Earlier Poetic Attempt - III

कधीतरी वेड्यागत वागायला हवे
अलगद वारयावर तुला सोडायला हवे
स्वैर आभाळात हरवतो स्वतःला
की घरट्याची पाउलवाट शोधतोस ते पहायला हवे

Earlier Poetic Attempt - II

मी वाट पाहते तुझी असं तुला कधी वाटलंच नाही
आसवांनी भिजलेला रुमाल तुला कधी दिसलाच नाही

Earlier Poetic Attempt - I

रविवारी रात्री जीव घाबरला होता खूप... अंधार होता जिकडे तिकडे, सगळं चिडीचुप....
त्या दिवशी तुझी वाट पहिली खूप, उशीर झाला तुला तेव्हा मनात होता पूर

Perils of living abroad

Working in a developed country, new experiences,different cultures,
high standard of living, comforts that cannot be taken for granted if
you live in a developing nation, a house on the beach... Most people
see and think these things when working abroad concerns.

Yes, these and more, are the benefits - tangible or intangible that
come with working in a developed nation. BUT... what people fail
to notice is the new struggles, the frustration,at times the lack of a
system and others that ALSO come as a package deal!

If you work (or have worked) in a places like US and UK where you have
considerable communities living and working and providing support
and who speak English, will not relate to my point. Whereas if you have
lived anytime in the European nations or the south east Asian or
pacific countries like Japan, South Korea, you will definitely
(relate to my point)!

Language is a major barrier in these nations. Giving due credit to
the minority speaking English, it is still a struggle in your day to day
life that you go through. Everything from filing you visa to setting
the thermostat in your house takes effort. You may laugh at the
latter but you will get the point at the end of this post :)

Firstly, these nations are highly mechanized, automated - call what
you may. So some of the gadgets are totally new to you and you first
try to learn how to use it (forget customizing it to your needs). This
thermostat in my new house is very sophisticated and customizable
as per your daily routine, starting from the time you wake up. Fine.
But to understand what is what and set it - is a task, believe me!
The manuals are with me - but pray if I understand a word of Dutch.
(My German does come to my rescue a bit but I still struggle. )
Imagine the plight of complete novices moving,for the very first time,
to a land that does not have English as its first language!
God save his/her soul.
My best friend, Google, does help me most times - but sometimes he too
cannot do much. Some people just don't want you to understand them :)

Home is just one issue which can be handled. However the other stuff that
goes with it can sometimes cannot be. There are all these different taxes
which you haven't heard of in your country! Garbage collection tax! Man
what is that and WHY is that?! (Of course that is something that can be tried
in India to help clean up the streets.) But the point is how do I know how
much I pay if I stay in that house for only 3 months?! Then there is this
segregation of garbage which can be understood only by the Dutch literate.

The transport announcements - you never know if the tram you are
waiting for is going to arrive or no. There are offers and schemes that the
lady on the counter recites - but they are useful only if you can make out
what she is saying! An God forbid if you are a vegetarian!!
Try to figure out the snack you are buying is eggless... and you will be
playing dumb charades some times :)

Of course its not all that bad. The thrill of new experiences keeps you going.
But legal, financial and municipal stuff does make you wish that the whole
world would speak a common language! There would still be other things
that could add to my excitement and adventure. Did I hear Amsterdam?! :)

too much of everything

Is too much of everything bad... including love?!

Curious coincidences

Wherever I go.... my family follows :)

Well, I had moved to Bangalore and a couple years later
my bro moved to Chennai and then to Bangalore.

I moved to Germany (and then NL) and my youngest bro
took up school in France. And now the other one is now
coming to Germany for a coupla months initially.

So.. looks like my family loves me a lot OR... they know me
too well to let me alone .. hehe :)
Anywho.. its good to have family around. I'm loving it!!

Change of state

Finally moved into my spacious (well, in comparison with
my earlier studio, yes!) 1 bedroom apartment by the beach.
Still no sign of internet in this developed nation and despite
the earlier tenants having one at the same address!
Surfing on some unsecured wireless.

So change of state is because there is change in the state of my
mind. New things obviously excite everyone (for me, even more :P).
But especially the task of unpacking and arranging and setting up a
house have been one of my favorites, I realise now. Did you
wonder that the same things appear in a different light when you
unpack them? Well, try it next time. So there's a new thrill, new tasks,
new to-do's, more shopping :D Just feels great.. and the view is adding
to this pleasure of mine.

Coincidence?

My home in Munich was at the base of the Alps (not literally dude).
My current home in The Hague is a stone's throw away from the sea.
My new home is literally on the beach.
So I am moving towards the sea.. closer and closer... I think it is
symbolic of my growing fondness towards taking the plunge, eh?!
hehe.. keep pondering.

Strange

Strange it was that though today was an hour shorter for me
(I woke up and had already lost an hour thanks to DST), I
managed to do a lot more than I could have in a regular day.
Hmmm.. secret to achieving more - Have less time??

Moving Day is nearing

Shifting homes is never an easy task no matter which country!
Packing, cleaning, unpacking, cleaning, arranging, rearranging,
cleaning.. ahh the cycle never ends for a few days.

I have lived in my current studio for only 6 months, but man, it
is still tough to move out hassle free. I am fearful moving into the
new place this week due to all the tasks that await me there :(

But I am happy with my new place. It is fantastic. A bigger 1 bedroom
apartment with a view of the sea.. right on the boulevard on the beach.
Its just fab... Cant wait :)

Spring is here

The season of spring,
Weather seems to sing
Lovely lovely days
are coming our ways

Spring is finally here and it feels great. Gone are the overcast skies and the sun shines bright. Up and about on my feet, cos my dear, the time is right. :)

If you want to ever experience what human hibernation is,
you should visit the northern parts of the world in summer
and wait until its Spring. The snow seems to push everyone deeper into their hearths and there is hardly any activity. The moment the sun starts shining bright for a couple of days in March and you see those sleeping beauties wake up and show their might. It was so absolutely funny to walk out of my door and see so many people I never knew lived next door. (Ofcourse, I too hibernating, but well..) It was so great to see so many people on the streets, kids frolicking in the parks, bikers riding their bikes in full glory.. It was so refreshing.

