Footprints on the sands of time

Tuesday blues

2012-02-07T12:10:00.002+05:30

Listening to old melodies on youtube. Started off with one of my all time fav song 'Is Mod Se', proceeded to 'Tujse Narazza nahin'. Then started searching for songs that I haven't heard much and found this one. 'Kisi raahan pe'. One of the main reasons I had not heard this song properly was that it was sung by Mukesh. Yes, I don't like his voice. But leaving aside that tiny aspect, the song is pretty good. Simple, soothing and very nice lyrics.

kisi raah mein, kisi mod par
kahin chal na dena tuu chhod kar
mere hamasafar, mere humsafar

kisi haal mein, kisi baat par
kahin chal na dena tuu chhod kar
mere hamasafar, mere humsafar

savere savere

2012-02-02T11:19:00.002+05:30

So I said 'good morning, you are 9 months now baby' to my kid today and Josh quickly added '9 months in, 9 months out!'

Ishq Hua Hi hua

2011-12-14T13:05:00.006+05:30

A lesser known song from the movie 'Aaja Nachle'. Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal (though it does NOT sound like her in some places) are the voices behind this sweet song. I love it for the soothing melody and fun picturisation.

Although, 'O Re Piya' is my favorite from this album.

Song: Ishq hua hi hua

Singers: Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal

Music: Salim-Suleiman

Lyrics: Jaideep Sahni

(From Hindilyrix.com)

=================

(Hulcul Huyi Zara Shor Huwa, Dil Chor Huwa Teri Or Huwa - 2

 Aisi Chale Jab Hawa, Ishq Huwa Hi Huwa - 2) - 2

Ishq Hua Haaye - 2

Palko Se Hoton Tak Jo Raah Nikalati Hai

Guzare Na Wahaan Se Yeh Teri Galati Hai

Palko Se Hoton Tak Jo Raah Nikalati Hai

Rehte Hain Abb Hum Wahaan, Ishq Huwa Hi Huwa

Ho O O Aisi Chale Jab Hawa, Ishq Huwa Hi Huwa

Hulcul Huyi Zara Shor Huwa Dil Chor Huwa Teri Or Huwa

Ishq Huwa

Kadmo Ko Sambhaalein, Nazaron Ka Kya Karein

Nazron Ko Sambhaalein, To Dil Ka Kya Karein

Kadmo Ko Sambhaalein, Nazaron Ka Kya Karein

Dil Ko Sambhalein Zubaan, Ishq Huwa Hi Huwa

Aisi Chale Jab Hawa, Ishq Huwa Hi Huwa

Hulcul Huyi Zara Shor Huwa, Dil Chor Huwa Teri Or Huwa - 2

Ishq Huwa – 2

While we are on the topic of this movie, I have to mention the superb dance drama at the end of the movie. Its totally mind blowing, the colors, emotions, songs, acting and dancing - all top class! But mostly watch it for Madhuri. Its a treat to watch her emote through the varied moods in the drama so beautifully!

Lessons

2011-11-30T12:13:00.005+05:30

Today, when I looked up google.com, I saw that there was a doodle. A fence, 2 boys, 1 painting it and the other eating an apple! I suddenly remembered the English lesson we had in primary - Tom Sawyer! Its amazing how some images are created in your mind when reading something. It stays with you for a long time, hidden in the deep corners of the mind. Then, suddenly, you see something similar and kazaam! the image just pops right out. Yes, the doodle was Google's tribute to Mark Twain. It indeed was the scene from Adventures of Tom Sawyer where he is asked to paint the fence and Tom, as smart as ever, gets all his friends to paint it instead! I still remember the lesson vividly.

I do remember most of our English lessons (as we used to call it back then :)). From Medusa to King Lear to the giant who hated trespassers! From BlackHat to Black Beauty. From the friends who made a pact to meet after 20 yrs to the couple who bought everything through installments!

And the poems! Such lovely ones. If only we didn't have to 'study' them. I loved them anyway. From Lead kindly light to Under the greenwood tree (My friend and I used to compose music for the poems and sing it out, so I still remember so many lines!) I loved all of Tennyson's poems, esp. Home they brought her warrior dead! Makes me sad each time I read it.

Sometimes I have this urge to actually go looking for English textbooks! Do we actually get these in stores anymore?

Btw what are your favorite lessons from language classes in school? Care to share?

P.S: More about the doodle here: www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/nov/30/google-marks-mark-twain-birthday.

Love actually

2011-11-14T15:42:00.000+05:30

This post was in my drafts for quite some time now. Remembered it when I was watching 'Do pal ruka' on a music channel in the weekend! Posting it now.

Note: Long long post, so read it when you get time.

Re-discovering Veer-Zaara! A tale of epic romance and sacrifice.!

I loved this movie! :) Some of the scenes were brilliantly shot. Watch out esp for the scene where Saamiya (Rani) finally sees Zaara (Preity) in Punjab. Her look of defeat followed by surprise and then the satisfaction. Wow!
The scene where Kirron Kher pleads with SRK and SRK tells him he would let Zaara go, for a mother!
The scene where Preity convinces Amitabh to educate girls in the village. Powerful scenes.

Also the 'Main qaidi number 786' (no, don't read it out as 786. Read it as saat sow cheyaasi) rendition by SRK was beautiful. When he says:

Woh kehte hai yeh tera desh nahi
Phir kyun mere desh jaisa lagta hai..

I literally had tears in my eyes. Hats off to Yash Chopra for the direction (the camera slowly zooming in and the background music) and Aditya Chopra (he wrote the poem actually!)

You actually feel so sad for the protagonist, how he must have spent 20 yrs in the prison in silence just to protect his lady love's reputation. And how she, on the contrary, rebels against everyone and goes to India to fulfill his dream! You sort of start believing in love stories again.

And oh the songs! Madam Mohan's soundtracks were used for this, after some changes done, I think, by Anu Malik (not sure about this though. Please correct me if I am wrong about this)

A song for each occasion - love, romance, sacrifice, patriotism, hope, festivals. A very balanced album this one is.

Do Pal Ruka, is one which is very very close to my heart!

Jaanam Deklo was brilliantly sung by Udit Narayan. Listen to the authoritativeness in his voice which the song demands.

Hum toh bhai was ok. Sung by Lata Mangeshkar, this song was important to set the character of Zaara and I loved the colors of Priety 's dresses in this song! :)

Aisa Desh hain Mera - patriotic song with a feel-good factor. I, esp, liked the part sung by Zaara (Lata again) where she says 'jaane kyun yeh lagta hain mujko jaana pehchaana..yahan ki wahi shaam hain wahi savera..aisa hi desh hain mera..jaisa desh hain tera..'

Lodi song - It glorifies Punjab which is a taken in most of Yash Raj movies anywaz.

Aaya tere dar par deewana - Veer comes to Pakistan and sees Zaara in the darga and this song is in the background. Very apt! Shahrukh has a haunting look, which goes well with the song. Also check the scene where Zaara suddenly stops praying and turns around as if she was expecting Veer to be behind all along! The song ends beautifully too - Zaara rebels against everyone and goes and hugs Veer. Waah!

Tere liye - very nicely shot - the aging sequence. Lovely lyrics which talk about the sacrifice the two have unknowingly made for each other for the past 20 yrs. Haunting.

Well, the above were popular songs. The ones below are not that popular, most of them would probably not have heard of them too. But I loved these.

Yeh hawa - the title track! Sonu Nigam proves why he is so good again! It comes at the beginning of the movie when they show the credits. The poetic rendition by Yash Chopra was soulful (have written about it here)

Yeh hum aagaye hain kahan - a very happy light romantic number which the movie so needed, after all the soulful, strong songs! I can literally see Udit Narayan jumping about while singing this. :)

Jaane kyun - this song was canned. Very slow, nice track. The only problem, Lata Mangeshkar's voice. But still she has sung it soulfully, it comes through beautifully. Lyrics are amazing too. (check my post about it here)

Phew! Guess that's it.
No wait! How can I not list the 786 poem. Here it goes. Courtesy: hindilyrix..com again! (I just love this site!!)

Mein qaidi number 786, jail ki salakhon se bahar dekh ta hoon.
Din, mahinein, saloon ko, yug mein badal te dekh ta hoon.
is miti se mere bauji ki kheton ki khushbu ati hai
yeh dhoop meri matti ki thandi chaas yaad dilati hai

yeh barish mere sawaan ke jhoolon ko sang sang lati hai
yeh sardi meri lodi ki aag sikh ke jati hai
woh kehta hai yeh tera desh nahi
phir kyun mere des jaisa lagta hai
woh kheta hai mein us jaisa nahi
phir kyun mujh jaisa woh lagta hai

mein qaidi number 786 jail ki salakhon se bahar dekh ta hoon
sapno ke gawn se utri
ek nanhi pari ko dekh ta hoon
kehti hai khud ko Saamiya aur mujh ko Veer bulati hai
hai bilkul begaani par apno si zid woh karti hai
uski sachi baaton se phir jeene ko maan karta hai
uske kaasmon vado se kuch karne ko maan karta hai -----> how sweet right?

Mein qaidi number 786 jail ki salakhon se bahar dekh ta hoon
mere gawn ke raango mein lipti ek nayi Zaara ko dekhta hoon
Mere khwabon ko pura karte
khud ke khwab bhool chuki hai woh
mere logo ki sewa karte
apne logo ko chor chuki hai woh
uska daaman aab khushion se bharne ko jee karta hai
uske leya ek aur zindagi jeene ko jee karta hai --------> such a lovely para!

Woh khete hai ke mein, mera desh uska nahi
phir kyun mere ghar woh rehti hai
woh kehte hai ke mein us jaisa nahi
phir kyun mujh jaisi woh lagti hai

mein qaidi number 786 jail ki salakhon se bahar dekh ta hoon
Woh khete hai ko woh koi nahi teri
phir kyun mere liye dunya se woh larti hai
woh khwta hai ke mein us jaisa nahi
phir kyun mujh jaisi woh lagti hai

And here is the video:

P.S1: Wow, just realized this is my third post about this movie and its songs! Am in love or what! ;-)

P.S2: If you did manage to come till here, then a round of applause from the house!

half a year

2011-11-02T14:12:00.003+05:30

The kiddo turns 6 months old today! Phew! I am now a little relieved, a little stress-free (maybe 0.0001%) than before for having achieved this milestone with no major issues. (says a little prayer quickly)

Sid now scouts around the room, looking at his parents/grandparents/others who are present, and voluntarily calls them by 'hoon'ing, if they don't see him instantly. He repeats this until he achieves his goal - the person in question looks at him and talks to him. Immediately his face radiates with a big toothless smile.

