The not-so-brief hiatus

The not-so brief break is finally over. This is the longest I have been away. It was certainly not planned for. Ahem, I have posts in the drafts folder of my head. Hopefully, should bring them down soon.

By the way, I have shifted to a beautiful house and finally have a room on my own. It is beautiful, entirely mine and I feel like a kid every time I walk into it and get out. It is hard to explain this feeling.

This post is only a Hello post. So, will pick the receiver up and connect back really soon.

P.S : It was an award from Kismi that made me write this up. You are really too sweet a toffee!

Here comes an Award!

Start the Music! Here comes an award. Now, just imagine one demented mind screaming up and down in joy. P.Subbu aka Prerna ( whoa, what a name - do you sing?) tagged and awarded me a month back, here I come with it!

Me, the versatile blogger - Did you like my boring stories on Facebook, or may be the one I babbled on turning 25 or was it one of those unplanned restauranttalks?

Whatever, my dearo – I am glad, you chose to give me this.

This award comes with a tag to write seven random facts.As if the name of this blog is not random enough. Dont blame me if you find this super boring. Subbu asked for it and you have come this far. So, please read on.

• I like reading instructions and details behind packets.It is one of my favourite pass times to walk into a grocery store and read through  packets of pasta, noodles, sauce and even detergents. I do this with no intention of buying any of those. 
• I have a sibling, whom I adore. Hold your breath, we have never had a single fight till now. No hitting, screaming or whatsoever. The maximum both of us have done is gone to sleep face down for two hours and woke up to amma’s scolding. 
• Someone groped me in a bus, and I dragged him to a police station. I was 19.
• I form judgements on people who fail to understand differences between a person's profession and his personal life. 
• I have worked on and created two proper, workable, investor wallet filling business plans with women enterprises. Empowerment of women through entrepreneurship is one of my interest areas, that I really wish to revisit. 
•  I have returned back a love letter because of a spell error. I have also refused to accept it when he came back with the second draft. 
• My only problem in English language is usage of articles. I have a terrible habit of mixing “a and “an” with the wrong words and am trying very hard to get over it. If you find a mistake, be polite and leave a comment on it. I promise to be thankful to you and send that magic candy through dreams. 

What is love, awards, tags and chocolates if not shared? So yes, here it goes – from me to you!

Versatility, here it goes. To the tagged ones here, you can choose to display the award and write random facts about yourself. If you have already written earlier, link back to it and leave a post.If you choose to ignore this award, it will not cause you seven years of bad luck or leave you with blood puking cancer. It is perfectly okay, if you do not want to pick this up. But do it, okay?

·    Archana– my name sake, the pretty one and mother of a Krishna baby. She writes on work , opines on fair and lovely and talks about cricket.All in one blog. And, she has another cooking blog too.

·    Anu –My first reader. Isha Follower. Happy, joyous soul. She has the knack to announce about whatsapp and facebookon a post and not make it blight.  Herpet peeves are to write about pets andsuper cool food ideas, like milk oil .Readher to admire the way she lives.

·    Sumitra– Just like how she has, I started reading her recently too. Else, I so could have tricked random.org, showed booo to Spiff and won the giveaway. You had me when you put up Joey on the about page. You moo, bark or yawn, I am all yours.She writes beautifully on marriages, has a funny bone on how hard it was growing up with a set of parents like yours (okay, not exactly but you get the idea), and in between sneaks a chocolate cake. Killer, I tell you. An Isha follower too!

·    MyEra – The kind of people you wish you could directly meet via the blog. Her stories have been so inspirational and truly moving. Read her posts on celebrating the human, her letters to daughter and as though all this moving talk is not enough, she writes recipes too!

·     Prashanth– Don’t you like it when men write honest posts about women issues? He writes on serious issues PMS,abortions with an adorable understanding, and makes one smile with a happy poem!

P.S: I know you did not ask me, but that header was flicked from Shabby Blogs. I will write a proper credit note for them soon. Till then, pardon the kid for some copyright issue.     

Unplugged or what?

Folks,

I am strongly considering changing the URL of this blog. Suddenly, after 3 years – I do not want to be unplugged :) 

Three reasons why:

1.     I cannot sing unplugged. I have never been able to understand the unplugged rounds in music shows.

2.     I am done with smiling for the question I get – What do you blog on? Or the classic – Oh, you think you are a celebrity where folks want to know your thoughts unplugged!

3.     I want to be called Arch !

I have been thinking of a change of my url to www.archwrites.blogspot.com. Now, if I do this – what are the disadvantages?

- Will google reader continue to redirect to the new URL?

- Is there a way I can leave a message for users to move to the new URL? I notice some search results for "archieunplugged" :(

Also, if you think all this is too risky, let me know. I will just drop the idea and learn some singing.

Inspiration on Pinterest

Inspiration comes from anywhere - someone who was probably very creative, smart and a genius

For usual souls like me, it comes from Pinterest. It is not a new martini drink ; nor a dating site. No, it is not a dart board game.

