On e-friends, proximity and award!

There has been mixed opinions on e-friendship. Some feel that online friends will never be genuine since they portray a completely different aspect of their characters when hiding behind an ID; in effect giving rise to deceptions. Some say that internet friendships helps introverts find an outlet. Some thrive on the net. No, make that many. Some have gained life partners over the web and some have lost their lives too, trusting their e-friends. E-friendship is a debatable topic.
It is true that I am personally quite wary of people I bump on the net. Since I cannot have an eye contact with them and cant examine their body language, I am not sure of what lurks behind those words that have been typed. I guess with age, we are mature enough to be careful and guess the intentions of a stranger but its the young teenagers and adolescents who are more prone to get misled.
An yet, ironically, I have found some gem of people through the net. One of them is Monika.
So, all I can say, Monika, is a big Thanks from the bottom of my heart cos you are one of the many who made me believe that net friends are genuine and for keeps! Thanks for this award.

This award is given to a blog that invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness
in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These
kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or
self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut,
even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these
writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and
include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

And now, time to pass it on. I pass on the award to
JLT
Suma
Smita
Swati
Couch Papaya
Shalini
Ava
Bubbles
Oxy
Yes, I have taken the liberty to add 1 more. ( I am known for writing extra from my childhood days ;) I used up maximum supplementary sheets, bindaas!)

These are some of the people I met on the net and who have become good friends offline too!
Thanks dear friends for restoring my faith! Time to cut the ribbons and propogate friendship!

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E mere Vatan ke Logon

Got this through the mail and I wanted to keep reminding myself that there are people who sacrificed their life for our sake and their sacrifice should not go waste. We need a change and badly at that!

My salute to these brave soldiers

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We shall overcome TODAY!

What is happening? All this cannot be for real. This happens only in movies. I usually cry only while watching movies but these days I have been crying seeing what is happening all around the world. I am having this sinking feeling in my heart. Till last week, the worry was only about my job but now its becoming a question of life! Isnt it shameful that I am feeling insecure in my own country and the city I have adopted!

I want to believe in these lines

We shall overcome, we shall overcome

We shall overcome some day

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe

We shall overcome some day

..... but will it be too late by then? :(

The Lord will see us through,

the Lord will see us through

The lord will see us through some day

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe

The Lord will see us some day

..... but where is He today when we are suffering for no fault of ours?

We’ll walk hand in hand, we’ll walk hand in hand

We’ll walk hand in hand some day

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe

We’ll walk hand in hand some day

..... Yes THIS must happen right now !
We are not afraid, we are not afraid

We are not afraid today

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe

We are not afraid today

.... I am trying that I swear, I am trying it, but when I hear a loud sound, I get worried; when I look at a crowd, I feel scared. But I will not break down, no way!
We shall live in peace, we shall live in peace

We shall live in peace some day

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe

WE SHALL LIVE IN PEACE SOMEDAY.... NO...NO... FROM TODAY!

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Hum To Aise Hain Bhaiyya!

People! Please stay away from me. Don’t try to venture anywhere within 1 km of my vicinity. I am drowning in the sea of self pity. I have just been diagnosed with the chronic and third degree FIM disease! How cruel can that be! Life is so very unfair. I ask God Almighty, “Why me? Why? Why? Why?” Scientifically, they are still researching and trying to find a cure. How is it that I manage to let loose the most inappropriate sentences at the most appropriate times?
There was a time when my body was a little flexible and the foot could be raised to maximum of being parallel to the ground. But now it’s a miracle if the foot can manage a 45 degree!

And yet my foot is perpetually in my mouth :(
Let me give you a briefing on this disease.

FIM or Foot-In-Mouth Disease
Symptoms: The person afflicted with this disease loses control of tongue on seeing anyone or anything that has ears and can listen. He has this urge to throw some wisecracks at that someone. The brain stops analyzing the words that flow incessantly from the mouth for a few moments. By the time the brain realizes the impact, alas, its too late!
Result: Killer looks from people. Curses galore. Road to hell paved!
Cure: Stitch them the lips! Sigh :(

So, what had happened was that this afternoon one old colleague of mine was sweet enough to drop in and call on me. She had had some work in the vicinity and thought of taking stock with me. After the perfunctory hugs and kisses and hi’s and hellos and so-good-to-see-you routine, the first sentence that got uttered by me were “Hey, looks like you have put on”. The point to be considered here is that we are not big-time pals. Also, the girl had just joined some yoga classes and apparently looking for encouraging comments…. And all she got was THIS! THIS! Imagine her disappointment. Imagine her sorrow. Imagine her anger. Alas, I realized all this only after uttering. Then began a series of mmms and aaas and trying-to-cover-up-and-make-her-feel-better. Now I am wondering when would be the next time she would turn up to say HI to me!
Sigh! And this is not the first time, mind you. I am also known to have asked a young mom whether her child was 1 ½ year old and was told that the child was just 6 months old. Gulp. Now now, how am I supposed to know that some kids are born too healthy? But again what business was it of mine to have guessed the child’s age? This was no quiz and yet, my tongue decided to speak! In the land of the superstitions, when people believe in buri nazar and drishti, this particular statement of mine was so so unwarranted. The best I could have done was to have simply asked the mother the age of the child. But no, I had to open my big mouth.

There are some more of such incidents but then that would be asking for bad publicity!
What do I do, friends? Do you think I can do some penance? Do you know of some rehab where I can get rid of this terrible disease? How? How?

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The new Karrrrrrrrzzzzz!

Oh! So you dont believe in reincarnation and rebirth? You dont believe poor Himesssss when he cried hoarse and nasal about ek haseena and ek diwana? I do I do, Himess; dont you worry. I do believe that something done in the previous birth comes to haunt you in the present. I do believe that! Oh yes! You dont believe me?
Look at this

and now this

You may ask me what is this and how is it related to what I blabbered!