He loves tapping objects or someone's hand/legs, his own legs. Its like, he first tests the sturdiness of the object by tapping on it. If it passes his test, he continues to do so until something else amuses him.

With light objects and toys, paper, small plates, he has learnt to flip it. He also moves them from one hand to the other. This also keeps him occupied for quite sometime.

He turns and crawls pretty fast now and has started going towards anyone who extends their hands and says 'baa' (come).

As always he absolutely loves talking to the maid! The conversation could go on for hours if the maid didn't have to work.

He has started noticing the changes, if any, in the house. If there is anything extra kept on the bed, he rolls over and goes towards it. If it is something out of his reach, he keeps staring at it. It is very amusing to see him do that!

2 months have passed since I started working from home. It is now time to go to office. I don't know how Sid will react (doubts arise whether he will miss me or will be too busy playing to even notice that I am gone for half a day?) or how I will manage without seeing him for nearly 4 hrs.

As Josh says, interesting times ahead! Notice the word - interesting. It can be anything - happy, sad, exciting, disappointing, pleasing...the list goes on.

This and that

2011-10-28T11:38:00.005+05:30

Sid is close to 6 months now and has started identifying people and his surroundings. Anything which looks new on his radar excites him to no end and he either stares at the new thing/person constantly or he tries to reach out and grab it.

Now I know why mothers get only 2/3 months maternity leave at work! Its soooooo much easier to leave the kid at home and go to work when the kid is 2-3 months. Now, he smiles, talks, recognizes you and what not! Its going to be very tough leaving him and going to work. Working from home was better.

Deepawali was fun with family. Sid was the star attraction of course! He must have enjoyed it thoroughly, as he refused to be put to sleep 2 days in a row!

My experiments with the oven continues and the oat cookies I tried came out burnt. The temperature is to be further reduced and the heating coils need to be taken to task! :-|

Sid typed on the laptop for the first time. These were his exact words/lyrics..call it what you want to!

sa szh jk ,mwcxa,mnaZgv za b xmn;'p-mklpl-okm mds?/zas[k,asdcpj[ko,[x .'z  'eee /M,LM,mndz /     u ;l,'m

At 11.00pm, Josh nudges me and suddenly asks - 'Do you know what gives me immense satisfaction?'. A few things come to my mind. Maybe the fact that he put the kid to sleep and in spite of the cracker sounds in the neighborhood, he has not got up.. Or maybe the fact that he cleaned his beloved cycle and changed the tire's tube today?

Aloud, I ask, 'What?'

He says 'There is a whole stack of pigs and with 1 single yellow bird, you hit the wooden base and all the pigs fall and die'

A moment of silence and then I said 'This is so going on my blog!'

A different Saturday

2011-10-24T13:00:00.002+05:30

Josh and I took Sid to a photo-exhibition. It was a first for the 3 of us! The theme was wildlife and Josh's colleague was one of the exhibitors.

It was at Chitrakala Parishat. What a beautiful place that is. So calm. There were some classes happening outside, children trying to draw/paint. All this amidst lush greenery. Truly enjoyable for a kid on a weekend.

We enjoyed the display very much. And Sid enjoyed it as well, oohing and aahing at the bird photos, lion photos that were on display!

The rain stops..

2011-10-13T12:33:00.001+05:30

...and the Sun momentarily peeks out from the clouds.

Conversation

2011-10-10T16:10:00.004+05:30

Sonny boy having a meaningful conversation with our maid. She delights him to no end and he ALWAYS starts conversing with her, no matter how sleepy or hungry he is!

Doodling

2011-10-04T11:13:00.005+05:30

The thing I miss most about not writing in a book or on a paper is doodling. Ahh, the idle times spent creating 'patterns' or a fancy way of writing your name. I used to have a lot of doodle 'art' (yeah, that's what I like to call that) in the last page of every notebook I owned! So when Josh opens his notebook to jot down some chip measurements while working at home, I quickly grab the pen and book and write my name or draw a flower or some such stuff.

I think we should have a social nwing site for doodling.
DoodleTwitter anyone? Remember, you heard it here the first time!

Madno

2011-09-26T11:03:00.005+05:30

One more song which we started humming in the morning while bathing the baby.

Good one from Lamha. Very easy on the ears. Soulful too. The singers are really good - Chinmayi and Kshitij. Had not heard of them before. Turns out Chinmayi is the one who has sung 'Tere bina' from Guru and one of the popular songs of Kshitij is 'Beete lamhe' from The Train.

I like the contrast in the lyrics.
For eg, Main hoon shab tu subah..dono juD ke juda
also Haan Iss safar mein to mein hoon..Par sang tere na ruk sakun

Listen to it here or check it out below.

Lyrics: http://www.top10bollywood.com/2010/06/madhno-re-song-lyrics-from-lamhaa.html

Hai dil ko teri aarzoo
Par main tujhe na paa sakun
Hai dil ko teri justaju
Par main tujhe na paa sakun
Main hoon shab tu subah
Dono jud ke judaa
Main hoon labh tu dua
Dono jud ke judaa
Madno, mashuko, dilbaro, madno re

Kayi khwaab dil tujhko le kar sajaaye
Par khauf yeh bhi kahin par sataaye
Ghar yeh bhi tootey toh phir hoga kya re
Mujhe raas aati hain khushiyaan kahan re
Kyon dil ko dukhana bewajah madno re
Kyon dil ko dukhana bewajah
Phir aansu bahana ik dafa
Phir aansu bahana ik dafa

Main hoon shab tu subah
Dono jud ke judaa
Main hoon labh tu dua
Dono jud ke judaa
Madhno, mashuko, dilbaro, madno re

Tu hi to har pal bandha hai
Lamhon ki inn zanjeeron mein
Tu hi to har dum raha hai
Khwaabon ki har taaberon mein
Tu hi to har din dikha hai
Dhundli aur ujli tasveeron mein
Tere hi to hai khusboo mujh mein haan madno re
Tere hi to hai khusboo mujh mein haan
Ab tu hi to har su har jagah
Ab tu hi to har su har jagah

Bhi chus shab sa subah
Meelyth doshvai judaa
Bhi chus labh sa dua
Meelyth doshvai judaa =======> must be kashmiri?
Madno, mashuko, dilbaro, madno re

Haan tera saaya to main hoon
Par sang tere na reh sakun
Haan iss safar me to main hoon
Par sang tere na ruk sakun
Main hoon shab tu subah
Dono jud ke judaa
Main hoon labh tu dua
Dono jud ke judaa
Madno, mashuko, dilbaro, madno re

Its a first!!

2011-09-23T12:11:00.004+05:30

The kiddo had his first juice drinking session today. It was like a major event, with both grandparents and mommy, your's truly that is, involved right from the inception till the end!

Oh the joy of squeezing the sweet lime, measuring the quantity so that I can add the exact amount of water to it. Mixing a little sugar into it and hoping and praying that the kid takes a liking to it. :-) We used a filler to give him the juice. Initially, he was a little unsure about what was being put into his mouth. He then started sucking the filler with vigor and I must think he enjoyed drinking it. We just gave him half of the concoction and hope that it doesn't affect his digestive system very much.

Ah, the joys of watching a baby's first milestones. The day he smiled for the first time, the day he rolled over, and the day he crawled! Yeah, he did start crawling from yesterday! I must say, its the cutest thing I have ever seen!

As I was rejoicing a thought stuck me. Its amazing how we celebrate and enjoy a baby's first actions/milestones. What happens to that enthusiasm when adults start something new for the first time. Why isn't it given that much of an importance? We encourage the kid when he does something new, hug him, kiss him, show our appreciation. Am sure that makes the kid happy and motivates him to continue. Shouldn't the same be applied to adults as well? A word of appreciation goes a long way! I make a mental note to start appreciating people more often now, will you??

Aaoge jab tum o saajana

2011-09-22T10:13:00.003+05:30

One of the lesser heard songs from Jab We Met, albeit a beautiful one.
Aaoge jab tum oh sajna, angna phool khilenge..basrsega saawan..barsega saawan..jhoom jhoom ke..do dil aise milenge..

aahh..pure bliss. The song, the voice, the music and the video! Yeah, the video too. Shahid and Kareena at their best I think.

Enjoy and have a great day!

Lyrics: (from hindilyrix.com)
======

Aaoge Jab Tum O Saajana
Angana Phool Khilenge
Barsega Saawan, Barsega Saawan Jhoom Jhoomke
Do Dil Aise Milenge
Aaoge Jab Tum O Saajana, Angana Phool Khilenge

Naina Tere Kajraare Hai, Naino Pe Hum Dil Haare Hai
Anjaane Hi Tere Naino Ne Waade Kiye Kayi Saare Hai
Saanson Ki Lay Madham Chalein, Tose Gaye
Barasega Saawan
Barasega Saawan, Jhoom Jhoomke, Do Dil Aise Milenge
Aaoge Jab Tum Ho Saajana, Angana Phool Khilenge

Chanda Ko Taaku Raaton Mein, Hai Zindagi Tere Haanthon Mein
Palkon Pe Jhilmil Taarein Hain, Aana Bhari Barsaaton Mein
Sapnon Ka Jahaan, Hoga Kela Kela
Barasega Saawan
Barasega Saawan, Jhoom Jhoomke, Do Dil Aise Milenge

Aaoge Jab Tum O Saajana..

From bread to brownie

2011-09-12T21:12:00.005+05:30

Today evening I tried making a lot of new stuff in the kitchen. One was peanut butter from scratch. The other was a bread rava sandwich and the other a microwave chocolate brownie. All recipes taken from various food blogs.

