Worrying times

There comes times in my life when I think as to why I end up not doing anything in my life but on the contrary I see that there are so many around me who do have the time to do all what is so perfect looking to me.

Maybe in most cases when I would get down to doing this, they might not seem to perfect as they seem now. Nevertheless I feel at times that I am not happy simply because there is a drag to life, the day in and out things which happen, with not a tinge of difference ever. Whenever I come across any of my friends, I hear stories of where they have been recently, how they did something which they very much wanted to do. And all this only makes me wonder ever more, why is it that I do not ever do anything.

I have tried to not make people influence my life so much and have a hold on what I want to do and how I wish to do it. As I think of this, I remember that I have wanted to go to the Technology Museum which is there in Bangalore, to see what-so-ever it has to offer. Any museum should be a good few hours.

As I write this entry, I wonder, how parents go about with the normality of life, with no changes. They take a holiday only once a year and the rest of the days as far as I remember are never too different. They might have an occasional meal outside, or maybe decide to go to the beach for a barbeque every quarter, but then else it is all quiet. Is it that they have been accustomed to this kind of life or maybe they have given up trying to overcome the monotony!

Once I am done thinking of all the monotony in the world, here comes the Mumbai attacks, and there is nothing worse that can happen to ever to change the face of normalcy in anyone's lives. People who can come on a holiday and on quick business visits have not lived to see the light of day. How do you even take a holiday now? What will happen if your holiday destinations are not safe anymore.? Mumbai was not ever on the be-careful list, but things don't seem to be happening as per any lists. Where have we seen a terrorist asking for UK/US passport holders to be potential hostages? Things are changing, or else they see that the Indian government doesn't seem to have much value for their citizens lives. They might have thought that if we get the rich and more over the rich foreigners, the embassies and the whole world will be roped in with the least effort from their side. And what better place to find the world rich list than at the 5 stars of the financial capital of India.

Now its all a question of wait and watch. Amen.

Something which I have decided to is that I am also going to start (trying) to maintain a daily photo blog. I will also start this blog only once I have a few snaps which I believe are worth putting up. I also need to come up with a good name for the blog too :). Now that I think about it, maybe there will be quite a few cat photos there, but then that is exactly what I wish to have, an album on the web.

Am also thinking blogger or wordpress for this photo blog? Any comments why one might be better than the other?

Counting to the holidays

It has been brrr cold in Bangalore and in spite of that, I have kept to my swimming regime. I have tried and I believe that my friend who accompanies me religiously every morning is what has had me going on my daily splashing runs. Whisky has been feeling real cold too and today morning she decided that its time to start using the blanket! (Some pictures are the bottom of the post).

I have made sufficient headway considering it has been a month and I have learnt the breast stroke and also the butterfly stroke. This is a great month considering that I knew just a normal everyone’s free style and also the backstroke (that too not to perfection; I have issues with direction). So anyhow this one month of swimming has been for the start of an exercise regime and also to ensure that I have one such item on my list of activities which I enjoy in my day.

I am also planning a trip to Pondicherry, have heard so much about this ex- French Colony and the beauty of the town, beaches and monuments. The Ashram is also said to be of a very old construction. This is a place which looks peaceful and a perfect spot for a few days during Christmas fever. I do hope that this works out.

Another important update (as per me), I have driven the car three times to office, obviously with someone sitting next to me to shout and scream. But then it is still what I wish to do, to ensure that I do not become a wasted driver (with a driving license and not able to drive).

Social World

Today I found out that a girl who has lived a few doors away from me in hostel has now taken up as the City Director for Mumbai with Teach India, this article here, talks about the work and what motivated her to move into this direction from McKinsey & Co.

I have thought of doing so many things with maybe an environment  organization, or with the Animal Protection group. Somehow, things have never been that simple, and they seem to always be some deterent in the path. Deep insise, I believe that maybe I have never really tried enough. 

An interesting thought which popped into my head is, are you fine being the one who is the non earner and just taking care of the social responsibility of the family? I am sure that many couples have just one partner working, and it works out perfectly fine, but what if what your need to contribute is something more, to actively contribute to the family. 

I am not sure how I will be handling this, but yes I do have plans to do something worthwhile in this life!

Driving Update

Driving on the road is nothing like driving in small side lanes, which is what all novice drivers usually end up starting on. The main difference being that no one decides to stick to their lane when it comes to the open, and the ever so many two wheelers which seem to keep popping up from all various junctions are plain and simple PAINFUL!

