People people!

Are we increasingly becoming self indulgent or are we thriving in low tolerance towards just about anything??

I am finding more and more people becoming so intolerant now a days, I am not sure if its just the stress of modern day life now a days or whether attitudes are changing big time.

Unfortunately for us, the interiors work in our apartment took 2 months longer than what it should have and believe me everybody around has been constantly complaining (everybody except surprisingly my very next door neighbour!) . Whether its neighbours downstairs complaining about people working in the morning or slightly later in the evening. Whether its about people working over the weekend or people working in the basement!!

I fail to understand what they seem to think? Do they think that its ok for us to stick to their schedules to finish our civil and carpentary work at the cost of our lives being effected due to the work?? Or are they so deluded that they actually think we ought not to disturb their freaking peace by hammering away. I mean, I do understand the fact that constant work is annoying especially one thats prolonged, but what the heck is complaining going to achieve?? Instead of what can be achieved in 2 weeks will only take another 4 weeks at the rate at which we were forced to carry on. But i doubt if such logical reasonings even occur to some morons.. I wonder if they even pause to think how much of commotion they themselves must have caused when they were getting any work done is their homes, but I guess all that is soo long ago that they think that was finee...

Anyhoo, coming back to my point, this huge corporate office next to our community is building its second campus right next to us. I am sure they have their own deadlines and all that, coz of which work is happening in shifts round the clock. The association of my community is hell bent of sending complaint mail one after the other to tell them to stop working in the night (or if they just could, ask them to stop working all construction work!). It started with reasons like - too much of dust, too much of screaming from the workers, too many mosquitos because of the water stagnant in the construction site, too much of machinery noise disturbing children who have exams (what the???) and of course most importantly people losing sleep..

My bedroom is actually facing the construction site and believe me I get the noise first hand but honestly its not something so ground shattering that I can't live with.

There are people from far off blocks who seem to be so affected that they want to talk to the corporate managers to put an end to this issue.

Now, i really dont understand this. Any health hazard- yes, any pollution hazard- yes, any security hazard- yes.. But seriously, construction activity to be toned down just coz you cant sleep peacefully since the last 6 months ?? Come one, people should have gotten so used to it now that it shouldn't even be effecting anybody..

I actually sent an email to this yahoo group (association) today asking them to consider our tolerance levels. Even if we were staying in an independent house and if our neighbour was constructing his house, what would you do ?? Ask him to go slow ? ask him to stop working in the nights or weekends ?? Or ask him to put a muffler on all their machineries ??

What the hell is wrong with world today??

Unfamiliar experiences.

No matter how much you think things will be manageable and of course you will get used to it, the first steps are always difficult. I guess the very reason why we even think - Oh how difficult can that be, is either because you haven't been in that situation ever before or you have been in the similiar situation so many zillion years ago that you don't even remember how hard it was in the first place.

I think I am going thru a multitude of such feelings, a certain separation anxiety about leaving a work place I have literally called a second home for the last 8 and a half years, a sense of confusion and chaos regarding a new work place- which not only is chaotic in nature/culture but its also breeds a culture of extreme self sustenance.

Its probably not as bad as I imagine it to be, So I guess its the fatalist/pessimist in me making rash impressions as usual :). I really need to learn to adapt better, I have never been good with any kind of change in life, whether it was routine, pattern or even people around me. I always tend to cling on...

Anyhoo, on a slightly brighter note, my new apartment is finally ready for occupation !! Yippeee.. After 5 hard months of persuations and negotiations, its finally in a livable and hospitable state. Of course, there is still a long way to go before it looks lived in or for that matter before I unpack too :p (I had bloody 10 suitcases and 10 cartons of stuff!!). Till then getting used to yet another un familiar experience of living in my 'OWN' house. Its definitely a high to see each and every bit of square footage bought by you and with things bought by you. Its definitely not a feeling I am used to , but its definitely something I can get used to :))

Will be posting snaps soon :))

Post lunch read

This is beyond funny!! Its ... its...

Om....

