Highlights

I know, I know! I have been away for what feels like ages. And the more time passes without writing anything, the harder it gets to write...
But anyways, here's what I have been upto...some highlights of the days gone by:

• Landing in Bucharest, Romania and getting that familiar rush of excitement to think that I am in a whole new country, a new continent. Somewhere where I have never set foot before. Even jet lag can't kill this feeling. I sit back in the car and drink in the sights and sounds on a chilly Sunday afternoon.

• That same evening, I literally run into the warm restaurant fleeing from the chilly winds chasing away the daylight. My hosts tell me I should have brought something warmer. I tell them I am wearing my warmest jacket. It is an Italian restaurant with dim lighting and clinking glasses. I remember feeling nice and fuzzy - almost intoxicated by the ambience, the food, their friendly chatter and the unfamiliar accents and my exhaustion which was rapidly beginning to catch up.
  


• Waking up to a foreign city shrouded in fog - making it feel all the more alien. Thoughts of Count Vlad a.k.a. Dracula float through my head and send a delicious chill down my spine
  


• Another evening, another restaurant. This time high above the city. I sit close to the glass windows and see the daylight fade. I taste foie gras for the first time. And some amazing chocolate cake. And listen to our beautiful host tell us about Dracula...about how he has been demonized and victimized. Hmm...

• I am having dinner. With Romanians, Serbians, Bulgarians. At times like this, I really love my job. It's given me experiences I never dreamed I would have.

• Final day of the presentation is at a palace. Really. Stirbey Palace on the outskirts of the city. The grounds are full of wildflowers and bare trees. There is a lake where White and Black swans are gliding. Across the wooden bridge is a meadow where I can see a pony grazing. Can it get more idyllic? The palace itself is slightly sinister though in keeping with East European folklore.

• Is it strange that the moments that really stay with me are when I was out for dinner? It's a beautiful evening, our presentations have gone off well so I am happy. It's our last evening in Bucharest and we are at a restaurant playing soft rock and serving great Italian cuisine. The ceiling is made of white drapes and the big glass windows look onto a street lined with mansions that house various embassies.

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• I am returning on the day India plays Sri Lanka in the World Cup Cricket final. I love being a part of experiences so it is excruciating to sit patiently in the flight waiting for irregular score updates from the air-hostess. When I try to gently prod her to deliver more regular feedback given the urgency of the situation, she nods sympathetically. "Yes, I know. But the pilot has said he can either fly the plane or check for updates", she says apologetically. That settles that. The pilot is not Indian or Sri Lankan methinks.
  


• As we get ready to make our descent into the Mumbai night, the aircraft hovers over the city and I can see fireworks all over the city. It is one of the most awesome sights I have ever seen. That's how I first know India has won the World Cup. After 28 years. Passengers aboard the aircraft pump their fists in the air and congratulate each other. There are cheers and applause as the captain confirms the win. My first SMS on landing is from Romania - our client wants to congratulate us on becoming world champions!

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• Before I can quite recover from my trip, I have to plan for another. But this time its pleasure not business. Off to Puri on office Annual Retreat. Have been waiting eagerly for it because it means a chance to catch up with friends and unwind - something which has been in short supply for some time. I am gleeful as a child as I pile my luggage into the train and start clicking photographs before you can say "camera"! we laugh hysterically at stupid jokes as we fall asleep lulled by the movement of the train.

• One of the first things we do, is hit the beach. But first it means trudging, slipping, ploughing through hot sand. And then at last, I can let the cool waters wash over my tired feet. the sea never fails to thrill me. Its roar pounding through my ears, the strong breeze making my spirits soar. As I sit later beneath the colourful umbrellas and sip on tender coconut water and look out at the sea, I feel like I can be this way forever.

• The Sun Temple is fabulous. I am mesmerised by the thought of people striving to create this work of art so many years ago. 750 years ago actually, as our guide kept saying. I am captivated to know that the idol in the inner sanctum was kept suspended in air by being placed between two strong magnets. I wonder if this is true as I picture the scene and feel enchanted.

• The guide is funny. He takes the boys on a special tour which is apparently censored stuff. Someone says temples had erotic carvings to encourage people to procreate. Whaaa?
  


• Chandrabhaga beach as the sun is setting. We savour the moment, walking a far distance along the beach and writing our names in the sand.
  


• Party time at night. Haven't danced like this in ages. I am so exhausted that I can barely stand straight but I don't want this night to end. I don't know when I'll get to dance like this with my friends again. I am so tired, I am almost high. High on happiness.

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• Withdrawal symptoms for a day or two as I search desperately for something else to look forward to. Till someone reminds me about the extended weekend coming up. Yay! Laziness is welcomed with open arms. Sleep, eat, read.
  


• Peace and quiet at work after what feels like aeons. Rocky Road shake at Mocha. Sitting with a friend in silence. Listening to 'Iktara'..."sun rahi hu sudh-budh khoke, koii main kahani, puri kahani hai kya kise hai pata..."

