Random stuff about me

I have read many bloggers posting random stuff about oneself and I enjoy reading such posts. Such posts are mostly tags, since am new to blogosphere and don’t have anyone to tag me :-P I take it upon myself to write this post. Haa haa, I wanted to get into some introspection and if not anything it’s going to be self-indulgence to read this few years down the road. Since the list grew too long, I grouped them for the sake of easy reading.

LIKES and DISLIKES 

• I love reading books and its one habit I am mighty proud of, for not giving up.
• I can’t really tell what my all-time favourites are. Like fav color, fav food etc. It all depends on the context and mood.
• I don’t like listening to/narrating movie plots, the kind we all do when in school/college.
• I wish I had been exposed to (Mind you, just exposed not learnt) Carnatic Music so that I can enjoy the technicalities of music in depth.
• Am quite ok at doing crafty stuff but everything ends up with a not-so-professional finish. I think this has got to do with lots of motivation but no teacher.
• I love cooking and watching cookery shows. Inspite of the fact that am a vegetarian, I watch shows cooking non-vegetarian dishes too. I don’t flinch at the sight of meat like some orthodox vegetarians do.
• I love browsing the internet and am quite good at it. I believe I have an eye for finding the right thing.
• The most striking feature that I like about myself is my brain :-) Well, you might not be able to see it (pun intended) but am in awe at how it thinks what it thinks, how it arrives to a solution and how it connects the dots.

ATTITUDE 

• Am highly self-motivated, no matter whatever life deprives me of. At the same time, I lack direction and never seem to know where to start.
• I don’t rush into friendship or any relationship for that matter. I believe it should grow over the years  naturally and not start with pomp only to be continued with bitterness and grudges.
• With the exception of first few interactions when I keep my mind open and don’t form opinions, Give and Take is my policy. Be it respect, reciprocation of love/hatred, being in touch, favors. There is no one-for-one, though.
• The good part is I do, almost everything, with utmost sincerity. And the bad part is I expect it from others too.
• I hate procrastination. Just do it or better don’t say it.
• Just because what I do or don't do might not seem right to you, doesn't make me wrong.
• No, am not rude, insensitive or arrogant. It’s just a reaction. Remember? Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
• When I realize it is beyond someone's capacity to understand something, I give up. The universe will take care of them.

I WISH I COULD CHANGE 

• I am great at losing touch with people I look up to/like/share interests with and NO, am not at all proud of it.
• I know nothing or little about the Indian political scenario. I have not come across any politician whom I can look upto. It’s always like a choice between known devil and unknown angel. The least I do is, cast my vote.
• My face is the index of my mind. It clearly shows, much to my embarrassment, what’s on my mind especially when am in disagreement with something or just don’t give a damn.

AM AT PEACE 

• I prefer peaceful walks and calm dinners to partying or get together with not so familiar people. On the contrary, I love attending weddings inspite of the crowd.
• I can very well spend time by myself, if I wish to. Actually, I prefer that to uncomfortable company.
• Am not particularly good at remembering birthdays, anniversaries, firsts etc. Even on occasions I do, I don’t feel the compulsion to wish unless it’s heartfelt or someone who I meet regularly. Mostly, I wish to avoid offending other’s sentiments. I honestly don’t understand the ‘It’s my day, am on top of the world, ALL SMILES’ stuff people exhibit. But hey, that’s MY opinion; I don’t have any personal grudges against people who enjoy special days. But please, don’t force your attitude on me.
• I don’t have an iota of interest in sports and I don’t intend to do anything about it!
• When it comes to finances, am very insecure and want enough reserve to meet unexpected circumstances before splurging.
• Am nearing the end of my twenties and I am not worried/concerned about not having accomplished anything notable so far. I believe 35-45 is the prime in anyone’s life and am sure I will, at the minimum, find what’s my calling by then. Till that time, all I want to do is keep myself motivated and stay positive.

YOU RATHER STAY AWAY, PLEASE 

• I can’t take too much of incessant talking, boasting, gossiping, looking down at others, sticking one’s nose in, saying something and doing JUST the opposite.
• Talking over and over about the same thing just for the heck of it and not making a point is a strict NO-NO. Radio Jockeys are exceptions but don’t forget to play few songs in between :-P
• In a sense, I don’t like being questioned in detail about trivial things. When am into something, don’t ask me every detail about how, when, what, why just for the sake of it unless it’s going to be of some use to you.
• If you are one of the listed kind, please do me a favor by staying away. 'look at my life, its doomed', 'am just waiting for my end', 'anything is ok, i have no interest you know' 
• Preach ONLY if you follow!

