So it turns out i chose a really, really bad week to work from home. My harmless self-preservation directed attempt to stay warm at home attending 7 am live meetings instead of walking to work in below freezing weather all through last week came back and bit me!
Mid week when i was about ready to brace myself to get to the office (holiday season notwithstanding) just to get out we were hearing warnings about a bad snow storm creeping up on Seattle. Now it's important to understand-that unlike the northeast where snow is a given, mundane even-it gets elevated to 'elite' status here in the Northwest simply because we just dont know how to deal with it. The joy of a White Christmas aside, the hilly terrain and slopes all over our region makes driving with snow impossible around here unless you have a 4 wheel drive (which too isnt helping this year!) So when 7 inches of snow joins hands with below-freezing temperatures-the snow doesnt get even a chance to melt into puddly nothingness. Instead it freezes wickedly into ice (or worse-invisible 'black' ice on the roads that takes you for a scary spin with your tyres getting absolutely no traction however hard the DTC on your swanky car tries)and then-the storm dumps a fresh layer of snow on old ice for a perfect disaster waiting to happen.
Now i agree i am dripping with weatherman-speak, but i am fed up! Fed up of being cooped up at home with snow all and around, fed up of trying to make exotic food at home when all i am craving is a cocktail and crappy fries at my favorite watering hole. Fed up of being on house arrest watching tv, checking email (did i mention-with the whole company attempting to login from home, we had major issues getting Outlook access the first day the storm came), doing laundry and pacing up and down the length of my tiny apartment as the only alternative to the 30 minute walking i am used to most days.
It's Sunday evening-and i never thought i'd ever say this but- i am dying to go to work Monday morning. But by the looks of things-it's looking bleak. Sigh. Please go away snow and send us back the rain showers that we have learnt to live with. I want 'normal' back.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Switching Roles?
There are days when I come home from work and find myself sitting around doing..absolutely nothing!
Not watching tv, not surfing, not cleaning, not even stirring from my position of stillness to pick up the phone ringing off its hook. No- I am just lying there sprawled on the couch, thinking nothing, feeling nothing -just frozen in a haze of the zero.
I wonder whether this is a bio-chemical reaction to exhaustion (not that I lift and carry heavy stones for a living!) when my brain cells churn to a slow halt, or purely a psychological house-keeping reaction. In any case, it’s a temporary system crash till my brain does an automatic re-start.
Which brings me to draw an obvious parallel between myself and my laptop-are we both similar in that we follow the code, open/close windows as directed, operate on a system based on pre-entered knowledge but occasionally give in to that momentary lapse of reason? Are human beings increasingly becoming machines, just when we are taking these grand steps towards making machines more human?
Cisco talks about ‘the human network’. There are smart washing machines that come with a hand-wash option and there are refrigerators that will eventually learn to place orders to the grocery store when they are running out of milk. Your car reminds you to put on your seat-belt the way your mom constantly reminded you to tie your shoe-lace and did not stop till you did. There are tools that tell you which way to turn to get to that steakhouse instead of the chemical reactions bubbling away in your brain-the reactions that build memory from images you’ve seen and thoughts you have unconsciously thought. There is even an ad that goes ‘When you turn on your car, does it return the favor’.
And then here we are-with our often-mechanical existence. We get up like clockwork every day, brush our teeth the exact same way each morning, reach out to turn on the shower with the exact same movements as the day before, taking precisely the same amount of time to get showered (except on days you are wearing a skirt and need to shave your legs of course!) and dressed. We flip through tv channels without really stopping to pause on any one; we no longer remember what encyclopedias were, unless you mean the Wikipedia sites that you browse every now and then.
So is life becoming a perpetual episode of ‘Trading spaces’ between us and the machines that we cannot live without now? Is there anything wrong with leaning towards a more efficient, system-driven (some may say lazier) way of life? Probably not-as long as we still remember to smell the roses as we turn into our driveways, to laugh at George Bush being mimicked, to get those warm fuzzies when we snuggle into our loved one’s arms and to cry over old, sappy movies when boy-met-girl.
Not watching tv, not surfing, not cleaning, not even stirring from my position of stillness to pick up the phone ringing off its hook. No- I am just lying there sprawled on the couch, thinking nothing, feeling nothing -just frozen in a haze of the zero.
I wonder whether this is a bio-chemical reaction to exhaustion (not that I lift and carry heavy stones for a living!) when my brain cells churn to a slow halt, or purely a psychological house-keeping reaction. In any case, it’s a temporary system crash till my brain does an automatic re-start.