The best part however, was mother nature. Its amazing to see the change around when the sun starts shining. Its like a switch turned on... and tak,tak, tak... everything around dons a new look. Flowers blooming every place you look, green carpets everywhere, trees looking like still waking up from their deep sleep... its amazing.

Here is one capture from around Den Haag this Spring.

Lazy?

I think the advances in technology have made the new
generation lazy. I say from my personal experience as
well as that of others.

Our parents are still more active and more willing to go
the extra mile to achieve something - it may be something
as simple and ordinary like getting a refund back from the
shopkeeper. We on the other hand just shush it away..'Ah,
well, how does it matter, we have enough of it already'.
We have abundance of those items that were not readily
available to the previous generation. So we don't care and
chase other,bigger (in our opinion) things in life.

Well, everything has its pro's and con's. You just have to be
wise to make your choice.

Schade!

On second thoughts ,if women have to write this in the national
daily, it looks like they are asking for too much. Pity!

Equality Matrimonials

Time has brought in many changes.. in the world, in technology,
our work and our personal relationships as well.

A good example, if I may say, I saw today was a change in the
matrimonial section of the national daily. Here's the link.
It shows a true reflection of the change women have undergone or
let me say the urban/working woman has undergone in recent times.
Today's woman talks about equality on all fronts.. at work and in their
personal relationships. Look at the, I wouldn't say demands, but
expectations - and they are fair.

Today, when the woman also comes back home after a hard day's work
it is unfair to expect her to attend to all the domestic chores. She needs
support from her partner to keep herself sane in an insanely fast world.
You may say thats the problem of a nuclear family. And NO, joint family
is not a solution. They may work for some, not all. Joint families have
their own set of problems and most times it becomes an issue in itself,
mostly due to the generation gap of elders. I wouldn't say the previous
generation is regressive but it is difficult for them to understand the
characteristics of the current world and adapt themselves to it. It is
unfair too to expect that from them. So the median way is the best way.
Live nuclear but think 'together' when required.

The new woman also wants to retain her identity, her freedom, her money
even. I must say that the men of this generation too are adapting and this
isn't a big problem. They just need to stand a little more firm on it when
the bigger family comes into picture. But still not bad.

All today's women want is to not have to undergo a sea of change cos of
one change in their marital status, having a man who earns his living and not
just a salary, whom she can respect and expect the same back, a little give
and take and lots of love. In the end its all about understanding and adjusting
to each other's needs of time, space and goals - and that goes for both.
Its not too much to ask for or is it?

Gourmet cook

They say - "necessity is the mother of invention"...
In these times where humans have all they NEED but WANT more..
I say - "boredom is the mother of invention".

You have everything you need .. but does that motivate you to
try out new things? Nope!
You get bored of the things you have... does that motivate you to
try out new things? Yep!

So.. boredom in the kitchen is the mother of inventive dishes.
Like today... made "dhirada".. a typical maharashtrian pancake
made of besan (bengal gram flour) and the staple onion and chillies.
Add to it a touch of all purpose flour (for lack of rice flour) and bingo!
A little pudina-green chilli chutney added the required zing to my
boring dinner. Came out yummy :)

Either way

You get tired... When you have too much to do..
You get tired... When you have not much to do..
Either which when you get tired... you are getting OLD! :-)

Boriyat

Realised today that I have suddenly lost interest in
reading.. and even writing. :-(

Have a huge Marathi book with me - which I fought for -
but just not able to pick it up and read. Same with writing..
Havent written much in this year so far.

Ofcourse I have been busy. Had been to Germany to visit my
bro who was on business there. (Had a much awaited visit to
Heidelberg.) Then my youngest bro was with me until today..
so yeah. But this is nicht gut.

:-)

होंठ पे लिए हुए.... दिल की बात हम
जागते रहेंगे और... कितनी रात हम
मुख़्तसर सी बात है... तुमसे प्यार है...
तुम्हारा.... इंतज़ार है....
तुम..... पुकार लो....

दिल बहेल तो जाएगा.... इस ख़याल से....
हाल मिल गया तुम्हारा.... अपने हाल से....
रात बेकरार थी...बेकरार है....
तुम्हारा.... इंतज़ार है....
तुम..... पुकार लो....

Celestial Connections

or Kismat Konnections...

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.
You meet people for a reason and that though you may not
notice the reason right away, eventually it will be clear.
Ofcourse, there are still things that happened and people I
met - the reason for which I do not know yet. But nevertheless,
the belief stays.

Just happened to revisit some of the old times and thought of it.

Trigger

manatale bhaav saare bandist aahet othan maage
bhavanancha baandh sutayla havet mag aathavaninche dhaage

Growing slow and steady

Looking at my blogging history it appears that I have
been a turtle... slow and steady.

The number of posts from 2007 have steadily increased
and I hope I keep the pace this year too :)

A New beginning

with a new year, new resolutions, new goals..
Wish you all a fantastic 2010 and hope you get
what you really need and may you enjoy the struggle
to get what you just want :)

It was a long break from blogging. Took a good vacation
in December and though snow and bad weather played
havoc with some of my plans - all in all - had a relaxing
2 weeks.

M back to getting used to the rut of regular life... yea, mid
Jan is a tad too late - but if you get an awesome vacation, it
does that. :)

Whats new with you?