I finally made it. The 'Adai'. It was SO delicious, I couldn't believe it!
Suddenly, I was back to being a tiny girl in Prithvi Avenue.. my short legs dangling from the dining chair, with my initial-engraved plate, rationing out my butter-jeenie, and savoring the adai. Of course, today needs a multiplier for the 'savoring' part of it. I think the last I had an adai was about a year ago!
And I even managed to pass on the butter-jeenie funda to B. Sweet.
11/21/08
11/20/08
6 days, 12 hours
Dee just found out that her countdown clock shows just 6 days and 12 hours before she gets on that plane. She is very excited.. this is the first time she will have company on her long trip home. And best yet, the company is B! What fun!
She should definitely flush that Dramamine habit down the drain, and start being more pro-active on these flights, like:
- Get some wine on the flight (on B's advice), and pretend that she is drunk. She will slur and raise her voice and mortify poor B.
- Complain about a million things. Static in her hair and the measly blanket they give on the flight, cramped legs, bad back, feeling cold, sleepessness, thirst, bad movie selection, awful music selection on the channels, smelly microwaved food, and whatnot.
- Keep wanting to pee, and stamp B's foot everytime she passes his seat.
- Drive B insane in general.
This promises to be such an awesome trip.
She should definitely flush that Dramamine habit down the drain, and start being more pro-active on these flights, like:
- Get some wine on the flight (on B's advice), and pretend that she is drunk. She will slur and raise her voice and mortify poor B.
- Complain about a million things. Static in her hair and the measly blanket they give on the flight, cramped legs, bad back, feeling cold, sleepessness, thirst, bad movie selection, awful music selection on the channels, smelly microwaved food, and whatnot.
- Keep wanting to pee, and stamp B's foot everytime she passes his seat.
- Drive B insane in general.
This promises to be such an awesome trip.
11/17/08
I hum.
Fashion's 'Mar Jawa': There is something about the reprise that just drags you with it. The lyrics change per the point in the storyline, but the basic tune just has so much soul, it took my breath away!
Varanam Aayiram's 'Nenjukkul Peidhidum': The song has everyone raving, yes, I agree it is good. In fact, better than good. But I'm severely disappointed in the fact that Harris Jeyaraj just gave some random beat in the background once the stanzas start. Are you kidding me? Those beats seem like he did a random search on his keyboard and came up with the first techno beat he could find. Tch tch, the song would've been so much more better with a good beat. Which is why I like the happier 'Mundhinam Parthene' more.
Bachna Ae Haseeno's 'Ahista Ahista': What a song! Such a delight to drive with. Nothing more need be said. And Lucky Ali synthesized, hats off!
Varanam Aayiram's 'Nenjukkul Peidhidum': The song has everyone raving, yes, I agree it is good. In fact, better than good. But I'm severely disappointed in the fact that Harris Jeyaraj just gave some random beat in the background once the stanzas start. Are you kidding me? Those beats seem like he did a random search on his keyboard and came up with the first techno beat he could find. Tch tch, the song would've been so much more better with a good beat. Which is why I like the happier 'Mundhinam Parthene' more.
Bachna Ae Haseeno's 'Ahista Ahista': What a song! Such a delight to drive with. Nothing more need be said. And Lucky Ali synthesized, hats off!
11/6/08
Project Management.
I'm in a rut right now. The Obamania has worn off… and I don't feel like getting any work done. I'm waiting for someone to slap me, drag me by the hair, tie me up to the chair, super-glue my eyelids open, and threaten me to watch all 8 years of 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' (herewith to be referred to as: KSBKBT) if I don't work on the MMDatabase I'm supposed to turn in soon. Yes, the mention of KSBKBT is threatening enough I guess.
