Keya's Musings

Is it one year already?

2008-02-27T23:28:00.000-08:00

Does this mean I cannot use the excuse of pregnancy and delivery for my being fat? So my self-loathing days will begin soon…in another 18 days! Damn! And I also have my profession to think about – nutritionist and fat do NOT go hand in hand. Why did I have to go and choose this profession?

I have started hating people who say “ you know what – you look good even like this”. I am hanging on dearly to my sexy white jeans (size 2 BTW – Oh Yes!) in hope that I will one day be able to easily slip into them again. I hang my skinny clothes right in front of my eyes so that I feel guilty while eating that trifle pudding. All this – not helping much. Maybe I am waiting for my “call”. Some voice from above telling me to get my fat self onto a treadmill.

My little boy turns one year old on 18th March, 2008. Finally the poor chap will see the world in a different light all together – with salt in his food. I am sure first time he tastes it, he is going to be like “damn woman, you have been feeding me crap for the last eight months!” He will have to pay the price for having a nutritionist as a mom. Can you believe that he has already started eating fenugreek leaves in his rice? How can I expect him to love me after having done this to him?

Two New Births

2007-10-11T00:09:00.000-07:00

Me and my son

October, 2007 – “Baba”. His first conscious word! I think I'll wait for a little while to get mad that he called out to his dad before he did to me – even though I am the one who feeds him, changes his smelly diapers, wakes up sweating with nightmares about “having forgotten to feed him”, sings lullabies to him while he drifts off to sleep, picks him up when he wakes up startled at a dog’s barking, reads stories to him while he tries to eat the book, bathes him while he squirms and wiggles, removes his booger while he screams in my face… For now, I’ll just enjoy the fact that he said his first word.

September, 2007 – Is it possible to NOT fit back into my jeans? BOHOO :-( How do these film stars and models go back to their zero size 6 months after they’ve had their “bundles of joy”?? I guess they exercise and eat almost nothing huh. See, that was the only thing I didn’t do – exercise and eat nothing. Who would have thunk that just these two things would matter!

August, 2007 - YOHOO! I can fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans! This is the first day after my 4th month of pregnancy that I even dared to try them back on. This is besides the fact that I don’t dare sit down while in them due to risk of a medical emergency.

July, 2007 – FUNNNNN! Coos, smiles, holds, touches, complains, babbles and finally – eats!!

June, 2007 – Of course this will not last forever – feed, burp, change diaper – REPEAT for the next 24 hours (rest of your life??).

May, 2007 – Gosh! Is he smiling at me? Yes, now he recognizes me. His eyes try to follow my voice. Ouch…I think my heart is melting.

April, 2007 – Okay, so now he officially looks like a chimp.

March 18th 2007 – O.M.G!! So this is what the hoohaa is all about. We have a screaming little baby boy! People had warned me that all new borns look like chimps/orangutans – but not this one. He is absolutely precious. He came one month early.

Tooting my own horn

2006-12-08T01:24:00.000-08:00

I have started hating it when people say “Oh it’s the pregnancy hormones…I better stay out of your hair”. And I want to say “No, you fool! It is not the hormones – it is just YOU!” Anyway, it has not happened often, but if it does – I am all geared up.

At least this made my “pregnancy hormones” happy – one of my bosses who is going be my ex-boss from tomorrow had to say this to me. “You are an asset to ****** or for that matter to any organization anywhere. Quiet, methodical and 100% delivery on promises. Great!” Isn’t that something?

OMG! Was that a flutter?

2006-12-07T01:56:00.000-08:00

That is how I can describe it best – a flutter! I experienced it the first time last evening. I never thought I would have the pleasure of it so soon. I am in my 20th week and I was sure I would have to wait a few more weeks to really feel the sweet little thing move. Unfortunately I felt my first flutter when I was upset. It was almost as if the baby wanted to nudge me and say “get over it”. It happened more than once and it felt awesome. It was totally surreal. However, I still can’t feel it externally. He tried to feel it on my tummy, but I think it’s a bit early for that.

My nausea has finally gone down and I actually find a few things edible. I craved for a chocolate ice cream for the first time this week. So I guess the exciting non-nauseous part of pregnancy is here! We go in for our scan tomorrow. Ideally this would be the right time for us to find out if the little thing is a girl or a boy. Unfortunately, it can’t be done in India :-( I would have loved to know so that I could paint the nursery accordingly. And now would be the perfect time since we are in the process of selecting paint for our house and the rooms. I have decided to go in for shades of orange and yellow.

Hopefully I get back to blogging more often and sometimes about stuff other than pregnancy.

Top button off

2006-10-27T04:59:00.000-07:00

Now I have officially started looking pregnant. I can wear my jeans only with the top button off. I am going to wait another 15 days before I buy maternity jeans and a few other maternity clothes. I have decided to not invest too much in them because I am hoping to get back to my original size soon after (I live in hope).

Never had I imagined that would hate chopped up cucumbers as much as I do now. Even thinking of Chinese food makes me sick. And I can’t stand the sight of mustard seeds in food. How weird is that? I am still waiting for the phobia to pass and cravings to kick in…

I have gone back to my walks and am looking forward to starting Yoga classes soon. They say Yoga helps in shortening your labor time and makes you flexible. I seriously doubt that anything actually helps in easier labor, but I am going to try it all.

I have always wanted to be one of those pregnant ladies who look oh-so-cute with their tummies hanging out and wear everything matching right down to their hairclip. But now I wonder – how the hell do they do it when they feel like a cow all the time!! My already “well-endowed” parts are growing way beyond endowment (I know that’s not even the right word in this context – but what the hell – I am pregnant) and that is scaring the living hell out of me.

The best part about being pregnant is that everything is forgiven :-) If you are pissy and rude to someone – it’s the hormones. If you refuse to bring anything to a potluck – you are bound to be tired during pregnancy. If you talk about constipation/diarrhea/puking at a party when the dinner is on – of course, you have the right to! And if you fart/burp in public (which I do not, BTW) – you can blame it on the baby!

The Coming Posts

2006-10-16T22:41:00.000-07:00

Would I be talking more about the baby to come and what I am going through? Maybe. Even though not all my posts would probably revolve around my growing tummy, I think I would love to vent out here on my blog about most of the stuff. The only struggle would be decide if I should stick with the cute “growing tummy tales” or if I should include the obnoxious manly burps and excessive peeing…

When the first wave of nausea hit me, I was so excited! I had a proof that I was pregnant! However, as the bouts kept coming, I realized it wasn’t much fun to be nauseous most of the time. It is during the few times I felt better, that I realized how good it is to feel “not” nauseous! I somehow had gotten so used to the nausea that I thought that was the way it was going to be. Well, atleast thankfully I am not puking!

