Confessions come shopping:)

Do I like shopping?
Ofcourse I do.

Do I shop till I drop?
Not really. I like to do it quick.I usually know exactly what I want.

My quickest shopping?
10mins.Helped a fried buy salwar kameezes to attend a wedding.

What is it that I shop the most?
Books, Junk jewellery, random home stuff...lots of stationary...(have atleast 20 pens and 6different color erasers in my lab)...and yeah, like handbags too and handmade paper stuff-books, albums and scented candles!

My craziest shopping kirrrik!?
I buy stoles and then hunt for matching kurtas, buy nailpolish and then look for dresses; buy books that i will read only after many many months bcos I still have a bundle to finish.I also buy fancy and aromatic stationary for no reason at all....

Do I binge?Am I an impulsive shopper?
Yes to both....

Do I believe in Retail therapy?
Yaaaa.... but that is so lame a term, almost like wanting to find an excuse...it's just pure happiness at times...

Am I shoppoholic?
Nopes! Rationality knocks my door after a while...

A look at the windows
the arrays of color
nascent aspirations
greed with no satiation
happiness happens
just thinking about shopping!!

P.S: This post is dedicated to my karmic friend who is the partner in crime, and to those people who tolerate this madness! Love U!!

I feel the presence of love

A twinkle in the eye,

people walking by,

everything around goes into oblivion,

i feel the presence of love.

The dewdrops reflect the expression

the heart soaks in the happy moment

the mind conjures words to write a befitting tale

the drops of rain form an artistic silhouette

the erudite stranger gives me a glance.

unaware, unaffected... I smile...

wanting to pen a poem,

leave a lovenote,

sing a song and do a dance...

An ode to the perfect weather...

The blank canvas...

I looked at the palette
whipped the brush in air
opened the bottle of paint
and dipped my finger there
the smooth texture of the color
had a feeling of homecoming
the white canvas in question
was perfection in waiting
dabbing colors primary
letting the symbiosis show
the palette ran shy
looking at the paints
on the canvas go by
fervently the fingers moved
a dash of orange
splash of yellow
streaks of red
touch of glitter...

the blank canvas now embraced
sunshine of hope
sunshine of love
sunshine in lasting eternity!

I sit stunned
images are a haze
commotion in calamity
fire of courage reigns
the pathos of loss
the gift of survival
the blessed gushing prayers
the near ones bidding farewell
mosaic of pain
symphony of faith
travails of humanity
I see and I believe
life is a timeless gift
intangible in sense
eternity in perception
every moment counts
live it while it lasts...

Wrote this in May but just couldnt get myself to post it. Heart went out to the victims of the Mangalore crash.

like a catalyst with my thoughts....

The musical chatter
the rustling leaves
the reflecting raindrops
the shy sky
the bold lightning
the tender twigs
the wet path
the been there footprints
the marked lanes
the dripping water
the calm face
the wide smile
the rustic feel
the rhythmic rain!

I absolutely love rains and it so acts like a catalyst with my thoughts....

I Run for ILP; Make your mark with your contribution

Dear Friends,

As you all have read about me participating in the Sunfeast 10k!Here is your chance to support a cause while I run. I am running for India Literacy Project.

About sixty of us have signed up to run for India Literacy Project (ILP) at the Sunfeast

2010 run happening this Sunday (May 23). This also includes about 6 scholarship students who have benefited from the ILP Scholarship Programme. While ILP needs funds for the scholarship and library projects, we are focussing on fund raising for the scholarship program through the run:

Our overall target through our collective run is Rs.3,50,000 for the scholarship program for 100 high school students (8th to 10th standard)

Whether you have registered or not, you could play a role in ensuring that children have a chance to complete their education. Education is the best gift and the best investment for a nation.

All you have to do is make a donation to ILP in support of our run. No amount is small. As every km counts in a 10K race, so does every Rupee make a difference to the lives of these children.

The cost per child works out to Rs 3500 per child per annum. The scholarships are based on the needs of each child. It covers: Uniforms, school fees, Note books and text books, coaching classes, shoes, geometry box, bags, examination fees, workshops, monitoring & documentation.