The peanut butter came out fine, the end mixture was a lil coarse but since I like coarse peanut butter i'll think of it as a success! ;-)

The rava bread thingy was the simplest of all. (I was unable to get the proper link or the blog ot which it belonged. Sorry! :( ) Make a rava batter (like you make for rava rotti). Make it a little watery so that you can spread a layer of it on the bread. Then toast the bread as usual, rava side facing the tava so that it gets cooked properly. It tasted good.

The brownie recipe said its a 2 minute microwave version and I took 30 minutes!!! They never mention the preparation time do they!?!?! :-| Well, anywaz the recipe was good and the result was ok. It had a little more essence which the others didn't like that much, but a good start nevertheless. Now to progress to making brownies in the OTG and see how it goes!

Beautiful songs

2011-09-09T17:16:00.003+05:30

I usually look into the friends section of some blogs I follow, so that I get more material and posts to read. Today I chanced upon 1 such blog which has some hindi songs and their translations. I checked the first song and thought 'hmm..i like this one too'. Then I checked the second one, and thought 'oh wow, i had forgotten about this song!! its so lovely' and then I checked the third one and thought ' Its been ages since I listened to this one and ohh i love this one too!!!' And this continued for almost all the songs and I was amazed by that person's choice and how it matches mine.! :) It was really refreshing to revisit those songs and I totally got lost in the lyrics all over again.! Although I just skimmed through the titles of the post (which mentions the songs) after 2-3 songs!)

I also silently made a resolution. To post the songs I like in this space so that there might be others who pass through this blog and think as I thought above!

So let me start it off with this song. I just selected the first song I saw on my current playlist.
This is from last year's phenomenal block-buster 'Dabanng' or was it 2 'b's or 2 'g's!!

The song - Chori kiya re Jiya. (click on the song to go to raaga.com's listing)
What I liked - Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal combination, simple lyrics and music. Very soothing.

Lyrics:
(got from http://www.top10bollywood.com/)

Saachi saachi teri nazrein ek darpan
Dede mann ki yeh khabrein ek pal chin
Adharon ne kuch na kaha re
Naino ne keh diya
Tune toh pal bhar mein chori kiya re jiya mora jiya
Tune bhi pal bhar mein chori kiya re jiya more piya

Gummsumm gummsumm rehne wali humri ek guzareya re
Kal-kal kal-kal behne lagi jaise prem ki nadiya re
Tujhe sang preet humne lagai hai
Tab jaage yeh rutt aayi hai
Tune toh pal bhar mein chori kiya re jiya mora jiya
Tune bhi pal bhar mein chori kiya re jiya more piya

Gupchup gupchup dil mein aaya sajna swaang rachaiya re
Pal pal har pal jiski chaya apna paar lagiya re
Ho tujh par jaan humne lutayi hai
Tab jaake tu sang aayi hai
Tune toh pal bhar mein chori kiya re jiya more piya

Saachi saachi teri nazrein ek darpan
Dede mann ki yeh khabrein ek pal chin
Adharon ne kuch na kaha re
Naino ne keh diya
Tune toh pal bhar mein chori kiya re jiya more piya
Tune bhi pal bhar mein chori kiya re jiya mora jiya

P.S: It is actually amazing that I can now post what comes to my mind in less than 10 min! :-D

Clothes

2011-09-09T12:38:00.006+05:30

Am amused by the fact that infant clothes are made for the sole purpose of entertaining everyone other than the infants! :)

Will the infants really care whether there is a cute fish or a big car on their t-shirt or a cool slogan? But they do amuse the parents and relatives for sure. No wonder you'll only find such shirts in stores. I think its only after they are 1 or 1.5 yrs, that they'll truly start appreciating the cute drawings/colors on their shirts/shorts.

Yes, I will only talk about shirts and shorts and pants for kids from now on and not even mention how remorseful I become when I see cute jeri langas, frocks and colorful skirts for girl babies in shops!! (Why God, why did you do this to me!! ;-) )

Bhoole bisre geet

2011-09-08T13:03:00.005+05:30

While giving bath to Siddhu (yeah, that's one of his nicknames, sounds earthy na? :-D), Josh and I usually start singing any song/rhyme that pops up in our head. Now that he can lift his head and has started reaching out to grab things, oiling him and giving him bath has been challenging and fun. His fav is 'hickory-dickory doc..tic toc..the mouse ran up the clock..tic toc...) He usually gives a lovely toothless smile and stares at me when I start singing this. But this holds his attention for at most 3 renditions, so we start singing all kind of songs and in all languages (hindi, kannada, english that is).

Its amazing how suddenly we remember old, forgotten hindi tracks! Just yesterday I suddenly remembered this beautiful track of Sonu Nigam's - Kuch tum socho kuch hum soche. This is from his private album (Deewana I think). I still remember the video - Gul Panag and that Himanshu guy waltzing! I had forgotten the lyrics, and Josh quickly joined in and sang 1 whole antara!! (I was amazed that he remembered it!!)

Whether Sid is occupied or not with these songs, we sure have a great start of the day!!!

Tic tic tic..ting!

2011-09-06T12:07:00.005+05:30

That's the sound of my new OTG ringing to tell me that the pre-heating is done! :-D Oh yes, I now have a new hobby - baking! With Sid occupying my every thought, I needed a diversion. Not that I mind having him fill my entire world, but I started to worry about him to an annoying level - annoying, that is, to others.! :) So I started to think what I could do with the 'spare' time I had. I narrowed down to 2 options - gardening and baking. Ultimately, baking won as I don't think I could do due justice to pots and plants.

So I bought a small Oven-toaster-griller and started my experiments with cookie baking. First, I tried the benne biscuit. FIL and Josh were reluctant guinea pigs. :) Got some positive feedback too. The taste of ghee was overwhelming and I decided never to use it again, instead, should try out recipes using butter/oil.

Fresh out of the oven!

Then I decided to go to the opposite end of the spectrum and decided on making masala crackers. (Took the recipe from here.There are some very nice recipes in that site, take a look if you are interested) I replaced the sesame seeds in the recipe with cumin seeds though. They came out nice, to my great surprise! :) It tasted almost like nippattu and they were an instant hit! :-D

Crackers!

So taking some courage, I again tried my hands at sweet cookies. This time I tried almond cookies (recipe from Manjula's kitchen - google it) as this recipe used wheat and not maida.

I did hit problems with the temperature and heat control, as there were 2 heating elements, one up and one down, and no recipe mentions what level they need to be. WIth both elements turned on, the bottom of the cookie turned black, where as the top didn't even cook.! So Josh suggested I reduce the temperature (from 180C as mentioned in the recipe to 150C) and chose only the top heating element.This worked like a charm! The cookies baked perfectly in 10 minutes and it was such a relief! :)

Now, I need to try out other recipes, and will def keep this blog posted, success or not!! But that can happen only when Sid is sleeping or playing with his grandparents/father, which gives me roughly 1.5-2 hrs in all!!! That is also the main reason I just have lousy photos taken from my phone.

And now its back to Sid. Cheerio!

Jhoom barabar jhoom!!

2011-09-02T13:18:00.002+05:30

About the kiddo, what else!

2011-08-24T12:37:00.005+05:30

It just feels like yesterday when I logged out of my office nw completing the few remaining tasks at hand, gearing up to go through childbirth. And now, nearly 4 months have passed and I look back in wonder. Wow! Where did all the time go?

All I remember is feeding the kid, putting him to sleep, changing his nappy and feeding him again, starting the cycle all over! And pulling my mom out of her daily chores, a hundred times a day. "Amma, why is he sleeping so much? Why is he NOT sleeping? Why is his poop like that? (really!!!) He just sneezed! He just vomited, is it normal? He looks like he is catching a cold. He feels warm doesn't he?" And then volley the same questions to my sister as soon as she is back from work!
Phew! Never ending volley of questions and never satisfied at the answers I get! But then what's the internet for? :-) To this, my annoyed mom reacts - 'Internet mele oddhiddhu jaasthi aaythu!! Bere kelsa ilva ninge'. :-)

How can I not write about the sleepless nights that my baby gave us! We struggled a lot in the second month, when his sleeping pattern was so hopeless!! It is only from the third month, that it became normal (sleeping through the night, that is) and there is a feeling of some method in the madness!! All this effort seems exhausting, but vanishes the instant the kiddo gives a big smile when he sees me or responds to my voice with his 'ooh's. Feels so rewarding!

The rate at which he is growing is alarming. He now rolls over and lifts his head to look around when is he is lying on his tummy. He reaches out and grabs toys put in front of him. All this in a matter of a week!! Every day we discover something new about him.

It feels as if I will miss out on things if I am not with him every single minute he is awake!! Now that I have to start working in a week or so, I wonder how I will find the time or inclination to do so? This is the real work-life balance that I must strive to achieve. It will not be easy, but hopefully not extremely difficult!

good or bad??

2011-08-18T10:37:00.002+05:30

"Remember nobody is good or bad. They are either strong or weak. Strong people stick to their morals, no matter what the trials and tribulations. Weak people, many a times, do not even realise how low they have fallen. "
Excerpt from Amish's "The secret of the nagas".
Nice take on good and evil. In fact the whole book contemplates a lot in this direction. Add to this a good plot and a nice mix of mythology and fiction, makes it a good reading. Compared to the first book of this trilogy, the language is also so much better with reduced usage of slangs!!
Am yet to finish reading it, but I am already waiting for the last book.!

Similarities

2011-06-24T16:11:00.003+05:30

So I watch this daily soap on Sony called 'Bade Acche Lagte hain' which has the Ekta Kapoor stamp all over it. It has Ram Kapoor as the lead protagonist, and so, since I liked him once upon a time, I watch it every afternoon.

Today, while watching the serial, mom suddenly says 'Your kid looks like Ram Kapoor!' :-|
I console myself thinking that it is because of the round fat face, that she thinks so. As if reading my mind, she quickly justifies. 'He always has a single sulky expression on his face!' :-| :-|

Mind your language

2011-06-21T13:22:00.004+05:30

(From the TV show - Castle)
Beckett: Against who?
Castle: (corrects her) whom?

Hmm..I know someone who does that too! ;-)

Rattle tale!

2011-06-20T14:20:00.001+05:30

Milestone

2011-06-02T11:49:00.004+05:30

No, this is not with reference to my phone (Motorola Milestone), which btw, is still with Josh!
Today marks 2 important milestones. First, my kid (still can't believe am a mommy now!) is 1 month old today. Second, my second nephew starts pre-school today!

