My Random Thoughts

Power of estimation

2009-11-23T15:15:00.002+05:30

Its a knack, I tell you. Estimation, that is! Or, maybe its there somewhere in your chromosomes. Cos I never seem to be getting it right. Try as I might, this estimation thing gives me a slip almost always.
I remember this game in one of the stalls in the school fairs (which were quite common in Delhi, in 80s). Guess the weight of a cake kept there right and, you win some good gift. Did I ever try it? No way. For one thing, I never went near the weights except to weigh myself. And two, I had full faith on my guessing power. I knew I would be way too ahead or way too back.
There was a time, not so long ago, when I used to shop for my kids clothes. My shopping spree generally took over on my way back home from the office since there was no time or patience to load the kids into the car and go back to shop. And Sunday shopping is something I hate from the bottom of my heart. I hate the rush, the search for free parking space, the madness at billing, the wait at trial rooms and so on and so forth. Sunday shopping is just not for me!
Oh I digress...so, where was I? Yes, so I used to shop for my kids and invariably ended up buying a size smaller for them. And almost always, I had to revisit the shop to exchange. I kept blaming this on my motherliness, which refuses to accept that my child is growing.
But then this same thing happens when I cook. My mother in law is a bit stingy when it comes to cooking. She believes that cooking in small quantities makes for a better taste. Maybe she is right, I will not deny it since she IS a good cook. But it is also a fact that many a times; she has underestimated and cooked less; ultimately having people waiting for food literally. During my early days of marriage, this used to get on my nerves and put both of us in many an embarrassing situation. This has instilled a sense of fear in me that I always need to be prepared with more than required. That I should not have guests and end up with less food. And so, I always keep a buffer when I cook, but which sometimes leads to too-much. And then this too-much-food gets carried forward for days. At this point in time, I must prostrate on the ground in gratitude to the person who invented Refrigerator. If you ask me there is no better invention than this! I wonder how they prevented food from getting spoilt in earlier days. Oops, I meander again.

I have a friend who loves to cook and invites us quite often. Every time I go to her place and take a peek at what she has cooked, I immediately get worried, if it would be enough. But voila, we all finish and there is still some left over. I really wonder how she does that.

I have problems even getting the recipes right. In the recipe, when it is mentioned 3 whistles, and I let the cooker blow out 3 whistles, invariably, the rice is undercooked; and in fear when I wait for 5 whistles, the rice becomes pudding!

So, this post was the outcome of the too-much-sevai I cooked today morning; half of which lies in my sweet refri. My hubby had a nice time teasing me about my ability to judge the required quantity till I reminded him that he is the one who is going to eat the extra tonight. That sent him brooding.

But there is one are where over estimation actually helps. In office! I always bargain for the maximum time for any project and end up finishing much before time. So, I guess it is not all that bad.

And yet it is never too late. I need tips and tricks. How do I judge the how much part?

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On the book front, I just finished The Time Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and I have been eating my words back. I had half thought of dumping the book after reading first few pages. I kept arguing with Smita on how this book could have made to the top bestseller. I thankfully, continued reading, and here I am in love with the book. The recent book to have moved me this much was The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Simply awesome!

Aura of Aurangabad

2009-10-22T19:25:00.002+05:30

Well, trying to post this using the email option. Let me see if this works. If it does, it surely means a lottery to me, if not for the readers. ;)

Let me first test the image by adding this. A small rangoli I made for Diwali given the shortage of time since we were leaving for Aurangabad right after the morning oil bath and the rituals.

Post Diwali, we had a nice 4-day trip to the city of Aurangabad (of which 2 was spent in driving to and fro).
It took us 6 hrs drive from Mumbai to Aurangabad via the Pune route. We reached in the evening and just chilled out at the hotel. I must add that the Lemon Tree hotel where we were put up is fantastic. For the price of 2750 per night, they serve buffet breakfast as well and allow the usage of the swimming pool. The speciality of Lemon Tree Hotel is the fresh lemon fragrance that lingers always. They also have a uniqueness that there are almost 2000 jokes printed and framed onto the walls across the hotel. It was fun reading some weird ones.
Day 1 we covered Ajanta and Bibi Ka Maqbara. Ajanta needs no introduction. I was in awe looking at the Ajanta Ellora caves though they were in sorry state. I only wish our government was more serious in preserving the national heritage. One of the world heritage, the paintings and sculptures easily can be called the zenith in arts of all times. Maybe we, with our crumbling houses and dull paintings should look back and learn a thing or two. The 30 caves kept us busy for 2 hrs.
Bibi ka maqbara - the poor imitation of Taj was a case study of its own kind. The similarity and differences between the two were striking out. Heres a snap taken by my hubby! He was so engrossed in focussing on the tip of the maqbara that he missed the top of my poor girl !!!! Here she stands headless.

Day 2 found us in Ellora. Again the caves are too good to be missed. Divided into the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain caves, these mainly comprise of a more developed form of sculpture as compared to Ajanta. Kailash temple in cave no 16 is the highlight.
We missed going to Daulatabad fort. Oct heat was the deterrent. But people planning to visit Aurangabad must go there.
We also visited Panchakki - the water mill ( I did not find it impressive). We tried rushing to Paithan to see the silk weavers at work but alas, the factories close by 3 it seems. So, we had to return all the way back.
Even though the mornings and noons were packed, evenings gave us some relaxing times and left us with nothing much to do. Luckily, there was Fame multiplex right next to the hotel and yes, you guessed right. We saw 1 film each on both the free evenings ;) - Blue and All the best. Blue was a huge disappointment while All the best was too good and a riot! My tummy ached with too much laughter.
On the whole, a good break it was. And here I am, back to waiting for the next one :(

Navratri Picture session!

2009-09-28T12:45:00.012+05:30

Heres why I love this festival. I have already written about it earlier here. Here are the pics of my this years Golu

The 5 steps

Tried to make a hill temple!

The Ragi seeds refused to grow... truly failed rains this time :(

Attempted rangoli on top of water!! But the moment fan was switched on, the colours ran helter-skelter ;) ( CP, I will reply to your mail on this!)

Paper bags I made to give the haldi kumkum in.

Hope you all had a great navratri and heres wishing you happy Deepavali in advance. I love this festive season.

Whats in a surname

2009-08-26T21:30:00.005+05:30

Let me on the onset admit that this is not a review of any movie but the fact is that I saw Kaminey last week and loved it to the core. It’s THE movie of recent times for sure. It had just the right combination of everything and made a perfect treat for hungry eyes, ears and minds.
A fistful of darkness
Liberal sprinkle of humor
Loads of guffaws
Earful of lovely music
Mouthful of awesome lyrics
2 hours of hot masala
And Tears to taste (for insane people like me, who can cry seeing a cute hero getting beaten up!)
All these made to simmer over brilliant direction made for something not to be missed.
But then this dish is like the continental and exotic serve. Either you have the taste for it and will love it. Or you will not! Simple. There have been a couple of my friends who have felt let down and have been found exclaiming “paisa bhi hum kharch karein aur bheja bhi? “ (Meaning why should we spend money as well as brains? ;) You get the drift!
I will not go into the storyline or a review here since I feel too inadequate for that. I am not one of those who can observe and comment on the nuances. You can read many of the brilliant posts already published.
The point of the post here is one among the many points which was raised in the movie- that of division on the basis of region.
I have already written once against the anti-north-indian attitude of certain politicians in Maharashtra. This movie beautifully brings forth the issue without dwelling too much upon it and yet making sure that it makes its presence felt.
But isn’t it true in our everyday affairs to categorize a person solely based on his surname and/or region, especially so in India. This categorization is not on the basis of external characteristics but more on traits.
I remember my growing up years in Delhi. My father had a shrewd, calculating, bully of a colleague who also happened to be a Sindhi. Needless to say, one of the favorite dialogues mouthed by my father was “trust a snake, but never trust a Sindhi” while I listened attentively and processed the information for future usage!
My father being a Palakkad Iyer, obviously has good words for his brethren. Oh, they are the neatest lot and the most hardworking at that.
After shifting to Mumbai, I started attending my PG classes. During one of the classes the Maharashtrian teached started rattling off in Marathi in answer to a query from a student. He did not even bother to notice that a few of us could hardly make head or tail of the conversation! Irked by this, one of my Tamil friends remarked “These marathi people are just so ill mannered. They start chattering in their language irrespective of other people around”.
It was quite ironic that years later, another of my juniors, who happened to be a Marathi, and working in Chennai, called me up and started complaining over the same issue- that in meetings, everyone starts speaking in Tamil while she has to look around clueless!
How can I forget to mention Gujjus. When I got to stay in Gujarat, there were ofcourse the typical statements like “oh these lazy gujjus. They sleep all through the afternoon!” Or, “These people live to eat”.
Ever wondered why is it that certain traits are attributed to regions?
Why is it that Maths teachers are generally Tamilians? Why are nurses and stenos from Kerala? Why are the most famous singers of Bollywood from Bengal? Why are most of the successful businessmen from Gujarat? Why are many of the soldiers from Gurkhaland?
Maybe regions do have an effect on the nature. Could it be that climatic conditions play a role in conditioning all this? Or is it the food habits that have been passed from generation to generation? Is it the traditions, the customs behind the display of such typical characteristics?
Here is the summary of various tidbits I collected based partly on hearsay and partly by observation.
1. Punjabi (Punjus)
Loving, believe in PDA (public display of affection), exhibitionists, Spend more than they can afford (you can see from their grand marriages)
2. Biharis
Polite Hindi speaking, more inclined towards public services and politics, hardworking.
3. Malayalees ( Mallus)
Systematic, Neat, Short-tempered, would readily help other mallus, a clos community.
4. Maharashtrians (Marathis)
Culture loving, fanatics (for good and for bad), extremely loyal to their state.
5. Bengalis (Bongs)
Like Marathis, these people love their state, language and culture, artistically oriented, a bit loud, believe-in-me-first, again a close community
6. Gujratis (Gujjus)
Laid back, great business mind, live-to-eat, loud
7. Tamilians (madrasi)
Religious, artistically inclined, good sloggers, timid (save a few politicians), too rigid, less tolerant.
There are exceptions to the rules but I feel that nature of a person is the resultant of the environment he is growing up in and that very well constitutes the region.
But having said all the above, the fact remains that India of today is changing for sure. There are people like me who are basically metro-born-and bred, who have mixture of habits borrowed from all around. So, this hybrid breed is surely breaking all the rules that have no basis. And till such time, this hybrid breed takes over India, we will keep having fight between states and our neighbours would keep using such differences as a weapon against us!
Jai Ho!
Take a look at this for a hilarious note on mallu habits
As for Bongs, read this for a good laugh

p.s. the mudra on the header is mine... some 20 years back. Gosh, even I cant believe it!

