Elevator Observations

I wanted to write a quick post to share my elevator observations,

The first thing is that - it does not matter if a button is lit (indicating that it is already active), people (at least most people, there are always exceptions) press it again. I mean even inside the elevator, if your floor button is already lit up, they hit it again anyways. Now, I'm not innocent of this. We've all done it. You're in a hurry, you get into an elevator and hit a button without even thinking or realizing it's already lit up. I'm not talking about those people. I mean the people that habitually feel the need to double hit.

I was waiting for the elevator in the 6th floor lobby to go down to the cafeteria. I had already pressed the down arrow button indicating that I need to go down. Then came this another person who looks at me, looks at the elevator and presses the down button again....as if I am totally incompetent of summoning a elevator or re hitting the button will reposition the elevator queue and make it come faster...

Next time somebody does this - I might have to say--"Oh this is so vintage and you have to press the button...in the future where I come from, you have floor sensors which does it for you"

The second thing is that I always seem to meet some high level executive of my company in the elevator and I am never ready with my 30 second speech :( 30 second speech also known as Elevator speech is to put together some very conscise information (me and concise..that in itself is a contradictory things) to your manager or executive about who you are and how you are an asset to the company and group or something to that effect :) So I always end up saying a Lame Hello and shuffling my feet and wishing that the sixth floor comes up quickly and wondering if I should ask the executive about pay increases while I stare at the floor numbers on the elevator display. ..Next time maybe I can have a good speech ready or at least try :)

:) More Elevator observations to come :) Please feel free to post some of your own observations on this.

Childhood and Memories

I was at Jagjit Singh Concert this past Saturday with Rajesh and my friend Anjali. It was nice, not great. I am not a great Gazal fan but wanted to hear some of his famous movie songs etc. But he was singing all new songs probably from his latest album which I did not know about and did not enjoy much. But the live music was amazing and out of this world. Esp the Violinist and Sitarist.

But as soon as he started singing "Yeh Kagaz Ki Kasthi" song, the crowd was in an uproar. They were like WOW. I had not liked this song much earlier even though I had heard it a lot, but that day sitting there and just thinking about the lyrics of this song made so much sense. I mean I long so much for those worry free child hood days, the days when there things were simple, easy and enjoyable. There was no judging of people, no worries about calories or dieting, no worries about bills to be paid or savings :D Not that these are necessarily bad things, but just things had seemed so much more simple and lot more enjoyable.

As I was thinking about this, another thought came to my mind, the memories from childhood are stronger. What I mean is, if you ask me what I did for last Christmas or Diwali, I can tell you what I did factually. But if you ask me what I did for my summer vacation during my 8th grade, I can narrate it with emotion and feelings. I can remember the Hunise Gojju (Tamarind Sauce) that my grand mother made with such clarity. I can even feel the taste of it today in my mouth. I can tell you how the grass felt to my feet as I walked out side in the back yard or how the soft skin of the new born calf felt to my hands......

So somehow the childhood memories seem to have more emotions in them...is that just how our brain works where as we grow older it is more factual? Or is how we have become...if the later is true, then it is truly sad :(

Just my musings....Feel free to share your thoughts on this :)

Happy Thanksgiving and have a great long weekend. :)

Is Happiness the ultimate goal of life

Many hold the belief that the ultimate goal in life is to be in a state of complete contentment, free of struggle and suffering. However, one must take into consideration that all things are relative. Without salt, there is no sweet; without dark, there is no light; without suffering, happiness cannot exist.

A life consisting only of happiness would quickly lose its beauty. It would be living life in a straight line; every day, happiness would deteriorate further into normalcy, until finally one would be caught in a state of boredom. Happiness would become like a drug – more and more would be needed to lift the spirits until, finally, stagnation would be the only sensation remaining, there being no further levels of happiness to be achieved. The smallest hitch in a plan would feel like ultimate devastation.

