The Lazy Way to Success (Wally)

What Wally Inspires me about - that me being LAZY isn't a step away from success :) 

From the pages of Dilbert , a character which embarks true power to the Lazy Me!!

Lights , Camera , Action!!!

MY FIRST STINT AT ACTING :)

Okay, before you build up your expectations, it was a small shoot. I just had to speak for a minute or two. But the build up to it, was in every sense an experience to live.

Yes , there was a proper crew ; the art director , with his white cap on (seriously what’s with that , a thinking hat ? ) ;his assistant; the camera guy , with his long hair ; the make-up artist , who went on about how many TV cast he’s worked for; the group of guys with all the lights , and shades; etc, etc..

The night before the shoot was spent on deciding what to wear- thanks for my dear roomies for that. Seriously, its moment like these I am super glad to have them around – I don’t know what would I have done without their opinion!!

THE DAY :

Thankfully the shoot was in the morning , and I was spared an entire day of imagining what would happen .

They started with my make-up and after they were done, I was kind of aghast to see myself. Being a “keep-it-simple” girl  I felt I looked horrible with the oodles of make-up ; I was plastered with loads of it ;but it won’t show up in the video they said, it’s required . This being my first-hand experience, I guess I had no choice but to accept they knew what they were doing well.

Then , came the mike. They hid it well under my collar, so that it would’nt show at all. I kind of felt dumb , cause I never knew they would be using mikes at all for recording. I always imagined the camera would do all the job!!

And then came the moment , I had been having goose bumps thinking about. My lines (just 4 to be true) were well rehearsed, but the moment they put me infront of camera for rehearsal , I went blank!!! Yes completely blank. I felt dumb – what’s wrong with my brain I can’t even recall 4 simple lines , I wrote myself..

Anyhow, I somehow managed to utter the lines. The director (a really sweet guy) , said I was putting too much effort in speaking the lines , that my face was missing all the expressions. Dear Mr. Director , I am software –developer ,  the only screen I am used to is the computer’s . Well the camera screen is new to me, give me some time..

Anyways , after 3-4 retakes (they actually use the words “action” , “rolling” , it felt kind of funny!! ) I managed to get it right .But then as soon as finished my lines , my eyes automatically looked up to the camera guy , as if to seek his approval ,”Did I do alright ?” . You are supposed to continue looking into the camera for few seconds they explained, over and over again. But come on , it was my first shot , I could’nt help if my eyes instinctively followed my brain’s desire to seek that approval. And then the camera guy put everyone in laughter with his “ Lady, I am not that handsome , that you immediately need to look at me”  remark. Another whiff of embarrassment and that did the job- My eyes did’nt move at all to seek that approval anymore .

Finally, after 3-4 more shots, it got over. The crew were a bunch of lovely people , who kept encouraging , and giving nice comments – never getting irritated – after all they were professionals!!

Did I enjoy it – yes every bit of it.However short it was ,it might be my only stint at acting , and every experience counts. And how did I actually do – well that I’ll only know when the video’s out!! Till then, I have found an interesting experience I can brag about at coffee!! 

I believe in PINK!!

“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.” 

And yes, I am one of those who believe in pink. My dear friends who label “pink” as being “too girly”   are just not too bold enough to sport the color.  For I believe, pink to be the true mix of red and white. It is the passion and power of red softened with the purity, openness and completeness of white. If that symbolizes feminism , then yes PINK is girly..


And I own a whole bunch of things which are pink, though most of them are gifted , quiet a few have been bought by me.. If I look around me , few pink things which I own  :
A pair of scissors,
My comb
MP3 player
A t-shirt (couple of them actually)
Nailpaint
Stuff toy”s
, ..... 


So , yes I love Pink and all things pink. For , just because I love PINK , does'nt mean I am not strong!! 

Rock As If Nothing Matters

The Fallback Plan

Well, I highly recommend “The Fallback Plan” by Leigh Stein to all my twenty –something friends , who have felt a little lost and a lot confused after college .
 
To sum up, the book’s protagonist Esther Kohler is a twenty-something recent college graduate, unemployed and living with her parents. Unable to decide what to do with herself, she spends her days aimlessly, hanging out with her high school friends and her old crush , drinking a lot. Determined to help her through a tough time (or just to get her off her back, really) Esther’s mom finds her a babysitting job and not having anything better to do with her time, Esther takes that up. Sorting through other people’s problems helps Esther realize that she must face her own issues and find a compromise between her dreams and real life, and maybe even build some self-esteem in the process.

At the end of the day, the book put me into a reflective mode again, as to what was my fallback plan..
All of friends are either
Getting Married : and while I am happy from heart for them , every “engaged” status on facebook gives me Goosebumps.
Or
Pursuing higher studies : And every such news makes me wonder am I the only fool sticking in IT . That I would be the only one left out without a PG . 

And all the while my mind is busy in conjuring answers to: 

To My Parents: Reasons to convince them as to why I do not want to get married for another 2 years atleast.

• I am yet to achieve a lot of things before I am settled. Like what my parents ask, and I have no great answers 
• I hav’nt met the man of my dreams .This My parents don’t buy , they just think my expectations are too high
• There is so much I want to see in the world . My mom : You can explore the world better if you have a life partner with you !!