What do I have against saas-bahu serials? Nothing other than the fact that I am bored to death by them, and all the BGM and melodrama like I blogged about earlier. I read an article this morning (if you could call Rediff.com timepass as 'articles', that is) about how Star has decided to drop aforementioned serial due to a sag in TRP ratings. And how everyone is crushed about the end of an 'era'. People, wake up! Eight years of Monday-through-Thursday episodes, a couple of generation jumps, and you expect people to STILL continue watching the saga? Wherein Hollywood makes fun of in-laws in an-hour-and-a-half movies, the Indian tele-serial can take the same few scenarios, and spin them out over a period of one whole season! But I do also know that Americans have their daytime soap craze too - albeit more of love triangles, business double-crosses by beautiful women, ex-es, and the timely deaths of characters if the producers are annoyed with their actors! To each his own :)
Anyway, coming back to the whole rut thing... my MMDatabase is driving me insane. The front end was completed about three months ago! But here I am, still fumbling around with the back end. (The above line sounds so bad in retrospect, as a double entendre!) Linking all these bleedy tables to the forms, selectively locking out fields against editing, drawing up queries that'll make sense to the user etc., doesn't sound that bad. First off, I didn't ASK for this project. Second, I hate MSAccess. It is an annoying piece of soft'wear(ing me thin)'. B says; the minute I complete the project and hand it off, all will be fine with the world. It does make sense to look at it that way, but like I said, I need that 'jolt' of inspiration to sit down, learn the tricks of the trade in MSAccess and actually work things out. Considering my countdown to the India trip is ticking down slowly but steadily, I don't think I have time to waste!
Add to all this, the fact that winter is almost here, and we have but a few weekends to actually enjoy. The weekend brigade is out in full force, leaving me no time to take work home. Of course, I can technically 'take work home', but it comes back the same way with me every Monday morning :) Maybe I should just dump it all on B, and use my 'Project Management' skills. (Now you finally know, why the blog entry was named thus) It'll start out quite innocently enough..
Facility Assessment:
D: "Honeeeey, can you pleeaase help me with this database a bit?..."
B: "Of course sweet, come, explain it to me then."
Information Transfer:
B: "Oh, I understand, you should try this piece of code here"
D: "I don't know how to do it, can you show me how?.. Can you do it in this section also for me?
Preliminary Assessment:
D: "Hey, how about that database, is it coming along OK?"
B: "Peeps, its YOUR project, do you even realize that?"
Safety Analysis:
D: "Boohoo, don't you feel sorry for me and my job? Did you even consider my deadline!? Won't you help me?"
B: "Now calm down, we'll complete it soon enough. Why don't you take a break from this.. I'll plod along a little"
Remedial Investigation:
D: "This is not the form I asked for here.. Can you change it please?"
B: "I can't believe I'm getting suckered into doing this"
D: (batting eyelashes) "You're the Best!"
Mitigation Planning:
D: "Guess what I made for dinner today?! Your favorite vathakuzhambu.."
B: "Awesome! :)"
Risk Assessment:
D: "You (shaking fist in rage), how long will it take you to complete?"
B: "I'm working on it na!" (plaintive note)
D: "Thanks, I'm just a little hassled, sorry!"
Compliance:
B: "You know what, just leave it to me, don't worry. You'll have your database by your deadline" D: "Ok, I won't bother you.. You carry on with the database then."
Project support:
D: "Shall I make gulab jamun today? I know how you LOVE it!"
B: "Slurp!"
Operational Readiness Review:
B: "Take a look at this peeps, I think its almost done"
D: "Awesome! Its great. Let me make a few changes here and there with regards to the color and the font!"
Startup Coordination:
D: "See how the blue stands out better against the grey 2% compared to the grey 4% background? I have an eye for such things.. You must agree"
B: "Of course!" (2%? 4%? !%(&^%)#_*)
Debriefing:
D: "Yesterday's meeting went so well! Everyone was thrilled with my database!!"
B: "Great, good for you!"