Donations can be made by Cash / Cheque / Bank Transfer / Credit Card. Kindly inform us by email reply of all donations that you or your friends have made in order for us to promptly receipt the same.

Please make cheques payable to India Literacy Project and post to:

27, Narayani Apartments, 3^rd Floor, 2^nd Cross Ramakrishnappa Layout, Geddalahalli, Sanjaynagar, Bangalore 560094

For the online transfer, details are as follows:

Bank Name: HDFC bank
Branch Name: Kasturba Road Branch
A/c No: 00091000059611
A/c name: India Literacy Project
A/c Type: Savings

IFSC Code: HDFC0000009

For payment through credit cards, please visit the link.

All contributions to ILP are tax deductible under section 80G of the income tax act. For further information on ILP please call 080-23519693 or 99454 75744 and visit our website at http://www.ilpnet.org, Email: ilpindia@gmail.com

Thank you.

When an 'auto' person says, "BUS karo!"

Bus travel has always formed a part of life, though always as a second option. My 'ditch' gang at MCC has witnessed several occasions when I would just say, "Are, auto karke chalte hain naa!". I travel mostly by auto...and rarely do the distances or the auto fares deter me. Honestly, it's just a matter of convenience. Being spoilt at school where I had a school van to commute and on days when I had play practice, ma just said,take an auto...:)
When i stepped into MCC, the travel from Rajajinagar to MCC was so adventurous, have stood on the footboard also...and the travel with Lena and Divya and will always be cherished! DC is afterall my best bus friend:) In college, on those degree days, when I didnt travel on Vidyas' scooty, it was auto and seldom bus...The walk to R C College for the buses during PUC are still cherished but more so for the fact that Suchi, Sush, Lekha, Ana and I walked up the distance together- boiled groundnuts, boiled corn or even chats at Gangotree on some occasions.
MSc days were solely University bus travel as jnanabharati was the other end of town. The auto got a chance on 3 days of the two years, when the scheduled bus skipped its' route:). While now at IISc, my significant other takes care of my travel; on days otherwise...i have the auto to depend on. So much so, that even long distance data collection has been successfully completed travelling by auto. My reason, i reduce travel time by 45 odd minutes...and time so matters at times...
I am not advocating auto travel, just stating this is how it has been with me... This is also not my First Travel mode story- though on a different tangent, i once spoke about Ratna .

Now why all this about me and my auto travel habit? Just that of late have realised, the many changes that transportation in Bangalore is going through...newer buses, greater focus on public transport to reduce congestion and pollution! I like the cause and agree with the vision. While I may not be supporting it everyday, doing this once a month is possible- simply put, travelling by bus atleast once on Bus Day. Yesterday was 4th May, the Bus Day ! At the behest of Prashant, I did manage to do my bit for the vision...travel from Cunningham Road to Byatarayanapura by bus:) Am right now motivated to do this every Bus Day... so, I guess a time when even I say, "BUS karo!"

I am participating in the Sunfeast 10K!

Heya!

You are still here?...sure!

I mean you may stop blinking your eyes; pick yourself up if you have fallen off the chair; massage the hurting cheeks from continuous laughing...

I am participating in the Sunfeast 10K!( http://sunfeastworld10k.indiatimes.com/) and specifically in the Open 10K category! Will let my brethren run while i match their steps with hopefully long strides.

The reason why I am taking this 'giant leap' in my life is due to Prashant (my significant other) who participated last year along with a bunch of friends from Chrysallis. From cheering them last year to deciding to put on my sport shoes, I have come a long way and he has been instrumental in telling me I can do it each time more comments of surprise and disbelief come my way. The waking up at 5.30am to practice seems nice and have begun to feel motivated to be able to finish the run/walk in good time:)

What makes this run even more special is that we are doing it for ILP:). (Read more about ILP at http://www.ilpnet.org/) Thanks to Sudhira! When I first helped him sell the ILP T-Shirts on campus, little did I think that I would someday run for them.Maneesh, Shyam, Vasanta and Nag are also running in the 10K:). The little difference is that they are seasoned runners, having just run at the S&T Run at IISc... and am a novice! (Do not miss maneesh's account on the path to the run- http://did-i-miss-the-big-briefing.blogspot.com/2010/05/run-forrest-run.html)

While Vijayanth agrees that it takes a non-agile person a lot to do this, understanding that we fall in the same category; Rupesh lets me know that I should not let what S & M say deter my confidence...

