Met a lady at the holiday bazaar yesterday. She too had a stall - that of her paintings. Serenity, yoga, peace and calm seemed to be the main motifs she portrayed and I also overheard her talk these over to a stall visitor. The lady, however, was the picture of disconcertedness and seemed to very easily fret. In time, she asked me about my bakes and so more out of reciprocal goodwill I asked her about her paintings and then about her membership with the Arts group (the bazaar was conducted by a women's guild which has several interest/hobby clubs under it). "Oh yes, I'm a member", she said and continued, "... but then, anyone can become a member there. Most of them are housewives who are wanna be painters. Just look at the display and you will see", she piped. I looked around but not being an art connoisseur did not think all were bad. " Ah, I do see they allow wannabe's into the club, because I too am a member", I said :-). Quiet for a second,she felt the need to assert the seriousness of her talent (her pictures were indeed well done) and said, " You see, my pictures are an embodiment of what I'm feeling inside. I don't, like the others, select themes such as Life in Oman, places, etc. I draw from inspiration within". Ah, I see. Later, she bought tickets for the charity raffle that was held and she won a little metal embossed picture. She came back and grumbled, " Ah! I don't like it at all". Later, she bought a little muffin from me and I repeated my refrain of, " please do let me know whether you like it or not". She ate but said nothing. After a while, someone came by my stall and got very excited when he saw my almond cookies ( I, of course, was delighted at such rapture). He said, " My friend bought these and gave me a piece. He wasn't sure which stall he picked it from. So, I came searching for it. This is so good". I was genuinely delighted and thanked him with, " Thank you for letting me know since not many people take teh trouble of giving positive feedback". A few minutes later, teh lady told me, " I liked your cake. It reminded me of the coconut laddoos I used to have in bengal during my childhood". The only good thing i heard her say in the 6 hours we spent as neighbours ( and, i dont mean good things about me).
I know I come out with acrid comments about people and instances that ire me. But then, people who know me also know that I'm equally lavish with praise and compliments too. But this lady and another acquaintance, who seemed to state her opinions as if they were gospel truths, had me thinking...Unless, I get my act straight I will end up like them too. That doesn't mean I intend to turn into a saint. But, I will make it a point to begin the mental extrication process to remove from my mind the people who need'nt to have gotten there in the first place. And, reinforce the belief that I need not feel pushed to attend to every challenge for an arguement. Neither do I have to compromise on my principles nor do have to let them disrupt my peace. Also, I will have to eliminate those people who seem to latch onto me only in times of need and are nowhere in sight when I need a hand in return. Only my child, that too when she is this young, has the right to expect such unconditional, such self centred support from me. No one else. Hope to resume my yoga once the back ache settles. And, this does not mean the end of my 'cryptic cribs' on FB :-D
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Monday, July 7, 2008
My 'bottle-art'
I paint on glass. Having moved to Muscat a few months ago, am still groping my way through the place. yet to identify a place that will sell me glass cut to specification and a frame maker who'd frame the glass to my satisfaction. till then, thought I'd turn to bottle art...Discarded wine bottles, used vinegar bottles, and little bowls from 1,2,3 shops have all borne the brunt of my creative urge...here are a few
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
one day at my new country...
Recently relocated to a new country in the arab world...life is now sleeping, watching flicks on TV, reading, cooking, cleaning (self and the house), and vegetating...did enjoy it all the first few weeks...
Hmm...had an adventure last week. there was a major break in on our floor. robbers who obviously knew that out of the 3 flats only one would be inhabited during the day (our's with only me inside!) literally kicked their way in.of course, I heard the noise but found the peephole on the door blackened out. I din't dare venture out to see what created the ruckus (now I thank my lucky stars that I left my guts back in India!).By the time i called hubby out of a training he was in and got the caretaker's number, the bang bang had stopped and the door bell started. Did get cold feet ;-)
Well, the watchman was called and people arrived on the scene. But, the damage was done! The first household had been looted, the second one sported a badly broken door but the insides were left intact.
The cops did come and so did a sniffer dog. But, apparently rarely are these guys caught 'cause they din't think twice before leaving behind cigaratte stubs, a handkerchief, and a pool of urine!!
Hmm...had an adventure last week. there was a major break in on our floor. robbers who obviously knew that out of the 3 flats only one would be inhabited during the day (our's with only me inside!) literally kicked their way in.of course, I heard the noise but found the peephole on the door blackened out. I din't dare venture out to see what created the ruckus (now I thank my lucky stars that I left my guts back in India!).By the time i called hubby out of a training he was in and got the caretaker's number, the bang bang had stopped and the door bell started. Did get cold feet ;-)
Well, the watchman was called and people arrived on the scene. But, the damage was done! The first household had been looted, the second one sported a badly broken door but the insides were left intact.