So what are my thoughts on this? Happiness is one of the goals of life not the ultimate goal. If feeling content was all we needed then we need not be intelligent for that. Cows in the pasture are quite content with their state of being. So, we need to look at our lives - what is our purpose, what is our function and what we want to be? I want to be a good person, while feeling happiness among all the other suffering and worries we might have. I want to work out the challenges of life with the help of my family and friends and I want to make the world a better place with small steps :)

Happiness is flourishing and growing in the midst of crisis. Happiness is to love life, enjoy the purpose of your life and be who you want to be (Or who you are)

One of the examples of a happy person I can think of is the character Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption. Despite his predicament, he found a way to flourish and triumph. He built a library, amassed a fortune, helped others, played chess, got revenge, and tunneled his way out of that place. That character gives us an example to live by.

What about Forest Gump Movie? He was naive, but it was Love, Love of life, love of things he wanted to do that made him happy :)

Some thoughts from my side :) Please feel free to share your thoughts on Happiness and goals of life.

Paths of Glory - Jeffery Archer

I am a fan of Jeffrey Archer's fictional writing - and this book was no exception. Although Archer has presented well researched facts, this should not be treated as a factual book about Mallory but instead to be read as a story. If you see just the plain words this book could be called a catalogue of one person's achievements and set backs, but being the consummate story teller that he is - Archer has woven facts with fiction and created an amazing tale of Mallory's obsession. Despite the fact that I have no clue or love about Mountaineering or rock climbing, it's a testament to Archer's story telling skill that I was so engrossed in the book that I could not put it down until I finished it.

This book was a quick easy read told in Archers own style, but still I could not but feel disappointed that there were not more details given. I would not probably understand complicated details about Mountaineering, but still it seemed as if there were no details about the hard ships encountered by Mallory and his team. Please do not take me wrongly, I loved this book, but some how I did not feel how hard it was to climb Mount Everest when I read this book. I mean from Mallory's perspective it might not have been hard, but I knew from facts that it indeed was and it did not come through in this book. Also I felt like he could have developed a little bit more insight about what motivated Mallory etc. My two cents anyways.

But the book is absorbing and hard to put down. You would think there would be nothing interesting about Mountain climbing and a mountain itself, but the way Archer writes, you are transported to a world where the Mountain is transformed into something else, where time is enchanted and passes quickly and before you know you are the end of the book. I ended the book with feelings of wanting more, sadness for Mallory and his wife, euphoric feeling that Mallory had indeed succeeded and more. Definitely a must read recommendation from my side.

As I end this post, wanted to quote the the description on this book as mentioned on Archers's own website, highlighting the last line from it.

"This is the story of a man who loved two women, and one of them killed him.

Some people have dreams that are so outrageous that if they were to achieve them, their place in history would be guaranteed. Francis Drake, Robert Scott, Percy Fawcett, Charles Lindbergh, Amy Johnson, Sir Edmund Hillary and Neil Armstrong are among such individuals.

But what if one man had such a dream, and when he’d achieved it, there was no proof that he had fulfilled his ambition?

Paths of Glory is the story of such a man. But not until you’ve turned the last page of this extraordinary novel, will you be able to decide if George Mallory should be added to this list of legends, because if he were, another name would have to be removed. "

Badavara Badami - Kadlekai

Kadlekai - this humble legume (Yes it is actually a legume along with Peas and beans) but yet so rich in protein that it gets categorized under nuts is a delicious snack. My husband and mom are much more peanut fanatics than I am, but some how I seem to have a penchant for this specific type of Kadlekai snack called "Congress Kadlekai". It could stem out of the fact that this road side churmuri I used to eat used to utilize Congress Kadlekai or it just has this addictive taste.

When I went to India for my brother's wedding, the first thing I asked my Mom was that I wanted to take some Congress Kadlekai back to US. She promptly got me some from Subbamana Angadi in Gandhibazaar. I have eaten them from the famed V.B. Bakery as well near Sajjanrao Circle. Congress Kadale is very popular around Bangalore/Mysore Area and probably around Karnataka as well. But of course it is a know fact that South Bangalore is a good source of them.



There are many interesting stories behind this special little delicacy. One theory is that these roasted groundnuts were distributed in various Congress rallies conducted in Bangalore during the freedom struggle.They became wildly popular, and were thus named.

