Chop chop :) :)

There something special about every haircut I have had so far :) :)  I have always felt new and powerful and wonderful right after a haircut :)The entire experience is simply thrilling :) From the moment I enter the parlour till i walk out of it with a smashing haircut ,  I savour every moment :) :)

Most of my hair cut stories come with a large amount of back-end processing :) It almost always begins with how i suddenly realize that my hair has gone so bad and frizzy and the only thing that can save me is a  hair cut :D Then comes the big part- convincing my mother :) I embark on a constant "nagging" citing a  million reasons on why I need  a hair cut and how I always promise her that this will be the last time ever, ever( the second ever to emphasis my promise :P )But for some reason the "ever ever" time span has never lasted beyond a year and a half :) I always manage to come up with a solid reason on why  i had to break my promise this time :) Finally after repeated nagging for weeks together i push my mother to a stage were she says " do whatever you want !!".

Success!! :) I can never get a straight yes from my mom for a haircut :P This is the closest i can get her to agree to it:)

For some reason I have never considered V-cuts and U-cuts as real haircuts :) For me it has always been a step cut or a layer cut :)  Now comes the best part :) The   hair stylist begins her chopping and trimming and layering my hair :) The wait is one of the most exciting aspects of any haircut :) There is little tension , little  anxiety on how the cut is going to materialise :) Finally when it is done I slowly open my eyes :) and stare at my reflection in the long parlour mirror :)

Sometimes its WOW!! and sometimes it is "  this is it ??? !!!" isn't there anything more " ! If it is a WOW season ! :) I bubble with joy and happily pay the bill and chirp all the way home :) The haircut makes me feel so new and energetic and makes me feel like i just re-discovered myself :) it feels so soft and bouncy and it is the sheer happyness that makes you feel you look awesome in this haircut :)

Each and every hair cut has been a joyous experience to me :)Haircuts have always been more than just makeovers :) A little chop chop here and there goes a long way in pumping the adrenalin rush :) :)

Cheers
Sandy :)

Navratri , Rains & more :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

The city finally woke up to its true "octoberian" spirits. The day opened with the
season’s first big downpour. Rain is always a welcome respite to the chennaites.

So what makes October so special??

Apart from being the month of my birthday there are a million other things that I love about October. The rains, the festival of navaratri, T-Nagar, golu, kacheri, sundal-prasadam, paper boats and many more. Navratri is one of the most celebrated festivals in the city. Navaratri has unfolded its wings from being a festival that celebrates the spirit of Hindu Mythology's 3 most powerful goddesses to a season of pomp and gala, socializing and bonding with the near and dear ones. Come navaratri the city rises to a traditional high with every temple and sabha in the city be it big or small is lined with a slew of cultural events. The numerous golu visits we make during this season not only expands our social life it also opens us to new ideas and creativity with each and every household showcasing its very own signature golu arrangement. With pattu pavadais and designer half saree's and a lot other "navaratri special” making its way into the city's wardrobe, everybody has something to look forward to this season. Navratri means different things to different people. For some it is about tradition, for some it is about the festivity but for all of us this season is about fun and celebration and living every moment of this 9 day splendor.

As the Navratri fever grips the city making its presence felt in every nook and
corner and kiosk and household of the city, come and enjoy the flavor of Chennai
city's favorite festival.

                           Happy Navratri !!

Cheers
Sandy :)

Where is all the courtesy ???

There is a rising concern over the city bus drivers and the bus conductors. Riding in the AC bus can turn out to be quiet a nightmare these days. Gone are the days when  the AC bus was a boon to the commuters. Riding in the city bus especially the AC bus requires a great deal of  bravery.
Why bravery?
Coz it requires you to battle a whole lot of things starting from the crazy crowd in the bus , to saving yourself from getting crushed, to avoiding attacks in the form of stampede,   or getting hit randomly, you dunno when an elbow will land in a perfect blow on your face.( none of this is an exaggeration). This is the real plight of the  city buses these days, and this does not end here. Now comes the real test for your patience- to what extent can you control your temper when the bus driver and the bus conductor start their verbal  onslaught .
You have to sit through the entire ride listening to the conductor rambling about how none of the passengers co-operate in accommodating more passengers in the bus. Little do i understand on how  we are supposed to move and create space for " more passengers" when the bus is loaded to twice its permitted capacity. And in such a crowded mayhem there is a high percentage for you to miss your stop , by the time you gather yourself from one end of the bus, manage to navigate through this chaos and reach the exit, your stop might have been long gone! And if you happen to be one of those poor souls to miss the stop that day,
1. you have to walk back or find some other means to reach your destination
2. Face the foulest of foul verbal aggression from the bus conductor.
After all this drama, by the time you reach your destination you feel like you have just ploughed, sowed, watered and harvested a 500 acre land at one go. That is the level of mental and physical exhaustion you land in.
We don't want GPS fitted , blah technology enabled buses, or cherries on top "good morning " from the bus driver or the bus conductor , our needs have always been simple and small- comfortable means of transportation with importance to safety of  the passengers  .
Not all AC bus drivers and conductors  are bad, but sadly most are.There are people who do more than what is required by them, but it is a rarity these days.
 Here is to all those people who seem to have lost all their courtesy- " please respect the job you are doing. We have a give and take relationship here where we need transportation and you need passengers to keep the registers ticking. Let us do this in harmony.Let us not make a simple bus ride look like a mission to mars.

