environment, our respective jobs, companies…it was brilliant! Anyway, at the end of the flight we introduced ourselves!! And me being me, googled him! It was more curiosity than anything….
I am usually such a misfit for the way I think and the way I argue and few people stimulate me to argue, think and give me broader views and encourage me to be such a nut! Well I’d just met one such person and if I could, I was certainly going to get in touch! And get in touch we did…writing mails…again about everything under the sun and some on crafts orbiting it, books, movies and life in general….And then we met again, although this time it was planned and not left to lady luck…and had as riveting a conversation as any other time!
What else would one call such a chance encounter turning to such an interesting friendship?
Our little party traveling to Varanasi that day had been just in the nick of time to catch our flight out. Of course, being just at the nick of time doesn’t let one be very choosy!
So the lot of us got seats at different parts of the craft and most of them the middle row seats that no one actually prefers!
Well anyway…All settled into my seat, I promptly dozed off (having discovered that this is a great way to catch up on lost sleep!). Next thing I know, I was being woken up by the hostess to be served, except that she has only non vegetarian meals left and would I be so kind as to eat one of them! Being a vegetarian and a stickler for service, this just plain ticked me off! And I think I said something that amounted to “ this isn’t how things are done!”, not the greatest of conversation starters maybe but what followed was one of those really really nice conversations.
Just to clarify, I didn’t end up talking to myself! I was after all seated amidst two people and the person who actually chose to respond to irate me was sitting to my right…Late thirties, early forties and a geologist! From that moment on we had a two hour flight where we spoke of so many many things, everything under the sky from customer service to corporate social responsibilities to the environment, our respective jobs, companies…it was brilliant! Anyway, at the end of the flight we introduced ourselves!! And me being me, googled him! It was more curiosity than anything….
I am usually such a misfit for the way I think and the way I argue and few people stimulate me to argue, think and give me broader views and encourage me to be such a nut! Well I’d just met one such person and if I could, I was certainly going to get in touch! And get in touch we did…writing mails…again about everything under the sun and some on crafts orbiting it, books, movies and life in general….And then we met again, although this time it was planned and not left to lady luck…and had as riveting a conversation as any other time!
What else would one call such a chance encounter turning to such an interesting friendship?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Soul Food
Today was one of those days. Bummers. No other way to describe it. Actually that describes my last week perfectly as well. But today as I was out in the evening catchting up with a friend at 'our' Costa coffee, i say "our" with full rights considering the amounts of money we give these guys to feed us chocolate tavolettas and hot chocolate and afagatos at the drop of a hat! they know us so well! anyway to get back to the actual point i was trying to make.... We sat nursing our Hot chocolates and just musing in each others company when these guys played some of the best music I've heard in sometime! Its actually pretty old stuff...some 5-6 yrs old, some recent, some older still...but what a mood booster, better than the company, better than the medium cup calorie filled chocolate better than having someone telling me it was all going to be alright... so we just sat there listening to J.Lo sing waiting for tonight and louis armstrong tell me it was still a beautiful world...and james blunt and dido and shania twain...
I had a terrible headache leaving work, but now its 11:40 pm, more than 3 hrs since i left work, i was so energized after that little bit of music, i carried home my hot chocolate (by now, cold and stoved into the refirgerator), freshened up (instead of the usual plopping on the bed and going to sleep), and made, here's the best part...pasta!!! and good pasta too...one of my better turned out experiments with food! :) enjoyed my pasta and now...happily blogging about it...oh, and listening to so much more music...its almost like i've re-discovered music and the pure joy and happiness and energy it gives you!
Well...all i want to say is, corny as it is, Music is soul food...!! :)
I had a terrible headache leaving work, but now its 11:40 pm, more than 3 hrs since i left work, i was so energized after that little bit of music, i carried home my hot chocolate (by now, cold and stoved into the refirgerator), freshened up (instead of the usual plopping on the bed and going to sleep), and made, here's the best part...pasta!!! and good pasta too...one of my better turned out experiments with food! :) enjoyed my pasta and now...happily blogging about it...oh, and listening to so much more music...its almost like i've re-discovered music and the pure joy and happiness and energy it gives you!
Well...all i want to say is, corny as it is, Music is soul food...!! :)
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
To every rule...