My previously flat tummy (hehehe….no harm in lying, who is going to realize now. For all you know, I did really have a “flat” tummy :-)) has gone taut now and my jeans are fitting more snug since the past one week.

I have to confess that I have NEVER (as far as I can remember) burped loudly in my life. And now, I can easily beat a temple pujari who constantly overeats – I even scared myself the first time. And you know what the sweetest thing about this situation is? My husband does not even blink when I do that – not even BLINK! He behaves like he has been used to this all his life!

If I have achieved my goal of causing a feeling disgust in all of you – my work is done. Why should I suffer alone in my nausea :-)

Turning Point

2006-10-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

I think I am never hungry and the minute anyone starts a discussion on food/lunch/dinner/snack, I feel I am going to throw up. However, as I scoop a spoonful of warm rice into my mouth I realize I can finish the whole bowl without wasting a single breath….so, I am hungry after all. I have never felt this tired even when I went on those 6-mile runs. Even though I always knew I was capable of sleeping for eternity, it seems like I have started proving that. I am being taught a lesson for having turned up my nose on people who burped loudly.

What I am trying to say is, we are having a baby! A cute tiny sweet smelling baby in another six months! And we both have already started sharing our responsibilities and most other things equally. I am trying hard to manage my terrible nausea while he succumbs to cravings.

Pure trash and then some

2006-08-04T04:27:00.000-07:00

I admit – I am not the literary pundit and I am in no shape or form a “writer” (as you all may have noticed). I thoroughly enjoy reading trashy novels – but NO, I will not stoop to romance novels. And sadly, I have realized that I am not even ashamed of admitting to this. I picked up two super trash novels two days ago and I think I am going to enjoy reading them – The Undomestic Goddess and The Devil Wears Prada. But I also picked up Shantaram for some “mental stimulation”. People – you must read this book! It is a long read but it is very enjoyable. I have finished the first 100 pages and I can’t wait to read the rest. I've heard this is being made into a movie with Johnny Depp – won’t that be exciting!

On a different note – I need a makeover! And by “I”, I mean my blog (I guess even I could use a makeover but I’ll let that slide for now). I have been searching for good blog templates but I am just not happy with any. Any of you have any suggestions? Please send me a few links. Needless to say, they have to be “free” blog templates because I am cheap and will not pay for someone to design a template for me. So, help!!

WHAT THE...?!

2006-08-01T22:25:00.000-07:00

I can’t access any blog on blogspot anymore. You always think, “It will never happen to you”. And I did too :-( Looks like BSNL did get to my ISP as well – even though it was a little late. But that’s not a problem, since I am able to access blogs through http://pkblogs.com. Apparently, the government believes that by blocking blogs they would be preventing terrorist activity. I am not sure how everyone feels about this – but I am pretty sure that if a terrorist has been blogging, he/she would SURELY know how to get around stupid bans to communicate with fellow terrorists. So much for “Freedom of Speech”!

Stamped again!

2006-08-01T03:54:00.000-07:00

My friend from the US is visiting me. This is her first time in India and she “thought” she was very well prepared for India, after having read “Holy Cow” and other such books. People! Tell me, can anyone be prepared for India? People in India themselves are not prepared for India :-) Every new place I visit, it’s a learning experience and I am always shocked by at least one thing.

So, last evening I decided to take her shopping to a government handicrafts/handloom store. Just to give you an idea – the store is probably twice the size of Frazier’s apartment (the sitcom). The store is divided into at least 8 sections. Now, that surely was not our problem. But every time we selected stuff from one area, a person would walk up to us and almost grab it out of our hands saying “we will hold this for you at THIS section’s billing station”.

Okay, we were okay with that. But then we realized that we liked many things from many sections. And EACH AND EVERY f***ing section had it’s own little billing station where money was not collected but ONLY BILLS WERE PRODUCED. So, my friend picked up stuff from all the 8 sections and I picked up stuff from six sections. We were handed 14 bills between the both of us from various stations. We then carried these bills to one location to get stamping done (You ask why? HOW WOULD I KNOW? Even the people who work there do not know why they stamp it – and I swear I have asked them that!). Then they directed us to a cashier section where we paid for our goodies and ALL the bills were stamped again. We then had to move to the delivery section where ALL our bills were stamped for the third time and finally we were handed our stuff. So, 14 bills, 11 stations, and 42 stamps later, we were ready to head out of the store and start breathing again. So, we rolled up the bills and stowed it away in our purses and just as we headed out of the store again…YOU GUESSED IT! At the door, they need to see the GODDAMN bills AGAIN to make sure we had claimed all our shopping (in other words, we had not stolen anything).

Harrowing – is the only word that came to my mind while we were pushed from one station to another. Now, why would anyone want to put anyone else through such a horrific experience? Shouldn’t the government be taking steps to make things AS SIMPLE and pleasurable as possible? *PHEW* Atleast the things we bought were worth the effort – or so we’ve been saying, to stop ourselves from setting the store ablaze…

Yes, there is something such as a “reverse snob”

2006-07-27T04:02:00.000-07:00

And he is the epitome of one! He takes pride in NOT doing something that most people do. He has GOT to look down upon bestsellers and has to point out things that are NOT right. He has so much confidence in himself that I have never seen him want to be in any one else’s shoes. He is like a potentate (that’s a new word I learnt) who believes that people should walk in his shoes. He would not associate with excessive materialism because he thinks he is better than that. He’s a snob who's above the materialist slaves. So instead, I end up getting stuck in the materialistic rut while he is out there enjoying himself. But frankly, it’s hard to keep up with a reverse snob – it’s easier being a snob.

Hello?

2006-07-27T03:53:00.000-07:00

Dear blog,

I feel like I owe you an explanation for the long hiatus. Unfortunately, I was MADE to realize that there were way too many things other than blogging that took up all my time and energy. I have been traveling – but this time, little on work and more on vacation. I was in Surat, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Vizag and Goa. And then next month I will be in Alibaug with the five-year-old. And it seems to be the season for people from the “home of the brave” to fly down here. We’ve had loads of friends and cousins coming in. And it’s been hard to explain to them why there was construction going on in every part of the city. The constant activity and the noise of drilling and hammering has become a part of life in this city. There is no downsizing anymore – only up gradations. It’s crazy!

