Days of discovery

It's been really long since i blogged.. Though in my last post, I said I'd be posting more often, I could not :) But finally, am back to writing again...

Some things are meant to be shared.. Which is why I feel I should write something about my fortnight in a new city. It was one of those times that could change your life forever.. for the better,in my case.

I was there as a student of science, but I learnt more than just science. I learnt the real joy of science, the excitement, the fun in friendly discussions. One thing I realized was that I harboured a mistaken notion - I always thought experts and top scientists would be serious and in their own world, but I realized that this wasn't true. In spite of their knowledge and achievements, they were really friendly, and willing to listen to and clarify any doubt, even in the basics. It was really heartening and encouraging for us students.

I am glad I had the good luck of being there, maybe it is true that "when you want something with your whole heart, the entire Universe conspires to help you achieve it"... I'm glad to be back to my work, with a more open mind, a willingness to work harder, and with renewed passion.

"When the student is ready, the teacher appears" ... Maybe this is true as well..

I end this post now, with a positive attitude, and with the thought that whatever I do is not a total waste of time, even if it is not the greatest scientific discovery in the world, as I believe in what I do, and am passionate about it...

Back from hibernation... but don't know for how long :)

The blogger seems to be back from hibernation :)

There's so much happening out here...

As I was travelling yesterday, the wind on my face, and the greenery on my way made me really happy.. I'm glad trees are still around, though how long they'll be around seems to be an important question to me, given global warming and the growing population which needs more space to live...

Another thought came to me, the beauty of nature.. And its various marvels.. One of the best things to me is music, just music; anytime, anywhere.. With its different kinds... I really miss the rhythm and joy of drums... Even though it was initially a lot of banging and just noise, the gradual setting in of a rhythm is a pleasure in itself.. The joy that comes from being able to produce a lovely rhythmic music is something that can only be experienced...

I am glad that music is part of my life, though I may not be a world-class musician, I am glad to have music in my life.. It is one of the best ways of de-stressing for me..

With this, I end my ramblings for now...

Whether the blogger is indeed back from hibernation, or is it just a short break remains to be seen...

Return of the blogger??

It has been a really long time since I updated my blog.. So much has been happening...

Now, I just want to finish the many things I started, before moving onto something new... As I have learnt, the things you leave undone have a way of catching up with you :) :)

It feels great having a few relaxed hours without having to rush.. What with my dependence on the various public transport systems to meet my schedule, half the time I feel I'm either rushing to catch a train or bus; or I'm waiting for them for hours :) And when one train is late, I spend my time praying that I catch the connecting train... And when I decide (very rarely!!) to wait and go late, the train is on time. Ironically, the day I spend more on transport to be on time, my class gets cancelled :)

But in spite of this constant rush, I'm glad there are some moments when everything is calm and peaceful; without worrying about the next thing on my agenda...

I'm now realizing that there are a few things I've missed out on...But then to make up for it, there's the excitement of entering a new field... And I'm glad to have found something to suit my interests.. This is indeed a great time for interdisciplinary fields !!

And now, before I go rambling further, I'll end this post :)

Being Mamma

Recently, I have had time on my hands, time to think, reflect on a million things... One such thought was what it'd be like being my mother...

Imagining myself as my mom, I wonder how she manages it all and yet stays so cheerful... Getting up early in the morning and doing a million chores, then getting grumbled at for the silliest of reasons...

It must be tough being a mom (I'm realizing it only now), and requires so much love, patience, tact and understanding...

Though I try my best to help her, I still end up taking her for granted most of the time...

Still, I'm sure she understands that even though I grumble at her so often, I really treasure her, and she's really been a pillar of strength to me... I have sometimes thought that she wouldn't understand, and I've often behaved like a nut, yet she's been with me throughout - when I was at my best, and when I was at my worst, she was always just by my side...

Mamma, you're the best!!!

An update ;)

For those who have read my blog about Joy in the morning, here is some news........

It's a pity, but the guy who served us with a smile is no longer seen around at my office...

Wherever he is, I wish him the very best...

May you continue your Service with a Smile !!!

p.s. : Again the name of a Wodehousian novel.....

The power of Yes!!

