And the Oscar goes to…

Slumdog Millionaire ...
Slumdog Millionaire ...
Slumdog Millionaire ...
Well ok!
The whole day the news channels here are running news of how this is India’s victory, how this opens doors for Indians at the Academy etc.!
All the channels – radio and TV and repeatedly playing Jai Ho.
We hear – “The success of Slumdog Millionaire at the Oscars had made India proud”.
Has it? Really?
I disagree. I, proudly Indian, disagree. No, I did not make a grammatical error there. I intend to say “proudly” and not “proud”.
I fail to understand why has this made people so happy? Is it the need to identify with anything successful that has remotely something to do with India? (I have similar views on associating Kalpana Chawla with India but that is another post.) This movie is not Indian. Neither a complete representation of India for that matter. India could be this but it is much more.
I have to admit that I have not yet watched the film. The initial reviews of the movie did that to me. From what I heard, India is not shown in good light. Yet, people rejoice!
I see a silver lining though. A.R. Rehman is truly a sensational musician and his getting the award makes me happy.
Other than that, even though the cast is from India, this movie is not.
I cant help but think, where does this leave Indians(or India), as slumdogs or millionaires?

Made by me Monday - flowers

This one is for another friend - now delivered so I can safely post pics here!

The picture is from a cell phone camera so please excuse the perspective lines!

Made by Me Monday - Guardian Angel

Another angel. This is for a friend and since it is now handed over, I can safely post it.

She thought something was missing in this though but could not quite point out what. Could somebody help? Am hoping there is a chance to enhance this someway!

Where is the buzz?

The clock is nearing 4.00 pm on a seemingly normal working day. Usually this is the time when you can hear murmuring and there is a spike in activity. People get up from their workstations to take a 10 minute break, head to the tea/coffee machine or a quick bite.
Why is it so quiet then, of late? Where is the usual drone? Where are the people?
There have been talks of a slowdown for a good over 6 months now. We frequently hear the news of layoffs in Organization ‘A’, shutdown of Org ‘B’. Till now, these are ‘news’ for me, terms that I have heard a few years earlier as well.
Suddenly people from around my work area go missing…
People who you travel with to work, who you chat with everyday and sometimes just wave or smile at are not to be seen at the office.
This is when reality strikes – and badly at that.
Maybe this is one disadvantage of globalization, or maybe not. The economies of the world are now so inter-related that some downfall in one part of the world has ripple effect across!
Not that I understand finance or economy in the slightest, these are just my thoughts. So rather than state some incorrect ideas, it will do best if I restrain my ponderings and leave this at that…
Some questions still do bother me though. How long before life gets back to normal here at the office?

Friday Foto - Pink and Green

Surreal but nice

You are exhausted from a day full of activity. You have late dinner followed with a walk and chatter with some others bunking with you. So essentially you sleep late. The next day starts early with you being all ready and set for another rigorous day. The alarm wakes you up early the next morning. It is still dark outside. You go for a morning jog, come back get ready and are prepared to take on the new day.
This day also follows the same pattern. You set up an alarm for the next day.
Surprisingly you are up before the alarm goes off. You set off to jog. You hear birds chirping and no mechanical sounds.
Imagine not having a TV in your room, no newspapers to read, no signal on your cell. Virtually cut off from the world. You do not hear/see vehicles, no honks.
Nature surrounds you and welcomes you.
It is difficult to imagine but not so much for me anymore.
I have very recently had the pleasure to experience all of this. It is surreal, but nice.
What made it even better is living in a tent so no doors to block the world out. By virtue of the tent, I welcome the nature!

Another new banner...

To welcome spring!

Alive.

How is the experience of laying your life in the hands of a group of people, a group which includes 7 people you hardly know and yourself? (I think this would be the same thought in every individual’s mind then.)
I had this experience. Yesterday.
I was in a program held at an activity camp.
We had a task.
Was it Exciting? – Yes
Was it Exhilarating? - Yes
Was it Challenging? – Sure
Had we ever done it before? - No
Life threatening? – Most certainly!
What with amongst the group of 8 barely 1 or 2 knew how to swim.
The task was to build a raft and actually sail on it. (Ok, there was help where required!)
And we did it. Made it back to the shore – ALIVE!

Made by me Monday - Angel

A friend wanted me to make a cut out of an Angel... So this was a proto for that!

My 30 mins of…

No, not fame.

Basic needs.

Oxygen.
Ok I am not writing this to boast that I went out for a walk this morning. In fact I’d say, far from boasting. This was one of my resolutions – exercising and a whole month after making the resolution, I am trying to put it into practice. Better late than never, what say?
That is beside the point though.
So I went to the park for a morning walk today. When I started on my way, the air was nice and crisp and chill, quite early so not much traffic on the usually busy streets.
Then I took 3 laps of the long (c’mon, gimme some credit) jogging track. My time was up and I started on my way back!
I have never felt the weight of air before! One step out of the park gates and I had this feeling of going into thick air. I was shocked as the realisation hit me that what I (and you) breathe every moment is so polluted, so contaminated, so carbonated! It was in stark contrast with the pure oxygen that I inhaled just a minute ago.
And now I can only hope that this fresh air has stirred some cells in my brain and those will want me to go and exercise in the park more often (I was going to write every morning but I don’t want to jinx it).
Tomorrow I shall take deep breaths – just to rake in more benefits!

Made by Me Monday - Hummingbird

My kid-cousin saw one of my paper cutting pieces and was all excited. He tried to draw a hummingbird on a rough pad for me to make a cutting out of. In the end he was not happy with what he sketched. So I thought I should make the same for him.

Lo and behold!



Now for some close-up shots -