Its been a week of introspection, and of course a workshop. I went into it thinking - Oh one of those soft skills workshop which I dont' need but my boss insists that I go for some workshop coz its in my objectives!
But at the end of 2 days, I admit I did come back with a small but significant take back. It reinforced my belief about how life is nothing but a long winding road of choices. Choices that we see, choices we don't, choices we choose to make, choices we don't even realize that we are making and above all choices that really tell a lot about the kind of person that you are.

Consider a beggar at the traffic signal, you reaction and subsequent action not only tells you about the kind of values/belief system you have, but also tells you about the conditioning you have , which makes you choose an action that follows.

I think more than anything, I have probably become a lot more self aware in terms of looking at even the smallest of things that I do, because they involve these choices and decisions that I am talking about. There is a pattern in it, definitely a significant pattern, which tells me more about myself. Sometimes things that I don't like and probably don't like to hear.

To cite some examples, I realize that I am not good at receiving a direct compliment (not the, "ah that bag is really nice or those earrings look nice on you" types! But more like, "wow you are quite creative" types.. I really find myself at loss when it comes to reacting at a qualitative feedback. More often than not, I find myself not graciously accepting it but side stepping it altogether and probably even be-little it ,like - "Oh that was nothing at all, I am sure you can do the same thing"!

When I dig deeper I can definitely see how when we were kids we were not really given direct qualitative feedbacks like that, not to say that my family did not believe in appreciation or that I had zero talent (:p) but just that for some reason they probably thought appreciation should not be given directly coz it may cause some sense of arrogance in the kid. So, even now my mum would say to other people - "Oh you ahould take Rads along for shopping, she is really good at picking nice things out." But to date she will never say that to me! So, you see its difficult for me to react to appreaciation like that coz I am just not used to it .

I think its good to realize these things because it makes you a lot more aware of yourself and even gives you that window of oppurtunity to maybe do something different if you wish to.

At the same time, I realize the importance of being able to see choices along the way. Whether its picking up that shoe just because its on sale or whether its deciding to go out for drinks with someone or a group that you don't know so well. At the risk of sounding preachy, there are options and choices for us at any given point in time. Even at times when we really can't see beyond something. Even when something looks really obvious. And maybe even when you don't think you need a choice or that is there is a conscious decision to be taken.

Its a bright new day!

Who knew i would actually send out that resignation letter thats been lying in my drafts folder for the last 2 years- today!

So.... yes.. its official.. Bye bye Sunflower company :)

Pissed!

Ok, I am officially pissed now! This is the second time this has happened.

I usually catch up on new authors (not really newbie authors but new in the context of my static tastes) whenever I travel. Airports are the best places to pick up authors (that sounded much better in my head :P) you haven't tried before and who you will find quite dissuaded to try if you are at Borders or Landmark, simply coz they have too many books there and filtering is a frustrating process!
Anyways, so I religiously try new authors whenever I travel, light weight enough for airline or hotel reading. Sometimes I do well and find authors who are brilliant and sometimes, well.. just your average read and leave behind types....

About 2 years ago, I hit gold with this author named Harlan Coben. He writes what I can now say, is my favourite type of fiction. The speedy, racy thrillers that are just sooo addictive. So, i managed to pick up a few while I was travelling and told myself when I go back, I am gonna pick up the entire collection from Blossom's (the go-to book store in bangalore!)

So, imagine my irritation when I got back and found that apparently hes become the novelist of the season and all the books are sold out!! I mean why! Why did everybody have to get fascinated by him the same time I did :P

Anyways, it took me a good year and a half to collect all of his books where as it would normally take me about 6 months to go thru what about - 10 odd books written by him so far.. !

This time around I decided to try the duo novelist team- Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (yes, I know a lot of you may hum and say what! You read this like now?? Haven't you seen Relic? ). But yes. I decided to try them out only like now! And I loved it. A couple of them are really scary too (if you dont believe me, try reading 'Still life with Crows' all alone in a hotel room! Goosebumps! )
But they are those racy thrillers that just grab you by the gut and you can't put them down!

So, again decided to grab all possible copies from Blossoms after I head back and guess what!! They are all sold out.. Yes, extremely coincidental and vexing you may say but thats not all..

