Hey There Peeps,
 Er, I am moving. No, no, not in the real 'world' sense. I am moving to poachedhens.wordpress.com

So, er, I hope to see you there. Er, I desperately hope to see you there!

<3,
 PoachedHens

Inhale.. exhale.. Inhale.. exhale.. Screeeaam!

(Somewhere around 16:30)

Okay, this is the first time I am writing without thinking about what to write. Or should it be this is one of the many times I am writing without thinking about what to write?

Okay, whatever... But the thing is, right now, someone has come home to see us. see ME! Oh I am freaking out! They have come over to assess if I am suitable to marry their nephew.. Oh Lord! Phew..   Okay, i am overhearing - fine, eavesdropping - from my room.

They are in the hall.  Phoo.. Phhoo (That is yours sincerely breathing hard )

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17:16

They called me before I could publish the entry above and now I am back, after serving bondas, coffee and looking stupid. No I am not writing down first impressions here.  Errr.. I am still freaking out and feeling infinitely stupid.

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Post-publishing/publishment Note : Is there any point at all in this post?

Frivolously Yours,

Okay, Christmas season is here! I really love this time of the year. There is some kind of love-ey feeling in the air I guess. Or maybe it is just me. Whatever!
Anyway, The star is out... The tree and the manger are under construction and maybe for Christmas this year, I am going to ask Santa for snow.
                     
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Okay, I just wanted to post these pictures. That is the Kolava lake near Chengalpattu. It looked beautiful from the train. There is something about waters, isn't there?

Undeserving Willows By Watercourses

Yet another birthday. Yet another blogpost. The day came and went, and nothing has really happened. And three days later, I am back to work with the remains of an extinguished limelight and waned excitement. Sigh. [not of relief].

It was fun - friends, family, food and all those nice things. But I was still missing God. My relationship with Him has been a bit flaky for sometime now. 
So, it was day before birthday-day, and I resolved to set it right with God. I thought I could do a smooth move by making sure that He was the first peron I spoke to on my birthday, at 00:00 hours. Friends might call (Coz i had begged them to), but I would not talk to them till I spoke, at least for a couple of minutes, with God. And did I? No. I failed. Like the one million times before. After jumping to answer calls - midnight, pre, and post - my head finally dug its way through the pillow to meet up with the Maker around one o'clock. And all I could feel was a sweeping wave of shame. And I slept off.

Lately, my quiet times last less than two minutes. The bookmark in my Bible has probably moved only two pages further in the last two weeks. My journal has been untouched for more than a month now. Unfaithful, complacent, and undeserving I am and He is still faithful, understanding, and unconditionally loving.

Grace is an amazing thing, I know. But it only rubs in the shame a lot, I guess. Some wise band once sang : The beauty of Grace is that it makes life not fair. I can only completely agree. 


Right now, I could be picking thou's of the pieces of promises I have broken. 
Not He. He still promises and He still keeps. There, He did it again. On my birthday, He promised me that I would be like Willows by watercourses*... That I belong to Him... 

I am really thankful to Him for that... just as much as I am ashamed. And there is just one prayer that I have to offer. A prayer someone else prayed centuries ago.

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you

and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’

Or I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonor the name of my God. 

 Amen.

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* Isaiah 44 : 4, 5 
 .... and they will spring up among the grass, as willows by the watercourses.

One will say, 'I am Yahweh's;' ....

Frivolously Yours,

The last two weeks have been pretty damp. Too much rain, and if you cut out the travel to work part, it is one of the most beautiful things to ever happen to the Earth.

Reflections... and a fortnight back these waters didn't even exist.

  Jimmis had come over for the weekend and we took a walk around. The sky was beautiful, the mountains looked fresh, the trees looked like cars back from a car-wash, the air smelled great. What so much rain could do to the neighborhood. It was picture perfect.

Okay, my freezing the moment skills are 

nowhere near perfect, but still..

Loved the different blues. Just loved it.

 .

And those beautiful fungi things. Cute.