This and That : When swine flew!

2009-08-15T16:51:00.003+05:30

The alarm clock started singing mauja hi mauja. I hit it hard on its head and went back to sleep. And down went my walking plans for the nth time! So there! This is what happens if I let a little break creep into my nicely laid out routine life…and then the break becomes my routine. You get the drift. Yeah I am a routine freak. Newton would have loved to have me as a sample – a creature who loves to be in the state of whatever-state-she-is-in! But one fine day it dawned upon me that I have this tiny whiny cyberspace. So, now I just need to break this state of laziness; of setting-alarm-and-shutting-it-up-and-sleeping-back, carting-myself-to-work-to-get-bored, back-home-and-ofcos-sleep-again with nothing in between. And what could be better than scribbling on my blog.

Well, where do I begin? OK, I want to confess that I am one of those who got into panic due to recent flu in the town. But, it was certainly not on the day I read about the poor young little girl Reida, who was the first (recorded) victim of this swinest swine flu. Pune still seemed quite far off from Mumbai. But, the day I got to know that a class 12th student in the very school my kids go to, has contacted this virus and has been rushed to Kasturba hospital, thats the day I got my first panic attack. Somehow, it felt too close now. I admit, that I was one of those who paid an exorbitant 25 rs for masks which actually are worth only 5-10. But ofcourse, now I am recovering from the panic attack. I am seeing to it that hands are washed often with soap and water, lots of fluid intake is happening and overall hygiene s maintained in the household. Besides that certain herbs like turmeric and tulsi are being used more! I guess, awareness is the key. And here goes my prayer to the Almighty to cause no more deaths due to this viral attack.

That brings me to another point. I wanted to see Kaminey so very badly! But it will release in Mumbai only on monday. Sigh! Let me see if I can catch hold of tickets for monday then.

BTW, to all those who kept banging the doors of this sleeping blog to check if I am fine, you people are a sweetheart and hopefully I will be more regular now. To all those who tagged me, you people are also sweethearts for still having hopes on me :-), I will do them soon!

Oh yeah, and I bought a treadmill. Hopefully walking will happen more often now. and hope the same for blogging ;)

Heres wishing all a very happy independance day. Lets hope we learn to become more responsible citizens and India shines in the real sense of the word.

Seeking 25 random secrets!

2009-03-04T12:14:00.008+05:30

“Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” as quoted by Benjamin Franklin.

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Since I have been tagged by Spike and Ava for 25 random things about me and then by Udtahaathi for 25 secrets, let me just scratch the surface and give you some not-so-dark-and yet-random secrets of my life.
1. I was a NAGIN in my previous birth. I do believe in reincarnation.
2. I have 184320 hair on my head out of which 164312 are grey.

3. I am size 0 beneath all these layers of fat.
4. I am a drunkard. I consume 1.153 litres of water every day.
5. I once finished 4th in a running race and there were only 4 runners.
6. I have never been to a pub or a discotheque ever.
7. While in confines of the loo, my mind is at its sharpest! I remember all the bill due-dates, the pending phone calls and the unanswered mails. The moment I step out, I forget.
8. I have not visited Kashmir even once even though I was in Delhi all through the 70s and 80s
9. I still bite my nails at times. Sometimes I end up eating the skin around too :(
10. I cant sleep in a completely quiet surrounding. I need a fan whirring or a snore or even some light music.
11. I am scared of sleeping alone in an empty house. I switch my living room lights on in such cases.

12. The 15-year old tomboy is still alive inside me and surfaces every now and then to my utter horror.
13. Some days I crave for sweets so much, I eat spoonful of sugar… and hold on I am not pregnant!
14. I cry easily when I sense a situation getting out of control. Once I cried after an altercation with boss while my poor colleague didn’t know where to hide!
15. I once got caught by a bus conductor when I was travelling without ticket in a bus. I escaped using the famous girl-smiles-heart-melts technique
16. I can whistle with or without my fingers. Ha!

17. Deep down I am basically a KANJOOS, a hoarder who spends and then feels guilty.
18. I managed to burn fast-to-cook-good-to-eat-Maggie once! Last Sunday I successfully burnt the outside of my cake while the insides were still raw.
19. I used to love biting my hair when young. Even now, I fiddle with my hair when in deep thoughts.
20. During my teen years, while taking the national pledge “India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters”, I used to skip the brothers part.
21. I am superstitious about auspicious-days and number 13
22. I can be quick witted at rare times and “duh” most of the times making me wonder if I am a case of multiple-personality-disorder.
23. I once was an avid collector of match-box covers!
24. The only subject I ever failed in my school times was Drawing and Arts thanks to a too-perfect teacher
25. I am not on Facebook or Hi-5 or Tagged or any such. I only exist in Orkut in a completely unknown avtar which is also sleeping since a long time.
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As per answers.com open secret means
An *open secret* is a concept or idea that is "officially" secret or restricted in knowledge, but is actually widely known; or refers to something which is widely known to be true, but which none of the people most intimately concerned is willing to categorically acknowledge in public.

P.S. My friend Vee has come up with our very own, common man's MovieManiax Awards 2008. With the heavy politics taking away the very meaning of awards, we sure need to voice our opinion and give credit where its due. Please do visit and vote.

Tag Time!

2009-02-27T19:23:00.003+05:30

Being a lazy bone to the core, I know I have missed to do many tags in the past. I am really and sincerely sorry to all those sweet friends of mine who tagged me and got disappointed by the procrastination. I promise to be more sincere henceforth. Spike, its yours next OK! :)
Just like forwarded mails, I feel that tags are ways of reminding people that we are thinking of them. Thanks Abha and Monika, for not losing out on me and this tag they passed on to me is pretty simple since its Q&A only! So here I go.
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Nopes. But I made it a point not to live upto it!
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
When I was peeling onions today morning!
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I dont like small insects crawling… there I answered it!
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Ram ram ram! :P
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Yeah but I am wondering why this question should be a part of this questionnaire. I need to find the person who started this!
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
“Main apni sabse favourite hoon” courtesy Kareena in Jab We met ;) For the uninitiated that statement means “I am my most favourite person”. So obviously I would love to MY friend!
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
As long as people can laugh it off !
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
I never had one. Am I considered normal now?
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Oh YES YES YES!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL
Kellogs!
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Dint you know LAZINESS is my middle name?
12. IF YOU WERE TO PICK YOU OWN FIRST NAME, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
This question comes a little late in my life nevertheless I had a fascination for Hema once. Talk about influence of cine world on common man!
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Butterscotch /Mango.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
The dress, the smile!
15. RED OR PINK?
Red is HOT!
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF
I am short of temper! How do I buy it?
17. WHOM DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Somehow I adapt pretty fast and so at this moment am not missing anyone!
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
What list? Duh me!
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
pastel green chudidaar and metro chappals (I added metro to make it sound hip :P)
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
My neighbours blabbering about some website development.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Blue?
23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Mehndi, coffee, wet earth, Johnsons baby powder!
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
A friend- casual daily stuffs!
25. HOW DO YOU KNOW THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU
I met Abha through a site where we used to write earlier and am I glad I bumped into her. And I came to know Monika after I started blogging. I really really hope we meet someday soon :)
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Cricket
27. HAIR COLOR?
Mixture of grey/black/brown!
28. EYE COLOR?
Brown.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No. and no glasses either
30. FAVORITE FOODS?
mmmmmm Italian – Pasta, Pizza
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings no doubt! Enough of things to be scared of in real life J
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Slumdog and liked it for sure
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
pastel green kurta
34.SUMMER OR WINTER
Winter anytime!
35. HUGS OR KISSES
Hugs, hugs! Kisses are a little too personal for me to share with all J
36. DESCRIBE YOUR PENCIL CUP
whats that? L
38. FAVORITE ARTIST(s)?
I presume this goes for all fine arts and so it is some Bharatanatyam dancers – Vyjayanti Mala, Hema Malini, Alamelu Valli, Chitra Visweswaran, Rama Vaidyanathan to name a few
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Marrying Anita by Anita Jain
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
nothing cos I don’t have one. Someone please buy me one!
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Some stupid Tamil serial… I think it was Kolangal which is the fav of my inlaws..grrrr
42. FAVORITE SOUND(S).
A fan whirring in a quiet room. That’s soporific!!!!
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles but I am more of Indian Music lover
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
US of A!
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I can touch my nose with my tongue! OK That was a lie but my hubby can do that.
46. WHERE WERE U BORN?
Tamilnadu.
47. FAVORITE PIECE OF JEWELRY?
Junk dangling earrings.
48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
Well, I was just about to do the seven pheras with someone when he came galloping on a white horse and swept me off my feet and we got married! Please believe me :P
49. FAVORITE SONG?
Lots actually. Among the new bolly songs I am loving Mar jaawaan from Fashion!
50.Favorite Musical?
A Tamil movie called Sankarabharanam. This movie gets my personal oscar every year :)

Tags are good way to know new friends. So, passing it to some friends here I would love to know more about.
Verbivore, Kanagu, Girl-next-door, Workhard, and all of you who wish to take it up.

