Mundane thoughts.

Ever think what a lion with its mane shaven off would look like?It must look like a rather muscular dog.Atleast I think so.Am working on a lion and right now I have just finished the mane around its neck.The mane on the head is still pending...and right now it looks like a dog with a furry bib.
Anyway havnt got much time today.Got a couple of my folks popping in today specifically to taste my chicken curry.One is skeptical and the other is a believer.Just need to make sure the believer doesnt lose his faith.
Have a happy day,folks..Tada!

A new resolution - 26 days of blogging!

Erm...ello...anyone around?Its nearly midway through 2011 and I havnt written a single post...so here goes...a new resolution....26 days of continous blogging...I do have moments in every day when a thought strikes and I think I should write about that..But since most of the time this happens is when am outside or too busy doing something else,the thought flits away and then when I do find the time to write I cant remember what exactly I wanted to write about.
So this means that I need to go back and pick up a habit I once had of writing out my ideas or atleast scribbling them on a scrap of paper so that I remember them at a later point when am ready to work on them.

Its been exactly a week since I came back to my roost.And havnt done anything constructive.Well,apart from laundry and clearing out cupboards and scrubbing dishes and dusting a house that looked like a dust storm had hit it.And yeah,the hubby did say the house didnt look too bad.(yeah,right.and I have a pet white elephant with pink ribbons on its ears!)Men! But as a matter of fact I know he did try to keep the house tidy...Its just that we women are rather picky creatures.God forgot to put in the dust seeing software in ole Adam's eyes.When He came down to visit Adam and try out the new green tea that Adam insisted was good for the Lord's longevity,here is how the conversation went.

Adam: Howz the tea,Lord?
God : Ah! pure nectar,pure nectar.(emptying the contents of the cup surreptiously behind a coconut palm.)
Adam: Shall I pack up some for you to take home?(beams and looks like an eager little boy)
God : Oh...err..yeah...am sure the angels would love some too.(makes up his mind to feed the tea to his angels)
Kalyani,an angel who was peering over the edge of heaven,heard this,turned green and promptly fell down in a dead faint.
God: Adam...you really need to dust this place.
Adam: Dust?(blankly)
God: Just look at those cobwebs.
Adam:cob...whatz?(looking even more blank if possible)
God: and..and..look at..ah..ah...atishooooo!!!at the state...aahchoooo...
Adam: It looks fine to me,Lord.
God: Achoooo..aksheeee...chhoooo...(eyes streaming,makes note to self "Finish Eve asap")

But where was I? About not having done anything constructive.The hubby doesnt hear a word of what I say..No..I didnt mean in the way all hubbies not listening to wives....Poor ole me has been sick and now am croaking like a crow.My voice is so hoarse that I cant even hear what am saying.And poor hubby has been learning the art of lip reading.

I need to get a folding craft table made.I know exactly what I want but trying to get someone to make it for me is going to be a pain.The furniture folks in India are sooooooooo unimaginative.They try and convince you that you would be better off conforming to the standard dimensions and standard designs that they have.Yeah,I know thats easier for them but thats not what I want...What happened to the customer always being right motto?Here is a pic of the table I want.I have even found out a series of videos on how to assemble this table.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/newtableconcept/sets/72157608693719331/

The tough part is going to be getting the furniture guy to make it.I guess I'll have to explain that it works like a folding table inside a train.I hope the guy realises that the tables in trains do fold.If not...Any ideas?

In the name of sanity.

Yes...am back...in the name of sanity :). And like a politician looking at all the empty seats in a hall where he is due to give his comeback speech,the author looks out at her readers with a benign smile and asks "So how have you all been?".So why the sudden so called comeback?Truly,in the name of sanity.Amidst aching knees,a crazy job and even crazier people you are forced to work with,I really need something to keep myself from losing my head.The part trouble with writing online is that your thoughts are rather open to public.Well,I guess thats sort of the point of blogs,isnt it?To air your views to anyone who would bother to read.Well..coming back to the crazy job...sigh...shall I admit it?I think my heart is no longer in it.It maybe a result of all those achy joints.But more than the crazy job,I think its the crazy colleagues.:( Am just sort of tired of second guessing people and their actions.I know some wise old soul said do your job and do it well and leave the rest to God.But in this field,and mind you,God,am not doubting your supreme powers for an instant here,but in this field,its all about politics.Sadly,thats how this field has become.:( And am sure I would be pretty good at office politics but I dont want to go there.Frankly,I prefer being slightly less chummy with my superior but having the sun come in through the window of my soul to being chaddi buddies with my manager and having complete darkness at that aforesaid window.
Sigh...I dont know if am being paranoid but there is this creepy feeling of people trying to get one up on me at workplace.Lets make that one person.I wish I could shake off that feeling.I dont like it.And honestly,thats a major reason why am wondering about this job.So quit it?:) Easier said than done....There are always so many what-ifs which come along with that little statement.What-if its a mistake?Every time I come close to actually doing it,something keeps me back and says "lets give it one more try".And yes,there is also this guilt about so many people who dont have jobs and my throwing away a blessing.I know, I know...am " thinking too much".But how exactly do you make a decision without thinking?I have prayed over it and am waiting for God to show me a sign as to what he wants me to do.Meanwhile,why do I have this sneaking suspicion that while I wait,life is passing me by?
Anyway,have lots more to write but right now,job calling :).Have a nice one,folks!

