Happiness is...

.....staring out of the window watching little drops of rain bring out the true green of the leaves.

.....reading his mind and being halfway through the preparations for pakoras and tea and meeting the request with a triumphant and knowing smile.

....treating the senses to the sputter of the batter in the fiery oil, to the ascending aroma of the spices and to the tone less high pitch mix of shrieks and mercilessly wronged lyrics of a popular song.

....the division of duties between the two which sounds better as a concept than in practice.

....ending up with dark-as-devil tea because the chemical engineer ran out of milk but yet decided to throw in half the tea container into the brew.

....presenting the pretty plate of fattening fritters complete with ketchup and serviettes

....playing Scrabble with the left hand coz the right one's too busy supplying mouth with pakoras.

....whipping the self proclaimed champion's ass so badly that he scrambles the board at the end so you can't take score.

I'm a superhero and my secret power is winning at Scrabble while eating pakoras when its raining outside.

Introducing Flooey

Flooey- apparently, is my (really early) birthday gift. Truth be told, she belongs to both of us (I say this only to keep the possibility of other gifts alive till April).

She is a Lenovo S-10 idea pad/ net book/a really small laptop that looks extremely cool. I realize the above photo does not do justice to her.

She is a charming white and weighs less than the books I read.

She is also responsive, unlike the work monster that takes 20 mins to boot and 5 mins to minimize a window.

She will also help me blog more often. (I'm not sure just how many would think that's a good feature..but oh well.)

I was earlier reluctant. Now I'm just proud. The transition was rather easy.

(If only I could think of kids in the same way..!!)

Shades and Patterns of Love

The deep blue of shared possibilities.

The beige of space in togetherness.

The orange of intimacy.

The crimson of petty fights.

*

The mustard of predictable routine.

The purple of unexpected touch.

The sandy white of that sleepy morning cuddle.

The grey of unmindful neglect.

*

The sepia of memories created with you.

The green of contentment.

The turquoise of a surprise gift.

The peach of willing adjustment.

*

The rusty brown of possessiveness.

The deep red that stokes passion.

The yellow of knowing what makes you happy.

The black that spells commitment.

*

The pink that gives a naughty nudge.

The burgundy of wanderlust.

The fluffy white of cushioned truths.

The silver and gold of vows.

*

The transclucent film of secrets.

The stripes of real fidelity.

The criss-cross of doubts and reservations.

The small circles of near surrender.

*

The shadow of vulnerability.

The metallic finish of need.

The damp touch of loneliness.

The satin smooth of being in your arms.

*

Sometimes vacuum.

Sometimes eternity.

The heady feeling

that tends to infinity.

Presenting Daruwala

Our glorious bar cabinet- sirf naam hi kaafi hai.
I'm tired. That was 2014 words.

Elegant Eloquence

Minimalistic-yes! Product is the hero-yes! Grabs attention-yes! Will I buy the Audi-if you lend me the money, yes!

Happiness Knockin'

This year has started on a good note. Turning thought into action is satisfying-more so, when the action is not purely selfish and could make a difference to someone else's life in a little way.

Go to http://www.nanhikali.org/ and make that difference. For as little as Rs.1940 (~75 SGD), you can sponsor a girl's education for a year. Just think about it, instead of buying yourself a fancy meal, you can gift her 12 months of hope, determination and ambition. You can help a young mind learn new things; make new resolves ; view the world in a different way- small steps in ultimately, deciding for herself-for better or worse.

And if that's not enough-photographs of your "nanhi kali" and her progress report cards will make those happy steps transcend the borders-right upto your doorstep! Happiness is coming knockin'- usher in the change-Click on that website now :)

Year of Change

Not quite the type to welcome change with open arms, I usually start with denial that morphs into terse acknowledgement and then an absolute capitulation because I for the life of me, can't remember why I didn't want the change in the first place. (Did I mention inertia is my best buddy?)

This has been more or less the pattern with most of the things that happened to me in the last 4-5 years: getting used to a hostel room, case studies, crummy software, changing cities, contact lenses, colors other than blue, mobile phone handsets, ipod, cheese..the list is endless.

The lyrics of one of my favorite songs (Bittersweet Symphony) had told me long ago-No change, I can't change, I can't change, I can't change, but I'm here in my mold , I am here in my mold. And I think I repeated it too many times for my own good.

Which is why I thought I'd make 2008 a year of change-where I will challenge status quo, scale greater heights and fight the demons of sloth & laziness. Okay maybe not-but please excuse, I saw the 3 LOTR movies over the weeekend and 9 hours of war, higher purpose, dominion of men & "maai precious" did distort my sense of reality a bit.

However, the resolve to make 2008 "the" year of change was strong and to prove just how strong, I took the "How lazy are you" quiz on Facebook, forwarded by makdee, who for some reason has gone underground (blogwise, I mean). I love those personality type MCQs-you can pretend to be what you want. Now only if Facebook too had taken the same pledge of change as me! The submit button led me to their cute apology page, from where I meekly clicked 'Go home' and shut down my computer in despair.