I for Inkpot

2009-02-17T19:54:00.007+05:30

Its been sometime now since my younger daughter has taken to writing with pen in school. And yesterday while I was buying refills for her gel-pens for the 138th time this year, I suddenly got nostalgic!!!

I still remember my first day in Class 6 which was filled with apprehension, fear, anxiety that catches hold of you when you are suddenly going to be officially declared as senior! But then, it was this excitement of starting to write with pen which masked all the other feelings. Somehow, the 3 letter P, E and N was the passport to adulthood, to maturity, to seniority. It marked the end of kiddish era of PENCILs. PENs meant that finally we have arrived (though WHERE noone would know). We were not allowed to write with ball-point pens and so fountain pen it was. I can proudly say that my first ever PEN gifted to me by my father stood by me for 7 years till the end of my school education.
It used to be quite a ritual no less than the famed tea ceremony, this art of filling ink in the fountain pen. There were many ways of doing the needful. You had cylindrical storage type pen where you just needed to fill the ink and the ink would trickle to the nib enabling you to write. Then there was this pump type where you had to dip the nib of the pen just enough into the Camlin’s ink-pot (I wonder if the kids of today know the meaning of this word) holding a valve tight and on release of the valve, the ink would be sucked into the pen.
I would dutifully keep a duster by my side during this ritual of ink-filling since it would invariably lead to ink-baths everywhere. A piece of chalk would also be kept handy, since chalk absorbs ink fast. After filling the pen, the tips of my fingers would attain a dark blue hue and somehow it gave me a feeling of what a hard-working student I was!
The ink-pens were also source of mucho joy in school though looking back I find the acts pretty wrong. But when you are young, there is nothing called wrong when it comes to times you are having a good laugh. All the bothersome and unpopular teachers would find ink stains on their sarees or shirts or trousers. And ink being ink, would not be scrubbed off easily! I had many lasting ink stains on my uniform too, not that it ever bothered me. As an aside, I have been told that blue ink has anti-inflammatory property and soothes a burn. Never tried it but have heard my grandparents vouch for it.

Coming back to pen, the nibs of the pen were the most delicate parts. One hard push and phooosh! They were gone. Oh and let me at this stage, confess that inspired by Ved Vyas of Mahabharatha and all those classic mythological serials and movies, I did try to quill-write using the feathers of pigeon ( I could not find one of the peacock) but dipping in the inkpot for every second word was something which was testing my already low patience and hence the idea was discarded.
Exam times saw me packing 5-6 extra pens and ofcourse the ink pot.
Gone are the days! Today is the world of Gel-pens and Reynolds. My daughter tells me that for her boards its mandatory to use ball pen and not ink or gel-pen! Times surely have changed. So, with the advancement in technology, there is a price tag attached and lets accept it with grace. Though we have less time on our hands to fill ink in the pens, we have electronic medias like these where we can get outright nostalgic. Years later, when my kid’s kids will grow, maybe gel-pens will be out and some silicon-pen will be in and then my kids will update their blogs something on these lines :)
So, now when I need to rush to that book store for buying assortment of refills for the gel-pens of my kids, I try to think of the plus. Atleast they don’t get their hands stained like we did and atleast their teachers sarees and dresses are safe!!!

10 reasons why I walk early in the morning

2009-02-05T21:53:00.007+05:30

Oh guess WHAT! I started walking once again and I am trying to keep myself motivated to go on and on and on and on.. OK Stop! The usual trend is for me to start something and leave it halfway through. I think I must have attempted walking 563 times till now and successfully left it on some or the other pretext. But this time I will make sure to make it a lifelong habit. And so I present to myself 10 reasons why I should walk early in the morning (just around dawn):
1. I get to see the sunrise and save 20,000 rs. How? Well, I have seen people spend that much on a trip to Goa and then come back with pictures of sunrise. Ah, dont mind me. I am just being plain jealous you see!

2. I get a chance to be philosophical and come up with phrases like “The light sweeping the dark night away” / “The nature tosses its orange ball yet again”!

3. If I end up with a group walk, then I catch up on the latest buzz of the town before the broadcast by my maid servant!

4. I have a reason to buy new clothes and new shoes.

5. My bonding with sleep increases; I mean I start valuing and loving and appreciating the art of sleeping more and more. So, I make up for the lost sleep on sunday afternoons and its bliss!

6. I can escape the task of making dinner with the excuse that I got up early, you see. Please have this rice with sambhar, I am sooooooo tired! Same reason if I am caught napping in office.

7. ~~I can catch the worm~~ I can pick flowers for the daily pooja.

8. People listen to music while they walk but I practice my vocal skills without fear of people shushing me! So, its me, my tanhai, my Ragams and with the accompaniments of birds, and ofcourse occasional dog barks!!!

9. One of my favouritest pastime is to observe the lights in the various flats of my colony; and wonder what the person would be cooking, whether that kid would be up and getting ready for school, whether that couple is getting late and rushing to catch 7:09 local! Oh, I have an alternate profession in hand, just in case!

10. I can give a competition to Kareena… OK OK if not Kareena, her mom?? OK OK Her grandmom? See how goalpost keeps shifting!

Ah and the main reason is that I have been advised jogging or fast walks in the morning to control my borderline eye pressure which cannot be prevented but can be kept from causing further damage to the eyes. Glaucoma, they call it. Got to go for checkup again this monthend. Wish me luck, friends :)

On e-friends, proximity and award!

2008-12-05T21:37:00.007+05:30

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!

E mere Vatan ke Logon

2008-12-05T20:53:00.004+05:30

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

We shall overcome TODAY!

2008-11-28T22:20:00.007+05:30

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!

Hum To Aise Hain Bhaiyya!

2008-11-14T20:18:00.004+05:30

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?

The new Karrrrrrrrzzzzz!

2008-10-29T21:40:00.010+05:30

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!

Down with GUNDA "RAJ"

2008-10-21T12:29:00.002+05:30

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……

Sweetiepie I love you sooo!

2008-10-18T15:24:00.001+05:30

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!

The Fancy Fortnight

2008-10-13T14:40:00.001+05:30

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 ;)
-----
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.

--------

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.
-------

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

Lazy! Crazy! Lamhen

2008-10-08T11:00:00.003+05:30

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?

Que Sera Sera

2008-08-25T21:46:00.009+05:30

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

Down the memory lane

2008-07-19T10:28:00.005+05:30

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.

Centre of Internet

2008-06-18T12:49:00.003+05:30

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/

The Magical Monsoons of Mumbai

2008-06-14T14:23:00.004+05:30

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!

The Grand Finale

2008-06-07T16:28:00.000+05:30

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

Love Tag!

2008-06-07T14:16:00.001+05:30

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!!!

The one important word "I"

2008-06-05T15:02:00.005+05:30

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!

Woman in a Mans world!

2008-04-27T20:41:00.002+05:30

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!

Especially for JLT :D

2008-04-19T13:36:00.006+05:30

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!

Sighs and whys!

2008-04-12T12:32:00.002+05:30

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!

To beat the lie with truth

2008-02-21T22:34:00.004+05:30

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? :)

Just Curious

2008-02-20T16:31:00.003+05:30

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!

I am a Material Girl

2008-02-13T21:39:00.003+05:30

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!

Back in action

2008-01-30T08:54:00.000+05:30

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.

Yours Wierdly

2007-12-15T13:31:00.000+05:30

Long long ago, so long ago that noone knows how long ago... I was tagged by Parul to write about 7 weird things about me and then pass the tag to 7 more people. If weirdness and quirkiness is same, I have done it, yes yes... but then Usha and Lavs felt that I wasnt being honest enough.

So let me come to the point straight and try to be as honest as possible without scaring the people around.
1) When I was small, I used to eat the foams of soap. Please feel free to say "yuck". I think there must be some vitamin deficiency... or maybe since we did not have any TV soaps way back then.
2) I am capable of chewing my nails to the extent of bleeding them. Sadist you say? Even I wonder! And well the scarier the movie, the bloodier my nails!
3) I like the cream of milk even if its floats after the coffee has become cold. Weird I am!
4) I am an impatient soul. Now, if you say "that not weird enough", read on. Once in hurry, I put my kurta inside out and started to office... realised it before I walked out of my colony and rushed back. Phew! Once I even stepped out in my home slippers.
5) If the above points havent put you off, here comes one more. I have black tongue. I do not want to believe but I have sensed it sometimes that what I say comes almost true. I need to be very very careful.
6) Now heres a physical weirdity. My hands and legs are very thin and small as compared to my height and weight. My younger daughter is able to wear my slippers! She is 10 and I am in 30s. Imagine that!
7) I cant think of any more... Will get back and update it. Dont want to draft it and sleep on it for a month more.
As for passing on the tag, I tag all who are reading this, I doubt how many remain! Lavs, a spl mention for you, since you say noone tags you :)

Indian Author Tag

2007-11-24T10:51:00.000+05:30

Me and my tendency to procrastinate. When the whole world is up and buzzing, I wake up ever so gently. Yes, I have 206 lazy bones. I have been desperately trying to shake them and wake them, but the mass of fat that has accumulated around them only makes the situation worse.

I am digressing! So, coming to the tag, I have never been a voracious reader. Oh I love reading but my last 10 years have been totally devoted to the family and the needs plus the career building. Its only recently that the interest has been revived, infact favourably towards Indian Authors writing in english. With such a limited knowledge about authors, I am not the right person to write on this tag. Maybe I will just mention the few books that have impressed me. And yes, let me also mention in the passing that I am a pure and pure fiction reader. I stay away from self-help books (Robin Sharma, I am sorry!) as also philosophical ones. Swati, I am sorry for being so late. By the way, please come back to the world of blogging. I am missing you!

