Loving being a bookworm....

It was a blogger's block again.... Couldn't blog anything solid for months....May be it was a work and not getting enough time, somehow i thought the writer in part has disappeared....
Then came the books... it was one of those sunday shopping in CP, i came across this book 'the perks of being a wallflower' in book store... I didnt like the movie much even with good reviews and all... I thought i will give the book a try.... From CP to the home, i started reading the book.... the writing style was different and i could make this connection to my own writing.... Letter writing more... I write in that mode.... it took only 5 hrs to finish the entire book....
That was the beginning.... the book-list in the novel was motivating... i made a list for myself as well... inclusive of all the classic i missed reading in my young days.... Then started the book ordering process.... so far finished reading:
                       The great Gatsby
                       The catcher in the rye
                       The Bell jar
In my self, waiting to be read:
                       One hundred years of solitude
                       This side of the paradise
                       Walden
                       Lord of the flies
There will be more books to the self soon... But this practice is making me feel better.... No more worried about the blogger's block... because i equally enjoy reading... one thing i was missing whole 10 years in academics....
When in university, as a student, you spent all your class/work time in class/lab... so the rest of the time was always spent outdoors... I never got time, to sit in room with a novel....
So here is the time, here is the opportunity to be a bookworm.... and there is no better feeling than the moment you finish a book and take another one...

Sun, Rain and lots of fresh air

I was looking forward to this vacation…. Life in delhi was getting a lil crazy…. Summer, humidity, pressure at work…. I was longing to escape…. Finally got the tickets in appropriate time… to the paradise… to home…

Wakes up to have my favourite breakfasts… varieties of fish for lunch… TV, movies… badminton with Sherryn in the evening… and cool nights… sleep peacefully…. Breathing in all fresh air now… walking through green grass…  clean roads everywhere… all exact opposites of Delhi…

Last time I came home, I was roaming around… didn’t get time to relax… Relaxing is all I do now… when I get back to delhi, I know, it will b only running around… So making the most of the time here… Enjoying my do-nothing days….

When was the last time iMy week-ends were for reading and lots of writing... But for the past few months, my blogs have become few-liners... having all the time in the world now to blog, write journals and letters... nothing feels better than this...

Vacation is getting over in 3 days... filling my lungs with some fresh air till then... because once i am back in Delhi, its all polluted roads and filthy people...

Academics calling... again!!??

And academics called me... again... possibly for one last time...
Last time, when it called, i said NO... it turned out to be a big mistake... The fact that the zero appreciation for my work now, making me think i should consider this offer...
The situation I was in last time was different... i was about to step into a new career... i never knew the evils of it... This time, i can weigh both... sort the pros and cons... This is going to be the biggest decision of my life, i can tell you....
As a physicist i always wanted to contribute to my subject... I the present job, well, i am not getting that opportunity to be a physicist... that kills me... I am really missing being a researcher, and the pleasure of getting my own paper publushed.... Academics is not always the perfect place to be... it has its own evils... Competition is high there as well... But the respect you get there, you cant even dream of in my present work place... thatz going to play a big factor as well...
The next few weeks are crucial.... Too much of decisions to make... its going to a fight between my brain and my heart.... 

And I will miss that old Scot...

May 8, 2013:

It was rather unexpected. I mean the news that SAF is retiring.

First, it came as a speculation. I was in the office, having a normal day till them… Once the speculation became a general discussion topic, I started praying hard… it should just be a speculation.

I was having a not so great day already… Internet was down at home and I was slowly going through the news channels, which was usually my morning ritual from home… By the time I was jiggling work and news, I read the news by around 12… it was shocker….

I started messaging everyone concerned…. It was breaking news for everyone… and shocker…

Slowly, I saw the news sites and twitter pages getting flooded with tributes… I began to fear the worst… If it is just a speculation, someone should have posted against it… denying it or something… But, that never happened…. My heart was yelling 'noooo' all the time….

Finally around afternoon,  2 or so… Manchester United confirmed the news… Fergie is indeed leaving… Something I always thought, will never happen!!! Or impossible to happen!!!!

To me from the beginning English football was all about Manchester United…. And United = Fergie… He was right there when I started watching the game… so, something like a 'change of manager' was unthinkable… For other clubs, managers came and went… but for us, the  grand old man, planned and signed up players and collected cups after cups… It was cool… even cooler to a United fan…  Even players changed… We thought Beckham was the ultimate MU player…. No…. Big names just moved on… The club was never known for a particular player… but for only for… this man….

I don’t know what will be of the future of my club… it will be difficult  days… I dearly wish SAF change his mind and stayed on… But you cant expect anyone to grow young back in time… he dedicated his life for United for the past 27 years… its time we give back to him…. A well deserved retirement… and a big Thank you….

Thank you Sir Alex for all the memories… we will definitely miss you!!!

