Little hearts

The day was good. It was a rainy day! I started my day pretty early at 4.30 in the morning. It started raining from 5 onwards. Thought of sitting at the balcony but it was all wet. The birds were chirping constantly. Had attended a morning session on a kind of personality development. It was a good one. We do get feedback on our careers at least once in a year. As a human on this earth - do we really think we need to get the feedback from our near and dear once. Just to check if we are being a right human on this earth - don't we think we should be asking the feedback? Softwares would come every now and then with the latest versions and updates. Don't we think as a human we need to reversion ourselves, rebrand ourselves and be our better selves? I did think about this and got feedback from a few very close family members, and felt good to see how positive others feel than myself. There were few things to improve as well, which I will be considering. We tend to take our positi...

It was a good day. Cloudy day and the day was filled with many activities. Many a time we think we are inside the home and are locked down and are not going out these days. But the new positive possibilities are hidden at this time. I am putting myself a few questions. Am I learning anything related to the field of my work? Am I giving my dedicated time to people in my world? Am I doing the things I have been hidden under the carpet many times? There are many more queries inside, are we giving a separate dedicated time for answering each query that we had within. Time to analyze and retrospect our own self. My day looked like this. Breakfast: Veg pullav Lunch: Had the same I made for breakfast as it was pending. Dinner: Chapathi, dum aloo, and pudina chutney. Dessert: Egg pudding Meditation: I did complete only the evening meditation session today. I had an important call at noon so I couldn't attend. Work out: Liking this time now. As I usually take up in the evening p...

Today was a good day! A lot of learning and self-evaluation on many of the things that I have never looked in myself. It was retrospecting mode and finding a newer version of myself.  I did complete many of the pending tasks and did finish most of the pending stuffs. Feel-good factor when I check on each of these pending tasks on their completion. Going good so far. My day looked like below. Breakfast: Akki Rotti and Bendekayi Palya Lunch: Rice and Rasam Dinner: Chapathi with Egg burji.  I didn't click photos today. Meditation: Took both the sessions and they were good Work out: Completed 25 minutes of work out and felt the sweat! Cleaning: Kitchen cleaning, Took care of my plants, and cleaned the pooja unit. New learning: There are lot of new learning on personal development. I need to do a separate write up for this learning.  Music: The girl with so sweet voice - Surya Gayathri. Listened to her songs today. Such a blessed child....

Not a good Sunday! The day went unnoticed! It was not one of my productive days, but huge learning! Few events happen to us to give us direction in life! This lockdown is one such event for all of us to hard stop all the busy life that we had and to retrospect what is we are up to, and what we dreamt off, where we have reached now and what is stopping us. Writing has given me clarity on what I needed. I usually jot down things in my journal. Good that today is Sunday and not a regular working day! My routine today had very less activities that  I had planned. Breakfast: Chapthi with Chicken curry ( The leftover curry from last night) Lunch: Rasam and Rice Dinner: Same as lunch but made curd rice too. Not a sip of any beverage today. I am a big fan of tea. Usually per day I drink tea twice a day. Good for me, no sugar intake :) Meditate: Sat for meditation both the times, I was free and didn't have any work to do but I couldn't proceed with this and had to get up. I n...

Its been a good day. I took a break from few things but spent in a way how I wanted it. This is how my day looked Breakfast: Gojju avalakki Lunch: Mango milkshake Snack: Crispy golden corn Dinner: Akki roti with Kadai Chicken Meditation: I took it only once in the noon. Workout: It was a short 15 minutes work out. Read and Write: I didn't do any of these New learn: Nothing for today Music: Had many chants running in a home in the morning and other Kannada tracks playing in the evening Clean home: I can say deep kitchen cleaning for today.

