January 29, 2012

Random...really!

After watching this match, the first thought that crossed my mind was not about the level of tennis or the fitness of the two players. It was "Will Federer text Nadal saying tough luck but great match"?

Random...but true. :)


Time

An oft written-about/ sung-about subject - time. My three all time favorites songs:


The theme is common. That time doesn't wait for anyone. That as we get older, we get less innocent. That everyone and everything changes. That we shouldn't look back. And the most important - that we should seize the moment.

It's a pity that the meanings of these tunes don't really hit home until we are older, wiser, less innocent and more experienced.

January 26, 2012

To the circus

I went to the circus today after probably 20+ years. I felt the same excitement that I remember feeling all those years ago. It was awesome to see similar expressions on my kids' faces too!

The show was fantastic and featured all the usual acts except the animal shows. The trapeze, my favorite act, was simply superb. Such talented and hard-working artists. It's a pity that circuses are a dying trade. There isn't much money to be made after all the expenses are taken care of. Some of the acrobats are just so gifted that you wonder how they might fare under different (and obviously better) circumstances.

As a first-time adult watching the show, a few other things than the main show itself amazed me.
  • The size of the tent! How much effort it probably takes to get something so big up!
  • The number of support staff and the amazing coordination with which they execute their tasks.
  • The acrobats level of skill. If you notice closely, the same acrobat does different events wearing different costumes. While all involve a similar skill set, they aren't exactly the same kind of moves.
  • The obvious passion these artists have for their job. It's certainly not the money that keeps them going.
I wonder if circuses, as I know it today, will still be around when my children get older.
Hmmmmmmmmmm

January 15, 2012

The famous writer

She installed an application called Stat counter/ Total Pageviews on her blog about a month ago. At that time, the total 'hits' number was at 2000 something. One morning, when she was reading her past entries (writers do that, you know...it's a feel-good thing), it was at 4006.

Her first thought was "Wow, a lot of people are reading my blog"! And then, for whatever reason, she opened her blog page in another window....and the counter went to 4007!

Ah...that explained it...her few seconds of fame!

January 12, 2012

Gym room 'ones'

Have you seen:

  • The one who runs many miles like a maniac but uses his feet to turn off the treadmill power switch located at a horribly low height of 1 inch from the floor?
  • The one who stretches himself like elastic for a half hour but wraps up the rest of his tiring workout in 5 min?
  • The one who thinks it's cool to let his sweat drip all over the cross trainer and, for greater effect, shake his hair out lest some sweat be left over?
  • The one who sings along to his iPod tunes sounding like a siren but thoroughly enjoying himself?
  • The one who insists on playing the radio station of his choice (without asking the rest of the gym room gang) but spends his time on the phone talking louder than the music?
  • The one who has a conference call while walking at 3.5 km/hour? And still panting?
  • The one who insists on carrying on a conversation with the person on the neighboring machine...who is, sort of, gasping for breath?
  • The one who is watching and listening to all this and thinking "Now, that will make an interesting post"...all this while working out very hard, naturally!
Not being biased to gender or anything. 'His' just came naturally while typing.
Use 'her' wherever you like.
Same difference.

January 8, 2012

Practicing how to write

I woke up in the middle of the night and thought, 'Maybe I should write a book'! And the next thought, I mean immediately next thought, was not 'What should I write about'? but it was 'Who all will I acknowledge and thank and who will I dedicate the book to'?

Odd? Maybe. But just think about how many people have entered and exited your life with valuable and not so valuable contributions? Influences from home, school, extended family, friends, other social groups...?

So how does one weed through this seemingly endless list of people? The Pyramid of Importance - a book that tells you how to value people in your life. No, it's not yet available on Amazon or Flipkart...it's still being written. The author has a severe case of writer's block - on the Acknowledgments page.

:)

January 6, 2012

Time Capsule

Ever wondered what 10 things you would have buried in a time capsule 15 years ago?

Here's my list...
  1. Audio cassettes and player
  2. Walkman
  3. Friendship bands with instructions on how to make them
  4. Autograph/Slam books
  5. First cell phone
  6. Mickey and Donald comics
  7. Floppy disk
  8. Neon shoe laces
  9. Tube of Pepsi Cola
  10. Double Decker chocolate bar
I wonder what will go in my Time Capsule 15 years from now. And how I'll even record that entry.

Maybe I'll have to bury my blog, the way I know it, too.


January 4, 2012

Apartment Rules - Part Trois

I've written a couple of posts about Apartments before... read them here... 1, 2

It's been almost 2 years since I moved out of Hyderabad to Bangalore. Overall, the apartment 'scene' is far better here. Or maybe I feel that way because I'm more used to the way people function in apartments in India. Or maybe it's because the number of apartments in most complexes around where I live are a lot. But more people would mean more crazies, right? Whatever. Here's what prompted this post.

This morning, after a tiring workout at the gym, I was walking (crawling) back home. All of a sudden, I spotted something strange at a balcony above. Turned out to be a bare-chested lungi-clad neighbor standing outside and brushing his teeth...at nearly 10 a.m! I didn't know whether to be shocked about the outfit (or lack of it) or the lateness of the teeth-brushing! Either way, since I was caught off-guard, I didn't have time to look away and he caught me staring at him with a horrified expression! Thankfully, since I was close to the foyer, I quickly went inside the building.

I wonder if his eyesight is as bad as his apartments manners. What are the chances that he will recognize me when we wait for the lift or something...we are, after all, in the same block.

Yeeeeesh, wait for that post now!

January 1, 2012

1

First post of the year on the first day of the year - hence the title. And for those of us that partied together last night, tn1 rocks! :).

Here's to a great year ahead with lots of laughter, love and happiness to all!

Happy New Year 2012!