The Straight Hair Experiment

Have you ever had a day when you wanted a head of nice straight hair and you had the worst frizzy head you can ever have? I have had so many of those and have tried so many things to fix that.

1) The steam room. This was the worst. So some stupid magazine had an article about staying inside a bathroom after a nice hot bath with hair undone and let the steam do the work. Result? A terrible cold and headache and dried out hair. FAIL!!!

2) Banana mask. This was disgusting! Banana+ avocado + egg yolk on hair for 30 mins and wash off with a mild shampoo. Do this for limp, insipid hair and to repel all human contact. FAIL!

3) Coconut oil. This one worked! Yes, it did! Oil your hair well, massage it and put it up in a warm towel. Wash and condition for nice straight hair! YEAH!

Try some of them :) It is fun.

The dissimilar leisure sabotages another antique underneath the trapped crossroad.

The dissimilar leisure sabotages another antique underneath the trapped crossroad.

Trip Home

I went back to Kerala after more than a year. My flight landed around 5.45pm and as usual, the view of Trivandrum from up there was breathtaking. We landed, I walked out and a cool, gentle, sea-breeze hit me. I could smell the earth and see the beautiful clouds. On my walk to the bus, I could see a picture postcardish view from inside the airport. Some hills in the distance, beautiful coconut palms, all in forest green and covered with clouds... This put a smile on my face and I knew I had to come back for more.

I claimed my bag, and took a taxi to get home. The driver took me through the very same lanes, and short-cuts that my dad always took. It amazing how there is no traffic at all on the roads. The sight of familiar temples. churches, schools, hospitals, clinics and shops was very comforting. We get close to home and there is a holy procession from one of the temples across the river. The sight of religious/spiritual fervour and the smell of the holy ash and incense... Reminded me of those days when we would be woken up from sleep and made to pray. These processions almost always chose late nights to get to residential areas. This procession lasted about 10 minutes and the driver sped his way towards home.

And there. I arrived. And the feeling is so special. Words do not capture the feelings entirely and I won't even attempt it here. All I can say is, it felt good to go back.

Moon River

Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end-- waiting 'round the bend,
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.


That's a song from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Pretty Audrey Hepburn singing this one. Sweet! Love the lyrics. Simple. Is it?

Tagged Again!

7 things I plan to do before I die:

1) Write a book
2) Become a professional Photographer
3) Own a Book Store
4) Run a coffeeshop
5) Travel the world
6) Find my cause.
7) Love someone more than I love me.


7 things I can do:

I can cook
I can cry
I can laugh heartily
I can forgive, but never forget
I can sacrifice for friends and family
I can be pretty handy with technology. Mostly flukishly!
I can be cruel

7 things I can't do:

I can't dance
I can't sing
I can't be in a car that is going down a slope.
I can't be at social dos like a wedding or a reception
I can't let go of the past
I can't drink 3 litres of water. Ever.
I can't eat sushi


7 things that attract me to the opposite sex:

Intelligence
Honesty
Wit
Articulate
Perfume they use ( yes I am shallow!)
The way they treat the women in their life.
Chivalry. (not sure how this works!)


7 things that I say most often:

wat the fuck!
For fuck's sake!
Cheapass!
bloody!
What the hell!
For crying out loud!
Freak!

7 celebrity crushes:

Easy!
George Clooney
Amir Khan
WILL SMITH
Daniel Day lewis
Brandon Routh
Kamal Hassan
Surya

My Country is up in flames.

Yes, this has probably become old news by now. But these three days saw the biggest metro of my country held to ransom by 25 20-22 year old boys. Yes. Boys. They were armed with hand grenades and AK 47's and Major Landmarks in Mumbai were controlled by them. Mumbai police lost many brave men. NSG lost theirs. Innocent Civilians are dead. 

I am angry and I feel helpless. I sit here watch my country go up in flames and I can not do a thing about it. How does a religion create such fanatics? What kind of faith/belief system do they have? Why are they killing their own youngsters? What do they want from the rest of us? Why are we afraid to go out and face these bastards and wipe them out forever? As much as I want to be fair to these people, every single dastardly act of these terrorists makes me want to lash out. 