King Kong Vs Godzilla

Just when I was thinking that the IPL had been going on for too long without even the shadow of a controversy,Lalit Modi steps in with a superb delivery that sent Tharoor running straight to the boundary.I was getting a bit antsy.I mean,come on,this is India after all.No good thing in India can actually go on for long without there being a controversy or some form of corruption in it.Its the norm.Or should we say age old tradition?(We even had a controvery in IT industry when Satyam almost went belly up)
Poor old Tharoor.I was watching an interview he had done on some news channel where he mentioned that he had quit his job overseas to come into Indian politics and that if he had been after money,he most certainly could have made it in a million other ways.Quite true.I honestly dont know if I should believe him or not.After all,Indian politics would certainly pay more than any measly job abroad,wouldnt it?Look at all those rich fat politicians we have in India.I bet none of them would give up politics for a silly old high paying job abroad.Why would one opt to work abroad when one can make even more money by staying in Indian politics and enjoy samosas, jalebis and khakras to boot?But then I have no clue about the kind of salary Tharoor received when he was working abroad and going by his lack of chubby "laloo" cheeks and rotund belly(definite symbols of any self respecting Indian politician worth his samosa) ,neither does the poor man seem to have a fondness for any indian sweets and savouries. But I do think that the guy either has an absolute talent for putting his foot in his mouth or he is a publicity hog.I still havnt made up my mind on that point.Forget the IPL controversy.Not one soul in Indian politics or for that matter,from our publicity hungry Bollywood has actually managed to create a stir(and it was not just one if I remember) using Twitter or any other social networking tool as Tharoor did.You got to admire his nerve.There most certainly are several long serving members of the Congress party whom we have never heard of and are not likely to until they are dead(if at all) and doordarshan plays the "oh-so-sad-that-another-rat-died" music all day long.Do they still do it?I dont remember the last time I watched that channel.I normally dont write about politics.In fact I couldnt write about politics to save my life.Where politics is concerned, I have my head well buried in the sand.But for some reason,Tharoor fascinates me.Maybe cos he managed to get even my attention Considering the number of years Tharoor spent abroad in countries where people are so polite and politically correct,I would expect the man to exhibit a lot more diplomacy and restraint.Here is an excerpt from Wiki about Tharoor's education.

"He went on to win a scholarship to study at the The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University where he acquired three degrees in as many years:
A Master of Arts in International Affairs
A Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy
A Ph.D. " (The Wiki didnt say in what)

"Diplomacy" is the keyword here folks.
Tharoor did make himself known to the masses and mostly to the educated computer savvy masses.The more he stuck his foot in his mouth,the more number of followers he got on twitter.Even if he only spoke about how he dug his nose ,these people heard him.So were all those so called political gaffes on twitter really what they seemed to be or a well planned publicity stunt by an extremely shrewd individual?Or were they the words of an honest politician,a true rarity in Indian politics, who actually dared to stand up and point out things which you and I have wearily accepted as "part of India"?Maybe as citizens of a battered nation,we have grown so cynical that we simply cant believe that an Indian politician could actually be honest.Anyhow coming back to the point,Lalit Modi(by the way,Lalit Modi,you are no angel.I do have some questions about your private jet and yacht,but I am not wasting my time on you.) and Shashi Tharoor did not disappoint and we also had some form of glamour thrown in in the form of Sunanda Pushkar and of course, lets not forget the bald baddies when we finally have figured out that some of the "underworld" had quite a few of their fingers stuck in the IPL pie (You really thought they'd leave a money making prospect like IPL alone?Get real.They are smarter than that.) not to mention the death threats to Shashi Tharoor.There you go! Hero(Tharoor in parrot green pants),Heroine (the haaaaawt Lady Pushkar), Mogambo (Modi) and his group of baddies( the underworld...ok...not quite his group but they'll do.).Quite the recipe for a Bollywood blockbuster and could give Ekta Kapoor a run for her money.Take a bow,ladies and gentlemen.Quite a show!!

