All About My Mother

No this is not about the Pedro Almodovar film although I do highly recommend watching that film for the brilliant performances.

No, this post is about the strongest woman, I have ever known who has shaped me into whatever I am today, not professionally but as an individual.

Its never easy being a mother. Whether as a housewife or as a working lady. Your child always hankers for your love, affection, care and looks to you for guidance and support. Be it a girl child or boy child.

In the midst of raising a child, if you can find your true calling - if you can challenge convention, if you can rise against the tide and carve your own niche while at the same time ensuring that your child never feels your absence then you have truly succeeded at life!

Mothers today will conform to the fact that it is so imperative in this changing dynamic World to provide a voice, a sort of guidance to your child. And to mange that and foster a career in the arts alongside, is to me, phenomenal.

But this post is not about her achievements, which if I got into I'd probably full my whole page! This post is about her spirit. About her conviction and belief that is truly a mantra that I wish more people could live by.

Perhaps her words are straight out of the Bhagavad Gita - I'm not aware of the Sanskrit version but I believe it reads something like this - do your duty to your fullest without wondering what fruits you will earn.

Be it her debut film, her first music album, her first book of poetry or ask her various endeavors she has dine it out of her love for the medium, nor for? financial gain. This may sound cliched, but in a house where husband and son are in marketing - it's quite a tussle I tell you! We're the one saying make money from art & she is simply content making art and sharing it. She calls it enlightening the world.

Live without fear. Failure is not your enemy, but your friend. Walk hand in hand with fear & failure and you will find greater success than mere mortals can imagine.

All about my mother, Shomshuklla.

Everyday needs this

Let the music fill your ears,
let your world surround you,
let life stand still,
and soar.

If you had to dream,
if you had to find a reason,
let this be it.

Hold the moment,
Dont stop tapping your feet,
move to the beat.

Life is one big party,
all you need is a partner,
explore.

Pick up that bag,
dont wait for tomorrow,
live.

Dont stop to count the notes,
but stop to count the smiles,
smile.

The world is sunshine, rainbows and gumdrops,
if anyone tells you otherwise,
give them your glasses.

TDPA 101

Are you ready kids? TDPA took the twitter sphere by storm last Sunday. By storm I mean a lil gust of wind on a Delhi summer's day! But that doesn't mean we can't make it like last year's crazy Mumbai monsoon right? Sure this year was a total letdown but if wishes were horses... Look unicorn!

I'm sure all of you know what TDPA is by now, given the fact I have been really pimping it out. No? Man, I do have fewer followers than I earlier imagined. Woe is me. NOT. Annnyway, getting back.

You there, taking 20 photos till you get the right one. Editing, instagraming, right pose, angle, duck face, swag et all... TDPA is about the first impression. The first twitter impression, which let's face it, with the visual world that we live in, leads us to make a first impression on twitter of a new person we choose to follow from their Display Picture on in the parlance of the interwebs, DP or DeePee!

And thus after many hours of pondering and research and delving into the intricate working of human behaviour... Basically scrolling through my timeline & looking at all your pretty pictures, TDPA was born... The Twitter Display Picture Awards.

So how does it work?

TDPA has multiple categories for DP selection. Some of the current ones are:

1) Double Trouble - reflection or more than 1 person in the DP
Last winner: @fangs_shui

2) By Jove Whattey Beard - as the name says it, if you've got a beard, then that's all the DP needs.
Last winner: @Shadez

3) Don't Call Me SHADY - ... Looks like *puts on shades* You've got yourself a nomination (worst Horatio Crane meme ever)
Last winner: @awryaditi

4) Watch Out I'm Fabulous -  this ones dedicated to all the gorgeous women & dapper gents of twitter. Take a bow.
Last winner: @rotalks

5) Desi Beat - Is this a totally mooching off Independence Day patriotic feelings kind of feeling category? No no no, this was there since last week. All this Indian. Sarees and chaniya cholis are most welcome ;)
Last winner: @absolute_purple

6) Nikla Gaddi Leke - yep fuel prices are skyrocketing but heck if you disposable cash or maybe a trip you went to 5 years ago, it still counts right! These are for the travelling shutter bugs out there. If you have wanderlust in your DP. Voila nominated.
SPANKIN NEW CATEGORY!

7) Pour Me One More - If you drink life to the lees, and chaar baj gaye lekin party abhi baaki hain, then this is the category for you. Got booze, will show. Damned be the doobieley brigade!
SPANKIN NEW CATEGORY!

And many more as the weeks go on. Special thanks to funny girl and twitter superstar @awryaditi for the Nikla Gaddi Leke category! You too can send me your categories for the DP awards (more the merrier). DM me or drop a line in the comments below.