D: "You're the bestestestest!" (hug)
Final Report:
And they lived happily ever after ;)
What do I have against saas-bahu serials? Nothing other than the fact that I am bored to death by them, and all the BGM and melodrama like I blogged about earlier. I read an article this morning (if you could call Rediff.com timepass as 'articles', that is) about how Star has decided to drop aforementioned serial due to a sag in TRP ratings. And how everyone is crushed about the end of an 'era'. People, wake up! Eight years of Monday-through-Thursday episodes, a couple of generation jumps, and you expect people to STILL continue watching the saga? Wherein Hollywood makes fun of in-laws in an-hour-and-a-half movies, the Indian tele-serial can take the same few scenarios, and spin them out over a period of one whole season! But I do also know that Americans have their daytime soap craze too - albeit more of love triangles, business double-crosses by beautiful women, ex-es, and the timely deaths of characters if the producers are annoyed with their actors! To each his own :)
Anyway, coming back to the whole rut thing... my MMDatabase is driving me insane. The front end was completed about three months ago! But here I am, still fumbling around with the back end. (The above line sounds so bad in retrospect, as a double entendre!) Linking all these bleedy tables to the forms, selectively locking out fields against editing, drawing up queries that'll make sense to the user etc., doesn't sound that bad. First off, I didn't ASK for this project. Second, I hate MSAccess. It is an annoying piece of soft'wear(ing me thin)'. B says; the minute I complete the project and hand it off, all will be fine with the world. It does make sense to look at it that way, but like I said, I need that 'jolt' of inspiration to sit down, learn the tricks of the trade in MSAccess and actually work things out. Considering my countdown to the India trip is ticking down slowly but steadily, I don't think I have time to waste!
Add to all this, the fact that winter is almost here, and we have but a few weekends to actually enjoy. The weekend brigade is out in full force, leaving me no time to take work home. Of course, I can technically 'take work home', but it comes back the same way with me every Monday morning :) Maybe I should just dump it all on B, and use my 'Project Management' skills. (Now you finally know, why the blog entry was named thus) It'll start out quite innocently enough..
Facility Assessment:
D: "Honeeeey, can you pleeaase help me with this database a bit?..."
B: "Of course sweet, come, explain it to me then."
Information Transfer:
B: "Oh, I understand, you should try this piece of code here"
D: "I don't know how to do it, can you show me how?.. Can you do it in this section also for me?
Preliminary Assessment:
D: "Hey, how about that database, is it coming along OK?"
B: "Peeps, its YOUR project, do you even realize that?"
Safety Analysis:
D: "Boohoo, don't you feel sorry for me and my job? Did you even consider my deadline!? Won't you help me?"
B: "Now calm down, we'll complete it soon enough. Why don't you take a break from this.. I'll plod along a little"
Remedial Investigation:
D: "This is not the form I asked for here.. Can you change it please?"
B: "I can't believe I'm getting suckered into doing this"
D: (batting eyelashes) "You're the Best!"
Mitigation Planning:
D: "Guess what I made for dinner today?! Your favorite vathakuzhambu.."
B: "Awesome! :)"
Risk Assessment:
D: "You (shaking fist in rage), how long will it take you to complete?"
B: "I'm working on it na!" (plaintive note)
D: "Thanks, I'm just a little hassled, sorry!"
Compliance:
B: "You know what, just leave it to me, don't worry. You'll have your database by your deadline" D: "Ok, I won't bother you.. You carry on with the database then."
Project support:
D: "Shall I make gulab jamun today? I know how you LOVE it!"
B: "Slurp!"
Operational Readiness Review:
B: "Take a look at this peeps, I think its almost done"
D: "Awesome! Its great. Let me make a few changes here and there with regards to the color and the font!"
Startup Coordination:
D: "See how the blue stands out better against the grey 2% compared to the grey 4% background? I have an eye for such things.. You must agree"
B: "Of course!" (2%? 4%? !%(&^%)#_*)
Debriefing:
D: "Yesterday's meeting went so well! Everyone was thrilled with my database!!"
B: "Great, good for you!"
D: "You're the bestestestest!" (hug)
Final Report:
And they lived happily ever after ;)
11/4/08
Election Day '08.
11:00 am
It's finally here. Election Day 2008 - the one they say is an election for the ages, bound to go down in history books. The one that we will all look back to when we're talking to our grandchildren about our heyday. And I'm as swept up in the Obamania, as are a lot of young people. The same 'young people' who have more often than not, been branded 'apathetic'.