1. What woke me up was the latest novel by Shashi Tharoor that I am reading. Its called The Five Dollar Smile. Its a collection of short stories that he wrote while he was still in adolescence and early adulthood. Some of them beautifully bring out the mood of 70's. I havent yet finished the book but the story that has touched me the most is titled "The Pyre", and this deals with the trauma that a friend goes through after he survives an accident, wherein his friend died a young and tragic death.
I have heard good words about Shashi and his books, "The Riot" and "The Great Indian Novel" as well. Am yet to pick them up.
2. Chitra Banerjee Devakaruni. Till date, I have read 2 of her books. Sister of My Heart and Arranged Marriage. The first one is a novel that revolves around the lives of 2 girls who are brought up in the same home... their love for each other, the sacrifices, the trials, the tribulations. The second book is a collection of short stories. The stories have given the phrase "part and parcel" a new meaning for me, I felt part and parcel of them. I plan to read "Mistress of Spice" soon.
3. Shobha De: One of the most controversial authors, known for all wrong reasons and yet I have loved her Speedpost. Its basically a collection letters from her to her 6 children. It was hard for me to imagine a page-3 personality being a dutiful mom, but read it to believe it. I have liked "Spouse" too. One more I have read, of whose name I cant recollect. It was again a collection of short stories but i found it too provocative and lascivious.
4. Manju Kapoor: The only novel by her that I have read is “Home” and I found it a good read. Its light, it deals with all Indian emotions, and its something I could relate with.
5. Anita Nair: The only novel I have read by her and loved is Ladies Coupe. It beautifully describes the quest, the discovery, the celebration of being a woman. Can a woman not survive alone in this Man’s world? Such a simple question and such a beautiful answer by Anita.
6. Satyajit Ray: No, I haven’t been lucky enough to learn Bengali and read his masterpieces but I have read some translations and I can only imagine how good the original would be. His characters like Professor Shonku and Feluda are so far ahead of their time. They may sound very normal in todays world but lets not forget the time when this book was written. I can only marvel at his ability to think scientifically and write beautifully…. A rare combination.

The books that did not appeal much to my sensibilities. Blame it on my low IQ/EQ/RQ (Reader’s quotient!!!)
Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.
Weight Loss by Upamanyu Chaterjee
Holy Cow by Susan McDonald (Not an Indian author but this is based in India!)

My wishlist? Other than some of the books I mentioned above, I have heard a lot about Abdul Kalam’s wings of fire. Then, Rohinton Mistry and his “fine balance”. Then ofcourse, I have made note of all the books that I have read in some of the blogs here.
In any case, do let me know if there is some book you strongly reco.

Reality Check

2007-11-22T12:19:00.000+05:30

As I grow older I realize that

1. Honesty may not be the best policy. But if you still want to go ahead, you should know how to do sweet talk.
2. Good feelings need to converted into words, especially if you are dealing with elders. Its people who are vocal, who get all the awards.
3. Expectations to be kept to minimum. Life is not a fairy tale as you thought when you were young.
4. Familiarity breeds contempt. You need a break once in a while to value others,and let them value you.
5. If you want, you can find faults with EVERYTHING someone does. Yes, all the plus points somehow vanish in the air at such times.
6. Its so difficult to admit that "I am wrong". It takes guts and courage and maybe some tears.

OK OK. I had some tiff today morning. It’s a bad hair day and my blog seems the only place where I can vent my feelings.
Sorry, if I am sounding low and morose.

Meanwhile, JLT thanks for the award that I am proudly displaying :)

My thank you speech is on its way and its high time I try to live upto the award

Its Deepavali Time Folks

2007-10-25T17:42:00.000+05:30

2 weeks to go. Its that time of the year again

>> when you have to start cleaning the place called your home, which some others may mistake to be a stable. Some of you might even think of painting the walls which have been hitherto used as a canvas by your children. Some of you need to change the drapes and curtains which have been used as a hand towel by your maid. Then excavation to be done on the layers of dust accumulated on everything around. The family of spiders that spins so many cobwebs for you needs to be told to shift elsewhere. Phew!!! lots to do!
>> when you need to start planning on the sweets, the farsans and the crispies to make to delight your family and your friends. Especially your MIL and your neighbor (its surprising how they both can be made as part of the same group at times) should not be in a position to find any fault or brag that their tidbits are better. Of course, these days there is the option to order for them too. So, maybe you can do that and claim that you have made it.
>> when you need to plan your budget. After all, you need to pay Diwali bonus to your maid, your driver, your milkman, your dhobi, your watchman, your cablewala, your liftman, your child’s school-bus driver, your office boy, your associations, your what nots and the list goes on.
>> when you start wishing you had learnt tailoring. You have bought your saree one month in advance and yet not a single tailor is agreeing to give it on time. You are just short of falling on your knees and paying anything he charges but … you propose and tailor disposes!

But still at the end of it all, comes the light - the festival to perk up the mood, the festival that many of us look forward to. I do wish we do not use too many crackers and pollute the air. I do wish that when I buy something new, I can buy some for people who cannot afford it. I wish I can spread smiles.

Lots to do. Time to pull up my socks.

Quirky I Am

2007-10-25T13:46:00.000+05:30

My Diwali resolution is to finish all the tags. Frankly I don’t even remember how many tags remain. I should have maintained the list like some other intelligent girls here did. But then let me start off and please do remind me if I missed yours. Sorry, but it was unintentional. I am like that!
To begin with, my quirks. This tag was passed by Lavs. Ideally I should take it up in the end because by the end of this, readers would probably decide I need a shrink. But let me tell you, these are momentary quirkiness. I am very normal and calm person otherwise. Ask my hubby… errrr… no, you better ask my children… uhhh… I think no need to ask! Just read on.

~ I love to play with my hair when I am deep in thought. When I was young, I even used to bite the ends.
~ I cannot sit still. Either I sway as in trance, or my legs shake or atleast my toes. I have been frowned upon by many for this but its involuntary, believe me. Sadly, I am passing the habit to my kids as well.
~ I get disoriented easily, especially if someone is boring me to death. I can go on looking indulgently at someone and while the poor souls are glad for my sympathetic ears, I would have tuned myself out. Not that I don’t get caught. My brother had given up on me. He used to keep insisting that I repeat what he said. With time, I have surely improved.
~ I don’t know if I can call it being quirky but then I get obsessed with anything easily. And get bored equally fast too. Nothing is in moderation for me. Its too much or too less.

Not that I cant think of any more but then I cant type long posts!!! Another quirkiness, you bet!
As for passing on the tag, the best or the worst part about my tags are I am generally the last of the lot to take it up. So, noone remains. But if any of you hasn’t taken it up, please do. Please make me feel part of the sane crowd.

Bommai Kolu

2007-10-18T10:45:00.000+05:30

During Navratri, it is a tradition in many homes in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to arrange a "kolu". This is like an exhibition of various dolls in odd numbered steps ("padis"). The kolus could be the elaborate, extravagant ones to the simple, traditional and artistic ones. It is important that the Navarathri Kolu is set up with an odd number ofsteps (usually 7, 9, or 11). Some homes have the tradition of keeping a “Kalasam”. Kalasam is a brass or silver pot filled with water and adorned with mango leaves. A "kuthuvilakku" (lamp) is lit, "kolam"(Rangoli) are made before the Kolu and devotional hymns and slokas are chanted. After performing poojas, the food items that have been prepared, are offered to the Goddesses.
Girls and ladies are invited and they are given prasad (the offering given to God that day), kumkum (red powder), and a small bag of gifts usually containing a mirror, a comb, a small box of kumkum, and fruits. This is also called tamboolam. This is a woman's festival. Celebration of being a woman :)
The dolls kept in the Kolu are mostly those of the Gods and Goddesses depicting mythology. Common ones being Dasavatharam, Ashta Lakshmi. Ramar Pattabhishekam, Meenakshi Thirukalyanam, Murugan and Valli, Krishna in Aayarpaadi etc. A wooden pair of doll (Marapaachi - a pair of a boy and girl), are also kept as these dolls indicate fertility. Kolu does not mean that the dolls are kept only on the steps. Themes such as marriage, school, park, zoo add to the fun and creativity.
On the 9th day (Saraswathi Pooja), books and musical instruments are placed in the pooja and worshipped. Tools are also placed in the pooja - as part of "Ayudha Pooja". Vehicles are washed and decorated, and poojas are performed for them.The 10th day - "Vijayadasami" - is the most auspicious day of all. New ventures and any event started on this day are believed to flourish and bring prosperity. Children are made to write their first alphabet on this day -also called Vidya- Arambham. New art like music, dance etc are started. Proper respect and guru dakshina is offered to the teachers.
At night, after Arti, any one doll is symbolically put to sleep and the Kalasam is moved a bit towards North. The next day, the golu is dismantled and packed up for the next year, and believe me this is the toughest job. Its easy setting the Kolu up but packing is difficult.

So, here I summed the 9 days, that signify so much. Let me know if I missed something.All said and done, I am yet to figure out why the dolls are worshipped and why only on odd number of steps. Answers from anyone?

Happy Navratri!

2007-10-17T20:41:00.000+05:30

Been away and missed all of you. FIL was hospitalised. His Gall Bladder has to be removed next month. We are all worried and praying. I just hope, at 82, he is able to take it.
In the midst of all this came the joyful festival of Navratri to give us some respite. This is one of my favourite times. Even though it becomes hectic, it gives me a reason to socialise in this otherwise mechanical life. All 9 days, I call all my lady friends and give them haldi-kumkum and prasad. Some of them claim that they see me only this time of the year. Sad but true!

Heres a glimpse of the way we celebrate the occasion by worshiping dolls. Will write a post on this. As of now, here are some snaps.

