Thursday, October 27, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Happy Diwali, Folks :D
I'm sure I'll be busy eating laddoos on Diwali morning, but I wish all of you a very very very Happy Diwali! :)
Light up your houses and your lives, guys. Stay happy. Stay awesome. (Awesome loosely translates to be eco-friendly).
My man, \Rajni/, says it best. :D
This One's for the Word-Crazy. :)
It is common knowledge to readers of this blog that I am absolutely, legitimately word-crazy. I admit my knowledge of words is mainly superficial, I am often unaware of their origin. So I'd best classify myself as a word-scavenger owing to my never-ending fascination with all words beautiful. With a word being added to the English language every 98 minutes, English remains a personal favorite for its resilience and flexibility. What interests me are words from languages around the world that are seemingly untranslatable into English. Here are a few I loved :
Pana Po'o- To scratch your head in order to remember something.
(from the land of hula dances)
Tartle (Scottish)- The act of hesitating when introducing someone because you've forgotten their name.
(Reminds me of my absent-minded dad)
Gummuservi (Turkish)- Moonlight shining on water.
(This made me smile :) )
Esprit d' Escalier- The witty comeback that you think of moments after leaving the situation in which you might have been able to use it.
(We've all been there, haven't we?)
Katahara Itai (Japanese)- Laughing so much your stomach hurts. :D
Zhaghzhagh (Persian)- The chattering of teeth from cold or rage.
Kyoikumama - A mother who relentlessly pushes her children towards academic achievement.
The word originates from Japan. Befitting, I say. :P
Meraki (Greek)- Doing something with soul, creativity and love.
Luftmench- An impractical dreamer with no business sense.
Plimpplamppletteren (Dutch)- The skimming of a flat stone as many times as possible across the surface of the water.
(There is a word for this. Yes. :O)
Mencolek- You know that trick where you tap someone lightly on the opposite shoulder from behind to fool them? The Indonesians have a word for it. :D
A similar word is Vybafnout of Czech origin, which is to jump out from behind and say boo!
And the most offensive but the one that cracked me up the most IS:
Bakku-Shan (Japanese)- A girl who looks pretty from behind but ugly from the front.
Hahahahahahahahahaha!
Share your favourites with me :)
(from the land of hula dances)
Tartle (Scottish)- The act of hesitating when introducing someone because you've forgotten their name.
(Reminds me of my absent-minded dad)
Gummuservi (Turkish)- Moonlight shining on water.
(This made me smile :) )
Esprit d' Escalier- The witty comeback that you think of moments after leaving the situation in which you might have been able to use it.
(We've all been there, haven't we?)
Katahara Itai (Japanese)- Laughing so much your stomach hurts. :D
Zhaghzhagh (Persian)- The chattering of teeth from cold or rage.
The word originates from Japan. Befitting, I say. :P
Meraki (Greek)- Doing something with soul, creativity and love.
Luftmench- An impractical dreamer with no business sense.
Plimpplamppletteren (Dutch)- The skimming of a flat stone as many times as possible across the surface of the water.
(There is a word for this. Yes. :O)
Mencolek- You know that trick where you tap someone lightly on the opposite shoulder from behind to fool them? The Indonesians have a word for it. :D
A similar word is Vybafnout of Czech origin, which is to jump out from behind and say boo!
And the most offensive but the one that cracked me up the most IS:
Bakku-Shan (Japanese)- A girl who looks pretty from behind but ugly from the front.
Hahahahahahahahahaha!
Share your favourites with me :)
Friday, October 21, 2011
That Awkward Moment.
^^ This just happened. And yes, it did freak me out a bit. Happened to you yet?
I also just made this. I'm cool like that. Turning into one of those creative Tumblr-ish people, I am. ^_^
Sunday, October 16, 2011
For Life's Not A Paragraph. :')
14th October marked the 49th death anniversary of e.e.cummings. These lines of poetry from 'Since Feeling is First' are breathtakingly beautiful .
