Chiffonesque

This year, it's all about accomplishing goals. The way forward, I think, is to not look at it as an all or nothing issue. Break it down into smaller 'goallettes', fix what you will do every single day, and then it all comes together.  This year, I think, I will meditate every single day. I've given myself 5 minutes to start with. It doesn't matter how long. I will just do it every day. Today, I had a meeting and plans to have a friend over for some hot chocolate today. Somewhere in between or after all that, more work will need to get done. This year, I'm going to write a lot. That means just staying really focused and not let anything get in the way. Meditation has therefore reached a critical importance now.

The book revolves around a PhD student of literature. Her specialty is Charlotte Bronte and as part of her study, she is trying to get hold of the letters that the author wrote to her lifelong friend, Ellen Nussey and Professor Heger, the object of her affections. [It was a case of unrequited love and resulted in many soulful epistles and the novel, 'The Professor' or 'Villette'. It also seemed to fuel other people. These letters were considered to be incendiary by the author (she compares them to 'lucifer matches') and her husband, Nicholls, insisted on either destroying them or censoring them. Heger was married and would tear up Charlotte Bronte's letters.]His wife would tape them back together and keep them. When she died, she entrusted these letters to her daughter.] Paul is Sara's boyfriend and he is also a literature student studying George Orwell. Paul and Sara break up on account of a Claire Virgee who is studying the late Lady Diana as a ...

There is someone who has passed away and I am not handling this person's demise too well. In case any one can suggest a book that will help me get through that, it will really help. The book can be about anything. I want to get distracted.

Finished reading 'The Bronte Project' by Jennifer Vandever. Will start reading ' The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared' by Jonas Jonasson. This wasn't part of my reading list that I had put up earlier but I had bought this book and forgotten about it. So will read it now. 

I read this one really quickly. Actually bought this for mum and started flipping through it. Liked what I read, continued, and before I knew it, the book was over. What struck me was that the most coherent, moving pieces of the book is when Johar is talking about his work. In fact, I think, wherever he has used his work as the prism and explained his world, he is really solid. Where he is simply talking about a person or a certain episode - like the tension with Shah Rukh or the rift with Kajol - it tends to get boring. (Okay, so you had a great friend and she let you down and now you're not friends with her. Or your very best friend got upset because you made new pals and didn't have time for him but you're back stronger now. It's not all that devastating or dramatic, really.) What is fascinating is Johar's description of the Bombay of the 80s and the cinemascape of when he became a director.  I particularly liked the portions where he first finds his gro...

A book, tiny cup of water, some sunshine and a glimpse of the day.

1. I am reading Karan Johar's 'An Unsuitable Boy' and really liking it. 2. Am going to take a couple of days off in the first week of February and think about my career and work. 3. Meditation becomes a part of my life from tomorrow for sure.

Some night there is waterfall. I behaved badly today. I spoke very rudely to someone today and shunned the food she brought me. Then I worked. Anyway, I will watch a couple of videos and sleep. Will tackle things tomorrow.

Between expectation and acceptance, everything hangs.

Death. Bad dreams. Waking up crying. Going to Mom and hugging her. She making it all okay.  But Death.

Today I went out with someone. It was sweet and tender. We walked along Worli seaface and he made me laugh. He knew that I loved the Haji Ali fruit and cream dish. So he took me there and shared a bowl of strawberries and cream. On the way, he stopped by another of his favorite dessert places and got me doodhi halwa. He dropped me off at the bus stop, stayed back to see if I got a seat, peered in to check if I was okay, and then left. It was so innocent. And it felt good. There were lots of things that happened yesterday but I choose to write about this because there are so many instances of so much violence against women. It affects me so deeply that sometimes, I can't even talk to a man on the phone without thinking how he might get violent with a lady if he had the chance. It is very odd but there it is. But that attitude is not serving me. So I thought I would catalog, at least, all the times I have been with a kind man late into the night and I was safe and happy.

Finished reading 'The Alienist' by Caleb Carr. Disturbing, wholesome, solid. After a L-O-O-N-G time, noticed that I was holding my breath every few chapters. Noteworthy are a few things: the description of New York in the 1890s before it became Greater New York and Theodore Roosevelt as the mayor of the city before he became President, the rise of fine dining with Delmonicos, the ghettos, the impact of the man with the money who bailed out an entire nation - JP Morgan. Then, a killer who, against all of this setting, seemed like a normal guy. And a doctor who, against all of this setting, was anything but. If you're looking for a thriller, this, really, is it.

I am thoroughly enjoying 'The Alienist' by Caleb Carr. New York City in the 1870s is so spectacularly described that just the description of what some areas will become later fills you with a sense of foreboding. It's an exciting read and I wish I could park all of my work for a couple of days and simply gobble that book. A friend, N, is here and it was really nice to meet her near her place. We had coffee at McDonald's and chatted and it was a nice finish to the day. My cook has stitched up a bunch of stuff at home, by hand. Last night, I'd worn one of those 'creations', so to speak. It was a strappy number in a brown paisley print fabric (which we cut off a palazzo that had ripped) and wore it on top of a black turtleneck. I liked it. :-) Anyway, I will sign off now and head back to reading the book. Will do some work after that.

Rendition of The Little Mermaid and a contemporary twist on the same picture if I had to do it. (The second one is inspired from Sophie Kinsella's 'The Twenties Girl'.)

In no particular order, stuff that has happened over the last few days: 1. Made two trips to Urban Foundry over the last couple of days. Had excellent conversations. One with an ex-colleague who was into Fine Arts earlier and is now in the UX/ UI domain. The other with a dear pal of mine I used to go for walks with. Had cosmopolitans there and I would recommend it. It is served so prettily! There's that famous pink-orange-red swirl of the cocktail in a martini-glass but the glass doesn't have a stem. That vessel is placed inside a glass bowl filled with some funky swirly white smoke - the kind you get from dry ice. It comes to your table and everyone's eyes are on you! That's part of the fun. Today, I had the soya chaap there - a favorite of mine from visits to Delhi. Succulent and flavorful. 2. We made rose water at home. It's bottled and stays pretty on a nightstand. Now I don't know what to do with it. 3. A friend from Bombay had come over and stayed. ...

Dear beautiful people, Wish you a peaceful, strong New Year!