Back To Bloglam

Whoa, it has been a long hiatus. No, it was not planned. Not writer’s block, no. I am not even half a writer. A powerful combination of unbelievable dreadlines + lazinesss + an overlaod of reality kept me from writing. From even thinking sane things.

Okay, let’s leave the past behind and focus on the thing at hand namely, I am back. But without any essential life theories at the moment. So, I shall resort to my strong suit. I give you, Rants on Reality.

My office has shifted temporarily to an even farther place. I take the ECR to work. You know, the East Coast Road , that overlooks the beautiful sea. Just traveling one way is enough to take your breath away! (Okay, the actual sentence should be : I take a crowded bus that takes the ECR. And I am left breathless because atleast 2 tobacco chewing women smother their bosoms all over my face for the entire journey due to lack of moving space in the bus)

Anyway, my new place sucks worse than the old. My boss now sits right behind me and shoulder surfs my monitor like once every 3.8 minutes. This evil ritual he performs has bound me from doing fun things a.k.a non-work-related things on the computer.

And I continue to hate work. New place, new commute route, new washroom – nothing seems to change my loathing toward work.

Outside of that, it has been raining like crazy for the last 10 days. Which means dirtier buses, dirtier roads, dirtier toenails. No, there aren’t any sidewalks in Tamil Nadu and no, i don’t wear gumboots to work either.

Well, life is very much the same… except that I have clean toenails when it is not raining. Oh, and my birthday is coming up!! \0/ … Totally pumped!! Woohoo!! Or, maybe not.

Do birthdays really matter when you are turning 24? and are still single? and have hands wrinklier than your grandmama’s?

Jon and I

Same pinch, Jon. Only that in my case, I have the Z bubble over my head too.

Frivolously yours,

You have to watch this!


Compressed 02 from Kim Pimmel on Vimeo.


The write up said the maker had kept a magnet in a dish of soap bubbles and kept some kind of liquid ferro stuff  in the edge... So they would get attracted by the magnet and run in. The capillary action is spectacular! Beautifully captured.. and the food color effects are just awesome..

Prayer of an Unknown Confederate Soldier

I read this somewhere. Beautiful. It was titled 'Prayer of an Unknown Confederate Soldier'. It is also called the 'Creed of the Disabled'.

I asked for strength that I might achieve;
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for
but everything that I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered,
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

Turning over tables.

I was listening to 'Jealous Kind' by Jars of Clay on my way back after work a couple of days back. It is a beautiful song. On our unfaithfulness and His abounding grace. I should have listened to the song some 70 times before but that evening those lines pounded hard at the gates of the heart.

"While you're turning over tables with a rage of jealous kind"

Yeah, it is a reference to the cleaning of the temple in Mark. 

^{Mark 11: 15 - 17
15} So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
¹⁶ And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.
¹⁷ Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

He was walking through Jerusalem and He saw they had made a mess of the temple. His temple.
He didn't ignore it and walk past.
He didn't stand teary eyed, looking at it from outside wishing the temple walls would cry out for a cleaning.
He just went inside, walked right through and overturned tables.


Am I not your temple, Lord?
Did we not agree on making my heart your sanctuary that day I finally opened up in response to your knocks?
Well, now, we both know I have made it a den of thieves, Lord. A den of filthy thoughts, dead faith, arrogance, lies and idolatry. 
But Lord, You are the same forever, right? Yesterday - Today- Tomorrow- To eternity  the same, right? So, why don't you just please walk in and turn over the tables? I can't do it on my own, Lord. I don't have the strength to. 
But You can. You did it 2000 years ago... I hope you do it today. Hope you do it now. 

A Song of Praise

Do we sing as much as the birds do?
Yet what have birds to sing about, compared with us?

Think you, do we sing as much as the angels do?
yet were they never redeemed by the blood of Christ.

Birds of the air, shall ye excel me?
Angels of heaven, shall ye exceed me?

Ye have done so, but I do intend to emulate you henceforth,
and day by day, and night by night, pour forth my soul in sacred song.

