'the namesake'

after much persuasion, i went to see mira nair's 'the namesake' yesterday. not that i needed the persuasion though. as an indian living in the u.s. i felt almost obligated to. i liked the movie, and didn't fall asleep during - not for a second - as has been the recent norm. so that says something.

the acting by irfan khan and tabu was spectacular. the kids did their part well too. i wish they had chosen someone else to play the french-wannabe moushumi, but the cast was overall quite convincing. i liked the cinematography and was happy that india seemed much like india and u.s. suburbia seemed much like u.s. suburbia. the direction was lacking in places and poor in places. the character development could have been better, for almost all characters in the plot. as for the plot itself, the mystery behind the significance of the name was a tad disappointing. i've also, unfortunately, had enough of movies that elaborate the lack of respect american kids have for indian parents and for india.

but i was deeply moved by many of the scenes - like at the taj mahal, the airport, and when gogol wears his father's shoes (in fact, notice that shoes make a symbolic appearance at many points through the movie)... tabu's facial expressions as she sang were too perfect for words. i'd say i'm glad i made my once-in-3-month visit to the theatre to watch this movie.

trapped

in my own office! this is the most awkwardly hilarious of situations. i need to be at a meeting in stanford at 6pm, and it's 5.51 right now. but i can't leave work, because half my team is standing and chatting outside my office. ideally, i should be wearing my interactive/sociable hat, but instead, my door is closed (as it was to start with) and i am trapped inside my office. it's already too late to open the door and barge into the discussion. and i need to leave, like now. but walking through a mass of people to get out of work would seem oh so awkward. and even sitting at my desk feels so awkward and outcast-like. no escape route that doesn't require a bit of guts. feeling the absence acutely right now. heaven, help!

a rare find

i don't like to single people out thus. in fact, it makes me terribly uneasy - what if they stumbled across my blog? it would be so ultra-embarrassing. but euphoria reigns, and i must just say - i have a most amazing manager at work. no it's not that he showers me with compliments and praises (in fact quite the contrary :), but he's just so straight-forward and direct, conscientious and correct, friendly and fair. i cannot but be a fan. having a good manager makes a world of a difference. and you know, when you get thrown out, that you only have yourself to blame :).

the world needs more of him. i wish him the greatest success in life.

time to gloat

i just got this friend request on facebook:

Wei says, "Hey Neha,I don't know if you still remember me. I was your student in CS3 Fall 2002. You were a fantastic TA and inspired me to pursue a CS degree. I wouldn't be who I am today without your guidance. So I'd just like to say thanks! =)."

isn't that amazing? this is why i love teaching.

tired

yes i'm tired. of the people who walk in and then out of my life. i like it when people walk in. i welcome them with open arms. i like to get to know them better, sit with them over a cup (or many) of tea, and coffee. listen to their little secrets, observe their idiosyncrasies, laugh with them, cry with them. i love the process - i love it all.

and then, sometimes (though it's ever so rare, thank goodness), they walk out. with not a word or a sound. they slip out, when i'm not even looking and would never have thought... and all of a sudden, when i turn around and look for them, they're gone. *poof*. (and in fact, like the darling friend i picked up "*poof*" from.)

people are my passion. i love people. i love to observe the unraveling of a person's mind - any person, big or small, good or bad (though i will at once argue that there are no bad people). and as soon as a person makes his/her place in my life, they are special. and as soon as that happens, they can never leave - or should i say *i* can never leave. then what are those people made of, i wonder? those who can, in a breath, walk out.

if you have an answer, let me know. if you're one of those rare people who have 'walked out', please explain. i'd like to understand what it is, for it is just not me.

on dreaming

does it take a special kind of person to dream the kind of dreams that come true? is it about the dreaming, or the realizing? and could i be one of those people? really all it comes down to is whether one is willing to take the plunge. the good thing about taking the plunge is that you never ever get nothing out of it and are almost always more learned as a result.

i'd like to think i'd dare to dream. the scary thought is that i have but a few months to prove it to myself.

or not :(

the things that make us think

i am forever amazed by the way in which life deals out situations. one day, life suddenly appears bleak, faded, as though a series of irreversibly bad decisions had been made along the way. the next day, once the shock is over, new opportunities emerge and life starts to look promising again. and the next, the bleakness is undone and suddenly it's as though nothing ever happened.

i don't understand you, i just don't.

travel blogging

i've always wanted to keep a travel blog. i love reading others' travelogs, and about their many exciting experiences all across the corners of the world. unfortunately, maintaining a travelog only makes sense for those who travel... at all. maybe, instead, i could create a travel blog for my mind - and write about all the places it travels to and the sights it sees.

um... i think this is it, already. yep, this is my travel blog. from now on, please be aware of this change of status.

ok, thank you.

yep

still shining!

it's dark outside...

but the sun still shines. world, i love you - you're the most wonderful world there could ever be. and don't you forget it.

and if i ever needed assurance, this is it - there is a god, and he's on my side. and that's all.

:)

the sun will come out...

i just thought of this song from annie, the musical.

"the sun will come out
tomorrow
bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow
there'll be sun
just thinkin' about tomorrow
clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow
till there's none...
when i'm stuck in a day
that's gray and lonely
i just stick out my chin
and grin, and say
oh the sun'll come out
tomorrow
so you gotta hang on till tomorrow
come what may
tomorrow! tomorrow!
i love you, tomorrow!
you're always a day away!"

leslie and i used to sing this back in high school. actually, she'd play this on the piano and we'd sing it together, on days that i'd take the 610 to her house in heiderhof and teach her sister josie math. wow, what a different world :).

hello...

mister god, are you listening?

open

dear blog,

to celebrate the 1st of march, you may step out into the world and have your fun. don't wander too far though, or i'll have to pull you back behind closed doors again.

yours truly.

oh, sweet heidi...

heidi has gotten to me. when i find myself wishing for things to work out a certain way, these days, her words ring in my ear - perhaps god has something even better planned for me. perhaps i must wait longer to find out what...

the mind, however, knows to waver. only too well.