Elevator Personalities

I have often observed people's behaviour just as they are trying to make an entrance in to the elevator/lift. Some people display these traits on a regular basis and some display it from time to time, based on the situation. If I think about myself, I have displayed at least 2 of these personalities based on the situation. These are based on my experience and observations at work, at my apartment building, at malls etc. I hope next time you take an elevator, please do look around to see if you can find one of these personalities. Also, I hope it will help in observation of one's own elevator entrance behaviour. There are several elevator personalities after they enter the lift and I can ramble about those for days and months, so, will restrict myself to the elevator personalities based on their entrance.

1. The Conformist

These are who we call "normal" people. They call for the elevator and when it arrives, enter in. Most of the people are expected to display this trait and to a great extent, most people do. This personality does not generate much of an interest for the other passengers in the lift.


2. The Runner

The Runners do not really call for the elevator. They are usually running late for the elevator or maybe just want to capitalise on the elevator which is readily available on the floor. They usually sprint towards the elevator and stretch out their arm through the entry way of the elevator to prevent the elevator doors from closing and breathe a sign of relief once in. The other passengers really appreciate the athleticism and consider the Runner's entry as a personal victory.

3. The Good Samaritan

These are people who are really selfless when it comes to their friends. While the Good Samaritans are on time for entering the elevator, they also want to ensure, their friends who are expected at the lift, but not already there, do not miss the bus. The Good Samaritans are of 2 types- The aggressive and the passive.
The Aggressive: They making an entry like a Conformist but prevent the elevator doors from closing by standing on the entry way of the elevator with half of the body in and half of the body out and usually call out to their friends to be quick. I hope the below pictography gives you an idea of what I am trying to convey.

The Passive: These just hold the >--< button inside the elevator until their friends arrive.

The other passengers in the lift are sometimes patient and sometimes impatient (based on the situation) with this personality.

4. The Indecisive

These are people who call for the lift. When the lift arrives, they are very confused. It is as though they never called for the lift and wonder if they can make the best possible use of the lift, now that it has arrived. They come close to the entrance and have still not decided if they should enter or not, while keeping the other passengers within the lift on tenterhooks with the suspense they create. The other passengers usually mentally applaud such personalities when they finally take a decision, if ever.

5. The Chatty

Usually, these are at least 2 people at once. They are engrossed in such a deep exchange of ideas and thoughts that they do not even realise that the elevator is waiting for them. However, when they do realise, they try and enter at the same time- now, based on their sizes, sometimes it is a success and sometimes a fail but eventually, they manage to make the entry. The other passengers in the lift usually do not pay attention to the people but to the topic of discussion- after all, what could be so immersive that you forget the lift!

6. The Missing

The last type of elevator personality that I have observed are the mysterious Missing ones. They call for the elevator, just before they change their minds and decide to leave even before the elevator can arrive. Quite often, the other passengers within the lift see the lift open on a certain floor but do not see the person who called for it. The elevator waits the pre-set timing  and shuts its doors, while generating a lot of suspense for the other passengers- who could that person be!! why would he/she leave?? Is there really no one who wants to get in on this floor??

If you come across, any other kind of elevator personalities, do let me know. I would love to update the post with it.

Godi Banna Sadharana Maikattu and other Kannada favourites

After ages, I watched a Kannada movie today- Godi Banna Sadharana Maikattu (which in English means- Wheatish Colour Medium Built). I am not a big movie buff and usually watch movies only in English and Hindi. I have watched a few French movies, a couple of Korean and a few in Mandarin- all these with subtitles of course. I speak Konkani at home. I have never studied Kannada at school, and have learnt the language, out of my own interest when in New Delhi, and improved on it when my family shifted to Bangalore from New Delhi. Surprisingly, a few years spent in Hyderabad before we moved to New Delhi, laid the foundation for my Kannada. Most of our neighbours in Hyderabad were Kannada speaking and I picked up the language while conversing with them. When we moved to Delhi, there was no sign of Kannada, except for Delhi Kannada School- where I did not study, and an Udayvani calendar at home which my family kept. I learnt my alphabets from the calendar based on some assumptions,trial and error. To this day, my Kannada is not at the level of very fluent and I have a limited vocabulary, but enough to communicate and understand. My Kannada reading is very slow and I hope to improve on it some day.

