Brahma's flower

This is a rare joy indeed. Apparently, one heck of a brave/foolish plant decides to flower- get this- once a year, between 8 at night till about midnight. The logistics for it to achieve any sort of reproduction seem mind boggling.
Having said that, we saw this flower last night, and it was Awesome. Its bigger than a lotus, similar in look and feel and totally white. My brother's got some snaps of this, and he's going to send em to me soon- will put them up here as soon as that happens.
Its got a sharp, pleasant smell, and its quite intricate really, and just awfully brave but totally gorgeous.

Have Dreams but no Illusions

I woke up with a nice but weird thought today, a poem of sorts that I'd like to share with everybody:
Have dreams but no illusions
Have flights but not of fancy
Connect the dots and get the big picture
Include the world in your dancin'

Hmm. must be the lack of sleep that gets weird ass poetry outta me. People, pray that I sleep well , or you'll be subject to more strange thoughts like these :)

Information Architecture

One of the things I relish about my current job is to do a lot of information architecture for my clients and company. All right, it is probably a glorified librarian posing as a nuclear strategist and getting his moment in the sun. It is still a nascent field, and most people misunderstand it as "design" - only its not just creating pretty interfaces. Its more about customer motivations, business goals, and a librarian's zeal to "clean house".
You can see I like doing this, dont you? The joy of work when you love what you do.

A good fight

Sometimes, what is required is just have a nice big fight with someone. Think that's crazy? Well, think again: a good long argument with a loved one, a relative, or an office colleague- where there are no holds barred, but at the end of it each party sees the other person's point of view- is cleansing.
Of course, if things are carried forward after the event, and bitterness remains, then of course it ain't worth it. But if things actually are thrashed out, there's nothing like a good fight.

Reading the same book

as if it's a new one! I do that often- with both fiction and non fiction. If its fiction, its fun to observe the way in which the writer has written rather than the plot itself (Sherlock Holmes comes to mind). If its non-fiction, it is fascinating to read some concept and understand a completely different angle to it.

I do know a lot of people see funny movies again and again, but have seen a lesser number of loons try this out. I recommend it fully.

Remy Martin

This drink is a real treat. Its not too sweet, not too dry, and just perfect as a post dinner thing (apparently with a Cigar dipped in the glass and lit. But I didn't try that).

I dont know about you, but just reading the exotic description on the bottle of something fine transports you into a fine haze. Especially if its in French and you dont understand a damn word.
I think the marketing communication for most of these drinks really works well, and draws up images of long forgotten lands from where these spirits have come from.

I'd be cynical not to call this a small joy.

Eclipsed

I didnt know what the big deal was about this total solar eclipse. So the moon was obscuring the sun from our view. So it had some superstition and myth around it. So it was probably not going to be seen anywhere except TV. So it was the last time that we'd see it in our lifetime. Ho Hum.

But then I realised how much we have come ahead as human beings. In earlier times, when man couldnt fathom what the heck was going on, he created myths and prayed like hell that things became brighter. Then science prevailed, and we understood what really did take place.

Now, when we see a solar eclipse, total, diamond ring, or partial, and only on TV, we only see a beautiful, rare sight. Superstition has been "eclipsed".

Ashes alight

What a day for England and Freddie, huh? Where the Aussies, everyone's favorite hateables lost due to inspired fast bowling by Freddie Flintoff. To all smalljoyunlimited patrons, who like cricket - I've started a fresh blog called the www.joyofcricket.blogspot.com with a couple of fellow cricket-mads. So do take a look.

And to all smalljoyunlimited patrons, who hate cricket- I'll keep this blog completely free of cricket so you can breathe a sigh of relief :) aint that a joy then- double dhamaka of sorts.

Big fat Saturday night party

I did this one after a long time. Perhaps was just a stressful time at work and home, or just not had the opportunity to have a blast for a longish time. This Saturday, however, it was the full monty- complete with the necessary hangover the next day.
So I was hungover but happy on sunday: sometimes, a big fat saturday night party gets all the kinks out of the system. Sure, it ain't highbrow - but hell it works for me!

Happiness is the last of...

the icecream left in the fridge. The final lick of jam in the pot. The supreme joy you have when you get up thinking you are late, and realise that you have an hour more to sleep. The last hour that comes as a bonus, and you extract the maximum juice out of it.
Sure, when you are reaching the end of it, like the Harry Potter series, or any other good book or movie, or when the alarm rings, there's a tinge of remorse, but all in all you are still happy for the last taste of heaven.

Hurrah for hand me downs

I live in a joint family, where one of the pleasures of living with my dad and brother under the same roof is to steal clothes. Yeah, you heard that right. Currently, I'm enjoying the youngish style that my bro's clothes have and happy with the fact that he has lost a lot of weight, become fit, and handed me his (relatively) new clothes that suit me just fine.
One thing I've noticed- how come, sometimes, clothes that you would never pick up yourself end up looking better on you than your old ones? I hope I'm not the only one saying this, and many others feel the same way, otherwise put it down to a lack of fashion sense :)

One of them days

When you walk your pet dog in the pouring rain, in the early hours of the morning, so that it can do its stuff while you watch it do so is when you feel horrible. That feeling of yuckiness and general persecution (why me?)continues as you give yourself a wash when you get back home.
As you settle down for breakfast, you realise that your egg is a bit too salty. Perhaps a loved one is sick, or acting crabby to add to it all.

