One more, done...

I was hoping to write a post everyday this month. Of course I lack the discipline to do so, but have managed 30 posts, including this. This is the second blogothon of writing 30 posts a month. Yaaay to me!
I hope in future I attempt to improve my writing skills instead of meeting the number of posts for the month. But writing everyday is a little difficult as it depends on my mood, some days I dont pay enough attention to things, so may not find anything that interests me enough to write about. Then there was a day when I couldnt just stop writing sad poems! It was very surprising, given that a) I dont write poems b) I cant be sad for too long, it sucks!
Anyway, "yaaaaay", its done!

Focus...

I often wonder about what having "focus" is about. For one, it would be nice to have a little more of it. Let me explain. Well, I want somethings. But I have vague ideas of either the 'wanting' or the 'something'. I do not dwell on things until I have to. So I feel there is not enough planning. What is the harm? It makes me feel like I am drifting, while with some focus I could decide where and how I would want to reach. Drifting is passive, while focus would make the movement more in control. hmmm

Two lives...

Cant get enough of Seth these days. Vikram Seth, that is. Started reading "Two Lives". It is based on Seth's maternal grand uncle - Shanti Uncle and his German wife - Auntie Henny, who lived in London. The narrative is in first person and in the introductory chapter gives an account of young Vikram's studies, back packing travels through Europe, how he got interested in the Oriental (it goes something like - he wanted to attend Japanese classes and ended up in Chinese class and then was hooked!), how his books - 'The Heaven Lake', 'The Golden Gate' and 'The Suitable Boy', came about. 

Having read 'The suitable boy'(TSB), I can figure out certain resemblances to people he describes in his life to some aspects of some characters of the novel. Am actually thrilled to read first hand account of how these initial books came about. Getting it from the horse's mouth makes an interesting read. 

I had found that the plot of his novel TSB, has history of the time interwoven with the plot. The same is true for 'Two lives' also. The narration is engaging and in a very conversational tone. 

Way to be...

Why dont I write about things happier?
Stop brooding about things that are crappier.

The thoughts sent to the world,
come back to you,
Let me give wonderful,
Let me get wonderful.

For wonderful is the way to be,
And hope is the way to see.


P.S: This was written after a series of 'sad' poems some days ago!

Badtameez dil...

Oh, I just loved this song the moment I saw it. Its catchy, lots of beats, fun and of course has Ranbir in it. He dances so well and expressions are so cute. And the lyrics seem to go well with his playful and chilled out image!(With lyrics like "Ayaashi ke one way se khuDko modna jaane naa, kambal bewajah sharam ka, oDhna jaane naa") :P The song sounds quite retro and very zindadil. Makes me want to dance! Looking forward to the movie...

When I first saw Ranbir in Saavariya promos, I thought he has a longish horse like face! Now I find him quite good looking! Things change. Hmm they do. 

The Croods...

Movie name : The Croods

Language : English

Why did I watch it : New release, animation and 3D, decent IMDB rating, and more than anything - the promos had looked so cute! 

My take : It is a cute animation movie of a caveman family.  There is a girl who is keen on exploring and a very protective father who emphasizes on being scared to be alive. Its a story of survival when the Croods lose their cave to an accident and have to rely on this cool Guy(his character is also called Guy) full of ideas to survive the new terrains and how they finally make it. Life is not just staying alive or not being dead, its about exploring and finding light - that is what the movie seems to say. It is super cute, very comical and the landscapes although animated, are breathtakingly beautiful, the 3D makes it more fun. Go watch it! :)

Urban shots...

Just read a collection of short stories - Urban shots - written by 18 Indian writers. Short stories,are by far my most favorite form of literature. And a collection of short stories is always inviting. I picked the book because it was, well urban, more local and I browsed through the book and the short stories were really quite short. I liked some, I did not like some. But it is a good effort. The plots are mostly love stories even the ones under friendship(there are various themes/sections the book is divided into), with an urban twist, feels like some of the characters resemble someone you know,  and given that they roam around in Jayanagar, Marathalli, M.G.Road and all, for the stories set in Bangalore, you wonder if you know them as well! :P

A deluge...