The cops did come and so did a sniffer dog. But, apparently rarely are these guys caught 'cause they din't think twice before leaving behind cigaratte stubs, a handkerchief, and a pool of urine!!
Yet another teething trouble...
Life's taken yet another turn! Beginnings are always fun...well, arguably so! To me, they implya fresh slate , newer faces to get used to, unpredictable challenges and also, teethingtroubles!
Seven days old at a Fortune 500 , I am going through teething issues. I love the response thevery name evokes in people, love the 'I too have made it big' feeling and even love the way thename rolls of my tongue. But, I also find the labyrinth of cubicles,the enormous sea ofunidentifiable faces, and the machine like precision a little intimidating!
I miss the warm cocoon of friendships that naturally formed in a small organization. I miss thelunch sessions with lively moots about everything under the sun - the govt, human intereststories, work, the weather, and of course, recipies. Working in an 'almost' all womenorganization can be fun. Like natural gel we bond; I perfectly understood the strange feelingshe had when mom in law got a little too nosey and she understood my dilemma of trying to equibalance work and home.
Sure, I am thrilled at having a food court at my disposal. But, still miss the peanut walah,the banana wallah and the short afternoon sojourns to the nearby juice junction.Reason whispers "Don't be silly! It's just a matter of time before you call this your groovetoo.Din't that usually serious person flash a sudden friendly grin at you today?". Yes, thatshow it is gonna be! Let me too work on putting that garfield style grin back onto my face.Ciao...
Seven days old at a Fortune 500 , I am going through teething issues. I love the response thevery name evokes in people, love the 'I too have made it big' feeling and even love the way thename rolls of my tongue. But, I also find the labyrinth of cubicles,the enormous sea ofunidentifiable faces, and the machine like precision a little intimidating!
I miss the warm cocoon of friendships that naturally formed in a small organization. I miss thelunch sessions with lively moots about everything under the sun - the govt, human intereststories, work, the weather, and of course, recipies. Working in an 'almost' all womenorganization can be fun. Like natural gel we bond; I perfectly understood the strange feelingshe had when mom in law got a little too nosey and she understood my dilemma of trying to equibalance work and home.
Sure, I am thrilled at having a food court at my disposal. But, still miss the peanut walah,the banana wallah and the short afternoon sojourns to the nearby juice junction.Reason whispers "Don't be silly! It's just a matter of time before you call this your groovetoo.Din't that usually serious person flash a sudden friendly grin at you today?". Yes, thatshow it is gonna be! Let me too work on putting that garfield style grin back onto my face.Ciao...
On a bad day...
Life seems very complicated . Wonder if it was a good idea, after all, to have ventured into a new career at the age of 30.
Rewind a few years... life was all nerve and grit.A mad rush to accomplish. Any new challenge taken up was completed. And, completed with finesse!! Of course, I was never 'confidence' personfied but still, things just seemed more manageable then.Fast forward to today...For the past three hours I've been trying to comprehend mobile network concepts, distributed architectures and what not...Progress happens but at extra snail pace.
Rewind a few hours...Got up late. Slept 7 hours and still got up feeling groggy. Dragged through the process of putting the clothes into the washer, brushing my teeth and making tea. Wished amma was here to make tea and I could just plonk myself on the sofa and read the newspaper. Just about halfway through the lunch making process, the stove sputtered, the flame did a jig for a few seconds, and went bust. Gas over!!
Rewind a few days...feeling mighty lonely in the house. Staying alone is fun at times. Everyone needs private space and alone time. But, imposed lonliness? It grates on your nerves...It's like hearing a saw blade on a metal surface. He's gone abroad on a project. The first two days were fun. No cooking three meals, no picking up messy trails of stinking socks and limp T shirts, no seemingly unresolvable fights over why things have to be put back to their assigned places and why old newspapers have to be neatly stacked... But then, within a few days things get mighty lonely...
Fast forward to today...I am trying to think logically. Maybe its just the lonliness, the gas, the technology concepts...that make it feel like doomsday. Oughta feel better tommorrow...So see you later then...in a better frame of mind, of course!
Rewind a few years... life was all nerve and grit.A mad rush to accomplish. Any new challenge taken up was completed. And, completed with finesse!! Of course, I was never 'confidence' personfied but still, things just seemed more manageable then.Fast forward to today...For the past three hours I've been trying to comprehend mobile network concepts, distributed architectures and what not...Progress happens but at extra snail pace.