Watch out for the pictures!

Bombay duck, Pomphret and Alphonso

2006-04-19T23:02:00.000-07:00

Ummm, ummm! That was most of what my meals consisted of the last week. I had to rush to Bombay for a week on a very short notice. You either hate Bombay or you love it – there are no in-betweens. I LOVE it. I spent many of my childhood summers in Bombay. I also spent two solid education years in Bombay. If funny how most metros in India are changing so rapidly – but Bombay seems to be stuck in time. It was fast paced, it still is fast paced and it will always remain that way. If you thought the population, poverty, pollution and traffic couldn’t get worse – think again! Despite all this there is something that is so powerful and enigmatic about Bombay. You will rarely see anyone loitering around. Everyone has a mission. And I had a mission too. I had to walk a few Clinics through two products I had developed – “Food Handlers’ Health Screening Program” and “School Health Program”. And then we tried to launch this at many schools and restaurants. We received many positive responses!

I spent my evenings with my cousins, aunts and the five-year-old who insisted that if she ate cheese (this is while she was eating it) she wouldn’t fit into her jeans!!! She also believes that if she does not tie her hair up in pigtails, it would not grow long (this one has to be her mom’s way of getting her to tie her hair).

Barring the flight delays and a weird guy hitting on me at the airport, it was a wonderful trip. I had the first mango of the season and carried back two-dozen with me. I ate fried bombay duck, pomphret, crab curry and shrimp biryani to my heart’s content. Now it’s back to the grind. So brace yourself…here I come :-S

Twilight zone

2006-03-27T22:41:00.000-08:00

We are in the 21st Century, right? Where we can cover the entire earth in a matter of days; where I can speak to my friend in Atlanta the minute I think of her, sitting here in India; where I can read opinions and views of people sitting in London, Australia, Austria, Canada, USA and what not. So, why are we still stuck in time? Why do we still cling on to old beliefs and teachings from “the book” rather than use our brains to make wise decisions? And mind you, this book is just a “convenience”. If the book preaches something that is not very convenient, that aspect is often conveniently overlooked.

I must have had this argument a million times –“The Ayurveda advices people to eat drum-ful of ghee.” Huh? Ohhh…I think I missed the part where you ran out of the house with your club for miles together and hunted down and dragged that boar to our cave…errr…house. Ok, I am not poking fun here. We all need to be sensible and understand the magnitude of physical energy that people spent 5000 years ago to just gather food. At that time – eating truckloads of ghee would have been okay. But today, when you are sitting on your ass changing channels, that “truckload of ghee” is going right to your derriere and creating a roadblock for blood to rush to your heart.

And then there is - “All our customs and traditions in our religion have a scientific reasoning behind them”! Yeah right! How don’t we have the sense to realize that everyone feels the exact same way about his or her religion? There is a time and place for everything – and that certainly ain’t 2006. As most of us know, “religion” itself is a sham. What else can explain the reasoning behind – pig-eating being sinful in one religion while cow-eating being sinful in another and eating “anything that walks or breathes”, not being sinful in another? Who were these people who decided this? I am sure God didn’t decide that he would punish only a section of people who ate beef and let the others go. I am sure there were these guys who were competing amongst themselves. One of them must have decided – “I need a USP to draw people to my team…hmmmm….what can that be now? Ya! Got it! People who are in my team will not eat pork (and my not particularly fancying pork has nothing to do with this decision)”. And then he announced, “My team members have renounced pork”!!! Now what was the other one to do? He didn’t want to be left behind. So without consulting his team members he went ahead to announce that not eating beef was his USP. So people who weren’t too fond of pork joined the former chap while people who didn’t like beef join the latter team. And the rest is history…

That nifty little accessory

2006-03-24T01:04:00.000-08:00

No matter how pretty you are, you are bound to look ridiculous in this one. Last evening I was watching highlights of the Commonwealth games and I pitied the players and athletes at their plight. Instead of smiling at the cameras after their victory, most of them were flicking away the DAMN flies! Yes, Melbourne has been taken over by flies. While we were in Melbourne in December, we were amazed at the number of flies that swarmed around us. He just could not tolerate it. Almost all his photographs have evidence of his exasperation – his face only visible in parts due to his hand coming in the way while shooing the flies away from his face; one or both his eyes closed; the frown…

Our hands ached in the evening from all shooing. And it didn’t help one bit that my Entomology class had taught me that every time a fly rests on something, it pukes and poops! Now, every time a fly accidentally brushes it ugly self to my lips, I feel like washing my lips with dettol or better yet chopping my lips off. Aaarrrhhhggg!!!

So anyways, we noticed that a lot of folks had these weird hats on during our trip to the 12 apostles. We smirked at people who wore these hats and wondered how their photographs would look like, with beautiful blue sea and apostles in the backdrop and these hideous things at the center. Soon, we realized who the REAL fools were. US!! The flies drove us nuts! It was a very similar experience to Tippi Hedren’s in “The Birds”. So, let this serve a warning to anyone planning on traveling to Melbourne - You are going to be pooped and puked on!

Few things you can't undo

2006-03-22T22:24:00.000-08:00

I don’t know why I was reminded of this today. Maybe it was a forwarded mail I read this morning. Maybe it was some – one’s/thing’s way of reminding that I should behave in a way that would never make me regret my actions. I am reminded of this incident many times – sometimes, something triggers it, and the other times it just pops up in my mind - and EVERY single time I get choked up and loathe myself.

I was seventeen. Every year there is a huge industrial fair that takes place in the city, and, it is every citizen of this town’s tradition to visit the fair and buy loads of worthless objects that may never see the light of the day after it finds it’s way home. It had become a sort of a tradition between us (me and him – while we were dating) that he would buy a HUGE balloon for me when he visited the fair. I would hold on to the string of the massive multi colored ball and lie on my bed thinking of him and our next meeting. I used to save the balloon every time - after it would slowly lose all the air and become shapeless. And after a month or so, it would totally become flat and I would add this to my existing “treasure” of the “first candy” he gifted me (I still have it at my mom’s – bottled in a tiny jar – 14 years old), chocolate wrappers, roses that he gifted that had lost moisture and dried up but still clung on to the fragrance…

So, I came back home hurriedly from my college, excited, just to have a look at the balloon he had gifted me the previous night - that I have saved out of reach of anyone’s hands, on top of my dusty cupboard. I rushed in and found it missing! I looked for it all over the house and asked everyone if they had seen it. No one had. I locked myself into my room and sulked for a long time. Late that evening, when I came out of my room, I saw my six-year-old cousin walking into the house with that balloon. I stormed across the room and slapped her hard!! I STILL remember the look on her face. She was ONLY six years old and balloons ARE meant for six year olds! She didn’t even know why I had slapped her. The minute I did that I realized how nastily I had behaved. She is older now – she loves me a lot – just as much as I love her. She does not even remember the incident. But it hurts me as bad as it did eleven years ago. The pain does not go away. My crying now is not going to make things okay for that six year old. I wish I could go back to the six year old and hand out the balloon to her myself and say “sorry” to her. But I can’t…and it will continue to hurt this way - forever.

