Postcards From J

Man, 2011 is giving me a real complex. Didn't we just usher in the year? And now it's August already??? WTF! Anyway, it's ABC time. What's that? August Blogging Challenge , duh! The one Madame Lo and I decided to take on. Di will also join us in this mad quest. In fact, she even called to remind me about it. ;) ABC taking off! Clicked behind my work desk. Now, I know I'm going to be the laziest of the three. Because writing is way too much work. And especially when there are hajaar distractions around. Not to forget my daily work woes. Anyway, I will not make any excuses and will attempt this with all I've got. Be prepared for a whole lot of ranting. And reviews. And rubbish poetry. And a photo or two. I've planned to use my commute time to gather my thoughts, capture Mumbai's unique sights and sounds, and whatnot, and store them on the phone or the borrowed iPod Touch. And upload these posts as soon as I have connectivity. Smart, no? :D This...

... 26th July 2005 was a dreadful date in the history of Mumbai and its citizens. A rare cloudburst occured and the ensuing floods destroyed life and property. Where was I? You could read my account of that day here . Also, one little thing I never mentioned in that post: I had my period on that horrible day, so you can imagine how it must have felt while wading through all that water. When I finally reached home the next morning, the first thing I did was buy a big bottle of Dettol antiseptic liquid, and added it to water for bath and washing clothes. I also got very moody for a few days after that. Today, I remember all those who lost their lives on that fateful day. And hope their families are doing well. Also, I sincerely wish Mumbai gets an independent governing body to look after it, and for Mumbaikars to be concerned about this city's well-being. PS: I chose not to blog on the horrific blasts that took place a few days ago because what I would've said is already don...

Yes, I admit it. I'm a lazy blogger. And while chatting with Lo, my old college friend, I also realised we are growing increasingly dumber thanks to the world wide web. (No offence, Internet-jee! I still love you.) So, Lo and I have decided on a contest of sorts. She will start (finally!) a blog, and I will force myself to update this one. And we will take on the challenge of doing 31 posts in August 2011 - can be one per day, or all in a week. The idea is to post regularly. Topics are open, and there are no word limits. Poetry, photography, random scribbles - all allowed. Oh, and the winner gets a prize too. Details on that later. Wish us luck, won't you? PS: I wrote this in less than five minutes. *kicks self* UPDATE: Lo has created her blog , so hop over and check it out. Also, D i decided to join us in our August campaign. So yay!

Twitter has given me the opportunity to interact with people from all walks of life. It's interesting - and inspiring - to see how some people have been able to pursue their passions with so much enthusiasm. For instance, food blogger Kalyan Karmakar . I don't recall when I first started following him on the 140-character platform, but I'm pretty sure his food tweets and pictures that got retweeted were enough to make me want to.  One of my most memorable interactions with him was when I went to Dhaka on work. A packed 4-day trip, and I was super stressed out with everything going on. Everyone around me was excited that I was in another country, and more so for the fact that I was going to watch the first World Cup match live (It's a different matter altogether that I hardly watched any cricket). There I was, probably moping on Twitter because of the stress one late night in Bangla land, and Kalyan asked if I had tried any local food favourites. Obviously not. So he re...

Here's a video I really liked... (Courtesy: @Berges ) What Does it Cost to Change the World? What do MasterCard, Visa, Bank of America, Paypal and Western Union all have in common? They help you pay for what you want? Well, yes... that is unless you want to help WikiLeaks make the world a better place. To see the shocking details, please go to http://www.wikileaks.org/Banking-Blockade.html

Read this on a colleague's Facebook status: There's always a little truth behind every 'just kidding,' a little emotion behind every 'I don't care,' and a little pain behind every 'It's okay.' True?

A new month has already begun. What will it bring? An Easter blessing? Promise of a new beginning? Whatever it may bring, I pray for strength to fight my inner demons. Renewed hope so I may love again and live again. And for nerves of steel to overcome any challenges life may throw my way.  Add to it the 'serenity prayer' which I've always loved:  "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,  courage to change the things I can,  and wisdom to know the difference."