Finally, its Friday! I needed a break. I like to write things down. I am not sure when I started writing other than academics related stuffs. I do have a notebook from my 8th grade where I had started writing a few poems and left it there. Then again in 11th grade where I had scribbled few and left it. My scribbling in all random books made me lose most of my work. During my college days had written many articles and poems in my personal diary, and I had lost it while shifting. After I started working, I used to type in a few things for someone on their birthday or anniversaries. I thought to give my writing a serious time in 2009. My writings were both in Kannada and in English. in 2014 I made my mind to write at least one story or an article or a poem in a month. My poems and articles were published in Kannada magazines as well. Writing for Times Of India - Write India Contest boosted my confidence and I did continue with my writing without looking back not worrying about the outco...

World Book Day!! Nothing has been good for an avid reader like me. I need to thank my younger self to cultivate the habit of reading. I remember my residential school where we can borrow books from the school library for a week. Me and one of my friends who has the same madness of reading like me used to borrow the books which we both liked. We did exchange books and used to read two books in a week. I still remember how we waited for our turn to get a book has anyone bought a new book. As I remember, I had this interest in books since from 3rd standard when my father got us the Kannada comic book - Balamangala and Champaka. Now that I read autobiographies of achievers, I thank my father for helping me in cultivating that habit in me. I know what I will do when I have time, a book, and a cup of coffee. The coffee mug will get dried up but I will still be glued to my book. I have traveled to many places alone for work. Be it Atlanta, Nashville, Melbourne, or Netherlands I had carried ...

It was a good fruitful day! I completed many other things that I wanted to complete. These days managing both office works and the normal chores at home, you never realize the time for yourself. I started to have my lunch at around 3.30PM, my usual lunch hours would be between 1 to 2. Little change in routine changes the biological cycle itself. The wake-up time got pushed by 2 hours and the traffic hours are taken by the extra sleep, this is the worst enemy to beat. I am beating this from the past two days. Soon after the alarm goes, I started counting five, four, three and two and one I get up no matter what. This is helping me to check many undone things. This is how my day looked Breakfast: Cut fruits, dry fruits, and honey mixed with milk. ( I got call at 7.30 in the morning for an urgent task and it went till 8, and then another call setup from 8 to 9. Couldn't cook anything but made my nutritious breakfast. Lunch: Rice and dal palak Dinner: Chapati with leftover dal...

The days are rolling in a flash. The ongoing office work and the tasks at home without any help is a bit tough to manage. The timings of breakfast and lunch are delayed and the clock is at its own pace. Its been so many days going out, roaming around the hangout places near the office for the evening tea. Its been quite a lot of time meeting my parents and my kid staying away from Bangalore. At least we have video calls to connect and to see the person while talking and can afford calls as everyone has a mobile in his or her hand, just thinking how people connected earlier and how did they just travel without GPS. It feels how tightly we are coupled with our mobile phone. In a touch we do get the grocery delivered, in a click the money gets credited. My grandmother never believed when I explained to her all these when she was alive. At least we have uninterrupted wifi and a mobile to get ourselves entertained without actually using it for its purpose! This is how my day looked. Br...

It's more than a month since we all are working from home. Monday is the first day of the week, most of the calls are being set on this day and I almost had back to back calls even during my lunch hours! I am not able to keep up my task list checked all the time. In between the ongoing office tasks, calls from family members, tea breaks and cooking the meals for the day hardly got time for my tasks today though  I did complete a few of them. This is how my day looked Breakfast: Dosai with groundnut chutney Lunch: Fruits mixed with curd, dry fruits and honey. I did add milk too. It was very good. Dinner: Lemon rice Meditation: I took only one session in the evening at 7.30 as I was busy the whole day Work out: Did complete 20 minutes work out. Read & Write: I couldn't give time for these. I am missing my reading. New learning: I finished my French course in Udemy and got the certificate too. I still need to learn on the conjugation with the verbs and the right...