I'll be back.

2006-03-20T02:04:00.000-08:00

I have been a bit lax on my blog scene due to my other pressing obligations such as biting my finger nails and dreaming I was a travel jockey (if there is any such thing). I am in between the biting and dreaming…thus, the post. "Thus," I say!

Ok, let’s see what else is going on. Last weekend our whole boisterous family was at the farm. My mom should be proud that my niece has inherited the exact decibel level from her…they will never need microphones in their life :-)

The mango farm was affected due to a hailstorm that hit the area a few days ago. Sadly, we may not get enjoy truckloads of mango ice cream this year. And so, we made our own cheeku and grapes-figs ice cream and inhaled the whole thing within a few minutes. Well, it was just half the quantity we started off with, because, my niece insisted on tasting the ice cream at every stage. She is going through a phase where she wants to do EVERYTHING on her own, by herself.

This weekend ten of us piled into a friend’s place to play sequence. The rule was that none of the couples would be in same team. Which meant, he was in the opposite team. And I have realized that it can get pretty competitive and most of the time is spent screaming at the “better halves” for being traitorous. I think this is one of the most fun board game for a large group. We tried two “silence” rounds where anyone who spoke would miss a turn. That’s when you realize that “sorry” and “thank you” comes so naturally to most of us. You don’t even think before you say those words.

And for my regular readers (no harm in dreaming, right?), I leave for Ahmedabad this Thursday. I will be spending the next weekend in Ahmedabad and Mumbai. I am extremely excited since I’ll be meeting the “five year old” again! So you can expect more posts about her since I usually have a hang over for at least a week. I will be flying back home on Sunday.

Huh? What did I do?

2006-03-20T01:45:00.000-08:00

My sister often calls on my cell and leaves it on for me to listen to the conversation she’s having with her daughter. It is PURE entertainment to listen to them. She called this afternoon and apparently they were in the middle of a rough conversation.

My sister: Baby, get your feet off my stomach.
The five year old: Hehehehhee (Squealing away…and it was obvious she continued doing it while giggling wildly)
My sister: Now you are going overboard!
The five year old (suddenly BAWLING!): WAAAHHHHHHHHH
My sister: What happened???
The five year old: Waaahhhhh…what is overboard?
My sister: It means it is a bit too much…
The five year old: WAHAHHHHHHHHHHHHH (even louder this time) I am irritating! (She meant, “I am irritated”)

My therapy

2006-03-15T22:25:00.000-08:00

Me: “Ma, remember when Tai bit the dog because he refused to give her the football? She was five, no?” (Yes, my sister bit a dog – And STILL, I am proud of my family)
My 5 year old niece (not wanting to be left behind): “Mau (she calls me that), you know when I was 10 years old, one big black snake came and bit me and I didn’t even cry because I am strong. I eat a lot of vegetables”:-S

I spent last five (beautiful) days with her fighting hard not to give into her demands of providing her unlimited “chapsi” (that’s pepsi in her language).

On other note…

He (to my FIVE year old niece): “How long do you take to come back home from school? What is the distance between your school and home?”
The expression on my five-year-old niece’s face: “Dude, I know I am tall but I am still only five!”

Try and try again till you succeed…

He tugs at my niece’s nose and says, “there…I have taken away your nose and it is in my hand now! Gosh, you have no nose!”

The expression on my five-year-old niece’s face: “ *Yawn* Don’t you think I am a bit old for that one? And, be original!”

Truth be told

2006-03-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

(Image Courtesy - Blank Noise Project)

Blank Noise Project is hosting a Blog-a-thon on street harassment and I have decided to contribute. However, for me to narrate all the stories, I would have to start another blog. Hence, I am going to stick to those incidents that have made wish I lived in a country such as Saudi Arabia where these street bastards would have their hands and other parts of their anatomy chopped off for their atrocities.

- First incident that I recollect every time I think of harassment is the one that occurred when I was probably eleven. While I tried to climb into a train, a hand shot in from no where and grabbed my still-flat chest. I was old enough to understand that what had happened was very wrong – but I was very young to disclose this to my parents. It was not until I was 14-15 years old that I could actually talk about such incidents with my friends and parents.

-We were a group of 6-7 kids in the neighborhood all below the age of twelve. We would go out to the play ground to play cops and robbers. A fat-old-dark guy in a grey safari suit and sunglasses that were gold rimmed would ride into the playground on his pistachio colored scooter and gratify himself in front of all of us. This happened more than a dozen times and it was only after we grew up that my sister and I realized what he used to do.

- My sister and I had gone to watch a movie and right when we were pushing into the crowd to enter the hall, I feel a sharp piercing pain in my thigh. A needle had been pierced into my thigh and taken out just as I screamed. We had no idea who did it and what could be a possible reason for such inhuman behavior.

- While I sleep happily in the middle tier of a train compartment, I am woken up by a sensation on my chest. When I open my eyes, I see a hand from the lowest berth groping me. Sad thing – the guy looked decent and educated – looks are VERY often deceptive.

- My cousin and I were watching a movie. In the middle of the movie I feel something grope me. It’s a hand that finds way between the tiny gap of two seats.

- My cousin and were walking down the street after a haircut. A cyclist decides to grope me from behind and we are unable to do anything.

- My friend and I are walking down a street that is considered “safe” and a motorist drives by whacking my back and causing me to fall – just for the fun of it.

- I was riding my scooter to my college and another scooter comes at me from ahead. As I try to move out of his way, he makes sure he comes head on and pushes my scooter with his foot. I fall off the scooter - badly bruising myself and my ankle and my new shoes.

- My friends and I were returning from our music class and all of a sudden two hands clutch my neck from behind and let go within a few seconds – for NO REASON.