When you are a kid, uniqueness is treasured. It is what makes a child so special to a parent, it is what makes one stand out in a class of fifty. It is that ability to stand out in a crowd that companies and headhunters look for in their candidates. That something which makes one unique, special and a perfect fit..
After a couple of years of working now, I think I have seen enough to comment on certain aspects of the irony that I find in the above thought…
Selection of people to work for an organization is done on various criteria-competitive, smart, confident, a good fit into the company and a little extra something….but over the years I’ve begun to discover that the “Fit” seems to include various definitions and all of them somehow more important than the ‘spark’ or that extra something…that which set you apart from all the rest..
Because at the end of the day there exists a set of rules or/and a framework, either set by an organization or by an influential individual in the organization that more often than not everyone is expected to conform to. And if you do not conform, well the consequences may range from funny to severe, single to multiple….I don’t know that part yet although I’m sure I will in good time!
What I fail to understand is, why look for the people who stand out in the crowd when all you want is someone who is going to bend over, listen to the rules and follow them as commandments, someone let a hair fall out of place or ever make you uncomfortable and someone who will actually enjoy micro-managing!!! Why would you need someone with a little extra spark to do all that unless you were sadistic enough to want to suck the cheer and the want for freedom and intuition and spontaneity out of a person? I mean, Why? What does it do for people?
If everything could be followed up in figures or in set parameters, if everything could be done within set rules, the world would be one big monstrous tragedy!
It is true that you need basic rules, they give direction and sometimes guide….they were never meant to stifle. It is also true that rules were made to be broken. If everything could be done by following a rule, there would be no scientists in the world, no innovators nor any artistes…
Why do people grow up and forget that it is that special something that makes one feel good, if you don’t try and nurture that in yourself and in others, you’re just going to turn out to be a strong contender for the Mr./Ms. Dull-as-Hell contest!!!
Yeah well…I guess there will always be those who hate rules and those who can’t live without them…and I will never understand why there have to be such sticklers for rules and why they have to be so maddeningly infuriating…yeah well…guess one’s gotta do what one’s gotta do!!!
But…aren’t exceptions the rule?????????
After a couple of years of working now, I think I have seen enough to comment on certain aspects of the irony that I find in the above thought…
Selection of people to work for an organization is done on various criteria-competitive, smart, confident, a good fit into the company and a little extra something….but over the years I’ve begun to discover that the “Fit” seems to include various definitions and all of them somehow more important than the ‘spark’ or that extra something…that which set you apart from all the rest..
Because at the end of the day there exists a set of rules or/and a framework, either set by an organization or by an influential individual in the organization that more often than not everyone is expected to conform to. And if you do not conform, well the consequences may range from funny to severe, single to multiple….I don’t know that part yet although I’m sure I will in good time!
What I fail to understand is, why look for the people who stand out in the crowd when all you want is someone who is going to bend over, listen to the rules and follow them as commandments, someone let a hair fall out of place or ever make you uncomfortable and someone who will actually enjoy micro-managing!!! Why would you need someone with a little extra spark to do all that unless you were sadistic enough to want to suck the cheer and the want for freedom and intuition and spontaneity out of a person? I mean, Why? What does it do for people?
If everything could be followed up in figures or in set parameters, if everything could be done within set rules, the world would be one big monstrous tragedy!
It is true that you need basic rules, they give direction and sometimes guide….they were never meant to stifle. It is also true that rules were made to be broken. If everything could be done by following a rule, there would be no scientists in the world, no innovators nor any artistes…
Why do people grow up and forget that it is that special something that makes one feel good, if you don’t try and nurture that in yourself and in others, you’re just going to turn out to be a strong contender for the Mr./Ms. Dull-as-Hell contest!!!
Yeah well…I guess there will always be those who hate rules and those who can’t live without them…and I will never understand why there have to be such sticklers for rules and why they have to be so maddeningly infuriating…yeah well…guess one’s gotta do what one’s gotta do!!!
But…aren’t exceptions the rule?????????
Monday, April 27, 2009
Speed devil..
Speeding at 430-431 km/h the train is the ultimate in speed!!! One helluva experience..I strongly recommend anyone coming to Shanghai to take the maglev...its brilliant..well it covers a one hour journey in 7.5 minutes...thats something right? It would probably take you a bit of up and down before you actually know where it is to get on the train but well considering you don't know the language, thats a very trivial thing!! :)
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