Try a thing you haven't done three times.
First time, to get over the fear of doing it.
Second time, to learn how to do it.
And a third time, to figure out whether you like it or not.
-—Virgil Garnett Thomson
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
A design's worth
One of the basic exercises in Graphic Design is to mark a dot on a piece of paper. Distances measured from the dot to the edges should be unequal. This exercise is supposed to be fairly hard because its very natural to mark dots in such a way that atleast two distances are equal or almost equal. Symmetry is easy and convenient. It conforms to the general perception about most things animate and inanimate. It comes naturally. It is pleasing to the eye and in my opinion, in its own way, it is interesting. Asymmetry requires an additional effort. Finally, a design's worth is decided by its visual appeal and a strong concept.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Windows
On our vacation trips, we would scramble for the window seat and fight over who got there first. If need be, climb on top of each other to claim the seat. This was till we came up with a more civilized solution of taking turns and thus saving our parents some embarrassment.
Some kid in our neighborhood wanted to be a superman and tried to fly out of his third floor window. He survived. After that, our parents decided to have our windows grilled, to avoid any accidents. But one day, I decided to inspect the pigeon's eggs that were on the parapet below. To get a better view, I wiggled my little head out of the grill. I scared the pigeon away and was apparently asking her to come back and assuring her that I meant no harm. Aai must have called out and I tried to pull back my head. Ouch! I was stuck there with my ears blocking the bars.
I have always been a "windows" person. After taking account of all the economic considerations, the first thing I would care about in a house is the location of its windows...the dimensions..how many in each of the rooms...facing what...I always prefer a West facing window. Afternoons and evenings combined together last longer than the mornings. Its also annoying to find the room flooded with light at the day break. What if I want to sleep for some more time?!
Ours was a lone building next to the Thane creek, until the land reclamation project got under way. Because our apartment was on the fourth floor, it would always be flooded with light and was well-ventilated. Sometimes, a lost sparrow would come in from one window and fly to another room to exit through that room's window, causing a lot of excitement in between. Every Sunday afternoon, the cool breeze would bring in aroma of chicken and fish cooked by our neighbor. On Holi, we would try to aim water balloons at someone on the street and then duck beneath the window, something which I would never do again. On our birthday, someone gifted us a wind-chime and we tried putting it up on every window to see where it sounded the best. We placed our fish tank next to the window so our pets get enough day light, without realizing that they would fall pray to the birds. A flutist would walk on the street some afternoons playing and selling his flutes. Baba got us our first and last flute. Aai would buy coconut water and sometimes vegetables from the street vendors. I would always go and stand by the window or in my balcony while reading anything.
It was our ritual to stand by the window and wave good-bye to each other - before we left for school or before my parents left for work. Our neighbors were always amused by this family ritual. Nobody else in the building did that. When we would shout out "Baba tata! Baba tata!", it sounded like "batata"(potato), our neighbors informed.
The home I grew up in, has the same windows. But I don't see the same things through it. The tall new buildings have blocked out most of the sunshine and wind. And we have blocked ourselves by keeping these windows shut with curtains. When buildings are constructed like that, without a thought given to urban landscape or personal space, this is bound to happen. Would you like people taking a peek into your home every once in a while?! Windows provide a portal to the outside world. Often, art and poetry are inspired and thus transpired because of what we see from our windows.
As I normally do, let me shift the gear to a philosophical one. In life, we would be presented with many "Windows of opportunity". Some might be hidden and others cannot get any more obvious. Some windows have glass on them and some others are too small for you to get through. We see opportunities everyday - in our jobs and in our relationships. Sometimes, the window can be as long as a decade...what you can do in your twenties, you can still try to do in your thirties, but may be not in the forties. Remember, if the window shuts, the opportunity is lost forever. Why do then people say its never too late?!!
Some kid in our neighborhood wanted to be a superman and tried to fly out of his third floor window. He survived. After that, our parents decided to have our windows grilled, to avoid any accidents. But one day, I decided to inspect the pigeon's eggs that were on the parapet below. To get a better view, I wiggled my little head out of the grill. I scared the pigeon away and was apparently asking her to come back and assuring her that I meant no harm. Aai must have called out and I tried to pull back my head. Ouch! I was stuck there with my ears blocking the bars.