Well, to cut a long story short, I have this feeling you see that I may have been Tom in the previous birth who made life hell for Jerry. Not that I blame myself. Jerry is no less a troublesome brat. But then to take revenge, I think (again), Jerry took birth as Tom in the present world and planned to get friendly with my watchman. The watchman of my building was so taken by this new Tom's cuteness that he has now literally adopted him and this Tom fellow now thinks he owns this building. He also knows how I keep away from dogs and cats. That rascal keeps bursting and enjoying the milk packets delivered by the milkman everyday morning in a small bag which I duly keep outside my house.

And now, the last straw! This Diwali, I took 1 1/2 hours making the rangoli as shown in figure 1! I was so so proud of it and clicked it in my digicam. But then as the morning dawned a new drama unfolded, and as I opened my front door, I literally screamed in horror. One corner of my rangoli was totally jeopardised by that nasty troublesome Tom! I was as much in state of shock as Urmila was in the new Karrrrrrz! I couldnt comprehend how thoughtless anyone could be to simply make a mess of and hour and a half of hard work! But then I consoled myself and I decided that I wont give it up so easily. So, I chopped and cleaned that one corner of the rangoli and converted it to what is shown in figure 2! Sigh, beggars cant be choosers you see! I am still sad, mad, upset!!!!!!!

grrrrrrrrrrr groooooooowl! You just wait, you Tom. In my next birth I will be born as ...as...as.. I dont know what. But I will ensure I will spoil the rangoli you make. You just wait and watch!

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Down with GUNDA "RAJ"

Just today Raj Thackerey has finally been arrested. I know that he will soon be released but atleast the state govt and police proved that they are not “spineless” as Raj had named them.
Apparently the MNS workers entered the examination halls where Railway Recruitment Board was conducting their exam. They snatched the papers from the candidates and did all they could to ruin the entrance tests. This is taking vandalism and goonda-gardi to new heights.
I really do no know why Mr Raj Thackerey has to resort to such cheap tricks for gaining power. Its nothing new considering the same was done in Tamilnadu against HINDI, then in Karnataka against TAMILIANS and now here in Maharashtra against NORTH INDIANS. Shiv Sena had taken to a similar act of thoughtlessness against South Indians 3 decades back.
But all I want to know is that in these kinds of fights, where do people like me stand? My parents are born and brought up in Tamilnadu and Kerala. Half of my life was spent in Delhi and the rest has been spent settling in Mumbai. I have nothing in Tamilnadu except my roots. I have nothing in Delhi except sweet childhood memories. I decided to settle down in Mumbai because of the opportunities here. Both my daughters are born here. They are Maharashtrians by birth but their mother tongue is Tamil. I never looked at Mumbai as a foreign city. Delhi or Mumbai, it was always a place in My Motherland which I saw.
Does it not hold good for many of those north Indians settled here? Mumbai is a big flourishing city today only because of the outsiders who decided to settle here. If not for them, this place would have still been a village. Each one of us, so-called-outsiders, have contributed in some or the other way to its growth. And this is the reward we get for accepting Mumbai and toiling our blood and sweat here. Today it is North Indians; who knows what these lunatics will think of tomorrow. They must be taught a lesson. The government should take strict measures to curb them. I have come to office inspite of the trouble being created by MNS workers only because I will not support the cause of the Bandh against the arrest of Raj.

Raj Thackereys son is apparently studying in an English Medium school and has taken to German as his second language. Then what right does this man have to talk about Marathi Manoos? What is this cause he keeps flaunting? Are his followers blind? Cant they see they are being used? I even know of few of my educated-sensible-Marathi-colleagues who are his supporters which I find preposterous! Probably they will understand only if they move out of their home-state!!! The worst part is that in this fight for votes and power, it is the common man who suffers. This common man is Marathi; he is also Punjabi; also a Tamilian and also a Bihari! It is really a pitiable situation!

I sometimes feel we were better off before 1947. If the Britishers were still ruling us, we would have stood united; and loved our nation more than our language/place/religion. All this talk of Indian Shining seems dull when you see such political dramas taking place around you. Sigh! If wishes were horses……

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Sweetiepie I love you sooo!

God has blessed me with 32 sweet tooth out of which 1 has already been removed thanks to cavities! But God forgot to bless me with an infinite capacity to burn those extra calories that come as a big thick string attached to all those sweets I gorge upon. I ask Him for the Nth time “why are the best things in life illegal, immoral and fattening?” Maybe He wants to teach me that nothing in life is for free; that for every benefit there is a cost; that I must keep on my toes always like all other animals on this planet!

OK enough of digression! Like I was saying, I have been too fond of sweets ever since I set foot on Earth. I can hog plates and plates of gulab jamuns; to the extent I won an informal gulab-jamun-eating competition while in college ;) I start consuming mysore pak right off the pan even before it is poured on the plate to be cooled and cut into bars. I start drooling even while the cake is getting solidified inside the oven; its smell making me float like Tom of the Disneyland! There is no boundary when it comes to sweet for me. From West Bengal to Gujarat; from Kashmir to Kanyakumari; anything with a dash of sugar or jaggery can woo me easily. Whether Jalebi or Jangiri, Roshogulla or Besan Ladoo, there is hardly a sweet I can say NO to. Why, I even go international! As long as there is no raw-egg-smell, I am fine with it. Cakes, pastries, doughnuts are great mood-lifters! I can eat chocolates even when woken up from sleep.
But now comes the twist in the tale! Though a good eater of sweets, I can hardly make them ;) My first attempt at cake made it too powdery (I guess too much of soda!) The second got itself burnt! There are 2 sweets which over the years have resigned to me unable to bear my constant nagging attempts. Let me share them with all those looking for such quick fixes.

