Finding the funny bone

Does it ever happen to you that when you talk to some people in particular you find yourself being wittier or charmingly funnier than usual? Of course this is not applicable to people who are just generally blessed with a funny bone. I'm talking about people like me who are, lets face it, not that funny most of the time. But when it happens to be that particular funny friend (not to be mistaken with phony friend. See, my sense of humour is awful, sniffs) your e-mails, conversations, or even an sms are charged with that spark of funnyness. Word play and sarcasm seem easy to come by and life's really ha ha hee hee.

I guess it has to do with the relationship you share with the person. Probably it is the comfort factor - you're not worried about being judged. And by the way if you're judging me at this point and thinking that these funny friends of mine probably are not funny themselves, implying my bonhomie with them, then you're partly correct wrong. I mean, some of them are hilarious so its probably just easier to make them laugh when they're already laughing. Makes sense? And then with some, I have to admit I'm funny (even if I say so!).

I envy people who have the magical ability of bringing laughter wherever they go. It's their wit, their personality and the things they do, that make people smile/laugh/roll on the floor. On the other hand, you need people like me to giggle and laugh when the joke is out (that is if I get the joke, kidding). But really, either you have it or you dont. And forcing a bad joke down somebody's throat will only make you fall flat and lose all those teeth. And after you've visited the dentist to get them fixed, guess who'll be having the last laugh?

Food and frost

I’ve been really fascinated by this blog on cooking. I just came across it a couple of days ago and I’ve been reading it like a novel. :) It interests me particularly because I’m a vegetarian and all her recipes are too. And when recipes are accompanied with some wonderful photographs, it becomes all the more tempting. Of course, it doesn’t help if you’re looking at too many pictures of cakes, pastries, and all such sinful desserts (I have a major sweet tooth) because I tend to crave for that sugar rush and need to pop in some chocolate or a sweet. (Also if I’m surfing at work, its easier to stare at recipe text and pretend to look busy than a bright photograph of cheese and cherries). So the good thing about this blog is that there are tons of yummy-looking main course items which I can handle. :) By the way in case this sounds like I’ve been trying out what I read, its unfortunately a big no. I would like to though. I’m especially keen on using up half a dozen apples that have been sitting in my fridge for a while now. Jam, apple kheer, or apple pie (very ambitious, who’s going to make that, me?) should be the best options. I’m so good at food talk. Time to walk the talk.

On a different note, it’s getting cold these days. And offices like mine are quite terrible at regulating the heating. In summer it is so cold, you wear a sweater inside office. And in winter it is invariably even more brrrr, which means I’m rubbing my frozen fingers and nails that have turned blue. Gosh, I’m not meant for colder places. It must be so tough dealing with the cold and the darkness.

In monsoon I wait for the clouds to lift,
To get a peek of the clear blue sky.

In winter I hope for the cold winds to subside,
And soak in the heady warmth of the sun.

In summer, the tides have completely turned,
And I yearn for the wet rains and the cool breeze. Sigh.

That does sound like I’m complaining all the time. Lol. But no, its just a thought you have on days where you ‘wish’ for better weather. As for now, there’s nothing that a steaming cup of coffee or chai can’t do to warm me up.

Workplace woes and the weekend

I'm a happy girl today. Or more like relieved happy. That's because my office is pretty empty today and I can do what I please. la laala. Little pleasures in life. That also makes me sound like a workplace anti-social entity. Few people around and that makes me happy? Yes, yes. Actually, once in a while its really good to have that calm atmosphere around you.

And it is particularly the absence of one pesky, super annonying person that's making me feel relaxed. Really, how does one deal with somebody who sits right next to you, is part of your office group and so is always with you for all your lunch/coffee breaks and..AND..doesn't talk to you directly? Let me explain. Something that I said last week has apparently offended her so much that she refused to talk to me after that. And its not that I miss her company but I just cannot understand how a 30-year old can go around acting like a kid that's been denied some candy. How difficult is it to sort out differences through a calm conversation to begin with, heated argument maybe, but still, nothing's worse than refusing to talk about the issue and let it just be buried and think of the worst instead. Even if things can't be sorted out, there's always a dignified way in letting the other person know that. It really shocked me initally because I have never faced this situation before. Now I'm just plain irritated at having to deal with her each day. I know for a fact that she has misunderstood the initial comment because nobody I have spoken to about this can believe that it would cause somebody to get upset. In fact, my friends and other office collegues are amused that it led to a "I don't want to talk to you anymore" comment.