And before I forget, thanks a lot Lavanya, for guidance on "how to change the blog looks". :)

Hockey, the poor sibling of Cricket!

2007-09-27T17:39:00.000+05:30

Chak De India releases.
Some life is instilled into the lost sport called Hockey which incidentally is our national game too. India wins the Asia cup and atleast now people are aware. Media gives some coverage to the game.

India wins the T-20 world cup in Cricket.
Hockey is sidelined again. Cricket hijacks the song, the star (Shah Rukh) and even the mood!

No, I am not against the game of cricket. Infact I am not a sports person at all.
Its the treatment meted out to the hockey players that I feel sorry for. While the cricket heroes have been assured of lakhs, flats, cars and what not, the hockey heroes were apparently not even sent a congratulatory message by our dear politicians. Please read this for details.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Hockey_players_miffed_at_Chuck_De_India/articleshow/2406380.cms

Agreed that cricket is more popular a game but then the least that can be done is to keep politics out of it. Public may support one game over the other but why is the government interfering? If the cricketeers need money and encouragement, so do our hockey players.
I only wish hockey isnt given the stepmotherly treatment that it is being subjected to.

Tags Galore!

2007-09-27T12:59:00.000+05:30

I have been tagged by hihopgmom and this one is very very different! There are 3 rules.Rule 1. The rules must be mentioned in the beginning of the tag.Rule 2 You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.Rule 3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.I don’t have a middle name. There are lots of middle names that I would have loved. Infact I am one of those who is not really proud of my first name. I don’t like it much, but then there are some things in life you just get used to. Anyway, the middle name I would choose is Priya!

P: Possessiveness. Yes, this is one habit or inclination I want to get rid of. I do not get close to people easily but if I do, I get possessive about them – be it my hubby or my best friend or even my children, to the extent of being unable to share them with others. Same goes with some of the materials. I cant share them even with hubby!

R: Reliable. My friends say that I am a reliable friend. I am there when they need me and I have the gift of patient ears and a cushion shoulder for them to cry on!

I: Impulsive. I do most things on impulse. Talk of jumping to conclusions and it happens so many times with me. Talk of going for a casual walk and come back loaded with shopping bags, and that’s me! But then again, I am trying to get into the habit of looking before I leap. It is not good to be impulsive about everything!

Y: Young-at-heart. Yes, I am. There are still so many things I want to learn. I like the company
of young people. I like to enjoy each day and celebrate life.

A: Amusing. I like people who are fun loving, who are amusing and who are humorous. I like battle of wits. There is no point in taking life seriously. “Noone comes out alive anyway” :)

OK, now as per Rule 3, I need to pass this tag to 5 people. Let me call upon NM, Swati, Aargee, Timepass and DDmom…
Girls, out with it now! :)

Of Nicks and Names

2007-09-24T10:22:00.000+05:30

Lots of tags pending! Let me try to finish one!
Tagged by Swati on nicks that I use for my kids. I guess I am one of the oldest moms around, having a small-girl-turning-into-a-young-teenager and a younger one who just landed on 2 digits! And yet, a child remains a child in the eyes of the parent. I still cuddle my younger one, I still kiss my older one to her disdain and still call them names. Ofcourse the names, the shades and the styles vary as per the mood. How, you ask? Here, I go.

1. When I was the new mom in the town: Gosh, this might be embarrassing for my little girls but they have no choice, do they? After all, they did respond to them, didn’t they? Their eyes did lighten up on being called thus, didn’t they? They loved hearing it as much as I loved calling them!! I called them Kashkamulla and Gompugompa! No, they are not ancient Arabic or African names. They are names without any rhyme or reason. Infact, my hubby was the one who coined them!
2. Based on their looks: My D1 was called Dimpy Kutti – the reason being obvious, she has dimples and kutti was just to make that a formal name. Btw, this kutti is tamil kutti (young girl) and not the hindi one!!! My D2 was called Purva Chaterjee… why? Because her eyebrows meet and they are called Puruvam in Tamil. Chaterjee sounded just right there!
3. Bunty or Babli: Yes, that’s the combined one for the occasions when they both gang up against me! Next the question comes up as to who would be Bunty and who Babli and before I know, a wrestling match begins between them…. And wicked momma has succeeded in her divide-and-rule policy hahahaha (wicked laughter)
4. Influence of animals: Yerumai, Kazhudai, Panni, Naye! These are the names to remind them that momma is upset and they better get ready with the defence. Incidentally Yerumai means buffalo, Kazhudai translates as donkey, Panni is for pig and Naye is dog in tamil. Now, now, please don’t lecture me on the dos and donts of a good mummy. Someday soon I will learn to control my tongue. Yes, I am practicing it! Till then, please bear with me, my little ones!
5. Take a spoonful of Paati/ Ammamma from kitchen, Thatha from his locker, Uncles from their distant locations and you have Sundakka (cant translate it, someone help, please), sakkarai (sugar), pattu (silk), vairam (diamond), muttu (pearl), Aalu (potato) and so on!

Ofcourse, times have changed now. Kids are growing. Its time to call them with their decent names. But let me tell you, I loved doing this tag. It took me back on the memory lane! Infact most of your blogs do just that. I guess I am the last person to finish the homework, as always. So, noone remains to be tagged,
Or!!!
Maybe Usha and HipHopGmom can share something from their memories, but yes, no compulsions!

And if you thought...

2007-09-12T19:45:00.000+05:30

Multani Mitti was a good face pack for YOUR skin only, think again.
Read this
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/12/01/wtaj01.xml

Let me pick up a few lines from there.
"The Taj Mahal is being saved from the corrosive effects of industrial pollution by an ancient face-pack recipe - a blend of soil, cereal, milk and lime once used by Indian women to beautify their skin.
The sticky brown mixture is smeared on the smut-stained marble surfaces of the 17th- century Mogul tomb and washed off with warm water after 24 hours.
The formula - based on a method discovered in a 16th- century Mogul journal, Ain-I-Akbary - has proved to have such restorative qualities that it is now being exported to Italy to clean grimy monuments there."

I read the news in TOI frontpage today and googled for the same. It made a lot of sense.
Now we know for sure that there is a lot of research behind all those home-made therapies and treatments. These are time tested and can do wonders.
So, let me go and grab that face pack and become the eigth wonder of the world!!!

What do I do?

2007-09-11T21:25:00.000+05:30

OK I have had enough! Its becoming a routine now. Its almost an expected and a planned event. You know you are heading for it and still cant do anything about it. You have tried all routes possible and yet cant seem to avoid it. So, when you cant beat them, join them, said... said... I dont know who said that. But it makes a lot of sense now.
Yes, that monster called traffic jam is waiting at every nook and corner of the road to gobble you. No, you cant escape it. Oh yes, go ahead, go ahead and try that alternate route. You think others are not smart? They are there before you, dear and there you have another monster. OK you have one way to beat it. Try starting for your office a few hrs earlier. Say 4 hrs before your office starts. Maybe you can help the office boy to set the office up!
But if thats not possible, you have to think of ways to be prepared to deal with it.. hmmm. Here are a few tips and tricks to pass your time (if you are alone)
1. Do some yoga and meditation.
2. Catch up with your friends. After all what are mobiles for?
3. Peek into others cars. Try to analyse the story of others lives. Where they could be heading? What do they do for earning the bread, butter and JAM!
4. If its daytime, maybe you can look at the cloud formations, or birds flying... maybe it inspires you to write a poem!
5. ...... please help me fill this... what else can be done when stuck in a soup... sorry I mean a jam!!!

That brings me to a question.... why is it called traffic jam? why not traffic butter? why not traffic cheese? Maybe then it would have been smoother... as smooth as a butter!!! Sigh!!

Sweet Innocent Childhood

2007-08-31T16:15:00.000+05:30

My daughter at 2 : Loved sweeping, mopping, washing utensils
"I want to grow up and become a HOUSEMAID"

My daughter at 3 : Just when she started her school
"I want togrow up and become a TEACHER"

My daughter at 4: After a visit to the supermarket
"I want to grow up and become a SALESGIRL"

My daughter at 5: After a ride in the bus.
"I want to grow up and become a CONDUCTOR"

My daughter at 6: Just after getting off from the lift.
"I want to grow up and become a LIFTMAN"

My daughter at 7: After seeing a documentary on astronauts.
"I want to grow up and become a SPACE TRAVELLER"

My daughter at 8: Seeing the models walking the ramp.
"I want to grow up and become MISS INDIA"

My daughter at 9: After draping me with dupatta.
"I want to grow up and become a FASHION DESIGNER"

My daughter at 10 now: Sees Indian Idol.
"I want to grow up and become an INDIAN IDOL"

God, just let her be happy with whatever she chooses to be in life.

Issues of Shoes!

2007-08-25T13:10:00.000+05:30

Hubby took my FIL to Doctors yesterday. When it took him longer than normal to return, I called up and this is the conversation that followed.

Hubby: Hullo
Me: Hi, where are you? Isnt the check up done?
Hubby: Yeah, it is.
Me: Oh, then are you driving back? Listen I need 1 kg potato.
Hubby: No, I haven’t started yet.
Me: Then? Buying medicines?
Hubby: No, I am in the shoe shop!
Me: Shoe Shop?
Hubby: Yeah, someone stole my shoe!
Me: STOLE YOUR SHOE? How?
Hubby: I had left it outside the clinic. (This is an eye clinic and the doc insists that people take off their shoes before entering his sanitized domain) I don’t know HOW but when I came out, I saw them missing and instead someone had left his old pair of shoes behind. So, I trotted down to the nearest shoe shop and just bought another pair.
Me (laughing): Why did you keep the shoes there?
Hubby (irritated): Arre, did I have a choice or what?
Me: Why does this happen to YOU only? You bought the shoe only last month, remember?
Hubby: OK OK, I am driving now (which I doubt.. he just wanted me to shut up..:)
Me: OK!

