Water Balloon Fights & Concert nights

Had a surprisingly super picnic with co-workers yesterday. It was one of those days when nature conspires to make sure you have a good time :)
Lovely weather (after a long time) and great company to enjoy it with. My directors, managers and everyone just jumped into the whole water balloon fight and what a splash it was! Everyone left with a smile on their face and some with a promise of revenge! The fun times are rolling. Hope everyone is having a great summer.

And while I'm at it, should mention the simply awesome U2 concert I was at the night before! What a mid week. One to remember for ages.Aren't Summers just beautiful.

Boston

I was there for this long weekend and before I forget, I thought I should record my impressions.

People who know me, know how I'm always in a sweater/jacket. Can hardly tolerate a light breeze. The first thing I did on getting to Boston, at the airport, was to take off my sweater. And this was at 6am! The sweater  stayed inside for most of the trip. It was divine weather.
As it was so early, I didn't want to wake up my hosts right away, so ended up leaving my stroller at the apartment's unmanned lobby (! not something I would do here in the bay area, and it was there waiting for me when I got back!) and took off on a stroll. Seeing as how the river was so close by, I walked towards it. The place had a very suburban feel to it. Empty streets at that time of the day. Greenery all around. The one resident waving his arm in greeting when I passed by. Very laid back and idyllic. And the brick houses just made it all look so much more romantic.
There were people already rowing on the river when I got there. Probably practicing for the regatta? A few geese (the geese! will never forget them from my time at Rutgers :) ) waddling by. The stray runner jogging along. If I had this weather here in CA, I might be running every so often too! It was peaceful. And ever so pleasant.
Was sad come Monday evening when I had to fly back to CA. For many reasons. One of which was the sweater I had to don right after I landed at SJC.

Originality

After all that learning, reading, sharing, interacting the way we do, I wonder how much of what we believe in is original. Did I ever have an original thought? Considering the conditioning society sends its kids through, it is hard for original thoughts to survive. Conforming to the norm is always encouraged. Do people nourish original ideas? Are kids encouraged to think beyond the box?

Philanthropy

Recently realized both ASHA and AID are both celebrating Twenty years of inception this year. I found that a very interesting fact. There must have been a reason for the surge of philanthropy at that time 20years back for such a coincidence? I will be attending their annual conference this weekend. Kind of excited. There will be people there who have given up challenging/interesting/lucrative jobs to dedicate their time to helping others.

Flattery

There are three people in my company whom I love passing by. Like today morning - I'd just flashed my ID card at the door to enter when one of them opens it from the other side and says "This must be my lucky day"! Best start possible! I know he must be saying similar stuff to a ton of others, but it matters not a bit. And the compliments they have for my smile - always make me smile more :)
Anyway, me thinks flattery is a very nice thing. A pleasantry  to make someone's day that bit more brighter :)

Update on Yumm

Made it! Actually combined two recipes - Potato Gratin and Kaesespaetzle. Was good. Very. Even if I say so myself.

Can't see the Spaetzle in the pic, but its in there..

Yummm

For a while now my browsing online has been liberally dosed with food blogs. The photos are so good, at times I have sat craving for said food. So after a lot of these episodes, I have decided to actually start cooking/baking/making some of these recipes. And I'd love to have people taste what I end up making. So don't forget to check in on me, I just might be cooking up something yummy!

Will start with potato gratin. Can't go wrong with potatoes and roasted cheese, right?

Loving Summer!

I'm going stir crazy here sitting in my cube, gazing longingly at the golden outdoors every so often! And my camera! It has opened up this beautiful other world for me!! Everything looks so good through the lens! Even mundane things like a book lying on my bed. Need to go exploring with it soon.

Dear Gods, take pity on me and put me an outdoors job I'd love to do!

I Wish I Could Remember!

Back to reading a bit lately. And once in a while I come across something that strikes a chord somewhere. Brings a smile or makes me ponder or maybe agree with the writer. But the sad part is, for the life of me, I'm unable to remember it for long! Maybe I should write it down somewhere and store it for posterity! With my iPhone it should be handy enough to do something! Maybe get a picture of the relevant passage?! Now there's an idea! Or maybe make my lazy fingers type it out :)

Green

Been noticing that being environmentally friendly actually turns out to be quite heavy on the pocket in the current age. Having at an early stage had the privilege to spend some time with my grandparents in our village, this seemed very counter intuitive to me. Till I started exploring it more.

Take your clothes for example. To be "green", you'd have to wear something locally grown and manufactured - you know less transporting around, less fuel, etc etc. So that would mean growing it on very pricey land, getting the fabric made using very expensive labor locally vs some sweat shop in a 3rd world country. No wonder all the clothes I saw at the "Green Festival" recently were so expensive! And they weren't even made locally! They had just used cotton/hemp - once the cheapest fabric!