Fun and games over? Now I'm guessing you want the rules and all too yes. Here it goes, take notes:

1. Each TDPA category will have 5 nominees. Nominees will be selected by me.
2. You can vote for a nominee by sending a tweet with the nominee's twitter handle followed by #TDPA.
3. Votes without #TDPA will not be counted.
4. Winners will be decided by number of votes for each nominee. Max votes wins.
5. In the case of a tie:
A)  if tie is between two people then it will be decided by the flip of a coin.
B) if tie is between more than two people, winner will be decided by ballot.
5. If you're selected as a nominee you can vote for yourself. Once.
6. Incase there is a tie, and one candidate's vote is from him/herself while the other candidate has two external votes, latter candidate will be declared winner.
7. Decision on winners is final and binding. Makes sense right, I mean you cannot have a free for all.
8. Attempting to influence the selector (me) to get yourself nominated (via alcohol, expensive gifts or just favours in kind), MAY not get you anywhere. Just saying. Putting it out there.


What about prizes and the real awards?
We're working on it. Heck we're a non profit right. I mean all I can do is ask some of my design buddies to design logos and trophies but that's going to take some time, but trust me when you receive it, it will be something memorable!

Also incase you corporate junkies have friends in high places who want to sponsor the prizes on the TDPA heck, I'll be honest I won't say no. Everybody's a winner right.

Go on now. Pimp up that DP. And I'll see you on twitter tomorrow.


This is me signing out,

@primaveron



Disclaimer: TDPA is a non profit, for fun kind of award ceremony on twitter that has no connection to any company I work for/have ever worked for. These random idiotic ideas are solely from my own brain!

Temporary Pleasures of the Scatter Brained Kind

They say growing up too soon, is a bad idea. Or growing up at all for that matter. Somewhere all the focus that you had through your younger years tends to disappear and get replaced by this kind of scatterbrained tendency to try to do ten things at once. Most of this is brought about in turn by technology, what with smart phones, tabs and multiple screens that encourage you to do a gazillion things at once.
Apparently we only use 10% of our brain. And within this 10% we try to do so much. Therein lies the problem. If only we could focus and do a couple of things and do them right. If only we weren't so distracted by the world around us and so many different cares and concerns.

This is where growing up comes into play. Every morning, before I go to bed or when I wake up these are the concerns I wake up with, ranked perhaps in order of priority or not:
1. Did I do the right thing?
2. Will she see me as a lover?
3. Will they get better?
4. Will I manage to make a sale today?
5. Will I be able to be a good boss?
6. Would that episode of Newsroom be downloaded by now?
7. Do I need a hair cut?
8. Has my driver come on time?
9. How will I save money for a trip to Europe?
10. When will I find my princess?

This should be an indication about the few of the things that keep tumbling through my head every single day.

Yes, you might call me selfish and self absorbed, but heck it is my life right? And if I don't think about me, who will.

There I go rambling off again. Musings these are dear reader, and these are perhaps long pending ones too. I haven't spoken my thoughts here for far too long. Perhaps I can change that someday soon.

Unrelated note, I started reading the original Amazing Spider man comics and needless to say I'm hooked. If you want all 640 of them, drop me a line.

Until later.
Cheerio.

Doodle jump in an auto

For anyone who owns an Android phone and likes casual gaming, the Doodle Jump game is a must.

You play a little guy who must jump from platform to platform, while avoiding monsters and what not..

Addictive lil bastard of a game. Joshua was the one who introduced me to it, and just earlier today I beat his personal best highscore! Woot!

So anywho, I like challenging myself at these games, so I choose weird environments to play a round in.

I set my highest ever score while waiting for Nandita to get her hair done at a Lakme salon, so it was only apt that I hoped the playing stakes.

So I'm on my way to meet her for the movie, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (my views on that are reserved, will share after a viewing). And yes sadly I'm in an auto today. My new balance shoes are facing the brunt of the Mumbai monsoon, and I'm none too pleased about it.

So I decided since anyway I have nothing positive to rejoice about this back-replacement surgery inducing ride, I might as well make the most of it.

And voila what better way than to play doodle jump!

So while holding on to my bouncing phone as my autowallah drove valiantly over the most cavernous potholes he could find, and moments, saving my phone from becoming a victim of Mumbai's fabled road works, I managed to set a respectable score of 53,606...small compared to my high score of 69,704...but a feat in itself nonetheless.

Also I just realized typing out a blogpost on the phone while in an auto was much easier than playing doodle jump....Hrmmm something to think about no?

Once upon a time there was a little boy...

Once upon a time,

there was a little boy,

who beleived that every dream could come true.

who looked at the world through rose tinted glasses,

and saw clouds made of cotton candy and gumdrops.

For whom there was no evil in the world,

for whom it all was a very simple place.

Who knew no struggle,

who knew no pain,

who only felt joy and the tingling of rain.

Who danced and pranced about with every paycheck,

forgetting that in life, there's always a debt.

Add the debt of joyful times,

the debt of carefree moments,

the debt of procrastination,

the debt that must be paid.

Paid in kind? Has life ever heard such a word?

For every high, there must come a fall.

And a fall my dear friends, when early on is fairly less painful,

than one in which, you scale the peak and tumble on down.

There is no Jack, there is no Jill,

there is oft just a sleeping pill,

to put you torrid mind at rest,

to take you away from the horrid place.

Life, they say, is a rat's race...

and dear friend, the rat you finally have become.

Dimitri offers me advice on tackling the GMAT

Found out about this earlier today on : Know Your Meme

So here's my contribution :P