Respect your opponents!!!

Last few days and weeks i was into watching the IPL... IPL, when it started,was all about entertainment.... But into the 6th season, i was not sure what's with the league... it was not same anymore... it lacked, what?? probably, RESPECT to the opponents...
The fans and players get too carried away with the cash-rich, party-feel league, they forget the real sportsmanship and become hot-heads.... players like gambhir and kohli are the best examples... the latter especially becoming arrogant day-by-day.... he almost slapped by gambhir, booed in wankhade... there will some a day, when he will be really slapped... that day seems not far away!!!
Here is the thing.... being a sports-person all my life, i know how can one lose cool in the field... you say things... but it should just be within the boundary lines of the field... you come out you go back to the way things it was before the match... but many come out of the field with their egos grown bigger than themselves... They get offended by the bits happened with the the field and that results in the ugly spats outside...
On your day, you win matches.... when the day is not yours, you lose... you accept it and give it to your opponents... The first rule in sports is WINNING... the second is RESPECTING YOUR OPPONENTS... today's sportspersons are forgetting that... sad!!!

Is it the weather or just me....

Was looking forward to this week-end.... So excited to start a new 'project' (its still a secret project)... The enthusiasm was touching the roof in the beginning when i thought about the plan...
But cometh saturday, the energy level is touching in the land.... Is it the weather or the week-end feeling or something else... all i think now is:

laziness at the highest..... 

I blame the summer for this.... LOL... i need to put blame on something... probably i should take a break, a vacation.... not like the one i had last time... it was busy and didnt have a single day to relax... I need a week for relaxing... somewhere in the hills and breath in some fresh air... probably end of May... just to enjoy some rain in Kerala... 

But, i need some focus now, some boost... to kick start.... i cannot let the laziness take over... 

Delhi is testing my patience....

It will an year in Delhi next month.... Am in in love with the city... not even close!!! Infact I am hating this place more than ever... The people, the place... everything....
Delhi has a heritage, culture... but the people living in delhi now, do they care a bit about it? I dont think so... That's shown in their attitude... It's asif... its a nobody's place... nobody cares about the place... that's the reason everything bad happens here.... People don't have a sense of belonging... They spit on road, throw thrash on road... behave really bad to everyone around... People are in general 'bathameese'.... Two shameful rape cases reported... those were just the media reported ones...  You open the newspaper, you can read about more... Women are no longer safe here... There is no girl walking on the streets of delhi not thinking about her safety... Hating this place...
Also Delhi is full of money minded bitches... The landloards/ladies i met in delhi, all are found to add charges/inflate bills wherever they can.... The place i am staying right now, i am almost paying double the electricity rate... This place is so corrupt, people being uneducated.... there is no point in complaining also...
Forget the uneducated, the educated ones are no better... back-tabbing, gossiping bitches from the educated class...
Summing up living in delhi is like living in hell... I regret every moment these days, they moment i said no to academics... May be it's a punishment for one bad decision in life...  putting my heart, soul and spirit to plan an escape from this city...

Blink ur eye and half of the month is gone...

The way i feel about this March... Been too busy with work, didn't even realise more than a month just got over....
Time flies faster than never before.... Had a handful of targets for February... got pushed to march... now, the work is making me push all to summer.... A nice portrait to paint... read couple of books, write more often... just cant figure out where all the time in the world have gone...
I often remember my professor's words: time is money. Whenever he said these, during my student days, we never took any of those words seriously... Now, when i am struggling to keep up with the promises and targets, i am realising, it is indeed the most precious things in the world...
I need to take an account of the time spend on work and the time i spend for myself... week-days in office disappearing in a flash... you hang out with a friend over week-end, and week-end is also disappearing in a flash... how i wish time goes a bit slower... That is never going to happen anyway.... what i need is some time managing skills... yet to have that!!!

And its almost Summer here!!

I was happy that winter was over... Winter is colourless and ur wardrobe will always be full; jackets and all fill all the space... I was eager to take all down and send it for drycleaners and then pack away...
When in HCU, we had this awesome february and march when the campus was colourful and photogenic... I was getting my camera ready for all these here in Delhi... Instead it seems it's gonna be Summer right after winter here... It was boiling hot today, yet i saw people on road in jackets and sweaters and cardigans... some didnt even let the season go...
It is quite disappointing to see a colourless March.... Spring is a favourite season for a shutterbug like me... Hoping for a delayed spring, if something like that happens... 

Painted Away....

The weather forecast on Friday said heavy rain for the week-end... So when i was leaving office for the week-end i never forgot to but some clay pot from my new favourite street vendor in daryaganj....

Painting always relaxed me... it kills me when i wont get time for my fav activities... rain over week-end loads of rest and relaxing need after a really frustrating week, painting was an excuse to stay inside the house... Though it was not a 100% convincing rain, i kept to my plan... and ended up with some more colours in my room... 