Sunday began a bit late as I did wake up a little late. The cascading effect of the late start would be felt the entire day's work. By the time you eat your breakfast and watch some random shows in TV, noon would be inviting.  I watched a Telugu movie after a long time. I usually cannot remember the movie names. But this one was HIT :), yeah! that was the movie name. I know all the Telugu movies are hit as my friend from my previous company used to say there will not be any flop movies in that industry. The movie was quite a suspense and a thriller. Ramayana has reached its end. I am on and off with the Mahabharatha retelecast. It was a good day overall. This is how my day went Breakfast: Egg maggie ( effect of starting the day late) Lunch: Rice, Rasam, and omelet Dinner: Akki rotti with capsicum egg stir fry Meditation: Took both the sessions Read & Write: Not much of it, it's a Sunday! ( I was in a relaxing mode, just wondering here and there at home...

It was a lazy day! I was in a relaxing mode, being easier on myself. Its good to be in this mode for a few days after having lengthy productive days. Almost a month being inside the home. Its good to be in-home during this scorching sun out, but need that freedom to go to places, meet and greet people and be social as well. I hope the situation will be back in normal soon. Today was an easier day! Breakfast: Akki rotti with sorekayi playa its bottle guard in English Lunch: Fruit salad (wasn't hungry at all) Snack: Paneer roll with HesrubeLe payasam Dinner: Just a glass of Haldi milk ( closed my nose and gulped. Milk and me are opposites) Meditation: Took this both the times, didn't want to miss on weekends at least. This is the best part of the day. Work Out: It was a nonstop 30 minutes work out, good to feel the sweat and the body feeling sour! Write & Read: Read a few pages from other books. Nothing major in my writing yet. Cleaning: Did clean the balcony ...

Finally my grocery arrived, I am stocked for the next one week. Thanks to those delivery guys who just keeps the package in front of your home and send just a message to collect it. Only a few grocery apps are working now. Few of the apps have stopped onboarding new users. Its been a month I have gone out of my home. Earlier we must have all felt aged, now at least I am getting used to this situation. Friday ends with many more officially calls till 8.30 PM. It feels good to do more of these tasks in less time but we wouldn't realize we were immobile at a place for a prolonged time. Short breaks are indeed needed to stretch ourselves. My day looked like this. Breakfast: Chapathi and Flat beans Palya ( I don't know this vegetable name in English! We call chapparada avrekayi . Need to ask my kid :) ) Lunch: Rice, Rasam, and Rava fish fry Dinner: Lemon rice Meditaion: Did take the evening session as I just had 15 minutes break Write and Read: Nothing much New Learn:...

The peak of the week as most of the deadlines lie towards the end of the week. Most of the time the calls will lead the actual work. It's been a while that I started my day at 4.30am, which was my usual routine. Missing my morning routine of reading an hour and writing at least 30 minutes a day. Never anticipated anytime that a day like this would come where locked up at home and cannot go out for anything. I have been a keen observer! The view my balcony to an empty road, the crowded bakery at the dead-end of the road now dwells the street dogs. The road witnessing restless maids rushing to their jobs, the paperboy, the milkman, the online grocery truck, the people leaving to work, the numerous vehicles and people on the street now is orphaned! I hope the day is sooner for all of us to resume this pause on our commute. This is how my day looked Breakfast: Upma and Kesribath Lunch: Rice and Horse gram sprouts curry Dinner: Chapathi with egg burji Cooking done right! Work...

Hectic day! Never-ending calls!! When we work at the office, we tend to talk to people and clarify the doubts or any issues while talking over a coffee or a formal meeting or over lunch, we wouldn't realize the gravity of these concerns then. But now, being at home physiologically we think we are relaxed because, that's how our brain has been taught. Home is the place to relax and can be homely at home! When we mix the office stuffs along with the tasks that we usually do for home, things get complicated! I started my day 9, the calls from 9.30  and the series started till 2.30. Post lunch again by 3 till 5.30! Phew! Just logged off around 6.15! There is tomorrow to handle it as well. Crazy day, but yet I did few of my tasks apart from these stuffs. Here is the update on my personal tasks Breakfast: Chapthi with Tomato gojju Lunch: Puliyogre ( Thanks to MTR  puliyogare powder, easy- peasy. Just made rice and was thinking what to be done for sambar, realized thi...

