Oxford Street

I have been to the famous Oxford Street of London after a year and half of coming to stay in this country. First thing I have noticed there is the number of named outlets and their locations. I was overwhelmed by the number of people inhabiting the street in-spite of the call of recession. It was like any other Saturday without the significance of a fast approaching event, which contradicts to the act of thousands of enthusiastic spenders.

I would never count myself as an enthusiastic shopper but I guess I did my bit on Saturday and got back to my senses after my wallet was empty. There are about half a thousand high street brands available on this gigantic street and I guess I have not done justice to any of them. When I initiated the trip it was supposed to be only window shopping and I confess that after my encounter with the first few galleries the initiation went out of the window.

I spent most of my hard earned grub on clothes and a few shillings (if they are still in distribution) on footwear. This makes me wonder about the reputation of women being compulsive shoppers. Is it true and did I see it happen with my own grub? I am affirmative that I do not desperately need any of the items I have acquired during my shopping conquest; then why did I acquire them – I have no clue!

I made a pact with myself that I would recommend visitors to Oxford Street so that they would benefit from an outrageous shopping spree and I can be deprived of my guilt. Confessions apart, I genuinely think that it is one and only place to shop for any occasion as the outlets do cater to all kinds of budget and I guess the shopping association should release some royalty towards this incoherent advert of mine.

Montage - Theory of mixing visual effects with music

Why are we so influenced by Cinema? Does it truly narrate circumstantial evidence or does it obliterate the facts? I always wondered what it was like to be able to watch a movie with my whole family; would I ever be able to do that? I always envied when my mates bragged about going out to watch the late night movies with their dear ones.

Cinema was not given importance when I was young. Now I cannot bear to waste time watching some scantily clad teenage girl running around the trees with a man old enough to be her father. I wonder if it is really true when elders talk about the variation in lifestyle from what they call their “era” to the current generation.

But is cinema totally bad? Isn’t this the most conventional method of reaching to the masses? I am no critic to talk about cinematography as a science but I sure can talk about the value and impact of the latest addition to Indian cinema. I have watched some of the named classics from my childhood and some of the recent elaborations of music and love.

My amateur eye fails to notice any quality in the musical numbers and the acting abilities of the protagonists of the recent cinema. I guess I still cling to old school when depiction of love between two humans sans touch and music is enjoyable to the human ear rather than the metallic harmonica. I guess I still loathe to see cinema made on human values and music that depicts the status quo.

Long live Rehman !!!!

Dr Eva Peter's Tea cosy

The name has been changed for anonymity.

Years of pragmatic approach towards understanding human nature had been useless to understand this particular and wonderful human being who I am proud to say is my manager.

She has a perfect sense of humour while entertaining a group of audience. She has the greatest virtue of patience when teaching her beloved colleague how to use Oracle for the umpteenth time and above all she has been in the same role for 18 years. Her famous drawback as explained was that she lacks personal skills and does not have enough managerial experience (which I know are lame).

This woman can do wonders on Access and can create most complex databases using her years of wisdom. She can make reports fly from a click of mouse from the extensive data dating ten years back. Above all she strives every minute of her life to make others happy. Working with her for two months had taught me not to work for a pay check but for self satisfaction.

Coming to the story of the Tea cosy, we recently moved offices and now we have our own little room for Team DQV (Data quality validation) with Eva as our lead and two other colleagues along with moi. It was the greatest achievement of Eva to have an office of our own. We decided to have our own social area rather than going to the pantry every now and then. So we designed our little tea corner with a Kettle, a bag of tea and a tea pot. It only made sense to have a Tea cosy as Neville our only male team member expressed his concern.

The next day there appeared a tea cosy with the team logo (Garfield) on it. It is a shame that we did not know about her accomplishments as a Bag maker, Embroidery master, Great Chef (we have tasted some of her great fresh breads) and above all a Writer. She is a master criminal mind who writes Murder mysteries and makes people enact them at a buffet dinner party at her chalet bungalow during summer.

One cannot help but notice her workmanship and attention to detail with this master piece. Kudos to an eminent personality and great individual!!!

Bhogi manta, Gaali patam, Haridasu, Basavanna

It is great that I remembered Pongal this year, thanks to the Telugu calendar I have downloaded from the Internet which keeps reminding me of the day and star of the current year. It is quite amazing to think about the wonderful childhood days when we use to look forward to the numerous festivals in a year. They always come with an added bonus of school holidays and mouth watering delicacies not to mention the gathering of my favourite cousins from Samalkot and Rajahmundry.