Likewise, being vegetarian in India was so easy. With the variety of vegetables available and recipes to cook the same, it was quite natural to enjoy multiple meals without craving for meat. We had meat once a week back in the days. I'm sure that helped cut down on many a "caged farm". Talking about organic/cage free, everyone knows how expensive shopping at Whole Foods can get! And I'm not even sure the stuff there is made locally. Most likely not, just that they ensure "Fair Trade" happens - translate no child labour or sweat shops. Gas still gets burnt shipping across oceans! The flip side of this is that, the places where commodities originate from, have their own issues - they successfully provide the westerners what they want at cheap rates but in the bargain the local situation/economy gets all entangled!

In an environment like this, its very hard to sell "Green". Forget about selling it, I'm not sure I should be talking about it, given my hopes/plans for travel around the world! Have been trying to think differently, and stop looking at things as issues but rather as constructive avenues. And still trying to figure out how to get there. In a world that is so friendly to destroying itself how can one make "green" accessible? Not looking for any blase/pat answers. I guess I'm just trying to collect and make some cohesive meaning of what I've been looking at.

On a different note, I saw this TED video recently on gaming. Love how people have these amazing perspectives! I'm mean about video games?! Admire her for it. You'll see where I'm getting my "constructive" talk from :P
http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html

Sensibilities

I came across an article today which I thought was totally ridiculous. Not how it was written, but the work its was talking about. Anyway. As soon as I read it, I wanted to share with someone what I felt about it. And opened gmail after copying the link. And started thinking: whom should I send it to?
It all comes down to who shares the same sensibilities that I do and would understand where I was coming from. Seems like there are fewer and fewer people in that list these days. Which is a good thing I guess. A mix is always good to keep one balanced. But just got me wishing there was a default person I could email who understood everything I had to talk about!
For now chose one who would get it, but not necessarily think along the same lines.


PS: for those of you curious about it:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/04/us-cows-emissions-idUSTRE7333YI20110404

instead of cutting down on our own carbon footprint, they are researching how to deprive some poor old cow! :P

Let me know what you think and I might add you to my "to email" list :)

Art

Since I wrote what I did below, I happened to come across a video, an amazing and inspiring one where there was this view about art - that it is something that makes you think beyond what you do on a regular day. Something that makes you wonder. Taking that for my definition now, I have to say I have come across a lot of art thus far, every day, and even though I never defined it as art till this moment, just as a means to transport me beyond my daily drudge, I think it qualifies. After all art is that which enhances life. Or is that just another opinion I have adopted? :)

There is this one exhibit I saw once. It was in a room all by itself. A big room. When I entered it, at first I couldn't see the exhibit. My eye-sight is partly to blame I'm sure. But then as I got in some more, I could make out that there was a beam of light focused on  this particular spot on the floor somewhere to the opposite corner of the room. I walked closer to see what was there. I had to walk quite a bit before I could see it in all its glory. A small cube. About the size of a die.
I have since told the story about this ridiculous exhibit I had once seen. Had quite a few laughs. But then, of all the things in that museum that day, there are only a few I can vividly recall. This has been one. It has made me wonder quite a bit I have to say. But still something stops me from calling it art. I guess the thoughts that come out of the wondering have to be positive in some sense for me to acknowledge it as art.

I rather surprise myself with my perspective sometimes. And maybe one day I will read this post again and realize how transitional it truly is.

------------

Had this discussion with a friend the other day and wanted to check what others think..
What does ART mean for you? I guess I'm trying to understand what one is looking for in Art and why some things are artsy for some and not so much for others.

To me personally, I guess I'm looking for something which is aesthetically pleasing. Or maybe something that captures life in a different light. I'm sure if I give it more thought I can throw in more points for what works for me. But one thing remains - I am many times not able to figure out modern art.

Is There a Time for Morals?

I was reading this article about how there has been no looting happening in Japan post the recent earthquake and tsunami. And the opinion of readers is that this is due to the moral standards of the Japanese populace. And the fact that they don't violate those standards in times of disruption. Got to me thinking how strong my standards are. To the most part, I would try to stick to them probably, but then I realized I'm not averse to following the crowd and maybe, just maybe, if I saw everybody dipping into a broken down store and picking up what they liked, I would follow suit.  Would that be out of a survival instinct to stock up for what might come in whatever way possible? Donno.

Its a hard thing to do - sticking to morals at all times. I'm glad I came across this article. Admire the people.