It was a normal day! I did complete a few tasks. The lockdown is extended till the 3rd of May. The days are just rolling and its appearing like its been ages I have seen the outer world. Hopefully the situation will get calmer so that everyone can resume their normal routine. I was thinking about my goals. When we put a non-measurable goal for ourselves, we wouldn't know how to approach it in the beginning. Just putting what I want and chunking them down into many tinier tasks which could be measured makes one happier to have a sense of accomplishment. I am almost there with my mini-goals to achieve the bigger ones. The universe is manifesting the thoughts and is presenting it for me. Feeling good to connect to the like-minded people who have similar hobbies and who can guide and encourage each other. Having positive thoughts moves mountains! Having these along with the gratitude and visualizations are icing on the cake! My day was good Breakfast: Onion Dosai with groundnut...

Its been a good day! I completed most of the other tasks which were out of my list. Early office calls at 7 in the morning to late-night official calls till 9 were a bit hectic to start the week but made up for the long weekend! I was watching one video received as a Whatsapp forward. Just reiterating the story to shortest its version. A man was hunting a deer and the deer ran faster and escaped into the thick forest. This person gets stuck, unknowing the route to come back, he gets fierce to hunt that deer again and spends 3 days without any food. Later towards the end of the third day he sees an apple tree. He plucked one and starts eating. He thanks God, the tree, the apple, the earth, the soil and for himself for coming this way. Plucks the second one, still thanks for all the above-said ones. Plucks the next ones, the other ones. When he arrives at the 10th one, he wasn't actually thanking anyone, in fact - he starts throwing the ones he didn't like. Similar to the ...

Late at the night on Saturday had got a message in the Teno app. This is an app used in school to upload homework and notices for parents. The message said about Zoom online classes from grades 1 to 7 starting the 13th of April. I was agitated thinking about how to handle this as my kid is with my parents in a remote village with no internet access, happily enjoying her summer holidays. With all my stamina and thoughts had composed a lengthy email on do's and dont's of the online trainings for the small kids and the measure the school would have taken. Finally, around late it in the night they sent another message saying they are canceling this idea for now. This topic has taken most of my mind today and I was the active leader in the Class Whatsapp group encouraging everyone to send an email on concerns and has achieved to get most of their support. Let me summarize my day, It was a lazy one! Work out: Its a cheat day today. Meditate: Took both the sittings today and we...

Saturday! No difference again! The normal locked down routine but without a laptop. I started watching the Ramayana series from DD national channel. It is good to see the graphics and animations of those times! Apart from these things, the series still makes one glued to seat. This has become my breakfast time show. I am happy that Doordarshan is telecasting Mahabharatha, Chanakya and also Shaktimaan again! These series has the same old ads and its good to see them and I do remember and sing along sometimes :)  (Lijjat Papad, Amul Doodh, Cycle agarbatthi and Donear suitings of those times :) ) This is how the day went. Breakfast: Alu Parata with mint chutney Lunch: Akki rotti with chutney powder Snacks: Potato smilies (there were left out boiled potatoes from the morning, just mashed it, added 2 to 3 spoons of cornflour, salt, chili powder, and ajwain kneed it without adding water. Make a roti out of it, using a small steel cup cut this roti into small circles. Make eyes usi...

