.. Free from everything.. :)

When I saw him the last time I went to his place, I couldn't ask for anything. His magnificence..the feeling of a peaceful yet authoritative control over everything earthly and otherwise just made me shut up. All I could do was be meek and then in awe..and remember all the good times we've shared. I just couldn't get myself to ask for this and that.. or to demand reasons for anything. All I could do was be at ease..just gape, drop everything and turn back in full contentment. Not a worry or care in the world.

I love the fact that I've had these hallowed niches in most places I go to (his willing). In Chennai, there's more than one to name. And I can never leave the city without meeting these best friends of mine. They've been there with me through my thick and thin, while in fact putting me through the thick and thin. In Pilani, it was a school in Chirawa. And now its here in Pomona. Over the past 2 years, I have become soo attached.. I'm almost possessive of the place.I cant think of being in town and not visiting. I love the relationships I've shared with all of them and I absolutely yearn for more.

I was just listening to "Zindagi.. Kya kami rah gayi" and was reminded of the feeling that I got last saturday. A feeling of pure contentment that EVERYTHING in the world is Perfect. That I'm not short of anything in life. Enda kurayume illa. A feeling of pure joy and bliss.

The Forbidden Question

While you are a PhD student, you hate to be asked "So when are you done?" That is THE most forbidden question. It's obviously hard enough to not know what you are doing, and to work in what seems an aimless manner towards a really distant goal.. and with that when someone comes and asks you THE question, you either feel like killing them or yourself!
For me, thankfully that is not the forbidden question now. It's changed to "What's next?" I'm in the process of figuring out what to do with the 5 years of work and degree.. and I keep realizing that I'm either too over qualified, or unfortunately under qualified!! Mebbe its just Murphy's law at its very best! Nobody ever wants a PhD! It's either BS/MS or PhD + 2-3 or sometimes even 5-9 years of post-doc experience! Holyyyy crap!
A recent confrontation with Mommy Dearest reminded me of how much its gonna take for me (and for her...) to continue down this path of science and research. I guess the challenges never end and its only getting tougher and tougher. In a whisk, the 5 year stint seems to be coming to an end.. and while I'm supposed to be happy and thrilled, the forbidden question is acting like the pin which bursts the bubble even before u let yourself be in a bubble of happiness!! Its keeping my reality under check. A devil's advocate of sorts. I know its only a matter of time.. a few months mebbe, before I find a new haven for myself and figure the answer to the forbidden question. Until then, I guess the best way for me to deal with it is to simply surrender and wait for Her to show me what to do with my life. She has guided me so far.. She will take care of this too! I have the faith. That is my answer for now.

Miles to go..

Its my first time as a first author. My adenovirus. My mouse. My paper. Just got my first ever reviewer's comments.

"ACCEPT
This is an outstanding manuscript from a leading figure in the field of molecular cardiology. (words of praise for my Guru!).. The manuscript is carefully written and the conclusions reached by the authors are supported by high quality extremely convincing data. We have no suggestions for improvement."

Will post the link to the paper soon after it gets published!

Thankyou Dear God for giving me a Guru like no other.. and for everything else!

Belated birthday!

I just realized my blog turned 4 years old and I'm 40 days late in acknowledging it! I'm only 73 posts old though. I may not have blogged as much as I wished to.. but this space has been an integral part of my life for the past 4 years.. its seen my ups and downs as a grad student and been a part of the choices I've made in my personal life! It started off as a hobby and has taken shape into a nice online journal. It's a whole lot of fun when you write for yourself.. especially when you read what you've written several years down the lane! I've been enjoying every bit of it.
More rejoicing will happen when I reach the 100th post! :)

Cheers to life!