The nephew did cry 'amma beku' as opposed to the first nephew (skanda) shouting 'ajji beku' on his first day at pre-school! ;-) He is all happy now at home telling everyone that he went to 'thkool'.!

My little lad is comfortably dozing off in his cradle, while I write this. A background score of 'comfortably numb' is playing repeatedly in my cellphone! He, as discovered by Josh, has taken a liking to this song and treats it like a lullaby! :-)
The only disappointment, I can't sing or play the song - 'Meri ghar aayi ek nanhi pari'!!

It's been a month today since I delivered a baby boy! It just seems like yesterday, when I was having contractions and to divert my mind, was watching 1920 (the 'horror' movie by Vikram Bhat) in the delivery room of Columbia Asia referral hospital! Utter nonsense the movie was. I also watched the 2 IPL matches happening that day, although I have no idea who were playing and who won! In fact, when the kid arrived, the TV was still on and the match was just about to end, I think!

The first response family and friends had was the same - 'yet another boy!'. My sis has 2 boys and Josh's sis has 1 you see! Everyone madly hoped to add a girl to the family. Well, what can you do, chromosomes and all that! :-D

After a lot of searching, we decided to name the little one Siddhant. (meaning principles or moral) All I can say is 'Is naam ka lihaaz rakna beTa'!!

The going has been pretty fine so far, apart from the rashes and colic that the kid had/has. Am being constantly reassured that it is normal and that I shouldn't worry. But hey, its my first time being a mom and being responsible for another human being, a tiny one at that! Just need some time, me thinks!

and more pics

2011-04-14T13:09:00.004+05:30

Can't resist posting more of the beautiful flowers blooming in front of my house! Work from home feels good with this display outside my window :-) The other tree, next to this one, has started sprouting pink flowers too!

Summer and its beauty

2011-04-12T12:04:00.006+05:30

Summer arriveth at full force!! The heat is already unbearable. So what beauty am I talking about?

It's the flowers that are in full bloom everywhere. At least in most places across Bangalore. The lovely lilac jacarandas, the light pink and yellow tabebuias, the yellow copper pod tree flowers, the dreamy rain tree flowers, to name a few, make Bangalore roads look very pretty! Do make an effort to just look around while you are outside and admire these flowers. :) Soon to come (already seen in some places) are the lovely May flowers, my fav!

Meanwhile, the tree in front of my house is in full bloom with purple flowers. Not sure if they are a variety of Cassia or the Queen's flower. But they sure are pleasing, ain't it?

Life-u ishTene!

2011-03-03T11:42:00.007+05:30

We all know change is inevitable, change is needed to grow, to be a better human being, to constantly re-invent etc etc.! But its not always that we accept this gracefully. Some deny it, some resist it and some, like me, remain silent. Not having words to express your sentiments is a tad disappointing, but at that moment, it feels like that's the right thing to do. But I find writing about it to be a lot easier. So here goes nothing!

Yesterday marked the end of a long run of a dear friend in our company! She was the first mentor. The first thought when I saw her was that she looked like my sister! curly hair and all that! :-D

With time, we became really close - a merry gang of 5-6 ppl who enjoyed working, laughing and even crying (Mr.A's meeting about the team breakup, B's junk bug, some of them sound really silly now) together!

So saying good-bye is tough, overwhelming, and sad! Yes, it is not like I won't see her again, or meet her for dinners/lunches, or go out on trips again (which i sincerely hope will resume sometime in the near future!) It's the thought of not having her in office, to turn to, for advice, for complaining, for gossiping, for just being there!!!

She will be missed greatly, by most of our team members. She is the rare optimistic person you find now-a-days at offices, who wouldn't nag about things being wrong often, passionate about her work (as said by her manager too), always ready and never afraid to try new things. Her command over sports, be it badminton, TT or cricket, is well-known and was appreciated by everyone. She would be someone to look up to for advices, like an agony aunt! :-) (her office 'kids' would agree here!)

Tea-time conversations, leg-pulling sessions, online chats, walking in the rain, admiring Mr.A, photo-sessions, the trips, planning on trips, complementing each other (I can see Pras nodding on this one), gossiping about anyone and everyone..sigh..the to-be-missed list seems endless!

But, as Mr.A puts it, change is good and I feel she deserves a much needed break, from everything. So here's wishing S a great new future, filled with happiness and fun! Be enthusiastic and spread joy as always!

Rain and its effects

2011-02-21T19:37:00.005+05:30

Random thoughts in the past half hr

Wishing badly that it rains as the heat increases and to see that the wish is indeed fulfilled the same evening!

Watching the rain from inside the house through the window for the first time in years! The view from the window is now good even at home too.

Thank you God Almighty! Life's small joys are indeed the best.

Getting nostalgic and thinking about the past, the what-could-have-been-present, the thankful-for-the-present-as-it-is, the worrying-what-the-future-holds.

Sigh! Why can't I just sit back and enjoy the rain for now and worry about everything later.

Dhund

2010-09-14T12:07:00.008+05:30

There was a movie by that name, think in the 70s. It was a murder mystery and I remember my father telling that its a good movie. and I watched it, a long time ago! With wooden actors like Sanjya Khan, Zeenat Aman and Danny Denzongpa, I did not have much hopes, but it was a really good attempt at a thriller!

Well, am not blogging now to talk about this movie. I just remembered it while trying to find a title to this post. It suits it the best you see! You don't? Hmmm, then check out the pic below.

Taken a couple of weeks back at Gopalaswamy beTTa. We left Bangalore around 3.30 in the morning, which is kinda record for me! Reached the Bandipur forest area around 7.00 and the top of the hill around 7.30. I was greeted by the same weather that I had experienced a few years back, when I had come here with my friends. It never ceases to amaze me. We waited for an hr and a half, and the weather didn't clear. So we couldn't explore the surroundings and we came back to Bangalore after a brief stop at Mysore for lunch.

Ok, enough of the tippani, more pics,which mostly glorifies the mist, follow!

On the way to the hill

First look around the temple after we climbed the hill

Himavat Gopalaswamy temple

Freshness

Into the unknown!

Lonely tree

It must be a dream!

Around the hill, while coming down

Greenery

By the way, Dhund in Hindi means mist!

Randomness

2010-09-03T14:47:00.009+05:30

The phone camera, in most cases, is of good use when you want to take pics and your bulky camera is not around :) It also serves as a great timepass.

For example, when stuck in a traffic tam, and its raining. No more boredom and frustration. Just click and experiment with diff modes and effects of the phone camera. Of course, you should be a passenger and not the driver for this ;-)

Waiting for food in a restaurant? Different or colorful surroundings? Chance to kill time again with the phone camera.

The 2 pics below are at one of the Mast Kalandar outlets, near Whitefield.

The below pic is from the jungle theme restaurantat Hotel Pai Vista in Mysore.

Cab talk

2010-08-31T10:43:00.003+05:30

3 guys in our cab get talking over the new rupee symbol.

1st dude: In all the shops, they have the new rupee symbol now.
2nd dude: ya, but it is not so good.
1st dude: yeah, wonder why they couldn't get a better symbol.
2nd dude: hmm, it would have been better without the dash at the top.
3rd dude: it is based on the hindi alphabet.
1st dude: I think it is the same in Sanskrit also.
2nd dude: Is it?? Even in Sanskrit, there is a dash at the top?
Me: (wow!!)

There is treasure everywhere!

2010-08-10T11:16:00.002+05:30

The kid turned 4 today!!!

He now goes to school, 2nd year Montessori to be precise.

Talks about what he and his friends did at school and in the school bus, which usually involves screaming at the top of their voice and driving the aaya mad!
He also wants the driver to switch on the indicator while turning, and sulks when he doesn't!

Knows most of the car models and recognizes many of them too! Boys!!! I tell you!
He also doesn't agree with his dad's decision to buy a Tata Safari. He wants a For Fiesta. Yes, according to him, its For not Ford! :-D

While traveling, he loves going through an underpass, and has a wide smile plastered on his face, when his dad actually goes through one!!
From school, he sometimes brings back some small smooth pebbles, stones etc and proudly shows them to his grandparents!! :-) Quite like what I used to do in school!!

He tries to pinch or squeeze his younger bro's hands when he thinks he (the younger one, that is) is getting more attention! At the same time, loves him too.

Fusses about the dress he wears to school and fights with his grandmom when she forces him to wear shorts!
Treats the granddad like his friend and fights with him!
Throws tantrums like a typical 4 yr old boy does...and gets scolded too.

Loves eating noodle soup and sweet corn and waits on his mom diligently everyday for it. Sometimes, even asks in a very small sweet voice 'amma, ivatthu noodle soup maaDthya?' Sigh! who can say no to that!! :-D

Absolutely loves going out on his bicycle, with the support wheels attached, with his dad. It doesn't matter if his dad comes home at 10.00 in the night, a small round on his cycle is a must! He has now progressed to a cycle without the balancing wheels too!

Wow! Time sure flies. Happy birthday Kiddo! Love you!

Patthar aur paani!

2010-07-06T13:48:00.006+05:30

Relatives visiting from the US meant a fun day out visiting places near Bangalore. So, on a saturday, we, a merry gang of 11, went to Shivanasamudra, Talakad and Somnathpura on a Saturday.

The weather was awesome throughout the day and made up for the pityful water level that Shivanasamudra has right now! This place can be totally avoided until the monsoons come and go.

Some of the monkeys there kept us on high alert what with their food-grabbing spree! They however made good models for portraits. :)

Next we went to Talakad. The peaceful and surprisingly clean Cauvery river invited us and some of us (excluding me of course) went for a brief trip in a coracle. It looked like fun :)

After a brief stop at a Tea shop where we had a refreshing break, we went to visit the 5 temples at Talakad. On the way to the second temple, we saw this structure being restored.

We visited 2 out of the 5 temples of Shiva, and continued our journey towards Somnathpura.

Aah! The Somnathpura temple.

Brilliant architecture very similar to Belur/HalebiDu. The entire temple is built with sandstones and there is a unique lock mechanism to join 2 carved stones together. For the first time, I actually realized the value of a guide (certified by the Archaelogical Survey of India, I think) while visiting places of historical importance. Very enlightening it was.