"...we are for each other: then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life’s not a paragraph
And death i think is no parenthesis."
Gosh, I love those lines.
Another favourite of mine is his poem, 'who are you, little i,' which goes like this-
Another favourite of mine is his poem, 'who are you, little i,' which goes like this-
who are you,little i
(five or six years old)
peering from some high
window;at the gold
of november sunset
(and feeling:that if day
has to become night
this is a beautiful way)
The innocent sense of wonder and incredulity at natural beauty is stunning. I love his poems, as virginal and unassuming as they are, I love them. :)
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Here's To The Crazy Ones.
I don't own a single Apple product, never have, and that's probably why I didn't feel the vacuum created in the wake of Steve Jobs' death. Yet, I've read about him in papers and magazines since I first entered my teens, and unarguably, he was a genius. He was not ahead of his time as much as just right for his time.
This commercial first aired in 1997 was part of the dramatic ad campaign 'Think Different'. What aired on TV was a version facing Richard Dreyfuss, no slouch of a narrator. This, on the other hand, has Steve Jobs essaying the role of narrator and personally, think it's considerably more poignant.
Watch. :)
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
What Brims With Optimism.
Happiness is an imperative. I retain happiness as one of the few constants in my life.
I don't need a valid reason to feel happy.
I need a valid reason not to feel happy. Happiness is my general state of being.
And I adore the word in itself, and can never find an apt synonym. I've loved it ever since I was a five year old licking chocolate off my fingers.
I often see people settling, compromising.
While literature, cinema, music often helps people soar, routine drudgery and societal norms condition people to believe happiness is a destination; the journey a struggle, a sacrifice.
It is anything but that.
A virginal blank page is a thing of happiness. It brims with possibilities of wording deep thoughts, forging experiences, beautiful catharsis, and creating something out of nothing.
A finish line at the end of a marathon is a thing of happiness. The pride is not in the medal.
The shiver even as the sun is in your eyes on a winter morning. The portion of the song you pause, and play on loop. The favorite something, anything, everything.
When I look back at high school, I often don't recognize the person I was.
But I have thought, I have lived, I have grown. As much as I have transformed into the person I am today, and as much as I am still to learn, let me remind myself to find happiness where ever it may be.
Rationality is happiness. Impulsiveness is happiness. A risk is happiness. Cake is happiness.
I don't need a valid reason to feel happy.
I need a valid reason not to feel happy. Happiness is my general state of being.
And I adore the word in itself, and can never find an apt synonym. I've loved it ever since I was a five year old licking chocolate off my fingers.
I often see people settling, compromising.
While literature, cinema, music often helps people soar, routine drudgery and societal norms condition people to believe happiness is a destination; the journey a struggle, a sacrifice.
It is anything but that.
A virginal blank page is a thing of happiness. It brims with possibilities of wording deep thoughts, forging experiences, beautiful catharsis, and creating something out of nothing.
A finish line at the end of a marathon is a thing of happiness. The pride is not in the medal.
The shiver even as the sun is in your eyes on a winter morning. The portion of the song you pause, and play on loop. The favorite something, anything, everything.
When I look back at high school, I often don't recognize the person I was.
But I have thought, I have lived, I have grown. As much as I have transformed into the person I am today, and as much as I am still to learn, let me remind myself to find happiness where ever it may be.
Rationality is happiness. Impulsiveness is happiness. A risk is happiness. Cake is happiness.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Deciphering My Non-Verbal Cues.
This is for anyone who is eager to know a little more about me. (Not that I live a secretive life, considering I have mentioned my entire AND real name on my blog and am easily traceable on Facebook.)
Perhaps you want to know those feelings of mine that I strive to keep hidden. If such is the case, read on, for I have compiled a list of all the non-verbal cues I unconsciously send out.
If I look away or wrinkle my nose when you walk into the room, it means I've begun to associate you with a certain kind of smell. Malodorous, yes. A field of manure or a garbage truck, maybe? Or you may just have put on that perfume I associate all menopausal aunties with, that leaves a weird 'Menopausal aunty was here' smell in the elevator.
