In the fond memory of that 'something'.

As usual I was running like mad for the fast local. I could hear the railway announcement of ''..... the train arriving shortly on platform number 4'' when I was still stuck up at 1 on the heavily crowded foot-over bridge. Somehow managing a way through the crowd I ran as fast as I could and managed to jump into the ladies first class. Hush! The compartment was semi empty. What a relief! A place to sit! If not that, at least some place to breathe peacefully! The only thing I like about working till late is this less crowded train. After half emptying my water bottle, I saw another girl sitting before me. She had seemingly undergone the same running saga and was still out of breath. Getting comfortable at my hard earned window seat, I put my earphones for some soothing music and took out my pen and pad to scribble this 'something' that I saw.

Now the most interesting part is that I noticed this 'something' when I was running for the train and by the time I got in and got some time to scribble I forgot what that 'something' was. I have waited for like months now, and I still don't remember that 'something' that I wanted to blog about. So here is my half finished story of 'something' that I wish I could complete. Alas it has ended at the start!!

Pistachio Puppets

Last weekend, I ate a lot many pistachios and rather lazily, put the empty nut shells back into the bag. But then I thought of putting some life to these shells and took some help from Mr Paintbrush & Mr Color-box.

I just loved the outcome :)

Folks at workplace

After spending a few months at the workplace, one can identify the torch bearers of typical attitudes. Here is my first hand observation.

The bully. The bully is never interested in peaceful conversation. The bully challenges everything. Domination is the bully’s favorite and most used skill set.

 The innovator. The innovator is the think tank of the workplace. The innovator gets bored by conventional opinions and plans. The innovator responds to your chats only if it is something very important.

 The learner. The learner always carries a notepad in team meetings. There may be new ideas and the learner is always eager to absorb these new lines of thought. The learner never tries to prove a point or convince others. The learner just takes notes.

 The eternally bored one. This person kills all the enthusiasm around. The bored person has seen and heard it all. The bored person does not get affected by a critical code back out. 

 The one who plays dumb. This person asks the most idiotic questions and gets away with it. The dumb person invites sympathy and help. 

The loudspeaker. This person lacks volume control. People in the office get used to the loudspeaker’s  voice so much that they consider it as a default background music. 

The person who has a pen. This person never gets the pen back. The person who has a pen always lends it to others, most of the times to the learner.

Interacting with these folks makes a technical day at work more colourful, more human. 

Mouse in the house

I am scared of mice. And I have learnt a few things about them since last week. Screaming doesn’t do any good. It only scares the mouse and makes it run faster.

Punctured foodstuff packets. A random clinking sound from the unwashed dishes in the sink. Little black flecks at the base of the garbage bin. These are all the unfortunate signs of a mouse habitation and currently the misfortune has fallen upon us. 

I cannot enter my own kitchen without stealing furtive glances at dark corners. I cannot sleep peacefully at night. I cannot have books and clothes strewn on the floor. As I relax in the living room, I catch myself wondering whether there is something nesting behind the TV table or climbing the curtains just beyond my peripheral vision or in my kitchen, feasting on a cornflake. That's the thing, you see. Getting rodents out of your house is one thing, but it's not easy to shift them from your head.

The creature has a strong digestive system to handle all flavors of poison baits we offer. Cheese balls, flour biscuits and bread crumbs is the variety we used in vain.Glue boards and spring loaded mouse traps are next in line. I have no clue if these are going to work either.

I can bear Mickey Mouse or Jerry the Mouse or Stuart Little but not the vermin in my house. Mice can be adorable in literature but house mice are definitely not nice.

 

Quote to Ponder

 

Lovely Swings !

  I have always loved swings. I still remember the cute little swing in our house that mom and dad got made for me. I was so delighted then. My wait for the swing in that long queue in the park was put to an end. The swing topped my list of favourites. Up and down; I simply fond of flying without wings.I loved to swoop down and then rise up high. Delightful!! I cried the whole day long when it broke.

  Then in our little courtyard we had a hammock. One of a kind! Curled up in it, reading a book was such a peaceful experience.
  And now the cane one we have; cosy and comfortable. Though not high flights but I do enjoy a soothing sail as on the ocean ripple. Oh so complete it makes the house!! :) :)

 

Bookish Saturday

I was lost in a book exhibition today. After spending ninety minutes amongst the crowded and saw-dusty book aisles, I ended up buying only six books!  

Paperback books, hardcover books, discounted books, new books, old books and best sellers. It is like finding a hidden treasure. You just need to have the ability to navigate properly and make a  choice. Sometimes bargaining skills may prove useful too.

A friend had suggested that ‘Yes Man’ is a good read. I found it easily, without much effort. It is also converted into a movie but I am going to read the book first. Also got a couple of books on cultural history, the type of books my sister loves. I hope they are interesting enough.

 

I picked up some vocabulary books for my younger brother. The variety in children’s books always mesmerizes me. I truly feel that primary schools should make use of pretty, colorful books instead of boring text books or readers. I wish to relive my childhood days with lots and lots of interactive books having pop –ups, flaps, pull – tabs or hidden objects. Imagine the parts of speech playing peek-a-boo in a book!

I was engrossed in reading blurbs when the staff announced “We are now closing.  Please bring your purchases up to the front desk." Time flies too quickly in a book exhibition. Always. I rushed to the billing counter making a resolve to come back tomorrow. As always. 

 

Queue-rio-city

Standing in long queues is definitely a virtue you possess if you stay in Mumbai.

Depending on the relative position of the place where you stand, your state of mind may vary. If you have atleast a dozen and a half people ahead of you, forget it. You will not find a seat in the very first bus that arrives. Then you have two options. First, continue to stand in the queue (a better position this time ) and wait for the next bus. Second, capture a comfortable place to stand peacefully in the bus in hand. My advice : A bus in hand is worth two yet to arrive.

If you have only half a dozen people ahead of you, thank God. You can now be happy in your mind and feel a sense of victory. You may just throw a glance behind to find out how long the queue stretches.

There are many activities which are common to a queue - stander irrespective of the index where he or she stands.

Listen to music.

Finish reading the newspaper.

Listen to music and finish reading the newspaper.

Call your boss to tell him / her that you will be late to the office.

Calculate the time you waste in these stupid queues.

In sum, have patience. There is no other option. Every queue- stander has his bus.