One is called Cooker Payasam. Very very simple, I say.
1) Pour some water in the (pressure) cooker.
2) In another vessel (preferably a little tall one), pour half a litre of milk and add a handful of rice.
3) Put this vessel inside the cooker and let the cooker blow one whistle.
4) Reduce the flame and let the cooker be on low flame without removing the whistle for 20 minutes.
5) Let the cooker cool down. Remove the vessel, add sugar as per your taste and let it boil directly for a minute.
6) Add garnishings in the form of fried cashewnut and cardamom powder.
Your kheer is ready J Cool, isn’t it? No need of constant stirring and your kheer comes out thick and pink!

The second sweet is called 7-cup-cake. Please do not misunderstand this as sponge and baked cake. By cake, generally, we Tamilians mean sweet bars. Anything in the shape of cuboid :) So heres the simple recipe!
1) The 7 cup adds as 3 cup sugar (gulp! Oh its OK, we will go for 1 hour walking everyday for the next 365 days ;) + 1 cup besan (gram flour) + 1 cup ghee + 1 cup milk + 1 cup grated coconut
2) Mix all the above ingredients and put the mixture on the pan.
3) Keep stirring the mixture until the mixture thickens and leaves the side of the pan (this should take appx 1 hour)
4) Pour the mixture on a plate waxed with ghee
5) Allow the mixture to cool, cut it in squares and invert the plate on a piece of paper.
And you are done! For added taste, you can roast the gram flour before adding other ingredients.
So, THIS is going to be the sweet I plan to make this year( AGAIN !!!!) for Diwali. The rest are going to be ordered. Krishna (Sweets) saves all damsels in distress, you see! So, it might be jangiri or maybe badusha or maybe rava laadoo or teratti paalu or sigh, maybe all of them ;) Me and my sweet 31!

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The Fancy Fortnight

Just packed up all the golu dolls and set the living room as it is normally. Last fortnight, my eyes didn’t even have the time to soak in the newly painted walls of my house and revel in it (before they are begrimed by the folks that inhabit the house!)! This week will be devoted for them only ;)
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Just 2 days back, one of our company buses met with a horrible accident. One of our colleagues expired (male, 50+) and 2 more are in critical condition, apart from many others who have injuries ranging from mental trauma to severe cuts and bruises. Thinking of them makes me sad. When I leave for office in the morning, “death” is certainly not something which I think of. I only see a day full of workload and deadlines. By the time evening sets in, my mind again only travels towards my kitchen and the pending household chores. That colleague of mine must have been under the same state of mind when the bus was hit by a truck and snuffed out the life of him. His children were just settling down. He still had to feel his grandchildren on his lap. He still had miles to go.

Or maybe he was lucky. He didn’t suffer the way I see one 95+ old woman suffering in my neighbourhood; and its not just her, its even her children who are suffering seeing her bed ridden. But that’s a different story for another post, another time!

May God bless his soul and may God give strength to his family to bear the loss.

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Phew! Finally finished reading “Chowringhee”!!! The book was gifted to me by one of my very good friends almost a month back and hailed as a classic. In his own words “Some books are just well written; the rest are immortal works”. Knowing his taste, I knew I was not going to be disappointed. So, I relished each and every page of the book and took my own sweet time to finish it; thanks also to the festive month.
The book originally written by Mani Sankar Mukherjee and published in 1962, has been translated by Arunava Sinha. It makes for a wonderful read if you wish to get an insight into the machinery called a hotel; the tears behind the smiles that greet you; the lives that thread together to form the fabric of hospitality; the stories behind the home away from home. Set in the 50’s, the book is a wonderful dedication to a metropolis and its people.
The story is a first-person account by Shankar, who has just joined a hotel called Shahjahan in the city of Kolkata. Here he meets Marco Polo- the manager, Sata-Bose- the receptionist, Karabi Guha – the hostess, Sujata – the air hostess, Connie- the cabaret dancer and as the stories seamlessly weave around each of them, the characters bloom into a larger than life narration who help Shankar learn his lessons of life. The style of writing is poetic at places and you can’t help becoming dreamy eyed. It’s the kind of book that you may read again and again and yet find something novel each time.
I am told that Suchitra Sen has based the movie 36 Chowringhee Lane on this very book. I have not yet seen the movie but after reading the book, I would surely like to watch it some day soon.
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Yesterday evening, we went out to eat and I had the yummiest vegetable cheesy steak sizzlers after quite some time and I hogged over it like a pig; so much that I am sure my daughters will refuse to acknowledge me out in public places anymore. But seriously, I bow to all of thee who are great cooks; it surely is an art that defies me. How I wish I could cook all those magnetic delicacies which pulls my kids to the dining table every supper-time, happily, rather than being dragged there at gun-point! Sigh. I can only thank God that the way to my better-half’s heart is not necessarily through his stomach and he is not a fussy eater. Or maybe the poor guy just does not have a choice :P

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Lazy! Crazy! Lamhen

NOTE:
Drafted: before the navratri started
Posted: on the last day of the navratri geee
(you get the drift.... lazy lazy lazy me!!!!)

Its Navratri time yet again.

• # Its time for my yearly quota of the social meets. I realize that out of 500 odd flats in my colony, I know only about roughly 30 families. Gosh! What kind of social animal am i?

• # Its time for making atleast my living room sittable. As for the rest of the house, you see, the toppling clothes from my cupboard refuse to stay put in their places, the books refuse to go back into their shelves, the dust refuses to leave the various nooks and corners of my house!

