Thursday 13 December 2007

Main hoon kaun? main hoon con...

I was lamenting last week to a friend my flagging will and inspiration with regards to blogging due to my current preoccupations, and he kindly and rightly pointed out that blogging was supposed to be fun and should not become a "chore or service to others". Without wanting it to, I did let it become a chore, losing sight of my real reason for starting a blog in the first place (err, venting! Just kidding!) and most of all, tried too hard. Idiot.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise, really. My blog is hardly a year old and I didn't want it to die in its infancy, but by dint of flaunting it left and right to everyone I knew who would take a look, I didn't want them to come by for nothing. What happened as a result were insane behind-the-scene efforts to impress that ended up in me not posting about my time-consuming disasters at all. Dummy.

A few pals aware of my fidgetiness in the professional arena right now have suggested that I made my cooking profitable, to which I often responded with my usual "if it became a chore, I'd no longer enjoy it" (there's also my inability to stick to a theme in my cooking!). Now, why didn't I see that I was doing precisely that with my blog? :)

In less than a week from now, my wedded status is slated to undergo a major change, and in a few months (weeks?), so will my location. When my location changes, that will mean I will no longer have my own kitchen to get sloppy in, and along with that, no more digital camera and a more basic computer. To make up for it, I will be so surrounded by cheap and good food in my "new" location, in all likelihood it will be ages before I cook or even buy groceries again!

The impact of all that on what I initially intended to be a food blog is that it will impair my ability to blog about stuff I made myself, and worse, will limit the possibility of me uploading pictures since a new camera will not be in my list of priorities (a trip to Bombay is!).

Bottomline - it will no longer be just about food... By the way, "con" in French isn't what it is in English (the last word of the first two paragraphs provides an idea), but both apply to my former approach to blogging. :)

This said, I recently managed to get my hands on the 1978 version of Don, and have been whiling away lots of time on the music videos.. :) maybe it's time I got myself some Banaraswala paan! :)

14 comments:

FH said...

Good to see you and sorry about the situation you are in as well. Hope you don't stop blogging completely though. Keep updating, good luck with everything.Hugs to you!:))
Btw, when I was 17, I had a page boy's hair cut. Guys used to call me "Don". (referring to Zeenat Aman as she had the short haircut in Don!!);D

SJ said...

Hi Shilpa, good to see a new post from you. SO what if you are not cooking, see if you are up to blogging about other things. Enjoy your trip to Bombay - I am going to be there in 2 weeks myself! Take care... and hopefully we'll see more posts from you here and maybe on DMC as well.

evolvingtastes said...

Shilpa, pictures or not, about food or not, it would be lovely to hear from you whenever you can, as you write so well. Take care, and wish you the best with everything.

bee said...

wish you the best in all your endeavours.

Victor said...

Shilpa - "Main hoon kaun? Main hoon con..." is French? Gosh, it sounded so Indo-Chinese.

After I read this post, I immediately cancelled my auction item. If you don't mind, I am keeping it for you, FOC of course. Alright, it is no top-of-line model and probably not worth very much but hey, it works! That way, your blog will not be devoid of photos.

But a caveat hor - batteries not included.

sra said...

Best of luck, Shilpa!

Shilpa said...

Dear Asha, thanks, but I'm trying to be optimistic about the situation, no more rona-dhona for me, I hope! :) Hugs to you, too, Don, haha! :) Got any pictures of you with that haircut? I thought Zeenat Aman was real cool with her martial arts!

Dear SJ, thanks for the encouragement, it's really sweeeeet. :) Have fun in Bombay, bet it isn't your first trip? Mine will be, and maybe only in March.. patience patience!

Dear evolvingtastes, awww gee, you really think I write well? thanks, it's such a wonderful compliment! :) Thanks for the rest, am trying to be strong!

Shilpa said...

Thanks bee! Will definitely refer to your blog for inspiration, not just in cooking but in your views on life. :)

Victor - "Main hoon kaun" is Hindi for "Who am I?". It's also one of the songs from the film I mentioned - Don 1978 (there's also a 2006 remake - note that "kaun" rhymes with "Don" :) ). "Con" has a variety of invariably unflattering meanings in French, but sounds almost like "kaun".. ;-)
No, no, no, you will have to accept some form of payment for the camera! I feel so embarrassed now about what may have sounded like a hint or appeal for help! ;-) Thanks! No big deal about the batteries!

Thanks sra! I don't expect fairytales, but hopefully life after this will be kind to me

tigerfish said...

Hey, good to have you back. When will u be back in that new location? If I ever move back for good (next yr?), I think I won't have a kitchen to get sloppy in, too :(

J said...

Hey Shilpa, good to see you drop by my blog - thats how I came here! Hope things are working out well for you and hope to see you blog a bit more - yeah, more than food :) I don't mind some paan right now :)

Shilpa said...

hey tiger, thanks, i'm glad to be back, too! :) let's meet when you move back! then we'll commiserate about our loss of kitchens, heh heh!

Dear Jyothsna, yes, I should be visiting you as often as I used to! My bad! :) have you seriously had any paan before? I've yet to see a woman chewing it! :)

Unknown said...

tiger, shilpa,

ah.. if only there's some rental kitchen and places for makan. both of you can have a cooking session and the rest of us sit and eat and enjoy your 'cooking show'.

those who makan chip in to pay for the kitchen rental, that would be fun isn't it? :-)

eastcoastlife said...

Finally taking the big step. All the best. Call me when you're back.

Anonymous said...

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