So here it is in pictures!!
* all images from google
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Weekend in pictures! - II
Now that the ankle is fine I finally hit the road and ran a 5k loop, only to feel exhaustion and drugged slumber. Atonement the book (highly recommend) was completed with teary eyed thoughts about writing. Amorres perros (first in the bable triage) was seen and liked. Though the animal cruelty shown is disturbing. Dog lovers should avoid.
So here it is in pictures!!
* all images from google
So here it is in pictures!!
* all images from google
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Cliche (reliving)
Going back to past post after last night's prolonged discussion with friends. We were talking about kids and why one brings new people into the world. Completing the circle of life. We all agreed and thought that was a worthwhile thought.
"Living in a hostel for 4 years among girls from all across the state (country even, but I never ended up mixing with the girls from across India well until the final year. anywho) most of them from Marwari background, where they knew marriage was going to be a huge part of their life once they got out of the place. We spent huge amount of time discussing did we want careers. As in what would being an engineer mean, as we aged, etc etc.
Not a lot of us wanted to save the world. Some wanted happy families, some money, some independence. I was under the influence of Rand then, humongously, and (as Upasna's growing up curve says) 'wanted to save the world with my objectivity'*. The fact is we all grew up. We remained idealists, wanted to stick to our perceptions of careers, life, and are still doing that, but (I think) we lived a cliche. And we are still trying to live one. Not caring if that's what our scoreboard is.
As you grow up, I think somewhere you lose clarity and objectivity. Of things around, of what you want. It happens with me a lot. Sometimes in succession, sometimes in cycles. Always inspiring (to myself) from where and how I arrive at the clarity. Eventually. But the fact remains it still feels like a cliche.
I know not all of us are supposed to break the barriers and change the world like Steve, DFW did. Nor are we all supposed to find meaning through our work/family/love. Sometimes it may come through most redundant (what we think) sources. But meaning does come. If you keep trying i.e. And I hope we live that one cliche. Of finding meaning.
* I still sometimes slip into that mode."
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Weekend in pictures!
This was my weekend! Discovered pic collage on the ipad. Hence the edgy experiment. How was yours ?
Friday, March 1, 2013
On reading guns and merissa mayer
#totally disconnected topics in the title.
I remember a gunshot fight that happened in a school right across my apartment complex when I lived in Chicago. A few people were hurt, lots of cops vehicles and sirens abound the neighborhood. The security in the form of regular cop car patrols were increased in the following days. I never understood the implications of gun violence or the access to having guns this easily. Across the street I even slept a very peaceful sleep that night and the next 2 years. Guess its the country I came from, I told myself. Because in my country people get killed* (or become part of unnecessary shit) very randomly and like everyone else we dont bother much unless its one of us or close ones.
I was specially intrigued (for myself) in trying to have an opinion about so many debates people keep on having around access to firearms. So I picked Stephen King's Guns a short read/essay about gun violence and its implications and potential roots. A few pages into the essay I felt it was more about King's use of violence/repression/depression in his own books. But he did make great points when he explored why this isn't american culture or how some processes in the system are flawed. Even mental illness and how its dealt with. (Specially after watching silver linings playbook, which makes a strong case for people suffering from non apparent illnesses). Of course this still doesnt help me in forming or having an opinion about things. Like all complicated things, humankind's needs for creating firearms and using them to hurt each other is beyond my limited mind powers. What I do understand though is the politics and power in such games. I have lived in India long enough to be cynical about the government. And having watched house of cards has made me even more aware about how alluring 'Power' and 'Leverage' over someone else must be.
* makes me sound insensitive in my own eyes.
***********************------------------************************
Everyone I know is picking at Merissa Mayer. But what she is doing and why she is doing is totally related to Yahoo. Why is everyone making a point out of 'her being a woman' and being insensitive. She does not rule the world. A lot of countries are still living in (apparent) democracy.
I for once don't like working from home. Because I work in a tech company. My home network can never match the resources available at work, for productive work. May be, if I moved to a creative (journalism/cooking/fashion/sports) I would love to create or define my own work space. But until that happens I can totally vouch for people in tech industry. Productive and team work happens a lot better in offices.
I sometimes think are we as humans expecting a lot from ourselves ? I tell this to myself over and over again that you don't have to want everything. Its ok to be awesome at work and then suck at some things in other sectors of life. Of course out of a childhood conditioning of wanting the best out of myself from anything I do. But over the past few years I am consciously teaching myself to not pressure myself too much. Anywho I digressed. But I cannot seem to agree on outcries about decision to stop 'working from home' for employees.
I remember a gunshot fight that happened in a school right across my apartment complex when I lived in Chicago. A few people were hurt, lots of cops vehicles and sirens abound the neighborhood. The security in the form of regular cop car patrols were increased in the following days. I never understood the implications of gun violence or the access to having guns this easily. Across the street I even slept a very peaceful sleep that night and the next 2 years. Guess its the country I came from, I told myself. Because in my country people get killed* (or become part of unnecessary shit) very randomly and like everyone else we dont bother much unless its one of us or close ones.
I was specially intrigued (for myself) in trying to have an opinion about so many debates people keep on having around access to firearms. So I picked Stephen King's Guns a short read/essay about gun violence and its implications and potential roots. A few pages into the essay I felt it was more about King's use of violence/repression/depression in his own books. But he did make great points when he explored why this isn't american culture or how some processes in the system are flawed. Even mental illness and how its dealt with. (Specially after watching silver linings playbook, which makes a strong case for people suffering from non apparent illnesses). Of course this still doesnt help me in forming or having an opinion about things. Like all complicated things, humankind's needs for creating firearms and using them to hurt each other is beyond my limited mind powers. What I do understand though is the politics and power in such games. I have lived in India long enough to be cynical about the government. And having watched house of cards has made me even more aware about how alluring 'Power' and 'Leverage' over someone else must be.