But no, I would not let the virtual world determine the course of my "change inducing" journey. To demonstrate how the positive waves of change had swept all over my old self, I did what I thought was impossible- cleaned my office trolley, which after 2 years of indiscriminate hoarding of junk, paper & training material (oh-that does get covered in junk!), just refused to let even a pencil inside. The vibes of change reverberated. I could feel the change- I tell you, the positivity almost choked me. (That sounds like Chopra and Oprah mixed into one :) Soul sistah, only.)

Thus began my journey of change. Here's listing the milestones of the week old trek-I read in some "cheesy" self-important book on change that in this journey no milestone/ resolution to get to that milestone is incosequential- and I believed it- I do take the written word more seriously than I should. After that detour, here goes: (hear the sound of check-check-check on those resolutions)

- Waking up at 8 am on Saturday to rush to the gym! The Yippie Kai Yay trip to Bali in March is a serious deadline by which I must swing back to shape or be a moronic mass forever.

- Not cursing/mentally abusing people as often as I did in 2007 I do want to be a nicer, kinder, gentler human being. Don't ask me why....

- Getting serious about cutting back on caffeine (actually cutting back is the next step- I have also read that change is a gradual process-hmm, I do believe what I read!)

- Calling up language & performing arts institutes & learning about the various courses on offer. Maybe my incoherent self just needs another mode of expression.

- Making a valiant effort at getting rid of this stone age machine my IT folks call a laptop but being told off by the service centre because though 2 years had expired, the warranty had not. (this seriously threatened my 2nd resolve-but will power won and I wrote them a happy new year mail instead)

-Taking charge of my finances and researching options to make better use of my money-investment, charity, travel, shopping trip- the plans are nicely plotted :)

- Doing what I loved to do-everyday: reading, going for walks and uninterrupted listening to music.

And inspite of the cynicism and the popcorn philosophy, there is one good that came out of the first change week of 2008- my will to recognize the small joys of life and to actually act on those mental maps- just paves the way for the bigger changes that I'm about to bring to my life this year. Yes, I can change, I can change, I can change, See me turning my mold.

I see you've started taking the written word seriously too, eh?

Good mood induced by good food & sundry others

The mood's awesome!!
And it has ze lot to do with the lovely lunch I treated me and family to at Original Sin.(highly reco'd-the food i.e. Dont think my family would like the idea of you wanting to try them). I want to learn how to make hummus-so I can keep more than myself happy :P (dont think everyone will get this-but that's ok)
Promotion news natually thrilled me but for a shorter period than expected-the effect wore off after the first 12 hrs-but that's usually the case with me-bad or good, things can't hold me for too long. The move to marketing is a bitter-sweet pill-Sweet coz i asked for it and finally got it-bitter coz in some ways, its like starting all over again. I just hope I can stick to this function for long enough-2 yrs in sales, almost 2 in CMK....I almost expect myself to find myself in finance or IT after 2 yrs! Dont bother absorbing that-its just my usual schizo cynical self. (why else do you think i'll sit and analyze my own good mood)
Good tidings also took the form of my UK visa approval-one less 'what-if' to get tormented by! And most of the hostels are booked too-save for salzburg. But the europe trip plan deserves an individual post. So getting on with another good mood inducer. X visited my orkut page and since curiosity could be my shorter middle name (current one is a mere 14 alphabets), I visited X's page and I blessed him-with a hearty laugh. Read on:
X says:
i m tough guy (ooh)......difficult to understand (dude-most ppl like it simple and if you understand yourself, wont really put it past others)...slightly romantic (ok!) ,,,,,, (notice how the comma has been used as a fullstoppish pause) highly temperd (with jeera and rai?),,i luv to make frnds (n i also thnk u lrnt ur eng thro sms).......but i don't like girls who show exessesive attitude (lil attitude u can take, huh?)........i like soft girls who can understand me exactly wat i m (contradiction-weren't you difficult to understand and what's this obsession with soft-u mean soft spoken, soft skin, soft in the head....a pillow?).........i simply give up myself in front soft girls.......... (Even i give up!)
Sorry-rather mean, but I honestly, dont understand how or why someone would say such things-about themselves too! Tee hee. And to think the guy had put Pierce Brosnan as his profile pic. You asked for it, bugger!!
I'm supposed to move house tomorrow,but there's no sign of the cartons the movers promised-Hmm...why do I sense my mood shifting to anxiety!

Thank you, Mr. Rubik

Dedicated to Mahesh, who solved the Rubik's cube.

Thank you, Mr. Rubik

(sung to the tune of “thank you for the music” by Abba)

And I say, Thank you Mr. Rubik
For the cube he’s twisting.
Thanks-Spaciba-my heart is singing.