• # Its time for taking out the sleeping dolls and idols from the loft and making a display of them on the odd number of steps. I had decided I will arrange the dolls in form of some theme this year but the wheel of time rotated faster than I could manage to run behind it. Maybe next year then!

• # Its time for buying return gifts for my women friends. As per the tradition, we are supposed to invite women and girls and give them haldi, kumkum, coconut, paan leaves, betel nut, fruit and blouse pieces. But in these days of matching and perfect blouse pieces, these then become something that’s either circulated back or thrown and forgotten. So, I have given out small hand towels instead. Hope they are useful.

• # Its time for making Sundals- the special timepass khana made of soaked and boiled pulses and a tadka of mustard, kadipatta, and coconut on it. This is actually one of the attractions of these 9 days.

• # Its time for taking out my sleeping silk sarees from the cupboard and airing them by wearing them :) This year a special mail is in circulation in Mumbai as per which we have 9 colour code for the 9 days. So, women are supposed to be dressed as per the colour. Today happens to be PINK day!!!

• # Last but not the least , its time for DANDIYA. How I love to close my eyes and dance bindaas. Today and tomorrow are the designated days that we will have dandiya in our colony. Looking forward to that now!

That’s the update from my end. How has Navratri been for you?

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Que Sera Sera

When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, what will I be
Will I be pretty, will I be rich
Here's what she said to me.
Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera What will be, will be.!!!

How true can that be! Future is not ours to see. How easy life seems when you are still a nipper. Everything seems within your grasp – be it sun, star, be it a profession that is dreamt of, be it becoming famous and rich! How innocent can childhood be. No wonder that we yearn for it once we grow up to realize the harsh realities of life. That nothing in the world comes for free. That life is full of ups and downs!
Abha tagged me to list down 7 of my childhood memories. Thanks Abha, I so needed something to wake up my sleeping blog ;) Frankly, my list would not be much different from yours, but nevertheless here I go.
1) RICK-IE PANTING!
My earliest of memories takes me to cycle rickshaws. I grew up in a town very close to Delhi. Those were the days when cars were still considered a luxury and the town being small, cycle rickshaws were the most favoured mode of transport. I even had a rickshaw-wala to drop and pick me up from school (like the buses and vans of today). My favourite place in the rickshaw was at the back. It was bench like protrusion facing the opp side. It’s a different story that now I pity the rickshaw drivers who toiled and pulled on the cycles to ease our movement.

2) COFFEE WITH BOLLYWOOD
I guess that the love for movies has something to do with the chromosomes. My kids are testimony to the fact and my father’s favourite time pass is bolly-molly-woods! So, you should not have any doubts about me being a movie freak too. When India had not yet seen multiplexes and when movies meant big halls with creaking fans, we, as in, my parents, my bro and me, would make it a point to go for a weekend outing to those halls. It used to be a big occasion with even coffee being carried in thermos flasks and lot of farsans and some such to munch on (with popcorns being counted under luxuries). We have seen all the hits as well as flops of the 80s.
3) GORI TERA GAON BADA PYARA
A vacation to my grandparent’s village was something I looked forward to, each summer when Delhi and the other northern areas used to be scorching and frying everyone and everything. Whether it was the pond next door, or the clean and huge temples with its never ending alleys, whether it was a life without TVs, or the wells where we used to draw out the water using rope and pulley, whether there were fights amongst us cousins for the only table fan in the house or the get-togethers during festivals, the village life had its own charm. This will always remain one of my fondest memories of my childhood.
4) LOH-PATH-GAMINI!
The 36 hours of train travel when we went to Chennai from Delhi again was an occasion of sorts. The packing of clothes was something for my mother to decide but “how to spend time” during those 36 hours was something which required careful planning. Playing Cards were the most favoured option followed by books. Those were the times when Nancy was my heroine and I spent many a train journey with her solving all those cryptic mysteries. Then ofcourse, there always was the option of Antakshari. The train journeys were memorable since they also gave us the chance to mingle with unknown people who shared the journey and the destination with us and yet all led different lives.

5) MASTI KI PATHSHALA
Now that my children are in the middle school and I hear of the tales of mutual leg-pulling, troubling some teachers, liking some teachers, fight for lunch boxes, the nervousness before getting the papers, running to the loo during the class, praises and awards, punishments, group project works, assemblies, the choir group, the fights between the houses and classes for getting to the top, the walk back home with friends, the angst to become the monitor and trouble the people we fight with….. and more, I am transported to my own times. How similar all school times are and yet how unique that we cherish them :)
6) SAREE TIMES
One of our favourite pastime was trying to ape our elders. Sometimes, mummy-daddy, sometimes teacher-teacher, sometimes doctor-patient, the names were different but the aim was one- acting :) Infact, begging mom for a saree and then draping it haphazardly gave some kind of immense pleasure. When my daughters did the same, I could imagine what a sight I had made way back then!
7) AAJA NACHLE
I loved, I love dancing and I will always love dancing. Luckily my mother saw this passion of mine and got me enrolled in Indian classical dance classes. I used to love going for them. I took part in number of performances and had the chance to visit a lot of places along with my Guru. Though its a pity that the hobby got lost in the whole humdrum of living, and has mellowed down with age, the child in me still cant hold back herself during the seasons of Garbha and Dandiyas. Ah! I truly miss those days.