Long weekend doesn't have any meaning when you cannot go anywhere out!! Nothing so good about this Friday! yet another holiday! Talking over video calls has become a new socializing. As people stuck inside the animals and the birds are appearing on roads! It's good to see them like this rather in zoos. Sometimes I feel,  we - the Human beings are actual corona to mother earth and the actual virus is the antidote to take off the human freeing earth! My day was done just right. Breakfast: Chapathi with Tomato egg burji Lunch: Lemon rice and Rice with dal palak Dinner: Lemon rice and Ginnu (A kind of sweet which is actually made with the cow milk when it gives birth to the calf,  but to refill the craving I just beat one egg to foam and added a medium glass of milk, dissolved required amount of sugar and sprinkled elachi powder and kept this bowl in the cooker with water at the bottom of it in a low flame, take out after 15 minutes. Set it to cool. You get this gelly like ...

Bonjour! Hurray!! My first unit of French online course is done. During 2013, I had two classes per week of an hour each on French. In between the ongoing office tasks and the trainer training us in office made most of us stressed. Few of us used to sit on the last bench opening the laptop and doing the priority tasks that been assigned to us. I never realized the importance of the classes. When I realized to learn it on my own, I can surely see the difference.  There are many books lying in my bookshelf and they are inviting! Taking everything step by step. There is this sense of accomplishment when I see the things I have done instead of cribbing on what I have not. Happy with the way my list of tasks is going.  This is how my day went. Breakfast: Plain Akki rotti with soppu palya Lunch: Bassaru and soppu Dinner: curd rice That's the heavy cooking in the morning! Cleaning those green leaves, wash it twice or thrice, cut it, put those soaked grams. Cook it...

The day started with a strong mindset. This is the right time to learn , enhance the skills and get more things done as there is lot of time being at home. One thing I realized in this lock down - to live and survive we spend very very meager, to show it to the society and to match the standard and for the external materialistic stuffs we do spend much and later we crib about the earning! This is the right time for self introspection. Questioning the mind with basic question one get the answers. Brainstorming morning with all these thoughts juggling like Brownian motion inside my mind. The Gayathri Mantra playing in my Bluetooth speaker as I started preparing my morning tea made me relax a bit! May be from past 2 to 3 years I started playing either Mahamruthyunjay mathra or Om chanting or Hanumaan Chalisa in my morning. I must say, they do have some powers! Its all self belief. If you think you have powers you do have it all! Creative visualization should be the first thing. Visualize...

A good day! Most of the other unplanned things are checked for the day. Many a times I have observed that the start of the day makes it everything for that day! Started my day with two minutes of gratitude and few minutes of silence followed by listening to the neighbors birds chirping at the balcony sipping my tea. Its almost nearing to mid of April, days are rolling faster and cannot realize the weekdays and the weekends. Through twitter getting to know that the corona positive cases in India is increasing, but it will be handled and the medicines will be out soon, everyone is hoping for that. Summing up my day below Breakfast:  Dose with  coconut chutney Lunch: Rice and Majjige saru Dinner: Rice and Drumstick sambar Work out: I couldn't take up today as I had evening calls with my onsite folks, planning to take early morning from tomorrow Meditate: Did take both the sessions. Joined in the middle for first one in the morning but it was good. Read: I have read t...

The days of the weeks are rolling faster. The lock down is still imposed for this week, as per the news readers in the TV channels this might get extend to few area still. I am hoping for this to end sooner. Now I know how we take our freedom for granted. Going out for groceries and for shopping was always easier and we were lazier then, now the need of the hour is to get all the essentials but we cannot go out! I am not sure how others are feeling, but I am enjoying this time. Apart from the office tasks , I have chunked my time to fit for my hobbies. A fruitful day! Checked all the things I had in my list. Breakfast: Uppittu and Kesaribath. Lunch: Rice , chicken fry and Doddapathre Thambuli (Doddapatre is a green leaf , will be ground with coconut, green chillies , jeera and garlic to a nice paste. And is seasoned  with mustards, curry leaves and hing. Sour curd or buttermilk is added into this paste makes this Thambuli. Dinner: Same as lunch, but tried a different varie...