These incidents do not cover even 10 percent of what I have experienced on the horrible streets of this city. Since the time I started driving a car with my tinted windows rolled up all the time, I have not experienced any physical distress. However, the cat calls and the whistles and verbal obscenities still continue to occur. On the one hand, these incidents have made me alert and strong. I am always careful now and I am ready for a fight. On the other hand, they have made me feel shameful and embarrassed. These incidents have marred my otherwise beautiful childhood. It is extremely heartbreaking that these incidents will probably make me an over protective, obsessive parent.

[Please send a mail to blurtblanknoise@gmail.com if you’d like to participate.]

Phew!

2006-03-04T03:03:00.000-08:00

Bush is finally out of India – SAFE AND SOUND. Don’t get me wrong, it was pretty exciting to have him here - EVEN THOUGH my trip to the “garden city” got postponed; EVEN THOUGH my maid’s husband got thrown into jail for a night because he was seen loitering around at midnight before Bush’s arrival (what if he was planning a coup!); EVEN THOUGH we had to sit through ALL television channels talking about his dogs – sergeant Oreo, major Snoopy, etc.; EVEN THOUGH my husband has been returning home late last few days due to the million police checks on the way from work to home; EVEN THOUGH….

But truly, I miss him already :-( The police guys are back to their defined job roles – tearing up “challan” sheets for non compliance of pollution checks, and, travel has become uneventful and routine.

I will get back now to day dream about John Howard’s visit to India…who knows - he may take a detour and visit my city. Then we wouldn’t have to wait for Hillary’s visit for that complete facelift. Aaaahh…the sweet indulgence of fantasies :-)

Please read this and be proud

2006-03-01T21:35:00.000-08:00

"A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance."

Dubya comes to India

2006-02-28T22:25:00.000-08:00

I will be traveling back to the city that found a place in the dictionary by its mere power to attract multi-nationals by offering excellent services at competitive price. As always, I am excited to be going to Bangalore – the shopping, Crossword, Brigade road, lalbagh, the Leela, and the white bridge close to Holiday Inn - I love that bridge probably because it reminds me of the walks my sister and I took during a vacation many years ago…

And while I am there, I think I’ll also throw in a Medical Audit at a clinic…

However, since my trip is scheduled for tomorrow I doubt if everything will go according to the plan. In anticipation of Bush’s visit, the city had been bustling with energy and there have been annoying police checks every few meters that have doubled our traveling time to any part of the city. The city has received a partial face lift – only in patches that Bush would be traveling on, and just as far as his eyes would see. What would be hilarious though, is, if he decided, on the spur of the moment, to command the driver to swerve the car into the first gully rather than the next – that’s when he would see the “real” city :-). I urge you to do so Mr.President – so that the next time Hillary (isn’t she contesting for the next term’s presidency?) is here, we will have a COMPLETE face lift. 141 rooms out of the 185 rooms at the Sheraton have been occupied by his advance team, many days prior to his visit. Flights are being rescheduled and air space is going to be closed for the duration of his visit. My question is - Is it fair to put a damper on a girl’s lofty shopping plans only for yet another political visit? I think not.

My first Meme (Warning! Long post)

2006-02-22T01:32:00.000-08:00

I am doing this for 30in3005, who has been on my blogroll for sometime now. And since the topic is “books” I am pretty excited. I have already reviewed most of the books that have made a difference, and the recent books I have read, on book-o-holics.

1. What is the total number of books you've owned?
I am guessing around 300. I am not sure though. A lot of my books are at my mom’s.

2. What is the last book you bought?
I bought three books a few days ago.

A Million Little Pieces (James Frey) – A story about drug addiction and rehabilitation

Trading Up (Candace Bushnell) – Writer of “Sex and the City” – What do you expect? Cheesy, ostentatious, chicklit :-)

It’s a Mom (Shefali Tsabury) – For a change, this book is completely “mom-centric”. It tackles all mommy-related issues including everything a new mom feels/goes through during pregnancy and after birth.

3. What is the last book you've read?
Couplehood (Paul Reiser) – I love Paul Reiser and that is probably one of the reasons I liked the book. I thought the book was quirky and hilarious.

4. What are you currently reading?
A Million Little Pieces (James Frey)

It’s a Mom (Shefali Tsabury)

I am reading both these books simultaneously. I don’t usually do that. But since “A Million Little Pieces” is a difficult read, I take breaks in between to read “It’s a Mom”.

5. What are the 5 books that have meant a lot to you or that you particularly enjoyed?
There is no way I could really rate them. But here goes…

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson (Mitch Albom) – This most definitely has to be #1 on my list. I urge everyone to read this book, if you haven’t already.

The Red Tent (Anita Diamant) – This also competes with “Tuesdays with Morrie” but belongs to completely different genre. This book is for women. I doubt if everyone would like this book.

Namesake (Jhumpa Lahiri) – She didn’t win a Pulitzer for nothing!

Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) – I guess everyone has read this book.

In a Sunburned Country (Bill Bryson) – I didn’t actually “read” it – just heard it – book on tape. It made us get our Australian PR!

6) What book(s) would you wish to buy next?
The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)

A Wedding in December (Anita Shreve)

Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)

Just Friends (Robyn Sisman)

The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century (Thomas L. Friedman)

Two Lives (Vikram Seth)

7. What book(s) caught your attention but you never had a chance to read?
You're Wearing That? : Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation (Deborah Tannen)

Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats--A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners (Rachael Ray) – I love her…

Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog (John Grogan)

8. What book(s) that you've owned for so long but never read?

In the past 2-3 months I must have bought at least 20-25 books. I am trying to savor each book.

The Lost Continent: Travels in a Small Town America (Bill Bryson) – I read the first page in the store and actually laughed out loud :-) He is an excellent travel author with a great sense of humor.

Life of Pi (Yann Martel) – My hubby read this book and has recommended that I read it too.

Transgressions (Sarah Dunant) – I loved her “Birth of Venus”. I think I’ll like this one too.

Four Blondes (Candace Bushnell) – Again, from the writer of “Sex and the City” – BTW, I am not obsessed with S & C. I have probably watched only 2-3 episodes but it was enough for me to get a gist of the stories. I bought this book because it was on sale. Believe me!

Mammaries of the Welfare State (Upamanyu Chatterjee) – Author of “English August” – so we thought it HAS to be good. But he finished reading it and he didn’t like it as much.

Pour Your Heart into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time – (Howard Schultz) – My boss recommended this to me – so I just HAVE to read it if I want to get a promotion :-)

Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner) – I read a few chapters online and thought they were excellent.

Blink (Malcolm Gladwell) – I want to read this because everyone I know has probably read it and discusses it.