With that its time to wake from my sleep and plan for tomorrow :)
I wish to pass on the time to dream to Smita, Couchpapaya, Bubbles , Garbles and AVDI! Dream on, girls, dream on

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Down the memory lane

Ever since I received that sms, my hands were itching. I am a supposed priviledged customer of Pantaloons having ensured them a good revenue. So, they keep tempting me with their promotional smses highlighting the words D I S C O U N T and S A L E. Most of the times, I abide by what my head instructs rather that getting led by what my heart pleads. But this time was different. I was not exactly in a good mood thanks to some cold war in office and pampering myself was one way to unwind.
So, off I went to their outlet. I selected 2 dresses but then saw a big queue at their trial rooms and decided to just pay up and get them. I came home and then, I found one of the dresses was well...err.... tight. I dare not tell you which size I had picked up. So, as per the norm, I returned promptly to their store the next day to get it exchanged. Well, I might write another post someday on this capricious mind of mine!
All formalities done, I was checking some dresses, when I felt someone tapping on my shoulder. I turned and saw a woman of appx my age, squinting her eyes and pointing her finger at me asking me "are you so-and-so".
I said "yes"... and then I searched every nook and corner of my brain for some hint as to who this person was. But all I drew from there was a blank response which I promptly returned to the lady and with an embarrassed look questioned "and you are ....???".
She seemed taken aback by my display of bad memory and replied "Aprajita". The name sounded familiar and I needed some time to get to the exact point in time where I could relate to her.
So, I involuntarily answered "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII, How ARE you? Its been ages!" keeping my fingers crossed that it should not so turn out that we met just a few days back. Meanwhile, my mind did a quick ctrl+f on the name "Aprajita" and there I landed nearly 20 years back in time, to class 7 where I did happen to have a classmate by that name.
But I needed to confirm it and asked her "so what did you do after leaving the school", and while she answered all my doubts were cleared and I realised that she indeed was the one!
She had changed a little in terms of her hair style and the attire. She used to be more of long hair and orthodox sort of a girl. Now here she was in her blunt cut and clad in Jeans and T. No wonder, I consoled myself, I could not recognise her.
On the other hand, there I was. All bloated up and double, triple the size, and still she DID remember me. It was good really meeting her and going down the memory lane but later I mulled over why my memory fell short. I found this on the net

Time plays a major role in the memory process. Weakening and blurring engrams we never use, is a reality. Past experiences are constantly slipping away from us,
some rapidly and others imperceptibly. Daniel Schacter, M.D. says, "Forgetting,
though often frustrating, is an adaptive feature of our memories. We tend to
remember only what is important and meaningful in our lives -- we don't need to
remember everything that has ever happened to us; engrams that we never use are probably best forgotten. The cognitive psycholgoist John Anderson has argued
convincingly that forgetting memories over time is an economical response to the
demands placed on memory by the enviornment in which we live. We are better off forgetting trivial experiences than clogging our minds with each and every
ongoing event."

This makes it worse. Did I treat that friend of mine as trivial while she retained me as important? Too much to think! Forget it! But this incident did remind me of Ushas, this post.

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Centre of Internet

Man has since time immemorial tried to fnd out about the centre of Universe. He did succeed in finding the centre of Solar System. We also know about centre of Gravity.

Have you ever wondered that there just might be a centre of Internet too? Did you ever think where it might be?

This is an interesting site I landed in.

Check it out and dont forget to thank me :))

http://www.exactcenteroftheinternet.com/

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The Magical Monsoons of Mumbai

Yes, friends. Its pouring cats, dogs, hippos, rhynos, in Mumbai. And what do you think I am upto?
I am sitting in front of my PC in my OFFICE! Yeah, you heard me right. What a waste of time and rain! Luckily I am placed such that if I look up from my screen I can peep out of a window. Not everyone is as lucky and I sure count that as a blessing. I have pulled the blinds up and am staring longingly at them, the clouds and the rain. The rain is pattering wildly against the window creating a translucent mosaic of the scene outside. I see the traffic outside braving against the rains. I see men, women and kids with their colourful umbrellas looking like a blooming flower. Roads and vehicles looking washed and sparkling. For that matter, even the leaves of the trees. Sighs, I wish I was at home. This climate is not meant to be working on deadlines or powerpoint presentations.

While at it, I cant help drooling over pakodas. Yes, thats the need of this hour. I want them as badly as a pregnant lady yearns for the proverbial mangoes. I am about to pick up my wallet and run to the canteen.
"What about that excessive fat accumulated around you?", cries my conscience.
"Dont you remember what my little one said yesterday?" I reply to it.
Incidentally, we were pouring over our old albums and my little one had clearly announced her preference for the cuddly-rolly-polly-mom-of-today to that skinny-scrawny-girl who got married to her appa years back.
So, this goes for you, my little one; 1 plate pakodas please!

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The Grand Finale

Seems like I have been doing only tags and tags :) Shows how lazy I have become even to think and type. Grrrr.. Cmon, girl, pull up your salwar and socks!
I thought I must share a piece of happening with you all. Some news which we want to store in the memory box and keep retrieving to relive and what best way other than to write it down as a diary.

My hubby has been a sports-speaking-person. He belongs to the breed who can speak about sports and he claims he was the captain of his college team but I am yet to check out the story. I have never been into sports at all. I remember once finishing 4th in the 200 metre race, but did I miss telling you there were only 4 participants. You get the point!
So, when we realised that the finals of the IPL was going to be played at a stadium which was just a stones throw away from where we stay, hubby dear jumped up from the couch, threw the remote (while I couldnt believe my eyes), and ran around frantically until we had 4 tickets with us. I was not too keen on going but then I had never seen a cricket match live and so I agreed to join him with my 2 girls.