- Charles Spurgeon

How well do you know the Bible?

It is Sabbath and I abstain from doing anything non-Godly. Here are some purely theological stuff ( they are from the Bible, for Heaven's sake) that I stumbled upon and am totally convicted to share.

Shalom!

During what season did Eve eat the forbidden fruit?
Early in the Fall.

Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Who was the first canning factory run by?
Noah - he had a boatful of preserved pairs.

How do we know Abraham was smart?
He knew a Lot.

Where in the Bible is tennis mentioned?
In Genesis: Moses served in Pharaoh’s courts.

What was the first medical prescription described in the Bible?
When God told Moses to take two tablets and call him in the morning.

Who was the shortest man in the Bible?

Some folks think it was Knee-High Miah (Nehemiah), but actually, it was Bildad
the shoe-height (Shuhite).

Who was the first dog mentioned in the Bible?
Moreover: “Moreover, the Dog came and licked his sores.”

Love is...

Joy is love exulting, and peace is love at rest;
Patience, love enduring in every trial and test.


Gentleness, love yielding to all that is not sin,
Goodness, love in actions that flow from Christ within.


Faith is love's eyes opened the living Christ to see;
Meekness, love not fighting, but bowed at Calvary.


Temperance , love in harness and under Christ's control,
For Christ is Love in person,
and Love, Christ in the soul.

Dr. Kenneth Moynagh.

Valiant Spaceman Spiff

Oh Calvin, Oh Calvin! I really cannot decide who I love more. You or Hobbes... or Garfield.

Codecademy

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Programmer-wannabes

Check this out : http://www.codecademy.com

They say that this is a fun way to learn programming. Looks like you get points, rewards, trophies (and Ribbons?? ) when you're done with a level and you get to share your achievements with your friends . You don't need to sign up till they prompt you after a few lessons. And well, it's only after you sign up that the sharing features work, I presume. So, probably, it will more like playing farmville than doing a boring programming tutorial, and that sure should be fun. If you ask me for a personal opinion, er.. I haven't tried it. :P

I just tried the start-up lesson. It only took a few minutes. And by the looks of it, It should be really good. Maybe you should check it out after all.

Oh, and did you notice that new option that YouTube has come up with so you can directly start the watch-together video hangout session? Much easy, right? Given that I haven't even done a regular hangout before! What kind of friends do I have!!

Somewhere inside the mind, in Megan Fox voice : You know, that start a google+ hangout thing was a pretty smooth move.

* Oh dang! YouTube and google+ are siblings, aren't they?*

Let the games begin

Let the games begin

So, Google+ has lit the torch and the games have begun. Has it been there from the morning or yesterday? I only checked now.

Right now my page shows 9 games... including Angry Birds(yoohoo! even though it sucks the non-touch way on PC's) and Zynga Poker. Sure they're thinking of adding much more. I think I recently read something about Google planning on bringing in Sudoku and other games too. And that is it nicer than the way facebook handles game apps. Google+ lets you control your gaming activities separately, in the Games page. That way your stream doesn't get flooded. As if it is now!

I like that. See, organized, minimal, typical Google. That's one reason I always love Google.

Lemme go back and look at my Google+ games page, which I can bet all my money, has no activity right now.  =/

Restless

Lately, I have been listening to 'Restless' by Jon Foreman. On repeat. For hours together. It is a lovely song and trust me, the song's really very deep. 


Confession : I don't know what it means when they say a song is deep. But they say it all the time when a song is very good and worth listening repeatedly for 3 continuous hours everyday. I am just recycling.

So, it is a very deep song that will come out in the album 'Vice verses' this September. Switchfoot is one of my most favortite bands and they've got that je nei sais quoi that makes them and their songs totally awesome. When we are all in heaven, I think God'll organize switchfoot concerts every full moon, no moon and fourth Sabbath. 