All the deities carved had their noses broken! The result of plundering by the Muslim invaders.

The symmetry of the temple is mind-blowing. The temple is on a star shaped platform and the entire structure converges at the top of the temple in perfect symmetrical lines.

Made a mental note to take the assistance of guides during temple and monument visits and also read up on it after coming back. :-)

Then we headed back to namma Bengaluru. On the way, we saw this lovely lake filled with lily (i think) leaves glowing in the setting sun's rays. Apt end, I must say!

Nazar ki baat

2010-06-29T14:21:00.003+05:30

Lots of songs talk about speaking through the eyes. My all time fav being Shuba Mudgal's 'Seekho na'

Seekho na naino ki bhasha piya
Keh rahi tumse yeh khamoshiyaan
Seekho na...
lab to na kholungi mein..Samjho dil ki boli
Seekho na naino ki bhasha piya

On a trip last weekend, I got a chance to listen to some very old songs. One of them was 'Aji root kar ab'. The antara had these lines.

jo dil men hain hothon pe laana bhi mushkil
magar us ko dil men chhupaanaa bhi mushkil
nazar ki zubaan ko samajh jaaiyega
samajh kar zara gaur faramaaiyega

My love for hindi movie songs and lyrics continues to grow!! :-D

Detachment

2010-06-10T22:34:00.003+05:30

tere bina saans bhi chalthi hain..tere bina dil bhi dhaDakta hain..
yaad nahi tha yaad aaya..

One of my favorite lines in the recent past. The song is good too, very simple and lovable. (Salaam aaya from Veer)

But what struck me more is the way the girl simply says these lines and conveys so much!

At one level it talks about the girl's realization that she loves him, but still at the same time, can survive without him.
But I suddenly thought that it is true even when someone, who means the world to you, passes away right? You still survive. Your heart beats, you breathe...
Yes, you survive..you manage to get through life, but can you live life?
Probably with time? Hopefully..with time..

p.s: these are just thoughts from a very boring ride back home. Guess I need to download more songs into my cellphone. What say? ;-)

Meanwhile you can also listen to a few other good simple songs - dil toh bachcha hain jee (Ishqiya) and zindagi do pal ki (Kites).

Run Bangalore run!

2010-05-24T12:23:00.013+05:30

And run it did!

It really looked like the entire population of Bangalore was at the Kanteerava Stadium on Sunday - 23rd May 2010. The occasion was the Annual Sunfeast 10k Marathon.

Josh as usual registered for the 10k in no time! I thought I'll just tag along and experiment people photography! But since our team members were planning to register for the majja run (5.7 kms), I too registered. There was some problem with the online transaction though!! Times indiatimes actually cut 6k instead of Rs.322!!! The marathon guys claim that only 322 has been cut and that we need to follow up with the indiatimes ppl now..anywaz that was the only downside of the event.
Oh, almost forgot, last min drop-outs from our team too! So turns out I was the only one running in the 5.7k run category. But no complaints.. the run (rather walk!) was fun. The weather was good, the running route also was very good and scenic. Pics from the same are added below. The open 10k started at 8.00 and majja run at 9.00. I finished it in around an hr! :)

The organization was very good and smooth. Lots of volunteers and cheering squads (no...not cheerleaders!) every km. Water bottles, biscuits were handed over generously too.
The most astonishing fact was that there were so many kids and senior folks who were running and I think almost everyone completed the run!! Lot of the NGOs and people supporting various causes ran to create awareness. Very motivating it was!

All in all a fun day, albeit, a little tiring. (ok, ok..a lot tiring!)

The world 10k run starts

The open 10k run starts. HUGE participation!

The majja run starts and I head towards GPO-> Vidhan Soudha

->Cubbon Park

-> The giant bottle float :-) (that's at the circle near the stadium)

and back to the stadium.

A panaromic view of the stadium.

Update: Just when I was talking about the efficiency of the organizers of the event, got a mail with the pics and the completion certificate. Majja run is not timed though, so the time shows as zero. :-)

Work and play

2010-05-11T21:16:00.008+05:30

Team outing to Manipal County happened yesterday. The place is beautiful with lots of trees, plants and gardens. It was a fun day and on my way home, there was heavy rain too! Apt end to the day. :)
Some pics below.

The rabbits were in a fenced area and they were huddled up only where there was shade. Not one of them was found moving around.

Stairway to yonder skies

Against all odds

Retro mode pics begin!!
-----------------------

Ek kachua..aur ek waterfall..

Shadow play

Reminds me of the chess sequence in HP - Philosopher's stone.

Life

Light..

and a bright happy pic to end the post.

rainy thoughts

2010-04-21T21:28:00.008+05:30

The rains are creating havoc in Bangalore city. Power outages, uprooted trees and traffic jams seem to have caused a lot of pain and traveling back in time, I wonder why we were applying petitions to the Almighty for even a lil bit of rain to save us from that terrible, terrible heat. That was necessary and hopefully this too.

Getting caught in the rain, reminded me of my college days (or even after I started working) when I had to go home late (intentionally or unintentionally). I would have to call home and give an update to mom. A typical conversation would be:
Me: Mom, I'll be late for so-and-so reason.
Ma: Why didn't you call earlier? Where are you? Who is with you? How are you coming back? Will someone be dropping you?
..and a barrage of other 'important' questions.
But what I specifically remember is my father asking on the other side of the call(addressing my mom, shouting loudly): "Ask her where she is. I will go and pick her up now only. or give me the phone, I'll ask her.."
This was more out of concern than anything else.

And that little assurance was very important and would make a whole lot of difference to me...

No matter where I was caught, I was sure I would be picked up! No matter where I was, or how far he had to go in search of an auto (neither does he drive not did we have any vehicle at home). Knowing my terrible direction sense, am sure some will agree that, indeed, this was a blessing! :-D
No wonder, that I would expect, no..wish, that I would marry someone who would do the same too. That would be every single time I was caught somewhere or needed a ride. Simple isn't it? I will whole heartedly blame my father, brother(in-law) and friends, who did just that for me. And now, from 2 years, it is someone else's turn to carry on with this tradition. :-) I must add, he does a good job of it too.

But its surprising how quickly one would take such things for granted. No explanations given, no logic prevails. Nothing.. it just happens.

Hmm..that brings me to another related topic. It probably is true that, sub-consciously or knowingly, a girl would want to see a part of her father in the guy she likes. The same way a guy would say 'My mom doesn't do it this way.." or "Let's ask mom, she knows better".

Because that's what parents are, better experienced, all knowing, and most importantly, a great benchmark. :-) The only thing we need to do is know where and when to draw a line. And oh boy, that is definitely not easy!

Ok, I digressed a lot of times throughout this post, and I'll let it be. One more digression is allowed right? Here it goes.

I changed the date of a small friendship-quotes-filled calender, and I saw this quote for 22nd:

Friendship is an inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words.

How nice would it be if this was extended to most of our relationships. What say?

What's in a game?

2010-04-01T19:07:00.004+05:30

What's in a game?
Some may answer 'Oh, nothing much, it is just a game', while others exclaim: 'Everything!!'

I have basically seen people falling into these 2 categories often. And that is when I came up with this theory:

One of the sure-shot methods of finding out how a person is, that too real-quick, is to involve him/her in a game.

Any game would do. Be it Pictionary or Badminton, Cricket or Monopoly. It esp. helps if you are in the same team.

We get to know a lot about the person - how he (generalizing, replace it with she if you want to) reacts to failure, how he draws up strategies, how he treats his team members, does he dominate or just lurk in the shadows, do your wavelengths match? And much much more!

It can be applied in so many scenarios you know - like finding that special someone or just another team member! Yeah, yeah asking someone to play a game at the first meeting/interview sounds really odd. And it doesn't work that way. But at least make it a point to involve him in some game at some point of time. You will be surprised!

Common knowledge or enlightenment? Let me know!

What shall I call thee..

2010-03-08T23:19:00.012+05:30

a limmerick? - no, it doesn't 'count'.
a poem? - no, its too short.
Ah! I know! a pensieve it is!!

Routers to writers,
Sigh! my mind drifts.
Mousse to musings,
how quickly it shifts.

Oh, wandering mind,
What did you find?
No reason, no rhyme,
Do you need a chime?

Just like that!

2010-02-19T19:09:00.002+05:30

picnic by the lake

2010-01-08T21:09:00.012+05:30

On Dec 24th, the usual suspects went out on a 1-day trip. Some of them dropped out, but we were a merry gang of 6, so we continued with the plan. (In a 13-seaterTT, I must add!!)
After the UNO games, leg-pulling, and nausea-inducing ride, we arrived at the first destination - Melkote. After a short walk to the temple base (the temple of Challuva Narayana is in a fort on a small-hillock, Mel-koTe..get it?!), that included photo shoots of people, animals, trees, flowers, as always, we reached the steps. More pics followed.

For a change, D got busy with phone calls, and not K. :-) Refreshing change it sure was! After a short climb, we reached the fort. We arrived a little early for the puja, so we spent some time admiring the fort and the view it had to offer.

Then, after the darshan, we set off to thannur lake. It is quite huge and very nice. A little dirty, due to the mindless plastic-spewing humans! Seriously, what joy does carving names or a-loves-b on walls, roofs of public places?!? Anywaz, we had puliyogre and sweet pongal parceled from a shop in melkote and had that by the lake, picnic-style :-)

A closer look

We then headed to the other side of the lake. The place was very dirty and can be easily avoided. Sans, Sudks, josh and Dkoya went climbing a small hillock. Kartha and I played badminton to while away time.

After a brief stop at Mysore for dinner at 'Mane', dropped Sans at her place and we reached Bangalore and home at 12.00!! All in all, it was a pleasant, nice and fun-filled day with friends. Aah, life's small joys.. :-)
A few more pics.

I also went to Coorg with parents,sis and her family during the long weekend, and that will be another post by itself, well, at least the pics. Til then, ciao!!

Abhimaan

2009-12-11T10:59:00.003+05:30

True to it's name, the movie Abhimaan was all about ego and how it mars relationships.

This Hirishikesh Mukherjee movie was brilliant in all aspects.