A treat at Tent it got me
A coffee too, at TCC
LN-it’d have been without it
Drowning in sambhar-idli- seriously!

And I say Thank you Mr Rubik
For the cube which gave me glee.

Give me hope, Joanne!

We met Joanne on Saturday. She took us to the zoo along with her other friends and colleagues who took others to the zoo as well. She helped us find our way through the zoo & reach the designated spots on time; made sure we didn’t miss the animal shows and the interaction with domesticated animals. She clicked photographs like a pro, kept us entertained with her wild antics- all this while keeping a watchful eye on us and making sure that we had our meals on time, and that we expressed our appreciation & enjoyment clearly & unabashedly.
Joanne really gave us a lot-not only a feeling of unprecedented responsibility, compassion & sensitivity towards other’s needs but also countless opportunities for genuine smiles, laughter & fun.

JOANNE & ME

This is Joanne-a kid with multiple disabilities, whose mental & physical growth is lagging behind her years. I, along with a few other friends and colleagues were volunteers for kids like Joanne from AWWA’s school for children with disabilities. (http://www.awwa.org.sg/) And if you are generating those thoughts of sympathy and pity in your head-abandon them now! For make no mistake, the eight year old may look like she’s four, but the lady’s a man-eater, a charming live wire who gives differing versions of her age depending on the target audience :) Incidentally, her favorite animal is a pig and she’s slightly scared of animals, but was brave enough to venture out to the zoo & be near animals like us!

Here’s one of the snaps she clicked ----->

Yes, she needs assistance to do basic stuff that kids her age don’t even spare a thought for-But the playful and vivacious kid made us realize things that time-strapped, ‘now’-driven selfish adults like us, don’t spare a thought for-How doing something worthwhile can lend a delightful glow to your otherwise mundane clockwork existence, how a genuine smile from Jo was worth much more than the empty laughter & the fake pleasure of random parties & how simple everyday things acquire a whole new dimension when you see it from a different (her) point of view.

What made it even more fantastic was meeting really nice people (thanks Connie-especially for the snaps) and sharing those wonderful moments with Mahesh (whose organization gave us the chance to volunteer for this).
Thank you Joanne, for making me realize the deep sense of gratitude that I now feel towards everything and everyone I usually took for granted and snapping me out of the self- induced pool of disenchantment & cynicism.
Thank you for the positive thoughts & feelings you left me with. I hope to see you soon :) (Though I feel I’m cheating you with giving you just time and getting so much more in return).

JOANNE & KIDS-MAHESH, CONNIE & ME

(for those of you who are in Singapore and have a desire to put your time/money to good use, the AWWA school is located near Ang Mo Kio & welcomes volunteers-for more details follow the link.)

Waiting to be rescued by a pirate

I love Jack Sparrow-never before has a movie character caught my fancy (the only other character that comes close to this kind of devotion from me is Garfield-and no, the crappy Garfield movie has killed the spirit (or the lack of it) that the character epitomizes).
The context-I watched Pirates of the Caribbean over the weekend-both parts and my love for Jack Sparrow just grew exponentially. Orlando Bloom looked more like an excuse for a man in front of him. Oh yeah, he’s the right side of every human being but also so manufactured to be right. Sparrows’s spontaneous in action and well, have to concede, quite pre-determined in thought.

He’s such an unlikely candidate for affection-this vile opportunistic fellow, who puts his interests upfront and in front of anything and everything else. He’s blatantly selfish, even treacherous & yes, grimy as hell-but oh man, is he quirky. Unpredictable. Absolutely witty. Layers of eccentric mystery. Oodles of sinful charm. You just can’t get enough of him-there is so much more you want to know about him and so much more you want to imagine- for example, I want to know how Jack Sparrow was as a kid, what kind of games did he play, did he as a 3 yrs old trick kids twice his age into doing his bidding? Did he get spanked by his mom for being a precocious kid? What would he be like if he was transported to this day and age? Would he be a wheeler-dealer? A politician? An activist? An underworld don? Quite a misfit in today’s scenario where he would be devoid of a cause or of his spirit of adventure. He hardly has a chance to shine through in this religion-fixated, terrorism-dominated consumerist world. Devious he may be, but not soul-less enough to survive in the world of today.

No, he’s perfect as the pirate who plunders but doesn’t stop rob people of hopes or dreams. Someone who needs both a dentist and a laundro-mat, but could slink in a lesson in style to all the dudes out there. Someone who shies away from virtues but yet gets looked upto by honest and god-fearing people in the most unusual circumstances. How I would love to know him in person-this enigmatic charismatic conundrum who speaks his mind via smart repartee but knows not how to express his need for another human being. Turbulent as the sea and grey as the sky above him-he makes you want to dive right into him and explore yourself. That’s the reason I adore him. Savvy?