BTW, the last pair of shoes he lost was at a temple. He had gone to attend a function of a family friend . Trying to be extra smart, he chose a well hidden spot behind a shrub to keep his shoes. The shoe-thief was no less. He must be having good olfactory modality. He smelt the shoes, yes he did. If the thief is reading it, I must advise him that we need more like him on our police force. Maybe he should apply there.
Anyway, so the thief neatly put his own shoes there and took my hubbys away!

Then there was that incident when someone had an identity crisis recognizing her slippers and took away my MILs, outside a house where we went for haldi kumkum!

So, whats the moral of the story?
Ring in the new but don’t ring out the old. Keep an old pair of shoes for some SPECIAL occasions!

Of Hindi and the verbs

2007-08-23T14:59:00.000+05:30

I have never been a good student of any language, as is evident from my posts. I am a tamilian by birth, but can carry a conversation, thats it. I am brought up in Delhi and had so many Punjabi friends but never ever tried to learn Punjabi. Now in Mumbai, and I am still struggling with Marathi. I have scored decent marks in English, Hindi and Sanskrit (my third optional language), but never have I seen those brilliant numbers. I have been more inclined towards maths and sciences.

Recently, while going over Hindi with my daughter, I was back to that nagging question for which I never tried to find any answer and never got any.
I tried to compare the 4 languages I know (including sanskrit).
I have observed that in English, we do not associate gender to the verb. So, he is coming, she is coming, bus is coming, rain is coming. Thank God for that!
In Tamil and Sanskrit, we have genders with verbs, but then there are 3 genders - masculine, feminine and neutral. So, "avan varan" (he is coming), "aval varaal" (she is coming), "bus varudu" (bus is coming). In case of inanimate objects, we have the third option.
I get stuck when it comes to Hindi. There is gender in verbs but there is no third gender. Is Bus masculine or feminine? What about Chair? "Bus aa raha hai" or "Bus aa rahi hai" (Bus is coming)? If "Baarish ho rahi hai" (its raining but with feminine verb) then why is it "Paani baras raha hai" (again its raining but with the usage of the word water and masculine verb). “Mobile baja” or “mobile baji” (Mobile rang)?
Reminds me of the hilarious issue raked up in the movie Chupke Chupke… on the difference in pronunciation of “cut”, “but” and “put” even though they all are spelt the same way!

Any Hindi teacher around? How do I correct my kids when I don’t have my basics right?

Photo-phobic

2007-08-12T21:05:00.000+05:30

I love seeing photographs. They have very good effect on our mind by refreshing it. Infact, they help in increasing the memory power as you try to recollect what had happened then. They are good for eyes too and help them sparkle and shine up. They help in blood circulation by making the adrenalin pump. They give an exercise to the facial muscle since you are bound to smile and smiling is very good for your face. They also help you realize the content of fat in your body, so you get motivation to take appropriate action.
I do not know the statistics but I distinctly remember reading somewhere that in any snap, majority of the people concentrate on their own picture. I certainly belong to that category. Try as I might, I end up judging myself in the snap. If I look good (which is rare), suddenly the whole world looks beautiful to me – the sun, the sky, the sofa, the walls everything!!! If I don’t look nice (as in most of the cases), I decide that the camera is awful and lights were bad. If the fat is showing everywhere, it is obvious that the angle of the shot was wrong. If I am looking dark (Fair and Lovely does not work!), the colour of the dress I am wearing is the culprit. All in all, after looking at myself in any snap, I come out enlightened.
I think I am not abnormal. I think most of us are the same. But does that mean I have to thrust my photo album in the hands of a poor guest the moment he enters my house? Would he really be interested in what I did on 24th of May 1997 in my cousins house-warming ceremony? Unless I know him closely, would he like to see my marriage album and give a comment on my aunt’s sister-in-law's father-in-law's friend?

Oh yes, there are such people around. Ushas this post reminded me of one of our old neighbours!
She is a nice dame, generally. Her hubby is nice, smiling, courteous person and they have two naughty children. They have been good neighbours whenever we wanted the kind of help we expect from a neighbour. After staying in the same locality for some years, we shifted apart.
But alas, whenever I happen to go to her house, she decides that her photos are the worlds best entertainment. Like last time when I went there, all was well for some half an hour till she decided to show me the photos of her brothers sons first birthday! Her eyes shined up and she was literally transported to some other plain. Her mother-in-law has the same interest I think. Both of them pounced upon me and my hubby and made us look and appreciate each and every pixel of the album. By the end of it, I had memorised the names of all her cousins, their sons and daughters, their mother in laws names too!
How do I tell her I AM NOT INTERESTED without sounding impolite! After all, we dont meet too often. Or, maybe I will just be sweet!!!

Crazy Collections!

2007-08-04T17:30:00.000+05:30

Well, Swati, sorry for being late. You tagged me and asked me what I have a fetish for and so here I go :)

To tell you the truth, my interests keep varying with time and yet these are the few things I love collecting!

1. Perfumes! Yes, I have a mediocre collection but would not mind an endless one. So, now you know what to gift me for my birthday!
2. Sarees and dresses! I love buying new dresses and sarees. I often wonder why is it that I have nothing good to wear almost everyday.
3. Chocolates. I dont collect chocolates but I have a weakness for them. Hope my kids are not reading this.
4. Plants. Yes, I love gardening. I have 2 small balconies and I love to expand my garden more and more. How I love the greens!
5. Dolls : Now, people might think this crazy but the dolls I am talking of here are not the usual barbies. I am talking of the dolls that adorn the odd-number of steps during navratris in some of south indian homes. The occassion is called golu. I would probably write a detailed post on it sometime but yes, this festival is my most cherished one.

Talking of fetishes, I remember my childhood days when I used to collect matchboxes. Yes, I did that and had more than some 100 of them before I lost interest. Stamp collection was a craze for sometime too.
During my school college days, I had a huge card collection and I still carry some of them with me. Usha had done a wonderful post on the pain that grips you when you empty your cupboards to throw the old memories away. I have managed to keep them with me so far!

These days my latest passion is buying books. I hope I dont outgrow this one.

OK as for passing on the tag, I would call upon JLT, Usha, HHG, Dame, and all who read this to share their little weaknesses and I promise I wont tell anyone!

Olfactory modality

2007-07-28T11:48:00.000+05:30

It is pouring cats and dogs in Mumbai today again and I am certainly not complaining. I love rain. Especially the first rain when the earth is scorched up by heat and then the showers come down upon them wafting the smell of wet earth. That set me thinking which are the smell that make me want to breathe long and hard.. that remind me of something, anything.. that make me wish a wish and dream a dream… or maybe I don’t even know why I like that smell.
1. I love the fragrance of wet earth. I am sure a lot many would agree to this. I don’t know what is with that muddy smell. But I know that it must be on the top-of-the-charts of all smells.
2. I love the aroma of roasted coffee beans being ground. There is this shop where I buy my regular pack of coffee powder. Everytime I go there, I am eager to rush back home and have a hot cup of filter coffee!
3. I like the smell of petrol. I am sure a lot many would say I am weird but I like the spicy (?) aroma. It’s a pity that some of us get into a spree of puking after inhaling it.. and it isnt good for health either!
4. I like the smell of Eucalyptus. It sets me dreaming of hills and greenery which are so rare these days.
5. I love the smell of henna. Again this one is very subjective and I know many who simply cant tolerate it. Its sad but then my hubby is one of them.
6. I love the smell of papyrus. I do not know how to describe it but yes I love the smell of a fresh new book just out of the print.
7. I love the smell of the soap called Hamam. It brings back to me the memories of my childhood. Although now I have shifted to Dove, but I see my father is still loyal to Hamam.
8. I love the perfume called Eternity by CK. It has nothing to do in particular with that brand. I am a perfume freak in any case. It is just that I was wearing the perfume throughout one of my trips last year and every time I wear it, I go back in time!
9. I love the smell of Johnsons baby powder and cream. It reminds me of my babies who have outgrown it now. I am reminded of some point in time when they were so tiny and dependant on me! Sigh
10. I like the smell of acetone or nail polish remover. I don’t know what its fruity odour does to me but I like it!

OK enough of my gibberish. Time for a hot cup of coffee now!

Homework No 1 : About judging people

2007-07-21T12:11:00.000+05:30

Madam JLT : Hereby I submit my homework no.1 :) Please let me know if I cleared the exam! Pappu paas ho gaya kya?

Yes, I do judge people based on their behaviour. Judge is not the right word, I would say my first impression of people are based on certain observations. Its a different story that most and many a times, my views change. So, first impressions are not necessarily the last impressions, and yet there are certain habits which I loathe. I can really like someone and yet hate a particular habit of theirs! In that sense, I guess I am tolerant.
So, here they are. The habits that make me loose my patience!

Not being on time : Yes, its a habit I simply cant relate to. Whether its some submission, or attending some party, or rushing to catch the train (JLT, please dont look at me like that!) Last minute rush makes me a nervous wreck, and so when I see others doing that, I feel like screaming "fire fire". OK. OK. The problem lies within me. Its time to indulge in meditation!
Bragging : I certainly stay away from people who brag a lot. People who cant have enough of I's and My's in their sentences. "I did this", "I made that", "My son did this", "My daughter bought that". Oh Boy! I feel like telling them "Please come out of that well". There is a world beyond "I". There are 25 other alphabets too.
Two-timing : Saying something on your face and then talking behind your back! I am wary of such people. Yes, I have met them in real life. Chameleon would feel insulted, if I called them by that name. My problem again! I trust people too much I guess.
Politics: I hate people who are short of abilities and yet come up in life using their charm and other unscrupulous ways! Call me envious, if you wish, but I get disturbed when undeserving people get awards. I also know that politics is a universal concept. Yet, I wish life was simpler.
Preaching: I hate nitpickers. I do not like someone standing behind my back when I am doing something. I do not like it when people decide that I am new to earth and they take upon them the onus to convert me into a normal human being.
Frown: Oh well! I do not feel comfortable with such people who have a perpetual grim look on their face. I feel their negative vibes seeping into me. I feel that maybe they dont like me and that sure is not a good feeling.
Complaining: Kick me for saying this but I would generally avoid the complaining kind of people - people who are just waiting to pour their woes inside the next pair of ears. I am sympathetic for them but then why cant we also discuss happy moments!

