Postcards From J

On a muggy Sunday morning, I attended The Farmers' Market - an initiative by Kavita Mukhi that helps you connect with organic farmers across Maharashtra. At the Market, you can "buy fresh, organically certified fruits and vegetables directly from farmers every Sunday." Lovely, no? So here are a few quick picture postcards from the much appreciated event before I can resurface to actually write a proper post: Love the colour of the beetroot: From The Farmers' Market Fresh! From The Farmers' Market How about some salad with these? From The Farmers' Market Buy-buy! From The Farmers' Market

Caught this brilliant video that's a must-watch... The Girl Effect - The Clock Is Ticking  (Click the link above to view)

I love the Internet. And I love how a random bout of surfing throws up interesting sites. So, I came across this article which talked about free tools that help create infographics , and one of the sites listed there actually helps you create a graphic representation of any text you throw in. Here's what I created using Wordle : Note: This image is a screenshot of the final outcome. The HTML code generated did not work after pasting it in this post. Try it yourself. It's fun! :) PS: If you have a favourite or innovative site out there, do share.

I know I've been a lazy blogger but looking at the blogging passion by the lovely ladies - Sharon and Rekha - at The Key Bunch , I just had to do this. Inspired by their 2nd anniversary post , here I am saying it with flowers... These photographs were taken in June 2010 at our home in South Kanara (Mangalore/Karnataka). Hope you like them! And once again, happy anniversary to The Key Bunch ! Cheers, ~j~

Ages ago, I had planned on a Mumbai Tadka series where I would post snatches of conversations heard (overheard really) in and around this city that I love and hate in equal measure. Of course, with laziness and age (getting old = poor memory :P) setting in, I just let that idea go. Until this morning... I was on my regular train commute to Goregaon in the peaceful first class ladies compartment. Annoyed by Vodafone's failed GPRS connectivity, I fished out the book I've been reading (Advaita Kala's Almost Single) when all of a sudden, I had to look up at this lady yelling into her phone. I don't know what she was angry about but she kept telling her caller in jhakaas Marathi that he/she can go take a hike. And that she didn't want to be part of some celebration. She went on to say that if it were her, she'd distribute chilli powder instead of cake. Ok, whatever! But boy, was she mad! All the other ladies couldn't help stealing glances at her but she ...

The Bombay summer is getting to me with every passing day. When will it rain? And this crazy weather makes you eat and drink all things chilled. So the other day, I tried making some iced tea with regular chai at home. Just brewed tea the usual Indian way in boiling water with sugar. Then, strained it and let it cool.. Add sugar, if needed. Let it cool in the fridge. To serve, fill a tall glass with lots of ice; pour the tea till it covers the ice cubes and drop in a few wedges/slices of lime. Give it a swirl and... ta-dah! The verdict: Not bad. It had a strong tea flavour (like d-uh!). But I guess I'll have to experiment with different kinds of tea to perfect my own iced tea version. Any suggestions? PS: Random surfing threw up this interesting site: Chai Time . Check it out!

I know, I know, I know. I've been too lazy with this blog... and I so want to make it happen. Last month, I took off on a whirlwind 8-day (almost 9 actually) trip to God's own country. Yup, I visited Kerala - one of India's southern states. Parts of the trip were planned in advance but there were some moments that had us pleasantly surprised too. My travel log read: Mumbai-Cochin-Alleppey-Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur-Calicut-Thrissur-Cochin-Mumbai. Phew! The modes of transport included flight, car, bus, train, ferry, houseboat, rickshaw... Phew again! Packing and unpacking every 2 days made the trip exciting and exhausting. Add to it the terrible heat and rising humidity levels. But there was never a dull moment. And I hope I can capture some of Kerala's charm and beauty through my upcoming posts. While that will take a little longer, why don't you head over to my humble photo blog ? Check out snapshots from my trip under the title Kerala Kapers. I've got ...

 Take the road less travelled today!  (Pic taken inside Ranthambore National Park - Jan 2009) *** " All the woulda-coulda-shouldas layin' in the sun, talkin' 'bout the things they woulda-coulda-shoulda done... But all those woulda-coulda-shouldas all ran away and hid from one little did."   ~ Shel Silverstein, Author

Thought of sharing this inspiring video... It may have been meant for kids, but I believe it makes sense for grown-ups too. Enjoy! things to learn from Matt Edgar on Vimeo . Have a terrific Tuesday! ~j~ PS: Many thanks to Shalakha who put this up on Facebook for her children.

I love quotes... And I love quoting them. So, once in a while, I will publish a quote that I find interesting, poignant or inspirational. Here goes the first in my "Think About It" series. Hope you like it... "When life is pulling you down, seek inspiration from the duck – calm and cool on the surface but paddling furiously beneath to keep afloat." * *Thanks to HNatarajan for posting this quote. I hope we all can emulate the duck. Have a great week ahead, folks! Cheers, ~j~

Today, I came in to work with much optimism. I don't know why or how that happened - could be a good night's sleep, waking up to a lovely morning, and the unexpectedly pleasant weather we're having in Mumbai these days. 2010 was beginning to feel great. Or I thought it did. But the rest of the morning left me blank. B-L-A-N-K. One email is all it took to ruin my optimism, to dampen my reviving spirit. And no, I am not shocked by what I read. In fact, I expected it all along, but maybe that hint of optimism (that I disguise in my overt pessimism) left me taking it for granted that some things might never happen. All this sounds vague. And I'm sorry for that, dear reader. But I can't disclose what has actually transpired that I need to vent here. I just had to find an outlet for saying all this. I couldn't bring myself to do anything for a good couple of hours post that email. I stared at the screen trying to get my day started, hoped for a major distraction t...

About 4-5 days ago, on January 20th to be precise, I accomplished a milestone of sorts: seven years of work experience. And on January 8th, I had completed three years at my current workplace which has been my single longest tenure anywhere.* I'm not a job-hopper, mind you. First job: 1 year, 8 months. Second: 2 years, 3 months, 23 days... That's not so bad, right? But as I completed my third year at Company no. 3, I heard a little voice inside that's asking me to get out and do something. Something new, different, creative, wild even. No, that didn't include looking for another job. But more on the lines of a "sabbatical." Our parents' generation would shudder at the idea of one after "only" seven years of working. They probably don't even know the "s" word exists in the dictionary considering their long-serving stints working at one and the same place. So, am I taking a longggggg break? Hell, no! Not at this stage at least. ...