Another year is ending ... and its time to reflect on the year gone by.
In personal life, the highlight would undoubtedly be the birth of my baby boy.
As I tried hard to remember what I was doing this time last year, hubby dear came to my help
and reminded that this time last year we were with his cousins, watching 'Mungaru MaLe' - the Kannada movie that turned to be a super-duper hit in 2007.
This time around , am baby-sitting and probably be doing so for some more new year eves :)
For the record , my baby flipped around successfully for the first time today ! This I write here so I don't have to struggle to remember next year ;-)
Professionally, the year was quite good , though not exactly exciting ; hoping the new year will bring in more exciting challenges.
This time also reminds me of Jagjit Singh's ghazal - ' Ek brahman ne kaha hai ki yeh saal achcha hai .... ! '. The cynics that we are, there isn't much hope or expectation from the new year - there will still be terror attacks, hunger, poverty, corruption, pollution ...........
But I still hope against hope that in the new year the world gets greener , that the skies get bluer and our children grow to live in a more peaceful and happy world !!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Food for words
Friends , read about this site http://www.freerice.com in an article recently.
Checked it out and found the concept very interesting.
All you have to do is check your vocab; for every word you get right, 10 grains of rice will be donated to the needy. Isn't that cool ?
So when you are in the mood to just browse the net , please spend some time on this site.
Contribute your bit to eradicate hunger ... ahem, big words .. but what the hell, you can alteast learn some new words !
Checked it out and found the concept very interesting.
All you have to do is check your vocab; for every word you get right, 10 grains of rice will be donated to the needy. Isn't that cool ?
So when you are in the mood to just browse the net , please spend some time on this site.
Contribute your bit to eradicate hunger ... ahem, big words .. but what the hell, you can alteast learn some new words !
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Random ramblings
Hard to believe my last post was in May ! Still, heartening to know that there are some ardent visitors to my blog and that they look out for new posts.
So here I am, a NEW ME in the real sense.What's new ? well, am a mother now, to a tiny little bundle of joy !!
Though I would love to write about every little antic of his,its not practically possible ... mostly because of him. He ensures that his mom is kept busy, that she doesn't get bored.
Coming to motherhood, what should I write ... so much has alreadybeen said about it that anything I say now will only sound cliched. Nevertheless, I will say this - motherhood brings with it a sense of awe and immense respect for one's own mother, if not for her , who knows what I would have turned out to be ...or if I would even exist. I have only now begun to comprehend and appreciate my mother's triumphs and tribulations through these years.
When my son wails in the middle of the night, my inner voice says "Hey, you are a mother now, get up, you got to do it!" Thats the new responsibility , but when he looks at my face and gives a toothless-dimpled smile ... THAT is pure pleasure !
Another realisation thats come about in my absence from work -that life has so much more to offer than 8-hour days spent in acubicle. Guess its a done thing to take work too seriously, to fret over hikes, appraisals, promotions and so on, but at the cost of what ? Time flies away ( the fact that I haven'twritten since May is still bugging me ) , life races , then slows , then withers away and whats there to show for it ?
I once attended a 'self-development' course where I was askedto write about atleast one achievement in my life other than"getting married and having kids!". I was perplexed then, and am perplexed even now by the question ... there are multiple dimensions to it -
first, in the corporate world does marriage and kids mean nothing ? second - aren't they personal milestones ...so why aren't they considered 'achievements'? third - and most important - what would I consider as an achievement. I drew a blank there.
Am hoping life's some lesson will teach me to recognise my own achievements ...
So here I am, a NEW ME in the real sense.What's new ? well, am a mother now, to a tiny little bundle of joy !!
Though I would love to write about every little antic of his,its not practically possible ... mostly because of him. He ensures that his mom is kept busy, that she doesn't get bored.
Coming to motherhood, what should I write ... so much has alreadybeen said about it that anything I say now will only sound cliched. Nevertheless, I will say this - motherhood brings with it a sense of awe and immense respect for one's own mother, if not for her , who knows what I would have turned out to be ...or if I would even exist. I have only now begun to comprehend and appreciate my mother's triumphs and tribulations through these years.