I know I can go on but I guess I will stop at 7. Suddenly, I am seeing myself in a new light. In listing the qualities I do not like, I suddenly find meaning in the statement " people who live in glass houses..." etc! Its time for some introspection now!

Exam Fever

2007-07-18T16:36:00.000+05:30

Tring tring

D2: Hullo
Me: Hi sweetheart
D2: Hi Amma
Me: So, how was the day in school?
D2: Oh good, Amma.
Me: How was your exam?
D2: Nice, Amma.
Me: Only Nice?
D2: Ok. It was good. (Did she say that to oblige me?)
Me: How much do you think you will get?
D2: I did EVERYTHING RIGHT. I will get FULL Marks!
Me: Oh well.... got the point

Now I am wondering whether I should be happy and encourage this confidence or pray that she becomes more serious !

To ponder and wonder

2007-07-14T10:35:00.000+05:30

Got this forwarded joke /fundas /mail (choose any!) and thought of sharing here!

LAW OF QUEUE: If you change queues, the one you have left will start to move faster than the one you are in now.
LAW OF TELEPHONE: When you dial a wrong number, you never get an engaged one.
LAW OF MECHANICAL REPAIR: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch.
LAW OF THE WORKSHOP: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
LAW OF THE ALIBI: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the next morning you will have a flat tire.
BATH THEOREM: When the body is immersed in water, the telephone rings.
LAW OF ENCOUNTERS: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.
LAW OF THE RESULT: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will!
LAW OF BIOMECHANICS: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional
to the reach.
THEATRE RULE: People with the seats at the furthest from the aisle arrive last.
LAW OF COFFEE: As soon as you sit down for a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold

My name is Bond, Sibling Bond!

2007-07-13T01:52:00.000+05:30

I called up my brother today. We have not fixed a timing when we call and update each other. He has his life, his wife, his kids. I have mine. I do talk to my parents on a regular basis, so am well updated with the happenings on his front. And yet, there are times I miss our heart-to-heart chats. So, sometimes, I call him up and then just ramble on. My bro is 3 yrs younger to me.

What had happened was that I had found a classmate of mine on www.batchmates.com after nearly 2 decades of having lost touch. Since, I and my bro were in the same school, he knew him. My relation with my brother cannot be termed as very affectionate. There were times we used to discuss the happenings in school and yet there were times we ended up arguing. There were times, our fights became physical too. He used to come to me to help him solve some maths problem and we would end up with a war after I lost my patience (which was and is so less in any case!). We would start playing some card game and end up with me crying as I would be the loser most of the times! He would want to listen to some music while I wanted something poles apart. Luckily we did not have cable TVs back then, else maybe we would have ended up fighting on “which program to see too”.

And yet beneath the surface, lurked that feeling called sibling bond. I have seen brothers and sisters as close as best friends, knowing everything about each other. I may not have been my bro’s best friend, but he knows that I am always there for him and vice versa. We did have our share of laughters… for no reason at times! At other times, it could be some movie, some happening in our lives, some anecdotes! There was a time he supported me when I wanted to go out with friends.

I never realized what he meant to me till the day I left my parents place to start a new life. That was the time; I suddenly found a void…something missing in my life. Even though my hubby became my father, brother, friend rolled into one, yet I missed my bro.

Over the years, the frequency of missing him has reduced. And yet when we meet once or twice a year, we rant on some common topics, we muse on our childhood days, we relive some portion of past!

I look at my two kids now - fighting away to glory at times, arguing without any reason, and complaining about each other. At other times, loving and hugging, defending each other. I am reminded of my sibling.
I just hope they can be more amicable or am I asking for too much?

Atithee Devo Bhava!

2007-07-07T17:35:00.000+05:30

Our Indian culture and tradition puts a great deal of emphasis and importance to guests. Guests are next to God, they say – Atithee Devo Bhava. With changing times, its time to sit back and ponder if guests really is an equivalent word for God!

Over so many years of my life, I have discovered that there are many types of guests who can visit you.
1) Genuine guests: These are the fine breed of relatives/friends who are genuinely happy to meet you, who genuinely want to spend time with you, who would not snoop around your things or your talks, who would help you out with your increased work. Rightfully speaking, they are not exactly guests, they become part and parcel of your family.
2) Snoopy guests: This is the lousiest breed. Before they come, you have to double check all your valuables and put them under lock and key. You have to even lock your mouth shut. You have to be on your guards lest you give out something which will get twisted and forwarded!
3) Invader guests: These guests are staunch supporters of communalism. They will barge into your bedrooms without feeling even sorry about it. Would sit coolly sipping their coffee while their young ones have already converted your home into something resembling a tsunami-effected area! They will not even feel sorry when they mess up your precious Music System or get your Pc virus-ed!
4) Short-term guests: These are the guests who come for a few hours. So, you can just put up your best behavior and try to impress them. On second thoughts, do you really want to impress?
5) Long-term guests: They stay put for a long time till you start wondering, which is the politest way to bid them bye. Mostly this clan is a close relative whose son/daughter needs some place to stay in your city for “some time”.
6) Demanding guests: Some guests need and demand good amount of pampering. They demand a pickup and drop from the airport or station. They would not mind handing you the menu for the day. They would make sure they disappear when its time to cook. They would coolly leave their kids for you to baby-sit while they run away shopping. They would even borrow some of your dresses!

Well well well! I certainly am all for Atithees but then has Kaliyug changed the meaning of Atithee or has it changed me?

The Big Bad World

2007-06-29T14:37:00.000+05:30

Yesterday after dinner, as is customary in my life, I started inquiring my kids about the day's happenings. My younger one suddenly became morose and tense. I could sense something was amiss. On further prodding I came to know that she had came back home from school in tears. She would not tell anyone what the reason was. Nevertheless, the stream of tears wouldnt stop. After a lot of cajoling, she finally came out with the reason.

It seems that a girl in her class is a big bully and has suddenly decided that my D would be her target for all ragging experiences. She would hit her without any reasons or some miniscule one, pull her hair, tease her for some or the other reason. It seems my daughter is not the only one, there is one more tortured soul with her. It had been happening for sometime now.

On hearing this, I started fuming inside. The mother in me could not bear to see my poor child be a subject of such a treatment. My first instinct was to somehow catch hold of the girl the next day and give her a whacking. But then the child isnt mine and neither is corporal punishment a good idea. I thought of going to the school and atleast threaten the child. I thought of complaining to the teacher. I thought of taking it up with the childs parents.

But then after cooling down I realised that I should not interfere. My hubby voiced his opinion that the parents should not interfere and the children should learn to deal all this among themselves. I am all for this ... as long as it is within limits. Physical abuse is certainly beyond that limit. And yet, I know he is right. How long will I go on protecting my child? She should learn to stand up against such treatment. She should learn to fight back. Its not without a reason that they say that experience is the best teacher.

So, I have advised her to voice her feelings to that girl strongly. If she still wont listen, I have asked her to complain to the teacher and if things dont improve, I might come into the picture.

So, here I sit hoping she comes back home with a smile! How tough parenting is! Sigh!

Live long or die young?

2007-06-18T22:18:00.000+05:30

I live in a joint family – hubby, me, 2 kids and 2 in-laws. My in-laws have been very supportive of me ever since I got married. Inspite of the occasional difference of opinion which is bound to be there when two individuals stay together, there is a basic harmony in our house. We have learnt to withdraw whenever we can sense a storm brewing. We have learnt to tolerate each other. We have learnt to guess the mood in general.There are times I get frustrated, when I feel the need to break free, when I hate that interference, when I want to do something without explanation or permission. But then I remind myself that I am blessed to have elders around who can guide me when I am in need of moral support. I can leave my kids in hands that care. I can have the liberty to be carefree in the office not worrying whether my child ate well, is sleeping properly, has been picked up from school etc. There have been times when I was bed-ridden and didn’t think of kitchen or kids at all. But now I am getting worried. My MIL is 75 and FIL has crossed 80. Over the past year, my FIL has become very weak – mentally. He keeps imagining some or the other physical ailment. If one day its lose motion, next day it will be constipation. Third day he will complain about loss of memory. Every week, he wants to be taken to the doctor and if the doctor prescribes some medicine, he will have something to say about it the next day- it caused acidity, or it causes stomach upset etc. Out of an average 16 hrs he is awake, he thinks of himself close to 16 hrs!!! During the initial days, I could sympathise with his situation. Maybe this is what old age drives you to! I used to give a patient hearing. But now I am losing it. I and hubby have tried explaining to him that with old age, decline in health is imminent. Why not accept it and lead the remaining life happily? Think of God, think of the grandchildren. Divert your mind. But no, it falls on deaf ears. He starts his day crying and cribbing and ends his day the same way. At times, takes out his frustration on my children whom I have taught to bear. Sometimes I feel I have 4 children and not 2.
I think of one of my neighbours, Padma. Her MIL is 99 and completely bed-ridden. She has to be given liquid diet every now and then. She has to be tended when nature calls. Padma sponges her everyday. I do believe in good karma and its after effects but till she reaps the fruit, does she and her MIL really have to go through all this? Padma has 2 sons, both settled in US for the past 6-7 yrs and she hasn’t visited them even once since there is noone who can look after her MIL in her absence! I am scared! I am scared of growing old. I would prefer to die young when I am still happy with myself, when I do not have any complaints against anyone, when I do not nag my children day in and day out. But is it in my hands?