Rewind a few hours...Got up late. Slept 7 hours and still got up feeling groggy. Dragged through the process of putting the clothes into the washer, brushing my teeth and making tea. Wished amma was here to make tea and I could just plonk myself on the sofa and read the newspaper. Just about halfway through the lunch making process, the stove sputtered, the flame did a jig for a few seconds, and went bust. Gas over!!
Rewind a few days...feeling mighty lonely in the house. Staying alone is fun at times. Everyone needs private space and alone time. But, imposed lonliness? It grates on your nerves...It's like hearing a saw blade on a metal surface. He's gone abroad on a project. The first two days were fun. No cooking three meals, no picking up messy trails of stinking socks and limp T shirts, no seemingly unresolvable fights over why things have to be put back to their assigned places and why old newspapers have to be neatly stacked... But then, within a few days things get mighty lonely...
Fast forward to today...I am trying to think logically. Maybe its just the lonliness, the gas, the technology concepts...that make it feel like doomsday. Oughta feel better tommorrow...So see you later then...in a better frame of mind, of course!
Iga en aayuthu?
Iga en aayuthu? Translated this means, 'Now, what happened?'as in 'Why the fuss? Nothing has happened as yet.." kinda connotation. 'En aayuthu is an attitude. It's a view point that refuses to budge until the consequences hit you on the face.You move only when the good earth has been pulled out from under your feet and there is no straw to continue clinging to.
I am a just a few months old in Bangalore and still in the process of figuring out the ways in which this city ticks. Of course, I've come across the 'En ayuthu' attitude in other places, but, in Bangalore, known for its temperate folks,it sticks out prominent. Like a red, sore thumb in fact!!
I was on my way to the office this morning. I was grateful that this auto driver had condescended to take me to Richmond road sans the daily dose of haggling.Suddenly there is a screech...peace breaks.I look out and find that another auto on the left is all poised to cut this one and turn right. This this one wants to go straight. Both break, both vroom, both gear up to go first...and neither one is able to make progress. I see the two drivers glaring at each other like gladiators in mortal combat.Finally the one on the left relents and our hero moves forward. Next, we reach a busy stretch where everyone seems to be moving at snail pace and in multiple rows. Suddenly hero decides he wants to increase pace, veers right and vrooms...he nearly knocks off this poor fellow on the bike. The bike rider regains balance, turns towards him with a 'look what you did' gesture. Hero asks, "Iga en aayuthu?". Now the rider is angry, he parks his bike in the middle of the road and demands an apology. Hero is non chalant, "En aayuthu?" he repeats and drives on. In short, he is willing to respond only if something had happened. At the least the biker should've fallen and broken his nose!
A few months ago, a young lady , working in the wee hour shifts of a BPO was brutally slaughtered. A cabbie, in logistics contract with her company, had picked her up, raped her and murdered her. The company resisted taking responsibility because they had outsourced logistics. The transportation company said the acute shortage of drivers made it impossible for them to do a detailed background check of all the people they employed. Suddenly everybody reared up, the BPO employees took up arms, the police went into rapid action, the companies spruced up their logistics department...But, what about that young girl, who had to die a horrible death to wake us up from the ' Iga en aayuthu?'mindset.
Last October the city reeled under a deluge. The torrential monsoons revealed gaping holes in the infrastructure. Suddenly the government wakes up and declares desilting of drains programs, demolition of unauthorised buildings that block the natural water canals, widening of roads, new fly overs...the works! We needed to be inundated by sewarage to realise the city could take it no more! 'En aayuthu?' requires a 'Doomsday' situation to wake up.
It's time to go home. Another painful, bumpy ride to take. And, a lot more 'En aayuthu' to witness...life goes on!
I am a just a few months old in Bangalore and still in the process of figuring out the ways in which this city ticks. Of course, I've come across the 'En ayuthu' attitude in other places, but, in Bangalore, known for its temperate folks,it sticks out prominent. Like a red, sore thumb in fact!!
I was on my way to the office this morning. I was grateful that this auto driver had condescended to take me to Richmond road sans the daily dose of haggling.Suddenly there is a screech...peace breaks.I look out and find that another auto on the left is all poised to cut this one and turn right. This this one wants to go straight. Both break, both vroom, both gear up to go first...and neither one is able to make progress. I see the two drivers glaring at each other like gladiators in mortal combat.Finally the one on the left relents and our hero moves forward. Next, we reach a busy stretch where everyone seems to be moving at snail pace and in multiple rows. Suddenly hero decides he wants to increase pace, veers right and vrooms...he nearly knocks off this poor fellow on the bike. The bike rider regains balance, turns towards him with a 'look what you did' gesture. Hero asks, "Iga en aayuthu?". Now the rider is angry, he parks his bike in the middle of the road and demands an apology. Hero is non chalant, "En aayuthu?" he repeats and drives on. In short, he is willing to respond only if something had happened. At the least the biker should've fallen and broken his nose!