When my son wails in the middle of the night, my inner voice says "Hey, you are a mother now, get up, you got to do it!" Thats the new responsibility , but when he looks at my face and gives a toothless-dimpled smile ... THAT is pure pleasure !
Another realisation thats come about in my absence from work -that life has so much more to offer than 8-hour days spent in acubicle. Guess its a done thing to take work too seriously, to fret over hikes, appraisals, promotions and so on, but at the cost of what ? Time flies away ( the fact that I haven'twritten since May is still bugging me ) , life races , then slows , then withers away and whats there to show for it ?
I once attended a 'self-development' course where I was askedto write about atleast one achievement in my life other than"getting married and having kids!". I was perplexed then, and am perplexed even now by the question ... there are multiple dimensions to it -
first, in the corporate world does marriage and kids mean nothing ? second - aren't they personal milestones ...so why aren't they considered 'achievements'? third - and most important - what would I consider as an achievement. I drew a blank there.
Am hoping life's some lesson will teach me to recognise my own achievements ...
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Psyche of Dan Brown
Just completed reading the third Dan Brown's book ... and I don't think I will take up another book of his; reason simply being I know how the flow of the story is going to be.
The book starts off with a sensational and gory murder ( is it sensational 'coz its gory or is it gory to make it sensational ? ) of a famous X. Robert Langdon, the hero, is summoned to the scene of crime - wonder how they track him within hours of the murder. Mind you , he is not a detective or a cop or even remotely connected to any investigating agency , just a Prof of Symbology. Anyway ... he is called for and he promptly arrives.
And in two out of three cases , the murder victim has an intelligent , not-exactly-beautiful-but-attractive daughter , who I can assume without difficulty to be the heroine of the story.
Then comes the tricky part - the bits and pieces of the puzzle , the chunks that make the big picture ... big picture of not just the motive , but of religion, cults, secret groups and yes, a truckload of symbols. There are substories in every other chapter of the background of the background of the cult/religion, but if you are not interested in the details feel free to skip them.
One thing leads to another, hero and heroine put the pieces together , travel in all modes of transport known to man, solve the mystery in record time and head back home ... well , again in two out of three cases. I felt sad for the lead pair in 'Digital Fortress' for they hardly get to share any screentime , or pagetime together.
While in 'Angels and Demons' I was a little surprised with the twist in the end, in 'Digital Fortress' and 'DaVinci code' I couldn't wait to nail the oh-so-obvious mastermind and be done with it. Dan Brown though does know to wax eloquently about the academic nuances of every symbol he introduces to us , he doesnot fare so well in explaining emotions. For one, why is Langdon mostly in a confused state of mind . Even when he knows his stuff, he seems so unsure.
There isn't much place or importance for the subtler and gentler aspects of humor or romance, just a mad rush from one thrill to another and yet another while you slog through the voluminous book with dying hopes of reaching a satisfying end. But a fulfilling end is what you don't get ...
If ever Dan Brown gets to read this, he may sue me for my comments , but until then you can read a few books of his and add to my observations ;-)
The book starts off with a sensational and gory murder ( is it sensational 'coz its gory or is it gory to make it sensational ? ) of a famous X. Robert Langdon, the hero, is summoned to the scene of crime - wonder how they track him within hours of the murder. Mind you , he is not a detective or a cop or even remotely connected to any investigating agency , just a Prof of Symbology. Anyway ... he is called for and he promptly arrives.
And in two out of three cases , the murder victim has an intelligent , not-exactly-beautiful-but-attractive daughter , who I can assume without difficulty to be the heroine of the story.
Then comes the tricky part - the bits and pieces of the puzzle , the chunks that make the big picture ... big picture of not just the motive , but of religion, cults, secret groups and yes, a truckload of symbols. There are substories in every other chapter of the background of the background of the cult/religion, but if you are not interested in the details feel free to skip them.
One thing leads to another, hero and heroine put the pieces together , travel in all modes of transport known to man, solve the mystery in record time and head back home ... well , again in two out of three cases. I felt sad for the lead pair in 'Digital Fortress' for they hardly get to share any screentime , or pagetime together.