A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) – It was on “Oprah’s Bookclub”. And most of the books they review are very good. Also, he read it and he liked it.

The Hungry Tide (Amitav Ghosh) – I have heard so much about this book. AND, it has a beautiful cover! (Hardcover)

French Women Don’t Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure (Mireille Guiliano) – As a nutritionist, I think it is my duty to read this book.

The Hungry Gene: The Inside Story of the Obesity Industry (Ellen Ruppel Shell) – Obesity, heart disease and diabetes have been a few of my favorite topics. I HAVE to read this book.

And so many more…

9. Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?

I am going to tag three bloggers who I think are just as (or even more) interested in reading. We may not share the same taste, but I am really curious about what adorns their bookshelves and night stands…

Mumbaigirl: Because it would be nice to know what “lawyers” read :-)

Geebaby: One of these days I am going to get my hands on pure literature. And when I do, I will need a guide to go by.

Cruel Virgin: Her writing is extremely open and intriguing, and, she could get away with murder! I am sure she has a good collection…

Happy reading!

Make mine a cosmopolitan

2006-02-21T03:28:00.000-08:00

What is it with guys and booze? It is not really the amount they drink – it is just the excitement that surrounds “drinks”. The guys decided they wanted to try their hand at bartending and thus, registered for a course in “tastemaker - bartending” in one of my favorite pubs here. I must say I was mighty impressed with the way it was organized. The ice buckets, the muddlers, stirrers, cranberry juice, tomato juice, lime juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and test tubes filled with colorful liquids– all arranged neatly on each table. Nice! Yay, for Smirnoff! We girls decided it would be best if the guys attended the course in the hopes that they would make all the exotic concoctions they learnt for us. Also, we did not know they were giving out certificates for the course! So we just sat there and cheered them when they received the certificate of honor.

Now, if only he can remember what a cosmopolitan is. If you think I am being pretentious and I want a cosmopolitan just because the women in Sex and the City annoyingly swoon over the drink – you would be right.

Multiple choice

2006-02-15T03:51:00.000-08:00

I am sure we all have had conversations where a person tries to say something and when he hesitates, someone else fills up the blank for him or completes the sentence for him.

Today in a meeting - four of us sitting at the table - discussing accreditation of hospitals and the current regulations.

One person says “government has come out with a set of new guidelines for equipment, facilities, and services of any hospital. And if these guidelines are not met, then the hospital’s license can be…hhhmmm….”

All the remaining three decided to fill in the blank for him simultaneously…

One person: “evoked”?
Second person: “invoked”?
Third person: “revoked”?

He looked uncomfortable, and decided to just chuck all three choices and went ahead explaining other things as if he had never begun that sentence in the first place! Hmph, so much for helping people out!

Hallmark, please stop!

2006-02-13T22:22:00.000-08:00

What is the big hoo-ha about Valentine’s Day anyway? Ok, so there are always those arguments that you don’t need just that “one” day in the year to profess your love to the person of your dreams etc. etc. For me, it’s just another “pressure” day. One week before 14th Feb, the questions start coming: “So what are you doing for V-day?”, “what are your plans”, “where are you going for V-day?” AAAHHHGG! – I want to say “NOTHING”! “I am doing nothing. Is that a problem now?” I want to walk into my office the next day and say “I did nothing!”

Hallmark, please stop! I can’t keep up with the: “Valentine’s Day”, “Mother’s Day”, “Father’s Day”, “Friendship Day”, “Rose Day” , “PMS day”, “Who Farted Day” and what not. There are ONLY so many days in a year! Please, let me be…

You are fired!

2006-02-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

Don’t sneak out of a conference for “Medical Directors of the Hospital Group” - from all over the world - to watch “Mixed Doubles” with three other couples. There is a chance you may bump into your boss and his wife watching the same movie.

To hell and back

2006-02-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

So! Last evening I had to go to his office (second time this week) to fetch my car. Earlier this week I had to go to fetch him because he dropped of his car at the garage for servicing and yesterday they were going to drop off his car. Therefore, I had to go to drive my car back home. Anyway, the point being, I had to go to his office which is about 15 miles of physical distance from here. However, the traffic can make it seem like 50 miles.

Sorry, I digress.

So, instead of taking a cab/auto I decided it would be a good idea to ride with my colleague who lives very close to his office. Apparently, that was the biggest mistake of my life. He rides a scooter – like a MANIAC!! I have always made fun of people who get nervous when other people drive and I scream at people who participate in back seat driving. But yesterday, I apologized to all those people in my mind. I almost lost control over few of my organ systems, if you know what I mean. Since somewhere in my mind I had an inkling of how the ride might end up being, I decided against sitting daintily with both my legs on one side.

As he changed gears and pushed his way through the traffic, I was pretty certain that both legs were going to get sliced off between the two buses that were probably 6 inches away on both the sides (Oh Vin Diesel, how DO you do it??). I know I had mentioned that I wanted to lose 10 pounds but NOT my legs!!! I love my legs…it was the abs area I was talking about! So I thought, if anyways some parts of my body were going to get sliced off, I’d rather have my abs sliced off. But as I tried to turn for the bus to slice off my abs, I realized that something else may get sliced off while I tried that. Meanwhile one of the buses sped away and we were stuck between one bus and a car – much more comforting. This was pretty much the way our whole journey was. I was seriously contemplating sending messages to all my loved ones to proclaim my love for them one last time, but I knew all they would do is smirk. NOONE would understand was I was going through at that time. There was no way I could ask my colleague to stop on the way, because that would totally break his heart.

When finally the ordeal ended, I could not stop thanking God for letting me have all my body parts – I told Him I would not complain about my 10 pounds. As I got off the scooter I realized people were staring at me as I walked away. And only after a while did I realize it was “pity stares”, because they all probably thought I was suffering from rickets. I SWORE I would never ever put myself through this again - EVEN for my everlasting love for him!

Him - ism 2

2006-02-07T02:55:00.000-08:00

We both bought our cell phones together in the US because there was some good deal going on at that time - buy one, get one free (for the price of 5 cell phones you dumb asses!). As soon as I got mine, I fed in the numbers and names (very typical of me) into the directory. And of course I had my hubby’s name and number stored away first. One fine evening we both go for one of our dreaded grocery shopping trips. I was in the frozen foods section while he (I assumed) was probably in the noodles/chips/beer aisle. I had placed my cell face-up in the shopping cart. And suddenly my cell starts ringing. As I looked at the display screen, my jaw dropped and I broke into a sweat even though the temperature there must have been -2 degrees. The display screen said “PICK IT UP BITCH” while the cell kept ringing. Even a dog sneeze can scare the bejesus out of me, so you can imagine the magnitude of where all my mind wandered while I saw that message – my cell phone was possessed; it was probably a stalker; maybe the KKK looking for me and what not! And then I hear it…from far away. He was at the end of the aisle wiping his tears, laughing uncontrollably. He thought it would be funny to replace his name from the directory to “PICK IT UP BITCH” :-S Ha. Ha. Pppfffttt…

We have a FAKER here!