More than the driving tension, I feel the tension and the fear build up when the person sitting at the passenger seat start to yell and scream. Not yelling and screaming with next to do steps, but plain ‘Why don’t you look to the right?’ ‘Why don’t you drive beside the divider on the road?’ ‘Why won’t you start to see things which are going to happen?’ ‘Start developing a road sense!’

I would like to ask all these screamers, why do you want the driver to listen to you and think about all these things, rather than concentrate on the road when it is clearly a distress situation? Isn’t averting the situation more important than pondering over all your important questions?

It would be so much more HELPFUL if you decided to just say ‘Calm Down, now keep the car steady and move it a little bit to the right/ left.’

In fact, if the person just screams ‘BREAK!’ that would certainly top the helpful things list !!

Almost Wonderful la la . . .

After a very long spell of being at home, and long weekends of work, decided its time for a change and need to get out and do something fun. Being a short weekend, the only possibility was the surrounding areas and going to Wonder La after a good one year in Bangalore is of utmost importance.

Wonder La was a good experience; they had 4 good water rides, and 3 good land rides. Now by the end of it, I was wondering whether it was a good idea to visit it in the first place. One deal that I do know is that I enjoyed Water Kingdom in Bombay much more than Wonder La. Maybe that’s because I happened to go with many friends, and also that it is Asia’s largest water theme park! The rides I felt were many more and some relaxing ones also. Here there were only thrill rides, fast and furious. The wave pool was fun, the waves were strong and the area was also large. All said and done, the site for Water Kingdom is completely useless where as Wonder La has a webpage which is not only functional, but also very informative from rates and rides to the kind of clothing expected to be worn.

Now the water ride thrashing is done with, lets move on to the land rides. Why do they all try to make you go 360 degrees and that too in two planes! I am sure the idea was wonderful for one ride, but why when it is the same for straight three rides. And there, on the park map, these are the rides which are called high thrill. I think the rides should have been called 360 rides.

Anyhow, the drive outside city was good, especially at 130kms/hr and followed by some one-time-good- then- boring rides. A day completely spend out-of-home and then an even more amazing dinner and at

dinner did the deal!

* Splash *

I have added far too many kilos onto my frame to be anymore acceptable. I have said this statement too so many times that I do not even remember! But here again I say this and I hope to do something about it.

I thought of joining the gym, in fact I did also for a period of two months. It was so stressful to go and make yourself all sweaty and disgusting. Most gyms I hate also due to the mirrors which they have strewn all around, which just draw attention to your amazingly imperfect body. Why do they wish to torment people? I know some people who walk into the gym only do so to be building up their body, but there are many like me who will only walk in for a tearing down!

The jogging track is another option and I have jogged down this too. It was a tormenting experience when people who are twice your age end up whizzing past you, when all you are trying is to capture all the oxygen available! It is very disturbing to know that you have been doing nothing but sleeping in your warm and snug blanket when so many people have been jogging away and now they are all so much better than what you will be. Secretly I also think its coz I hate running/ jogging myself. I can play a game, do hiking, trekking and other stuff, but jogging seems like a waste of time (No Offence to all the joggers of the world).

So after trying various ways to shed some sitting on my ass weight, I decided that I shall go back to good old swimming. There are so many reasons to love this form of exercise, no mirrors; hardly anyone gets to see you, no sweaty and stinky person at the end of it. I have been having some minor issues with tanning but then I guess I am ready to give a wee bit of colour to regain an identifiable shape.

Image: http://www.trschools.com/hsnorth/images/Swimming_11.gif

Tid bits to be still done

Most of my friends were travelling this weekend and I decided to spend quality alone time (bored time) doing a variety of things.

I got some nice reading bits done, on the book I was reading, its an interesting look at normal day to day things which you come across and then you wonder how exactly did that happen. Some things come about and then you wonder why I didn’t think of this solution before!

Here is one such case which I have noticed in myself. I always had trouble waking up in the morning and going for a swim, but recently I have been quite regular, and I am very proud of it too! There are many attributing features, one being a persistent friend to wake each other in the morning, another being the monthly membership at the swimming pool which I visit. Being a member calls for an upfront payment and that surely gets me out of my bed! So now I am on the road to a healthier me (yet to see for how long)!

I was to also do some house redecorating, and I am frankly getting nowhere with it, I have been thinking of simple, easy on the pocket things to do as I am not too sure how long we shall be staying at our present home. I have been toiling with the idea of getting some nice dupattas and draping them over places to give the place a warm coloured feeling. I just need to find a place for cheap dupattas, please drop by any place you would know in Bangalore. Any other ideas will also be appreciated.

