Much ado about small things..

I realized that I tend to blog more about one part of my life, going yada yada about everything a lab has to offer.. the struggles,  the happiness that get churned out when you work there, so on and so forth. For sometime, at least for a post or two, I'm gonna change the focus and blog about other things I'm doing in life.

The way I seem to have this in my head is quite like Bridget Jones's diary entry.. writing down in points, which is probably what I should do to save myself time. Writing a blog post is sometimes like a warm-up session before a work out. Putting things down in "pen and paper" sort of kicks my lazy brain awake. It's not tiring because you're not writing about/for work and you're just writing about trivial things in life, which no body in fact even cares about. So here I go -

Travel: November has been a good month..actually been great. Got to travel a lot! Went to Orlando for the conference, which I AM NOT going to draw too much attention to in this post, because this is strictly a non-work related jotting. Went on an awesommmmeee 7-day cruise with hubby dearest to Mexico. We docked at Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. A and I tried snorkeling for the first time and it was my first experience of "swimming" in the ocean. Realized that cruises are a lott of fun actually. You are forced to relax and be gaja vetti. I don't think I was this vetti even in Pilani.. it beats any form of vettiness I've by far ever experienced. My routine for those 7 days was more like - Wake up from bed- eat breakfast - sit for an hour in the jacuzzi - sleep under the sun - read Wodehouse and laugh hard - eat lunch - sleep under the sun - watch TV in the room - read - walk around in the ship - get decked up for dinner - eat - accompany A to stand up comedy shows - sleep! What a life! But I realized that 7 days of utter laziness is a bit much for me. I could do 4 or 5 days at a stretch of doing nothing, but not more than that.. by the end of the 5th day, I was ready to get back home and do something.. and oh did I mention, it was 7 days without the phone and facebook/mail. But a really fab experience! I'd definitely do it again, for a shorter period though.

Books read: Wodehouse and more and more of Wodehouse. He's the champion of spinning a yarn with the most trivial things at hand. This time it's about Bertie Wooster's ability to get into trouble with/for a cow-creamer and a brown leather book. I'm not yet done reading it.."The code of the Woosters".. it's not because the book is long.. it's mainly because seeping under the sun seemed to come more naturally than reading under the sun, while on the cruise! A on the other hand devoured 4 books in 7 days, with one being a huge bible on Steve Jobs's life!

Culinary skills: Tried making molaga podi.. Not a bad first attempt at all.

Anyways, I MUST get back to work now.. but I'm gonna sign this post off with this pic..

True that, don't you think?

Right Ho!

Just finished - "Right Ho, Jeeves".. audio book and the actual book in parts owing to the lack of time to read the full textual book. Loveeeee, Loveeee, LOVED it. Hilarious to the very end.
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (P.G. Wodehouse) is one of those authors whose stories don't have much of a plot. They seem the quintessential masala that's seemingly familiar to many a Desi and Pardesi alike. But what's amaazingg about his books is his choice of words.. the language he uses. His typical Brit wit and humor can really make your day, while actually improving your vocab.
The stories of the wild combination of Bertie Wooster and the perfect gentleman's gentleman Jeeves make a really good read. If you are new to Wodehouse, then this might be a great place to start.

Thank God for Project Gutenberg, which has a great collection of Wodehouse's works.. and Audio books!

Since my last post, my opinion about audio books has changed a lot! They give you perfectt company when you are working on editing figures for a paper, drawing stuff, compiling data, driving alone on a long drive, cooking.. or even when you need someone to read out to you at night.. like those perfect bed time stories for kids! It's a great experience. And for those that don't like to read or don't really read books, audio books work great. Plug in your ipod and listen on. Right Ho, then!

PS: This book goes in my list of favourites. Lovedd it so very much :)

The Audio Book Experience

Listening to my first audio book - "Eat, Pray, Love" it is. Reallyy liking the book and the author's voice so far. It is quite an amazing experience to listen to someone read out to you... especially when its the author herself.
But I must say, it's definitely not easy to multi-task while doing this. I usually listen to music while I work.. but no, listening to an audio book is not the same. It's FAR more absorbing than music.. mebbe bcos I'm listening to it for the first time. You can't just hear the book.. u've got to listen.. and well that wont go very well when you are "working"!

Am done with 6 chapters of the book. I think I'll enjoy the book till the end. Have heard mixed reviews though.. some say the ending of the book is not even half as good as the beginning.. Let's see.

I honestly think "READING" the book is better.. (although I'm enjoying this first time audio book experience). Mebbe bcos while you read, you let your OWN imagination emote! You are not confined by another person's tone and voice, in the emotions you associate with the words. Mebbe im not describing it well enough.. It's a different feeling altogether to visually be able to read something and imagine it.
But on the other hand, listening to the book does have its advantages.. with practice perhaps I could start multi-tasking while listening to it... Also, listening is a lot faster than reading, I think. Ya ofcourse, needless to say, the pace at which I read books (amidst all the work that I have to get done) is pretty dismal..