While in 'Angels and Demons' I was a little surprised with the twist in the end, in 'Digital Fortress' and 'DaVinci code' I couldn't wait to nail the oh-so-obvious mastermind and be done with it. Dan Brown though does know to wax eloquently about the academic nuances of every symbol he introduces to us , he doesnot fare so well in explaining emotions. For one, why is Langdon mostly in a confused state of mind . Even when he knows his stuff, he seems so unsure.
There isn't much place or importance for the subtler and gentler aspects of humor or romance, just a mad rush from one thrill to another and yet another while you slog through the voluminous book with dying hopes of reaching a satisfying end. But a fulfilling end is what you don't get ...
If ever Dan Brown gets to read this, he may sue me for my comments , but until then you can read a few books of his and add to my observations ;-)
Monday, April 02, 2007
Kannada Cop blog
I happened to be browsing the internet and was in the process of getting lost in the Web when this caught my eye – http://spdk.blogspot.com a blog by Dakshina Kannada Police Department! And the blog is upto date – now that’s what I call ‘prompt’ – a word seldom associated with the Indian police department.
The concept is admirable and the effort is really commendable.
The concept is admirable and the effort is really commendable.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
'Notepad'
This is a funny ( and embarassing ) incident that happened to me during my initial days in Singapore.
My official laptop had arrived from the client's place in US and for some reason, I couldnot login with the password I was given. To rectify it, I called the local helpdesk at S'pore office and they promptly told me to go to the floor they were in, with my 'notepad'. And I did so.
The person gave me a look and asked "Where is the notepad ?" and I lifted up the small paper 'notebook' in my hand and said "Here !" ... and in an instant had realised my mistake ...
geez ! and I just turned back and ran before I could catch the change of expression on his face ! ;-)
Well, how was I supposed to know that laptop was called 'notepad' in this part of the world?
So much for being a techie !!
The confusion of notepad being finally resolved in my mind, the next few months were quite uneventful with regards to my computer. When the time came to take leave, I had to send it back to the US , and so , had to do a bit of running-around to arrange courier through office.
All done, I carried that huge box ( am not exaggerating, the laptop was an antique piece , quite heavy and came with a huge box ) to the mailing section. The person incharge there was of Indian origin. He asked me what I was sending in the box and I said " A notepad and some docs" , he looked doubtful but said ok. As I went about sealing , he tried a different question -
"Is there something to be declared ?" and I said "Yes , the computer". And the poor guy almost jumped out of his skin.
"But you said it was a notepad !"
"Yes, its a laptop/notepad !!"
No wonder then that he was wondering why a notepad would need such a big box.
Oh great ! so I had come a full circle from laptop to 'notepad' to laptop , all in the matter of nine months.
Names change , understandings change ... and they change back. Its really a funny world out there.
My official laptop had arrived from the client's place in US and for some reason, I couldnot login with the password I was given. To rectify it, I called the local helpdesk at S'pore office and they promptly told me to go to the floor they were in, with my 'notepad'. And I did so.
The person gave me a look and asked "Where is the notepad ?" and I lifted up the small paper 'notebook' in my hand and said "Here !" ... and in an instant had realised my mistake ...
geez ! and I just turned back and ran before I could catch the change of expression on his face ! ;-)
Well, how was I supposed to know that laptop was called 'notepad' in this part of the world?
So much for being a techie !!
The confusion of notepad being finally resolved in my mind, the next few months were quite uneventful with regards to my computer. When the time came to take leave, I had to send it back to the US , and so , had to do a bit of running-around to arrange courier through office.
All done, I carried that huge box ( am not exaggerating, the laptop was an antique piece , quite heavy and came with a huge box ) to the mailing section. The person incharge there was of Indian origin. He asked me what I was sending in the box and I said " A notepad and some docs" , he looked doubtful but said ok. As I went about sealing , he tried a different question -
"Is there something to be declared ?" and I said "Yes , the computer". And the poor guy almost jumped out of his skin.
"But you said it was a notepad !"
"Yes, its a laptop/notepad !!"
No wonder then that he was wondering why a notepad would need such a big box.
Oh great ! so I had come a full circle from laptop to 'notepad' to laptop , all in the matter of nine months.
Names change , understandings change ... and they change back. Its really a funny world out there.
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