Let it Rain

Amanda Marshall didn't mean this to be a happy springy song.

But where I am - nestled into a sofa with a blanket, looking out at the grey sky, listening to the rain on the balcony roof, feeling the coolest, freshest breeze on my face, reading Vikram Seth, sipping chai, munching bhakar wadi, lazing it out in the middle of the week as if it was Sunday - trust me, its a song that fills me with delight. Its all I can wish from existence right now.. to just let it rain :)

Fact of the half-year

I've ignored it. Wished it would go away. Stuck my tongue out. Made 'z' and 'x' sounds. Walked around like a peahen with my nose extended in the air and neck stretched. But the truth, whether I want to accept it or not, is that I'm stuck with a double chin. Thanks Papa. Got your brains, got the little spot on your face, got your deep brown eyes. Got your double-chin. Shit.

BlogCamp - Pune

With a 'Plenty to blog about inside' banner greeting attendees at the SCIT gates, the trip that seemed to take us 'beyond bombay' (quote Abdul Qabiz) to Hinjewadi felt well worth it! There we were, tongues firmly in cheek and pens/laptops/smartphones firmly in toe for a real feel of the blogosphere.

Tarun and Parag were clearly at the forefront of the show (A big thumbs up to them!!) with a host of volunteers making arrangements and mixing around.

The unconference was 'interesting' :) the turnout was impressive - easily over the predicted 250. The unorganizers were a cheery, helpful lot and the energy was up. the food was fantastic! B-U-T. A poor wi-fi connection ensured some presentations could not happen smoothly. The sponsors' agenda was clear: pitch, pitch and oh god, yes, pitch. Big put-off. There was a presentation by Melody and Sakshi about the negatives of blogging. Tarun Dua blogged live from the event, miraculously typing and contributing to the discussion at the same time!

Hitesh and Pranav captured a lot on video and we should hopefully have a screencast on TechSutras up soon.

Oh and we got t-shirts which said 'I blog, therefore I am'

Therefore....

Strum a dum dum

My relationship with music generally and the guitar specifically has evolved and seen some changes off late. 9 years ago, in college, I took guitar classes, bought a super-expensive guitar, tried and then failed/lost interest. Now, I've signed up for guitar classes again and bought another guitar (not so expensive though). In my former music life, I was tight, under a lot of pressure and very hard with myself for not getting it. This ensured that I didn't get it :) and eventually I quit...

Now, and I think meditation has changed many things in me, I'm more relaxed into myself, more patient and accepting... and that has allowed for a whole new world to open up for me. I'm enjoying the nuances, I'm not rushing to get anywhere and in that relaxed space, the music inside is allowing itself to be discovered... its one of the many things that can't be described but experienced.. and cherished.

I have class today. Ta da dee dee dum :)

"When you are creating something - a song, a dance - you are also creating yourself. You are discovering new dimensions of your own being" Osho