Love
Sanz
  

:) :) Color and Chaos :) :) :)

As random thoughts crossed my mind , for a change I decided to sketch my thoughts:) :) So here is my first picture blog :) :)

All that glitters :) :)

There are quite a few places in this city which I never get bored of visiting. Every time I visit one of these places I find something new to explore, and fall in love all over once again with that place. So, one of the top few places  in this city which always  keeps me intrigued and excited is “Jill Mill” in Pondy Bazar.

Located in the shopping hub of the city, “Jill Mill” has a lot more to offer than what you can expect.  The mega accessory store has everything you have always wanted.  Be it fancy earrings, antique jewelry, bangles, bejewelled clutches, traditional pieces of jewelry, cosmetics, funky jewelry, gypsy collection, I could go on listing every form of jewelry available in the planet. You name it you have it, that’s the range Jill Mill boasts of.

The lovely collection will lure you into buying something, for that matter anything from the store.     “Jill Mill” is pretty much a heaven on earth for every woman and the ambiance and layout of the store just fuels that thought .

Everything about this store spells creativity and art. The ground floor is exclusively dedicated to earrings and antique sets. Imagine!! You have a floor full of earrings to choose from. ( Joy :D)

The first floor has a lot of hair accessories to choose from. From lovely clutches to, cute flat clips, tiny butterflies, Velcro clip on’s, any form of fancy add on is on display to choose from. They also have a lovely collection of rings. Starting from the “Jodha Akbar” inspired big and fancy rings to really funky ones are available.

The second floor will completely sweep you off your feet. You are welcomed to an array of bangle racks. Bangle rack after bangle rack after bangle rack will definitely tempt you . The vibrant display of colors on the bangle racks is bound to set you in the “shopaholic mode”. The bangles come in all shapes and colors. From the standard ethnic metal bangles to enticing stone studded bangles to bangles that match every reason and season is on display. They also have a collection of foot ware and jewelled clutches on the second floorJ  

The two storied shopping paradise can really test your pocket.  The price tag can sometimes send a sinking feeling to your heart, but once in a while you can indulge in a bit of extravagant buying  just for the joy of it .But if you have  the patience and endurance to search through the numerous racks of earrings and bangles and never get tired of trying on one thing after the other, am sure you will not only walk out with a wonderful purchase, but also with a heavier purse  :D That’s when your patience hits a jackpot J “Patience + relentless effort to search through the racks =Smaller impact on your purseJ”

Over the years ,visiting Jill Mill has become more of a family tradition,  every occasion in the family is incomplete without paying a visit to Jill MillJStarting from my youngest cousin to my grandmother , we all find something about this store which keeps us giving reasons and happy occasions to go back there .

Love

Sanz J

Beachside Splendor

I am a foodie to the bones. I love experimenting with different cuisines and this has driven me to explore a lot of food joints in the city. Being a hardcore vegetarian I have explored most of the         “ pure Veg” places in the city. And I am starting my first venture with a place I visited recently. 

Splendid beaches is one thing Chennai city is very proud of. It is not just the beach, the area surrounding the beach is always bustling with activity. Amidst all the hustle and bustle in the Besant Nagar beach there is this quaint little place called “ MASH”.  At one glance this place strikes as a decent hangout. Set in the first floor facing the beach, giving us a lovely beach side view, Mash is a perfect place to sit back and relax. It has an open air service area and also an indoor service area. On a breezy evening, the outdoor seating would be an ideal choice. The ambiance is welcoming and relaxing. The place is lit up with yellow lights , not too low , not too bright, just perfectly set.

