Being by yourself for a while..........

Do you ever get a feeling when you want to be all by yourself for a while? Don't get me wrong. I totally love being amidst people. I have the gift of the gab, and can chat with folks for the longest time. There have been instances when I have had to hang up the phone with friends because both the handsets have lost battery charge. To make sure that does not happen, the new phone I get should have at least 3 handsets... ha! Well, getting back to what I was saying, I like being on my own sometimes.

When I wake up in the morning, I like to be really quiet and am not the kind of person who starts chatting right away. I need a good hour to get to that point. I will say the most necessary things, like.. have your breakfast, take a shower or something very quintessential like that, and may have a comment on the weather, esp. if it is cold. I have gotten to this point after my son was born, and used to be very silent for that hour before he came along. Those who know me, know that that time of the day is not the greatest to ask me for an opinion or to tell me a long story about something esp. someone! I generally give them a look that says... can this wait?? It is not like I sit and meditate at this time, I am up and about and taking care of all kinds of chores, but I do it silently! I do not even listen to music at this time, though a soft, classical piece would be sort of welcome after the first QUIET half hour!

When I visit India, esp. my folks, my mom grumbles about this habit of mine, "you got to change with the times", she says, "you visit for 3-4 weeks, and will keep that hour for yourself"? That's one good hour before the maids begin to arrive and take control of the house. I agree, I have so lost touch with maids coming in everyday, it gets uncomfortable to see them all over the place, with little privacy for one self. (They spoil me rotten by the time I get to the end of my stay, I must admit.) However, mom does have a point, and I feel bad I cannot change my ways.

I cannot live by myself and absolutely NEED family and friends to get by through the day, they are an integral part of my system and their importance can probably be emphasized in another separate piece of writing. However, this piece is about being by oneself. :)

In the afternoons, I am generally by myself. If I am not talking to some friend, which I usually am, I am in my own little world, doing mundane chores side by side. This time can be best utilized to reminisce, about something nice and pleasant.

Just before falling asleep is another such time when you are trying to wind down and fall asleep. There are a lot of lucky people in this world who fall asleep as soon as their back touches the bed. I am envious of those people, I take at least about 20 minutes before I am in dreamland. I have realized that the best ideas and inspirations come to me at this time, only to be forgotten the next morning. I think of the nicest lines to write, the nicest clues to give on our orkut games, the nicest designs for art projects, and the nicest things to do. I have decided to keep a little writing pad on the night stand so I can scribble down the best stuff I can think of, and though this little solution has been in my mind for ever now, it never gets materialized. Again, it is one of those brilliant ideas I get at that time of the night, only to be forgotten in the hustle and bustle of the next morning. As I write this, I am on my way to the nightstand with a pen and notepad. Something good coming out of reminiscing and writing!

Back to the topic of being by oneself,  the caravan of memories is always with you even when you are by yourself. One can rejuvenate in these brief periods of solitude and savor the times that have been enjoyable.

This and That...

There was a report a few days ago that social networking sites are doing better than never before. Millions more have joined this past year, it said, and that people tend to spend a lot of time online connecting with people. I would have dismissed the report like I dismiss many others. However, I am one of those people who have signed up on a couple of those sites, and I must admit, I am having a whale of a time.

These networking sites give you an amazing opportunity to get to know people. One mostly has accounts on these sites where one can catch up with classmates, colleagues, and long lost cousins and friends. There are also other groups where you don't really know anybody and you get to know them as you start visiting frequently. In time, you kind of forget that these are virtual friends. Just like everywhere else, you meet all kinds of people. Some very fake and some so genuine, it makes you believe that good people still exist.

I got on one such site purely by accident. I happened to see a community on a friend's page and visited the community profile. I joined it, and slowly, I got a feel of things, and soon I was like a fish to water. That was because the communities, a nice network of them, were related to music. I have always been a fan of music, and have never quite found people who shared the same interest, since I got out of school. I know people who love music, but never had found those who could tell what song it was by listening to the prelude or interlude music. If I had a query about a certain movie or a certain situation, people would look at me as if I were nuts. Lyrics could not be found till you got your hands on the tape/ CD of the song and sometimes, a particularly vague song never became clear for months and years.

Suddenly, all that had changed. As I found dozens of people 'playing' in these communities, I also found dozens of long lost beloved songs. They had just been left behind somewhere, and here they were, catching up with you. Google of course, had a large part to play in getting songs, but that it could be done was evident after joining here. In a few weeks, I had made some friends. I suddenly had lots to do, and I have had some of the most enjoyable times that were so entertaining, it was almost impossible to believe that all I was actually doing was sitting in front of a computer, all by myself. It was so exciting meeting people and finding that so many people were as crazy as I was about music, and they did not think I was nuts... because they were nuts too! :)

It was here that I found out how music collections can be stored, categorized, and enjoyed without burning them on CDs, which were a rage until not very long ago. It was here I got songs that I had considered permanently lost to time. It was also here that I realized that there were tons of people who were much more knowledgeable than I can ever dream of being. That knowledge that is so easily shared here and knows no end.

The report had a skeptical side, when they reported that people are so lost in the virtual world, they do not take care of the real world around them. I feel lucky to have some very genuine 'real' friends and some equally genuine 'virtual' friends as well. I am so glad I found this little world.

Yay! Gotcha...........

Hummingbirds had a policy last season (those of you who read Backyardigans previously in this blog- will remember).... Photography was strictly prohibited! Well, I think there was major disapproval of that policy and the feedback was taken into consideration. There was a change this season.

I stepped into the backyard this morning to try out a new camera. It was early in the morning. The sun had just risen. I was trying to find a good subject to capture. Suddenly I saw something small fly past... a cute dragonfly. Ha... fooled me... I mused! Another quick dart on my left and there he was... this cute guy (or gal.. I honestly don't know how to tell!).... a greenish hummingbird, flitting on the roses.

Roses?????? Really??? Guys...... I have your favorite bottle brushes planted just for you. What are you doing on my roses? I went click happy... steady shot... smile recognition... and all the fancy settings on the camera went haywire. In the next instant though, he was gone. I got inside and downloaded the pictures. I could not tell if I had managed to get him or not. Zooming in on one picture revealed... YESSSSSSSS! There he was... he was actually feeding on the yellow rose. It is amazing to see these little birds, they are not larger than your index finger, and their wings flap non-stop as they feed. It is a challenge for a photography enthusiast like me to get a decent shot of them.

Click on the picture to enlarge it... I managed to get him alright!

I have never seen these guys feed on the roses before, the bottlebrushes are their favorite joint. Hey... but do you always eat Chinese? You went Italian last week, and Mediterranean the week before. Why am I surprised if this little fella wanted a different kind of fare for a change?
I wish I had that awesome zoom lens, I would have got a much better picture, but who am I kidding? The guys who get those truly awesome shots are the ones who sit patiently even in the HOT Texas sun, waiting for their subject to make an appearance. I would think of a thousand better things to do right at that moment. So, here I am basking in the glory today! Yay for me!

My next goal is to catch them feeding on the bottle brush. They are blooming again, just in time for the little things that make their appearance in late August through September. Wish me luck, people!