Of Tagging and Myself

2007-06-10T06:21:00.000+05:30

It has been ages now since I updated my blog. Since JustLikeThat has tagged me, will do that now!

1) The one thing I like about myself is that I can be a good friend. The problem is “if I decide to”. I can be very biased.
2) The one thing I do not like about myself is that I get carried away most of the times. Whether it is love, like, hate or adore. I never know how to remain within limits.
3) The one thing I would like to change in me is my sensitivity. I want to be less sensitive to people and things, so that I do not get hurt so easily. Like JustLikeThat, I am one of those who lets people walk all over them and not able to do anything about it except fume inside!
4) The one thing I would not like to change in me is my zeal to keep learning new things.
5) The one thing I like to do anytime is “to be lazy”. Need to change that attitude as well!
6) The one thing I do not like to do anytime is “try to be centre of attraction”. I feel uncomfortable being talked about. I am too self-conscious a person.
7) The one thing I would love to learn is to be more positive in life and to adopt that mantra “don’t worry be happy”!
8) The one thing I would love to unlearn is my habit of brooding and to keep crying over spilt milk.
9) The one thing I run away from is confrontations.
10) The one thing I dream of is a simpler life J

Let me update this post as and when I discover myself more!

The Mary Poppins Handbag

2007-04-30T13:40:00.000+05:30

Mine is a Mary Poppins Handbag. Yesterday, on an impulse, as I was walking past a shop, a handbag caught my attention and before I knew it, I was the owner! Since, it was a whimsical possession and not bought out of necessity, guilt took over the initial euphoria. As the price wasnt too heavy, I managed to convince my silly conscience not to scream out loud.
On reaching home, the first reaction from my kid was "hey, this looks like the bag of Mary who had a little lamb". I got this wierd feeling that maybe it was not the wisest of my decisions to have bought it. Next thing she told me was "Amma, what will you do with your old handbag? Can I have it?"
Now, that was a difficult one since my mind was already divided in two whether I should transfer the belongings of my old handbag to the new. I told her "Not yet, I will have to see whether it can sustain everything thats there in my old bag".
So, there started my digging. Out came my cheque books and credit card pouch. Then came my small purse that holds the change. This was followed by my ID Card and driving licence. Then there was this pair of sunglasses and a comb. How can you comb without a mirror? So, there it was a small foldable one. A few lipsticks, a small bottle of perfume, lots of tissues, lots of bills! The handbag suddenly took the form of a bottomless pit. My Mobile and its headphone, data chord, a CD long forgotten! Hold on, the list hasnt ended. In my side zip there were lots of shloka books, bindis, hair pins, safety pins, nail cutter! Pens, extra clips, extra ear studs!
I was in awe. I was amazed. How did I manage to stuff so much inside that small bag? But the best part is the amount of junk I had accumulated! After throwing away half of it and stuffing the remaining items inside my new bag, I suddenly felt, it was so much lighter and vowed that this time I will learn to throw away rather than throw in the not-required items!
My daughter has the bag now! And she has learnt the art of stuffing too!

The Fall

2007-04-25T12:17:00.000+05:30

Small children can associate only one word with their “falling” – pain. They react in 2 ways. The braver ones depending on how bad the “fall” is, will just get up, dust themselves and carry on as if nothing happened. The weaker ones will start bawling while the friends and well wishers would gather and nurse them with soothing words and first aid.
As an adult, “falling” comes with 2 strings attached to it. The first is “humiliation” and this comes before “pain”. Who has made the rule that adults cant fall and hurt themselves? Then why is it that the first thing you do after you fall is look around to count the no of eyes that have you caught you in the act?

Yesterday I fell. Yes, at a shopping centre. Yes, amidst some 50 pairs of eyes. There was this small elevation of not more than 2 inches on the floor. Then there was this dog sitting a few meters away. I think he understood my phobia for them because he was eyeing me and deciding whether he wanted to bark or let me pass. I was waiting for him to pounce on me, while trudging ahead. With both eyes on him, it was but obvious that I missed to see that protrusion on the floor. I tripped and fell. Luckily, I fell on my knees and not on my face. Dash dash kgs of weight forced upon the knee along with the impact of the fall, sent a shooting pain through me. Nevertheless, the next second, I mustered enough courage to stand up. A few benevolent souls and a few curious ones came to me asking me if I was fine. I replied “Oh yes, yes, I am OK”. Then they went on to explain how something needs to be done about that elevation while noone knows what and who should do it. I took the escape route as soon as possible to the shop I was heading. It was then that the word “pain” started taking its form. I managed to reach home, rubbed some pain relief gel. Today morning the throbbing pain continues as I limp but life continues too.

A few years back I sprained my ankle in almost the same manner. At that time I was coming down the stairs in my office and managed to miss a step and twist my ankle. Again, got conscious and ran out the first thing, only to wake up the next day to a severely swollen foot and had to take the day off.

The number of times I have bumped into people while turning the corner cannot be counted on my fingers. Is it patience that I lack or concentration?

Clumsy me!!!

Everyday is not a Sunday!

2007-04-20T12:23:00.000+05:30

Today is friday! World over people would be moving around with a big smile which says TGIF (Thank God Its Friday). Not for me. The smile is not for me. That is because my company works 6 days a week. Agreed that we start later everyday as compared to my counterparts belonging to TGIF clan, but do not kid me when it comes to the "till" portion. The day can stretch much beyond the time it is supposed to end. Luckily for me, the work is not as demanding and except for some sporadic meetings, my day ends when it is still day! Yet, I would not mind starting my day early every day just to have that saturday off! You may ask me why not look out for a job that gives me that luxury, but there are reasons I do not wish to disclose here for NOT doing so.
Coming to the point, so, its Saturday that gives me the required smile that says "hey so what if everyday is not sunday....tom is surely a Sunday".
And then comes Sunday. The day to get up late. The day breakfast gets done later. The day which my refrigerator starts empty only to end up being stacked. The day myself and hubby take turns to chauffeur our kids to their dance classes and ABACUS classes. The day I love for those 1 1/2 hrs I spend learning the next item on veena. The day when evening would mean some socialising with people and remembering Gods in their temples. The day that ends with Monday Blues!
With such a hectic schedule I wonder why I still love my sundays!

Food for thought!

2007-04-14T16:54:00.000+05:30

Although I love celebrating my Hindu festivals, sometimes it is exasperating. As it happened today.
Today is our Varsha Porappu – Tamil New Year. Happy New Year to one and all. May the year be filled with everything happiness. Apart from the usual vadai and payasam, we are supposed to cook a special delicacy called manga-pachchadi. It is special because it has all tastes in it – sweetness of jaggery, sourness of mango, salt, spice and bitterness of neem flowers that we need to add to it. By eating the same, we are preparing for a year which is full of sweet, salty, bitter, sour etc moments. Then paanagam (jaggery mixed with water) and neer moru (buttermilk) also has to be prepared and offered to the Lord when the panchaangam (the years predictions) is read. Over and above all this, a full fledged lunch needs to be cooked – with rice, sambar, rasam, one dry vegetable and one kootu (wet one).
So, I had to get up an hour earlier and being a Saturday and that too a full working one for me, believe me I had to muster all my courage to do so. I took head bath. Even though my MIL is there with me in all the effort, I started the day feeling “why o why cant I sleep a bit more?” Anyway, the morning hustle bustle soon got over and lunch was partaken. I rushed to my work.

Looking back now I feel, that sometimes it is good to look beyond laziness and lethargy. We do need such occasions for many a reason. The festivals call out for family unions where we need to take blessings of our elders. The festivals give us reason to think of Him. The festivals break the monotony by giving us wide variety of delicacies. Would I ever think of making manga pachchadi if not for varsha porappu? Similarly would I ever make seedai (the round spherical rice-flour crispies) if not for Janmashtami? Each of our festivals has something different to offer to our Gods. And taking His name, we relish the same.

At the end of it all, I wonder why does our life revolve around food?

Your friendly neighbourhood

2007-04-14T12:06:00.000+05:30

Yesterday while returning home from work, as I was walking up the stairs, I bumped into my next door neighbour.
She exclaimed “Oh dear, long time no see? Whats up? Were you not in town?”
That set me thinking - when was the last time I talked to her… maybe a month back or was it two? What a poor social animal I am? She stays right besides my house. Her house only a few meters away on the same floor as mine and yet, we see each other only in months?
Is this the way to live and move in a society? I don’t think so. So, where have the things gone wrong?
I remember my childhood days. I had morning school and hence used to be home by lunch time. Afternoon used to be spent lazing around and completing homework. Come evening and all of us kids would rush out to play games that varied with season. At times, it used to running around kinds and at other times games like stapu, elastic etc. My mother used to step out too and all her friends would sit on some verandah and share the day’s happenings… some called it gossiping, I say why not? Atleast they had something to tie them together unlike us.
Today, my morning starts in the kitchen and ends with me rushing to my work. Spending the day in the office and after reaching home, its back to kitchen, studies, dinner, TV and wind up! It sounds like a lame excuse but where do I squeeze in time for my neighbours? During the get-togethers of our society, I usually am the person looking like an outsider!
I have made it a point to call all my friends home atleast for occasions like Navratri. Last Navratri, as I went about inviting them, one of my friends commented lightheartedly “You are my calendar for Navratri. When you come, I know that the festivity is just around the corner”. Her light comment, however, pinched me!
Time management is something I just have to learn however late it is for me. So, the next time my neighbour sees me, I am the one updating her on latest gossips of our society :)

Auspicious Day!

2007-04-13T21:03:00.000+05:30

Friday the 13th! A nice auspicious day to start my blog. Let me prove to myself that my fear of 13 is baseless
Welcome to the world of blogging!