I think sometimes people don't grow up and know how to deal with others in a professional setting. I'm not saying everybody should maintain an air of diplomacy and continue to talk to people who upset or annoy them. But when things arise out of a misunderstanding, especially if the other person is somebody you talk to on a personal level, why would you act weird in office and make things difficult for others too? Hope good sense prevails soon. Amen.

Coming back to today. It's a Friday! And there's a long weekend ahead, so let me focus on the joys of life. Hoping to drive somewhere out of the city with B. After all our treks in the Western Ghats, near Mumabai, its time we started exporing the landscape outside Bengalure. Happy Friday everybody!

What I'm listening to right now

Songs that soothe me, cheer me, lighten me up

Badalomein chup raha he chand kyun

Pehla nasha who doesn't like this one

Jab kissi ko kisi se pyar (Pyar to hona hi tha) love the way it begins with a dialogue, find the song insanely romantic

Jaadu teri nazar never outgrew this song from school days. It used to play all the time on that show Philips Top 10. Okay, I'm not embarassed to admit I watched the show every week without fail

Dil kya kare (Salaame Ishq)peppy, cute, and soft

So I just revealed my love for Bollywood mush. Feel free to judge me:)These are just some songs that I never tire of listening. Maybe because I don't listen to them all the time. But on days when I'm feeling low/nostalgic/romantic, or just not connecting with things around, I just have to put these and similar songs on and it transports me to a completely different world. It's crazy how music can relax you. Nothing new about this theory I know, but experiencing that feeling each time makes me smile. I'm sure everyone has their own list of 'comfort songs' and what works for one will never work for somebody else.

Presently speaking

So, it’s been a year since I posted. And in that time I’ve grown older; not the philosophical older and wiser, just literally older. But if anybody thinks I’m getting wiser, I won’t be contesting that.

The past year has been quite interesting—a roller coaster ride with a happy conclusion in the end. The coming year promises to be a lot more exciting.

And, for some reason the thought that comes to mind right now, is this simple one from the cute movie Kung Fu Panda. (It might not be originally from the movie, but I couldn’t have heard it from anybody better than the wise old Oogway).


Yesterday is history,
Tomorrow is a mystery,
Today is a gift;
That is why it’s called the present.


So that’s what I’d like to do. Live in the present. This does sound like a recurring theme from some previous post (yes, I know there are only some 5 odd posts) but this time it’s not meant in a bury-the-past tone. I just want to make an effort to be in the moment. Somebody who’s Not: lost in a sea of thoughts, worried about the consequences of what might never happen, brooding about what has already happened. Sure, it is fine to let your thoughts stray, dream about nothing in particular (or specifically about a ‘95% off on everything’ sale). It’s those times when you find yourself stuck to the ground, watching the world whiz by. You’re among people but not with them. (if that made sense).

I also want to be more aware of little things happening around me, like, remembering to switch off the pressure cooker, saying something when I want to, being a little more impulsive in a good way. Agreed, Oogway didn’t have pressure cookers in mind when he came up with wise thoughts, but I am no Panda either, so I’ll absorb the words in a way that’s relevant to me, at present.

Happy New Year!

Work Woes!

A financial company is not the most thrilling place to be, at least for a non financial person like me. What began as financial editing has now temporarily (or so they claim) shifted gear to editing transcripts.

Let me explain the process a bit. All big(for lack of a better technical sounding word) companies have a conference call every quarter to discuss its performance/lack of it and field questions from business analysts. Anybody who thinks this sounds interesting, read no further. So what some of my unfortunate collegues and I have been doing for some days now, is to put on our headphones and check such conference call transcripts for errors. Fascinating?