I have always been a "windows" person. After taking account of all the economic considerations, the first thing I would care about in a house is the location of its windows...the dimensions..how many in each of the rooms...facing what...I always prefer a West facing window. Afternoons and evenings combined together last longer than the mornings. Its also annoying to find the room flooded with light at the day break. What if I want to sleep for some more time?!
Ours was a lone building next to the Thane creek, until the land reclamation project got under way. Because our apartment was on the fourth floor, it would always be flooded with light and was well-ventilated. Sometimes, a lost sparrow would come in from one window and fly to another room to exit through that room's window, causing a lot of excitement in between. Every Sunday afternoon, the cool breeze would bring in aroma of chicken and fish cooked by our neighbor. On Holi, we would try to aim water balloons at someone on the street and then duck beneath the window, something which I would never do again. On our birthday, someone gifted us a wind-chime and we tried putting it up on every window to see where it sounded the best. We placed our fish tank next to the window so our pets get enough day light, without realizing that they would fall pray to the birds. A flutist would walk on the street some afternoons playing and selling his flutes. Baba got us our first and last flute. Aai would buy coconut water and sometimes vegetables from the street vendors. I would always go and stand by the window or in my balcony while reading anything.
It was our ritual to stand by the window and wave good-bye to each other - before we left for school or before my parents left for work. Our neighbors were always amused by this family ritual. Nobody else in the building did that. When we would shout out "Baba tata! Baba tata!", it sounded like "batata"(potato), our neighbors informed.
The home I grew up in, has the same windows. But I don't see the same things through it. The tall new buildings have blocked out most of the sunshine and wind. And we have blocked ourselves by keeping these windows shut with curtains. When buildings are constructed like that, without a thought given to urban landscape or personal space, this is bound to happen. Would you like people taking a peek into your home every once in a while?! Windows provide a portal to the outside world. Often, art and poetry are inspired and thus transpired because of what we see from our windows.
As I normally do, let me shift the gear to a philosophical one. In life, we would be presented with many "Windows of opportunity". Some might be hidden and others cannot get any more obvious. Some windows have glass on them and some others are too small for you to get through. We see opportunities everyday - in our jobs and in our relationships. Sometimes, the window can be as long as a decade...what you can do in your twenties, you can still try to do in your thirties, but may be not in the forties. Remember, if the window shuts, the opportunity is lost forever. Why do then people say its never too late?!!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Faith
Back when I was a kid, I was a lot more devoted to God than I am today. Sometimes, I miss the sanctity of the whole experience of my earlier devotedness. I used to pray for the smallest of things. Mostly I used to ask Him to help me win some playing card game or chess game. I used to pray in rickshaw, in train while going to Kalyan, before going to bed, after waking up...in fact, every waking idle moment. I never wasted any time. I prayed for forgiveness..."mee punha kharach asa kadhi nahi karnar" (I swear, I will never do something like this again). I still do.
My aaji used to tell me all the mythological stories about the several avatars of God. I was a big fan of all those stories. I did not have any personal favorites, but I used to chant Lord Ram's name often.
I prayed for other people's well-being...for Sitabai (my grandmom's maid). I remember that clearly. When I hear that something bad has happened to someone, I offer my silent prayer asking Him to give that person strength. I say my prayers silently in my mind, not wanting anyone to hear me.
"Deva, mala changli buddhi de...shakti de!" (Lord, make me intelligent and strong). This is what my Aaji had taught me to say. And I did. In school, I used to sing many Hindi and English prayer songs. I was never distracted while saying my prayers while standing in the assembly line. My Baba used to say prayers every morning...not bhajan or shloka, just a silent prayer. He used to join his hands before dev-ghar, then his Aai's photo and then leave our home. He used to visit the temple every morning. My aai prays silently. But sometimes she would do an elaborate puja and adorn the dev-ghar with incense sticks and flowers. She had always wanted her daughters to know all the bhajans and shlokas. I think she feared that we would forget about our religion because we went to a Convent school.