Another guess is that Gandhi helped to promote them as ‘Badavara Badami’ or the Badams of the poor, as they were rich in nutrients and easily accessible by the poor.

I also read some where that the color of the kadlekai after adding all the masala that makes it Congress Kadlekai was the color that Congress was using at that time and hence the name.

Whatever might be the story behind this interesting snack, it has definitely made to the must eat list of mine.



I was about to end my post here, but then remembered the famous Kadalekai Parishe of Bangalore. We stayed so closed to the Dodda Basava Temple that we attended this annual Groundnut Fair (Literal translation) every year. Apart from heaps and heaps of ground nuts we used to have stalls of Battasu (colored sugar candy), bendu, and what not. Plus stalls for toys and stuff. This used to be the highlight of our childhood days where we collected money so that we can spend at the Parishe. There used to be parades and dances and all the interesting stuff.

History of this Kadalekai Parishe as I got it from Wikipedia,

In the past, Basavanagudi was surrounded by places like Guttahalli, Mavalli, Dasarahalli and other places where groundnut was cultivated. On every full moon day a bull would charge into the groundnut fields and damage the crop. The farmers then offered prayers to Basava (Nandi) to stop this and pledged to offer their first crop.

Subsequently, an Idol of Basava was found close by. It has been said that, the Idol was growing rapidly, and the farmers nailed an iron peg on the head of the idol, which is visible in the form of a trishula even to this date. Later in the year 1537, Kempe Gowda, dedicated a temple to ‘Dodda Basava’ on top of the Basavanagudi hillock and installed the Idol. This temple is known as Bull Temple. Ever since, the farmers from surrounding villages come here every year and offer their annual harvest of groundnut as offering to Lord Basava. This is accompanied by the annual fair, which is known as the Kadlekai Parishe.

Back from India Vacation

It had been 4 weeks of fun filled vacation in India along with my brother's wedding. Sad and glad to be back. Sad because I miss family and friends and all the cool stuff we did together. Glad because it is always nice to be at your own home, sleep in your own bed and to get back to stamping and scrap booking. Many a times during my vacation there were so many things that happened or things that people said that I wanted to blog. But now that I am back, I seem to be having writers block and cannot seem to think of a single topic to write.

Hopefully in the days to come I can write about some of the interesting things that happened and people I met and about the wedding itself.

It was really a happy event to welcome Kriti into our family. She and Tejaswi make a great pair.

Just wanted to dash off this note that I am back and will be back with more things to write about.

Have a good week,

Lost in Twilight series

My Life was going normal until my friend Anjali told me that she had bought the first two book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer and then it turned upside down. lol. I know I am kind of exaggerating it, but this series is just amazing. I have read all the four books in the series non-stop and in a way it was good that I arrived late into this frenzy and got to read all the four books in series. I had read quite a few Vampire related romance novels by Tereasa Mediros earlier and had liked them. The TV Serial Moonlight based on Vampire and falling in love with a human was also one of my favourites.

I have read a lot of reviews on these on various sites. They range from Most Favourite to hate it...Which in itself is kind of unique. From the opening statement you might have realized that of course I love the series despite the romantic cliches. I think the most engaging thing I found about this series was the witty and humorous narrative that kept me completely engaged and was indeed a page turner. The cliff hanging endings for each chapter also helped of course. Meyer may not be a great writer, but she is a great story teller. The series has quite a few moments of insight into life, mortality, soul and love and Meyer has a gift to create artistic and sensual imagery of her writing.

A wry and sometimes witty narrative voice that engages the reader, complete with a few surprising moments of genuine insight about life, mortality, and love, combines with a gift for artistic and sensual imagery.

I do agree with many reviewers about Bella being whiny, shallow and having very low self esteem. But again this is just how the author felt her heroine should be and everyone feels like they would have portrayed her differently. But that is how she is. The number of times she feels or tell that she is too good for Edward also grated on my nerves some times. I am like just get on with it!! I also think that Meyer has portrayed Edward as being tortured and angst and could have developed his character more. He who has been in existence for more than a 100 years could have been portrayed differently - again that is just my opinion. But then again how many women have not fallen in love with Darcy type character who are brooding, angst, intense and are slightly controlling as well...too many? Yeah totally.

