Coconut tree inside the bathroom

A friend and I are planning a vacation to Kerala. While going through the websites of different resorts, we were struck by the description on one of them for their villas, which listed amongst its many attractions – ‘a coconut tree inside the bathroom’!!!

Hmmm….a coconut tree inside the bathroom…..I mean, really? Why would anyone want a coconut tree, or any tree for that matter, inside a bathroom? I am sure that the plentiful coconut trees outside the bathroom would suffice just fine!

Now, if you are taking a dog along, well, that's another matter entirely.....

Everything is relative

We make ourselves the centers of our universes. Well, most of us. I, me, myself…..

I wonder, if we kept in mind the actual size of the universe, would we still do the same? Karen Shanley, in her recent post talks about the relative size of astronomical objects and it is enlightening to know that ‘our world’ is so minuscule in the actual universe. And this is the universe that we have discovered. Who knows how many undiscovered universes are floating around.

If we keep Karen’s beautiful pictures in our minds, they would probably help us keep our egos out of things and situations. And dealing with stuff would be so much easier.

The next time a person brings their ego into a problem thereby making the problem worse, I would tell them, ‘Do you know the size of Antares’? And what do you know? There goes their ego crashing down!

Today....

How can I let today go without talking about it? Today is the day summer has officially turned into monsoon - in my part of the world - even though there has been no rain. The sun was sulking behind gray clouds all day, the immense sharp heat of the last few weeks toned down considerably and the air was relatively less warm.

Today has been a day of promise and hope, the promise of rain and the hope of ending the great Indian summer. At least for a year…….

Pigeon Capers - 2

Once the pigeon brigade are through with the juvaar, they hope on to the liquid part of their ritual.....the builder has very considerately provided a tap on the terrace under which I keep a small plastic bucket, always filled. The pigeons will take turns to hop onto the bucket edge and dip their heads into the bucket and daintily sip water.......Once in a while I keep the tap dripping just a little, and they will stand directly under the tap so that the water falls on their feathers....once they have been 'watered' adequately, they will spread out on the terrace, flattening themselves on the floor, pecking their feathers continously, drying and cleaning themselves parallely.....there's a system to their actions..which is evident only if you see them for a long enough time regularly.....and though it's been almost 8 months now, I still don't get tired of seeing their daily rituals.....
The best part is their standing in line...the bucket is small and can only take two or three pigeons at a time, the rest will hang around waiting for their turn......just like people at an ATM.....

Pigeon Capers - 1

After spending five years in a neighbouring town, I shifted back to my home town -Baroda, six months ago. While looking for apartments, I fell in love with a fourth floor apartment whose living room opened out into a terrace which was as large as the entire apartment! It has amazing views and brings in tons of light and wind inside the house. The terrace was the main attraction for choosing the apartment, which itself needs a lot of improvements.
But I never realised that the terrace was a package deal or that it came along with 'The Pigeon Circus'! Yes, that's right, there's this whole community of pigeons who use my terrace as their personal YMCA hostel, they come here for lodging and boarding....food, water and a cool bath.....
Every morning as soon as I get up, I throw handfuls of juvaar seeds throughout the terrace. The pigeon community is waiting on the terrace ledge, and as soon as I step into the terrace, some of them will fly down on to the terrace floor in anticipation of the spread. After the juvaar seeds are finished, some of them will step into my potted plants to search for worms or whatever in the soil. While eating, there are many skirmishes apparently to protect one's territory....while some of them are not interested in eating themselves as much as they are interested in making sure that others cannot eat!!! Talk about being a dog in the manger....There's this black and white pigeon, whose single point agenda seems to be preventing others from eating....I just haven't been able to figure out that dude....
(to be contd...)

Working from Home or.....

The other day, my friend 'D' and I were discussing the pros and cons of working from home. Like me, D has also recently traded full time employment for working from home. And she said that it would be so cool to have business cards with "WFH" designation......
But I am afraid.....that in the Indian context, and with my luck, some unfortunate idiot might just ask me whether "WFH" stands for "Wife for Husband"!!!! I know a couple of aunts in my own family who would think like that!
Aaahh.....but it sure makes for a good laugh................

Changing gears

I am changing gears in my personal and professional life......this is a good time to open up the private spaces inside myself...at 39, I have traded full time employment for a work-from-home situation, with all its accompanying luxuries and uncertainties....the luxuries come in the form of having time at your disposal, the freedom from having to be physically present in offices without any apparent reason, the flexibility of deciding your work priorities and the absolute joy of not having to rush every single morning with one eye on the clock. And the uncertainties include learning how to live without annual bonuses, without centrally ac offices, without having a set group of people to talk to every day..... There will be many more luxuries and uncertainties which will present themselves in the coming days.....

Though I don't like travelling too much, because the heat, the noise, the crowds, they all make me uncomfortable, but still I am a global person with my armchair travelling. Through the internet, I visit people and places all over the globe....it's one of the best features of living in the 21st century...

This blog is the start of a very public view of the change process....