#Lockdown

The world as we know has changed. It will never go back to be the same.

When Governments end Lockdowns across the world,
We will wonder are they doing it because the fear of spread has reduced or to bring a bounce to economy ..
We will always fear, when someone sneezes of coughs, is that person a carrier or  infector ?
We will always be anxious, when our kids go to schools and creches and fret on their health..
We will always be in a doubt, when another virus will take over the world..
We will always dream, when all will be normal, when will I take that vacation without any worries.
We will always plan , for such crisis - physical health, home finances, mental stability

and We will always remember and reminisce -- during lockdown , we did this and we did that and we were so brave that we stayed home !

Over a Period of time !

Was browsing through old posts and wanted to check how much I have changed .. 

So here I go
10 Random Facts
1. I love dark chocolates... darker they are more I like them.
 - This is still my favorite, though now I am building a partner for this crime.. my son..though he loves only dairy milk - no nuts
2. I am a Farmville addict.. unless I am visiting our real world farmpur regularly. 
- This addiction is totally off, My New Addiction is Kindle reading , actually the first one is playing with my son.
3. In songs, I like them only if I understand and like the lyrics. The music - IMHO- flows with the words. 
- This is valid still.
4. I am very lazy.. and I try hard not to be.  
- Not so very, but these days its called, selective prioritization and lack of discipline 
5. I am always homesick :( even after staying out of home for long stretches (Engg 4 years, US 2.5 years, Aus now 5 months) ..I always want to go home!!!  
- Now I know Home is a feeling not a place.. and based on place and situation, the homesickness sets in 
6. I believe more in Palmistry than horoscopes. Again Lines on your hand keep changing too..I have seen them change on mine !  
- Have stopped looking for future, I now believe, Now and here should be enjoyed :)
7. I hate anything related to clothes - shopping, washing, ironing - you say it and I hate it :) 
- Ahh this stays.. Ironing is outsourced, washing effort reduced, but shopping still stays on hatelist, so once in a while I go out in a shop that I know well, buy 4-5 sets and relaxxx.. 
8. I like to stay connected to the internet. Not exactly a junkie, but keep reading things and updates. 
- Social Media eats up internet time, but it sort of gives me direction to read. and then I realised that on Social media, what you read  drives more similar articles /post .. so that too turns me off these days. the whole contextual placement , isnt helping me widen my knowledge. 
9. I want to start Technical blogging but point 4 affects me.. :)
- Still same .. but then I have turned to Managerial track - that shouldnt stop me from sharing experiences there.. yet. 
10. I want to write a novel someday.. Even if no one reads it, I am ok. 
- I have some progress here.. I put together a framework , but not moved ahead of it. Some other stuff that gets prioritized. 

The Q&A session:

1. What is the first thing you do when you wake up?

Think about - do I need to get up now or can snooze and sleep a bit more..(Refer to fact#4)
- still the same and my husband is way too irritated about this  😀😀

2. How do you express your anger?

You can see my anger pretty easily and in words and body language. If I can restrain it, it will come as sarcasm.
- Havent changed much there although, I have more control over the anger coming in words or body language. I take time to understand the other person's perspective and place where they are coming from. 

3. If you had to live on a lonely island and take only one book with you, which one would that be?

It would be one I want to read and hence very accessible and have not been able to pick up at all.
- The Bhagvadgita ? I will get enough time to read and understand it and will stay calm due to it 

4. An embarrassing moment/ fact about you?

I am very forgetful about my appearance..and hence never can make a first good impression :(
- Still the same , still the same..

5. How much do you let your academic success/failure affect your life?

Academic success has surely paved a way ahead while pursuing academics. I mean, the next level of education asks for how much did you get in your previous exam. But then real life, where it really matters  who cares how much you scored in your SSC ?
- Academic outcome ? I have to start learning for that. If I translate it to Professional success / failure / setback / feedback - I get way to pissed off in the first phase , second phase understand the anger and the other set of people's perspective and third phase - Bake a cake 😃

6. Do you believe in first impressions?

I believe in first intuitions. Isn't it same as first impressions ? No. A person might impress you in first meeting. But you always get an intuition if the person matches the impression or not. 
- Again the same 

7. What period of your life do you think was best?

Now.. I love to think about the past, but I think now is better than before. 

- Still the same 

8. Do you live in present more or brood about past and fantasize about future more?

I believe in past whatever decisions I have taken are based on my knowledge, situation and analysis at that point of time and I continue to do so in present as well as in future. So Why worry? Just stay here and now and do the right thing.

- Once again, the same .. 

