Happy Vishu From England

On work

A rather thought provoking talk on various aspects of work - type, meaning, motivation, end - by Alain de Botton. at the RSA (Royal Society for encouragement of Arts etc)

[The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work]

I have eaten seeds..

..and have passed days in mild terror that any day I could sprout a creeper through my ears. How this idea was planted in my head I am slightly hazy; it could have been an exasperated grandparent or a righteous, god-fearing, finger-wagging child of our neighbours, or well, my mother even, just for laughs; but most certainly watermelon seeds have slid in with the sweet red juice down the throat during the summer holidays. I am sure pomegranate seeds have. In the days of seed-ful grapes and oranges, those too have immigrated successfully. As I grew I up, I took much trouble to reassure myself - it could not possibly happen. The seed would be disposed of sensibly by the body, I have told myself.

Now several years later, I come across this in the Guardian.

The diagnosis? Fir on the lung

16 Apr 2009:

Ian Sample: Medics in the Urals have removed a tiny tree from a man's lung after he complained of chest pains

Food as happiness

Weekend dinner was re-creating dinner at a friend's. South African salad made from spinach, watermelon, feta cheese and onion and pasta noodles sautéed in olive oil.

The story of the office plant

Imagine for a while, I could be an office plant.  I could sit on a pedestal - look pretty - be tended to - watered - pruned - left in the sunshine from time to time - admired - part of a corporate  -- peep at who is using facebook during meetings - overhear talk of who gets that position -  the next kill-the-competition plan <mm!>,  who has favours with who, hear what they really thought at the meeting <tsk tsk> - watch success parties of all sorts <uh oh> - watch who falls asleep at their desk  - myself nod off in the soft tap-tap of keyboards - avoid fake conversation with people <cackle!>  - not have to nod my head to unacceptableness <yeah>. Sigh.