Why are they missed?
When they were, were they cherished?
Why are changes resisted?
Why are unknowns feared?

Why are pasts regretted?
Why are futures fretted?
Why are people blamed?
Why are those dreams tamed?

Why are there only questions?
Would life be any better with answers?

Trains, of thoughts and of stations...

Its 1 a.m, is it late night or early morning?
Sleepless, wonder where the train is going.

What if the tracks give way,
What if a big boulder gets in the way?!

Imagination is the limit, it feels,
To all the possibilities that could go wrong.

Hold those thoughts, say a prayer,
What is meant to, will anyway occur.
Incoherence lulls, tiredness engulfs,
Darkness transforms, comfort seeps, sleep thankfully soothes.

Dealings, feelings and all that BS...

Dealing with self, one must learn,
For times get lonely, life aint so fun.

Untamed feelings can cage,
thoughts torment, fancies engage.

Wonder why take anything serious,
Stay calm and still, hoping this too shall pass.

Easier said than done,
Have to pay the price, not everything can be undone.

Tiredness of spirit...

Cant rest enough,
Cant find that spring of energy,
That I thought would never dry.

But the heat of summer has taken its toll,
For I am restless and without a soul.

How would the spring replenish?
No respite? Is rain the only hope?
Meanwhile, how do I wait, how do I cope!

Farmville...really?! me!?

Well, I do not usually play online games, I do not know if that is what people say before getting hooked to them. I used to play some criminal investigation game, but that was rarely and dint find it interesting or did not continue to play till it got interesting. I got a bunch of requests for Framville on FB, was reluctant but kept getting them, just wanted to check it out and now am into online farming and crazily so(sounds so pathetic, reminds me of an episode from Big bang theory where Penny is hooked to online gaming...huh!)! Ok whatever, I have to get back to my farm now...

hmmm wondering again....

Sometimes its so difficult to keep going. Wonder what will help...

And the journey begins...

Is life just a series of experiences? Surprises randomly thrown at you one after another, some pleasant, some not so much. You feel you have learnt something, but the same situation never arises again. There is logic to rely on. There is a rational self. Really? Or are you just trying to make sense of all the randomness of the world to remain sane as that seems the only way a thinking being can exist? If you were given all that you thought would make you happy, you still would not be. Why? Because you are made for randomness. The unchanging world would bore you. You are not made for certainty.

Sometimes you end up where you started. Is that not futile?

How is it futile? After a trip, don’t you go back home? Reaching where you started from only means the trip is over, but the trip could definitely have been fun. 

You just need to stop being a control freak. Don’t most wonderful experiences  happen when you let things be, when you are ready to accept whatever happens with an open mind(well, you may be tired to try other "choices" at the time and so may have given in to accepting things, but whatever, the truth remains). Rationalising is sometimes just BS. There is no fun reaching anywhere. It is just in the seeking, exploring, knowing, feeling, believing. The journey. That is all there is.

Kada...

I got this Kada (bangle) in Uttarakhand, on my way to Hem Kund Saheb the Sikh pilgrimage place. I was there on a trekking trip and bought it because it looked beautiful. It happened to my birthday that day(actually I planned to attend the trip as I wanted to be close to the Himalayas on my birthday and had heard a lot about the valley flowers, which I had been wanting to do for quite sometime). It was a very difficult trek, but I got a lot of encouragement from the pilgrims. One old man told me "Beta, take small steps and keep going, do not stop, the lord will take care of the rest". There were people offering glucose powder to other people and initially I was surprised and politely declined the offer, then I realised we all had a goal and that was to reach the top of the hill - such things only made one realise that it may be totally upto each of us to climb, but knowing that there are other people doing the same, smiling and sharing equips us emotionally. Doing arduous physical tasks needs as much of a strong mind and right attitude. It was a wonderful feeling to realise and reaching the beautiful top of Hemkund Saheb is a very fond memory and gave me a sense of accomplishment. The serene pond at the top of the hill is breathtakingly beautiful.