To My Friends: Reasons why I am lying low on going for further studies

• I love my job (atleast I think I do).Except for the occasional low moments when I hate it ,and get the feeling of thrashing my machine from the highest floor. , but that phase would occur in any job I guess.
• I don’t know yet what course I want to do , and I am in no rush to jump in the guns till I know for sure.
• The economy is bad!! well , when is'nt it.

And To Myself  :

• Like a reckless soul, fidgeting around to find what hobby/liking of mine is actually a passion , and not just a phase.
• Where do I want to see myself 10 years from now, etc , etc..

Alright, I know I might just be delaying the decision as to what I want to do. I dread of having to make wrong choices. Life was easier when parents made all our decisions.
But for all I know, I am living in the moment. Maybe it ain’t too bad, I am enjoying the small things , exploring my realms.

And that’s what the book makes me feel good about, accepting the reality. In Esther’s words

“In another twenty years I would still be depressed and apathetic. I would still be waiting for that turning point, the one that comes in books and plays, where the hero has to step up and risk it all. Apparently, in life, there is no such thing.”

So to sum up what I learnt ,  I’ll  just go home with the fact that that growing up is an act of stumbling forward, and holding on to innocence can sometimes be more painful than letting go of it.

On Mehangai : Views of a Gujju uncle

   Despite what people would have to say about the various nuances of the Indian Rails, I have always loved travelling by the “chuk-chuk gadi” and preferred it over all other forms of transport.The part which I fancy the most is the interesting conversations you build up with the people in your coach, it is diversity at its best, and people spare no efforts to spill out all the gyan they have .

   Just recently , on a trip home on my regular train,August Kranti , I ended up being dragged into an interesting conversation on our woes of the times “ Mehangai”  aka Inflation. 

   The conversation started on a regular note, with Aunties crying out how their hearts weep while cooking  food , what with the ever increasing process of sabji , pulses , and cooking oil. Of the sky-rocketing prices of petrol , and how it affects us all. And then there emerged this Gujju uncle , who with his sassy way of communication ,changed the direction of the conversation .What views he held , were incredibly delightful and different to hear.

   Our dear Gujju uncle , questioned us in an obvious manner , that how is inflation causing us troubles. According to him , India is becoming rich , what could be bought for Rs. 10 around 5 years back ,can be bought for  Rs. 100 now , and that’s indicative of how our spending power has increased, that we can now afford to spend a 100 bucks for what we would do in a tenner. What he said made us all ponder , it’s true the average standard of living in India has increased. Pizza hut, Dominoes’ is no longer a rich man’s joint , malls are increasingly being visited by the middle class. 

   And then Uncle continued his explanation :  For us, born of early 80’s and before things have become expensive , but not for today’s generation .We oldies still calculate the value of rupee as per previous days , in our minds we still feel , ahhh Rs. 100!!! that used to be enough to survive a month. But for the newer generation, the story is different . It’s not expensive – it’s the rate of their age, it’s the prices they have grown up in.  Brands to them are more affordable now.  The whole standard of living has increased !!!

   In the end it left me with a happy feeling, it felt as if I was enlightened with a new thought. Our Gujju uncle , made me realize how creative a man could be , how his thought process could conjure reasons to feel  happy about everything in life , to find that silver lining in the cloud !!

   What made the conversation stick to mind ,was the hilarious way in which our dear Gujju uncle and his son were steering it forward.  To quote: 

When will I find my Hobbes!!

Bill Watterson’s classic ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ has always been one of my favorite scripts. His profound views on the daily nuances of life, makes your head go ‘drip-a-drip’.  It always amazed me how well did Watterson represent the harsh realities of life in such a comical-fashion, of how he could make you laugh-out-your-wits and put you into deep ponder of things that are at the same time. 

But what lasts in my mind the most whenever I flip through the classic 4-column script, is the affectionate character that is Hobbes. Our dear stripped-orange creature, casts a jaundiced view over the manifold failings of humanity, at the same time maintains a faith in the very human.

In every sense, Hobbes fulfills Calvin’s yearning for conformity.

And that’s what makes me jealous of Calvin, and my heart yearns for my very own Hobbes.

One might argue I am a weak soul to say that I long for conformity, that the greatest of writers and revolutionary minds , always quoted conformity to be the “jailer of freedom” and “enemy of growth”.
I don’t say I am opposed to that view, but any human does need an approval of his state of affairs. 

And that’s where Hobbes come in, no matter how crazy Calvin’s ideas where, how ‘off-society’  his actions where , the orange fellow was always there to make him believe he’s sane. Now you can’t call this stifling. It’s as free as a man could be.

My ideas might not be as crazy as Calvin’s, but I know they are crazy enough to make any sane man say “Are you nuts? People will mock you!!”

So will I ever find my Hobbes – I guess I will have to make peace with the bunny tugged at the corner of my bed, to fulfill my yearning ,  Coz I know I cannot make other people conform to my own whims and fancies. Hell, I cannot make even my own body obey me.