When foreman makes songs, it isn't just with words and music... He makes it with life and soul. It is such a beautiful union when the life and soul of the song meets the life and soul of the listener.
Aha! I have used 'life and soul' three times in 2 sentences. And I feel like a music critic there. Bravo!

So, This is Jon singing 'Restless' with his singer Sister-in-law, Sarah Masen. 
No doubt you'll play it on repeat too.

I'm watch

I am a computer engineer, and if you have read atleast one other post of mine, you would know I hate it. But five years along the road, and only now I am realizing that technology has been one of my turn ons. And though I hate my job, regret doing an engineering degree, I think i shouldn't let that overshadow my interest in nice-y, cool inanimate concepts and things. Hence this post, and hence a new category to blog about.

I stumbled upon this mighty cool gear, and my wishlist just got a bit longer. And though I don't know why you would want an old android version OS running phone like thing which isn't actually a phone tied to your wrist, I'm watch is awesome.
Can i be a little girlish now and say, "Awww, look at those colors!"?

You can call, email, comment on miserable pictures of your miserable friends (who don't have this cool smartwatch) on FB by connecting it with your smartphone (which you probably bought for the same price as the watch) via bluetooth. And... well, that's it I guess. Oh hey, hang on, it also shows time.

The phone that I have right now is cheaper than the watch and my brain has already come up with 280 reasons* why I should not buy I'm watch. But if any of you secret admirers want to send me a gift, ummm, I think I like the green one.

This is i'm watch's website and they let you preorder
http://www.imwatch.it/

* Reasons 1 ~ 279 : You don't have the money, dang!
   Reason 280 : Your pa is so not giving you money for that.

Teary thanks.

I happened to watch Anu Hasan's show on TV today - kannadi. They were talking about people with physical / intellectual disabilities. There were special people on the show- 5 yrs old, 25, 35... physically disabled, hurt in their hearts, abused and mocked at. And yet, they were happy.  I could barely swallow my food. I was drinking as much water I could to keep myself from crying. They sure would have had their tough times. But they didn't go on cribbing about that.

And me? Here I am... complaining... Complaining that my office is 50 metres away from the bus stop and my legs hurt to walk. Complaining that my brain has too much to think about. Complaining that my hair gets messy by the time I reach work. Complaining that my nails grow fast. What the heck, really!

Coming to think of it, I have never been thankful for what I have been given. For the perfectly functioning hands and feet. For the mind that can think, react, rest. For my voice, for my laughter, for my happiness.
 I have only griped. Griped for trifles. Griped for things I don't even care about. Oh, I am so ashamed of myself.

S.

Springs, fountains and horses.

I am not desperate for a marriage. Not even close. But I wish there was someone to who I could sing "un paarvaiyil or aayiram... " and actually mean the words. I wish there was someone who would write Song of Mr.Perfect over me. Yeah, like the Song of Solomon, but a bit less explicit, perhaps.
Oh I wish there was a wishing well so I could wish all these wishes. *Dear Lord! Did i just write THAT?*

Come on, I am 23, and single, and looking. But maybe I am only allowed to be 23 and single. Maybe the looking part is not meant for me to do. And maybe I should shut up about the whole thing. I mean, my best friends are still single. (That could mean my friends are losers like me, but I shall stick to the point). But they don't go to such desperate depths of blowing their noses on a blogpost about their singletude.

Yeah, so what if most of my college juniors are committed, or the people I've mentally noted as "will never find a guy in this lifetime" are hanging out with Rob Pattinson look alikes? I don't care. Maybe like Chit often tells me, I am a spring shut up.. a fountain sealed. God knows my address and my phone number and if He wants to hear me sing love songs to someone, He himself will send to me the you of Lay my love on you. If God had badly wanted to see my relationship status on Facebook as 'in a relationship', He'd have got me a job with some matrimonial site's web development team, not with this morbid office where I don't like anyone. (The converse of which also holds perfectly true)

So, someday when the prince is supposed to come on his snow white horse, he will. And till then, I am going to shut my mouth, and hold my horses... and maybe not listen to MWS.