I believe in God, in goodness, to be very precise. I am not pious anymore. I never visit temples on my own, because I think our traditions impose preposterous rules on girls and some other sections of the society. I disobey such rules. And I never feel even an iota of guilt while doing that. Not that I have stopped praying, but I do not pray that often.
My current favorite song "Aaj din chadeya" has these verses:
"Manga jo mera hai jata kya tera hai
Maine kaun si tujhse jannat mang li
Kaisa khuda hai tu bas naam ka hai tu
Rabba Jo teri itni si bhi na chali"
How do you feel when you pray for the one thing that you want the most and which means the world to you, but you do not get it? I had walked into my shell then. For others, their faith is much stronger to wane away just like that. I guess, it's more of a family thing to ensure that faith stays in spite of the odds. I want to have such ardent faith, a forgiving one at that...one which can overlook the pain strewn in our lives and celebrate the security and fortune we have been blessed with.
My aaji used to tell me all the mythological stories about the several avatars of God. I was a big fan of all those stories. I did not have any personal favorites, but I used to chant Lord Ram's name often.
I prayed for other people's well-being...for Sitabai (my grandmom's maid). I remember that clearly. When I hear that something bad has happened to someone, I offer my silent prayer asking Him to give that person strength. I say my prayers silently in my mind, not wanting anyone to hear me.
"Deva, mala changli buddhi de...shakti de!" (Lord, make me intelligent and strong). This is what my Aaji had taught me to say. And I did. In school, I used to sing many Hindi and English prayer songs. I was never distracted while saying my prayers while standing in the assembly line. My Baba used to say prayers every morning...not bhajan or shloka, just a silent prayer. He used to join his hands before dev-ghar, then his Aai's photo and then leave our home. He used to visit the temple every morning. My aai prays silently. But sometimes she would do an elaborate puja and adorn the dev-ghar with incense sticks and flowers. She had always wanted her daughters to know all the bhajans and shlokas. I think she feared that we would forget about our religion because we went to a Convent school.
I believe in God, in goodness, to be very precise. I am not pious anymore. I never visit temples on my own, because I think our traditions impose preposterous rules on girls and some other sections of the society. I disobey such rules. And I never feel even an iota of guilt while doing that. Not that I have stopped praying, but I do not pray that often.
My current favorite song "Aaj din chadeya" has these verses:
"Manga jo mera hai jata kya tera hai
Maine kaun si tujhse jannat mang li
Kaisa khuda hai tu bas naam ka hai tu
Rabba Jo teri itni si bhi na chali"
How do you feel when you pray for the one thing that you want the most and which means the world to you, but you do not get it? I had walked into my shell then. For others, their faith is much stronger to wane away just like that. I guess, it's more of a family thing to ensure that faith stays in spite of the odds. I want to have such ardent faith, a forgiving one at that...one which can overlook the pain strewn in our lives and celebrate the security and fortune we have been blessed with.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Why isn't there time for...
Alarm buzzes repeatedly till you tend to it. You sluggishly get out of your slumber, desiring 5 minutes of extra shut eye time. At that very moment, you lament over your banal life - work, eat, sleep. Is that all to your life! Rushing to work for meetings...bug fixes...reviews...traffic jams...groceries...and the list seems to burgeon endlessly. But the optimist that you continue to be, you are content with your progress so far. You are still squeezing in time for so much fun! Catching up with friends, being social, talking home, regular work-out sessions, reading a book once in a while. You seem to be doing it all.
If there is time for so much, why isn't there time for brilliance? for being the person you had always wanted to be (but never tried)? for being a writer? or a designer? or a photographer? Everyone has a private commitment to a vision of life. Not doing the thing that you enjoy the most would mean wasting that day over other foofaraw. And if you go by what the "Laws of Attraction" preach, if you really want to do something, that activity is bound to bring a fresh dimension in your life. Even through the failures it might bring.
