Eat Pray Love

All things that I enjoy - of course my order is Eat, Love, Pray of course. So sufficient to say I really enjoyed the book. But I must confess since I'd picked up the book after the movie promos of "Eat Pray Love" were already airing - Julia Roberts was narrating the whole story to me - like you always have an image of the author and the protagonist in your mind. So I didn't have too much left for imagination this time  - I could almost hear Julia Roberts voice too!

The Italy journey was described as only a true gourmand can! And you hardly find a book that can talks about Italy without talking about Milan and fashion...so this is really different. And the thought of just learning a language without a purpose and practicing it with so much gusto makes me also want to find a language which I want to learn!

The India journey is amazing especially for the struggles with meditation and search for peace. For someone who has always felt so uncomfortable with meditation and an inability to get my mind still for even a minute - its good to know that everyone struggles similarly. Of course I'm yet to find an author who can do justice to India in a way that it truly deserves. It more than poverty, spirituality and vegetarian food, but that's of course a discussion for another day. Infact when I started reading the book, I too was going through these strange moods and loneliness and it got me surprisingly calm at the end of the it.

The funny part is when I read about Bali, I believed everything just the way it was described. And then maybe I thought all the places are also much more - of course its just a very individual way of seeing it! So Bali was fun too , but there wasn't much of a personal realisation from it. But for the die hard romantic that I am - I expected a little from the Love part of the book, but of course not chicklit...its mature love and of course its real - its not fiction!!

So all in all - a fun read and since for the first time I actually had the movie version protagonist reading out the book to me - Look forward to seeing the film!!!

Freedom?

What does freedom mean to you? That's a question I've asked myself very often and I've always come up with different answers..it was freedom from school into college...and then freedom was figuring out what I wanted to do in life...during B-school days it was landing the dream job and then it was moving out from home...and then of course you start wondering what exactly freedom is? Is it just waiting for your next biggest goal, accomplishing it...feeling free for a day or two and then chasing something else?

A few months ago I read an interesting explanation of the manifestation of freedom in a Chetan Bhagat interview. He mentions in some other context that, once he was just walking by a station - and on an impulse decided to take a local to Lonavala, spent the day there, did some writing and then got back in the evening.

That's when I thought - wow this is what freedom is...doing what you want whenever you want to. But when the much awaited break to do what I want is now here, hopping on and off trains and buses isn't coming that easy to me! Well of course a primary reason being I don't get as much royalty to enjoy my freedom as he does (rather I don't get any at all). Which basically means freedom at someoneelse's expense (as in my case currently) is no freedom at all.

But on giving this a little more thought, I truly think being free means doing what you love to do and thats what I'm trying to figure - to be truly free and ride into the sunset or maybe towards sunrise!!

My Seven Year Itch!

No No...Its not what you think!! Disappointed....? Don't we all just love to get some gossip about people we know...well at least I do...;-)

But anyway its not the proverbial "Seven Year Itch"...it the itch with the Job!! Its been seven years that I've been working and just three months that I've been off...but I just don't want to go back! Its not like I had a horrible time at work or anything...had a great boss...great colleagues (well..most), had fun at work too...but something was missing...

Looking back of course it seems like I get bored very easily with anything that I do for too long, which probably explains the two yearly job shifts. So what do I do when I get bored...I just move on (the husband is doing a happy dance at this...to think of what happens when we actually get to the seventh year of marriage...the thought of freedom they say is invigorating)

So here I am with no clue on what I want to do..but very sure of what I don't want to do...and too scared to take the untrodden path or even venture close to it...! But there's also this strange hope that the answer will soon come from the heavens above and with that hope...goodnight!!!

"You've got Mail"

My favourite movie...I must have watched it atleast twenty times and each time I see it even now - I watch with the the same enthusiasm as the first...the idealistic romantic in me loved the idea of being in love with some stranger who you hate at first and then you realise that he/she is so perfect for you that you are head over heels, and ahhh the feeling of really having your diary being able to reply to you - like someone who understands you so well that you can say whatever you want and you get a reply exactly like the one you want to hear!!! And the anticipation associated with receiving an email...something which is long awaited....like reply from that special someone...or maybe a job acceptance or just waiting for a reply from your friends on a simple mail you've sent...love it!!

And I simply love the bookstore - I have a dream of owning my own bookstore some day and I think it may have been inspired by the quaint little "Shop Around the Corner". When I have my bookstore, I'd love for it to have that warm cozy feeling - like a refuge where its only you, your thoughts and some amazing coffee and a wonderful book...

So here "I want to send a cosmic thought out into the void" about the dream!!

Mission 20 and a Half...

Read more about this mission on http://mission20andahalf.blogspot.com/

Basically I had decided to put up a weekly update of my Half Marathon progress...but that was being neglected till sudden inspiration came along and I started this....!

Rain OHHHH Rain....

My "Hate" relationship with rains continues...!!

Today was stranded on the road during one of the most heavy showers I've ever experienced! Not stranded really...but stranded driving....it was so bad I couldn't even see 10 feet ahead..and while everyone had slowed down considerably it was still sooo dangerous...thought I would die...seriously....!!

I think I must've broken every rule, got honked at by a trucker...who honked so loud that had it not been for the sound of the rain, my ear drum would have ruptured! He honked for a good 30 seconds - basically coz I was slow and then when I changed a lane to let him pass - he honked again....like after 30 seconds, I didn't understand just how aggrieved he was...And yet again Murphy's Law was at its best - the GPS kept belting out confusing directions on a road I'd never been on before...so imagine this with poor visibility, needless to say, couldn't get where I wanted to after four failed attempts, so finally just gave up!!

How I missed just stopping under the flyover, to let the shower get over and then start moving again....why didn't people wait? Isn't it safer to wait, rather than drive in almost zero visibility...So basically after today....Note to myself - ALWAYS...ALWAYS...check the weather HOURLY weather forecast before going to a new place....

Retail Therapy....works...

Yes yes...it does work for me !! Ya, today was one of those days where I was missing home, missing friends and generally missing being busy! And it was also one of those days where I truly understood the meaning of the age old adage...."An empty mind is a devils workshop"...so no matter what I did today, the negative thoughts kept returning....and the more I thought...the more negative they got.....No amount of watching fun shops, reading fun stuff...nothing helped...

So I decided I needed some fresh air and since the fresh air was so hot, I decided I would not mind some conditioned air as well..and decided to indulge in some shopping...well it was nothing much....and no...it wasn't the usual clothes or shoes...though I did end up buying two t-shirts, but that was only because they were on sale and I need something light when I run (well..and then its about time to even put an update on the running bit)....and in such moments of mindless buying I keep wondering whether I've turned shopaholic and then the very thought takes me to happy thoughts of all the Sophie Kinsella books and with a smile on my face I return to the shopping...

I bought very small things today...mostly all grocery and stationery (of course those who know me well, will probably wonder, if i can ever shop without buying some stationery...be it even a small pen), but even that managed to lift up my spirits..and I came home refreshed - and even home seemed brighter and cooler..!

So here I am looking forward to tomorrow - with new hopes and plans..!!!