It had wonderful performances by the lead actors and the character artists - the mellow Jaya Bachchan with her all-expressive-eyes (gosh! just watch piya bina, looTe koi man ka nagar, tere mere milan..and you'll know what I am telling), and Amitabh Bachchan's perfect MCP act! (how I hated him in the movie ;-))

What makes it even more special are the songs. I just love the way the songs transition with the tone of the movie. Romantic (teri bindiya re), peaceful (nadiya kinare), melancholic (ab to hain tumse, tere mere milan), sad (piya bina) and fun (meet na mila re, looTe koi man ka nagar) too! SD Burman's melody and Lata Mangeshkar's rendition creates the magic that makes Hindi cinema (no, not bollywood) what it is.

Go ahead, listen to the songs. You will not be disappointed. Oh! Watch the movie too! :-)

Nanha sa gul khilega angna

2009-11-26T10:24:00.006+05:30

Within the matter of a day, a new relation got added. I am now a maami of a cute little baby boy. :-) and it feels wonderful!! (pauses to do a small raise-the-hands-and-sway-from-right-to-left routine) Eagerly awaiting the pics now.

Congrats ka and anna!! Here's wishing the kid and you guys a lifetime of happiness!! Have fun.

Baby's first

2009-11-07T13:31:00.002+05:30

Gosh! Time sure flies..my second nephew is growing up so fast! He even sent out a mail to me last week!

This is what it says:

G3XF7ZSAASEeSAZSZAQS

Oh, did I mention that he is all of 7 months now!!! ;-) Where is a baby-language dictionary when you need one.!

to be or not to be?!

2009-11-04T12:30:00.000+05:30

With the uncertainty that life is, you never know how much of 'life' one gets to live! You might be the center of the universe one moment and the next moment..poof! You are gone. With that will be gone your thoughts, dreams, relationships..

Keeping this in mind, is it really ok to live the way we want to?

Do what you want to do, be what you want to be. Make your own decisions without considering external factors or people, no matter who they are.. parents, siblings, spouse, children? Even though such decisions end up hurting them. If you live this way, then, when you die, people might not shed a tear, might not remember you for long...? But do we really go through this life to be remembered 'nicely' when we are gone?!? To hear people say - 'Oh! He/She was such a good person' 'Rest in peace' blah blah, and the worst part.. you wouldn't even be alive to hear it!!! ;-)

On the other hand, we get a weird (couldn't find a better word) satisfaction giving away a few things/ambitions/dreams for the people who mean a lot to us. Not to forget, if others too act selfishly, where would we stand??! That thought is scary.

Uff..I can go on and on re-visiting both sides of the coin. Maybe the trick is to find a fine, delicate balance.

That's it!! a fine balance!!! (Few people, 2 actually, would rather say that the halo has made its official re-entry!)
Hmm..where should I start looking?

Mausam ka haal

2009-10-27T20:46:00.004+05:30

N: No mails today, wassup?
M: Blue sky :)
N(taking a whole min to understand!!): Soon you'll see thunderstorms and lightning!! ;-)

jab saamne tum aajathe ho..kya jaaniye kya ho jaata hain

2009-10-20T13:24:00.005+05:30

chaahatha yeh kahenge..sochatha woh kahenge
aaye woh saamne toh..kuch bhi na keh sake bas
dekha kiye unhe hum

Jagjit Singh and Asha Bhonsle's soulful rendition, lovely lyrics, soft music from the album 'Khwahishein'.
Listen to it here.
Watch it here.

Skanda's rules of classification

2009-10-15T14:48:00.012+05:30

A typical conversation with my 3 year old nephew, say, while watching animal planet. (Can be equally applied to any other show on any other channel too!)

Skanda: Adhenadhu?
Me(or his mom): Tiger
Skanda: Tiger kacchatte?
Me: kacchatte
Skanda(watching the tiger stalk a deer): Adhenadhu?
Me:Jinke
Skanda: Jinke kacchalla?
Me: kacchalla

I flip the channel to Cartoon Network..

Skanda(pointing to a book, that Tom the cat, is reading): Chikkamma, adhu?
Me: Book
Skanda: Book kacchatthe?
Me(Eh?): Kacchalla (Notice, I tell something that he is not expecting, usually whatever he asks, that should be the answer!)
Skanda(assertively): Kacchatthe!!!
Me: ok kacchatte!

So, according to Skanda, there are 2 types of people/animals/things etc in this world.
One that bites and one that doesn't.
Simple ain't it! :-) Aahh..to be as innocent as a child again!

Tranquility

2009-10-04T22:44:00.001+05:30

Nature's symmetry

2009-09-15T21:11:00.005+05:30

These were taken at Ranganthittu on a cloudy Sunday morning. Added some shadow to the images to make the flowers stand apart. I liked the end result and kept the images that way.

Revisited..

2009-08-04T13:58:00.006+05:30

..the joys..

.. the sorrows..

.. the fights..

.. the teasing..

.. the senseless debates, which at that time felt oh-so-important..

.. the various bahaanas for bunking classes**..

.. the fierce arguments for increasing the internal score-cards..

.. the last-minute exam preparations..

.. the aching, loving and broken hearts..

.. the awesome days spent here!!!!!

..revisited on friendship day.

**yeah, was still studious enough not to bunk without a valid reason!

The three musketeers

2009-07-22T22:12:00.001+05:30

Glimpses of Belur

2009-07-08T11:25:00.001+05:30

Khul ke muskuraale

2009-07-03T13:47:00.002+05:30

chooDaaye hum woh galiyan

2009-07-01T10:09:00.007+05:30

Moved to a new building today after 4 years at SA (Bannerghatta road). The new place is ok in terms of facilities but the cubicle design is pathetic, too much noise and disturbance! Hoping to get used to this new place and direction!

In other things, is there anyone out there who, like me, thought of Auzaar while watching New York???

yaadon ka mausam hain...

2009-06-12T08:58:00.004+05:30

jaane kyun... khwaabon ka mausam hai, aur main hoon
mausam hai, aur main hoon
jaane kyun... yaadon ki shabnam hai, aur main hoon
shabnam hai, aur main hoon
yaadein... laayi hain... khushiyaan bhi, aansoo bhi
jaane kyun... ik aisa sangam hai, aur main hoon
sangam hai, aur main hoon

This beautiful song from Veer Zaara was unfortunately not picturized or was removed from the movie. It has a soulful and melancholic feel which makes you sad, but in a good way!
Ideal song to listen to on a cloudy Friday morning...

Listen to it here, only if you are not feeling sleepy!!!
(Why this disclaimer? you'll know when you listen to it ;-) )

...and then there was headphones!!

2009-06-08T13:35:00.006+05:30

Listening to conversations around your cube is fun.
Sometimes..blocking all that out is much better!! ;-)

door gagan ki chaaun mein

2009-06-05T09:45:00.001+05:30

Sunehri

2009-05-20T16:00:00.002+05:30

Childhood

2009-05-18T14:22:00.009+05:30

Reminds me of this famous Jagjit Singh song.

..magar mujhako lautaa do bachapan kaa saavan
woh kaagaz kii kashti, woh baarish kaa paani

Woohooo!

2009-04-22T08:43:00.007+05:30

Our product and its engineers got a special mention at the vSphere 4.0 launch at VMWare's Palo Alto headquarters today! :-)

John Chambers shared the stage with Paul Maritz and not only thanked all the engineers, from VMWare and Cisco, for their efforts but also came up to the few who could attend (restricted number of passes!) and shook hands with each one of them, close to 20, in between his talk!

Feeling elated to see the recognition our entire team got for the hard work we have put in for the past 2 (ok...nearly 2) years! Congrats to the whole team and way to go!!

N1kv rocks!!! :-D

baaton baaton mein

2009-04-19T09:37:00.006+05:30

Some songs have a monologue or dialogue exchange at the start or in between antharaas, which is more powerful than the song itself. Who can forget Amitabh Bachchan's 'main aur meri tanhai' in 'yeh kahan aagaye hum' or Sanjeev Kapoor's and Suchitra Sen's dialogue exchange in the song 'tere bina zindagi se koi'.

Then there are other songs, let alone dialogues within it, which come and go away so silently that most of them would not know they exist! One such song, from Veer-Zaara, which comes during the opening credits of the film, has a monologue by Yashji (Yash Chopra of course! :) ). I find it, and the song and the music, very peaceful, hopeful, nostalgic and nice...

Listen to it here: Kyon Hawa

ek din jab savere savere surmaye si andher ki chaadhar haTaake
ek parbat ke takiye se suraj ne sar jo uTaaya....to dekha..
dil ki vaadi mein chaahat ka mausam hain
aur yaadon ki Daaliyon par
anginat beete lamhon ki kaliyaan...mehekne lagi hain..
ankahe ansuni aarzoo..aadhi soyi huyi aadhi jaagi huyi
aankhen malte huyi dekhti hain
leher dar leher mauj dar mauj behti huyi zindagi
jaise har pal nayi aur phir bhi wahi
haan..wahi zindagi..
jiske daaman mein koyi mohabbat bhi hain koyi hasrat bhi hain
paas aana bhi hain door jaana bhi hain
aur yeh ehsaas hain
waqt jarne sa behta huya..jaa raha hain..yeh kehta huya..
Dil ki vaadi mein chaahat ka mausam hain
aur yaadon ki Daaliyon par
anginat beete lamhon ki kaliyaan mehekne lagi hain..

Do you have any such favorites?

When...

2009-03-23T12:27:00.004+05:30

will people realize to let go.. of things.. of fixed notions.. of expectations.. of people..

khil rahi hain kali kali

2009-03-18T08:40:00.001+05:30

Free..

2009-03-10T10:51:00.003+05:30

.. to walk again without pain!

Kahin dur jab din Dhal jaaye

2009-03-05T05:43:00.001+05:30

Loved the colors and the cloud formations in this one.

Sunshine and Shadow

2009-02-23T11:16:00.001+05:30

Cherry blossoms!!!

2009-02-20T11:02:00.004+05:30

..very pleasing, to the eye and the mind.

Of Bricks and Stones

2009-02-05T14:43:00.005+05:30

The resort (Club cabana) had an open air theatre. Loved the architecture of it. It was pretty peaceful there, with a nice wind, lots of trees and birds chirping. Sandhya and I had a nice time chatting. :-)
Pics follow.