If there is time for so much, why isn't there time for brilliance? for being the person you had always wanted to be (but never tried)? for being a writer? or a designer? or a photographer? Everyone has a private commitment to a vision of life. Not doing the thing that you enjoy the most would mean wasting that day over other foofaraw. And if you go by what the "Laws of Attraction" preach, if you really want to do something, that activity is bound to bring a fresh dimension in your life. Even through the failures it might bring.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Of Happy Endings
Happy endings obviously come only at the end! That's fiction and drama.
What about the numerous happy endings and then the subsequent new beginnings...
About the endings that mark a new era in our lives...
About the endings that fill us with pride...
This week I celebrate two important events in my life. Yaay!!
#1 I bought my Yaris on 6th Sept 2008.
#2 I joined my company exactly 1 year back on 10th Sept 2008.
I am not selling my car and I am not quitting my job. So, why does this feel like a happy ending! I remember dates very well. And so I remember all the things that happened then and how it made me feel. In retrospect, things look very different and to me, because I remember days and dates so well, I am able to compare the days ...today and 1 year back. These milestones are my happy endings!
On 6th Sept 2009, I drove my jade-green sub-compact car on California 1, with the vast blue Pacific on one side. Of course, I did not drive alone. Sai drove the max. distance. The narrow 'freeway' with the countless sharp turns... the ups and downs of the hills... and the morning mist... I drove and hit the 10,000 mile mark. 10,000 miles in a year! And had it not been for this 400+ miles trip, it was impossible to cross 10,000 mile mark on that day.
In the past one year...
My car got rear-ended twice. Second accident was bad.
How many people got a chance to sit in the driver's sit?! 5 !
Today, I complete 1 year at work! Last year, because I was too nervous to drive alone, Priyanka and Sai gave me company. Later in the evening, Sai came to pick me up and then I drove on 101. On my first day, I did not work at all. Today seems to be just the same. I have learned many new things in the past one year. There have been good days, bad days and some very bad days. I have had the most fun with 2 of my friends here. They say I was very quiet during the first 3 months. I know it is true, but I find it hard to believe how this quiet girl broke the ice!
That reminds me..today is another new beginning. I would be delivering my first speech at Toastmasters in the evening..."ice-breaker" they call it!
What about the numerous happy endings and then the subsequent new beginnings...
About the endings that mark a new era in our lives...
About the endings that fill us with pride...
This week I celebrate two important events in my life. Yaay!!
#1 I bought my Yaris on 6th Sept 2008.
#2 I joined my company exactly 1 year back on 10th Sept 2008.
I am not selling my car and I am not quitting my job. So, why does this feel like a happy ending! I remember dates very well. And so I remember all the things that happened then and how it made me feel. In retrospect, things look very different and to me, because I remember days and dates so well, I am able to compare the days ...today and 1 year back. These milestones are my happy endings!
On 6th Sept 2009, I drove my jade-green sub-compact car on California 1, with the vast blue Pacific on one side. Of course, I did not drive alone. Sai drove the max. distance. The narrow 'freeway' with the countless sharp turns... the ups and downs of the hills... and the morning mist... I drove and hit the 10,000 mile mark. 10,000 miles in a year! And had it not been for this 400+ miles trip, it was impossible to cross 10,000 mile mark on that day.
In the past one year...
My car got rear-ended twice. Second accident was bad.
How many people got a chance to sit in the driver's sit?! 5 !
Today, I complete 1 year at work! Last year, because I was too nervous to drive alone, Priyanka and Sai gave me company. Later in the evening, Sai came to pick me up and then I drove on 101. On my first day, I did not work at all. Today seems to be just the same. I have learned many new things in the past one year. There have been good days, bad days and some very bad days. I have had the most fun with 2 of my friends here. They say I was very quiet during the first 3 months. I know it is true, but I find it hard to believe how this quiet girl broke the ice!
That reminds me..today is another new beginning. I would be delivering my first speech at Toastmasters in the evening..."ice-breaker" they call it!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The psychology of happiness
I came across this interesting post about happiness in some blog.
Happiness comprises of three components:
"
Happiness comprises of three components:
"
- About 50% of individual happiness comes from a genetic set point. That is, we’re each predisposed to a certain level of happiness. Some of us are just naturally more inclined to be cheery than others.