Which brings me to draw an obvious parallel between myself and my laptop-are we both similar in that we follow the code, open/close windows as directed, operate on a system based on pre-entered knowledge but occasionally give in to that momentary lapse of reason? Are human beings increasingly becoming machines, just when we are taking these grand steps towards making machines more human?
Cisco talks about ‘the human network’. There are smart washing machines that come with a hand-wash option and there are refrigerators that will eventually learn to place orders to the grocery store when they are running out of milk. Your car reminds you to put on your seat-belt the way your mom constantly reminded you to tie your shoe-lace and did not stop till you did. There are tools that tell you which way to turn to get to that steakhouse instead of the chemical reactions bubbling away in your brain-the reactions that build memory from images you’ve seen and thoughts you have unconsciously thought. There is even an ad that goes ‘When you turn on your car, does it return the favor’.
And then here we are-with our often-mechanical existence. We get up like clockwork every day, brush our teeth the exact same way each morning, reach out to turn on the shower with the exact same movements as the day before, taking precisely the same amount of time to get showered (except on days you are wearing a skirt and need to shave your legs of course!) and dressed. We flip through tv channels without really stopping to pause on any one; we no longer remember what encyclopedias were, unless you mean the Wikipedia sites that you browse every now and then.
So is life becoming a perpetual episode of ‘Trading spaces’ between us and the machines that we cannot live without now? Is there anything wrong with leaning towards a more efficient, system-driven (some may say lazier) way of life? Probably not-as long as we still remember to smell the roses as we turn into our driveways, to laugh at George Bush being mimicked, to get those warm fuzzies when we snuggle into our loved one’s arms and to cry over old, sappy movies when boy-met-girl.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The books that changed my life..
Books. An old love. Paperback or hard-cover, squeaky-clean from a bookstore or dog-earred from a thrift store- i love em all. From the time i first devoured an Enid Blyton (i believe it all started with Mr Noddy back then) to today's Ladies Detective Series, not too much has changed. As a kid I could stay curled up on bed forgetting homework and read a Five Find Outers mystery from start to finish. I still can sit for hours (when time permits) in a coffee shop reading a tome from cover to cover, but taking time to people-watch in between! So i got to thinking about all the books that made a difference to my life in one way or another. And from a whole sea of names, i came up with the following:
The Enchanted Wood series by Enid Blyton.
You gotta bow down and accept this woman as the demi-goddess of fairy tales . I mean-hello, i had myself dreaming about climbing the faraway tree and actually hoping (against hope) that it might really exist somewhere in a thick wood in England. What a magical time it was. My favorite bit about the book remains the Slippery Slip down the trunk of the tree. Wah twouldnt i give for a ride like that!
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
I read this book primarily to understand what the hype was all about (and yes there was a big noise about this one). I am glad i did. This book was my first experience with 'pretty words' and intense dramaticization that left you feeling like you just survived an earthquake. Since then- i have grown to like books in the same genre (Notes on a Scandal, On Beauty, Atonement, Amsterdam) but i will remember this one as the first. Oh-and did mention: talking about this book also got me through an interview to B-school. Pretty darn significant then!
Marley and Me: life and love with the world's worst dog by John Grogan
Put your hands together for Marley-coz you are going to love him (despite the fact that he could potentially swallow your gold chain or chow down your pay check). I have cried buckets at the end of this book, laughed till my sides hurt all the way through and essentially felt warm and fuzzy all over. And let's face it-you can't find a better companion than this lovable lab on a flight from the east coast to the west. I never travel long distance without this guy. and i am cheering for the movie whenever it comes.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Mark Darcy. Mark Darcy. Mark Darcy. Enough said.
(P.S: And then Colin Firth came along and hit the ball out of the park. Even a feminist would melt)
The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie
I admit-this one was a little eerie. But it got me through some lonely days (and even longer, lonelier nights) in a strange village in Rajasthan where i did not speak the local language, and was alone and miserable, working on a disconcerting, totally-out-of-my-comfort-zone (but in hindsight grounding and humbling) corporate social responsibility project as part of management training. And for that reason- it made this list. And yes-it had a whole dictionary full of pretty words. More intellectual gratification, eh?
Two Lipsticks and a Lover by Helena Frith Powell
A funny narrative of an English woman unraveling the mystery behing why French women can look unbelievably gorgeous in jeans and an old jumper-this book reaffirmed my faith in being lazy and still looking good. And that's the dream, isnt it? I think all vain women (which means ALL women really) who aspire to look and feel beautiful always need to read this one. It's not to be missed.