Now I must tell you that my elder one is one big Dravid fan. She dreams Dravid, she thinks Dravid and she sees Dravid - just short of eating him up! Younger one is a Dhoni fan... maybe even an air conditioner!
Coming to the event, we all have changed colours and sides ever since IPL started and how. I, for one, began supporting Mumbai Indians, shifted to Kolkatta, back to Mumbai Indians but finally settled on supporting Chennai Superkings. So much for my loyalty. In any case, on the D-Day, out came our bright yellow T-shirts. I wanted to carry 4 bottles of Coke, some wafers, some eatables, some tissues and was getting the whole backpack ready when I was informed by hubby dear that we are not going on a trip, mam. we are going to watch a match and they do not allow even one bottle of water inside the stadium What the @#$%$#%. Disappointed I was but then did not have much choice. Sighs!
Anyway, armed with binoculars, we eagerly and promptly reported to the stadium at 6. The program was supposed to start at 6:30
Let me briefly summarise my observations.
1) The stadium isnt as huge as it seems when viewed sitting in your living room inside a 29 inch box.
2) Closing ceremony was awesome. The laser show and the acrobatics were the highlights. Salman disappointed by being just an advertisement for his TV show that he hosts. The other dances were OK!
3) Anyone-who-is-someone-to-be-seen were at a distance. You need binoculars to look at them. Thats how I ogled at my childhood heart-throb Aamir Khan, while my young ones ogled at Dhoni :D
4) You cannot watch the wonderful expressions on the faces of the players. I tried to read their lips through the binocular to see if someone was calling another one monkey or some such but no luck.
5) The atmosphere is quite charged in stadiums and its addictive
6) I even managed to whistle (oh yes, I can do that with my two fingers pressed inside the lips;) a couple of times to the chagrin of my daughters who wanted to disown me right there!
7) We blew up a lot of money on Pepsi, Burger, Water and Ice Cream.
8) Just one day before the finals, a bomb was detected and defused in one of the auditoriums near our palce. So, I found myself checking for unclaimed bags.
9) Cheerleaders are as popular as the players.
10) I missed the running commentary but my neighbour compensated by calling up someone every now and then.
On the whole, it was a different but a wonderful experience. I do not know if I can sit through a test match or an ODI, but T-20 is a quickie to be enjoyed for sure. If a person like me, whose knowledge on the subject of cricket is zilch can write so much about it, then IPL is surely a hit and finale was grand indeed

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Love Tag!

First off, a big bear hug to Suma! You dont know how great it feels to be entangled in the world wide web of love tag. It feels wonderful to be loved and cared by someone whom you have never met and yet with whom there is such an emotional bonding that it feels like we have known each other for ages. Thanks Suma :)
Coming to the tag, once tagged, you have to copy paste the link in this post, add your name and make them grow! So, here it grows....
BennyLiew, RamblingMoo, Mum & Kids In Wonderland, Judelittle, Our mini blogsphere, Rooms in My Heart, http://janiceng.blogspot.com/, ChinNee, Jo-N, LadyJava's Lounge, Strange but True, Mariuca's Perfume Gallery,Meet Uncle J-Uncle J, Farah,aNgRiAniWoRLd,How’s Life Bout,The Three Heroes, Ceedy, Veena, Suma, whatsinaname

As for spreading the love to others, I tag the following people who I know are loved a lot and yet I want them to know I love them too.
Usha, JLT, Abha, Suma, Swati, DDMom, NM, Lavs, Timepass , STS
Spread the message of love!!!

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The one important word "I"

Usha tagged me this time. Thanks, Usha. It feels nice to be remembered. How did you know "I" like tags about "I", gee :) But yes, they are fast to do. They dont require me to think much as my world revolves around "I". So, here "I" go!

I am: a sentimental fool trying to change me-self always :)
I think: a lot! Even unnecessary petty things bother me.
I know: I need to update my blogs more often… trying trying trying…don’t give up on me yet!
I want: to be loved and liked by all and I know its not possible.
I have: hubby, kids, roti, kapda, makaan and I thank God for them all.
I wish: life was simpler.
I hate: people who are dishonest, cheeky and get away with their wrong-doings.
I miss: 24 inches waistline :(
I fear: Nostradamus predictions that world will end some day.
I feel: nostalgic when I hear the tales of their class from my daughters. A sense of déjà vu!
I hear: the mobile ring often :). Did I just let the secret out that I talk a lot!
I smell: the monsoons approaching. I want the rains soon in Mumbai.
I crave: for praises. You can try them on me ;)
I search: for a pen when someone calls. That’s precisely the time it gets lost!
I wonder: how fast the time flies!
I regret: not taking up Bharatanatyam more seriously.
I love: living.
I ache: for those fighting for their bread and butter but I believe in Karma too.
I care: that others should not end up getting hurt by my words or deeds even at the cost of my own hurt!
I am not: as simple and carefree as I seem to be.
I believe: in God.
I dance: even if someones watching and I DON’T CARE! :)
I sing: fine enough.
I cry: while watching sad flicks.
I don’t always: scream. Just when I get mad and that happens only 18 hrs in a day.
I fight: a lot. Ask hubby. Ask my bro.
I write: horribly. My handwriting is atrocious.
I win: or not, I am ready to play.
I lose: but I don’t give up easily.
I never: fall back on promises.
I always: need people around me.
I confuse: everyone around me successfully.
I listen: with my heart.
I can usually be found: in the form of a potato on the couch!
I am scared: of slow death.
I need: someone to encourage me always. I lack confidence. Probably Usha guessed it and tagged me ;)
I am happy about: what I am.

And "I" pass on this tag to JLT, Abha, Suma and Somethingtosay
So, get going girls. Time to think about "U" again!

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Woman in a Mans world!