I really hope I can get done with this book soon. I wanna watch the movie this weekend. Stars my fav heroine.

PS: Justt listened to the book on the way back home! Awesome combination..a good audio book and a nice drive on the road! Woww :)

LibraryThing

Found this pretty cool site called LibraryThing. Easily lets me add books and also create widgets. So now I have these neat looking widgets to show off the books I have read/have been reading! :D It's really cool.. instead of a boring list that I have.. somewhere at the end of this page!
I don't quite know the difference between Shelfari and this one, but I found this more easier to use (mebbe because I haven't really spent so much time in Shelfari).

Created a new widget called Fantasy Junkie as a toast to my love for the genre. I realized more than 80% of the books I've read are all about wizards, sorcerers, witches, vampires, knights, dragons and amazing fictitious lands. It's not that I hate realism.. but fantasy for some reason keeps me more glued in. I find it fun to read. Keeps my imagination alive and kicking!

Want to read more once I finish up with all this dreadful writing, which I know I should be getting back to.. Write away!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Just got done with "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Everybody seems to be reading it. You board a flight or take a subway, you'll find atleast 2-3 people reading this book or another in the "Millenium series" by the late Stieg Larsson.

My 2 cents: A very dark book that deals with sex related crimes in Sweden. I found the first 300 pages of the book a little too long and too much of a drag, except for the characterizations of Ms. Lisbeth Salander. Just when you think you can imagine her character, the author brings in new twists to her attitude towards life and people, which keeps the first half of the book a little interesting. But the last 300 pages is really fast paced. Totally "unputdownable". Reminds you a lott of "The silence of the lambs"...

Ok.. I'm not gonna say more, because I don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't read it. But if you don't mind a dark book, then you can try reading it. I must warn you that in parts it is really bewildering and does punch your perplexes!!

I initially wanted to read the other 2 books in the series as soon as I finished this, but now I think I'll take a break after this one.. get back to fantasy a little bit.. or read a witty Wodehouse and then get back to the others in this series.
And so the next one in my book-shelf is "Wicked: Witch and curse" by Nancy Holder.

Nothing to name it..

And SO I've finished the Ponniyin Selvan (P.S) Saga! Wowww what a series! :) Simplyyy Amazing. I really wish I was able to read Tamizh as fluently as english so I could read the original. Someday I will really try to read it and take it in one alphabet at a time. The author Kalki Krishnamurthy is GOD! A raconteur beyond comparison! I love the way he portrays his characters especially the real heroes of the book..A witty and mischievous Vandiyadevan, and a sly and clever Azhwarkadiyan Nambi! My life since last September has been revolving around these guys and their doings! And I've loved every word I ever read. I personally think writing a story based out of real characters in history is really difficult, especially if you want the ending of your story to be consistent with reality. (Otherwise you could play around with the ending like Tarantino did in Inglourious Basterds). You have very limited space to let your imagination run in terms of character portrayal and the story line. Yet Kalki Krishnamurthy has done a fannnntastic job in spinning the yarn which is why I think P.S is really great.
Try and read it if you are somebody that likes Raja-Rani stories! :)

With that.. I'm back to fantasy genre.. Farsala trilogy it is! Just started reading it.. Sounds a LOT like Tamora Pierce's Alanna.. Let's see.

And as for the other things in life.. the year's begun well! Thank You Dearest for that. Lots of travel happening...I'm getting to put more 'X's in my USA travelogue and I'm happy about that too. Plenty of reasons to be thankful and plenty more to surrender. More about that when the time's right!

My two cents worth..

Book series of the week - Ponniyin Selvan.
One word - AMAZING! A fictional story based on real historical characters of the Chozha dynasty. Considered the magnum opus of Kalki Krishnamurthy. Translated by C.V. Karthik Narayanan. A story about kings and conspirators and a fight for the throne. Powerful characters and a very strong story line. Finished volume I of this 5 volume series. The translator has retained some of the phrases and structure of sentences as they occur in the Tamil original novel. In some cases, the translation is a little crude (you can really imagine it being written better in Tamil.. especially some poetic lines.. or parts full of heroism!). But for somebody who would like to get a feel of the story and the "Tamizhness" associated with the epic, this is a fairly good place to start. I am loving the nice change from the usual English books I read. Now I'm really tempted to read Sivagamiyin Sabadham and Parthibhan Kanavu .. other works by this great writer Kalki. Wish I knew my language better to be able to read the original!