2006-02-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

It’s been 13 and half years since we have been dating / married. We waited to start dating till I was a complete mature adult at 15 and him an immature one at 17. Shouldn’t 13 years of practice hone any skill that has been performed regularly? Don’t let your minds wander – I am just talking about things like massaging my back when it hurts. Is there a possibility that the skill may deteriorate after years practice? It has gone from beautiful, long lasting, pain relieving massages to horrible jerks with his knuckles that last for lesser than 30 seconds . And I did believe him for the past few years when he said that that’s the only way he knows how to. First, it was using hands and fingers deftly, applying pressure at the right points; then it went on to gentle thuds on my back with his fists; then it was me sitting on the floor while he sat on the sofa and tried to massage my back with his feet pushing into my back while I went sliding away on the marble flooring; then came the use of only four fingers (two thumbs and two index fingers) that kind of pinched the fat; after which he tried just rolling his body on back while I lay supine with my face down; and now finally the punches that change pace and pressure unexpectedly.

I realized a few days ago during one of his punching massages that there is a chance that he is faking it! Which human being with a good set of hands, (thumbs included!), would NOT know how to give a good, if not a great, massage? I know exactly the body part that he needs scratched just by his look and the vague direction of his index finger. Hmmm…that got me thinking. While in the US, he always rolled the clothes out of the laundry and would present it as having folded it. And I would finally give in, not being able to bear the thought of clean warm clothes rolled into a ball – and would continue to fold them myself. He always manages to open stuff – such as cupboards, shelves, chests, cookie boxes etc., but can NEVER EVER close it back! And I always thought it was “some problem he had” – poor guy with a problem – and I would close it back. But somehow he NEVER EVER had a problem shutting his laptop close, clasping the wires beautifully and neatly packing the whole thing in his bag! He always says “she does the packing – I am bad at it; she does the organizing – I am bad at it; she buys my clothes – I am bad at it; she maintains contact with people – I am bad at it” and so on. How can one be a perfect shopper when it comes to buying a six pack, and be bad at buying his own clothes? Do you think he’s faking it – just as I fake not knowing how to manage finances and change a flat tire :-)?

Summers with my cousins

2006-02-06T02:48:00.000-08:00

The week before last was the week I had my uncle, aunt and my hot and beautiful cousin visiting us. I always used to cringe when my relatives would say “Gosh! You are all grown up. You were this tall (with their hands resting somewhere between 3-4 feet from the ground) when I saw you last". I always had to fight back an urge to say “oh yeah! I decided I didn’t want to stay a dwarf forever.” And this time “I” had to fight back (a million times) from saying the same thing to my cousin! She was the “baby” in the family and now she is the hot and beautiful one with the tattoo, ready to slip into a big commitment such as marriage!! I remember, a few years ago when one of my little cousins casually mentioned that she had to buy a few bras, I actually asked her “aren’t you a bit too young for that?” And she gave me a look that actually said “are you a retard?”, but she was very sweet to answer politely and remind me that she was 18 years old and she had been wearing them for a while now. I try very hard to behave “cool” with my little cousins. I just don’t want to come across as the boring older one who gets shocked by everything they say and start off by giving them a sermon.

Ours is a very close knit and a huge circle of cousins and the most amazing part is that what was said between us cousins would remain in that circle. The older folks would never know of it. And the best part of it all was that the older folks believed that we did in fact share everything with them :-) So, everyone was happy. We spent all our summers together, buying similar clothes and sunglasses, getting similar haircuts, exchanging dresses and bracelets, talking and giggling into the wee hours of the morning – till a groggy, sleep-deprived adult came in to drive some sense into our “high-on-teens” heads.

As we grew older and entered different thresholds, life took us far away from the hot summers. However, this remains just a physical distance and not a mental one. I really hope I get a chance to become the groggy, sleep-deprived adult while my next generation giggles and shrieks with laughter in the warm company of “the cool cousins”.

If wishes were horses...

2006-02-05T23:10:00.000-08:00

I’d be living in a small cottage by the sea.
I’d weigh 10 pounds lesser.
I’d be dancing all night long.
I’d be napping all day long nestled in his underarm.
I’d be reading cheesy chicklits between my nap breaks.
I’d be eating Thai food ALL the time.
I’d be taking long walks in my farm while tending to a kitchen garden.
I’d be sipping the sling into a drunken stupor.
I’d be PMS-free!

Well, I guess I’ll wait till I am 40 to ride my horse.

Him-ism

2006-02-03T00:20:00.000-08:00

Mom-in-law: That’s such a pretty dress you are wearing!
Aunt 1: This dress is so different. Makes you look so much younger!
Aunt 2: Did you get this dress tailored from the same guy? He does a great job!
Mom: Nice dress! I love the design of the neck! Show it to pa…
Him: Where are you going dressed like a clown?!

Should this tell me something about the man I married?

Just in case...

2006-02-02T01:35:00.000-08:00

Why can’t people be minimalists? It is not just my mom or mom-in-law who do this regularly – I think that was a trend in that entire generation - just HOARD up stuff. I do not use the word “stuff” loosely here – I actually mean “stuff”. I refer to the word in its true sense – “worthless objects”. I am sure ALL our moms have sh**load of “stuff” under their beds. Don’t believe me? Go on – check it out – NOW!

“Save that string! Just in case we ever run out of the 20 bundles we already have!”
“Save that shoebox! Just in case we ever have to bury a little squirrel in it!”
“Save that plastic spoon! Just in case we run out of our dozen sets of silverware!”
“Save that last teaspoon of rice! So that we can save it in the refrigerator and throw it away the next day!”
“Save the empty mineral water bottle! Just in case the elves steal away our water jars from the refrigerator!”