Suma tagged me and asked me what are the 10 things I hate in men. Like she has beautifully said in her post "After 14years of marriage, you cannot hate, you live with...Everyone has their flaws and no one's perfect...", hate is too strong a word to be associated with. But yes, I do dislike some of hubby's habits and am sure I have certain habits he dislikes. I already know a few... which I am unable to change...geee.... the main one being he doesnt like me spending time on the net :(. Cmon girls, I ask you, whats wrong if I spend some time and that too as anonymously as possible with some like-minded girls!

OK before I digress further, here I jot down some habits of MY MAN which I wish could disappear magically one fine day when I get up... or on second thoughts, let them be! Thats what makes life colourful.
1. His love for remote! Esp on sundays. I wish we could just sit as a family and talk and bitch rather than watch those dumb serials.
2. His mood tantrums. The way he sulks after we fight. He has this habit of drawing back into his shell if he is too upset. I wish he should scream at me openly rather! Or maybe not :)
3. I wish he could be a little more bothered about neatness et al. But then I am no better :D So, when in a glass house, should I really throw the stone :P

Actually I cant think of any more points. I find more of negatives in me. Its as if he is there to complement them. I get frustrated easily, while he tends to think patiently. I can be extremely kiddish, while he has learnt to deal with not 2, but 3 daughters :P
So, hats off to my mans patience and wish you loads more!

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Especially for JLT :D

My fastest quickest tag :) I caught her bait !

Last Movie You Saw In A Theater:
Tare Zameen Pe

What Book Are You Reading:
Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee... I love her style of writing

Favorite Board Game:
Housie (is it a board game?)

Favourite Magazine:
Well. Nothing in particular. If I talk of past, Readers Digest was my favourite.

Favorite Smells:
Hey I did a post on that. Let me get back with the link.

Favorite Sound:
Sound of music and of laughter!

Worst Feeling In The World:
When you love/like someone but he/she does not feel the same way for you.

What Is The First Thing You Think Of When You Wake?
“Do I HAVE to get up?”

Favorite Fast Food Place:
Pizza Hut!

Future Child's Name:
LOL. Full stop for me please!

Finish This Statement. "If I Had A Lot Of Money I'd...”
I would love to retire.

Do You Drive Fast?
Nopes. I am too scared an animal!

Do You Sleep With A Stuffed Animal?
No. I like to sleep alone ;)

Storms-Cool Or Scary?
Scary! Oh yes! Scary. I have been through a horrible cyclone in Gujarat and thats enough for a lifetime.

What Was Your First Car?
Maruti 800

Favourite drink:
Kaapi :)

Finish This Statement, "If I Had The Time I Would .....”
Sleep, sleep and sleep :)

Do You Eat The Stems On Broccoli?
Never tried!

If You Could Dye Your Hair Any Color, What Would Be Your Choice?
Auburn like Dimple Kapadias!

Name All The Different Cities/Towns You Have Lived In.
Delhi, Mumbai, Jamnagar.

Favorite Sports To Watch:
Am not sporty at all.

One Nice Thing About The Person Who Sent This To You:
Shes adorable. I am glad I found her!

What's Under Your Bed?
Dust :) My maid doesn’t sweep under it!

Would You Like To Be Born As Yourself Again?
Yes. But a more politically correct me!

Morning Person Or Night Owl?
Night OWL anyDAY ;)

Over Easy Or Sunny Side Up?
Sunny, sunny!

Favorite Place To Relax:
A beach and it’s still a dream!

Favorite Pie:
Idli ;) if it can be called a pie hehehe

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor:
Butterscotch!

Of All The People You Tagged This To, Who's Most Likely To Respond First?
Swati, yes!

I tag Swati, Timepass and DDmom!

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Sighs and whys!

The way the first quarter of 2008 has turned out, I am wondering about the outcome of the remaining 8 months.
Met a friend of mine yesterday and she exclaimed that I have reduced a looooooooot. Not that I am not happy. I had crossed the line of normal weight and had entered the over weight zone some years back. But the way I lost weight is what I don’t want to go through again!
2008 started with the Hong Kong trip, which I will not deny that I enjoyed a lot. This was followed by the dance-arangetram of my girls which had me dancing more than them. Then, came the dreaded time of the year called exam-time which had me studying more than them. Before I could utter “s” of “sigh”, the “s” of “summer” caught on and gave us all “s” of “sickness”.
Yes, it all started with a slight fever my little one had, just after Holi. It grew till it shooted to a 103.9 and had me sponging her throughout the night. After 10 capsules of antibiotics, the fever decided to subside. 3 days of alls-OK-nothing-to-fear-now and then my older one caught it. Her fever sees nothing less than 105 degrees. And before her fever left her, I caught on too. Motherhood is amazing I must say. Had my daughter been fine, I would have oohed and aahed. But seeing her in such a state, made me only more determined and I gulped Crocin and decided to take the Viral head-on. The worst part of it all is that my inlaws are not here as of now. So, I miss their moral support. I had called my father to baby-sit for me but the day he complained of body ache, I told him to keep a minimum safe distance from us. We don’t want him affected too.
My daughter is better today. The 2nd day without fever. I am OK too, except that viral fever has affected my eyes and they almost look conjunctivitis-ed – all swollen, red and watery. Doc says it will take 2 days more. Till then I am having a lovely time in office. My boss and colleague avoid me like a plague. I look cool and hip with my goggles. I come, I sit, I do timepass J No meetings, nothing! Good time to catch up on all your posts now!