This Kada reminds me of the spirit of that day. I feel "I can" when I see it.

Its sad...

I wish marathons are spared. People run for the joy of it. I had the Boston marathon on my to do list. And I feel so sad by what happened there. My prayers to everyone who ran the marathon and braved the odds. 

Thindi Beedi (ತಿಂಡಿ ಬೀದಿ )...

There is a famous street in V V Puram, Bangalore called “Thindi Beedi”(which means food street in Kannada). This is a must visit place for any food lover. Went yesterday evening there and it was crowded as usual. The shops are quite small and there is a crowd almost outside every shop. There are some temples also on the road. It is not a long stretch, but you get lots of chaats and “thindi”s  there. Bajjis, bondas, pakodas, all kinds of chaats – Bhel puri, pani puri, masala puri, cutlet chaat etc, variety of dosas, rottis, desi cool drinks like masala lime soda and the list is just endless. I regret not taking a picture as the post idea occurred much later. 

Tales...

Reading Vikram Seth got me interested, yet again, to read more Indian authors. There is a different feeling reading an Indian author. There is something more familiar about the characters or setting or the place or something with the history that sometimes strikes a chord.

So I picked up Rohinton Mistry's collection of short stories - Tales from Firozsha Baag. I have read a couple stories and it seems to be a sneak peek into the lives of Parsi families living in a Mumbai aprtment building - Firozsha Baag. After reading a fat book, a bunch of short stories were what I needed the most!

The big fat book gets read...

I completed reading Vikram Seth's "A suitable boy". What a wonderful book. I took several weeks to finish it and yes, it was pleasurable experience despite the fact that it can cause good amount of discomfort to the wrist(the sheer bulk of the book makes you want to lie down to read) and the eyes(for the small font which makes it difficult to read while on the move).

The book is set in early 1950s and gives a glimpse of the political and social set up at the time woven into the story of a mother trying to find a suitable boy for her young daughter. I was very interested in how the girl decides whom to marry among her three suitors and how she comes to the decision. In between when I gave into the temptation of finding out whom she marries,went to the end of the book and found out,  I was a tad bit disappointed,  but by the time I read through at the normal pace, I totally understood her decision. It seemed the most natural choice and the way that is driven home is beautiful. Loved reading it.

Ugadi is here...

It is the beginning of a new year in the Hindu calender, called Ugadi or Yugadi and this year is called "Vijaya nama Samvatsara". A mixture essentially made of jaggery and neem flowers and buds along with other ingredients is shared among the members of the family, friends and neighborhood wishing that may the person receiving it take joys and sorrows of life with equanimity in the coming year. A beautiful thought in deed. Happy Ugadi! :)

Smiles, warm and bright...

People gifted with bright smiles,
Make mornings seem sunnier and evenins warmer,
Is it true that all it takes is a smile
To make a difficult moment bearable?

Do I care?

Tired. Not interested in anything, whatsoever...

Life and Candy floss problems...

There is this thing about life. Problems are sometimes like candy floss. They appear big and too much to handle. But if you try to bite there is hardly anything. So basically you need to have the courage to sooner or later attempt to take a bite and get a taste of what that "big" problem is even to figure out the magnitude. And if it turns out to be candy-floss-big, just be thankfully surprised and enjoy the discovery. And yes, move on. 

Women and the world...

I read somewhere that most of the work in the world gets done by women. And surely it did not surprise me. But as I also notice many women do not mind not getting credit for all the work done, however excellently. It is more like an acceptance that the world is surely an ungrateful place.  This may be a smarter way to live, much better than getting angry about the insensitivity followed by helplessness. It is easier changing your attitude than the world's, you see. And of course modesty is a supreme virtue of women or that is the expectation.