Movie of the week - Wake up Sid!
Thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Everything ...from the story, the characters, dialogues, Konkana's wardrobe, aesthetic designs in the settings and props, to the final proposal actually caught my attention. I think its a good entertainer and a proper feel good movie. A few of my friends did find it a little slow.. but I really loved it.

Must Read

1. In answer to my previous post, I just found that there's a book titled "The palace of Illusions" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni where she traces Panchaali's life.
And here's the list of reviews from the author's website -

http://www.chitradivakaruni.com/books/palace_of_illusions
Should try to get this book and read it.

2. Awaiting me back at home is the first 3 volumes of "Ponniyin Selvan". Heard lots about it. Can't wait to read it.

3. Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series! Fantasy genre.

Venusian Read...

OKAY.. I finally did decide to step in here and dust the cobwebs. Been actually wanting to write a lot about many different things... especially straight off my Asian travelogue.. But of course I didn't move my lazy ass! And well, as I was traveling thru those amazing places I didn't quite have access to the internet! So they remain memories and shall remain so until I decide to pen them another time...
But just to get started on this site again.. there's something I waana write about.

Alohaa! I FINALLY read the first book of the saga - Twilight! :) And my.. I really did enjoy it!

Several months back, on one of my regular surfings of thehindu.com, I found this "ad" asking people which series was better... Harry Potter or Twilight. Now me being the proudddddddd Potter maniac couldn't help but try and gather more information about this other series that actually dared to compete with the almighty! And I went to Stephenie Meyer's website and tried to find out what the fuss was all about. I gathered that she was talking about a teenage heroine who fell in love with a vampire hero! I was quite surprised that even after a movie had come out, I was still very unaware of this series.
And then I posted it on my FB profile that I wanted to read the book asap.. and well the responses I got were mostly positive. Most of my girl friends agreed that the book was very much "unputdownable" and that Edward was REALLY cute! And a few others also wanted to read it as they'd heard lots about it. Soon afterwards another one of my friends sent me all the 4 e-books (having read them after all that hullabuloo in my profile! :) But me and e-books.. quite sum distance apart. And so finally after several months I finally went to the public library and I got the book.
P who read the book before me told me that it was like reading a Nancy Drew.. and he didn't know why it was such a big deal. I just accepted his opinion and couldn't wait to start on it myself.
I started the book yesterday.. and well I must agree, I so enjoyed reading the book. I loved the author's style of writing. It is the typical teen chick flick, but I totally liked it. The hero is so absurdly heroic being a protective vampire, but at the end of the day I did find him cute. I was infact lost in thoughts imagining how it'd be having a vampire for a boy-friend!! Eeks! :D Talk about reading teenage books and becoming the inane teenager urself! :D (And I MUST add.. I've never touched a Mills-n-Boon ever in my life.. and am definitely not the dreamy romantic) Never-the-less, this book was a good read and I can't wait to lay my hands on the other books in the series.
It's definitely a girl's book. Talking about the venusians loving the book.. I read an "FML" in fmylife.com
"Today, my girlfriend dumped me proclaiming she wanted someone more like her "Edward". I asked her who Edward was. She held up a copy her "Twilight" book. She was talking about a fictional vampire. FML"

ROFL! That's the impact the book and "Edward" seem to be having on sum dumb kids! :D Poor martians I say!

Long live Harry Potter!