I just had a thought…

How long has it been since you blew a soap bubble?No,seriously.Tell me.As kids all of us have at one time or the other had our parents shriek at us to stop playing and get out of the bathroom while we blissfully sat and blew soap bubbles between our thumb and index finger trying to make the bubbles bigger and last longer each time.Well,I have.But I dont remember the last time I did it.Most certainly not in the last decade which is a rather sad thing if you think about it.Its practically ages.I still love those little containers which are sold by roadside vendors blowing masses of pretty colorful bubbles and am tempted to buy and each time like a supremely mature responsible BORING adult I tell the kid in me “I’ll get it for you next time.We are in a hurry now”.Yeah,right! And we talk about killing creativity in kids?What about in adults?Why are we so hell bent on killing the kid in us?My mom was one busy lady if there ever was one.But she took the time to blow soap bubbles with me.We had some diluted dishwashing liquid,a straw and loads of fun.
And how many of you havnt ever blown a soap bubble at all?I seriously suggest you try it.All you need is some dishwashing liquid and a straw.(the kind that you drink soft drinks with).You dilute the dishwashing liquid a little,dip one end of the straw into it,lift it out and blow through the other end…and Voila!!There you go!!Had fun?
For those of you racking your brains for “brilliant” ideas and gifts for a lovely valentine’s day,why not blow soap bubbles with your better half,your parents,your best buddy or your kids?It’s a thought….

Last post of the year!

An end of the year post is due.And since I cant seem to think of one sensible topic to write about,I decided to simply follow my uncensored thought process and see where it leads me.
Last night,the hubby woke up and sleepily stared up at a monster brandishing a club which gave out sparks in the dark.Even worse the club seemed to be flying extremely close to his person.The man jumped out of his bed, yowling in fear and ran right out of the door,onto the street and all the way to Jamaica,screaming blue murder.:D

Ok..I’ll admit.He didnt.But the thought just popped into my head and was too funny to resist.And its in keeping with my new resolution to see something funny in everyday and if I dont find anything,I shall imagine something funny.But am telling you the man did wake up and see something that looked like a monster wielding a club.It just happened to be his crazy wife who was waving the electric mosquito bat (dont know if thats what its called but lets call it Sparky.Sounds much more friendlier considering the important role it plays in my life)and muttering curses at the danged mosquitoes which bother her every night.Honestly,there is something very satisfying when you manage to nab a mosquito with Sparky and it makes an exploding noise.Sounds like “SWAAAT!” and the mosquito fried.Aaah! I relish it.To any mosquito lover(nothing surprises me these days),it may seem quite callous of me to take pleasure in a poor tiny helpless mosquito (my big fat Foot!) dying a sad death by Sparky.I wont apologise.

By the way I made “Puttu” today for lunch.And it came out perfectly…Ooooooh…How exciting!…The sad part is that DH is not very fond of Puttu.Oh,he eats it,alright.But it doesnt make him excited.Its just “oh,puttu?Right” and not “oooooooooh,u made puttu?Clever wifey!Should get you some diamonds”. Huh!But am still quite proud of myself.It was good puttu.And …err..since I made a little extra,we are having it for dinner too. :-).Please pray that DH doesnt notice.Anyway,I have decided to consider it as one of my key acheivements of the year.And pizza I made last week was yet another one….And I made it from the scratch;the dough for the base,the sauce,every damn thing.The only thing I didnt do was grow my own veggies for it.Mushroom dum biriyani,puris,bread pudding,coriander rice,egg biriyani,cant remember the rest.But thats ok.There are some major ones like finally liking oats(can you hear my mom hooting? :s).And of course making curds…..!

I love curds…Not the messy kind which has lots of little yucky bits and pieces floating around in whey and makes you feel quite sorry for it.But the thick creamy white kind…which you can scoop up with a spoon and pretend that you are a mighty sea monster eating a tiny iceberg..mmmmmmm..ok…Lets not get carried away…but ….sigh…you got to admit that curds are yummy…and to those few people who refuse to eat curds for the reason that its white and they cant stand eating anything thats white in colour,I ask this.Err..you’d eat it if it was dung green?!!