I'll be back

Aargh! Not getting time to write at all! Been a busy couple of weeks! Will have to catch up soon... This is just a note to myself...I can still write!

Hence proved!

Theorem:

Nothing succeeds like excess... ~says Nigella Lawson

Proof:

Given below

Old-fashioned Chocolate cake

Ginger Glazed ham

Cheesecakelets

Hungarian sandwich

Photos courtesy: foodnetwork.com

Class Of 2011: If Social Media Were a High School

Class Of 2011: If Social Media Were a High School

London nights

Loves Likes Hates Adores

It’s that time of the year again. When love turns tangible. It floats around you in the form of heart shaped balloons. All that glitters in the jewellery advertisements is not gold but love. Red is the ‘in’ colour. From top restaurants to luxury spas, everyone just wants you and your beloved to have a romantic day. Really, that’s all they want. Oh and your wallet besides. Yes, its Valentines’ Day – celebrated by lovebirds and marketers all over the world. After all Shakespeare himself gives his nod saying, "They do not love that do not show their love". Oh well, a complicated emotion like Love needs at least its own day if not a decade dedicated to it.



FB has it right – there’s so much to ‘like’ in life really. Few things can compare with the joy of reading an engrossing book by a much loved author while letting the balmy weather wash over you. As Winter raises its hat in a final farewell, it imbues the air with a mellowness - neither too cold nor too warm. This is the time to warm one’s toes in the sun. To drowse in the daytime and dream in myriad colours. To catch up on good cinema, go for an open air concert or party. It’s time for a much awaited break.



And recently I read about World War I and the Russian revolution, saw a movie about the Gulf war and one fine day I found that an actual revolution was taking place in Tunisia and Egypt. It set me thinking about why human beings thrive on oppression and hatred. Hate is a strong word. To be used sparingly and with caution. If only people could ‘live and let live’ so many lives would be spared, so much pain minimized. Hatred begets hatred. But we never seem to learn unless there is a major upheaval. Maybe hate is genetically programmed into us, like love. Time to evolve.



The next generation will maybe find the way out. Right now they are bunch of adorable babies with wide-eyed curious stares. Many of my friends have had babies this year and I have been bowled over by each of the little munchkins. There is nothing like cuddling a small baby to bring out all one’s protective instincts. As I looked at each one’s face, all chubby cheeks and tendrils of soft hair that emanates a typical ‘baby’ smell (or maybe it’s just Johnson & Johnsons) I wondered what they would grow up to be. I pray that somehow they manage to retain a bit of the innocence they now have even when they move into adulthood. Choose a-little-Innocence over all-out-Cynicism any day.


P.S. The title of this post refers to a game that we used to play as kids.

La Dolce far Niente...

...that's Italian for the "the sweetness of doing nothing". And boy, do they have that right! I am beginning to feel some of these European countries really have their priorities sorted out. I mean, the Italians have a phrase like this which pretty much advocates laziness, the Spaniards have their 'siesta' or afternoon nap - another beautiful concept. After yet another hard week's work, I feel sweet idleness is the true road to nirvana.

I mean, seriously, why is doing nothing so bad? Is it because the work ethic is so deeply instilled in us that to do nothing is seen as defeatist? Why do we push ourselves so much, constantly striving to reach who knows what - more money, a bigger house, a better car. And we slot our pockets of relaxation - one Sunday a week, one week off every six months or so. And even then there's this pressure to "do" something, "go" somewhere.

The more I think about all this, the more I find myself wondering what is the point of all this rush - waking up in the morning as soon as possible, rushing through breakfast, spending 11 stressful hours at work running between meetings, briefings, mails, desperately trying to finish a piece of work in the vain hope that it will give you some time to breathe, hurrying back home because its late, rushing through dinner and then trying to squeeze in some quality time with family before collapsing into dreamless sleep. Then there are vacations which have to be planned, social networking to be conducted, keeping oneself up-to-date with the latest news and views. And we do this day after day. No wonder we often wonder where the day, the week, the year disappeared.

Why this tearing hurry which leads nowhere, like running on a treadmill of activity? All we are doing really is sprinting through life, just hurtling towards the eternal end. What we really need, what I really need is to just Stop and Take a deep breath. Spread my time for "Niente" through the day rather than just once a year. Cut down on all the fevered activity and consequently cut down on a lot of stress. It is time to take control of our lives, to realize that the present is what we need to enjoy. The past is done with and the future may never be ours. If you are not at peace with yourself and able to savour your own company, then all the activity in the world cannot help you.

Peace is not to be found in travel to exotic lands or in going to the poshest clubs. Even something as simple as sitting beside your window looking out at the rain can be peaceful or watching your baby sleep or realizing how each petal of a flower is a work of art or looking at the shapes the clouds make in the blue sky... So to adapt a popular tagline, 'doing nothing IS possible'. I just hope one day I can achieve this. Best of luck to me and to you! :)