* makes me sound insensitive in my own eyes.
***********************------------------************************
Everyone I know is picking at Merissa Mayer. But what she is doing and why she is doing is totally related to Yahoo. Why is everyone making a point out of 'her being a woman' and being insensitive. She does not rule the world. A lot of countries are still living in (apparent) democracy.
.JPG) |
| not so creative office spaces! but productivity rules.. |
I for once don't like working from home. Because I work in a tech company. My home network can never match the resources available at work, for productive work. May be, if I moved to a creative (journalism/cooking/fashion/sports) I would love to create or define my own work space. But until that happens I can totally vouch for people in tech industry. Productive and team work happens a lot better in offices.
I sometimes think are we as humans expecting a lot from ourselves ? I tell this to myself over and over again that you don't have to want everything. Its ok to be awesome at work and then suck at some things in other sectors of life. Of course out of a childhood conditioning of wanting the best out of myself from anything I do. But over the past few years I am consciously teaching myself to not pressure myself too much. Anywho I digressed. But I cannot seem to agree on outcries about decision to stop 'working from home' for employees.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Thin line
Amusing experiences at the gym continue. (oh and 'why I joined a gym' story sometime later! going to be very long-winded). On my workout appointment with the trainer he literally said 'what abs will you do. There is nothing.' Of course I agreed. There is 'literally' no extra fat. So I am thin. #eureka. Thanks to good genes, bad genes, a mix of both or simply past life karma as the herbivore dinosaur.
Daily I encounter stares, looks, eye rolls, hinting (indicating) 'what are you even doing here?' Umm like trying to be fitter and lead a healthier life ? Daily I observe female counterparts taking 5-10 minutes in front of the mirror, to eventually get out of the dressing/changing room. Then I go back to growing up years when looking at oneself in the mirror for a very long time was told to be a vanity issue. Hence to be avoided. Thanks to that or whatever else like pile up of studies, other teenage worries, friends, admissions, mills and boons, that habit never came my way. And unknowingly I do not seem to have body image issues. I am not sure if I should be proud for having saved some amount of time in our stupid existence. May be will save the smug admission for later ?
The world has tried very hard though to give me some issues. Must tell you so. Like every familiar face concern-trolling me like it would mean them the world if I put on weight. Every guy who has even slight interest in me, telling me how thin I look. Like I am going to die on him or something out in the public. Getting fatter (who weigh more than me) people to tell me how they wished they had my body or could transplant some of their weight to me. First things first, fat transplant operations don't have any guarantees, dear stranger! Working without fact-checks, I will never understand.
The world in such innumerable ways never seems to stop. The noise needs to be diverted elsewhere. Ignore, tell them on their face they are jealous, ignore, run more, be even more fitter, ignore #routine. Or write a blog. Publish it on the internet. Seem petty.
May be parents need to be more sensitive. Friends and boy/girl-friends need to be not assholes. And gym trainers need to evaluate why they are sitting in that seat. I am not even going to point out. #justsaying
Daily I encounter stares, looks, eye rolls, hinting (indicating) 'what are you even doing here?' Umm like trying to be fitter and lead a healthier life ? Daily I observe female counterparts taking 5-10 minutes in front of the mirror, to eventually get out of the dressing/changing room. Then I go back to growing up years when looking at oneself in the mirror for a very long time was told to be a vanity issue. Hence to be avoided. Thanks to that or whatever else like pile up of studies, other teenage worries, friends, admissions, mills and boons, that habit never came my way. And unknowingly I do not seem to have body image issues. I am not sure if I should be proud for having saved some amount of time in our stupid existence. May be will save the smug admission for later ?
The world has tried very hard though to give me some issues. Must tell you so. Like every familiar face concern-trolling me like it would mean them the world if I put on weight. Every guy who has even slight interest in me, telling me how thin I look. Like I am going to die on him or something out in the public. Getting fatter (who weigh more than me) people to tell me how they wished they had my body or could transplant some of their weight to me. First things first, fat transplant operations don't have any guarantees, dear stranger! Working without fact-checks, I will never understand.
The world in such innumerable ways never seems to stop. The noise needs to be diverted elsewhere. Ignore, tell them on their face they are jealous, ignore, run more, be even more fitter, ignore #routine. Or write a blog. Publish it on the internet. Seem petty.
May be parents need to be more sensitive. Friends and boy/girl-friends need to be not assholes. And gym trainers need to evaluate why they are sitting in that seat. I am not even going to point out. #justsaying
Friday, February 15, 2013
comfort food
I know if I tell you aloo paratha (roti stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes) is one of my comfort foods, after kadhi-khichadi, you will roll your eyes at me. But it is. Because I can conjure up those in less than 30 minutes. Ok more than that depending on how many potatoes are getting boiled. But as a grad student I got into the habit of keeping 2 or more boiled potatoes in the refrigerator. No wonder I find it my comforting food.
So today the only different thing I did was making the dough. I had some old paneer which was not going to get used in any other preparation or eventually see the waste basket. I grated that into the flour. Added some ajwain (carom seeds) and til (sesame seeds) and salt. The dough came out very soft and smooth.
(Aai uses a tea spoon of malai (milk fat?) while making such doughs.)
My potato stuffing was very minimal. A mix of green pepper, very thinly cut onion, coriander (cilantro) leaves, a pinch of turmeric (haldi), red pepper (laal mirch) powder, salt, a tea spoon of lemon juice and grated ginger. Yes grated ginger! Learnt it from the previous maid. If used just a pinch adds a very good flavor without overpowering.
The end product looked like this ->
(Aai uses a tea spoon of malai (milk fat?) while making such doughs.)
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| Instragrammed! |
The end product looked like this ->
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