Great Weekends

Met up with some good friends from undergrad and the moment led me to saying "I'm glad I am where I am in life". After the excitement of the weekend revelry and general good times, I realized how true that statement is. I am very happy with who I am. Over the years I have made plenty of choices and some were made for me. I might have chaffed at a few of them and regretted some at the time. But seeing where those very same choices have brought me, I have to say life has been good to me.
Love how happiness permeates into everything in your life - I see a rainbow everywhere right now. They say you are lucky if you can count your good friends on one hand. Then I am beyond lucky.

Corner Coffee Shop

Just about time for people to head home from work. A slow stream of people move in. Occupying the empty tables. Some preferring the ground floor with the smell of coffee wafting all over and some the relative mass of people in the mezzanine. The one burly guy looking at every girl walking in. The one older lady, concentrating with all her scrunched eyes on her laptop and the work she was finishing up - day planner (she had a paper one!) open and stuff strewn around her. The two guys who probably work there part-time - they seemed to know one of the employees. A varied bunch.
Preferring the masses to the flow of people, ended up on the mezzanine too. Darn, all the window tables were taken. One person per table. The kids were busy poring over books; guess its that time of the year - exams. The guy with the ear phones tapping his folded foot to the tunes playing in his ears - oblivious to the crowd. The elegant lady, joined soon by a handsome guy, they were definitely discussing work. The lady at the window, on her phone waving to friends below, she must have been waiting for them - she left soon after. Coffee now cold. like the latte artwork they do - isn't it nice when you expect something and get that bit more than you expected?
And then I. Whiling time till when my yoga class would start. I wonder why I have not been to coffee shops more often...

Awe

Rambling through youtube as usual, today I happened to stumble upon this old video of Susan Boyle's performance from back then when she first made her public debut. All I can say is every time I see it, it never fails to be a hair raising experience. I mean just look at it. When she gets on stage you can see how people react to her presence. The dubious expressions, the rolling eyes, raised eyebrows. This video captures it all. Social conditioning.
And then she sings.

Looking forward to more experiences which shake me out of my perspective.

Resolution for the Year

Send out more snail mail to family/friends - always much more expressive/effective than an email/e-card.

Happiness and Pets

I grew up having a pet. Timmy - named after the dog in Famous Five :) Us siblings were major fans of the series. Actually the series is one of the reasons I ever got hooked onto reading. But that's a story for another time. He was with us for about 13 years. And one day he upped and left and never came back. The gate was left open by some moron who visited our house and we never saw him again. It wasn't the said persons fault really cos Timmy could always find his way back... but yeah, a moron left the gate open that day.

Loud barking nights when he found the odd rat running for cover into burrows he couldn't reach into. Crazy Timmy, never knew when to give up :) I remember how I used to come home from school earlier than the others once in a while to find the whole place locked up. Would jump over the wall, sit on the ledge in the portico waiting for others with keys to arrive. All the while with only Timmy for company. I would rub his thick fur till it was glossy black and my palms sticky black. He would lie his head trustingly in my lap and lap up the attention. I loved doing that. And he obviously loved it. I guess the reason I loved it was cos he did. I hated getting my hands dirty. Do to this day. But loved rubbing his fur and scratching behind his ears.


Miss having a pet.

Last Moments

Eight mile hike with the gang - they made me proud; view/location worth every minute of the drive and hike. Brunches on Sundays. Jazz in NYC - awesome! American Idiot - love Green Day.Dashing through snow. Getting cab rides and over tipping in view of the holidays. Last minute shopping. South Street Seaport - one of my fave spots of all time. Look of determination on a teeny tiny face as he struggles to stand up. Unconscious struggles/wiggles to find the spot in his crib. My darling darling nephew. Horror at my own impatience/irritation that one time. Missed Central Park again. Time with Sis and Cousin. Video chat with more cousins. Sweaters to coats to T-shirt in a matter of days - America you span long and wide! Text messages with New Year wishes. At home in bed on New Years eve :)

Best end to a good year. Looking forward to the new one.

Happy New Year everyone!!

Its That Simple

Next year I will have nineteen paid days off. Which I can technically take any time I want - barring conflict with work. Enough to take one extra day off adjacent to a weekend every month. And then some.
So I have decided I shall go on a small trip every month. Atleast one per month. Explore. All it takes is getting over my laziness, packing my bags and maybe a little bit of planning ahead. In line with these thoughts I will set out today to look for these twelve spots I want to check out next year. Will update this post with the list by eod today. That shall be my first step overcoming my procrastination.

Update with possibilities:

Peru - Machu Pichu & Iguazu Falls(?)
Yellow Stone National Park
Death Valley
Singapore
Kerala