This has increased my resolve to stand by my country. This has given me a reason to be alive and fight. I know that I can not fix the world on my own. But, I am going to try. 

I pray that all victims find peace. I pray that my country heals. God Bless India. 

-K

Tag

So I have been tagged by the Geek. The tag requires you to do the following

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page, pick an image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The questions ?

1. My First Name - Kavita .

2. What is your favorite food? Right now?

Hmmm... Pasta!

3. What high school did you go to?

I went to St. Mary's School and that’s the best i could get.

4. What is your favorite color ?

Blue you all!

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

Currently , Dr Burke from Grey's Anatomy :) 

6. Favorite drink?

Coffee followed by beer :D

7. Dream vacation?

Hmm... Turkey. I NEED history.

8. Favorite dessert?

Creme Caramel

9. What do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to own a book store. 

10. What do you love most in life?

My Solitude.

11. One Word to describe you

Unpredictable.

12. Your flickr name. - Stonebug

And anyone who reads the post _must_ do this tag. Otherwise your computer will fall off the table and die. That's what the Geek told me. And I Agree. SO there you go, you are tagged!

yawn!

So, my best buddy(ies) Love Batman. He is their super-hero. I always used to laugh at them. Really. Batman. 

And then, I watched the series. Batman begins and the Dark Knight. Whats interesting is that he gets hurt. A lot. Physically. And emotionally. I like it that he is vulnerable. Has fears. He probably still fears a lot of things. And he is a hero. How? 

I wonder...

P.S: Rachel in the new movie is plain ugly! 

Stupid person, Stupid life?

“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love.”



This is a quote by Neil Gaiman. I sent it to a friend and her reaction was '(expletive!) that just about sums it up!'



Comments?



-K

Matters of the Soul!

It's a Sunday morning, 7 am when I start writing this post. I woke up, made myself some tea and sat down to do some writing while my maid is cleaning the house. This is the first weekend in so many months that I am doing nothing but staying home and relaxing. There's a reason. The reason is a book. 'Brida' by Paulo Coelho. In short, it's a book on the Wicca culture.

A few days back, my girlfriends from work left early and I had nothing to do. On a whim, I decided to go to my favourite bookshop. That week was particularly troubled for me. My heart was in a turmoil. And no prizes for guessing... It was a guy. I did not know how I felt about him and what he expected from me. I did not know if he was 'the one.' Or, in other words the burning question was 'is he or will he be my soulmate?'

I stroll around the bookshop with this thought in my head and decided on reading Salman Rushdie's new book. It was crappy. I moved on. I reached this pile of books and saw that it was the Paulo Coelho pile. I read the cover and see this:

'But how do I know who my soulmate is?'
'By taking risks' she said to Brida. 'By risking failure, disappointment, disillusion, but never ceasing in your search for Love. As long as you keep looking, you will triumph in the end.'

Corny? 'Yewwwwwww' reaction? I care not. Guess what. This Wicca tells Brida that a person can have more than one soulmate and that it needn't necessarily be a guy all the time. Apparently, Adam's soul was split and Eve was born. That's the way with soulmates. The soulmates are a part of one soul and in each life, we are obliged to find at least one of these soulmates. Sometimes a soulmate walks past us and we do not even notice it. We have to take another life to meet the soulmate again, it seems.

I have not finished the book yet and I don't know how long it is going to take. All I do know is, the book has made me stop passing each moment and made me sit down and be aware of each waking moment. Which is why unusually for me, I woke up early and sat down to write this. Have I found my soulmate? I don't think so. Will I find him? I hope so. Have I passed by him and not noticed? I wonder...

-K

Music: U2 - I still Haven't found what I am looking for. (Jaggu's Fave because he says life is like that)

Friends...

You do not know how much they mean to me, my friends,
And how, how rare and strange it is, to find
In a life composed so much, so much of odds and ends...
To find a friend who has these qualities,
Who has, and gives
Those qualities upon which friendship lives.

--T.S. Eliot

I couldn't agree more.

Ah! A Song!

Get this widget Track details eSnips Social DNA

This is an all time fav song and I cant stop listening to this. Sruthi and I don't stop singing this either. LOL. This one's for you girl. :)

Can't think of any.