Its over...its finally over. The stories of Harry Potter. Yes he's alive and he continues to be the 'Boy who lived', but theres no more new stories. And well I do feel a little sad and emotional about it. The very fact that I'm not gonna be able to wait in anticipation about wat mite happen to him next. It mite sound a little crazy, and to some it mite seem like its sooooo past our age to feel for sumthing like this, not to forget "its a teenager.. stories for young kids!!"But I sumhow have never really felt the books were just for kids, like most other adults reading and enjoying harry potter.
I started reading Potter when I was in my 2nd year of college, and until then I never used to read books just as much. Just after 12th grade, a friend of mine referred me to Harry Potter & the Philosopher's stone, and I tried reading it the first time, but really cudn't get past the first 3 chapters. I was like this is crazy... its for kids...11 year olds... I cant read books like that. (Not that I used to be a voracious reader then with a huge choice of books.) But I jus shunned the book and was a little surprised that this was one of the most famous books around the globe. And in fact my interest in books and the very habit of reading hit rock bottom after that. But in 2002 Dec, when my sis had come down to India for a vacation, she and my bil were extremely excited that they had found the 4 harry potter books outside Higginbothams for just 200 bucks. The pair of them gave me the books and demanded that I read the books and familiarize myself with the stories before my trip to the USA in summer 03. And well b'cos my bil had convinced me that I WAS missing sumthing in life if I dint read HP, I started with book 1. And I made sure I read the book till its very last page, without getting judgemental right after the first 3 chapters. I was a slow reader then and after wat seemed like a semester, I started off with book2. That one felt duller than book1. And after a bit of a struggle, I reached book 3 by which time I was already on my summer vacation in CA. But once I reached book 3, I began to adore the stories of this young boy wizard. I felt I was able to associate with small things in the books quite well then, espply the fact that u have this long this train journey to reach to Hogwarts, with the whole train packed with students (not unlike chennai central - TN express on 28/29th July every year), friends and jus friends doing everything for u and everything with u in a hostel/boarding skool. I felt closer to the books and closer to the characters in the books with time. And after book3, i guess there was just no looking back. Harry Potter had become one of those frequently discussed topics, over the dining table at my sister's (It still remains a central topic of discussion, along with LOTR and some thalaivar movies!!!), with wingies in the hostel, and one of the favourite topics of discussion in sky! :) And it felt like I could talk about books or atleast understand wat a person meant when they said they have a favourite book/ favourite author. It felt good.
And then I started re-reading all the Harry Potter-s. The first time u read the book, (actually any book for that matter), u read it fast just to know the story. Rowling spins the story around so well, u just want to know wat the hell is happening, and who in merlin's name is gonna die and how! But the second time u read the same book, u already know the story and thats when u start associating with the emotions involved amidst the different characters. U get closer to the characters in the book when u can imagine their emotions and feel atleast a little close to wat they feel in the book. The Potter movies have NEVERRR been able to do justice to that. The movies can concentrate only on the story line with sum stunning effects to show sum fantasy, because of the limitation of time. But the books are a LOTTTTTTT more than jus that. Theres no set limits to the words or to the imagination. Its the different emotions Harry, Ron and Hermione go thru ....relationships, loneliness, adoloscence, trust, faith, friendship, death, acceptance of people and truth as it is, and every small and huge thing in life. And every time I read and re-read Harry Potter, I'd find sumthing new striking me, I'd find a new theory and come up with a new hypothesis as to why Rowling was doing that to some main character. And I'd call my sister or some of my other Non-muggle friends and discuss their opinions of a certain theory.
The books have been such an important part of my life for the last 5 years or so. I've been caught in the Potter mania, creating a lot of it myself amidst my group of friends. And now when I c that theres gonna be no more of all that....no more of passionate frenzied discussions about this and that of Harry Potter, no more guessing the suspense the future books might hold, no more eagerly awaiting the stroke of midnite for a new book, no more enthusiastically putting a nite out for those huge hard cover books! I feel like its the end of a phase of my life or sumthing. It feels totally psenti :( Well, deflly I know the books can be read over and over again and the movies rewatched a million times (which is wat I will end up doing, I know), but the fact that the story-teller has spun the yarn and decided to call it done is a little difficult to accept. "And to you if you've stuck with Harry till the very end", she says, in the 7th dedication of the 7th book.

Well Thankyou J.K Rowling for creating a world like Harry Potter, for teaching kids to be imaginative, for helping adults kindle the child in them, for helping us relive memories and emotions that we have all been thru as kids... and thankyou more so for helping me and a lott like me, make reading an enjoyable habit. Thankyou for all your books, which will be read, re-read and read again and cherished forever!

Marvellous....

“Whatever is here is found elsewhere. But whatever is not here is nowhere else.”

- An awesome one-liner that describes the Mahabharatha... a true marvel, the pride of India's culture and literature..a book I'll always love reading.
To think of it...I cant find anything or any situation or problem the current society faces that has not been touched upon in the Mahabharatha...be it an overplay of passionate human emotions like anger and envy leading to destruction, or the presence of social evils like gambling..it has all been alluded to in the epic.
A few others just to mention...The concept of adoption (Krishna's birth and childhood), physical abduction of women (Draupadi's harassment), a political leader becoming a puppet to a manipulative friend/relative (Dhritharashtra - Duryodhana - Shakuni's relationship), pre-marital child birth (Karna's birth), the significance society seems to bestow on status/caste/wealth rather than talent/knowledge/character of the individual (Karna not being permitted to compete with the pandavas since he was the son of a 'mere' charioteer), wars, brothers working day in and out to slay each other, polyandry & polygamy, the strength of truth & honesty, friendship, devotion, discipline, simplicity, faith, belief, & love...
I simply adore all the short stories that have been so beautifully and intricately woven within the main storyline. Every character in every story, either directly or indirectly epitomizes some value that we ought to possess & which, if we do, would make us better human beings. And when I realise that the Indian culture is rich with such wonderful scriptures that guide us at each stage of our life, giving us examples of what is right and wrong..it makes me feel really proud and passionate about being an Indian.Long live the country's cultural heritage!