I've finally officially become an Elite one pass member of my favorite airline! It's something I've always wanted to be and now when I am "elite" enough, I'm lovinngggg it! :D
Continental has also been appreciating all my travelling by upgrading my seats to first class in some of the flights! And life has definitely been such a bliss! There's good food (and free alcohol.. fyi to all u alcohol lovers). You get to board the flight first. Drinks are served to you even before the flight takes off. They take care of your jackets for you. Seats are wider, recline better and there's plentty of space for yourself and a nice big handbag! :)It's absolutelllyy amazing treatment! Food is topnotch especially in a cross country flight. It's a 3 course dinner and they treat you like the way u'd be treated in "fine dining" restaurant! All in all, Business/First class treatment is something you got to experience especially if you travel quite often!
Aha.. the small things in life that make it so muchh more better! :)

Been meeting people and bragging a lot about my lab.. especially my Guru! I've been getting several chances to realize how really lucky I am to get a mentor like him.. someone as committed and as dedicated as he is despite the fact that he is really well established. Truly inspiring. I've been making a mental note of all this.. so I can really talk about him when I get to the acknowledgements section in THE presentation! And when I reflect upon how much I've learned over the last 3-4 years just by observing him, I realize he's been a great inspiration in my life!

A big Thankuu to all of the Gods above for everything and everyone that make my life meaningful! Cheers to life!

To be or not to be..

And there are strong followers and then there is a group of bloggers who are anti-followers. They want to provide relief and healing to those who doubt the credibility of the organization that has such a cult following.
I of course have my own doubts about the whole thing, like I've mentioned here many times before. And more often than not, it suits me fine to just stay away. Because for me SK almost always got me angry and bugged rather than calming me down and bringing tranquility.
But when I look at my close other's life.. its changed for the best.. not just better. She has a sense of calmness and an ability to accept everything like no other. And while I admire that with respect and reverence, I still have my own doubts.
There IS always the BUT for me when it comes to the organization. The economics of it has ALWAYS baffled me.. and in fact made me remarkably agonized. I just never get it. So big an organization should never be charging people through their noses for what they are offering. My respect for it would have sky rocketed if it had been really people's wallet friendly! But apparently not. When asked about why its soo unaffordable..even for students..(what about students without funding).. the teachers did not have a credible answer. They claimed that people don't respect what is cheap/free. My head spun when I heard that. Again.. Pomona has pampered me WAY too much! But seriously.. that's the best you can say??? And I read somewhere that the founder himself was asked the same thing, to which his witty Holiness retorted saying.. If you want it free, go to prison... its free in prison! And I was annoyed like no other!
Yet his AG does make sense. I like it .. all the more 'cos it's free!
And so while I do "follow" his blog at times.. I am also contemplating "following" the rebellion's Inc. I don't know whether to call it confusion or hypocrisy :(
But I guess I need a bit of both.. the words of wisdom and the question-ability!! But whatever it is.. after my mom's words to me.." Ninda stuthi pannadhey", I'm thinking I should just watch both sides and take only that which seems sensible and which satisfies my temperament. And I guess most of you who are not tooo into in the cult, but have experienced it will be like me!

Travel woes..

For a person in the West coast of the USA, if he/she were to fly across the country to the other coast on a Friday or some other weekday, its not such a big deal. You just take a red-eye flight. Life is soo simple. You can finish your work in peace and there's no rush to wind up everything before leaving work. Get into the flight lateee in the night and get here by early morning!
On the other hand, for a east coast vaasi like me to fly across on a weekday.. Oh God.. its such a hassle. Why is it that the last flights for the day are at 5:55 or 6:30 pm?? Or at the most by 6:55 pm?? If you have to catch a 6:30 flight, then ideally you need to get out of work by around 4:30 or 5:00.. beat the 5 pm traffic and drive down to the airport. And in a lot of work places 4:30 or 5 pm is an unearthly hour to leave. Everyones still working and you are really quite conspicuous when you leave early!
Seriously why can't there be flights after 8-9 pm from the East to the West? A 6 hour non-stop flight will still reach there by 11 or 12 am right? It's really not all that late! Beats me totally.
Flight mis-planning I say! The "Westerners" get to work in peace as much and as long as they want to and yet have a relaxed travel. But not us.. we haveta compromise on work hours if we want to travel. Not fair at all!