Independence has always been cherished by everyone. Teenagers want to be independent, move out of their homes and live with friends. Women want to be independent, work and like to be able to get what they want. Men like to be independent, in their thoughts and actions. Children want to be left alone. Older people hate relying on their children for all they need. There is so much talk of independence and space going on all around me and to be honest I take part in it as well, sometimes.

This made me wonder... If all of us want to be independent, why are we together? I think the best form of independence is to be all by yourself, no ties, no bondage... You are completely on your own. Still, the very thought is scary and it sends shivers down my spine.

I wonder, is this a game that we play so we fit in with the rest of the world? I know some men and women who genuinely prefer being on their own and are always appreciated for the 'bold' stance that they have taken. Their lives have the positives too... They can plan their days around themselves and their jobs, they can take vacation when they feel like it, they have no PTA meetings to go to, no first aid to be done, no phone calls to be made, none to be answered... On the down side, they have no one to go home to, no one to spend the time with, extreme loneliness, really... Its hard to decide which one is the way to go...

If you all are wondering why I am musing loud about this it is because of a conversation I had with someone. Lets name this someone as 'X' and for convenience it is a 'he.' :) So, X wanted to know how I would maintain my independence after (if) I get married. I thought about it while munching on a well made toast... The answer is, I can't decide on my own. I tell him that I will have to draw a line on most things... It will be inappropriate for me to want to or even consider living life like the way I do now. I mean, I am all for a woman working after marriage and all that. But, how do people manage both family and work? I am freaking out at the thought!!! I mean, I have had my life easy up until now. No one to cook for, no ones laundry to be done, no dishes, no cleaning up after people, no planning the monthly budget... And all these things gets added to your life overnight!

Conversation with X was an eye-opener. It made me realize a lot of things and also accept many more. He leaves the breakfast table with a glint in his eye. And the parting shot is " I thought as much!" What ever that means, I do not want to know X! I don't know why this piece is on my blog. Strange, huh?

My "celeb" look-alikes

So, I have been away...

I have been away- traveling, working, sorting things out in my personal life... And to be honest, I did not have the energy or the enthusiasm to blog after that... Let me start with travel. I went to Hyderabad and then to Amritsar. Work took me to Hyd, a conference to be specific. Some good stuff there was
1) Keynote speaker- Dr APJ Abdul Kalam
2) Stay at a fantastic hotel
3) Biriyani from Paradise Hotel
4) Some good fun at the conference.

I did not do the touristy stuff, but I did try and visit the infamous 10 Downing street pub. Believe me, you all! Do not please go there. They are ridiculous!

So, after Hyd I traveled to Amritsar and spent some time with my cousin there. I am in love with Punjab. It is ranked No.2, after Kerala. It is an amazingly beautiful place. For more on this, peep into my Picasa pictures.

Another news is that I am moving to Hyderabad for a quarter of a year. I am excited about that! :) Cant wait to work in Omega!

I will blog more next year. This is a promise! ;)

Mornings...

It all started ( like it usually does) over a chat (IM) with the Geek. He asked me what I loved about a morning at TVM and wheres the best place he can get that photographed. It set me thinking... Over time, I have come to love my mornings. Really, thats the time that makes me feel fresh, happy and peaceful. And I broke up my favorite things, depending on where I have lived. So, here Goes.

TRIVANDRUM

-Ah! Home!!! I love the early mornings, when almost everyone around is up by 6 am at least. It is still a little cold, people are still sleepy, the milkman is around, the paperboy is doing his rounds, the ladies are usually drawing Kolams outside their house and I sit out at the veranda and take it all in... What could make it better? A light drizzle!!! ( I miss home! I should go visit soon!)

-When I was close to 12 or 13, my dad used to go for these morning walks. He would take me with him and we would walk across paddy fields and such... To feel that green green surroundings is a blessing in itself. And we bought vegetables from the local farmer and always agreed that the food tasted better when we got it from there!

-There were days when I would go visit the Padmanabha Swamy Temple in the early mornings. Close to 5.30 am... I would take the shortcut via the local streets and can hear the ever so melodious Suprabhatam and can see ladies cleaning the front yard and getting down to draw the Kolam. You look up and you can see the tower of the temple... Almost like the God's looking down at the same sight...