 The menu offers a fairly good amount of options to select from. There is an equal share of Veg and Non Veg items to choose from. The choices offered range from soups , to Tandoor, to Burgers and sandwiches , Pastas, Fresh juices, cold shakes and a few ice cream delights.

With mostly school and college going people visiting the place, there is a very young and vibrant appeal to the place.

Soaked in natures splendour and relishing a delightful meal makes MASH a perfect place to spend a quiet and lovely evening.

Love

Sanz J

 

Celebrating Chennai

As the share auto zipped past the city streets braving the Sun’s Rage, the city opened to many beautiful sights. Roadside vendors , children hurrying to school, office goers, construction workers, these are few of the many things that catch your attention. The 7 seater Share auto had 12 people  clinging on to dear life as the auto swayed left and right with every turn in the road ahead. Thanks to the metro Rail project, the roadways in the city seem to have been resketched all together. It is an interesting mix of people in the share auto, there are the IT people hurrying to work , holding on to the share auto for support in one hand and clutching  the laptop bag in another, women carrying baskets with home supplies dressed in saree and wearing “ maligapoo”, school children sitting with their text books propped up on their lap. The share auto driver has the latest “kuthu paatu” playing from his music system, the loud deafening cry is sure to make your heart jump out of your skin.

No prizes  for guessing the lovely city I come from, Yes, it is our very own “singara Chennai”. There is a lot more to Chennai than the clichéd Sambar, vadai, idli , thalaivar and maligapoo. I am on a quest to rediscover the city, a city with over a 100 years of rich history and culture has a lot of things to boast about. In my quest to rediscover Chennai, I am going to write about every place I visit, be it a restaurant, or a fancy mall, or a roadside kiosk or an architectural landmark, or a super brand store in the city, or a road side stall or the lovely beaches bordering the city .I am going to explore the length and breadth of this city and give a taste of it to the readers of my blog.

Love

Sanz :)

Quintessentially Me :) :)

There is quintessentially something about someone all the time. It is these little quirks that add spice to our life.So, I decided to write about one little quirk I had/have and will sure continue to have
"Lucky charms".
I always had my way with lucky charms And my obsession with these go a long way back
I don’t exactly remember how I fell into the habit of lucky charms. But then again this habit has grown so
deeply within me that this has become a very integral part of my lifestyle.

I have my share of “ charming memories”. So here are a few of them.

Summer of 2009

It was my 6th semester exams. I always found even semesters difficult to tackle with. It was more of a
mindset rather than any actual reason. So it was that part of the year were my belief in my lucky charms
were on a all time high and I trusted them over actual preparation.

So there is one thing about me which I should say before I proceed with my little anecdote My lucky
charms are always seasonal only a few of them manage to break that seasonal trend and make it to
the forever category . So my lucky charms come in all shapes and sizes, can come in any form , some
are pretty much the conventional stuff while some can make you sit up and have a second glance
And plus since these charms are seasonal some of them tend to reflect the aura of the situation or the
occasion the lucky charm is associated with.

Now, back to exam time There was this very difficult paper that semester that was driving me up the
wall. So I had to have a stronger base of “charm power” to deal with that situation. I didn’t want to take
any chances so I had all the charms with me, the ones that managed to survive the previous season ,
some from the forever category and some “ instant charms”.

“instant lucky charms” are something I came up with to tackle ”emergency situations “. The emergency
situation basically reflects moments wherein I was not ready with any lucky charm for the event/
occasion/situation and I needed something to give me that confidence so under such circumstances
anything I pick/choose/wear that day is a “default lucky charm” and has the power to control the
situation. ( Trust me!! Your imagination runs wild when you are in a tight spot).