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!

I wonder why there's that streak in me.. rebelliousness. I can't accept somethings and be at peace with it. It goes in cycles.. that of acceptance and rebellion.. acceptance and rebellion. Some how I seem to have a problem somewhere. I'm just not able to accept him entirely. Mebbe its his doing as well.. but whatever. My two ears prop up.. I get defensive.. I charge like an angry bull. Yet when I hear him speak.. I tend to just shut up and think its true. I definitely think hes knowledgable.. his way of simplifying the complexities of life and teach u how to live is fabulous. But stilll... no.. I cant get to that extent of passionate following. I dont have a problem with it..and actually the funny thing is nobody does.. but its just me in my head trying to discern it..WHY? WHY can i not do it? Why can I not see it? I HATEEEE the fact that its soo business like! What do I say.. Pomona has pampered me a LOT. (Mebbe my faiths lie there entirely. And its a natural sense of possessiveness, defensivenes.. watever!) I also know that the things I'm involved in are free.. It doesn't pinch my wallet any more. But still I have that irritation..there's still that itch to find fault with them.. to blame them for making me spend a fortune. I know I can make good use of it. But when I want to.. the rebellion starts off. I hear them talk and Oh God.. my mind goes blank. I'm like I can't take it any more..and I feel like running away from the spot. Yet I agree that it has helped me.. his words have been a boon when I needed it. I diligently did take notes..and well now.. I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I can start off again. But.. there are still those But's.. which I wonder will ever go away. Probably the but's are supposed to remain so. And funnily enough mebbe all my life I am supposed to be following it and actually looking forward to it.. but not be able to admit it. Butttt NOOOOO..

ok seriously Im gonna let this war of thots continue in my head and carry on with other activities of my life!

Simply Surrender

I've preached so much about it. I still continue to advise others (especially my mom) to do it.. and finally now when I really am supposed to do it, I'm ABSOLUTELY not doing it. There's the fear of the unknown. Of what is going to happen, how it's all going to work out. And now instead of surrendering and being at peace, I'm trying to take it all in my head and figure out things on my own. When I've known to trust and believe for so long, why is it failing me now? I know its a temporary thing and it will pass..even this subconscious lack of surrendering .. but some how my mind chooses a state of nervousness over being at peace. I'd rather be pissed/frustrated/blah than simply remind myself of the power of surrender?? Why? I'm seriously at a loss of words. And it actually amuses me..the way my mind is working. All along I've never let stress get the better of me because when you know you're not the doer and you believe in fate, its a little easy to accept things that happen. (I know many of you probably disagree with that line of thought.. but like many others this post is for me) But now..nope just not happening!
So here's my auto-suggestive psyche boosting note to myself..
Dear me, calm down.. be at ease. All izzz well! :P Surrender. Simply Surrender. You've done it for so long. You can do it again. That is the ONLY thing that can work. You know it. Realize it and be at peace!
Thathasthu!

Yen Thalaivar Vazhga!