I go to Landmark which is like the biggest bookshop chain ever and guess what- they had just 1 copy of exactly 1 book of theirs, rest- sold out! Well.. I did pick that up in case you are wondering :)

Anyhoo.. to fast forward to today morning when I am very confident I can find the books online (Fabmall/ Indiaplaza). Book search and 10 mins later guess what - ALL sold out!!

I am soooo pissed I tell you!

Aaja Nachle?

After much anticipation and speculations, aaja nachle came to the theatres last friday. Since mum was quite (in a not so subtle way) excited about it, decided to take her for the so called 'first day first show'.
I think I speak for the rest of the junta in the theatre when I say that, it was quite an enjoyable movie. Small town, extremely predictable but also full of small town, daily life moments which you don't see that often with these big production houses. Somehow the essense of the movie is lost in all that gloss and glitz. But this one somehow manages to capture that and that too in a nice un-complicated manner.

Simple story, lots of cliches and you know whats going to happen. But the director knows that, all he wants you to do is enjoy the ride and forget about the destination. And it was an enjoyable ride, awesome cinematography, very earthy songs and Madhuri is back with a bang with her typical jhatkas!
The best thing about the movie is really no glorified hero heroines. There is supposedly the central character of Dia who kinda holds the movie together but the characterization is classy in the sense that she is not shown to be this uber-woman. Her character is not faultless as typical hindi heroines go. The director has taken the liberty to not harp on her personal life, keep it simple- which pays off because otherwise the movie would have been too distracting.

Its nice to see no issues being made of subjects like inter racial realationships, divorces, single parenting and last but not the least patriotism. Its a refreshing change to see these things being a non-issue in the movie. Dia is not ashamed of her past, she is not apologetic of her impulsive dash to matrimony or the rapid decline of the same. Dia is not the wimpy single mum who is struggling, for anything ! Dia is not the super patriotic types who come back to the country for a a reason and then decide to chuck her entire life elsewhere to supposedly 'give back to the homeland' ! Dia is a character not full of at least these cliches, which I thought was a very smart move by the director. Otherwise god knows, how this one could have turned out to be.

The rest of the characters are just that, characters in a story. Strong characters who lend a definitive flavour to this small predictable tale of song, dance and theatrics. An unusual cast of misfits who come together for a purpose.

There are actors who had so much of potential but seem terribly wasted but I think thats because of the simple reason that we have come to expect so much from them. The very reason they are so understated is because their characters in the tale are understated and thats the whole beauty of it. When you have accomplished actors who can play those 2 bit roles and still leave the audience wanting more, they have done their jobs :)

Vinay and Ranvir have become the standard small budget fixtures but they do add something to a scene everytime they are in it. Even though, you really wish poor Ranvir's character had been given a chance to do some tidly bit more. But he is good as a small town cafe owner who just blends into the background but his eyes light up everytime he sees Dia.

Raghubir yadav is so cute! He is definitely one of those characters you will not recall when you exit the theatre but that just shows what a seasoned actor he is. I really have special regards for all these TV actors or NSD actors from hey days. They were really good at what they did, you just dont find such character actors now a days!

Madhuri, ah.. where do I even begin. From the time the promos have been on air, I have not been able to take my eyes off. Be it at home or at this place we go for lunch to, every single time that they have shown that promo, I have stopped in my tracks to look.
She is so awesome! 43 and she still rocks when it comes to bollywood dancing! There is simply no comptetition, when it comes to any latkas and jhatkas.

I confess, I have been a major fan of her dance numbers ever since I was a kid, whether it was ek do teen, choli ke peeche, didi tera devar or channe ke khet mein!! I admit today, that I have been one of the few (or more) teen kids who latch their bedroom doors and dance to all numbers mentioned above. And when I say dance, I mean really mimic just about every jhatka of hers to perfection.... Yes.. I was one of them and I am not ashamed to admit it :))

And believe me, since the time I have seen the promos of the title track, my brain is sub-consciously trying to memorize the damn steps !!!

Anyhoo, aside from my dancing aspirations, I really think anybody who's grown up with a good pinch of bollywood or has been a closet fan of Mads, should go and enjoy this movie..

Its about singing and dancing with all abandon, to your heart's content- Aaja Nachle !

Blip

All hotels smell alike...Its only the ones with cleaner sheets that matter...