My day today started early. My guest bed room is turned out be my office now. I have all half read books, laptop and iPad lying on the bed. Had taken out my school diary to click picture for one of my school friends on what he has written for me in my diary - which is nothing but a scrap book :) . Listening to the birds from my neighbor's caged birds, sipping the tea was re reading this diary. This was written by all my school friends and is almost 19 years back. All our hand writings were so neat and clean. Now a days we don't write much but type in many a times, if that becomes tough we also use auto type feature also. Felt good to start my day reading this diary after so long time. Couldn't complete it but as I had to pick a new book from my book rack, this is the only read I did for the day. This is how the day went. Work Out: Today is Sunday and is a cheat day. But I did sweep and wiped the floor not using the mop stick but with the cloth. This is a good exercise ...

Weekends are those days where there is no planned routine but whatever we do become its routine. Earlier to this Corona break, my weekend routine was get up early and be there at park for a run, on they way back get milk and eggs. The energy of the morning boosted to do many more unchecked tasks. Today, the routine got tweaked in the morning and cascaded entire day :). Woke up late and a cup of tea was soothing to start it. The day was short!! This is how my day went. Breakfast: Milk with rusk Lunch: Rice, Tomato Rasam and chicken fry . ( Oh, Yes! I should tell this story of getting chicken to cook. My sis-in-law had kept a notification in Licious app for ordering as everyday it seemed out of stock. At 3.15 am, yeah! its early morning she gets this notification and she orders! Not knowing this story, we made out mind to cover ourselves up and get it from the shop near by and succeeded and went to give one pack for my brothers too, in a shock we get one pack from them too. This wa...

Finally the week is going to end, so is my grocery and vegetables in kitchen!! Somehow working from home is making everyone glued to laptop and work more hours. Every other coffee time discussions are being converted into meetings. Morning casual talks with the normal tasks are now webinars. Also, talking to family and friends over phone at least few times day. Unknowingly the screen time is getting increased. It has its own advantage as well. Most of the missed contacts are getting renewed, feel good to talk to schoolmates. This is how my day went Breakfast: Onion Rava Dose with ground nut chutney powder Lunch : Curd with dry fruit Dinner: Rice and Dal That checks the cooking. Work out:  I did workout, but it wasn't my usual 30 minutes non stop one. In between my calls I was doing few aasanas and pranayama. Meditate: Could attend only noon session as the 7.30 session had discussion with Asha Bhosle with Guruji which got extended with my cooking hours so had...

Thursday!!  Still Thursday! Feeling the days are not moving faster. But the mornings would always be kind of free when we work from , otherwise had to getup early cook for for lunch and breakfast , have to get ready to office. All these should move according to the needle of the clock. First thing I do is to go to my balcony where I can listen the chirping birds. Thanks to my neighbor who has kept their caged birds cage in their balcony. As they are also from Mysore, the conversation with that aunty will always be around missing Mysore. Now my work location got shifted to Balcony and these conversations are by stress relievers. Must tell  how the day advanced. Having studied in a residential school for seven long years, the school whatsapp group has nearly fifty members. The topic was to remember the school teachers and their names. It was so nostalgic when each of them were sharing their version of the stories. Not just about their teachings, but how they behaved at the ...

Today is April fool day as we follow 1st April as so. But I don't see anyone playing a prank on this today. Is humor locked down too? I don't know how many are really feeling locked down but I am giving wings to all my old hobbies and making them fly. Each day of this period had made me learn more, realize my potential and being positive. Like peeling off each onion layers would find the tender and fine version of it, I am getting updated to my next version and ready to be launched :), just a metaphor :) . Woke up late around 7, by the time I had made my breakfast , served it onto  my plate got my call from manager at 9. First one of the day, Finished 6 calls within 1.45. Three more post noon. Could manage to cook and eat in between the day. Below are the tasks of my day Breakfast: Chapathi with Onion chutney (dough from last night) Lunch: Rice and Majjige saru ( A simple recipe of sour butter milk tampered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, urad dal, crushed garlic, tur...