I think I was five or six when I first saw him on TV. Doordarshan used to screen tamil movies on sundays at 5 pm and every time I saw him on TV I used to go crazy...especially the movies of him as a cop wearing khakis. The Patti downstairs who used to "baby-sit" me while Amma was away at work on saturdays, used to always rent out Superstar movies so I could forget the fact that Amma was away.. and just be at peace and leave her at peace as well. And thats when Guru-Sishyan, Rajadhi Raja, Raja Chinna Roja, Panakkaran, Mannan happened. He was my superstar right then.. the man who could beat up everyone and anyone that did wrong. In my mind, he was the protector of the good and the destroyer of evils!! :) Style was the very word that set him apart.. right from dialogue delivery to his movements. I absolutely adored him. "Super star yarunnu ketta chinna kozhandaiyum sollum" was my all time fav! I had infact deified him so much as a kid, that everytime I saw a movie with an actor especially a woman struggling with the villains, I was always hoping for him to appear from somewhere in the sky and save the moment. He was almost comparable to Krishna in Draupadi's "Oh God, Save me" scene from the epic!! :)
When I was in my teens, I thought he didn't look good enough and I was always cursing my "bad taste". I always wondered, but had no idea why and how he was my super hero when I was a kid! I was more after good looks like any other teenage girl. And I even remember laughing at a friend for saying Basha was a smashing hit.. and another for saying that a guy down south had watched Annamalai 137 times, had tattoeed "Rajini thunai" in his arm and had named his son after the protagonist. I missed out all of the superr duper hits of that era! But then just after I went to Pilani, I watched Padayappa and thats when my enthu for Thalaivar sky rocketed again. I was spellbound. His dialogue delivery, his style, his persona and demeanor.. everything about him just floored me. I always got an adrenalin rush and could never stop whistling/screaming praises of him. I was ALWAYS left with goose bumps when I watched his movies. He was the perfect icon. It was absolutelyyyyyyyyyy magical to watch him. I knew I'd become a passionate fan (like "You mean fans?? No no Fanatics!" (Thillu millu)) :P
And what need be said about his real life... It is an ABSOLUTE inspiration for anyone who wills to achieve. He was a carpenter who turned into a coolie who then turned into a bus conductor before he became an actor who grew into a super star. A brief story of his life has been published in the 6th std CBSE textbook to teach children the meaning of achievement and success. He defines humility, modesty, gratitude, good will and nobility. IMHO, if there is one person who truly deserves the title of a SUPER STAR, then its him..and ONLYYY him.
I could keep going on and on about him... but I won't. I absolutelllllyy love the man for his talent. His movies have been watched-rewatched and watched again a zillion times by me and a million others like me. Dialogues (and mods in the dialogues) like "Indha naal un calendar la kurichu vechhukko (Annamalai)", "Yenakkul thoongikittu irukkara singatha thattii ezhupitta (Annamalai)", "Koodave porandhadhu, ennikkum pogadhu (Padayappa)", "Ulleeee Po (Basha)", "Yenna nee yen nanban da (Thalapathi)" among many others are memorable for the very passion they exude. Im crazy about him and I'm actually very very proud of it. Period.
Thalaivaaaa.. as you turn 60 here's a prayer for your good health and happiness. True to the dialogue.. "Vayasaanalum un stylum azhagum innum onna vittu pogala!" May you never lose that charm and charisma!
Thalaivar vazhga! Thalaivar padam vazhga! :)

PS: Will never forget my fight with some aunties in a theater in NJ after watching Sivaji.
http://akaaraha.blogspot.com/2007/06/athiradeee-kaaran.html
:D :D

Dream on..

And I dream on.
I think of all the traveling I would like to do. Writing of course.. not that any one would care to read it. But come on.. when the words fall right into place in a smooth flow.. when you don't even have to pause and think, but the words just keep coming.. penning your thoughts is simply one of the most wonderful things to do! (Reminds me of a conversation with a friend... you write for yourself much more than writing to be read! Writing can give you a joy like no other..) And of course, music. Lots of it. It would be a fun life.. a nice combination of all 3. Of course if only I'd have the time for all that and loadsa money to do all that traveling.....
But still it doesn't hurt to dream on.. does it? I love the childishness associated with it. It's fun to dream .. what will I be when I "grow up"? What will I do when I'm done with this? Or what next? Mebbe I may do it all.. or mebbe none at all. But still.. building castles in the air does let you dream passionately. It's more fun to dream than to even achieve it! :)

And on a totally different context, here's my thanksgiving note..
Enjoyed a beautiful evening on my own in my third home (Pomona)! A wonderful concert. Great food. And the fact that He's so close. I love it. I'm thankful for it all. Thank you!