Yes, I was in that category too. Of course, I talk in a totally different context - one in India where I left home before I was eligible to vote. But had I been there, I doubt I would've been anything but apathetic?! Americans talk about hanging chads, misinformation being spread on the day of polling, last minute negative attacks, etc. I've heard of such different things in my state.. I talk about local goons and thugs with guns taking over the polling booth, chasing all of you out and them casting illegitimate votes for the leader of their choice. I talk about false voter registration cards, voters bribed with material stuff and a promise of food to feed their hungry stomachs, unbelievably arrogant politicians who get away with anything, huge political machinery that churns out nothing but negativity, two dueling parties that just switch control every other election.. Yes, a far cry from what plagues elections in America.
All this has long dumbed down my whole 'I can vote, and make a change' attitude whilst in India. And I carried that along with me here in 2004. Politics was something I honestly didn't care about. I was just one person, how was I going to make a difference? Of course, I always knew that every single person counts. But hey, what was I going to do about it!
And this year, along came Obama. Finally, someone who was young, not jaded by the political machine, a good orator, a clean image. And here I am today, having sat down and followed pretty much everything I could along the campaign trail, totally biased toward him of course! The whole message of 'Hope' could have been nothing more than rhetoric, but it did spark the younger generation's imagination. And the idea of crossing the racial divide and actually seeing a black president was immensely appealing. I read this article this morning and many others, the authors with whom this message has resonated, and I'm happy that my generation is optimistic for the future.
I love the fact that Obama is in Chicago today.. my dear Chi-city! And I'm sure that I, along with so many people, will be watching and waiting for that final declaration of Obama's victory. Tonight, is indeed the night..
8:55 pm
Chi-city is obsessed, with our 'homeboy'. Grant Park is filled with throngs of hopefuls. Illinois is of course, a blue state. But several thousand people are gathered here today, to countdown with Obama.
South Loop looks like its Tirupati, only twice over :)
11:29 pm
Yay. Euphoria.
Now, yawn.
It's finally here. Election Day 2008 - the one they say is an election for the ages, bound to go down in history books. The one that we will all look back to when we're talking to our grandchildren about our heyday. And I'm as swept up in the Obamania, as are a lot of young people. The same 'young people' who have more often than not, been branded 'apathetic'.
Yes, I was in that category too. Of course, I talk in a totally different context - one in India where I left home before I was eligible to vote. But had I been there, I doubt I would've been anything but apathetic?! Americans talk about hanging chads, misinformation being spread on the day of polling, last minute negative attacks, etc. I've heard of such different things in my state.. I talk about local goons and thugs with guns taking over the polling booth, chasing all of you out and them casting illegitimate votes for the leader of their choice. I talk about false voter registration cards, voters bribed with material stuff and a promise of food to feed their hungry stomachs, unbelievably arrogant politicians who get away with anything, huge political machinery that churns out nothing but negativity, two dueling parties that just switch control every other election.. Yes, a far cry from what plagues elections in America.
All this has long dumbed down my whole 'I can vote, and make a change' attitude whilst in India. And I carried that along with me here in 2004. Politics was something I honestly didn't care about. I was just one person, how was I going to make a difference? Of course, I always knew that every single person counts. But hey, what was I going to do about it!
And this year, along came Obama. Finally, someone who was young, not jaded by the political machine, a good orator, a clean image. And here I am today, having sat down and followed pretty much everything I could along the campaign trail, totally biased toward him of course! The whole message of 'Hope' could have been nothing more than rhetoric, but it did spark the younger generation's imagination. And the idea of crossing the racial divide and actually seeing a black president was immensely appealing. I read this article this morning and many others, the authors with whom this message has resonated, and I'm happy that my generation is optimistic for the future.
I love the fact that Obama is in Chicago today.. my dear Chi-city! And I'm sure that I, along with so many people, will be watching and waiting for that final declaration of Obama's victory. Tonight, is indeed the night..
8:55 pm
Chi-city is obsessed, with our 'homeboy'. Grant Park is filled with throngs of hopefuls. Illinois is of course, a blue state. But several thousand people are gathered here today, to countdown with Obama.
South Loop looks like its Tirupati, only twice over :)
11:29 pm
Yay. Euphoria.
Now, yawn.
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