The laces are tied
The thoughts are sewn
The morning sessions in place
The distance is drawn
No lethargy, no yawn
Full motivated...
Sunfeast 10K...
Here I come!

Blog sense

The most popular blog in IISc - iisc life:) developed a comprehensive rank list for the IISc Bloggers.
Here it is...
http://iisc.wordpress.com/2010/04/30/iisc-bloggers-ranked/

Wonder how Rupesh does this time and again...Planet IISc- an aggregator of all the known IISc blogs
http://www.ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/planet/

Happy blogging! Happy reading!

Once upon a time

Lot of thoughts,
scribbled notes...
rhyming lines...
strange how words take flight
in the most unusual moments...
early morning...resounding silence
summer noon...wooden bench...
time to post them all...
word by word
line by line.
Once upon a time....

From the 'skeptic' in me to the 'thinking' me...

I choose the other path...
Liberal, Radical, Non-conformist, Non-religious, A-political, Agnostic
All the 'alternate' paths.
A friend of mine terms it the easier route. After all, to follow and to confirm takes guts and gumption.

The alternate paths are always relative. They move on a continuum with graded milestones. Who defines these alternate paths? Do the ones following them mark the distance and set the benchmark? Or does the outsider looking through his tinted glasses judge the perimeter?

To me, being Liberal is to be able to have friends of the opposite gender and care two hoots about campus gossip? It is about WE being able to decide when 'we' want to have a baby and not have the world make our timetable.To me, being Radical is to not follow hierarchy and not treat a senior like 'GOD', just because they deem it necessary.To me, being a Non-conformist is to be able to do much more than my research, expanding boundaries and merging horizons; to explore my potential, be an active student on campus and to be able to say that the lab is after all not my favorite place on campus. To me, being Non- religious is to let people pray, believe and have faith of any manner and let people understand that i do not necessarily have to follow the prescribed faith. Is there anything termed the 'global faith'?To me, being Apolitical is to understand that each political agenda has something good in store but not be blinded by the shiny curtains that rise. And being politically correct is very simple- not to say anything or do anything that hurts anybody's sentiments, targeting a sensitive aspect of their life; refusing to smile at crass jokes that bend the rules of gender, community and individual cpompetence. To me, being Agnostic is to know that when good comes out of what I do or when the little I can do, makes someone happy; my prayers are answered. Rituals, ceremonies, mores, traditions do little to my understanding of my personal faith; though I admit, am yet to completely dis-entangle myself from them. But yes, I have chosen the alternate path..

Why this multitude of thoughts on International Woman's Day! Am I not supposed to enjoy the attention, the special treatment, the scores of newspaper supplements talking of successful women, awards for the great women achievers, the jewellery ads proimising us infionite happiness through a metal or stone. Screaming news about a Kathryn Bigelow winning the Oscar for best director on Woman's Day!So, does the day make her award special or the award make the day special!??!
I somehow am not enjoying all this. We fight for equality and then wqant reservations; claim we are intelligent and yet crosscheck our every decision with an esteemed opinion. We gloat in the success of one successful woman and then bury in self pity looking at the scores of them who are at mercy of nature for survival. We want to save the girl child, stop female foeticide, work on marital laws, check violence against women, continue ranting about the glass ceiling. Let us do all this but standing as EQUALS:) At school quizzes, teams never have a reservation for girls, then why later in life we want a special place, a reserved seat, a chivalrous gentleman!

Being special is a right reserved within us and demands chivalry from our end to accept it.
Didn't I reascertain that I chose the other path!

HAPPY WOMAN'S DAY
for whatever it may be ...

P.S: Wrote this while invigilating the HRM mid term exam, 1015 hrs