So there I was sitting in the exam hall, scribbling away  in the answer paper when suddenly one
of the invigilators in the hall stopped by my desk and gasped out looking at me “ omg! What is that on
your left hand “ ?? I turned and glanced @ my left hand worried if I did something wrong. Phew!! It was
my “assorted collection of lucky charms” adoring my left hand from the fist to half way down the elbow
I told you I didn't want any risks with this paper, so I had to make sure I was perfectly sure with the lucky
charm selection, so I simply wore them all :D

My left hand comprised of my watch hidden under a host of lucky charms , which included 2 wooden
bangles gifted to me by my friend( gifts are always lucky , especially the ones that come for your
birthday. Gifts reflect a person s affection/love and happiness for us. So it is always a powerful
charm and falls under the “default lucky charm category”) . I then had 6 different colored bands on my
wrist , which was wrapped around the watch , making my watch look like it had 6 different colors on
the strap( fashion statement even during times of peril !! :P phew!) . I then had a charm bracelet , it was
made of different colored beads and it had tiny trinkets dancing around as I moved my hand ( thank
god it didn’t make noise as they moved :P that was the last thing I wanted :P ) Then finally, I had the
heavily beaded blue bracelet . So I was set mentally to attack the paper with the hidden powers of my
lucky charm

So when my invigilator asked me about it , I gave a sheepish grin and replied “ lucky charms sir”. He
looked @ me aghast for a second and burst into a fit of laughter He asked “ all of them” ? I replied “ yes
sir “ .He then asked me “ so you believe this will help you “ ? I said “ It is more of a comforting factor to
me than anything else sir “ . He smiled and walked away.

So as expected the paper turned out to be “ a not so difficult one “ making it easy for me to tackle with

Lucky charms have been a very integral part of my college days and looking back and reliving those
memories is sure bringing an adrenalin rush into me. I have had some of the craziest of crazy lucky
charms, one season it reached new heights where I prayed that it should rain on the morning of my
exam only then will the paper be easy!! That was insanely crazy! But trust me out of 6 papers it rained
for all the 5 papers and that one paper which It did not rain I just managed to scrape through( phew!
Scary indeed when you wish for something crazy and it does come true) . And all even semesters where
ruled by the outcome of the previous night s IPL match if Chennai was playing, I was crazy enough to
wish that if chennai wins I will pass!( passion for Chennai over my exams ;) )

But my lucky charms never let me down. They always added to my self confidence and gave me the
strength to handle any situation.
I have never tried to analyze the real reason behind why some
things become “lucky “while others don’t .To be honest I am not interested in the scientific validity
behind my actions and I see this as more of something to do with hope and belief. A lucky charm is a
physical manifestation of these 2 words. Hope because I want a lucky charm hoping that things will go
well for me and belief because it is a physical entity wrapped around my arm, or wrist or being around
me reinstating my hope.

It is not about being blinded by the power of lucky charms, sometimes it is nice to believe in something
random and erratic just because it makes you feel good. And a good feeling is always a path to
happiness and joy. These are little tricks to play around with the mind to make it believe and grow
stronger into not just desiring something but also reassuring yourself on chasing it with the 2 most
powerful weapons in this world, “ hope and belief “

Love
Sandy

PS : I once wished that I will write about my obsession for lucky charms if I pass my final math paper :P
 I have evaded this piece of writing for so long :P and finally it has happened now

Storyteller of a kind :) :)

You will be thrilled, you will feel your pulse rising with every page you turn, and it will leave you wanting for more.
Kalki was a story teller of a kind. There was much more than just”storytelling” to the stories he wrote. It transported us in time, to a different land, to a different era,  to a different culture, to a different experience . It is a guaranteed one of a kind ride.
So this is a tribute to one of his all time classics “Ponniyin Selvan “.
 Though I happened to read only a translation of the original, this was the best translation available and did complete justice to the original.
The story is set in the backdrop of the choza dynasty. The 5 part series has all the elements that will keep you intrigued till the end, and will leave you spellbound with the master story teller spinning a wonderful tale of love, conspiracy, war, patriotism and heroism.
Each and every character in the book will stay with you long after you have finished reading the book. The hangover will last for days and will leave you revisiting the memories of reading the story over and over again.
 An ailing emperor, a strong conspiracy, a valiant hero on his pursuit to save his kingdom, a daring crown prince, an effervescent boat girl bubbling with energy and ideas, the lovely princess, the charming and benevolent sibling to the crown prince will simply steal your heart.
The book will leave you guessing till the end , and finally the master story teller connects every missing link and gives you a lovely piece of beauty that you will simply enjoy reading .
This book transcends time, 60 odd years since the first publication the book is still a hot seller. The magic created by kalki almost half a century ago has still not lost its sheen and will continue to find its way in the years to come and will always entertain us.
 I would not call it “reading  Ponniyin Selvan “ , it’s a journey you take. You travel with the characters, you bend and sway with the emotions within the book and in the end you would have had such a memorable journey that you will keep wanting to hit that road again


Cheers
Sandy :) :)

PS:  The translation is by CV Karthik Narayanan and this is worth every bit of your money

:) :) :) :) 200 and counting :)

This weekend my blog views hit 200. This is probably a very small number to most of you, but I am leaping with joy and happiness. I have been shying away from writing for a very long time , afraid that people will mock my lack of words and expressions to pen my thoughts. But seeing the number of views and comments I am inspired to write more and better. And this new found inspiration to write is all that I have been searching forJ

So a big thank you to all of you who have read/ commented on my posts.  