BANGALORE

Hmmm... I sometimes missed those snippy mornings... I usually slept in... But then, the Bangalore mornings were best enjoyed with my cousin, a cup of coffee and us sitting outside enjoying the weather ( which is always awesome there!) and engaging in some fun chit chat! I miss her, and those days!

GERMANTOWN, MD

:) Always the best place, 'coz my brother was with me then. I think I was the happiest there, being so close to him and being able to talk to him. We would make a nice cup of tea and idle away some time. Old Malayalam songs on the computer and us reminiscing about the time gone by.... He brings a balance in me, that no one can. Miss him a lot!

DELHI

It is again, the outdoors. I sit on the stairs outside, near the tree and hear the birds chirp... Theres always a cool, serene calmness to this place thats always bustling in activity. You can feel the city has gone to sleep and is waiting to get the rest that it badly needs... Kinda makes you feel good. I am loving these mornings especially because its almost winter!

Its a shame to miss out the best time of the day for anything else... I am waiting for the Geek to send me the pic that he has taken, to be uploaded here... lets see if he makes it!

Happy Mornings!

-K

A note from my journal dated- June 16, 2006

I was reading the news online, with my cuppa in hand... And lo and behold, a news story catches my eye... Shashi Tharoor being nominated for the top job of the UN. I was grinning like no one can... It took me back to 2001, when I was in the second year of college, and was based in Cochin. My landlord was an ex-navy personnel. He used to subscribe to The Hindu then, just for me. I used to simply ignore the Sunday magazine, except for maybe the cartoons. Until one day in April, he pointed out to this article by Shashi Tharoor. It was such an eye catching article, and the language was definitely The Hindu standards. If I am not mistaken, it was on April 1st and the article had a good reference to the date as well. He also took a dig at the readers of The Hindu. Traditionally a part of South Indian household, the newspaper is held in high regard, and has this population of filter coffee drinking people who thrive only by reading The Hindu!

Coming back to the man of the moment, On that very first article he set straight the expectations people were to have. He talked about India and being an Indian. The heterogeneity thats so much India. And I vaguely remember a mention of an incident concerning Napoleon Bonaparte and a fate line... I was hooked line and sinker. He promised to be back after a fortnight. And even to this date, I wait for the Sunday when his column appears! It is an incredible feeling to read someone this savvy with words. And I thought it was just words on paper...

That was Until... The anniversary of St. Stephan's. That was the same day on which Pakistan was celebrating some event ( a thank you meet for the contributors who helped rebuild the country after an earthquake, If I am not mistaken). I was tuned in to watch what Mussharaf had to say. The man sounded so fake! He couldn't hold my attention for more than 2 minutes. I decided to switch channels and read up his speech the next day. This was until I arrived at the channel that was doing a live telecast of the Stephan's anniversary(centenary). Shashi Tharoor was speaking, reminiscing about good old college days, discussing the adda's (hangouts) and what not. One was a world leader, thanking supporters. Another was yet to be a world leader but had people eating out of his hands. Thats when I truly realized the power of words and the charisma required to be a true leader!

What I am saying is that he has the Charisma, Will, strength and character to lead the world into the future. Highly educated, humble, and capable, I wish to see him do the top job and hope to read more of his articles and listen to those amazing speeches.This is the kind of role model, we need. Heres wishing him good luck! And this is his quote about India and being an Indian:

"When you are in India, you know that it's your home. I have written in my last book, India from Midnight to the Millennium that in certain circumstances you can stand in the sun and feel whole again in your own skin. That's something I miss, whatever it's like, whether it's right or wrong, it's mine, I care about it, I can argue about it, I can try and change it: it's mine, I belong. I belong to India, and India belongs to me. I miss all the specific things that I can mention, but ultimately the thing that is lacking is the sense of belonging that you have when you are on your own soil. "

India What???

No, I am not a Rabid, crazy cricket fan. Yes, I am proud that India won. And this is probably going to be the only world cup victory we Indians are going to see for the next 25 years. Or maybe until another "chak de" is made. Is It?

