Gadgets

Every year my dear husband gifts me with a new mobile phone – with extra features and extra complications at that. While I smile politely and say thank you honey, under my breath I am hating to start learning the manual all over again and figure how to get to the address book, and set up the speed dial and such.

I am very basic with gadgets…I like them as long as they are helpful and make my life easier, but when they demand too much from my brain, I feel exhausted. I like to use a mobile phone to make calls and a camera to take pictures and a computer to check email. I hate the Blackberries and the PDA’s and those scary looking multifunctional mobiles which open in strange ways.


However, my whole perception to modern technology and gadgets changed when I was gifted the iphone last year – it is a marvel of design according to me. The touch screen functionality is childlike simple. It is brilliant in its design because it is not based on human intelligence but on human intutions.


And that is the key to futuristic design – as I start my Interaction design course next semester I started to research the field – and it is almost fascinating to see what one can do with these modern gadgets. Have a look at some of these videos:

http://www.interactiondesignblog.com/2008/05/buttonless-remote-control/
http://www.interactiondesignblog.com/2008/04/microsoft-surface/


As of now, it is magical to see my 5 yr. old daughter reading interactive books, fishing, scribbling, sketching and learning her first alphabets on her shiny new ipad effortlessly and playing tennis, cycling and bowling on V.

Poetry

Here is a poetry from my creative writing course.

I have never done this before but it was fun writing this during my course plus I also learnt what a syllable means. And what's more, I also found out that there is poetry with different lengths - pentameter, tetrameter and so on.

Sonnet (Shakespearean)

I long to see your face divine
N’ sparkling eyes that shall brighten my day;
I yearn to hold you in my arms
N’ feel you suckle to my breast;
Every part of you shall I nourish
N’ groom you until you burnish;

I want to smell your drool ‘n dribble
I need to feel that special kindle;
I ache to kiss those pinky toes,
As you tumble to your petit feet;
When shall you mumble the goo ga n maa!
N’ when shall I feel like a complete me;
Oh! this waiting is sweet but sweaty,
Oh my love! I pledge to adore you zealously,
No matter what life proffers for you n me.

Tetra & Pentameter

It’s raining, it’s snowing, it’s shining n it’s bright
Oh! What a weather it is this April.
What should we carry n what to wear,
Befuddling everybody n causing much despair.
Starved to see the yellow, pink n green,
From November last until this April.
Global warming! or global chilling!
Who can answer to such mayhem?
The gods of nature are much displeased,
With the pace at which we humans flourish.
You ought to see the extreme imagination,
Of Manoj Night Shyamalan in “The Happening”.

A six word story

This is a very famous story in the literary circles - once challenged to use only six words to tell the story of his life, Ernest Hemingway wrote this;

"For sale - Baby shoes, never worn"

It is a masterpiece of talent, much brooded upon by many authors and writers. Hemingway was referring to a personal tragedy that the parents face when a new born/unborn child fails to survive.

To describe an entire story in just a few words is an exercise an advertising copywriter faces everyday. However, describing your whole life in just a few words may be challenging.

Perhaps not in the same league as Hemingway but I have managed to sum up my life into only four words;

"Live life - King size"

The interpretations are left to you.

Samples of my collages

Some of my paper collages

Is honesty the best policy?

I was watching this movie on a long flight – The invention of lying.

Here is a world where everyone is telling the truth and even the word ‘lie’ does not exist. And what can you imagine from a world like that? A perfectly chaotic one at that - everyone tells each other how exactly they feel about each other – blunt, frank and rudely honest. A fat guy is called fat and a loser is plainly told so and sacked from his workplace, couples are fighting because they cannot use an ounce of tact to maintain their relationship – it is almost detrimental.

Remember “liar liar” and Jim Carrey. Well this one was not as funny but the imagination of such a world is bewildering to most of us. Goes to show how far we need to go from the childlike honesty that we are born with to be polite and successful in this world.

Whats in a name?

Its amazing how sensitive people are about the way they are called. Your parents gave you a name, some of us take that very seriously insisting that everyone should call us exactly the way our parents did. Some others like to change it completely and call ourselves by a nick name or a short name or an abbreviated name or a characteristic name re-given to us by our mates, friends or colleagues - Chatur, Silencer, VD, DJ, Rush.

But the biggest issue is the pronunciation of your name...it varies from different countries to different accents to different societies. I have usually been nonchalant about the way my name is often said - anything that starts from R or sometimes even K, U, T... Krishina, Kristine, Usina, Trusina, Reesheena...as long as they get about 3 out of 7 alphabets right i forgive and forget. I attribute all flaws to my very unusual and meaningless name which people after mispronouncing it a few times find very lovely. It is like an artwork, very abstract is very interesting. Or maybe they are making up for saying it wrong innumerable times.

What makes me really laugh is when my daughter Aaliyah who is now 5 and bilingual tells me that she is Aaliyah in English and a very melodious Aleeeya in Swedish. Well, Jacob is Yakub and Jennifer is Yennifer and Nemo is Neamo and Peter is Patter so why not. It is hard to find a name that cannot be changed with such globalisation.

Winnie the Pooh

Pooh is a cuddly, easy going, honey loving, stress free bear that every little child would adore. A character i got introduced to by none other than my daughter.

Thanks to my daughter and of course its creator A.Milne & producer Disney Pictures the entire gang of 'Winne the Pooh' and his friends in the '100 acre wood' also happen to be a member of my family. And I mean this literally - each character with its own very distinct personality can be compared to a member of my family. It is absolutely charming to see how such diverse personalities inhabit together.

I was fascinated to understand the philosophy as described by Benjamin Hoff. Especially the parallels drawn between the personality of Pooh and the preachings of Taoism.The carefree, non egoistic, happy where you are kind of ways. One that goes with the harmony & rhythm of the universe, never challenges anything and yet accomplishes everything and still remains nonchalant about it.

I think it is fantastic - this is also the style of Taoist form of fighting called "T' ai Chi" which is gentle and elegant compared to the harsh & screaming Confucianist fighting "Kung fu".

It is quite difficult to attain Pooh's childlike simplicity and calmness in today's fast paced competitive world but it already feels relaxing just to think about it and i hope my little doll continues to be like her favourite Poo-bear.

You could get a personality check for yourself and check which character in the 100 acre wood you resemble at: http://www.hubpages.com/hub/Personality-Test