The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer
This is a scary one. It makes you wonder-what if this were really possible? What must it feel like to live your life backwards? Well- you get to know up, close and personal with this one. It's an intense love story at heart really-but in the most unusual setting.And yes-it did get me hooked to reading life-spanners as i call them: books that take you through the entire life of a character. And there is something very final about these stories. There is nothing left to imagine-because there isnt an ever after at the end. But you still wonder -what if?
(Others in this type that i enjoyed: The Stone Dairies, Water for Elephants)
I am sure there are many more fictional worlds that i love or will love. but for now-these rule the roost. I'll come back in a few years and make an update:)
The Enchanted Wood series by Enid Blyton.
You gotta bow down and accept this woman as the demi-goddess of fairy tales . I mean-hello, i had myself dreaming about climbing the faraway tree and actually hoping (against hope) that it might really exist somewhere in a thick wood in England. What a magical time it was. My favorite bit about the book remains the Slippery Slip down the trunk of the tree. Wah twouldnt i give for a ride like that!
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
I read this book primarily to understand what the hype was all about (and yes there was a big noise about this one). I am glad i did. This book was my first experience with 'pretty words' and intense dramaticization that left you feeling like you just survived an earthquake. Since then- i have grown to like books in the same genre (Notes on a Scandal, On Beauty, Atonement, Amsterdam) but i will remember this one as the first. Oh-and did mention: talking about this book also got me through an interview to B-school. Pretty darn significant then!
Marley and Me: life and love with the world's worst dog by John Grogan
Put your hands together for Marley-coz you are going to love him (despite the fact that he could potentially swallow your gold chain or chow down your pay check). I have cried buckets at the end of this book, laughed till my sides hurt all the way through and essentially felt warm and fuzzy all over. And let's face it-you can't find a better companion than this lovable lab on a flight from the east coast to the west. I never travel long distance without this guy. and i am cheering for the movie whenever it comes.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Mark Darcy. Mark Darcy. Mark Darcy. Enough said.
(P.S: And then Colin Firth came along and hit the ball out of the park. Even a feminist would melt)
The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie
I admit-this one was a little eerie. But it got me through some lonely days (and even longer, lonelier nights) in a strange village in Rajasthan where i did not speak the local language, and was alone and miserable, working on a disconcerting, totally-out-of-my-comfort-zone (but in hindsight grounding and humbling) corporate social responsibility project as part of management training. And for that reason- it made this list. And yes-it had a whole dictionary full of pretty words. More intellectual gratification, eh?
Two Lipsticks and a Lover by Helena Frith Powell
A funny narrative of an English woman unraveling the mystery behing why French women can look unbelievably gorgeous in jeans and an old jumper-this book reaffirmed my faith in being lazy and still looking good. And that's the dream, isnt it? I think all vain women (which means ALL women really) who aspire to look and feel beautiful always need to read this one. It's not to be missed.
The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer
This is a scary one. It makes you wonder-what if this were really possible? What must it feel like to live your life backwards? Well- you get to know up, close and personal with this one. It's an intense love story at heart really-but in the most unusual setting.And yes-it did get me hooked to reading life-spanners as i call them: books that take you through the entire life of a character. And there is something very final about these stories. There is nothing left to imagine-because there isnt an ever after at the end. But you still wonder -what if?
(Others in this type that i enjoyed: The Stone Dairies, Water for Elephants)
I am sure there are many more fictional worlds that i love or will love. but for now-these rule the roost. I'll come back in a few years and make an update:)
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Some lessons learnt living the American dream
-It does not take long for it to switch to a nightmare esp. when your laundry piles up, heating bills give you mini heart-attacks and the tax man comes and swoops away a good chunk of your bank account as end-of-year dues .
-As long as you don’t own a gas-guzzling SUV (or worse, a Hummer)-the big deal folks make about rising gas prices is just a case of over-blown hysteria.
-You can never go wrong with the following safe conversation topics: the weather, Monsoon Wedding (everyone and their next-door neighbors have watched it) and the current state of the economy.
-All bills get split. In the middle. There are never those uncomfortable moments at the end of a meal when everyone is wondering who will pay. Restaurants happily accept up to 6 credit cards sometimes!
-You always walk on the right side of the road. And you thank folks if they give you way. Otherwise you’re a boor having a bad day.