I saw a woman in an old sari with a bag skillfully balanced on head and another bag in her hands get into the public bus. One of the ladies sitting closer to the door tried to help her. Only two seats were occupied by women of the entire section of the bus reserved for women. Even when pointed out that the woman with the bags should get a place to sit none of the men seemed to budge, the woman did not demand either. Going from the woman's appearance and that of her bags it was evident that she was neither rich nor educated, may be a laborer, which made those men assume there was no need to oblige, as if those qualifiers were needed to make her woman enough than she already was, to deserve a seat!

And why is it a man’s world? Because young boys learn from example that its easier or rather no harm being a jerk as women don’t mind being treated shabbily at times, and one could get away with bad behavior without any fear of punishment? And that although all people are equal, there seems no harm in assuming that women can be treated inferior without any cause of regret or reproach? With lack of role models and women tolerating the nonsense or just not taught that they are no less equal, feminism, I wonder at times, seems more of an educated woman’s way of making herself feel better, make herself seem like a thinking person and give a hope of changing something someday to make things better for herself. But with so many small things working against you, it is an ardent task to keep a faith in such thoughts. 

Shiva trilogy...

I thought I wasnt a sucker for these new age stories based on mythology. I reluctantly started reading "The immortals of Meluha" after a few months after it got released. Then even when the second book got published there was some reluctance and I dint remember the first story completely. I was in no mood to go back and read the first part in order to follow the second one. No way! I found out there was no need to re-read. Finally I just happened to find a copy of "The secret of the Nagas", in the local library and picked it up. I read it in four days flat! I must give some credit to the author for making it a sure page turner. The plot keeps you glued. There is some philosophy thrown in. Some conversations are interesting.  The characters are more human than godly, as in with all flaws that humans can be associated with and the author has tried to reason out scientifically the various attributes that were given to these men and women which has made them appear exceptional and godly over the centuries.
You agree on some and find some amusing and even ridiculous. Even inspired by Bollywood! There is one character called "Bappiraj" who wears a lot of gold and is short(and was he stout also?! cant remember now!). No guesses for whom the author got inspired from. Come on, such cliche!
The cover designs are quite interesting, am a person who does pick books for whats on and written at the back of the covers.
Am actually looking forward to reading the last part of the trilogy. May not be books I would want to read again and again. But a new genre for sure that interests me. 

TV surfing...

Saw "The terminal" again after a long time. Love this movie. There is something very basic in the movie I can connect to. There are lots of people who cannot speak English and I know many personally. It is a very touching story of one such person who comes to New York to fulfill a promise and how he does it against all odds is so moving. The scenes where he watches what is happening in his country and tries to find out by trying to read and make sense of the headlines appearing at the bottom of news channels and asking desperately to people in the only language he knows, puts a lump in my throat and I so badly want to be there helping Tom Hanks character with the translation. The end somehow makes me feel good about things.


I watched "Ek mein aur ek tu" in parts. Sort of liked the movie. Not sure if I liked it because I watched in parts! Cute characters, movie seems a mocktail of sorts, in the sense reminds you of quite a few movies :P  Yeah, I liked it.

Namma metro...

Finally went on Namma metro. The ride from Byappanahalli to M G Road took about 13 mins! A BIG Wow for Bangalore standards of traffic, which makes it almost impossible to give any estimate of how long would it take from point A to B.

Kitten smitten...

Early in the morning,

Doggie was growling.

Difficult to complete the rest in rhyming,

so yes, was glad, cute little kittens on finding. 

Order of life...

Binding, limiting, abiding yet colourful,

Like the order of life.

P.S: Yesterday I had this idea to have another one-post-a-day blog marathon for the entire month, like I did last June. This time I thought I could make it more creative and challenging(given am a very Prose person) with pics and some poetry or rather attempt poetry. Hmm I feel this is rather lame post, paper clips and some ridiculous attempt at poetry! But I dont want to kill the buzz on the second day itself. Let me see how it turns out to be. 

Cup of tea...

More empty than full,

Life is, but, wonderful.

Sometimes ponder how else could it be,

Living, as is, my cup of tea.