Postcards From J

This is the tweet and the ensuing responses that made me write that previous post: http://twitter.com/vodkaholic/status/30205186785939457 The responses: @rohanbabu: remember, your career is in YOUR hands. you decide what YOU want to do with it. take some time off and think :) @RachitaVaid: u need ice cream! Breathe gal! This shall pass too... @cyber_junkie: should expand areas of expertise and explore And my favourites of them all, @shawnlewis: come paint with me :) @the_realale: it's not work pressure! Maybe the universe is conspiring to make you a travel writer. Thanks, guys. You really cheered me up a little on a miserable day. And finally, a big thank you to @girishmallya who has been my guardian angel, punching bag, sounding board and friend all rolled into one. Twitter rocks because of people like you.

I'm not whining or being philosophical... But trust me, the last few days have only confirmed the fact that corporate life is shit. At the end of the day, what are you going to do with it?  We spend most of our lives in cubicles, behind a desk, in front of a screen. Or attending meetings or getting on a conference call. Throw buzz words around as if they mattered... 'paradigm shift', 'leverage', anyone? Try multitasking sometimes with success and sometimes failing miserably. Juggle Excel and PowerPoint files. Write emails. Receive emails. Copy a zillion people on those emails. Conduct wars virtually. Sometimes, we procrastinate. Either out of boredom or choice. Or lured by other addictions like Facebook and Twitter (ah!). Or check airfares and daydream about that next holiday you were meaning to take. Whatever it is, I've been wondering why the hell am I doing this day in and day out? There are people out there who have managed to change all this for themselv...

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 ...