- About 10% of our happiness is due to our circumstances. Our age, race, gender, personal history, and, yes, wealth, only make up about one-tenth of our happiness.
- The remaining 40% of an individual’s happiness seems to be derived from intentional activity, from “discrete actions or practices that people can choose to do”.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Sorry for the language. But that's what it is.
With Priyanka by my side, I cannot even think anything remotely insane!!!
I have been thinking of going for a solo trip because I have never been on one. Never planned out an entire trip - not even parts of it. It has always been taken care of. And I am not talking about the solo trips for job interviews or to some known destination. Like I traveled alone to India last December. I knew my destination well. I knew what I was to do once I get there. Some of my acquaintances have been on solo trips. And I think its totally cool! These people go on solo trips not because they dont have friends, but because they want to explore some place by themselves. I know I will not be in my mid-twenties forever. I can afford a decent trip and I am mature enough (I think...) to take care of myself. I still need to analyze how strongly I feel about solo-trips.
Yesterday, I was sitting in my cube and while my test cases were running, I thought of going to Hawaii on a solo-trip. Not much analysis or research done. Why Hawaii? Well, I watched "Formation of Hawaii Islands" on History Channel recently. So, it was still in my cache memory and overall, that place is one of the hottest destinations.
Not able to contain my excitement, I email Priyanka about my grand plans.
On Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 12:05 PM, Prajakta wrote:
I am planning a solo trip to Hawaii on thanks-giving :)
will go over the details by this weekend and decide
On Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 4:25 PM, Priyanka wrote:
my thoughts - hawaii is a destination majorly for honeymooners/ family
a good solo destination is the one in which a single person is enough to do all the exploring.
Such a place, could be a place of historical importance (with much to learn from its history by visiting places) or of scientific (zoological / botanical / geological) / cultural learning.
People who do solo trips document the findings and talk to stranger to find out more info about a place / culture / people, etc.
So, solo trips are usually excursions.
It could be part of some learning program - exchange program.
Hawaii is neither. It is very beautiful and scenic. But it would not provide food for thought.
A solo destination should provide enough food for thought. There is often a mission attached to such solo journeys.
Else people might mistake the trip to be a trip to meet friends / secret lovers. Sorry for the language. But that's what it is.
Note people, I had mentioned in my email, that this plan was not finalized!
She loves me sooo much....Awwwww! :)
I have been thinking of going for a solo trip because I have never been on one. Never planned out an entire trip - not even parts of it. It has always been taken care of. And I am not talking about the solo trips for job interviews or to some known destination. Like I traveled alone to India last December. I knew my destination well. I knew what I was to do once I get there. Some of my acquaintances have been on solo trips. And I think its totally cool! These people go on solo trips not because they dont have friends, but because they want to explore some place by themselves. I know I will not be in my mid-twenties forever. I can afford a decent trip and I am mature enough (I think...) to take care of myself. I still need to analyze how strongly I feel about solo-trips.
Yesterday, I was sitting in my cube and while my test cases were running, I thought of going to Hawaii on a solo-trip. Not much analysis or research done. Why Hawaii? Well, I watched "Formation of Hawaii Islands" on History Channel recently. So, it was still in my cache memory and overall, that place is one of the hottest destinations.
Not able to contain my excitement, I email Priyanka about my grand plans.
On Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 12:05 PM, Prajakta wrote:
I am planning a solo trip to Hawaii on thanks-giving :)
will go over the details by this weekend and decide
On Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 4:25 PM, Priyanka wrote:
my thoughts - hawaii is a destination majorly for honeymooners/ family
a good solo destination is the one in which a single person is enough to do all the exploring.
Such a place, could be a place of historical importance (with much to learn from its history by visiting places) or of scientific (zoological / botanical / geological) / cultural learning.
People who do solo trips document the findings and talk to stranger to find out more info about a place / culture / people, etc.
So, solo trips are usually excursions.
It could be part of some learning program - exchange program.
Hawaii is neither. It is very beautiful and scenic. But it would not provide food for thought.
