These are a few of my favorite things....

I only clicked on the link http://zenhabits.net/2007/07/75-simple-pleasures-to-brighten-your-day/ thinking I would just glimpse over but there were some parts of the article which went unnoticed. I was just about to close the window when I realized how well I could relate to some of the points enlisted there. These might not necessarily brighten my day but they do leave me exhilarated for some time at least, and even more as I write about these.

So whats on my list :

• Walking barefoot in grass - I enjoy the ticklish feeling as I walk - my feet pressing into and off the soft grass is a lovely feeling.
• The smell of fresh uncut grass - this goes extremely well with the smell of wet earth. It leaves me rejuvenated! The latter is generally after a rain. (How about getting drenched in rain.?!!)
  
• Hugging a child tightly - and what follows for most of the times is a squeak or a whimper which makes me cuddle the kid even tighter!
  
• A long conversation with a good friend - all the better if over a cup of elaichi or ginger tea or coffee - It can leave me relaxed and my mood uplifted especially if I have laughed throughout the conversation. Its the same as I talk to some one unknown.
  
• Acting crazy in public - Believe me its crazy! Its not that I do it intentionally - I guess that's my build - :) I get into the fits generally when I am with a good friend - (He/She should not be put off by that - and if that's the case I am put off even more! ). I knew I like being like that only when I came upon this article.
  
• Being gifted with flowers and adorning my home with flowers - Buying fresh flowers every Sunday morning, arranging it on your coffee table of your living room, your dining table and bed room - what a delightful thought!!
  
• Loud music - when your own voice is inaudible and you are unable to think of anything even when you want to - It can be intoxicating!
• Enid Blyton books -I remember my school days some how (my school days are the best days of my life) I plan to have a collection of Enid Blyton books!
  
• Hearing someone who can make you laugh.
  

I don't know if this is an exhaustive list but surely a few of my favorite things!

On Movies.... this and that....

The movie buff in me from time to time is active after brief periods of hibernation. If I were to describe in one sentence the kind of movies I enjoy for most of the times I would say - "Any story which reflects the director's excellence". This perhaps speaks for why I enjoy a lot of art films or maybe commercial cinemas which are based on some real incident. I am not saying I am a judge of good movie direction neither do I claim that all art movies are directed well.

Of late I have been watching a lot of Bengali films - I have liked all the movies by Satyajit Ray and Rituporno Ghosh I have seen so far. This weekend I grabbed a few VCDs - Antareen(The confined), Sati (The Ritual) and Juganto(End of an Era). These are delicacies by Mrinal Sen and Aparna Sen. I watched Antareen. Its a simple story, there is nothing very elaborate about the sets, it has only ten characters in the film, there are a total of three different locations in the film and yet the film was not seeming slow paced, it kept me engrossed till the end. Most of the films by these directors are made such. Their unique selling point undoubtedly is their story line and the subtle, intricate moves in movie direction.

I have been born and brought up in Calcutta and when I was young I remember my Father going to watch a lot of Bengali films in the theatre. One of the movies he was once trying to convince my Mother, my sisters and myself into watching was Unishe April(19th April). I think the movie had just released then. Obviously none of us agreed - I think because we were lured into watching movies with extravagant sets, good music, known actors.

I am sure it is not easy and I don't know whether I would be really doing it, but I am truly inspired to shoot a short documentary film (may be ten minutes long). It would require immense expertise I feel. I will surely think over it at least. Or is that the maximum I will do?!

Talk over coffee with Sanjeev Kapoor...

It was just another day - Lazy morning, going to office even lazier, stand up meeting, coffee, coding, some meetings, lunch, more meetings - This went on till five in the evening. All of a sudden ' the friday evening' feeling started to percolate especially in the cubicle where I sit. My colleague and I start some gibberish conversation and we come to the topic of 'filter coffee'. By the way this colleague of mine claims he has evolved into Chef Sanjeev Kapoor by virtue of his attempts to cook. His name is Bharath - if I were to describe him in a few words I would say ' A guy who is really proud to hail from Chennai'. Basically a very simple guy who can enkindle any situation into a funny one - I think very few people can do that.

So we had a session on 'How to make filter coffee'. After a futile attempt at explaining me the making process, which lasted for say fifteen minutes, he made a couple of calls to his mother, we searched wikipedia, and finally zeroed upon the ingredients and the procedure. This was his plight after making filter coffee regularly! Atleast he says he is regular! At the end of it I learnt how to use the filter coffee maker which I had been misusing so long.

I was wanting to move out early from office today and that urge strengthened after I learned our 'boss' had left. It was easy convincing Bharath to accompany me for a plate of Rava Idli to a nearby coffee shop Miverva. We were ready to leave in no time. We truly lived up to the saying -' the mice are out when the cat is away' !

Bharath, I realised has turned into a glutton ever since he 'quit' smoking. (his definition of quit is to abstain till the next time he does it) and I dont need to quit anything for that :). We devoured the idlys at the speed of 1 idly in about 2 mins. We bahaved as if we had not eaten anything and ordered dosa next. A cup of coffee followed. I avidly enjoy the minerva coffee as it is 'filtered' by nature! We talked a lot over the coffee and so called evening snacks. It was really good fun.
Albeit there was nothing unusual about the evening I was feeling fresh and happy by the end of it.

Am back home now and I prepared coffee - the filtered way! Cheers Bharath dear!

Sleepless..

Its 1:40 am by my watch and not an iota of sleep in my eyes, am wide awake and restless. I am having terrible cough and cold, my nose running, so no fan for me and to add to the vexation the weather is not good enough to sleep off without a fan! I have been switching the fan on and off every now and then - my nose gets worse with the fan, and my discomfort increases without it! How irritating can that be! Its at the peak now. May be it comes down by the time I finish this.

Its one of those rare nights when nothing works at all. Normally 15 minutes of reading or a movie is enough to put me off to sleep.

A friend had joined me for dinner and I was all prepared to sleep after he left at 9:40 p.m. I usually don't go to bed too early but today I thought I would due to this cold which proved so annoying. I read for around forty minutes, calls from friends interspersed. The book did no good so chatted for another half an hour. My cold was taking a toll on me! My sleep was coming down and restlessness increasing. To top it all I was hungry when I was in no mood or disposition to get up and cook something for myself. But it was hunger which took a greater toll and I did get up - prepared maggi, toasted bread and smeared some jam on it. Ate leisurely hoping I would get sleep after that. God knows what made me think maggi and toast would have sedative effects!

Done with second round of dinner or a really early breakfast I tried to sleep for sometime. All in vain! Getting up before 10 a.m next morning would almost be impossible! I went on for a bath and a head wash! Yes with that cold! It may be insanity or may be I was unconsciously trying to complete all the early morning chores so that I would just get up from bed, change and go to office the next 'morning'.

I have just completed dusting the room now, I switched on my laptop and have started writing this. Its 2:10 now. I will post this and let me see what follows. Atleast I have spent almost half an hour without any uneasiness. I hope I am able to drive away that maddening spirit out of me and sleep off now.

(Coughing incessantly now! Courtesy - my head bath! :( Grrr)