Yes
What a powerful word... A world that can just about change your life... like in my case...
Sometimes, life changes for the better, at other times, you are left languishing, and regretting having said "Yes"...
I'm not saying anything more, as right now the "yes" I said is taking its toll on me... :(
May I have sense enough to say NO next time (if there is one)

Joy in the morning!!! ;)

To those of you who didn't know, this is the name of a wonderful work by one of my favourites, P.G.Wodehouse....
The title seems so apt to describe my morning ... Today, I was lucky enough to get a direct bus to my workplace and after that, I had an utterly delicious breakfast (yummy!!! )... And as I came down to my floor, this guy who does odd jobs at my workplace was coming up the stairs with a tray (tea and coffee for us!!) and he waved to me and said good morning... Now, you can guess why I chose this title for this blog post...
Before you let your imagination go wild, let me explain the circumstances a bit - this guy has joined the place very recently ( appointments in the face of recession ?? ;) ) And, when he first brought me a cup of tea, I thanked him... That brought a smile to his face, and though he asked why I was thanking him for doing his job, I continue to thank him every time he brings tea (or snacks, or even a bottle of water)... The people around us, they do so much for us, yet we very rarely thank them... It might be their job to help us, but that does not mean we can take them for granted... ( I see many people around me who just take them for granted - they just order them around, and leave used tea cups on their table - when there's a dustbin just below the table... And it makes me feel bad - it does not take too much effort to throw a used cup into the dustbin, when you don't even have to get up or walk a few steps... )
Now, back to theme (after a little digression, maybe it's the Emsworth Effect ;) )Now that you know the history behind it, you can understand why I felt glad in the morning - it felt good to know how much difference one little word, a gesture can make - my saying thanks to him actually made him remember me (and my preference for tea ;) ) Isn't that a lot for such a small gesture?
I find this guy's presence a defintie plus to the office environment - with his cheerful attitude ( though he comes to our section only a few times a day), it makes us all feel refreshed... (Maybe the cups of tea or coffee he brings has something to do with it :) (Give credit where it is due? )... He's cheerful even if he has a lot of work to do, and even if is doing some menial job...
Not just him, but the housekeeping staff is really friendly, and cheerful, and are an important presence, making our work so much better... Thanks to all these wonderful people - you deserve it...
P.s.: Guess there's a slightly Wodehousian influence in this blog, apart from the title ;) , and indeed I'm grateful to these people (am not saying this just for some snacks or tea;) )

Thoughts on music

I was reading the paper today, there was an article about a music band, the lead singer of which says that playing the drums and guitar gave him some of the happiest moments of his life... Isn't that true with so many of us? I believe many of us find solace in music - listening to music, singing, or playing an instrument....

I have had the good fortune of trying various avenues - I discovered the joy of playing drums - the power of the rhythm created is simply great... There's something about drum beats, which makes me perk up even when I feel absolutely down in the dumps...

I only wish I can continue playing the drums, devoting time to it, and letting the music take over, ...
As the song goes,
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears,
let it shatter the walls for a new sun"...

I'm lucky, as I get to listen to so many songs, different languages, different styles, a song for every mood & moment...

Life's not always about being in a hurry, we must take time for the little pleasures of life, such as music...

As Ringo Starr's song goes, we must

STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES :)


With this, I'm signing off, with a thought for Ringo, Sivamani and the other great drummers (include Amaral too!!! ) and to all musicians out there, thanks for the work u do, it does wonders for us !!!!

(p.s.: i have rambled on as usual, please don't mind, whoever reads this!!!)

Wasteful ways?

Sitting in an air-conditioned office with shaded windows... It's not my idea of heaven - the exteriors are so much fun - sitting in our corporate offices, we miss many beautiful sights like the golden rays of the sun ( we use tubelights even during daytime, when just drawing the curtains can provide good lighting - would it not be sensible? It would be economical and friendly to the environment as well - we would be using lesser amounts of natural resources) And air-conditioners even in rooms which are locked, are they really necessary? and in winter???? plus some fans to spread the cold air around... what is it that makes us switch on every switch that we come across? as if this wasn't enough, how many of us can honestly claim to switch off aplliances which are not in use ( and that those around us do the same?)
We claim to care for the environment and complain about those who don't respect the environment, yet the small actions (which don't take our time, just our effort) which we can do can make a huge change to the world...
Talking of the environment, how many of us are really plastic-free?? We try to free ourselves from it, but today plastic is everywhere around us... We donot even care to see if it is recycled properly...
There's so much we can do to save our planet, and with just minimal effort... Long live the Blue Planet... May it regain its lost beauty once more... Let us all do our bit to make the world a better place to live in... (Thank you all for doing your bit)

Innovation......

Innovation.... What comes to mind on seeing this word???

To me, innovation is not some fancy stuff done in posh buildings... To me, the real enterpreneur is the man on the street... The toy makers and sellers in the flea-market are real innovators - they donot use fancy materials or have fancy prices on what they sell, yet their toys never fail to amaze me with the variety they have to offer - if you want to see some real fancy toys, this is the place to be...

Then, there are the numerous small-time vendors, who use a range of ideas to sell their goods - from a set of wares laid out on a cloth in the ground, to setting up an umbrella (inverted) with their goods to displaying their wares on makeshift shops, and hanging bags and sheets on shoulders, backs and hands, like Enid Blyton's Saucepan Man, these vendors have a unique way of selling... And they are people you can haggle with... They are also friendly people with whom you can share some gossip and catch some hot news...