A few months ago, a young lady , working in the wee hour shifts of a BPO was brutally slaughtered. A cabbie, in logistics contract with her company, had picked her up, raped her and murdered her. The company resisted taking responsibility because they had outsourced logistics. The transportation company said the acute shortage of drivers made it impossible for them to do a detailed background check of all the people they employed. Suddenly everybody reared up, the BPO employees took up arms, the police went into rapid action, the companies spruced up their logistics department...But, what about that young girl, who had to die a horrible death to wake us up from the ' Iga en aayuthu?'mindset.
Last October the city reeled under a deluge. The torrential monsoons revealed gaping holes in the infrastructure. Suddenly the government wakes up and declares desilting of drains programs, demolition of unauthorised buildings that block the natural water canals, widening of roads, new fly overs...the works! We needed to be inundated by sewarage to realise the city could take it no more! 'En aayuthu?' requires a 'Doomsday' situation to wake up.
It's time to go home. Another painful, bumpy ride to take. And, a lot more 'En aayuthu' to witness...life goes on!
Till eternity, with love...
"The natural flights of the human mind are not from pleasure to pleasure but from hope to hope.” - Samuel Johnson
Hello! I am Hope, the little winged thing that Pandora set free along with a zillion pests and perils. In fact, I’ve been very much around even before the Pandora story happened. But, everything and everybody needs a starting point. Don’t you think so too? So, here I am.
I’ve always wanted to write my story. But, you know what puts me off? My story can never have an ending! I go on forever…unto eternity.
C’mon, we don’t need a formal introduction, do we? I’ve met you before. Several times in fact. Remember the times when mamma used to leave you in that place every morning, kiss you, wave good bye and drive away? The place was full of tiny kids, just like you. Some screamed, some yelped, some giggled, and some just snoozed while many played. Remember, the first ever time mamma waved good bye and vanished? You were so terrified that she’d never come back. Suddenly, you felt a warm hand on your arm and a gentle voice that said, “Don’t worry. Mamma is gonna be back by evening.” I know, you thought it was the nice lady at the crèche who said that. No, it was me. Didn’t you feel my presence each day, everyday mamma left you there?
He he he…I also have a humorous side. Monsoon time and school time come hand in hand in your hometown in Kerala. It used to tickle my funny bone to get into your thoughts; make you wish hard that it would rain so much that the school bus would get stranded on the flooded roads; and it would be declared a holiday!I was with you through all those board exams; the times when you were not sure if mom & dad would get you that expensive outfit to wear at the school farewell day; the day when you decided that you would rather take up arts in college and not even attempt the ‘must do’ medical/engineering entrance exams that every Tom, Dick and Harry worth his salt took; the day you told dad you were in love; the day you realized Mr. Perfect was just Dodo dope!
Well, my story never ends….I go on.Am with you, forever. With love always…
Hello! I am Hope, the little winged thing that Pandora set free along with a zillion pests and perils. In fact, I’ve been very much around even before the Pandora story happened. But, everything and everybody needs a starting point. Don’t you think so too? So, here I am.
I’ve always wanted to write my story. But, you know what puts me off? My story can never have an ending! I go on forever…unto eternity.
C’mon, we don’t need a formal introduction, do we? I’ve met you before. Several times in fact. Remember the times when mamma used to leave you in that place every morning, kiss you, wave good bye and drive away? The place was full of tiny kids, just like you. Some screamed, some yelped, some giggled, and some just snoozed while many played. Remember, the first ever time mamma waved good bye and vanished? You were so terrified that she’d never come back. Suddenly, you felt a warm hand on your arm and a gentle voice that said, “Don’t worry. Mamma is gonna be back by evening.” I know, you thought it was the nice lady at the crèche who said that. No, it was me. Didn’t you feel my presence each day, everyday mamma left you there?
He he he…I also have a humorous side. Monsoon time and school time come hand in hand in your hometown in Kerala. It used to tickle my funny bone to get into your thoughts; make you wish hard that it would rain so much that the school bus would get stranded on the flooded roads; and it would be declared a holiday!I was with you through all those board exams; the times when you were not sure if mom & dad would get you that expensive outfit to wear at the school farewell day; the day when you decided that you would rather take up arts in college and not even attempt the ‘must do’ medical/engineering entrance exams that every Tom, Dick and Harry worth his salt took; the day you told dad you were in love; the day you realized Mr. Perfect was just Dodo dope!
Well, my story never ends….I go on.Am with you, forever. With love always…
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