So in essence less-than-perfect characters experience for the first time the vampire-human love and all the joys and pains accompanying it actually make the book more interesting and not less. There were humorous dialogues and upbeat situations in the book making it really a feel good book. For example there is a scene in the book where Edward is taking Bella to meet his family for the very first time and she is worried that they might not like her and Edward comments that - "You are not worried that you are going into a house full of Vampires but the fact that they might not like you?"...Which I thought was really cool.

If you have not already read the book, please read it with a open mind and then let me know if you liked it or hated it!!! You might be surprised at your reaction.

Happy Reading
From the one is currently re-reading New Moon (2nd book in the series)

Things have a way of repeating itself

I am sorry for a long winded post, but wanted to share a story first and then proceed with my ramblings.

My grandma (my dad's mom) used to come all the way to the bus stand in my native place to see us off. It was not that big of a walk or it was not that she could not walk, but there was no need or necessity, but she did it anyway. Curiosity kills the cat or in this case gives a new insight. Of course, I asked her why she did that. She said that one of her cousins or sisters (I cannot remember who) used to do this and my grandma used to tease her a lot about it and had complained about it several times. She told me that there was nothing like next life to reap the benefits (I always feel everything in life is a benefit even if we might not know it or realize it) of your actions, it is always in this life, so now that her cousin/sister had passed away, my grandma felt the urge to come see us off till the bus stand.


This talk with my grandma had a very big impact on me and made me rethink my actions in several situations (sometimes in retrospect - but that helps too). I used to argue about certain things with my Mom and I notice that I am doing the same things that she used to do that was bothering me then.

Anyways, the reason I thought about this today was because it is very very cold today here in Flower Mound, TX - 28 degrees Fahrenheit which makes it below freezing and we are having sleet rain and very icy conditions on the road. There is nothing on the TV other than road conditions, weather updates and news snippets related only to this weather. There are so many accidents because Texans are not used to this kind of weather and they just cannot drive in this weather.

When I was young I went to school in Ulavi (a small village in Karnataka) near Dodderi (which is the home of my grandfather and the famous novelist Dr.D.V.Rao). I used to notice that people could talk for hours even like half a day about the buses. Yeah, buses - like did Krishna Bus come in today? I am sorry if this is a huge information overload, but buses back there have names and then run at specific times. So, the conversation would be something like,

"Did Krishna bus come today?"
"No Not yet, although Gajanana bus did go the other way."
"I have heard that there is a new driver in Krishna bus along this route."
"Hmm, maybe he is a better driver than the last driver, who was so rash that I was always scared when he turned around the Hosabale pond."

Of course all this dialog would take place in Havyak language - my native tongue which is a variation of Kannada - the state language of Karnataka.

So, all the teasing and complaining about the way they could talk for hours on buses have come back to haunt (or is it benefit) me in Flower Mound, where we have talked nothing but the icy weather in the past half a day.

Life is awesome indeed.

HAPPY 2009

I hope everyone has a great 2009. WOW 2005 to 2009 - four years of not posting on this blog. So one of my resolutions this year is to blog more often, but at the same time not to be too caught up in this virtual world that I forget the real world and also my other commitments this year like eating healthy, losing weight etc.

Sometimes I wonder if the different options available for "Virtual Social Networking" is actually more confusing to people than helping them? I mean there is Orkut, Face book, Linked In and of course blogs (I have resorted to Google Reader to help me keep track of the blogs). I hardly get enough time to stamp/scrap and post to my blog and now I need to make time to visit Face book (Yes I do have an account there) and other virtual networking sites :)

It has been ages since I did anything with my Shelfari Account. If you are wondering about that - it is the virtual bookshelf - to let your friends know which books you own, what are you reading now etc. I am spending more time updating Shelfari rather than actually reading anything :)

Does some of this sound familiar to you? Then you are in my boat.

A short post for today. Hopefully will have more to say in my next post and there will not be such a big Gap this time.