The water rides and attractions there were pretty good too. There was a jacuzzi, few rides and a wave pool. The best of the lot were the small huts in front of the pool. Ideal place to take a nap on a hot afternoon!

A few abstractions follow!

Yeh kaun chitrakaar hai

2009-02-04T14:28:00.009+05:30

Our team from office went to Club Cabana yesterday to celebrate a successful release! As most of the badminton, TT etc. courts were occupied, Sandhya and I went around the gardens experimenting with the camera. Ended up discovering many options in the camera I never knew existed! :-)

As usual a lot of macros and flower/nature pictures followed. The best part - my first snap of a drongo! :-) Had seen loads of them on the electric wires by the road, during the drive to bagalkot/hampi, but could not photograph them. The resort had a lot of birds, but could capture only this.

Pics follow.

The drongo (not sure what the exact name is though)

Splash of colors follow

now for a white (read serene) break

Followed by shocking pink! The unmatched bougainvillea, of course!

More colors

hari hari vasundhara pe
neela neela ye gagan
ki jiske baadlon ki paalki
uda raha pawan

dishaye dekho rang bhari
dishaye dekho rang bhari
chamak rahi umang bhari
ye kisne phhol phool pe
ye kisne phhol phool pe
kiya singaar hai
ye kaun chitrakaar hai
ye kaun chitrakaar
ye kaun chitrakaar hai

Thus sang Mukesh. True isn't it?

Glorious Ruins

2009-01-18T14:19:00.001+05:30

Well, that's Hampi for you. Watching the sun set over these ruins is an overwhelming experience. The end of a rich and prosperous era retold day after day after day...

Din dhal jaaye haye

2008-12-31T15:52:00.000+05:30

As the sun sets, its time to bid adieu to 2008 and welcome the year 2009. Hope the coming year is more peaceful, happier and fun!

Pic taken by Josh at BaaDa beach,Kumta.

The day that was

2008-12-15T09:37:00.004+05:30

After a long long time, spent an entire day reading a book, from start to finish! :-)
Well, the power-cut from 10.00 to 3.00 in our locality made me do it. Nevertheless, felt really good to do nothing other than read a novel throughout the day. I even caught a quick siesta too! An idyllic Sunday well spent!

Sticky keys.. Sticky keys...

2008-12-04T18:37:00.007+05:30

Oh no.. Its not a variation of Phoebe's Smelly Cat! It is the feature which comes to my rescue when I encounter weird behavior with Windows.
I know, i know.. I can already hear all you linux geeks sneering away to glory!

What is the weird behavior you ask? Well, sometimes when I have many Firefox tabs open (>15) for a long time (through multiple hibernations), the keyboard starts acting up. I click on some links, and instead of opening it in a new tab, it starts downloading them! Typing 'b' behaves like ctrl/alt+b.
Happens sometimes with Notepad too. ctrl+c, ctrl+v does not work.

I did discover an awesome solution though! Press the 'Shift' key more than 5 times and you get the Sticky-keys window like this:

Clicking 'Cancel' makes the keyboard normal again!!! :-D And it works every time!!!

My work makes me take loads of snapshots as it involves a 3rd party GUI. Guess it shows huh?!?!

Dekho baarish ho rahi hain...

2008-11-28T09:39:00.007+05:30

its raining its raining its raining..

No I am not a fan of Anu Malik's singing. It's just how Bangalore is for the past 2-3 days. Feels awesome most of the times. The only problems being waking up early in the morning to catch the office cab and walking on what must have been a road, but is now a muddy pool.

It's like when we (office gang) visited Coorg/Jog falls sometime ago.(and that is in 2006/2007 :-( ) Cloudy, rainy, DREAMY...So many fond memories..so many lively conversations and fun-time. Sigh!!! It sure will be difficult to work today!

One pic from the Jog trip!

The festival of lights and colors

2008-10-30T10:33:00.004+05:30

This was how Deepawali was this time too. Lots of people, fun, food (yeah, yeah! :-p), lights and colors. :-)

Visited the Innovative Film City near Bidadi. General timepass place, very expensive though. Liked the Ripley's Believe it or not Museum the best. Mirror Maze was fun too.

Tried my hands at Rangoli after a long long time too! :-)

After the evening prayers

The Rangoli ( a tad unsymmetrical) :-D

Weekend - The end or the start?

2008-10-13T10:03:00.005+05:30

Got a forward in an official mailer list today.
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/91aug/rybczynski-p1.htm

This article is very old (August 91 - the page states), but is relevant even today!
It talks about work, leisure; how the week-end came to exist and how it evolved over time. Makes a very nice read, albeit lengthy.

Josh and I were talking on similar lines last weekend about this whole concept of doing 'something' (read going out, watching movies etc.) during weekends. I was for the cause , of course!

Gidda's artwork!

2008-09-27T14:33:00.005+05:30

My nephew has a new-found interest. Doodling!
The end result is a set of lines on a paper or on hands (his or anybody else's around him) or walls even!! The mothers - his and mine, have a great time showing off his skillful art. ;-)

Yesterday, he laboriously removed the cap of each of the 10 odd sketch pens and started 'drawing' on a piece of paper. :-) The person in charge of replacing the caps was of course, your's truly!

This was when he was half-way through the drawing.

(The arc of a circle and a line at the right is his mother's contribution! :-D)

This was when he finally completed. Such brilliant color combination na?

p.s: 'gidda' is how he pronounces his name - skanda!

September of 2008..

2008-09-15T13:38:00.005+05:30

..has been (or rather is) one of the strangest months at office.

No Bhuv, no Sudks, no San, all at once! :-(
Well, thankfully one of the above is not permanent.

More words added in the times-a-changing chapter of life perhaps?!?!

lesson 2 - City at Night

2008-09-08T14:01:00.005+05:30

This was the title of the poem written by a 4th Standard kid, Ashutosh, on the back of a hand-made card. There were cardboard cutouts of flowers pasted on the card too. Very sweet! :-)

A group of volunteers from our office are helping the security and house-keeping staffs' kids, with their education and other needs. So far they have been provided with monthly rations (rice, dal, etc) and payment of their school fees. Monetary contributions from the employees have ensured this scheme to last for a year!

The kids had come to our office yesterday and the volunteers spent time with them, helping them make greeting cards and interacting/discussing with them about what they need and what we can do to help them. Couldn't attend the same, but I got one of those cards for contributing towards the cause! The card did brighten my Monday morning. :-) Will definitely try to volunteer actively in future activities.

The first page of the card. Will post clear snaps, if possible, later.

This poem was in the last page.

City At Night
-------------
When the night begins to fall
And the sky begins to glow
You look up and see the tall
City of light begin to grow --
In rows and little golden squares
The lights come out. First here, then there
Behind the windowpanes as though
A million billion bees had built
Their golden hives and honeycombs
Above you in the air.
-Mary Britton Miller

Kaale kaale baadal..

2008-08-29T09:49:00.007+05:30

..jab bhi chaayenge..
yeh din pyaare pyaare yaad aayenge..

memories.. wonder what we would do without them! Sometimes memories are the only way we get to see and cherish people not there amongst us anymore...

and at other times, even if given the opportunity to relive them, situations don't let you.. and it does lead to a lot of disappointment.. in others and in yourself..

someone gets closer to you than life.. some ppl who are an integral part of life, get farther away..

changing times.. changing life.. finding a balance is hard but definitely not impossible..

life sure is a roller-coaster ride..
with a lot of highs and few lows, surely it is a good ride! (touchwood)

random thoughts on a cloudy dull friday morning (esp. if you are down with a cold!)

Also wishing Sudks the very best of luck in his new venture! and loads of 'happyness'!

Flowers in the park

2008-08-18T18:54:00.003+05:30

I seem to be obsessed with macro shots of flowers! I do use the in-built macro function of course. Reminds me, high time I started exploring the manual settings!

Some images of common flowers captured at Nandi Hills.

Bland title I know.. but all I could come up with were lyrics of Hindi songs with phool or rang in it. Somehow decided against using them this time!

MaLe ninthu hodha mele..

2008-08-14T11:16:00.007+05:30

Its the awesome-weather-time in Bangalore again. :-) A light drizzle almost the entire day and heavy rains in the late evening/night. The drizzle makes the walks an absolute delight!
But the rains also mean landslides around the Ghats and floods which means going anywhere in South India is not advisable! There goes a long weekend down the drains.

Now, you wonder what is the relation to the title of the post. Actually nothing. I just wanted to post this song (mentioned in the title) from the Kannada movie Milana and the above short documentary on rain just followed!

Ok...back to the song..Pras was talking about this song when the movie was released. I somehow, did not follow up on it. Finally I did get a chance to hear it around Oct/Nov last yr. Am still hooked on to it!

What makes it special?
- Shreya Ghoshal's singing (the feel she puts into it is incredible!).
- The video is very neatly shot (actually makes you watch the movie. I asked San/Sudks and didn't get a good enough review though!)
- Lyrics - Jayant Kaikani strikes again (except the 'dooravaNi' part)
- Add to it reasons which instantly puts me into a flash-back mode! memories... bitter ones...sweet ones..
- and oh.. i have to mention this.. I was listening to songs on my cellphone while traveling back from office yesterday.. It was drizzling and then the rain suddenly stopped. Guess what was the song which started playing at that point?!?! Nice co-incidence na? :-)

For now, just listen to the song here: http://www.kannadaaudio.com/Songs/Moviewise/home/Milana.php (Shreya and Sonu Nigam version)
Video here: http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=WdQ2jB-x4KU

As always the lyrics follow! :-)

Movie: Milana (2007)
Singers: Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal
Music: Mano Murthy
Lyrics: Jayanth Kaikani

MaLe ninthu hodha mele hani ondhu mooDidhe
maathella mugidha mele dhani ondhu kaaDidhe
heLuvudhu yenu uLidhu hogidhe
heLali hege thiliyadhaagidhe

novinalli jeeva jeeva aritha nanthara
nalivu bere yenidhe preethi anthara
ninna haaDinalli indhu bereva kaathara
ondhe saari nee keLeya ee swara
manasalli chooru jaaga bekidhe
keLali hege thiLiyadhaagidhe

MaLe ninthu hodha mele hani ondhu mooDidhe
maathella mugidha mele dhani ondhu kaaDidhe

kaNNu theredhu kaaNuva kanase jeevana
saNNa haTava maaDidhe hrudaya ee dina
yedheya dooravaNiya kareya ringaNa
keLu jeevave yethakee kampana
hrudayavu ille kaLedhu hogidhe
huDukale beke thiLiyadhaagidhe

MaLe ninthu hodha mele hani ondhu mooDidhe
maathella mugidha mele dhani ondhu kaaDidhe
heLuvudhu yenu uLidhu hogidhe
heLali hege thiliyadhaagidhe

Cauvery theeradhalli

2008-08-12T11:29:00.013+05:30

Different outing this one. It was not the usual office gang, but with my new team for the successful (until we get feedback from the customer!) release of our beta product. San was a little apprehensive about joining as she had other engagements, but she finally made it! :-) The remarkable thing was A joined too!!!