Thank you all and *hugs* J J

Love

Sanz J

Berried again :D

Today we live in a world where apples and blackberry’s are more than just fruits. We are engulfed by  rapid technological advancement s, and sometimes I feel that technology must pause, take a deep breath and allow mankind to catch up with it , so that, we can continue the journey together  hand in hand.

I think am generalising by saying mankind, its not like I have spoken to every person on this planet and  I am voicing my opinion on behalf of  the rest of the beings, probably it is more specific to me. It is more of a self retrospection to see how abreast I am with the latest technological developments.  So to judge that I decided to list the last technological splendour I purchased.

It didn’t take me long to figure that out. It was right there in front of me, my blackberry J

This is the last piece of modern technology I own. I took the phone in my hand turned it around to examine what  I had done to this in a matter of two years.   

For starters it didn’t look 2 years old, some of the paint from the QWERTY key pad was fading ,the blackberry logo that was once  bright and shining is now almost nothing, the little pieces of shiny paper stuck to the frame of the logo peeled off long ago and now it is just plain. The back side of the phone has various shades of black ( Yeah ! if you see my phone you can at least pick 5 distinct shades of black ) .

Now, coming to the worst part, in the place of the volume control buttons, there are 2 hollow openings that open into the internal phone circuit. ( I somehow managed to break the volume control buttons ( not intentionally though )and now the only thing left of it is the circuit that is clearly visible) . So how do I control my phone volume ?? I don’t really feel good about this, but then what I do is I jab the circuit with the tip of a pencil I carry around to adjust the volume controls.( I know!! That is so not nice)

 All of this boils down to just one question, whom should I blame for this mayhem my phone is going through. I dunno if it is my lack of technological interest or I was never made for smart phones from the very beginning.

 I cant agree to the last point completely though, for sometime during the early days of my phone, I did use it to the fullest.

But I cant rule out the first point either, coz the decision to buy a blackberry was not mine. It was my dad’s. The ever protecting and caring father as my father is , always wanted the best when it came to our family. So starting from my phone to my watch to my specs my dad only wanted the best. (  I know you are the best appa : )in the world) So my dad got me my blackberry at a time when  only a small bunch of people owned this. Now every other person on the road has an iphone or a blackberry. But  I had mine at a time when heads turned if you had a blackberry and it sure did put you on the map of tech savvy people.

In the beginning I did live up to all of that. There was a time when my life pretty much revolved around my blackberry. I had all my remainders set in that, the BBM (blackberry messenger ) was a very integral part of my life. Suchi and me had to share everything we saw/ did over BBM. It could be the dress we wore that day or something cute/pretty we saw at the store. Once I had to give a presentation during my training days at work, as usual I had hit the 11^thhour and the 59^th minute mode when I started preparation, but thanks to my blackberry I had the entire presentation in my phone and the ride from pillar to Thoraipakkam was long enough to get me ready for that little presentation ( mind you , our batch also got selected for the finals :D) . There  was another occasion wherein I was lost in Tambaram and did not know how to head back home, all I had to do was hit 2 buttons on my phone to figure out what bus to take and there I was back home safe and sound. Those were the days I really felt empowered and sometimes swelled with pride ,” the power of the technology in the palms of my hand” ( not the way the doc-oc from spiderman-3 says that, it was more you know dignified, and off  course minus the evil laugh)

So what am really trying to say here is no matter what is said and done today my phone has lost the place it once enjoyed and whom do I blame this for? No one but me. I have lost the interest that I once had in utilizing this piece of technology to the fullest. The fun and the excitement I had in the beginning started to fizzle out towards the end. Today it is no more than an ordinary phone that I use for calling/ texting people and listen to music. So the numerous apps and features this phone is capable of is somewhere lurking in the dark.

So here is to all the people who have ebbed away from the brimming growth of technology, lets come back into the game. Let us pull out those expensive gadgets we once purchased with lots of hopes and dreams from the dusty insides of your homes and let us re discover the magic they were supposed to create in our lives.