My favourite was always Pongal as the school holidays for this festival combined with those of Christmas and we had a full month of merry making. Nevertheless it is not for the school off I remember this but for the great Rangolis and the early morning bonfires. We celebrate this festival for 4 days and the fourth one being the day you remember your ancestors and seek their blessings.

Bhogi, the first day starts with rising usual than early as the bonfire should be lit before the sunrise and one is never allowed to light it without having their festive bath with a proper oil massage. There is always commotion on who can sit closer to the fire as January is till one of the colder months. I cannot quite gather the significance even though it signifies the burning of all the bhogas from life and a fresh start to a simpler life. Makara Sankranthi, the second day is more significant to the Sun god as it is this day the sun starts his eastward revolution and enters the Makara zodiac sign. Kanuma, the third day is more significant in worship of Lord Shani with oil wicks.

In my younger years I remember the frequent visits of Haridasus and also my own favourite “Bommala Koluvu”. It was quite a ritual to start the preparation of aligning all the dolls I owned and also trying to compete with the neighbours in having the best display. It was quite a task arranging mud from the back yard into the drawing room and sowing different seeds in it so that you have green saplings growing out of it by the day of display. All the hustle is to have a corner for Zoo and forest where the saplings related to the dense forest and enhanced the zoo.

It was never about the preparation or the show off but it was all about the spirit and enthusiasm of Mom and us kids. It was the best time of the year as each of us could get lots of new clothes and there were always visitors at home. I do not know what happened to all of that spirit now, the only explanation I get is that we may have evolved from that time period and moved on for good. I salute those people who strive to cling to their culture in spite of living away from it. Just yesterday I came to know about a distant cousin who is having the traditional doll display for her 2 year old daughter in California - you can enjoy the spirit wherever you live - lesson learnt ...

Long live Culture!!!

Self Indulgence

Yup I know I have been lazy and incompetent in maintaining this blog, but I am human and I am prone to make mistakes, so I would try to be more competent and release the untamed beast from within....

It has been quite a few months, I had thoughts, memories and ideas about life in the new year although none were put into action. Unlike last year I do not have any resolutions, just for the sheer alarm of not being able to keep up with them. I am sure most of my friends acted unlike me. I have done nothing productive in the last few months except working for my wages which I guess was good enough.

Getting back to my ideas I sure do have a huge list to start with but am unsure where to start -

Using the Oil paints I have got for Christmas (not even unwarapped my Easel yet)
Keeping up with the blog(which I have finally done today )
Reading the two new books I have found while on the bus
Sowing the coriander seeds for my Kitchen garden
Join weight watchers online (who am I kidding!!!!!)
Find the best holiday destination for the year
Buy all the presents in advance for the trip to India
Learn new low cal recipes
Learn Sudoku
Beat my sweetheart at Chess et al

Mind you its not the end of the list I just did not have any more time to type 'em all. Anywayz will update once I have started on my favourite. Until then Ta

Dark

Pondering through dark alleys
waiting for the unseen tears

a lump stuck in the throat
deep down from the bottom of the heart

weaving their way into the unlit sky
a gush of wind and a tear of joy

in vain and pain......
unknown unseen forgiven and forgotten......

Bliss

It was the end of a warm July day in the English countryside, with shrubs in full bloom and trees heavy with foliage with an occasional flight of a golden finch. Two Magpies’ were having a row about a juicy earthworm on the branch of an apple tree. The ground was never fertile and the trees never so full of life, unlike other times of the year.

It was around half eight and the day was not at all looking tired. Strolling leisurely on the country road, the view was ecstatic and the bend cuts across the beautiful lake with swans and ducklings. Being the right season for breeding there were huge families floating around and once in a while a swan carrying its young on its back. If I were a poet I could have written something spectacular about the moment, nevertheless I can narrate the situation formidably.

These moments are truly cherished, as I can now understand what prompted John Denver to write his ‘Take me home, Country roads’ in early 70’s. The meadows were lush with an abundance of lavender bushes and a variety of roses. I can feel the blissful concoction of the foliage while lying in the meadow and gazing at the skies.

It is a wonder that they have thatch roof houses standing from two centuries and as the sun’s rays touch the roof it is quite a spectacle. Walking in the way of fading sun, trying to count the number of daisies drooping for the night, finally its time to go home, as the dark would loom in soon. Country walks in Great Britain are quite a favourite in summer as you can explore the real countryside. Please don’t forget to watch out for the birds as they are quite civilised in this part of the world.