Then you get to work and the power's been cut off. Hm! And when you are about to rave and rant at the next unfortunate person that comes your way, along comes a nice mail from a friend, a mail that has beautiful photos maybe, of nature, or northern lights, or of fire rainbows.

And inspite of your rotten day, you marvel at the photo. That is one heck of a small joy.

A Cup of tea and a good book

Is what I'm dreaming of right now. It's been raining peacocks and elephants, and on days like these there's no greater small joy than this. Add a blanket to this mix and some spicy snack and boy, you have it made.

And as I say it, some kind soul has brought me a good bowl of Pohe. And Tea.Yum. Gotta stop writing this and start feeding my face.

Ice is Nice

I saw Ice age 3 on the weekend with the kids. I've heard the earlier ones were better, but haven't really seen them to make any comments. What I did notice was the quality of animation is truly fantastic, and even though the story is puerile and predictable, the animation is breathtaking and makes you forget you are watching a cartoon.

Become a kid again- check this one out :)

Unintentionally funny

Some may think it's a little cruel, but I think sometimes you can have a quiet laugh when you experience something that's unintentionally funny. You want an example? Well, how about that relative who thinks she's good at Kathak dancing or singing or poetry and just isn't? In such times, you really hold your sides when you catch some other sufferer's eye. It takes a huge effort not to burst out, and I think that's part of the whole appeal.

I dont know whether its the reality gap that exists or its just the egoistic nature of such people (you know, they get all puffed up, have an important face of sorts before making asses of themselves) that makes it pure fun for me.

Hmm. Wait. Do some people laugh at my writing? Nah... can't be... hmm?

Ya learn somethin' new every day

And it's always an exciting thing! Provided you are in the mood, of course.
I'm trying to learn about new online media and related stuff- you know, google alerts, twitter, etc- it's part of the grand plan in my professional life at the moment. But what I'd like to say is that a day when you've learnt something new, and it can be really a small thing, is still a day that makes you feel good about yourself. Whatever it may be, maybe its just tying a shoelace a different way (ok maybe not that mundane) its all for the good. Highly recommended.

Music to the ear

As someone recently said to me- music's the only solace. In times like ours, listening to a good song does make you feel good without realising it. I was just listening to songs from the film "New York" and I'm pleasantly surprised by the feel good factor in them. Especially the first three songs- perfect for a rainy afternoon.
One of the things I regularly do nowadays is to listen to some good numbers on Utube, while I'm working. Wonder why I didn't earlier- it is an instant stress-buster!

The Right Attitude to Rain

My CEO told me that London is experiencing a heat wave recently, and apparently, its actually hotter than Pune! I think both Punekars and Brits like to talk about the weather. While some consider it banal... I say why not? Its a neutral, safe topic, allows you to air a grievance (and everybody has a grievance about the weather) and connect to strangers, bosses and other exotic birds. Alexander Mcall- Smith calls it the right attitude to rain, and I agree. Welcome, weather-talkers! The monsoon's getting better, but nowhere close to what it should be.... what say?

Life's small opportunities

We all hate being taken for granted, isnt it? But I had the exact opposite experience this morning. I met a dear friend of mine, my neighbour, whom I yelled out and said good morning to, and asked whether he wanted a cup of tea. This was quite early in the morning, and he'd just come back from the US- so I thought he would be busy with something else, or would be plain tired. I figured that he would decline the offer and catch with me later.

But to my pleasant surprise, he said he was coming right up. We had a nice chat and the tea wasn't too horrible. I learnt something from him today. He took the offer up and spent that time with me there and then, not pushing out something for later. It wasnt more than 15 minutes, but it was full of life and that's how it should be- but we keep forgetting that...

Needle in the Haystack

We'd lost quite a precious piece of jewellery in the house quite recently. After much heartbreak that we couldnt find it, we wondered whether it was stolen or misplaced. Then over a period of time, everyone forgot about it and went about their daily lives.
And then, months later, today, my young'un found the damn thing. By sheer luck, or coincidence. It takes a child's eyes to find that needle in the haystack. The sheer joy of it all.

A Rare Thrill

For the uninitiated, I've written a book called " The Map that Matters" which is being published by Strategic Publishing Group, NY. It's a self help book, and I think it's based on a pretty unique insight, but that's just me selling it to you I guess :).

Writing it has been a very demanding and enriching journey for me.

Just a few days ago, I got the Galley Proof - which is a copy sent to the author for approval before it moves towards publication. As soon as I got it in my hands, I became a little child who wanted to show it off to all my close friends and family. It was such a rare thrill that it counts as a special small joy for this blog. I'll keep you guys posted on further progress!