A solo destination should provide enough food for thought. There is often a mission attached to such solo journeys.
Else people might mistake the trip to be a trip to meet friends / secret lovers. Sorry for the language. But that's what it is.
Note people, I had mentioned in my email, that this plan was not finalized!
She loves me sooo much....Awwwww! :)
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Every morning when the sun rises in the east...
Every morning, when the sun rises in the east, a deer awakens knowing it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be eaten. Every morning a lion awakens knowing it must outrun the slowest deer or it will starve. It matters not whether you are a deer or a lion, when the sun rises in the east, you had better be running.
All my life, I have felt akin to the poor deer than the lion! How does it matter - one must just keep running!
All my life, I have felt akin to the poor deer than the lion! How does it matter - one must just keep running!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
When life throws "OutOfMemory" exceptions...
Memory lapses can be very embarrassing at times!
Like for the time when I met my ex-roomie's friend in a social gathering and kept of thinking
"Why is this girl smiling at me?"...
"Does she know me?"..
"Nah, she must be knowing my twin, she is just confused between us"..
"Nevermind, I will smile back"... :)
Which I did!
Then this girl walks down the corridor to talk to me! Oh Boy! big trouble now! Sai was standing with me and he had to RE-introduce us...doesnt matter, that I was the one who had introduced them just a month or two before that!
This is just one of them. Rest of the embarrassing moments, I have sealed in my heart! :P
What theories should I propose to justify this? Probably, inadequate sleep - when the brain doesnt get enough rest, it cannot save these tidbits of information. Or not paying enough attention - like the times when I am lost in thoughts and so cannot squeeze in the new information. Or I talk so much, that my ear-drums are just tuned to receive my sound waves! Or there is genuinely too much overload of information - that's unlikely - but possible. I have heard that a guy's brain is compartmentalized, so another possibility could be lack of such architectural design which results in information getting mixed up! Or my memory has become very selective - just responding to things of interest and things that are remotely dull are forgotten ( no offense to my ex-roomie's friend). Sometimes, its just out of nervousness that I forget things - maybe while giving an exam or while giving a speech.
On a similar note, I overheard my Baba tell my Aai that he was becoming a little forgetful. I must be like 10 years old then. Later that day, I went to sit on his lap and gently suggested "Baba, why don't you read 'Buddhichaturyachya goshti'?" I was reading this marathi story book then - stories about Akbar-Birbal and the likes. He was very amused! :)
Memories like these live forever.
Like for the time when I met my ex-roomie's friend in a social gathering and kept of thinking
"Why is this girl smiling at me?"...
"Does she know me?"..
"Nah, she must be knowing my twin, she is just confused between us"..
"Nevermind, I will smile back"... :)
Which I did!
Then this girl walks down the corridor to talk to me! Oh Boy! big trouble now! Sai was standing with me and he had to RE-introduce us...doesnt matter, that I was the one who had introduced them just a month or two before that!
This is just one of them. Rest of the embarrassing moments, I have sealed in my heart! :P
What theories should I propose to justify this? Probably, inadequate sleep - when the brain doesnt get enough rest, it cannot save these tidbits of information. Or not paying enough attention - like the times when I am lost in thoughts and so cannot squeeze in the new information. Or I talk so much, that my ear-drums are just tuned to receive my sound waves! Or there is genuinely too much overload of information - that's unlikely - but possible. I have heard that a guy's brain is compartmentalized, so another possibility could be lack of such architectural design which results in information getting mixed up! Or my memory has become very selective - just responding to things of interest and things that are remotely dull are forgotten ( no offense to my ex-roomie's friend). Sometimes, its just out of nervousness that I forget things - maybe while giving an exam or while giving a speech.
On a similar note, I overheard my Baba tell my Aai that he was becoming a little forgetful. I must be like 10 years old then. Later that day, I went to sit on his lap and gently suggested "Baba, why don't you read 'Buddhichaturyachya goshti'?" I was reading this marathi story book then - stories about Akbar-Birbal and the likes. He was very amused! :)
Memories like these live forever.