Sorry for the digression but I guess one can understand why I have not watched too many Kannada movies- exposure to Kannada cinema in New Delhi was limited and my kind of unfamiliarity with the language for a long time just did not help me generate the same kind of interest as a Hindi or an English movie. However, I have loved almost all the Kannada movies that I have watched. There are a few that I have hated but it is just the tapori types which I hate in all languages.

An aunt of ours suggested that we watch Godi Banna Sadharana Maikattu. I was fortunate enough to find in on YouTube. I loved the movie. It is about a 66 year old man who suffers from Alzheimer's and is lost from an old age home when his busy son drops him off at the gates of the old age home. This triggers a search for him by the son and a doctor at the old age home and leads to a discovery of the life, sacrifices, love and greatness of his father. Meanwhile, the father crosses roads with criminals and is held hostage. Not only does the father kind of make the criminals go crazy but also makes a place, a soft corner, in the heart of the criminals. Do watch the movie to find out more. The name of the movie is the description on the an advertisement for missing person made by the son.

What I liked about the movie is the fact that it has been made very well. There are no songs sung by the characters. There are some songs that are played in the background to convey the emotions of the characters. The storyline is impressive and quite unusual, though the theme of a busy son who does not care enough about his parents is not something uncommon. The only thing I really disliked was the length of the movie which goes on for close to two and a half hours but the good storyline, made the length of the movie tolerable. Anant Nag has delivered a superior performance in the movie in the character of the father. I highly recommend this movie.

Some of my other favourite Kannada movies are:

-  Bettada Jeeva: People of the hills: Based on the book by Shivram Karanth. Unfortunately, due my reading troubles with Kannada, I have not read the book.
- Belathinagal Bale: Moonlit Maiden: A story of a famous chess player and his incognito fan. Unusual theme and very well made again.
- Cheluvi: The cinematic rendition of A Flowering Tree, a story written by A K Ramanujan: Story of a young girl who has magical powers. It is a powerful movie on the environment and man's greed.
- Amruthavarshini: This is a kind of a love triangle with a very interesting twist in the tale. Worth a watch.
- Gauri Ganesha: This is a comedy where there is a smart trickster who tries to make money off 3 men.
- Aptamitra: Best Friend: This was a remake of the Tamil movie Chandramukhi. Apart from the songs and Vishnuvardhan's entry in the movie, I really liked it. Soundarya's acting as a psychological patient was excellent.
- Sangliana movies about Inspector Sangliana who went on to become the Police Commissioner.
- Nishabda: I do not remember the storyline very well....just that it had a lot of dogs that were helping out a man solving a crime. I remember liking the movie.

I hope to watch the movie Lucia soon. I heard it was a great movie and would love watching it.

A Week Without Sugar

I am a sweet tooth- one of the biggest you will ever see. As I grow older, I try my best to restrict my sugar intake, especially processed sugar, as much as I can. However, during the 2017 Christmas, New-Years' Eve and New-Years', I went completely out of control and gorged on a lot of sweet treats. I felt quite overdosed on sugar (the processed one of course). I just wanted some extreme measure and considerable will-power to restore normalcy in my eating habits. I decided with a strong heart and an even stronger brain that I would go one week completely without sugar. The only reason is to bring back some discipline and give my body some relief from the unnecessary sugar dumping and processing.

This blog is about my experience of the week without sugar. I would like to clarify that I have not consulted any nutritionist/dietician/doctor before starting this. This plan was completely mine. Please use your discretion if you intend to do something like this and have the necessary consultation in place as needed. 

So, what I included:

•  Fruits, as they contain natural sugars
• Other carbohydrates like rice and wheat- according to me, it is vital to not eliminate carbs from one's diet as it is the primary source of energy and plays has an important role of protein sparing action
• Nuts and all vegetables
• Dry fruits
• My daily glass of Bournvita (I know it has sugar but I need it to function)

What I excluded:

• Mithai of all kinds- including purely dry fruit based ones as they could lead to craving
• Chocolates- my favourite :-(
• Sweetened drinks
• Jaggery
• Biscuits

My Experience (excerpts from my journal):

Day 1:

We went out as a family to a restaurant where they were serving one of my favourite dessert- Sizzling Brownie with ice-cream and hot chocolate sauce. Someone close to our table ordered it and the aroma of that hot chocolate sauce and the brownie was wafting through the air, teasing my palate. Since it was my Day 1, I was very determined and did not find it difficult to fight off my temptation. I ordered a Fruit Salad. The fruits that were served were so fresh and delicious that I completely forgot about the Brownie.