Victory was supposed to be sweet for me. But alas, it was short lived. All thanks to my niece. Let me explain here. So, no one was watching the game at home, until I walked in and turned on the TV. I started screaming and panicking every time the Paki's hit Sreesanth beyond the stands. I died a million times that day. I swore that my children will not watch cricket if India lost the game. And after umpteen prayers, and NLP practices, India won. And everyone were ecstatic. I call my brother and we were both way too happy!

All until my niece came sat next to me. And my cousin asked " Do you think this was a fixed one?" I grinned and said " HELL no!" So, my niece looks and me and asked the dreadful " What is a 'fixed' match?" I winced and explained it to her. She was thoughtful for a while. And she asked " Like Chak De?" I grinned and said "yea!" And I mentioned something about "traitor". She went " Who is a traitor?" I explained. She then asked " were Indian players involved in match fixing?" I thought and said "Yeah." She asked "who" and I said " You know, Mohammed Azharuddin!" She looked at me like I had 3 heads or something. She asked " WHO?" I was in disbelief. I mean, whats with these kids! They don't know him?? There were a million thoughts in my head about kids, Current affairs, news and everything allied. She suddenly smiled. And I was relieved. Then she got up, and as a parting shot " He was a player from YOUR generation, right?" My jaws hit the floor. So, this is what it feels like to be old. I was in pain for some time and thought of my brother and how many times I have hurled it at him... Man, I din know that it felt like a punch in your stomach.

I Feel equally clueless about the new players. I grew up when Sachin was a rookie, Kapil Dev was playing, Shastri was still groovy, Boon was on, Crowe was heading NZ, Akram and Imran Khan were swinging the Paki's ahead... I mean, who would have thought that silly boys like Ajit Agarkar will play? Times have changed... Cricketing times... I hate to admit that my brother was right all along... No matter what, Azhar is the most stylish batsman.

Awesome Mausam...

I was lying on the bed, reading and looking outside the window. I could see a slice of the sky and a bit of the tree that’s in the front of the building. Monsoon was in the air. The sky looked beautiful. It was divided into two. There was the dark side and then the light, bright part. They appeared to be playing tag. The dark part was seeking out the light one. The dark bit was chasing well and was close to winning… Suddenly the light bit seemed to be winning…. Or, maybe the dark bit was getting tired… Was that just an illusion???? It seems so, because the power struggle was back on, with Mr. Dark clearly closing in on Ms. Light! And the birds were taking flight! They were rushing home, to get some shelter. I walk up to the window and look outside. The vegetable vendor was rushing with the cart; School kids were running to get home, ladies were rushing out to grab the laundry that was lying in the line, all but one little girl who had an umbrella and held her hand out to grab the first few drops to hit the earth. She does, giggles and proceeds home trying to get more drops on her hand. I can smell the earth. That blissful smell which makes you feel so nostalgic and wish that you had a nice hot cup of coffee in your hands. I smile, look up at the sky. Mr. Black has won.

-K

To all my friends.

I wrote this on August 13, 2006

I was checking my e-mail. This is what I found :

"Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love." --Jane Austen

This, after my latest hardship. And when my buddies are nurturing me through incredibly difficult times...

I love my friends. They make life so liveable. Be it picking a fight, arguing endlessly, sharing a
cup of coffee,late night talks, endless and meaningless IM's, being silly, comforting each other,
crying, shopping, movies,match making, bitching about a non existent love life... What would it be without these folks? These are people you know you can call up at 2 am to ask " dude, do you know where I put my camera? " , get a mumbled, nonsensical response and be able to comprehend what was just said! You finish each others sentences, you read each others mind...
Can there ever be a relationship better than this?

Today I spent some lovely time with a couple of friends. We went to the beach, talked, kept the silence, argued, teased, laughed, smiled, took pictures, consoled each other, made plans for tomoro,said goodbyes with a heavyheart... I know that they will be there tomoro.
I dont have to go plucking petals off a poor flower doin " They will be there... They will be not..." Incredible people. My friends. Love them. Cant stop thanking my stars for these folks.
The next time you have a difference of opinion with a friend, remember: Similarities create friendship's while differences hold them together.