That was the beginning of an awesome week-end... It indeed was relaxing... I even took out my poster paints and started on some real painting... but it didnt turn up as good as i expected... but, it was something for me, considering the time since i last painted something good to hang on a wall!!!

Well.... yeah... my week-ends are going to be all coloured up.... :-) I hope so.... 

What i hate about Delhi the most....

There are a number of things i dont like about Delhi; like pollution, the crowd, the education evernthough with a number of educational institutions around, the attitude towards women, and a number of other things which are generally of North India...
But what i hate most; the fact that i am not able to walk on a clean road... the roads in Delhi are horrible... dirtied by the general habit of spitting... Always wondered why cant anyone keep their saliva in their mouth... if they have a serious throat problem, get it all out in a wash room... But Delhites prefer to through all it out in public...
Not only that these are disgusting to the eyes, the amount of infection i can spread... wish people spitting realise any of these...
Initially i thought its the uneducated clan doing these... shocked to see some young students and school kids spitting on road... what are they taught at home or school... they might be just following their parents or teachers....
Delhi metro has put fines for spitting in station premises... Yesterday i saw a guy spitting just outside the metro gate... disgusting... Just infront of the gate!!!!! He is not even think people can walk over it... May be Delhites are used to walking over these filth.... But i cant.... I usually walk along Delhi roads lookingdown, to avoid any of these droppings...
We need strong rules... Fines against public spitting... then only this habit can stop... I look forward to that day when some legislation of this kind happens....

My first 'World book fair'

I am that kind of people, who get a chance, eat up all the books in the world. SO, i was pretty excited about the 'world book fair in delhi. We, Wiley as exhibitors, had the time to spend in the sea of books... 

Got to go only one day.... The fair was in Pragati maidan, Delhi as usual... traditionally the fairs like that happen in delhi only in prgati maidan... its built for events like that...

Wiley stall was small, smaller than i imagined... the competitors had all the attractive areas, so i was bit disappointed with the arrangement... Wiley was focussing on the test prep books - for IIT-JEE exams... so the authors for those books were to interact with ppl (we acted as dummies for the general public)....  and later a mock test for high school students... Students in uniforms, coming in and writing exams, reminded me of the school days... 

the authors came in to interact with them as well... that part was boring, since they kept repeating the same again and again...

Well, once the Wiley interactions were over, i hunted for some books... It was a shame i didnt get time to visit all other stalls... It was all spread out... and there was no order in the way the stalls were divided... Went around only one hall... bought some books... 

To be around a sea books, i felt like heaven... Felt nostalgic when i visited the 'malayala manorama' stall... there was 'balarama', the comic i grew up reading... There was other malayalam stalls, didnt get time to visit them.... blame the length of pragati maidan....

But i appreciate the hard work of the organisers to keep conducting events like that... to give us a chance to buy books (especially the ones not available in normal book stalls) at a discounted rate... Speaking of discounts, there was something i disliked there in pragati maidan... it was the overpriced food in the food court... not just the food court, the ice-cream sellers on every corner -selling their products at three time the price on the packet!!! It was shocking... You buy books on discount - save that money and then spend that in food court... Something the organisers have to think about next time...

Anyway...i was an experience for me in the book fair... got to know our competitors better.... their strategy... Tips for Wiley to improve... 

Looking forward to another book fair like this... :-)

Living under many judgemental eyes....

When you are surrounded by people, who judge your every step, every move.... every word that comes out of your mouth.... life is not so easy....
These days i am surrounded by lot many people like that.... people waiting for a mis-step from me... if i was not among the civilised clan, i could have given them a piece of my mind in a proper language... But as someone said sometime back... 'fighting with judgemental bitches is like fighting with a pig in the mud, after a while you will realise, the pig is liking that'...
So why waste my energy... I am a grown up person, seen life... lived enough to judge myself what is right and wrong.... i dont need any 'old lady' advice on how to live MY life...
The noisy ones least bother me.... but sometimes they do make me uncomfortable... 

And I finally took my painting brushes out...

Those were there on the rack for months, catching dust... I was telling myself, every week-end, i am gonna start painting.... Every week-end comes with something or other... No time to relax... I have unfinished, half-read books in my shelf... where has all the time gone all on a sudden.... Work eating them all...
Being sick last week turned out to be blessing in disguise... Sudden attack of arthritis because of the strong delhi winter.... it was bad, i had to take two days off from work... The week-end following, i cut down all my   trips and, visits, decided to stay in my house only... On friday i came from daryaganj bags full of clay pottery... Saturday and Sunday, i unleashed the artist in my... felt good, throwing colours around... came up with some pretty ones in the end....

Next step is getting back on to the real painting.... i need to get a canvas.... painting is such a stress reliever... why didnt i realise that before!!!