Love

Sanz J

Live it up :) :) :) :) :) :)

90% of the people I know don’t like their job. Most of the people whom I have met/discussed/spoken with are bonded by these 4 words. “ I HATE MY JOB” . So here comes the big question, why do we still go ahead with this when we so clearly hate it?

As far as my analysis and connecting the dots go I can attribute this to 2 reasons

OPTION A :

People do this for money.  To put it more nicely, financial independence and stability.

OPTION B:

Well, we simply dunno what else to do ( I believe most of us fall under this category)

Or

Maybe we are all under the opinion that “ the grass on the other side is greener”. The IT people think that the Non-IT people are living life to the fullest, while the Non-IT people think that the IT people are living it out like anything. Well, we both know the bottom line now,” there is no such thing like the other side (literally), coz we are all on the same side trying to compare  ourselves  with a make-believe nonexistent other side”

So what can we do to beat this rigmarole??

1.       Quit ?

Well ,we all know that this is not going to be easy, especially for people who come under OPTION A and plus today we live in such a consumerist society which has driven us to believe MONEY MEANS POWER.

2.       Complain ?

Technically this is the only option that is available to all of us. But this doesn’t really help us. By doing so we repel people and make our life harder.

So are we left with no option to deal with this ?

Instead of whining, complaining and sweating it out, we should probably change our perspective towards it . I believe that’s the best solution.

What does changed perspective mean ??

See, for starters we all need money to survive, But money should not come at the cost of one’s happiness or peace of mind. So this is where we need to hit the right balance. What we all need is a strong motivating factor in life. Money should not be the only motive, we need that nonetheless, but the path towards making big money should be enjoyable. Its not like I will be happy only if I have so much money in my bank balance and till then I will remain sad and unhappy and miserable. But the honest truth is we are all unhappy about one thing or the other. For some it is money, for some its about a broken relationship, waiting for someone to come along to give you happiness and for most of them its their job.

We are all waiting for that one fine day when everything will just fall in place and all our problems in life will be solved miraculously.

Little do we realize that we have to be the source for our miracle. We have to make it happen. We have to bring that element of change from within. Its not like one fine day someone is going to descend from the heaven and straighten out our woes by the swish of a wand. ( though we wish things were that easy)

So step out and do the things that you have always wanted to do. Don’t wait for that one fine day to start living. Love each day, live each day. You are never going to get back the day you lost .So don’t let anybody make you feel bad or bring down your optimism. Maybe we cannot do anything about the job, but what we can do is have our plate filled with other things to keep us motivated and look forward to each day with lot of positive energy and feel good moments .

Now what we want to fill our plates with is left to us . Sky is the limit, we could fill in as much as we wanted. The world is big and there are lots of things to be done/experienced. So let’s open each day with a new challenge and end it with the joy and satisfaction of having lived it to the fullest.

Love

Sanz J

Beat The Blues :) :)

Migraine can beat the life out of you. The things you usually like doing seem insanely annoying when you have a migraine !(phew!). 1.5 days and I think I have half won this battle. I still have traces of headache but I guess I can handle that. J   The thing is I get migraine rarely ,but then ,if it comes ,it comes in all its furyL ( arrrrrggg!).I have been pretty off for the last 2 days L Mood swings were on a high, and nothing was really helping me feel betterL So that’s when I decided , Chalo , hell with this headache. Am not gonna fall prey to this anymore. So I decided to come up with my own set of ideas to beat this headache. These are not exactly ideas, but more or less ways to distract your self from the headache J

DO NOT WATCH TV. It can really put you off or simply fuel the headache.

Listen to music, it’s a better option any day Jsome light melodies will just soothe your mind J

Sit in the open terrace/balcony. Just look @ the horizon stretching in front of you, you will definitely feel better J

If you have a garden, just go watering the plants JThere is nothing that lifts your spirit like watering the plants J

Pamper yourself J Soak your feet in a tub of warm water J It not only relaxes you but gives you nice beautiful feet JYou could throw in a few spoons of rock salt to help you cleanse your feet J

You could make yourself a homemade face pack and just crash into your sofa JA papaya pack will not only freshen  your skin but will also give you that much needed glow J Mix papaya and a spoonful of sugar and make a paste J Leave it on your face for 20 minutes before washing and you are good to go :D

Or if none of this work for you, then , I have an ultimate optionJ it works for me all the time J Just grab your card and hit the road :D GO shopping!!!! J We have the whole concept of retail therapy to help us overcome such killer headaches :D so why not indulge in it :D  But I should give you a heads up that if you are the kind of person who will indulge in guilt trips after an extravagant shopping spree, then this option is a big NO for you. Headache plus a hole in your pocket plus guilt is really a bad combination to deal with :P

I don’t really have any serious gyan to offer here J Am just typing the stuff I do J Mover over the last option is only reserved for extremely severe conditions :P

Love

Sanz J

PS: So this time what did I do to beat my headache ?? :D I called in sick and went home by lunch :D :D (This works!! :D ).Bingo!