I happened to catch the recent movie, what happens in Vegas, and I was quite ok with sitting through it with a bag of chips on my lap. Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher in a bachelor loft and their fights over cleanliness and basic household chores are quite hilarious. The plot is but obvious, and I think all of us have a knack of seeing through these romantic comedies now, isn’t it? Anyhow, this is a good enough for a Saturday afternoon.

And yes, my seeds refuse to budge from their covers and become small, frail seedlings!

Tid bits to-do

There are so many things now which I need to catch up on, and I thought unless I write all of it down, nothing is going to happen on any one of them. Also allowing for my working Saturdays do not leave any time/day.

A. Recently I started wondering why not try my hand at some small bits of gardening, so went ahead and got some manure mixed soil, seeds and started with my first patch of seeds. Now this was more than a week back and the packing said that the seedlings will start to grow only after 7 days, so I have very conveniently not looked at them for the past 7 days, and now I am slightly worried that maybe I have gone over the day limit. So that is my top priority to do item.

B. I also need to get some reading bits done which have been pending now for over a week. I have been at this book called Fooled by Randomness and it’s an interesting view of trading and randomness in the stock market. Considering I know almost close to nothing in the stocks domain, I decided to give this book a shot.

C. House hold decorations have been another deal which I have been wishing to do, and this is one hell of a slow deal to be handling. I started painting a semi abstract piece and it is yet to see completion. Maybe once I complete I shall put up a snap of that too. I plan on getting it framed for the living room.

D. I also have a long list of movies to catch up on, I keep adding all the good names which I come across and then I never end up going ahead and seeing them! Some of the titles are: Serving Sara, Number 23, Vantage Point, Burn after reading, The sweetest thing, Stranger than fiction.

I shall also do a post on all updates which happened on all these fronts, sometime next week. ( This is the only hope that I shall be getting any of these things done this weekend!)

The Knot

Being at that age and born of Indian parents, marriage is a topic which has occupied a great extend of conversations between my parents and me. There was a time, when I was just running from marriage. That was associated with many factors, one that I didn’t feel like it, topped with the fear of an arranged marriage.

Well, now what is different, I think what would be different is that I am not particularly running away from marriage, this is due to age and the fact that maybe now I have a bigger problem at hand. I seem to be in a situation where I need to convince my parents regarding my marriage itself. Some regional problems have landed on my plate and dealing with them seem to be ever so difficult, with no logic at works, and each of us believing in a different set of important ingredients required for a successful marriage. One side believes that two families need to be at complete peace and happily intermingled to ensure full support, and on the other hand, I feel that two people should be left to deal with their own issues and they should be left to intermingle with the two families. I do not deny that families do need to mingle, like at functions and occasions, but that would be a breeze in comparison to what happy intermingling would require.

When I think of intermingling, all that comes to me is the fact that, I do not know anyone amongst my relatives unless they are my parents’ bros/sis or at most their first cousins (by ‘know’ I mean I do know a great deal about them and talk to them at lengths whenever I do). And in most cases I have also seen that eventually you do end up being close and talking to those relatives who your parents speak to. So where is the problem? This means that you should be wiling to make the effort to let your kids know their family and who all they should know.

When I think of how close in laws eventually remain, I am not sure how close they do remain. As long as the link is there, and an effort from both sides, things usually go smooth, but when kids are far away and they keep in constant touch with both sets of parents; I believe both sets of parents keep in touch amongst themselves on a comparatively lower level. I think this is very understandable as they have no other common link other than the two kids who are living away from both of them.

When I think of how different cultures affect a marriage, there are more than enough areas where I feel there might be problems. Be it the wedding itself, or any of the numerous customs and functions at any time which usually surround any Indian family. But, does it really matter, as long as both the people involved are ready to do all the rituals and functions which need to be performed at various points in time. In most cases the functions are revolving around the couple and then in that case isn’t their acceptance more than enough? Cultures might be completely different, but if the families are receptive and ready to understand that their child’s spouse will not know many things, but is willing to do things, that should solve many problems. In the present times, I do believe strongly that not many children themselves know much about all the customs and functions that their parents do, and this seems to me to be a dwindling line ahead.

After these three considerations, I am also trying to understand where the extreme difficulty and sadness comes about from. I know that it’s not the expectation that you had from your child through the years, neither is it the norm as per what you would like the society in general to see your family.

But at the end of the day, why not just leave it if two old enough people have decided to give it a shot?

Image: http://www.pixcellence.co.uk/assets/images/Wedding_Flowers_5665.jpg