My bathroom floor is covered with mats. We have two white ovals, which are not really ovals - more like elongated circles, and two blue circles. They are currently arranged on the floor in a neat row - oval circle oval circle. White Blue White Blue.
My inner self rebels daily against this symmetry. And as I sit there meditatively, I run through a seemingly infinite set of possibilities. Oval - Circles on top of each other - Oval. Blue in one corner with Whites in a straight line. Circle Circle and Ovals at right angles to each other. Blue White White Space and then Blue.
With three women trying to get to work at the same time, it is not long before I am jerked out of my morning reverie.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
A Question of Character
A couple of months ago, my (currently) housemates and I were busy searching for a place to stay. We had a very simple set of requirements :
- It has to be close to work. No more than 17.5 minutes door to door by the fastest mode of transport as applicable
- The distance between the home and the nearest grocery store shall not exceed 7 minutes by walk (4 minutes if walking briskly) for the average girl clad in no higher than 1.8 inch heels.
- There shall be a minimum average of 1.2 people per square meter from 6am to 2am on weekdays and 8am to 4am on Friday/Saturday nights.
R. finally found a place that meets all these requirements. I and I (just to clarify one of these I's is me, as in myself the author of this post, the other is one of my housemates who's name starts with I. I don't have MPD.. yet) saw the photos, fell in love with it and agreed to put a deposit on it.
Before we got the place however, the landlord wanted a character reference for each of us. Knowing almost no one in London, I volunteered the name of someone I was to work with in the near future. For the sake of simplicity let us call him X.
A couple of days later, we received an email from the person handling the lettings process saying "blah blah blah gas check blah blah telephone blah blah deposit blah NatWest blah.. and Ms. Sunjahta's character check is outstanding"
I was obviously thrilled. What a wonderful beginning. It is nice to know how well one is regarded by people one is mildly acquainted with. Of course, one is of the opinion that one is upholder of moral principles and is of excellent character. Affirmation of this, of course, pleases one no end.
Until I received the following email from X :
Hi Sujatha, Sorry for not being able to fill in your charcater (sic.) form. I'm travelling in Germany.. will do it as soon as i get back on monday. Regds, X
Once all outstanding items were resolved however, one did get the house and is now happily ensconced in above. Albeit a little bit miffed at 'satisfactory' character ref.
I started this post last week. Meant to get back to it. Hit Publish by mistake. TechnoDolt
- It has to be close to work. No more than 17.5 minutes door to door by the fastest mode of transport as applicable
- The distance between the home and the nearest grocery store shall not exceed 7 minutes by walk (4 minutes if walking briskly) for the average girl clad in no higher than 1.8 inch heels.
- There shall be a minimum average of 1.2 people per square meter from 6am to 2am on weekdays and 8am to 4am on Friday/Saturday nights.
R. finally found a place that meets all these requirements. I and I (just to clarify one of these I's is me, as in myself the author of this post, the other is one of my housemates who's name starts with I. I don't have MPD.. yet) saw the photos, fell in love with it and agreed to put a deposit on it.
Before we got the place however, the landlord wanted a character reference for each of us. Knowing almost no one in London, I volunteered the name of someone I was to work with in the near future. For the sake of simplicity let us call him X.
A couple of days later, we received an email from the person handling the lettings process saying "blah blah blah gas check blah blah telephone blah blah deposit blah NatWest blah.. and Ms. Sunjahta's character check is outstanding"
I was obviously thrilled. What a wonderful beginning. It is nice to know how well one is regarded by people one is mildly acquainted with. Of course, one is of the opinion that one is upholder of moral principles and is of excellent character. Affirmation of this, of course, pleases one no end.
Until I received the following email from X :
Hi Sujatha, Sorry for not being able to fill in your charcater (sic.) form. I'm travelling in Germany.. will do it as soon as i get back on monday. Regds, X
Once all outstanding items were resolved however, one did get the house and is now happily ensconced in above. Albeit a little bit miffed at 'satisfactory' character ref.
I started this post last week. Meant to get back to it. Hit Publish by mistake. TechnoDolt
Thursday, June 21, 2007
A Whale of a Time!
Over long travels far and wide, I have come to the great realization that I am a city person. I love the huge metropoli, with their sky-high real estate prices and crowded streets.
Ever so often... usually when I'm stuck in traffic for about 45 minutes on a Tuesday afternoon, I claim that I want to run away to a more pleasant environs. Where there are rolling meadows and clear air and clean water and... well... pretty much nothing else.
About 20 minutes into 'sitting quietly and contemplating nature' and I want to run to a coffee shop, take in a movie and shop at my neighbourhood grocery for everything from instant rava dosa mix to olives stuffed with pimientos.
As I said, I'm a city girl.
But on a recent excursion into more pristine environs, I had the luck to catch some of mother nature's truly outstanding creations.
Ever so often... usually when I'm stuck in traffic for about 45 minutes on a Tuesday afternoon, I claim that I want to run away to a more pleasant environs. Where there are rolling meadows and clear air and clean water and... well... pretty much nothing else.
About 20 minutes into 'sitting quietly and contemplating nature' and I want to run to a coffee shop, take in a movie and shop at my neighbourhood grocery for everything from instant rava dosa mix to olives stuffed with pimientos.
As I said, I'm a city girl.
But on a recent excursion into more pristine environs, I had the luck to catch some of mother nature's truly outstanding creations.
Picture taken by Appa during Whale watching trip in Junea, Alaska. May-Jun 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
Chennai Chatter
A month and a half into the longest vacation of my life. You'd think I'd be bored by now. Instead I'm having the time of my life.
I've been doing all the things I've always wanted to, and never really had the time to. Like filling in endless forms for visa applications, work permits and background checks.
I also managed to read a whole bunch of really nice books including some Gogol, Erica Jong, lots of plays - Tendulkar, Tennessee Williams, and Moliere. All in all a fun time.
Another play looms large in July, bigger than the previous one.
Plus we're going to Frisco, Colorado, Alaska on a family vacation after ages.
Much fun it is!
I've been doing all the things I've always wanted to, and never really had the time to. Like filling in endless forms for visa applications, work permits and background checks.
I also managed to read a whole bunch of really nice books including some Gogol, Erica Jong, lots of plays - Tendulkar, Tennessee Williams, and Moliere. All in all a fun time.
Another play looms large in July, bigger than the previous one.
Plus we're going to Frisco, Colorado, Alaska on a family vacation after ages.
Much fun it is!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Of Random Conversations
Between my sister and I this afternoon :
She : If you could be any animal, what would you be?
Me : I don't know.. I'm sleeping!
She : Ok, if I could be any animal.. what do you see me as?
Me : Leave me alone.. Ok.. a .. Cat!
She : But I don't like cats.. Waitaminnnitt.. YOU don't like Cats! :(
I tried telling her about Henry James, who once said "Cats and Monkeys, Monkeys and Cats - all human life is there". She was not pleased!
Which reminded me of another James quotation, one of my all time favorites -
"We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art. "
She : If you could be any animal, what would you be?
Me : I don't know.. I'm sleeping!
She : Ok, if I could be any animal.. what do you see me as?
Me : Leave me alone.. Ok.. a .. Cat!
She : But I don't like cats.. Waitaminnnitt.. YOU don't like Cats! :(
I tried telling her about Henry James, who once said "Cats and Monkeys, Monkeys and Cats - all human life is there". She was not pleased!
Which reminded me of another James quotation, one of my all time favorites -
"We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art. "
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