The suburban way :)

Day 2 and the excitement is still upbeat J For the last two days I have been travelling in the suburban train to work J And I couldn’t ask for anything more J I have always loved train travel and I have been wanting to take the suburban way for quiet sometime J Travelling by the suburban train is probably a routine for most of you, but to me this is a whole new experience J though I have been living in Chennai for the last 10 years I never really got a chance to use this mode of transport JAnd now with a change in work schedule am left with no other option J And am simply loving this J West Mambalam to Guindy is hardly any distance, Zip zap zoom you are in Guindy even before you can blink J  Even if this is just a 5 minute ride am enjoying every bit of it J The rush in the station, the people, climbing the stairs, walking in the subway, road side vendors selling all sorts of things starting from threads/beads to TANCET preparation guides. The hustle and bustle gives you the much needed energy to start your day with the right spirit :) You see people from different walks of life and the mélange of people you meet every day is different from the previous day J It’s a new experience everyday riding through the suburban trains in the city J

Love

Sanz J

Denim(ed) :) :) :)

A couple of years ago when I saw the "live in jeans" add I was all giggle giggle. I simply could not buy the idea that someone could literally live in jeans all day . Today, a couple of years later , i couldn’t agree any less with the makers of that add J  I should probably appreciate them for promoting an advertisement with a concept that will never change with the passage of time J

So now, weekend after weekend  after weekend after weekend you can see me in the same old blue jeans and blue T-shirt J  Every time my hand picks the same pair of clothes J no matter how many others lie in my wardrobe I always pick this one J It is like I am programmed to do so J

My mom simply cannot understand how someone can feel comfortable in a pair of jeans on a hot Sunday afternoon. But i keep telling her that she is never going to understand how it feels until she tries it J Now the jeggings fancy is fast catching up with me and my sister J If jeans made us feel comfortable this one is one step higher J this just feels perfect J I feel that am melting in my clothes J jeggings feels more like an extended skin than a piece of clothing J It is simply awesome J

Denim is probably one fabric that will never fall out of fashion J And denim just does not stop with jeans J We have a host of denim based products JDenim bags, denim jackets, denim cross bags, even denim foot ware , denim strapped watches, denim skirts, denim shirts, I could almost label anything under this category JThis is one fabric that has a high selling point both in terms of functionality and fashion J

So here is to the makers/ promoters/ distributors/whoeveros of denimJ hats off J you're doing a great job in giving us a wonderful piece of fabric that will never go out of fashion and keep hitting the fashion circuit time and again in different avatars J

Love
Sanz :)

Lists and Me :)

1,2,3…….10. This is not a countdown to IPL( though am looking forward to all the razzle and dazzle) ,this is a count of the number of sticky notes on my desktop J This morning when I switched on my computer , the screen opened to a host of sticky notes. ( pink ones, yellow ones and purple ones J, though pink is the dominating color :P ) The thing about these virtual sticky notes are that they seem so realJ Whoever came up with this idea, *HUGS* :D. You have added color and zing to my life with these tiny pieces of paper J

So what is it with me and lists. I love making lists. All kinds of listsJ(Now don’t start judging me ) Lists of clothes in my wardrobe, lists of earrings I have ( No am not weird ) list of what I should wear the following week, wish list , weekend list  , I could just go on. I probably inherited this trait straight from my father J We both have an obsession for making lists J

So I was just wondering in what way have I benefitted from this list making skill.(coz, I still fall behind deadlines, I still mess my work and leave out important things !(phew!) ) so, this set me thinking .