Day 2:

Sweets that resembled Fig rolls were being served as dessert at lunch at work. They did look yummy but not enough to attract me. After dinner, I did feel having dessert. I thought of having fruits, but we had run out of them so had a few nuts. It satiated me as any dessert would. I think I should be able to survive the next 5 days pretty comfortably. Looking forward to day 3.

Day 3:

Avoiding sugar came pretty easily to me. The only sweet stuff I had was a watermelon after lunch and a banana after dinner. I do not remember craving for sweets today. I did eat a few peanuts today but it was because I was hungry and not because of craving.

Day 4:

Today, I almost forgot about the no-sugar week. I have to keep reminding myself about it. At tea-time this afternoon, biscuits were being served and I picked up a plate of it but immediately realised that it was no-sugar week. It was as if the angel cooed in my ear about it while ensuring the evil was no where near my head space. For dinner, I had a sweetish curry but was told it was sweetened by dates so it was okay.

Day 5:

Absolutely no craving whatsoever. I had Kiwi fruit after dinner. The one I picked was unfortunately quite sour. It left behind a tingling-prickly sensation on my tongue. I ate a few almonds to get rid of the sensation. It did not help as much I hoped it would.

Day 6:

Today went on fine. I had a banana during lunch. I was offered a piece of brownie by a colleague but I was able to politely refuse. I had made it known to some of friends and colleagues and of course my family that I was on a no-sugar diet for a week. I think everyone has been supportive so far.

Day 7:

I have not eaten anything sweet today. I did not even have Bournvita. I might have a banana later today. I did not crave for anything sweet. I do not feel like having anything sweet at all. I have to make an effort to feel like having sweets and still, do not feel like having any.

Observation:

• I had a pimple. I do not know if I can attribute it to no-sugar or something else but it happened in this week.
• No difference in energy levels
• My mom (who knew nothing about this) felt I have slimmed down a bit but to be honest, I do not see any change.

I intend to eat sweets next week but I really do not feel like having any as of now.

My Stationery Collection- Diaries and Notebooks

I am a big fan of stationery. I have loved it from a very young age. I am also lucky to have a husband who shares my love for stationery. I have a lot of stationery at home and thought of giving a glimpse of some of my favourite diaries and notebooks to you today. I will also share my other stationery in some of my future posts. Just to emphasise how important diaries and notebooks are for me- at work, I would be completely lost without a diary as it helps me plan on a daily, weekly and month basis and keep a track of the progress I make. On a non-work front too, I use diaries and notebooks for journalling, rambling, scribbling and making lists. Now, I may come across as a very organised person but I am not really one- well, maybe a little at work. However, I do try my best to stay organised. 

Here are some of my favourite diaries and notebooks that I have. Some of them are in active use and some will be soon:

1. Doodle Diaries:

There are soft bound diaries with very good quality binding. My husband gifted these to me and I think he purchased it on Amazon and there was an offer on it back when he got them. It was a set of 3 which came at a good discount. The third of the 3 is the same as the pink one. I use these for journalling. They are single ruled notebooks. The quality of the paper is quite good and also fountain pen friendly. I personally thought they are a bit pricey without the discount.

2. Mario Miranda Diary:

I bought this one in 2013 on Flipkart. The diary is a tribute to the cartoonist Mario Miranda who worked at Times of India, Femina and Economic Times. The diary is interspersed with several cartoons in it throughout. It used to put me in very good spirits. I am also sharing some personal moments present in the diary. The diary cover is hard-bound. I have not used fountain pens on it, so note sure if the paper is fountain pen friendly. It is a single-ruled diary.