-Television here sucks. Most days anyway. Unless you enjoy hearing about how a lost cat made national news.
-If you do not like the weather here, wait ten minutes.
-The sales here are REAL sales. Not a gimmick to get rid of lousy stock that no one was buying anyway. Nor are they ‘marked-up mark-down’ events. It’s worth waiting for a sale here. They rock!
-When in doubt, stock up on frozen food. It can be a life-saver.
-The portion sizes in restaurants here are sometimes enough to feed a small country. You are NOT supposed to eat it all. That’s why they have ‘boxes’. Use them.
-Everyone travels on the few (and therefore highly revered) long weekends. Make travel plans way in advance, unless you have too much of the green stuff to throw around.
-Indian grocery stores always play songs from an era you probably never saw/care to remember. Be prepared for painful songs from forgettable movies. It’s just how things work.
-A parantha here is just a nan masquerading under a new name. Grin and bear it.
-It's easy to forget that you have neighbors. If you see them once in the course of your stay, its probably enough.
-As long as you don’t own a gas-guzzling SUV (or worse, a Hummer)-the big deal folks make about rising gas prices is just a case of over-blown hysteria.
-You can never go wrong with the following safe conversation topics: the weather, Monsoon Wedding (everyone and their next-door neighbors have watched it) and the current state of the economy.
-All bills get split. In the middle. There are never those uncomfortable moments at the end of a meal when everyone is wondering who will pay. Restaurants happily accept up to 6 credit cards sometimes!
-You always walk on the right side of the road. And you thank folks if they give you way. Otherwise you’re a boor having a bad day.
-Television here sucks. Most days anyway. Unless you enjoy hearing about how a lost cat made national news.
-If you do not like the weather here, wait ten minutes.
-The sales here are REAL sales. Not a gimmick to get rid of lousy stock that no one was buying anyway. Nor are they ‘marked-up mark-down’ events. It’s worth waiting for a sale here. They rock!
-When in doubt, stock up on frozen food. It can be a life-saver.
-The portion sizes in restaurants here are sometimes enough to feed a small country. You are NOT supposed to eat it all. That’s why they have ‘boxes’. Use them.
-Everyone travels on the few (and therefore highly revered) long weekends. Make travel plans way in advance, unless you have too much of the green stuff to throw around.
-Indian grocery stores always play songs from an era you probably never saw/care to remember. Be prepared for painful songs from forgettable movies. It’s just how things work.
-A parantha here is just a nan masquerading under a new name. Grin and bear it.
-It's easy to forget that you have neighbors. If you see them once in the course of your stay, its probably enough.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Mumbai I love..
A very special wedding took me to Mumbai a couple of months back. After the onslaught of Delhi's dreadfully cold winter, the muggy warmth of Mumbai's November felt like a soothing balm for my miserable throat and my aching soul. And the rush i felt just being surrounded by the buzzing, throbbing, vivacious pulse of the city that stirs me like no other...it was a moment i still linger over.
Playing proxy sister to my best friend as she totteringly/drunkenly/bravely/magnificently orchestrated a culturally-explosive wedding (her own!)..being a very thrilled side-kick entrusted with flower trays and gift responsibilities, 'stealing and then haggling over the price of the groom's n shoes' (as is customary in Indian weddings) and desperately struggling to avoid tripping over my saree hem -all this was perhaps just what i needed to break away. And if that was not enough-i had a day to spare to go soak up the city that made me who i am today.
Of course-being away for too long means starting over in some valuable lessons that Mumbai teaches you almost instantly. Like prepping to get off at your station well in time when traveling in the local trains. A lesson my husband had conveniently forgotten which left me looking around for him all over Bandra station's platform after safely getting off the Ladies compartment. Of course-he called me ten minutes later to sheepishly admit he'd reached Andheri (a few miles down)instead!
But these hilarious hiccups apart, steering through the city is like a walk in the rain for me-romantic, exhilarating, liberating as always. Maybe i wont feel the same way if i woke up every day to battle the engulfing traffic and the daily struggles..but till that time, Mumbai is always going to give me a head-rush.
So whether its shopping for soapstone carvings at Dhoop in Khar or having nimboo pani at my alma mater's Bistro, flipping through magazines at Just Around the Corner while waiting for a perfect sandwich or simply cruising across Marine Drive in the quintessentially battered cab..the simplest things here make me feel that i am home, i am happy and i am in love..forever.