Well there is absolutely nothing functional that I have benefited from my list making skill( realization :P). It is purely for the fun of making lists, or it has more to do with the way I have been scripted J Wherever I go, my sticky notes/list pads travel with me J I have a whole bunch of them lying in my bag J I have no restriction with what goes into my list J It  could range from something as silly as drink water to something as important as go to the dentist today J(yes I think dental care is of prime importance :D) Now you could ask me , do I follow the things I put on my list ?J The answer is obvious, NO :D(at least to a great extent I don’t follow the things i put on my list:P) So why do I still make lists ? Well , that’s a question I have been asking myself for a long time now.

Probably making lists help me channelize my thoughts J When I write down things I probably understand them betterJ And I probably have a better shot at achieving them J( at least I would like to believe so :P )I don’t know if I have a point to make, but then again making lists is more of a habit to me than anything else . Not a day goes by without making my “To Do list”. And there is nothing as happy as checking the items on your list when you are done with them J (perfection : D ) In spite of making lists over  the years, I still have not reached a state wherein I have checked all the items on my list ( that still remains a distant dream L ). But this does not deter me from making my lists :D I still go on my list making spree and this is probably one habit that I will never fall out of J

Love

Sanz :)

Ticking away

 

2:54 PM, The server is dead slow, it takes close to 20 minutes for your mouse to even respond to a click! (Phew) .Either the server should crash or it should work normally.(though am praying for the first option :P ) Now this is somewhere between the two.(arrrggg!)Am sure most of us can relate to the anger that comes from poor or slow connectivity. Anyway that’s not my point, nor, do I have a super code or a brilliant idea to help you deal with this. Am just so bored that I decided to write something.  I have no idea what I should be writing about.  I have pinged every person in my communicator list, most of them seem busy( probably their server is all up and working , pity them :P ). Slow server means I gotta stretch and complete my work!( I hate that !) on the other hand if it crashes it is an official ticket to leave early or do nothing :P ( not that otherwise I always do something , I am capable of doing nothing even when there is everything else to do! ) ok so what do I do now. Even now as I alt+tab my window to check if am able to connect to the designer , I can see a white screen in front me. At this moment my mind and the white screen are no different. I feel the same blankness.  I just got up from my desk and scanned the bay , people are still hooked to the screen ( wonder what is that they are doing when everything is down,curious:0 )

3:12 PM I still dunno what to write about! I think I should check the score.(happiness :D ) I finally got something to worry about :D(hurray) JI should also check the IPL schedule.(more things on my list :D) So now I open the google window and type out ESPN cric info , wow google is working fast J ( yaay :D )Now am navigating to the live scorecard J

I do atl+tab again to check my designer , Its still white ( yaay :D) am shooting a secret prayer upward for the server to crash ( pl god J , pl J this one time JI wont ask for any such unproductive wishes from now on :D pl J )Srilanka 88/3 in 25 overs. That is so bad!! Now I dunno who should win this match so that india can make it to the final. I never understand this scoring system in cricket. Why cant it be like you win you move to the next level! (what is all the fuss about the bonus point K K)

Sleep is fast catching up with me! I think my eyelids will close any minute.(only during times like this someone will come looking for me!:|) BINGO!!

Alt+ab

 My team lead just crossed my desk ( I told  you!! Things like this happen with me all the time :P)

3:25 PM

Am just wondering what I would have done if I were @ home today J I probably will be fast asleep or I might be watching BIG BANG THEORY then after that I could watch SCRUBS( now I really wish I had not come to work today L L )

3:27 PM

Now am really growing impatient!( boohoo ).zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. ok I think I will listen to music ( at least I will stop feeling sleepy K K ) I just realized ,my white head phones  no longer look white! They have  turned into an ugly brown ( I should buy new :D , maybe pink this time :D :D ) Now am navigating to my music player J I go to Sandy’s fav playlist Jshuffle J rhythm divine :D ( NO!! shuffle again! You don’t want to listen to Enrique when you are already sleepy :D) yaay J now its Aslyn’s that’s when I love you J J I love this song J J( bliss ) J

3:32 PM J

Alt+tab

Arrrg!!!!!!!!! Still the same white screen( why cant this just crash              !)I think by this time I could have walked to coffe day in the next tower and brought myself a good cappuccino!)

I think I will just lock my machine and leave!Let me Alt+tab for one last time before I get up.( fingers crossed )

Alt+tab

3:36 PM J

It opened !( sob sob)!! Why does this always happen to me ! ( or maybe I could pretend I didn’t see it …) what’s the point! I anyway have to finish and then only leave. I might as well stay here. I think I will get back to work :( :(  

Love

Sanz J

PS: no post script this time ! L I would have written had the server crashed L