There are also a few enterprising individuals, who deliver tea and piping hot snacks to the busy working people (especially bachelors atying away from family), in the early hours of the day...

Innovation is not restricted to these people... As I read somewhere, you can find these people among your fellow travellers on train journeys - they almost create a house within their compartment... They make you stare with wonder with the ease they go about their chores even during journeys...

They are everywhere, the innovators... They donot always get the credit they deserve... But they continue with their innovations... Kudos to them and their imaginations... May they continue the same for a long time to come...

To the special people in my life, called friends...

Sounds cliched, but it's indeed true - we met as strangers, and have indeed come a long way to the familiartity we share now...
As our life goes on, our relationships change - we part with some old friends, and make some new ones... The true ones remain with us even when life takes us along different paths...
I have been lucky to have a few such special people in my life - sometimes, relationships don't work out, sometimes they end when our acquaintances end- but there are a few really special people in my life - friends I made in school days, and more recent friends too...
They have been with me through many things - growing up together makes people closer, sharing similar experiences helps in relating to each other...
There's a song that goes "thaayodu sila thayakkangal irukkum, thozhamaiyil adhu kidayaadhu"... lines that show the real strength of friendship - you know you can trust your innermost thoughts and fears in your friends, knowing they will understand... Even if they tease you at times, you that behind it all, they will be there for you at all times...
I have had great good fortune in finding some gems in life ... M, N, N, G.... I thank you for all that you have been to me... Hope you'll stay with me for a long long time to come...
And M., I thought that you had changed after marriage, I'm glad you still remain the good friend to me as you always were (there were times that I behaved like a nut, times I didn't understand you or even try...but all that is behind us now... and I'm glad you understood...) Guess I can come to you for advice, neem leaves and wake-up calls ;) (that's an excuse - I'm coming for the food & chocolates u r gonna give me, and the intros;) ,& ya, to meet 1 very cute kid!!!)


P.S. :I started off writing something, but ended up writing something else... No wonder my blog is called random thoughts!!!! apt,na??? :)

Journey...

(An unfinished piece...)

A million things just pass by
You don’t want to say goodbye
You hope for joys in the offing
As you wonder what the future will bring
Each journey is a new beginning

Leaving behind familiar things as you go,
Sometimes you’ll be back to what you know,
New people and experiences along the way
Sometimes they can just make your day
Transcending all lines and boundaries,
Leading you towards new discoveries

Right or wrong (?) - some of the craziest lines to be written down

What is wrong and what is right,
who has the right to decide?
What if someone says you're wrong,
but you have been right all along?
Will you just believe their word,
or will you consider it absurd?
What if you happen to be unjust,
Will you just let the matter rest?
There's no fixed thing as
right or wrong,
One man's noise is
another's song
What we follow
is an accepted norm,
which through ages
caused society to form
to fit in, to these rules
we must conform.

(P.S. : this is just a few lines of crazy verse, pl nobody ask me any questions)

The Awakening...

It was a terrible experience I had today ... As I was walkin home from my workplace, having already left late - hungry, angry and tired, I was just talking on my phone to the one person who can make me laugh even when I feel like crying, the one person who always lifts my spirits (and those of everyone around) no matter how low I feel... It is a routine with me, talking to him as I return, after long days, his words are so soothing and make me feel great...
But, today, the routine was broken... Two nuts (I'm not someone who swears, but they make me use words I've only read, but never used)... stole my mobile... coming on the opposite side of the road at that... I later came to know that they'd been following me for a few minutes... I did come across a girl who wanted to help me, but there was little she could do... She lent me her phone and I could inform my folks... And her next words made me feel relax slihtly, she said that such cheap crooks would surely be caught, and said it was not worth going after them, and that I was lucky they hadn't harmed me... Thank God for that angel - though I don't know your name or who you are, I'd like you to know that you have helped me and that I'm very grateful to you for that... And thanks for getting me an auto... May God shower His choicest blessings on you.... (S.S.- ya, the same God who gave 86000 to M., saying "m,m....") :)
Now, having calmed down a bit, two serious questions come to my mind - will any road ever be safe for a girl (or for that matter any decent person) at night? We cannot always expect someone to be with us, there might be situations where we have to go out alone, but what price safety??? And, thanks to certain antisocial elements, parents (or family & friends,rather) fear for the safety of their loved ones - no matter how "modern" or developped a city is, the real rating of a city is how safe its people feel... And living in a city which has a reputation of being safe for girls, this does come across as a rude wake-up call to reality...
And now, to my other question, what are the law-makers doing to curb such incidents? I might get over this experience, but what about others like me?What about others who have not been lucky enough to escape with their selves intact?? And its impact on the psyche??? I know that the police department has its hand full with its many duties... Something needs to be done to reduce crime rates...
I always had faith in yotuh, but today even that has been shattered... I wonder how so many people can let their kids go astray...
And to all you Smart-Alec guys (I mean the nuts, not the good decent guys I know), it is not fun to stalk some girl, and think we enjoy it??? Then go get your heads examined... To the guys I know well, thanks for being with me and for restoring my faith, and thanks for showing me that there are people who respect women... The world needs more of you...
Hope I can make a difference, if not to the entire world, I hope I can do atleast some small thing to make the city safer... I hope I don't become just another statistic...