Memory of a visit to the Annual Exhibition- Numaish

Memory of Celebrating 5 months of marriage

Visit to Science Museum

3. 2011 Diary:

I did not buy this one. It was a spare diary that my dad had with him and I asked him if I can use it and he kindly agreed to it. I started using the diary only from 2012 though. The cover is hard-bound with a leathery feel to it. The pages are quite thin but are fountain pen friendly. I use it mainly to jot down recipes and I also pin up recipes that I might have taken down when I did not have the diary with me. It is a single-ruled diary.

Glimpse of the recipe diary. Not the neatest I know!

4. Tiger Notebook:

I bought this at Deccan Pen Stores in Hyderabad. This is an ordinary unruled notebook by Classmate. I used this for doodling, scribbling and sometimes journalling. This notebook has been a good friend of mine as it was my only companion for a few months that I worked from home. The cover has a picture of a tiger as a part of the Save our Tigers movement, of which, I am an active supporter. The notebook has a soft bound cover. The unruled paper in it is quite good and fountain pen friendly too.

One of the many doodles in the notebook

5. "Self" Bound Notebooks:

I call these self bound because I bound them myself- yes, really! I took up some paper, folded them, sewed them and bound them myself. One of my husband's friends is so good at binding notebooks that she inspired me at this attempt. I bound these using cookie box cardboard. The one with the zig-zag cover pattern contains 75 gsm JK paper and my husband printed dot-pattern on them. The one with the flower cover has 90 gsm ledger paper and one can comfortable write with fountain pens on them. I am yet to write in them.

Zig-zag Cover

Dot-patterned paper

Flower patterned cover

Ledger paper and oh, I also sewed in a bookmark

6. Lucky Diaries:

I bought these on Flipkart. I have one for 2012 and one for 2014. I was unable to find it in 2013 or they were probably sold out. These diaries are produced by The Ink Pot (click here to read more). The diary in 2012 focussed on the theme, India and the one in 2014 focussed on Spirituality. The diaries have hard cover and wiro-binding. The most amazing thing about the diaries is the high quality pictures which are interspersed throughout and also as separators. Take a peek in the below pictures. I tried getting it again in 2015, 2016 and 2017 but they were no longer available of Flipkart. I tried ordering it through their website and had dropped an email to them as request but never heard back. I have not tried getting it for 2018. The quality of paper is quite good. Again, I have not tried using fountain pen on them. The pages in the diaries are single-ruled.

Colourful Lucky Diaries

One of the Separators

An excellent photograph inside one of the Lucky Diaries

7. Happiness Diary:

Though the official name of the diary is The Multiply Diary, I like calling it the Happiness Diary. I ordered this again on Flipkart. The book has a lot of high quality pictures as separators. The book mainly has children as a theme in their happy place. Most pictures make you smile but some do make you think- ewww. It is a wiro-bound book. It has a soft cover and the quality of paper is good. It also has lovely book marks throughout. Take a peek below. I have not tried writing with fountain pens in this. The pages in the diary are single-ruled.

The Cover of the Diary

Example of a separator

Example of one of the bookmarks

8. Store 67 Notebook:

I bought this notebook at Sapna Book Stores in Bengaluru. I have not found this notebook in any other shop so I am inclined to think that this is one of Sapna's own brands. It is just my guess though. This is an ordinary soft-bound notebook used by school-goers. It has unruled fountain-pen friendly pages. I used it for taking notes, journalling and testing out colour pencils for drawing occasionally.

9. Authority Wire-Folder

I bought this at Deccan Pen Stores in Hyderabad. I carry this usually in my bag. I take down notes, important things I randomly remember, shopping lists etc. The outer folder holds the smaller inner notebook. The inner notebook is a single-ruled wiro-bound and low width notebook. I have not tried writing with fountain pens in it yet. 

 



While writing this post, I realise it is extremely lengthy. I will do a part 2 of this soon. I would love to show you some notebooks that I got from a trip of mine a couple of years back and some regular diaries which I use to work out my finances in as well.  I did not really think I had these many notebooks and diaries until I started writing this post. Maybe at some point this year, I will get rid of some of them to make space for new ones :-) Sorry for the quality of photographs. I shot them in my phone and they look amazing there but not that great on the post.