It is a virtual pin board, of all things you want to share, store and keep for future use. Someone has already explained all about it; so hop here to read about it. I have a very average arranged set up there and working to make it better ; but yes, I do have a space and I am kind of happy (proud) of it. If you want to be a part of Pinterest, and need an invite - drop a line and I will mail it across to you. I want to share pictures on this blog ; and not mine. So, off to some favourite, inspiring, funny pictures from Pinterest. Happy viewing ! And if you are there, follow me.

Who can not love C&H ?

Source: twistermc.com via Archana on Pinterest

Yes! I felt like saying hi-five when I read this first!

Source: strengthissexy.tumblr.com via Archana on Pinterest

Would it even matter, what is served on this plate ?

Source: google.com via Archana on Pinterest

I promise, to never leave the porch

Source: sunsurfer.tumblr.com via Archana on Pinterest

South Asian Reading Challenge 2012 and Good Reads

This blog does no justice to any of those wonderful people out there hosting events, conducting challenges in blog sphere. This, if I complete successfully will be go down as the first ever challenge or even a bet that I have won over myself.

Of all the comforts at Singapore, the one I have abused the most is the library system. Coming from a place I am so used to lines, waiting, nightmares in libraries - the system to get a card is a breeze. And, and whole choice we have here is mind boggling to say the least. I realized the idea of walking into a library without knowing what book to take, or at least what genre is pulling me back to boring business likes or really well known slight chick-lits. Honestly, I was getting too bored of my laziness.

I chanced on GoodReads and life got slightly better. With an updated set of shelves, I know what to pick up when I walk into the library next. The last three month saw some real amount of 'good reads' cracking at at least one book a week. The trend in my choices was either picking up books on India or by Indian authors, even to the extent of reading Lonely Planet guides.

2012 has to be a year of better reading habits, so my random browsing for more Indian authors led me to S. Krishna's page. She has been hosting a lovely event for South Asian authors and has a ready to pick up list on her page.

I challenge to read 20 books for this challenge by the year 2012. If you think I am crazy, please go and check my GoodReads shelf. Yes, that is exactly how I came up with the trend :)

Now, before I get all started - a few pointers on it.

• I do not plan to review any book except if it is absolutely remarkable in my mind. Truly, I should not get into the reviewing business of books at all . My language flow goes for a toss and I end up using too many superlatives.
• Most, if not all of my books will be from NLB. So, I do have a restrain if I do not manage to get enough books here.
• For the interest of it, I plan to include some cooking and travel memoirs into it

I am also taking up the Good Reads challenge for 2012 ( please pretend that you have noticed the shiny new widget )

To a much well read 2012, here I come :)

Updates

And yes, as Anu puts it, KPMG stole it away. The 30 day challenge ( do I even call it now, that way) stopped because I managed to get a job, in 9 days of starting this challenge.

Truth be spoken, the 30 day challenge was born out a lonely desperate afternoon. I was internally feeling rotten, and badly wanted to stop the bitch in me from taking control. In miraculous ways, it helped. I started getting ideas on writing about the place I lived, the kind of food I ate or hoped to eat and unearthing drafts. Kind of upset the plan was left off, ironically because I am now in a job.

Earning in dollars :) Someone I dearly know in Chennai told me to be a disciplined spender. Never had the word 'discipline' made more sense than my absolute lack of control at the recent BodyShop sale. I had to remove at least four different bottles, simply to teach myself some discipline.

Absolute lack of enthusiasm :) For the first two weeks, I moved like a kid. I loved the trains, the job, the food - everything about it. I still do, but my enthusiasm levels are sunk. Most times, it is the moment around that influences (read DECIDES) my mood. As one of Sadhguru's quotes go ( unable to recollect fully )- we pick pieces from people, and make us. It is so true. And I warn you, when you pick it from the wrong person, it lingers for a really long time.

Yet, Yet - I leave the post with this note. And look forward to be here really soon.

Source: traceysthoughts.tumblr.com via Vicki on Pinterest

Lapse of the 30-day challenge, and hello, home post.

The 30 day challenge is getting royally screwed up with such changes in life. I started the thirty day story on a frustrated, 'i-am-feeling-lonely' afternoon after a messed up lunch. Whoever would have thought that in 15 days, things would radically change and I would be typing across sitting in my swing :) Oh, I love this swing - will take a picture of it.

There are very few things I do not love about my home. Everything else,from my small room to the guava tree with a 100 fruits, I love it all. We live in an apartment where I have birds to wake me up to. No big royal kerala palace house, or even a city place I live in. But a real simple place to sleep and eat. As a matter, that is the only thing I do here.

In a matter of two weeks, things moved so fast - an interview, an offer, papers, tests and last minute tickets. Absolute no time for shopping, and certainly none for treatment. Sitting with a cold in India is like traveling all the way to Disneyland and then getting a leg sprain! After a bout of antibiotics, the cold refuses to leave. The fever is just bidding a bye.

Honestly, with such pampering and hour-to-hour meals, except if one had return tickets, none would leave. I will have to, coming weekend :(

I am gonna be back

My last post was sometime in July. Although there are very few friends who read this blog, I am planing to keep it updated henceforth. There are about 5 - 6 posts in my drafts, and I will be posting them one after the another from today. I hope to maintain this time, with no interruptions. Lets see how far it goes.

To a more regular 2010!