One of the things I completely loved in US was the yoghurt in tubs you got to buy there.Considering we started our married life there,we soon got into the habit of having curds with almost every other meal.In terms of curds,that was the bestest period of my life.And so when we came back to India,we were sadly deprived of curds.Once in a while,the Goddess of Curds(has to be a goddes cos I dont think any God could make it :p) would smile upon us and we would chance upon a cup of Nestle curds at the nearby Reliance Fresh store.(I still dont know why they cant have it in stock more often instead of once in 4 months.Really!)And we would eat it reverently trying to make it last as long as we could.And so one fine day,as I lamented that the yummy stuff was almost gone ,the DH had a brainwave and said “Why dont you make curds?”.
Yeah ,right.Now lets clarify things a bit.He thought he had had a brainwave.I most certainly didnt think so considering I was the one who had to make it and if I knew how, I would have done so long ago and wouldnt be hanging around waiting for him to realise that making curds must be included under the “wifely duties” clause on the marriage contract.I hadnt even tried to make curds for the fear of ending up the with the messy kind of curds.I could have told him so but then how do u look the man in the eye while he stands there radiating pride at having come up with such a great idea based on the sole conviction that his super-wife can do anything?It takes thicker skin than mine to look at him then and say “Sorry,I havnt a clue”.So I told him rather lamely “But you need a little curds to begin with”.And DH exclaimed triumphantly “but …there are a couple of spoonfuls left in the Nestle cup!!”.
Damn! I knew I should have finished it up the previous night.Me: “Err…am not sure how to make curds”DH: “You dont know how to make curds??”Me: “No” .DH: “It should be easy”
Yeah,right! Then you make it.Glared at him.
Me:”Shall google”
DH recognised all danger signals and backed down.
DH:”Yeah.thats a good idea.You the best”Me: “Really?You think so?”( Melting into a big gooey puddle)DH: “Of course.”
And so I batted my eyelashes at him,asked mommy(very important),made curds and googled just to make sure there was nothing else I could do to ensure thick curds. :).And yeah,of course,the curds came out exactly the way I wanted it to.(Patting self on the back)Thick and creamy.What?You had doubts abt that? :-O

Apart from all that I cooked,lets see what else I acheived.We are talking strictly about personal life.To list my professional acheivments here would be quite pointless considering you know nothing about my project.Telling you that I automated SCL building would be equivalent to telling you I am trying to stand on my head.You wouldnt know why I bother, dont you think?Hmm…*-) .Coming back to my personal acheivements,I became a designer.(blushes).Of exactly what? Erm…lets just say “characters” for now.Am not ready yet to unveil that side of talented me.(And you dare not have any doubts about me being talented!) Maybe sometime later this year.Am working on an experiment.Not sure if I will succeed.But I think I can if I give it my best shot..And that probably is an important goal for 2010.Am going all out with this one and its scary when I stop to think about it.I rarely make resolutions at the beginning of a year.But for some reason,this year seems special.Cos am rediscovering a lot of things about me? Maybe.
And on that cryptic note,I wish you all (and myself, ofcourse!) a very very very happy,prosperous and exciting new year and may you all learn to love yourself.Cos if you dont love your mad nutty half brained self,then who will? Cheers,people and lets ring in the new year with a booty dance !!!

To be or not to be?Sane,that is.

Its so much fun to be happy,isnt it?and so much nicer than being gloomy and worrying about mundane stuff like how your socks dont match your shoes and how xxx has lovely hair while ur own is falling out in clumps…:-)Am in a reflective mood…Can u tell?Maybe its cos of christmas……or maybe cos I just finished making a christmas gift for someone and it was a risk cos they may think its totally weird…or maybe cos the year is coming to an end.And looking back..when I tried to describe how 2009 has been,I couldnt.Dont know why…maybe cos I know I spent the better part of the year worrying…chuckle….who am I kidding…I spent the whole year worrying except maybe the last few days….

But thats ok..cos am not planning to go that way..I spent so much time worrying about things that I needed to do instead of actually doing them.Not anymore…I forgot the basic rule I lived by…Seeing the funny side in every situation…and remembering that life is too short for me to be worrying about the program code not working when am in the loo…that I need to sniff at a nice smelling “rubber” once in a way and mentally popping nasty people into white underwear patterned with bright red hearts and make a big time effort to be my loony old self…and that,my dear darling people,will be my resolution for the new year..In fact I have already started practising it so that I wud have perfected the art by the time we ring the new year in.
In the last 6 months the more I tried to be a sane balanced adult ,the more crazy life became…Or maybe my being sane was not conducive to surviving my crazy life .That makes sense…and honestly,I was so bloody bored with myself ….My life was no busier than it had been when I was truly being nuts but it was definitely boring-er…you know what I mean?.While trying to grow up ,I seemed to have forgotten a lot of little things that kept me happy and cheerful.For instance whenever I was sad,I wud look in the mirror and smile at myself…and I looked so funny trying to smile when I really was in no mood to,it wud invariably make me laugh and lighten up….silly but it worked…chuckle.

I spent some time going through the old posts on my external blog (I used to write a lot on that and rarely posted all that on Cog blog )and came across this.

” I recently read something on the internet and it made so much sense that am posting it here.

“We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough and we’ll be more content when they are. After that we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with.
We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.
The truth is, there’s no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges.”

So true. There will never be a best car. There will never be a perfect spouse. There never will be perfect children. Life is rather simple and God only meant us to enjoy it. It’s we who make it complicated and a fight. Maybe if we all sat down and looked at a sunset, half the problems in the world wud be solved. Just imagine. Laden and Bush sharing a sunset together…Inspiring, isn’t it? Chuckle…. ”

Looks like I was more sensible in all my looniness than I thought.Where’s that mirror?and wud u have a nice smelling “rubber”?