If you're talking to me and my eyebrows are raised, it can mean one of two things. Curiosity or impatience. The height of the eyebrows is directly proportional to my level of curiosity or impatience. And since I haven't started threading my eyebrows yet, if you see them disappear into my hairline, do the safe thing and get the hell out of my sight.
If you catch me staring at you, best case scenario is that you're Ryan Gosling from Drive. If you aren't, this may mean you've annoyed me in some way. So, either I am thinking of an intelligent sounding compliment or how I should kick you in the gut. Obviously I don't have the courage to follow through either plan and you know it, hence the smirk on your face.
In case I haven't been able to get out of boring conversation, you may detect a barely audible sigh, a slight shoulder slouch, a stifled yawn or a series of punches to the wall that won't stop till I've fractured all my delicate fingers.
If you find me tapping my feet or drumming my fingers on the desk, I am playing my favourite song on full volume in my head and staring at your moving lips just for fun. I'll probably imitate you in front of friends later.
An interesting feature some friends pointed out is my 'duck face'. This is when I really AM concentrating, and ugly lines appear between my eyebrows and I pout like a petulant baby. Duck face usually appears during examinations when I finally figure out that 25 times 2 is 27, or right now.
If you see a huge smile plastered on my face, I'm actually enjoying talking to you. We may hang out after college at Barista or Candies. (This,however, is a truly hypothetical situation to convince you I am not as antisocial as this post may lead you to believe.)
You may finally, catch me daydreaming blissfully, generally in the middle of Accounts class. Don't interrupt because I am imagining myself one of two survivors in a nuclear apocalypse (the other being Bono, of course), and living the remainder of my days in peaceful seclusion and bloody Sundays.
Perhaps you want to know those feelings of mine that I strive to keep hidden. If such is the case, read on, for I have compiled a list of all the non-verbal cues I unconsciously send out.
If I look away or wrinkle my nose when you walk into the room, it means I've begun to associate you with a certain kind of smell. Malodorous, yes. A field of manure or a garbage truck, maybe? Or you may just have put on that perfume I associate all menopausal aunties with, that leaves a weird 'Menopausal aunty was here' smell in the elevator.
If you're talking to me and my eyebrows are raised, it can mean one of two things. Curiosity or impatience. The height of the eyebrows is directly proportional to my level of curiosity or impatience. And since I haven't started threading my eyebrows yet, if you see them disappear into my hairline, do the safe thing and get the hell out of my sight.
If you catch me staring at you, best case scenario is that you're Ryan Gosling from Drive. If you aren't, this may mean you've annoyed me in some way. So, either I am thinking of an intelligent sounding compliment or how I should kick you in the gut. Obviously I don't have the courage to follow through either plan and you know it, hence the smirk on your face.
In case I haven't been able to get out of boring conversation, you may detect a barely audible sigh, a slight shoulder slouch, a stifled yawn or a series of punches to the wall that won't stop till I've fractured all my delicate fingers.
If you find me tapping my feet or drumming my fingers on the desk, I am playing my favourite song on full volume in my head and staring at your moving lips just for fun. I'll probably imitate you in front of friends later.
An interesting feature some friends pointed out is my 'duck face'. This is when I really AM concentrating, and ugly lines appear between my eyebrows and I pout like a petulant baby. Duck face usually appears during examinations when I finally figure out that 25 times 2 is 27, or right now.
If you see a huge smile plastered on my face, I'm actually enjoying talking to you. We may hang out after college at Barista or Candies. (This,however, is a truly hypothetical situation to convince you I am not as antisocial as this post may lead you to believe.)
You may finally, catch me daydreaming blissfully, generally in the middle of Accounts class. Don't interrupt because I am imagining myself one of two survivors in a nuclear apocalypse (the other being Bono, of course), and living the remainder of my days in peaceful seclusion and bloody Sundays.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)