I wonder..

I'm wondering.. what is the best way to deal with a situation where you know some one has talked crap about you? Do you still try and entertain that person? Or do you shut yourself up from the person forever? I've always believed in giving people the benefit of doubt.. but some times I wonder if its worth it. Is it worthwhile to let yourself be sorta exposed to the person so that he/she may pass his/her judgments and comments about you behind your back? Or do you just forget about whatever they said and try to continue the friendship thinking its just another rough.. pretending that everthing's fine and everyone's happy? Hmmmm.. I have cases where I've done both.. staying away and being good friends with people that I know were actually in fact mean to me behind my back. Not surprisingly, some of my close people can never see eye to eye with my "still good friends" policy after a scar! I don't know.. either I'm just being stupid.. or I'm being too 'Gandhian' for my own good by giving people the benefit of doubt. But sometimes I find snapping out a little too hard to do.
Aha! Thats ironic and I'm amused! :)

PS: Some parts of the post are meant to be understood only by me!

The Gods are truly crazy!!

I really think the Gods out there are crazy. I'm amused at the way He designs things and people and situations. Well, most of the times I feel that people are just pawns being moved by circumstances and fate or destiny or supernatural or God's will.. whatever be the name you'd like to give it. Sometimes I think maybe He really feels bored up there in his perfect world and to amuse Himself He creates "problems" and "difficulties" in people's lives, so that at least if a few people call Him back to sort out the knots, He can become busy! Crazy strategy to keep yourself busy, right? If you really watch your life indifferently from a third person's perspective.. you'll realize it's quite funny. The problem is we get so engrossed in our issues that we find no time to realize that there is a lot of humor even amidst all our problems. And recently I've begun to believe that while actually playing around, He likes to play with one toy a little more than the others. That probably explains why some people go through a lot of difficulties at one point of time than the others!! It will seem like there's this whole load of insurmountable problems to deal with.. not just one or two. But IMHO, it wouldn't be wrong to think of yourself as lucky if you find yourself in a situation like that.. piled under a mountain of issues! It's more like you are the chosen one.. the attractive toy that He is playing around with momentarily. So the next time you find yourself in a difficult situation, be happy. Because it means He has picked you.. and sooner or later the time will pass and things will change.. and He will sort things out for you (shower His grace, throw in a few miraculous moments here and there..) and pick sumone else! Of course, it would make life a lott easier for Him too if he were to just give everyone what they want, and make the world happy.. but well don't we already know it.. The Gods are really crazy! :D

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.

And She's done.. what a feeling! :)

I want to capture this moment before it passes. My best girl friend for the past 4 years has just defended her thesis! She and I joined school together, walked the streets of Harrison and Newark together, took the SAMEEE classes and courses, liked the samee profs, enjoyed the same lectures, sat next to each other during every single class, cribbed about our PhD's, turned to spiritualism to help us, stood by each other... and now she is done. Shes a "Dr". And the reason I'm blogging is because I'm so dammnnn thrilled for her. I feel esctatic like I've finished the degree myself!
Seriously what a feeling! I was/am sooo proud of her.
She got emotional when she read the acknowledgements in her last slide. And when she actually thanked Sonal and me for being with her thru her ups and downs.. both of us felt sooo emotional ourselves. To all those Olive Garden dinners that have witnessed our whines and laughters! :)
It's an amazing feeling when someone very close to you finally achieves the one thing they were struggling for, for several years! If you get a chance, be a part of it!

And a thesis defense is really like being a bride for an hour! You get all the attention.. your prof showers all those praises on you, the whole audience is waiting for you.. and you are THE centre of attention! :) One of my mostt cherished moments. I'm glad I'll have atleast 2 more chances to experience it again.. my sister's and my own!

Cheers Ms. Rane! :)

Chop Chop..