To keep myself from turning insane, I've taken to writing some more random verses. Most of the inspiration usually occurs at noon, post lunch when the brain starts hibernating anyway.

---

Eating too much lunch is bad,
I confess now I’m not too glad;
Feeling sleepy and ready to doze,
And you agree on that, I suppose.

But lunch is not the real cause,
It’s just the thought of picking flaws
From a transcript that interests me,
As much as a dancing flea.


---

They whisper sweet nothings into my ear,
But romantic words those aren’t I fear;
All their talk on CapEx and GAAP,
Makes me want to shut their trap.

---

O pray tell me why I’ve landed here,
Just to torture my sensitive ear?
Life’s purpose is surely not this,
Or to edit a faulty synopsis!

Of dogs

We all know that the world is divided into dog people and cat people. And I definitely fall into the former category. That’s because my whole family except my mom has always favored dogs. And since she was outnumbered, we’ve managed to convert her into quite a dog person too (though she still likes cats). It’s a different story that I’ve never had a dog at home. My sister and I would have loved to have one, but my parents didn’t want us to have the liability of looking after one. So we were encouraged to try other means of getting close to a four-legged woofer. We only accompanied our parents for formal visits to people’s homes if it was a ‘dog-house’. We launched ourselves frequently at friend’s/neighbours’ places if there was a cute lil dog out there. Never mind if we had to endure boring owners. Our biggest aide was my aunt, a crazy dog lover. She knew more than half the town and definitely the ones that had dogs. The moment there was news of pups, we would be off with her to cuddle the balls of fur. And we continue to ambush friendly looking dogs being taken for a walk on the streets.

One of our doggie friends was Pepper, a hyper active black lab in my previous apartment. He used to love being in our house more than his own as we fussed over him a great deal. Besides, sitting all day long with only a servant at home must have been really boring for him. A maniac, he would run out of his house at the first opportune moment. And then the free spirit would loiter around the neighbourhood till his servant caught up with him after a good chase. That’s when we realized why his owners had a bell around his neck (my sister found this highly insulting for a respectable being like Pepper). But soon we trained our ears to the sound of the bell.

Bell=Pepper=Lets go meet him.

Many a times we would hear the bell run down the stairs and turn silent at our floor. And when we ran to check near our door, there he would be, happy and hopeful, waiting to be let in. He enjoyed chewing anything that fit in his jaws and would bolt like a gunshot if chased. I’ve yet to see a dog run faster than him. It used to terrify us that he would collide with something, running inside a cramped apartment. But he was equipped with a powerful set of air brakes and could halt from 100kph in a split second. It was funny and sad watching him throw a fit when he had to go back to his house each day. He would dig his paws in while his servant yanked and cajoled him out. He pretended as much as we did that he belonged to us at times.

And then, after some months his visits trickled down till he stopped coming completely. His folks were taking more interest in him now. We used to watch him go out for more rides and walks with the owners than servants. Our naughty little friend had gradually found true love at home. Or so we believed. At least they were keeping a better eye on him now. Besides, I bet they were a little embarrassed at us showing that much interest in him. We sulked initially and especially when we heard the sound of that tinkering bell. But we were glad for him. We didn’t have to feel that sorry for him anymore and knew the nut was having a jolly good life with his folks. Very soon we moved out of that apartment and that pretty much ended our association with him.

So hey Pepperi, hope you’re still as crazy as ever.

And here’s to all my canine friends from Robin to Rani whose mischievous eyes, warmth and wags have made life a lot of fun.
Woof!

HELLO World...

Wow!

That’s all I can say about finally getting on the blogging radar. And it’s all thanks to my buddies who infected me with the blog bug. I was always intrigued by the concept of putting up your thoughts for all to see. Seemed like a voyeuristic idea to me initially. Especially when some people put up details of their daily life up there. But I guess, I’m just going to start with random thoughts and whatever makes me write (considering I’m extremely lazy …)

So this is for myself and whoever else chances upon my blog. Hastalavista baby.