Oh by the by, I must tell you what happens when you have 102 degree fever and your kid has 105.
I sit through the night, sponging my daughter. My hubby is on tour. Morning time and I look out of my balcony and get a shock of my life. My car is missing! I run to the shelf where I keep the keys. The keys are very much there. I call for my driver. He is sitting downstairs with the watchman thinking I had taken the car out for something. I am almost in tears. How is it possible for a car to go missing when the keys are with me? I trust my driver. He has been with us for almost a decade now. I am in a state of panic. And then I try to recall when the last time I saw the car was? It strikes me that I had driven down to the medical shop last night to get some medicine.
I rush to the shop with my driver and there it was!
My sweet adorable angelic car! Waiting for me to embrace it! I have never been passionate about cars but at that moment I could have hugged and kissed it. I felt a surge of emotion that a mother will have on finding her lost child.
Foolish me had left it parked outside the shop and had walked back home. Though I laugh about it now, I shudder thinking what all could have gone wrong!

So, the next time you have a 102 degree fever, please don’t drive!

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To beat the lie with truth

Has anyone seen the latest Sprite Ad? Its too wicked but I couldnt help grinning.
For all those who have not seen it yet...
Scene 1
The ad starts with a girl with a come-hither look trying to coax her man not to go. But the man gives a grin and leaves her with an excuse that he needs to meet his second girlfriend, to which the girl offers her sweetest of giggles and gives him a mock fight. All is well and he zooms off.
Scene 2
Another girl is waiting for her man and as he enters she gives him an irritated look asking his whereabouts and whether he was with RIA. To this, the guy asks "how do you know". He happens to be the same guy who was in scene 1. The girl bats her eyelids and gives him a smile that says stop-joking-i-know-you!
The boy drinks his Sprite and gives the audience a wicked smile!
---------
Now now, is that beating the lies with truth or beating the truth with lies? :)

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Just Curious

I have been nicknamed "the winking one".
The reason being that my right eye has been twitching and twitching and twitching. Its a recent development. I mean I have had this experience earlier but never was it carried forward to days and days. Sometimes the eye-twitches to the extent of me looking like a Lalita Pawar of yore. Gives a wicked appearance overall.
Tried everything to stop it. Washed the eyes with water. Patted it. No effect!
I believe that eye twitch has something to do with good luck ( thats the thing I want to hear too.. I hope you got the point ;) The Lady Luck has kept me waiting for long now.
Will it be a new saree or dress? A lottery? hmmm a long vacation?
My friend says its just plain acidity and I need to cut down on my beloved KAAPI! Gawd, how cruel can people be!

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I am a Material Girl

Oh yes, I am! Its a typical Indian trait they say that we dont throw things away. We repair them, we squeeze every bit of our hard earned money out of anything and everthing... be it furniture, dress, utensils. And that doesnt make me one bit embarrassed. I am proud of it. And sometimes with time, when we do need to give them away or simply dispose them off, it takes away a part of us. But still there are a few things that have managed to stick with me over the years, and JLT, tagged me to let the world know about them.
So here I go :)
1) A bunch of cards/autograph book that transport me back to my college days. Those were the days when luckily Archies was a bit too costly and we were a bit too conscious to buy readymade cards. In order to impress each other, we used to let our creativity run wild, decorate the cards with all kinds of one liners and fill them with colours. The result of such efforts could not end in the dustbins, could they? So, they stayed. Its been a long time since I went through them and I guess I will do that right away after this post :) ... to relive the carefreeness of a teenager.
2) A dressing table that was given to me by my parents but which had come in my life when I was 10. It has withstood the test of time and although the mirror has lost its silver at places, it reminds me of that awkward little girl who spoke to herself for hours, and kept insisting to the mirror that she was indeed the prettiest girl around. Ah! those were some days! :)
3) A fairly new acquisition for me but a lifetime of memory for my inlaws in the form of a wooden cupboard which has six deep pockets where only a hand can go in, and 3 sections. The deep pockets have some secret hidden divisions too. It reminds me of the Nancy Drew books and I only wish I was younger to dream of some secret treasure maps there which I discover accidentally...lol.
4) Some of the books that remind me of my student years. I have carefully stuck the label that says Miss so-and-so, such-and-such prize, class so-and-so. I only hope it acts as a motivation to my kids.
5) My Inlaws Photo album that never ceases to amaze my children. "How young and beautiful paati looks", "how funny is thatha's trouser", "why are you wearing your saree over your tummy, paati?", "Thatha, was your hair really this black? and what a style" :) I have carefully scanned the snaps and made an online album for the same. Somethings are too precious to be lost. The same for the marriage album of my parents!
6) One of the newest in my collections is that sexy satin nightie that I had shyly and secretively bought for my marriage...lol.. and which I have outgrown long long ago. Maybe someday I will be able to fit back into it.

Hey JLT, I loved doing this tag, believe me. I wonder why memories become more and more priceless with time :) I wonder who remains to do the tag.
Dame, Suma, Lavs, Timepass, if you have not taken this up already, please do, its a wonderful experience!

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Back in action

That was a hectic month for me. Too much happened in too little a time.
First a sudden vacation. With a kid who is about to enter into the world of competitions, holidays was last thing on our mind but when an opportunity came knocking at our doors, we could not resisit and off we went for a 10 day trip to HongKong. I love travelling and seeing new places, meeting new people though my better half likes those lazy holidays where you can just relax and relax and relax....
Hongkong was a good experience. It requires another dedicated post which I shall try doing asap.
Back from the vacation and the preparations started for arangetram of my daughters. Yes, both my daughters are now graduates in Bharatanatyam :) The function was a super duper success and the kids did much better than I expected them to. There were times I felt I was pushing them too much, there were times I doubted their capabilities (and I feel awful about it), there were times I wondered whether I rushed into things... but the way the kids danced has made me a proud mother. I am beaming from ear to ear :) Hopefully its a good start for them and I hope they get good opportunities to learn more and showcase their talent.
OK so I am back and I see I have loads to catch up on.
BTW it felt very nice when some of you enquired my whereabouts ... I felt so wanted. Thank you all for making me feel special.

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