I look into the mirror and I like what I see.
Amy Adams has been an inspiration. And what I sport now is the combination of she in "Julie and Julia" and "Night at the museum".
Was off with 2 inches of my already short hair the last weekend. And my partner in crime.. the Californian .. (or was I hers??).. while mom dearest kept cribbing as usual about our "American hairdos". Quote -unquote... Yen di ippadi rendu perum Americans maadri aayindu irukkel. Namellam Indians. Nalla mudi valathukkongo diiiiii :)
It's a refreshing feeling to get rid off the 'tresses' once in a while. You feel lighter..buoyant is the word! Boy like.. yet feminine with the layers! Its fun. A refreshing change that instantly makes you feel and look younger!

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.

I wonder..

Ever wondered what it would be like if the Mahabharata were written with Draupadi as the narrator and the entire story being her perspective?
I've been thinking about it for the past few days.. musing over all the incidents that actually happen to Draupadi and all the predicaments she faces as a woman. How did it feel to be soo close to God? In my opinion, she is an epitome of pure devotion to God and she is the perfect example of true surrender. Lord Sri Krishna was her best friend and mentor. Apart from that, how would she have felt when, in her Swayamvar while several kings could not lift up the bow, Karna, the son of a "mere" charioteer managed to lift it and string it? What was it like to be treated like an object and introduced to her mother-in-law as bheeksha..and what did it feel like to be cheated and married to 5 men, while she garlanded only one? What must have been her mental trauma when she realized that she was pawned again like an object in a game of dice.. and was called a whore that slept with 5 men and nearly stripped in a court despite her husbands and grandfather and the king being present?
Draupadi, I think is the real heroine of the Mahabharath. She is a very strong and powerful character.. vain, proud, strong, wanting to avenge the injustice meted to her and highly devoted. When her husbands lose focus of the war towards the end, she reminds them of her promise that she will not wash/comb her hair until Dushasan's blood touches her tresses. She is an icon of feminity and female strength.
I think it may be interesting to read a feministic view of the great epic!

Much Ado about Nothing

All of the "nothings" in the past week that I'm making a fuss about...

1. The saga of finding an apt-mate. OMG tiresome! Its either a girl who would rather stay in her cousin's place, or a girl that likes the apt but her dad doesn't, or a girl who wants to move in tommorrow (while the apt is available at the end of the month), or another who is thinking twice about moving 'cos the apt is in the third floor, or another who likes the place but can't afford the rent and so would like find another person! And every single time, you haveta clean the apt and take time off to be in the house for people that might even show up an hour and a half later than the specified time on a weekday afternoon!

2. And while you run around taking care of rapidly breeding animals and your apt needs, there will be that absolutely nosy can't-help-but-gossip-and-comment- coworker of yours that well.. can't help but gossip and comment about your absence from your supposed work-place. Annoying to the very end. And well.. quite like me to be actually bothered and lose my sleep (on a saturday morning) over the silly lady's comment!
Ah women I tell you!

3. And then thankfully there will be some women who can help revive your spirits and make you feel good in a few minutes time.. like say Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and the one Nora Ephron, with movies about women that revive their lives and spirits by cooking. Not that I'm a huge fan of cooking.. (although I definitely am impressed and inspired by Julie & Julia's cook-to-beat-stress attitude!).. but the movie motivates people like me to try achieve Something in the blogging world! (wrong reason huh? but well the movie does inspire you to have a short-term goal and achieve it!!)

4. So finally when its time to spend my precious saturday night doing something fruitful (like blogging)...I end up trying to figure out new templates for my blog site.. only to end up getting confused about html and xml codes and finding no template that actually matches my requirement and so I stick on to my silly old template! But the amount of time spent on it = 3.5 hours, in which time anyone could have even generated their own template from scratch.. while all I had to do was modify some pre-exisiting templates to insert some widgets! Talk about having a million ways to squander time!