Writing to me is...

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

Writing to me is the unspoken word. And that’s exactly what I wanted to do with this blog. What better way than giving it a celebratory start with Blogadda’s WOW :-)

I am not a writer and am not sure if I have a way with words. But I intend to express the beautiful thoughts (so I believe :-)) that cross my mind but never find a stage. There are times when I have wanted to give a fitting response, a snap reply, express my opinion about a social issue or put forth a sensible point but have refrained myself from doing so for many reasons.
The reason could be anything ranging from accepting the individuality of thoughts to trying not to be rude to not having the right platform to simply acknowledging to myself that responding is a damn waste of time. Also, being a person allergic to verbal diarrhoea, I prefer to record these unspoken words as raves or rants or musings, whichever word fits the bill.

I am also a strong believer of the wonders a book can do the creativity of a child. Amidst all the celebrations, chaos and routine of life, am constantly struggling not to give up reading to nurture the undying curiosity of the child within me. And of late, I have discovered that reviewing a book helps me immensely in analysing my own thought process. It helps me in preserving the moments I shared with the book to posterity. So this blog will also record my opinions on the books I read.

Most importantly, Writing takes me into a meditative state of mind streamlining all the rushing thoughts into focused expressions. I want to decongest my mind of negative opinions and be conscious of my own self. I would be happier if my writing triggers a thought or two in the mind of the readers. 

Does charity begin at the doorstep?

Gone are the days when you bought, with complete trust and faith, sarees, biscuits, soaps, handcrafted incense sticks, ghee, electrical appliances and what not from the direct-to-door sales person. These days, there is another category of direct-to-home marketing that happens. Charity. With so many people thronging your doorstep ranging from donations for orphanages, old age homes, charity for the less privileged, financial aid for college education, alms to fulfil prayers by collecting money for their daughter’s marriage or for a pilgrimage trip and so on, you are sure to be baffled if the saying Charity begins at home has a different meaning altogether!

The problem is, with fraudsters and false schemes and beguilers everywhere people are now bound to view anyone at their doorstep with suspicion. You are left with little choice – either oblige without being sure that your intentions reach the right people or turn them all down. That includes the genuine too because identifying the genuine from the gimmick is so challenging that it’s better to be safe than sorry.

There are a variety of them out there - I have had a person at my doorstep who took the liberty to talk to me as if we have known each other for years claiming he is the ‘auto driver at the auto stand round the corner’ asking for donations for the festival arranged at ‘our’ temple. There is the ‘see it to believe it’ man who quotes your neighbours for being so generous with them and proves it by showing you the receipt book that claims to have collected donation from them. Then there is the gentleman who assures you he is not ‘yet another salesman’ and asks you to come a little closer when you suspiciously peep out of your living room behind locked gates.

And then there was this lady, neatly dressed, speaking fluent English, carrying a bunch of pamphlets, files and photos of children at an orphanage. All she wanted was my presence at the celebrations happening during the weekend at their orphanage which would make the children happier. Sounds good? Oh wait, she sure is smart enough to know people would rather prefer disposing her off by giving some money than spending their precious time. Unfortunately for her, the ‘suspicious sam’ in the neighbourhood started probing her as she was spending too much time walking up and down the same street. By the time her true colours were revealed, she had managed to collect few thousands and had enjoyed a hearty meal, tiffin and snacks at few homes.

But what makes you a cat on the wall is when there are representatives from charity organisations like CRY sporting an identity card and talking to you, without a pause, about some cause when your mind is all set on the milk boiling on the stove or the toddler sneakily polishing off his favourite chocolate spread or the phone call that you have put on hold for answering the doorbell. Being the self-proclaimed good mannered fellow that you are, you feel bad to interrupt the conversation (well, just listening makes it a ‘conversation’) in the fear of offending the person’s good intentions. I have faced quite a handful of such people and came up with a brilliant (so I thought) response – that I would check the details at their website and do my best to help them online. Ahhh, snap comes the answer, that donation would go to the common pool but not to the specific cause they are addressing for. And what’s more? They are not here to accept any meagre amount of money for a cause demanding immediate attention. They accept cheques, mind you!

At the expense of sounding rude, a word to all those Kind hearted souls ringing my doorbell. Please leave me alone! It’s MY hard earned money, I have the right to use my discretion when giving it away, be it for charity or anything else for that matter. When I want to share something with the less fortunate, I want it to reach the right hands. If you interpret my apprehensions as unwillingness to help, so be it!

Being Gayathri...

An attempt to speak the unspoken words, express the unexpressed thoughts and in the process, fulfill to my desire to write.