What's up Doc!!!?

Oh no!

Another long gap since the last time I posted. I remember wanting to put down some stuff which I thought was interesting, but it got skipped because of how busy life had become these past couple of months. Yeah, I got back to professional life.

No way I am complaining. I am sane when my days are full with work !

I remember now. I got to see some great sci-fi movies, which managed to leave a lasting impression. It is pretty rare these days, huh. Sci fi movies are thrown at us so frequently that it is difficult to distinguish one from another. Still, I loved Oblivion and I was blown away by Gravity.

Oblivion simply stands out mostly for its terrific visuals. They were breathtaking. They stood out. I could have gone on watching the movie many times over. I haven't heard good things about the movie from people, but me -- I loved it!! The fact that it made me think after leaving the hall is something in itself. I thought the story was brilliant. Makes you think about that thin line between make-believe and truth and how perspectives can change once the facade crashes. And of course, Tom Cruise for one and half hours on screen doesn't hurt the eyes! Though I agree, the end was a wee bit convenient and hurried!

Gravity, what can I say. For me, it was a 9.9 on 10. Couldn't get enough of it. Guilty as charged - I would have loved to see more of those breathtaking visuals of the blue earth, the sun rising and the pitch-black space and feel that weightlessness and emptiness of space a wee bit longer. Not to mention the shots of the slow deterioration of the International Space Station - WooHoo! I had been waiting for this movie since the first time I saw its trailer and I knew there was no way I was gonna be disappointed by this one. Though I admit the movie wasn't that high on drama and adrenaline as one would expect from a sci-fi.

Going a bit deeper into why I Loved this one - It made me feel SO small. So tiny in front of the sheer magnitude of the outer space! For me, the last scene was the cherry on the cake and pushed this movie in my list of 'The greatest movies ever made'! That final shaky step as our protagonist lands on solid ground in full force of the Earth's gravity can be a blessing, makes one wonder (again) of how we take nature for granted, those subtle processes of nature which are so important for the survival of mankind, lost in the backdrop of our day to day worries and problems.

Gimme more, Hollywood.

Clouded thoughts

I am quite the cloud gazer and my mobile phone and I are partners in this. And why not?

I'm bookmarking this!

So like I mentioned before, I have been reading like never before. Recently, some friends were clearing out their house as they are moving abroad. Apart from the household stuff which we might take from them, I found my best junkyard sale yet: 3 new books given by them!

Yes!

This is better than anything I could have asked for! Looks like the job hunt will be on pause mode for a while. This holds true, especially for a reader like me.

A bit about my reading habits: 

I hate being interrupted in the middle of reading a book,

I hate keeping down a book to eat, drink or sleep,

I love to fall asleep while reading,

I love the smell of new books,

And I read to finish a book as soon as I can, preferably overnight

I usually order my books from Flipkart. And Flipkart sends these really cute and silly, yet extremely funny bookmarks with the books. These days I am in the habit of collecting them as and when I order a new book. 

This one is already my favorite titled Important reasons to use silly bookmarks 

What is the important reason ? 

(Click on the pic to read the text)

(even my long forgotten camera was put to use)

And on flipping, I get a pair of cool glasses to appear nerdy and keep the buggers away

Of course I don't mind one bit. 

Looks like for a change, these silly marks are going to keep me hooked on to the books ! 

Will keep posting more of these as and when I discover a new one.

Till then, its my book and me.

Teeny bopper -- Yo !!!

It's 5:30 in the morning. Am on my way to meet my lil one. And a little annoyed at choosing such an early flight. On top of that, I see that I have been assigned the emergency exit seat. Ughh. An air hostess approaches me

"Ma'am I see you are seated next to the emergency exit. Would you like to assist us for our emergency proceedings?  "

"Yeah, sure"

"May I know your age please"

"28"

"(Smiling) Actually you look quite young so I asked, like 15 or something"

I didn't hear the rest.

Didn't need to, since I had heard all that I needed to. Gone are the days when i used to get pissed off at people taking me for a school/college kid. What with the year closing to an end and another candle being added to my birthday cake, its good to know that I can still pass off as a teen on the outside.

.... Heyyy, on the inside as well !!

For the love of Mexican food - El Patio

It has been in my mind for sometime to experiment with Mexican food cooking. Other important stuff or just lack of ingredients has not let that happen. Though I have tried the most basic of Mexican sides, salsa. 

I love Mexican and have been craving for it for quite some time now. I am a sucker for this cuisine and well, what makes my liking delve into the realms of love are margaritas! Traditional unadulterated margaritas. This love, and the follow up craving, was also made possible by a restaurant which is ranked in the Top 5 of my all time favorite eating out places. Today I couldn't help but think about it.

El Patio.

Unemployment ke side effects

Yawwn !!

Been sleeping too long, haven't I :D

Well, I am awake now and hopefully would be so from now on, here on this page at least.

I kinda try to do new things, big or small. Some things are done on purpose. Like temporary unemployment. Somethings happen on their own.

Like extended unemployment.

I Have to say the initial months weren't great.

They were awesome!!

The freedom from corporate world was exhilarating! Like freed from a 9am-6pm cage.

There was so much on my plate. A new life, a new city, a completely new way of living. The months off helped me get in the thick of things, set up house etc etc. But now the no work routine is something I am looking to get off, things are just taking their own sweet time to shape up, hence the extension of the unemployment.

I was up to a lot of other things as well during this time. Things which I call side effects of unemployment. A look :

• Reading, reading and more reading. The voraciousness is back !! I am devouring books at a blitzkrieg pace, reading everything from Hindu mythology fiction, India's freedom struggle to marketing in Internet age and what not; including Harry Potter - Book 7, probably the sixth time. JKR, am still a fan \m/  And, I already have a list of ten titles in line.
• Sleeping like never before. Why a side effect? Coz I find sleeping a waste of time. Thankfully, this didn't last long.
• Made more than the usual number of trips to my beloved Delhi, than would have been possible. And spent some Quality family time.
• Writing this after a hiatus.
• Movies - of course. With my new LED, lazy afternoons turn me into a couch potato at times and I end up catching up on movies- the crappiest and the nicest ones . Crappiest -- hindi version of Serendipity; Not even going into it. Baaah
• Came around to knowing names (Mind you, ONLY names) of Hindi soaps.
• Saw Titanic ten more times and fell in love with it all over again - every single time.
• Oscillating dangerously between frustration of sitting unemployed and giving up the comforts of sitting unemployed :D
• Logged on to Linked In more number of times than I ever did these past years combined!
• Took to cooking and realized that I actually enjoy it a lot.

I guess that has been pretty much it. The hunt is on to get back to corporate world , but till then it is about doing all these things I never had the time for.

Till the next post, Adios