Over a cup of Coffee

I wrote this blog last year. Coffee is an integral part of my day. I love coffee in any form. What makes it extra special for me is the thoughts it brings and the understanding I gain sometimes about life. This is just the begining and there will be more. Read on.

More than what meets the eye

I love drinking this dark heavenly concoction, be it the very sweet coffee from the dispenser in the Bangalore office or the creamy frothy super expensive drink at Starbucks or similar outlets. Coffee for me also means spending some time chatting with friends or reading something interesting or working on something or just thinking a bit gazing into nothingness.

On my 1st couple of trips to Singapore, I was staying at a nice hotel, where they have a scrumptious breakfast buffet (Its so nice when you dont have to make your own breakfast, isnt it). So every morning before starting my day, I used to stop by at the restaurant for some fuel. I am very specific about the type of coffee I want in the morning. People who have travelled would know that continental hotels serve black coffee, I don’t mind but I like mine with milk and sugar, the very Indian desi style. So my standard request used to be coffee with warm milk (they put cold milk in it and it’s not the same scalding taste). Day after day this was what I asked for to the extent that the stewards knew what I needed and got it without asking.

I was happy with the routine and the attention I was getting, come you would be too with all the attention. One day there was a new steward and when I told him what I wanted, he asked “Would you like to have a cappuccino instead?”, "You serve capuccino's? Well yes, of course" I said, now this may sound dumb but I just assumed that black coffee was what was available in the morning and asked for milk where as there was simpler and better way – just order a cappuccino. Simple, isnt it.

It made me think, how many times in various situations, work and life, we just assume something at status quo without questioning or asking if there is a better option available or even thinking that there may be something more than what just meets the eye – simpler, easier, better, available out there which we never bothered to ask about. We just become very comfortable with simple black coffee and keep asking for milk, falling in the routine.

This made me re evaluate my surroundings and make some changes in the way I look at things, its not easy or immediate but takes practice and I am getting there with practice every day. Not accepting status quo, I ask questions and I am surprised as to how many people are more than happy to help. It has surprised me as to how many times people have been wrongly judged when we don’t know what is going on in their life or minds.

So go on, look deeper, there is more than what meets the eye in most of the cases :).

So long, till the next cup of coffee.

Bollywood before it was Bollywood

With me running late as always, I wished the cab that I had called would still be waiting and had not bailed on me as they are infamous to do here. Well so I went downstairs and the cab was still there thankfully, an elderly Malay gentleman, the driver, greeted me with a plesantly with a smile.

So on this sunny morning when I wished there would be no traffic on the road or that the traffic light wont turn red everytime we approached it, I was going through the things to do in my head when the cab driver, Ismail uncle (its customery to call all elderly people uncle and aunty here) asked me a question "Where are you from?" and I got out of my thoughts, "India" I said. "So do you like watching Bollywood movies?", I almost burst out laughing, now what kind of Indian I would be if I dont like Bollywood movies, oh wait, there are people who dont like Bollywood movies.

So, "Yes" I said "I do like Bollywood movies". Then came a strange question, "have you seen the movie directed by Mehboob which was made in Hindi and also dubbed in English? Its probably the best movie ever made." Now that is strange isnt it, this got me curious, I am an Indian I should know more about bollywood and here is this person from a foreign country who dosent even speak the language asking me this question. But I was skeptical, now which movie could that be? Lagaan, Slumdog Millionair were made in multiple languages but not as old as could be directed by Mehboob. So I said "No, which one?". "I have asked this question to many people and most of them reply Lagaan, but the real answer is Mother India" came the reply.

After that I had the most engaging conversation with him, he told me how he liked to listen to Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd. Rafi songs directed by Shaker Jaikishen and R D Burman, how Nargis was the most beautiful woman in the world ever and Shammi Kapoor the most handsome guy. Why Dilip Kumar didnt accept the lead role in Mother India and of course the best movies ever made were, Leader and Mother India. He had a much higher Bollywood quotient than I do.

This was a walk down memory lane for him and a good history lesson for me knowing what Bollywood was before it became Bollywood, without a lot of violence, with real life issues, from family to social being portrayed in them and not the greed, the violence and bloodshed.

This History of Bollywood lesson was brought to you by a person who does not speak or understand much hindi and what ever he know he learnt watching Hindi movies with English Subtitles :)

What makes you tick?

With the thought of writing again lurking at the back of my mind, I was searching for a topic to write about. Normally I have an opinion about everything that happens around me and its really hard to choose at times, what is it that you want to talk about. So, it happened and after hours of pondering (well not exactly - it was a lot of TV) it came to me. The age old topic and the thought of reviving it. What makes you tick?

Well not the literal tick, what gives us the motivation to go on day after day. Is it money, the people around you, is it work or is it something else?

Money gives the confidence of being in a good place in life and of course it gives me the confidence to go buy the super expensive shoes I have been eyeing :)

The people around us, well sometimes they do drive you crazy but they do give us the feeling of belonging and not being alone. The special someone who makes you feel super special.

Work, Mondays are always hard, arent they, but at the end of the day if you really love what you do makes the 1st day of the work week exciting.

Something else, now what could that be, workout you did to look hot, the music you make, the beautiful scenery you painted, the amazing book you read or the fingerlicking food you cooked.

I want to do so many things in life, see the world, learn a new language, learn music and so many more,  thats what makes me go on everyday. So what makes you tick?