P.S: Did i mention that Mumbai has a Hard Rock Cafe now. Another reason for me (a self-confessed HRC fan) to love it some more! And did i mention that Seattle (the birth place of grunge music) DOES NOT have one. Irony, irony..
Playing proxy sister to my best friend as she totteringly/drunkenly/bravely/magnificently orchestrated a culturally-explosive wedding (her own!)..being a very thrilled side-kick entrusted with flower trays and gift responsibilities, 'stealing and then haggling over the price of the groom's n shoes' (as is customary in Indian weddings) and desperately struggling to avoid tripping over my saree hem -all this was perhaps just what i needed to break away. And if that was not enough-i had a day to spare to go soak up the city that made me who i am today.
Of course-being away for too long means starting over in some valuable lessons that Mumbai teaches you almost instantly. Like prepping to get off at your station well in time when traveling in the local trains. A lesson my husband had conveniently forgotten which left me looking around for him all over Bandra station's platform after safely getting off the Ladies compartment. Of course-he called me ten minutes later to sheepishly admit he'd reached Andheri (a few miles down)instead!
But these hilarious hiccups apart, steering through the city is like a walk in the rain for me-romantic, exhilarating, liberating as always. Maybe i wont feel the same way if i woke up every day to battle the engulfing traffic and the daily struggles..but till that time, Mumbai is always going to give me a head-rush.
So whether its shopping for soapstone carvings at Dhoop in Khar or having nimboo pani at my alma mater's Bistro, flipping through magazines at Just Around the Corner while waiting for a perfect sandwich or simply cruising across Marine Drive in the quintessentially battered cab..the simplest things here make me feel that i am home, i am happy and i am in love..forever.
P.S: Did i mention that Mumbai has a Hard Rock Cafe now. Another reason for me (a self-confessed HRC fan) to love it some more! And did i mention that Seattle (the birth place of grunge music) DOES NOT have one. Irony, irony..
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Confessions of a homesick cynic
When you're homesick, nothing else matters. The jingle of bells, holiday feasts, pinch me-am-i-dreaming sales or waking up on Christmas morning to a snow-kissed vista from your tiny porch..they all melt away into a "so what" blur. Because all you really want after a trip back home is to be back there again. Not the long immigration lines at your port-of-entry, not the disciplined clean roads with sane traffic and the thin crust pizzas dripping with melty mozzarella...
instead you're almost aching for the chaos you encounter while looking for parking in super-crazy Gurgaon, the bhel puri tossed up with hands and ingredients that are decidedly suspect, waking up to lazy mornings with mumma-ki-chai and paneer-ka- parantha.
Sure-a white christmas in normally snow-free seattle was pretty. And yes- i did the shopper in me proud with post-christmas extravagances. But for nearly a month after that sojourn home i was questioning why i am here in the first place. Who cares about having Banana Republic at easy access (ok-i'll take that back-i do care about that!)..somedays i just miss the familiarity of home.
Now that the bout of homesickness is beginning to wane-i am slowly slipping into a dreadful routine again. I'll even concede that i enjoy American politics and find myself comparing it to the boring "pull-my-hair-out" frustrating version back home and wondering why the Gujarat elections didnt capture my interest as much as the Obama-Clinton rivalry.
But when all is said and done-the samosas here suck. Family is as far away from Seattle as it is from sunny California. And even though calls to India are super-cheap, its never going to be the same as dropping in to a friend's place for chai and a chat.
A little shout-out to home, because i miss it so..
instead you're almost aching for the chaos you encounter while looking for parking in super-crazy Gurgaon, the bhel puri tossed up with hands and ingredients that are decidedly suspect, waking up to lazy mornings with mumma-ki-chai and paneer-ka- parantha.
Sure-a white christmas in normally snow-free seattle was pretty. And yes- i did the shopper in me proud with post-christmas extravagances. But for nearly a month after that sojourn home i was questioning why i am here in the first place. Who cares about having Banana Republic at easy access (ok-i'll take that back-i do care about that!)..somedays i just miss the familiarity of home.
Now that the bout of homesickness is beginning to wane-i am slowly slipping into a dreadful routine again. I'll even concede that i enjoy American politics and find myself comparing it to the boring "pull-my-hair-out" frustrating version back home and wondering why the Gujarat elections didnt capture my interest as much as the Obama-Clinton rivalry.
But when all is said and done-the samosas here suck. Family is as far away from Seattle as it is from sunny California. And even though calls to India are super-cheap, its never going to be the same as dropping in to a friend's place for chai and a chat.
A little shout-out to home, because i miss it so..
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