9. Your favorite cartoon and why?

Tom and Jerry :)  
- Any animation now , although the adult mind adulterates the fun trying to find hidden meanings in some 

10. And finally Harry potter or Twilight?

Harry Potter.. There is more maturity in young Harry Potter than the teenager Bella. 

- Still the same thoughts



Overall, Looks like my core stuff hasnt changed over time, if these questions were supposed to find it - But I Like the questionnaire: I can have my team answer it to have a fun virtual meeting !

Hidden Talents

So when I joined this new company, in the introduction round, I was asked what is my hidden talent. I mentioned Blogging, as i havent been doing it any often and hence has been hidden away . .

I wish I can write more.. and more often too. 

Making it up on the go..

It was just a trial..  To #rhyme up a rhyme based on #Devanagari letters.. #Konkani being my mother tongue, it was easier..so here is my creation..
Mind it, there is not much poetic value, it's for kids and hence simple and since its mine,  it sounds sweet to me

क क कमळ, ख खयि दोक्कुनु हाडोया
ग ग गणपती बाप्पाक घ घ घराकडे हाडनु चोढोया
च च चवथीक छनछन् कोरनु येत्तलो,
जय देव जय देव करुया अनि झोकालीरी झुलोया।
टण टण करता घांट ठण ठण करता जघांट
डमडम करता डमरू अनि ढमढम ढोल वाज्जोया ।
पार्वतीले फुल्लाक,बमबम भोले ल बाब्बाक
म म मोदकाचे नैवेद्य करुया ।
ताट करी जेवणाचे थाट करी ताटाचे दया करी आम्चेरी
ध ध पाय धरुया।
न न नमन आम्मी तुक्का करताती, यो रे यो लवकरी,
वयि आम्मी तुक्का शरण आयिली।
सुख अनि समाधान, षण्मुखाले आशिर्वाद,
हे देवा क्षमा करी ज्ञान अभय दी आम्का!

The Living Room Sofa

Since my childhood, I have always slept in the Living room, only now do I have a different room.
Earlier our house had only 2 rooms, the Living room and the Kitchen. So naturally it was the living room. We were kids then and getting up at 6:30 to start for school at 7 was a task !!! Poor mom and dad had a daily Herculean task..
Then we moved to another apartment which had same number of rooms but just a size bigger. It wasnt the age of Sofa-cum-beds yet, only a bed was prevalent and that took a big space in our living room. My Granny ( she was with us for that short time)  used to sleep on it.
So till all this time I always liked the bed-roll on the floor.
We moved in our Bigger home, with an additional room called bedroom. We children took the Living room and the balcony separately, after a proposition to exchange places on a periodic basis. (its another thing, that I never left the balcony till the Sofa came in)
So this home was remodeled so many times, that I almost remember staying in different places instead of one. and with each makeover, the balcony was more and more out of sight and Living room was the biggest room. Sometime in between, the Red Sofa-cum-bed arrived in our Living room. My brother declared it unfit for him to sleep due to his height and I was the sole contender to it !
I never looked at any other option unless there was some guest, or my mom had a restraining order on how late I could sleep in the Living Room.
When I went to US, I was placed in a 2 bedroom apartment with 2 roommates. I was supposed to share 1 bedroom with one of them. But with no cellphone, and house phone in the living room next to the Sofa, and my Long calls to Home and friends and my team back in India, I ended up sleeping on the Living room sofa.. When I was at my friends place ( I spent most of my time there), the Living room Sofa was much more comfortable than any other place.- for me it was my home in US !
I moved into another Apartment and shared it with one other roommate. Dint have a Sofa but just a mattress. Although I had a choice, I put it in the Living room and settled out there :)
When I relocated to another city, I rented another 1 bedroom apartment and naturally I chose the Living room over the bedroom. My roomie came in another month later, till then the Bedroom was only a store-room. As we collected furniture - mattresses and sofa, my roomie helped me change my habits by citing saving electricity as a reason. Although I did find reasons to sleep on the two-seater sofa with my legs hanging out e.g late night calls with my team in India, or work or watching online movies , etc. , I was comfortable sleeping anywhere :).
When I was back home to India, we had shifted to a new place. Its a 2 Bedroom plus Living room plus kitchen. Anticipating Brother's marriage, he was in one of the bedrooms and my parents in another.. Me was back in Living Room..My father got it partitioned so that I get some privacy of my own, yet it was still my favorite Living Room.

Post Marriage - I miss the Living room sleeping and after a kid its much more farther. Although I do find time to nap on the Living room sofa , its still a rare occasion.

How life changes!