P.S.: the above blog contains my own personal opinion, and you are welcome to disagree... And guys, please do try and do your bit in making our cities safer... thanks

Trips and thoughts

Tomorrow is a Monday... Another week begins... I'm one of the few people who likes Mondays (I believe most people are still too much in the weekend mode to enjoy Monday mornings)..
The early morning trip in the bus, in the fresh morning air with the roads calm and free from traffic is an experience in itself - every minute of the trip is worth waking up early for... Watching the Sun's golden rays light up the city, early morning walkers, the beginning of a new day just starting to buzz with activity....
The next trip, a short journey by train (after a quick run to the station, and panting at the ticket counter, only to realize the train is late... oh, for the cup of tea I missed to hurry to the station...It plays over and over in my mind... ) a brief journey, pleasing enough to the eyes, but not so kind to the nose (ugh!!) ... Then a quick rush out of the station and some talks with the autowallah, or finding a bus on a lucky day... And praying a million times (to be on time...)... This short trip passes without much incident - the only things that catch the eye are the zillion red signals, traffic jams and the speeding hands of the clock!!! Arrive at the workplace at last!!!
Returning home is yet another adventure - depending on the time, and hunger(!!), it's either a bus or an auto, and at times, even the 45 minute walk passes very quickly (while chatting on the phone)...
Weekends are another story, marked by bus trips, walks, auto rides (totally squashed!!), classes...
On the whole, it's a busy life right now, but what fun...
Looking forward to being up by sunrise tomorrow... (and waking up others too ;) ) Hope the bus waits for me...

Unknown future...

What does life have in store for me? Each day that dawns takes me farther along this journey called life, but what does the future hold in store for me?

Will I realize my dreams? Will I continue doing what I like???

A million unanswered questions...

There's so much I want to be... I want to take up new things, yet I can't give up the old... Can I be in two completely different fields at the same time???
Every new thing I take up seems so interesting, I just want to continue in it.. Yet how many fields can I really be in?Each field demands total commitment...

Science, arts, music, languages... Which of these fields am I destined for??? Or will I be able to continue my foray into each of these??

Learning two (similar) languages is supposed to be difficult, yet I think I'm managing pretty well... Will I be a polyglot??

Or will I end up being the scientist I dream of being???

The future remains unknown... Hope there are good things in store...

Musings...

I shouldn't have done this...I should have done that... A million regrets... If only...
There are so many things I wish I had done, many I wish I hadn't... Wish I'd told people how much they mean to me... Wish I hadn't said some of the things I did...

Yet, I realize there's something good even in my regrets - when I think about the regrets I have, I know I won't do it again- it makes me try being a better person ... Now, I tell people how much they matter to me, I don't waste thinking about what could have been... I've regretted enough, it's left me a better person...

Even if I was a pessimist once, I'm now an optimist...

Photo travails...

It was yet another trip to the photographer’s… The same old routine “Turn slightly to the right… No, a bit to the left…Ah,yes…No, look up a bit… Not so much…look down… Face the camera (thank God for digital cameras, which don’t require bright lights shining into your eyes)… Smile”…click… It’s over at last……. Whew…What an ordeal !! I have discovered that I smile more after the photo has been taken, than before or during :) Not just smile, I usually end up laughing at the output of the camera…

Photos taken elsewhere(not at the studio, I mean) are a different story altogether… There is a story behind each picture… “was I like this? What on earth am I doing in this picture??? Oh, God, did someone really click a picture of me like that???”… A million reactions…

Looking at photos makes me laugh, yet, some memories do make me cry…

Great that there is something like a photograph to preserve memories…

P.S. As in every case, there is an exception…:) I prefer memories of mine (I mean photos of me looking terrible) not to be preserved… Are you listening, my friends? ;)

To my parents

To my parents - a poem... Here is a preview:


When I was a little kid,
I was in awe of everything you did,
But growing into adolescence,
Things no longer made any sense,
I sulked when you refused my demands,
I thought you just couldn’t understand.

some thoughts

Walking down the slope, with the wind blowing on my face, I was lost in thought and looking up, saw the traffic - vehicles following one another in a line, they seem to whizz past as I walk down. A thought struck me - all these were man's inventions, his creations.... What a wonder the human brain is... Its power is almost limitless... Brain's mighty indeed!!!