pre-New Year depressing thoughts

Another year gone, one more birthday. Not getting any younger are we? Last year, after agonizing over another 'wasted' year, I got some sound advice from my 80-year-old grandmother. You are 25, that's hardly 1/4th of your life! she scolded. I... never thought of it that way.

So this year, for the New year's eve, I am going to take a totally new spin on this whole 'life' business. Instead of looking back, I am going to look forward. There are so many things yet, I have not experienced. Rather than mourning what I have lost, I will try to look at what will come.

A few months ago, a friend was cribbing about his job(I do that pretty often myself, those are my pet peeves, work-life and social-life :). I have hit rock-bottom, he declared. I guess, I wasn't really listening or maybe I just thought this was a good line but anyway, I did come up with some advice that I could follow myself . Good, I told him, so now the only way is up.

So, basically, yeah, the only way now is up! :)

doodles from my notebook

I keep a drawing journal, I try to draw every morning. Most sketches are fast, and done in no more than 15-20 mins. Simple ink-and-pen drawings. If anyone does go through them let me know what you guys think :)
This one is for my crinkly-haired sixteen year old cousin. She is pretty and smart and yet, very simple. So much that my brother calls her 'Plain Jane'. I think its really great she's like that, when she is in her teens.


I have been working in this company for over a year. I have had my high points and low points. I spend my time making stereotypes of people in my company. Here are an initial few.


This one was on Election day in the US. Though I havn't liked the way this drawing has turned out, I did think the conversation relevant. With the economy in the dumps, and inflation on the rise, can Obama really change the world? :)

Just wondering about my non-educational skill sets ;)

the womanly arts

I have always wanted to learn knitting and stitching. Unfortunately I am all thumbs when it comes to anything like that. I think there is some problem with my hand-eye co-ordination ;-)
Anyways, I became all brave and bought myself a pair of knitting needles and a large hank of wool. My aim is to knit a muffler/scarf out of it. Lets see how it goes.
I also did a bit of drawing. Of course not having a scanner makes things complex. Well, lets see how it goes ...

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The economy is becoming scary. Now that I am an employed woman, its suddenly very real to me. Some thing have affected me personally, some via others. I was thinking to change my job, now I am thankful I at least have a job.

Have a safe and happy divali

This has been all over the papers, but I wanted to share this little incident anyway.

I was waiting by the signal on Sunday(which was the first day of divali) when a middle-aged lady with greying hair came up to me and gave me a sheet of paper. It looked like a pamphlet, and was written in Marathi. She smiled at me and wished me a happy divali. I smiled back but could not read it as the signal turned green.

Later as I parked my scooter near Sambhaji Park, I read the sheet of paper. It told the story of a young boy who was killed in a road accident, not many years back, on Divali. He was the lady's son. The pamphlet urged drivers to be careful and help if they saw someone in trouble.

This year in Divali, many citizens of Pune distributed pamphlets and leaflets to drivers asking them to be careful. Some wrote their stories, yet others drew cartoons and sarcastic remarks. But the message was clear, "drive safely". Apparently at Nal stop(the signal I was at) has the highest accident rate in the city during this time of the year.

It is heartening to see that people are undertaking such ventures. I hope I can also be part of something like this, someday.

Hi!

Okay :)
So I have been missing for over a month. But there is a reason to it all (as there always is :). I finally took a vacation, for a dear friend's wedding. And went to two of the lovely old cities in India, Lucknow and Jodhpur. I had a great time, it was nice to catch up with friends and basically just 'chill' :) And of course there was a wedding to look great for, and I tried my best to do so!

The photo, thats in Lucknow, its the Bara Imambara. No artist quality pic, I am afraid, but it evokes memories and that enough :)

There she goes...

There she goes
When I initially heard this song, I thought it was a sweet romantic type of song (I had only heard the Sixpence N.T.R. cover) about some pretty girl. Yesterday I looked it up on youtube and discovered it was actually about heroin. Obscure drug-referencing songs always make me giggle. No wonder I am sucha beatles fan ;)
Of course I got the chords, and am now trying to play it on my guitar. Needless to say, it sounds nothing like the original. :)

Happy Independence Day

"What does freedom mean to you?" Today's Pune Times asked me.
All the pretty people featured there, models, actresses, couple of netas gave all the politically corrct answers.
What does freedom mean to me?
It means able to work for my living, being independent, not being forced to/emotionally blackmailed into doing things I do not like. Not being restricted by age, society, or mentality.
Is that really too much to ask? :)

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I have realised I smile too much. And most of the time, its not even from the heart. Its just a fake smile, sort-of like a plastered on-thing.

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Also not getting something, makes one want it more.