I organized an outing for the first time.. thanks to Sudks for that! (being the constant organizer of our previous trips helped in thinking like him :-) and the TT booking) The plan was to go to Jungle Lodges in Bheemeshwari, (also called the Cauvery Fishing Camp) around 100 odd kms from Bangalore, for a day outing. We decided that it should fall on a weekday, and we chose Wednesday! Escaping into the wilderness in the middle of the week is truly fun.

After initial hiccups, things started to look bright - the dumb-charades and antakshari (but of course!) in the TT was good fun. We reached the place around 11 am (a good 1 1/2 hrs behind schedule). After some refreshments, we were frisked off for a 'trek' by the local guide. So we started walking on the forest path for around 15 min and then climbed a small steep mountain for another 15 min. This was a lil tricky. We were not able to get a good grip because of a lot of loose stones lying around.

At the top of the peak, there is a watch tower, which gives a very good view of the surrounding green canopy and the flowing river.

We spent around 30-45 min in that tower and then off we went down for lunch. After that, we just hung around the banks of the river Cauvery (am I the only one who remembers the kannada movie 'Belli moDagaLu' whenever I hear/utter the word Cauvery???). There were swings and hammocks and we had a delightful time swinging and well.. lazing around. A lot of photography sessions happened too.

Around 3.30 pm, the guide asked us if we were ready for a coracle ride - a short 3-4 kms one. The group had no qualified swimmer and even the assurance of a life jacket did not appeal to us. Add to this, a big crocodile resting on a rock in the river! Few of them decided to try it and the enthusiasm gradually spread to the others and we decided to go for it. San and Raji were the motivators, I must say! The ride was nice, but as the coracle made its way through the rapids, it did feel scary.

A refreshing Tea break later, a quick cricket session followed. Then, very reluctantly, we started off towards the city and its madness! A totally fun-filled, much needed refreshing break.
Its a different story that we all needed a day or two to recover from the fatigue!

More pics below.

Khilte hai gul yahaan

Shooting out

Serene?!

Khel khel mein

2008-08-08T09:03:00.004+05:30

In the last 2 days I have realized how much fun it is to actually play games - whether it is cricket (my hand-eye coordination is very very poor, so you get the picture :-D) or Scrabble!

The last I played scrabble was when-i-was-a-lil-girl!! So when Josh bought the game board, I was thrilled!

Seeing the rules, seeing the board with its double letter, triple word scores, the cute milk-chocolaty square chunks of letters ;-) was very refreshing. The game was too!
Forming words with the letters that are available, trying to outdo the other with better scoring words, trying to block the opponent from forming better words - very engaging game this one. And oh! i.q. and quo are not valid, even though you get a high score! :-p

Here's the picture of the board after the game finished. Guess what, I won!! :-)

Silence at dusk!

2008-08-05T14:48:00.006+05:30

Was browsing through some old folders and came across the snaps of the Hampi trip. Here is one of the snaps - of the Vijaya Vittala temple. Go there during sunset, it is at its best!

One more snap around Hampi at dusk.

Hum saath saath hain..

2008-07-28T21:17:00.001+05:30

Teamwork pays..at office and at home!! :-)

Glimpses of Darjeeling

2008-07-14T15:10:00.007+05:30

The outskirts of Darjeeling is pretty nice filled with rows and rows of tea gardens. Feels very calm. Wish the same can be said about the city. Lots of litter and chaos everywhere. Roads to get to the city are also not that great.

The bright and not-so-bright spots:
-- Tiger hill view point - Where you get to see a magnificent view of Mt.Kanchenjunga and the entire Eastern Himalayan Range, also Mt.Everest, at sunrise. It does come at a cost though - waking up at 4.15 and enduring the cold. Unluckily, there was mist covering the entire place and we could barely see 10ft ahead of us! To catch a glimpse of the mountain range, best time is after October.

-- Ghoom monastery - well.. i do have a soft-corner for monasteries, so it will be on my must-watch/best enjoyed list any day (yeah..even at 5.30 am!) The rows of hawkers trying to sell their merchandise around the place was not impressive (you would probably find them around all popular tourist centers)

-- Himalayan Mountaineering Institute - One word: Awesome!!! and that also would be an understatement. A visit to this place is a must and is truly a very humbling experience. The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological park, near this Institute, can be avoided.

-- Japanese Peace Pagoda - Pleasing. The temple's architecture, prayers, instruments (for the lack of a better word) used are quite unique.

-- Tibetian Self-help Center - Nothing much to see except a museum which contains some nice facts about Tibet's rulers and their family; a shop with tibetian clothes, paintings, purses, bags etc. The handloom center was nice, with weaving machines and women actually knitting!

-- Ava art gallery - Quite nondescript gallery of paintings by the late Ava Devi. But after the initial resistance, once you enter the place, its a world of its own! Mind-blowing paintings ( very different styles) and the human profile pictures are just too good.

-- Bhatasia loop - A train track or loop surrounding a War memorial. Best avoided if the crowd is too much. Add to that, the hawkers comfortably settled on the loop itself. Very chaotic.

More snaps:

Khil rahi hai kali kali..

2008-07-08T09:20:00.002+05:30

Woh bheege pal

2008-07-08T09:05:00.001+05:30

Ta ra ra ra rum..ta ra rum pum..

2008-07-04T09:40:00.006+05:30

This song is from the movie 'Ta ra rum pum'. One of the many motivational, never-give-up kinda songs. Shreya Ghoshal's soothing voice. Simple lyrics. Easy on the ears. Gets me going when I feel dull.

Listen to the song here: Ta ra ra ra rum
One peice of advice, if you have not watched this song already, then please refrain from doing so! It sucks bigtime.

Music: Vishal-Shekhar, Lyrics - Jaaved Akhtar

Lyrics:
-------
Ho agar kabhi koi gham to bilkul na tum ghabraana
ta ra ra ra rum.. ta ra rum pum..
Bas rahe yakeen yeh tumko khushiyon ko to hain aana
ta ra ra ra rum.. ta ra rum pum..
raat hain to savera bhi hoga
hain safar toh basera bhi hoga
gham ke aage muskuraake gaaye hum
ta ra ra ra rum.. ta ra rum pum..

Zindagi mein koi bhi kami ho
Palkon pe jo zara bhi nami ho
aansu na bahana tum dukh na uTaana tum
haar na jaana duniya se...
Darna kabhi na tum rehna na gumsum
haske bataana duniya se..
aayenge phir se din khushiyon ke badlega yeh mausam
ta ra ra ra rum.. ta ra rum pum..

koi aandhi jo aaye to aaye
dil mein hain jo diya bhuj na paaye
kaali kaali raatein ho chaahein jaisi baatein ho
humko hain chalte rehna
jo bhi aaye mushkil Dare nahi kabhi dil
apna to hain yeh kehna
lamhe bhar ko chaayi ghaTa to dhoop na ho maddham
ta ra ra ra rum.. ta ra rum pum..

Survival

2008-07-03T09:35:00.001+05:30

This is one end of the Rebdantse (ancient capital of Sikkim) ruins. The walk to this place is very nice and the entire area is neat and well-maintained.

Hoovindha hoovige haaruva dhumbi..

2008-06-27T12:24:00.001+05:30

Learnings at work!

2008-06-23T10:46:00.006+05:30

Mistake 1: Placing a cup full of Tea right next to the laptop
Mistake 2: Not gulping down the tea quickly
Mistake 3: Whacking the tea-cup, which was full of T (Refer Mistake 2)

Result: Laptop not powering on. Spending Monday morning running to the IT help-desk (breathing a sigh of relief to know that the hard disk is safe and sound) and finding a replacement to the laptop.

Moral of the story 1: Make sure you do not spill tea on the side of the laptop where the hard disk is located!

Moral of the story 2: If MOTS-1 does not hold good, take hard-disk back-ups regularly!!

Deja view?!?

2008-06-20T09:34:00.003+05:30

As San says 'History repeats!'. :-) Moved to a new cube this week! Instead of writing all the details again, will link this post instead. :-D
It's almost the same as that post, just make it a higher floor and a better view.. but the outside world looks tinted!!

Waqt batayega

2008-06-16T19:02:00.004+05:30

As Monica says in one of the F.R.I.E.N.D.S episodes when Rachael moves out of the apartment:
"Its like the end of an era!".

In the past 1 month, one such spectacular era, spanning 18 long years came to an end. A rightful end I must say.

No words to describe the companionship, fights, laughter, tears, troubles, confusions, ideas, ideologies, travel, walks (to name a few) which Bhuv and I shared. Will miss them big time.
Our paths will definitely cross/meet again. It might not be the same as before. At the same time, it might remain just the same! (touchwood)

The new chapter ahead of us promises to be equally interesting. Here's wishing Bhuv a great new beginning of an even more grand and happy life ahead.

BahaLa oLLeyavru nam Missu

2008-06-09T21:21:00.004+05:30

:-D
Anybody remembers this song? It used to come on DD many many years ~~back~~ ago(10-15 years probably). Heard this on a radio station (No prizes for guessing which channel this was. :-D ) in the morning has been my Earworm throughout the day. The first stanza goes something like this:

bahaLa oLLeyavru nam Miss-u
Yen keLidhru yes yes-u
Nagtha nagtha maathaaDthaare
Schooligella famous-u!