Ok, don’t get me wrong. I don’t like wastage. I reuse plastic covers as thrash bags. I use the clean side of paper printouts for my rough work. But what I cannot stand is saving all this stuff into some godforsaken place in the house which would only serve as breeding grounds for roaches, bugs and dust mites. I guarantee that my mom has not checked out the stuff in her attic in the past 10 years and yet she thinks that all the stuff up there is very important! The general rule one must follow is that if you haven’t used something for more than 6 months now (except the season clothes and books maybe), then probably you don’t NEED it – just donate it! Other people can, and will use it!

And I wish this was only limited to “stuff”. Unfortunately, this behavior spills over to overstocking of groceries too. I am used to buying small amount of veggies arriving weekly. I only buy a few potatoes and onions, as opposed to the humongous bags that people get to last them a month. I have never really saved any money buying them in bulk like that (I tried – a few times), as I always end up throwing some out. There’s really no need to hoard potatoes and onions or anything else for that matter. We can always go get more if we run out.

Why do we find it so difficult to let go of stuff, especially when we don’t even remember that they exist? Why o’ why do we try so hard to hold on to so much stuff? Why can't we let go of anything we don't use regularly, and just go get another one later if we need to? What are we afraid of? Maybe a war, when we will have no place to buy Ziploc bags!!! Ooohhh….scary, no?

“PERGOLA” – The dreaded word!

2006-01-31T21:18:00.000-08:00

Remember, I mentioned about my apprehension in getting involved in building our house in this post? As it turns out, I think it is going to be pretty smooth between him and myself. However, what is currently freaking me out are the architect’s “fancy smancy” ideas about enhancing the look and feel of the house. And last night, he tried (AGAIN – for the 5th time), to get us to agree to have, not one, but TWO pergolas! And not wooden pergolas, but concrete, cement ones!!! He knew it was going to be difficult to convince us – thus he printed out a colourful plan of the façade on a beautiful paper. I should have captured the look on my hubby’s face when he saw the dreaded pergolas! He quickly nudged me hard while the architect played around with his wireless mouse and pen drive. Hubby pointed towards the pergolas and swallowed hard. See, I am not sure how it normally goes – but both of us are very uncomfortable when it comes to breaking our architect’s heart. There is no softer way of telling him that even though many people would prefer the gaudy opulence – we would like to stick with simple and elegant - thank you very much! We prefer elegant homes to garish, Bollywood fantasies.

Super-Size Me!

2006-01-23T02:54:00.000-08:00

Last evening we were invited to a special screening of “Super Size Me”. I finally watched it. It is quiet an old documentary – from the time when McDonald’s still had “super-size” on their menu. I have wanted to watch the documentary for a long time now and when my friend called me to invite us for the screening, we jumped at the opportunity. I loved the documentary – I HAD to – I am a nutritionist. The documentary was especially appealing to me since it just reiterated what the nutritionists and doctors have been advising all along. The documentary is about Spurlock conducting a 30-day experiment. Morgan Spurlock decides to eat McDonald's food for one entire month – that is three meals a day. There are certain rules to this madness: he has to eat everything on the menu at least once, and if he is asked by the person on the cash counter to 'Super Size' his meal, he will do so. The result – the obvious! Weight gain, higher cholesterol, fatty liver, abnormal levels of liver enzymes, and increased cardiovascular disease risk among many other things. McDonald’s has said to have phased out their “super-sized” options following the release of the movie. However, they deny any such claims.

What is disconcerting however, is that India does not seem have learnt her lesson from America’s mistakes. US – which is considered the “fattest nation” on earth – needs to be viewed as an example of what “not to do”. India is currently undergoing what US went through probably 20-25 years ago. People are resorting more and more to convenience foods that are high in fat and are highly processed. Number of female smokers is on the rise. Need I say anything about eating out? McDonald’s entered the Indian market in October, 1996. Sadly, in India, McDonald’s is associated with being hip and elite. I will not get into what my views are on corporate moral responsibility or ethics. Suffice it to say that even though I think it is utterly foolish to sue (or point a finger at) a company for your weak mindedness, there has to be some form of morals/principles that a company abides by. I will say no more because he and I have already had this debate a million times and it tires me out.

While the credits rolled and the lights came up, we berated our generation and discussed how eating out has become such an essential part of everyone’s life. People eat out more than 3-4 times a week which was never the case while we were growing up. I remember we would go out as a family on special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, good grades in school etc. Now, I actually cook meals from scratch for a special occasion! Following the heated discussion we proceeded to have some kick-ass Chinese food!

Say what?

2006-01-20T22:31:00.000-08:00

Have you come across people who use words that are totally out of context? Or people who actually make up new words (that don’t exist) in the middle of a conversation? I have – and many of them! (I wonder if there a word for “words that are made up”) To state a few:

--“If I tell them (the bosses) I don’t want to travel, they will sit sucking their toes”! (Huh?)
--“I didn’t know she was in town. Then, once in a blue moon, she called me!” (Double “huh”??Do you mean “out of the blue”?)
--“We prescribe for all those magazines” (You mean subscribe?)
--“We have many specialties. Per se, Cardiology, Pulmonology…” (He probably wanted to say “for example”)
--“We were just looking for a one night stand.” (He was actually referring to a one night stay at a hotel)
--“I am so worked out”. (Ok, that was me! I was REALLY worked up/stressed out :-) I do that sometimes. I cannot form sensible sentences or words when I am extremely stressed out or tired)

On a similar note, he forwarded this mail to me yesterday and I thought it was hilarious. I thought I’d share it.

THE YEAR'S BEST (actual) HEADLINES OF 2005:

Crack Found on Governor's Daughter
[Imagine that!]

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
[No, really?]

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
[Now that's taking things a bit far!]

Is There a Ring of Debris around Uranus?
[Not if I wipe thoroughly!]

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
[What a guy!]

Miners Refuse to Work after Death
[No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-sos!]

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
[See if that works any better than a fair trial!]

War Dims Hope for Peace
[I can see where it might have that effect!]

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
[You think?!]

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
[Who would have thought!]

Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police
Suspect Homicide
[They may be on to something!]

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
[You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?!]

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
[He probably IS the battery charge]

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
[Weren't they fat enough?!]

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
[That's what he gets for eating those beans!]

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
[Taste like chicken?]

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
[Chainsaw Massacre all over again!]

Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
[Boy, are they tall!]

Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
[Did I read that sign right?]

Phat? No...just plain "fat"!

2006-01-18T22:34:00.000-08:00

I am in a “not so good mood” since I heard the news this morning. My very good friend is getting divorced. He does not deserve it. I am not saying that this is a one sided thing. It is a mutually consented divorce – but still, the pain and the heartbreak that a failing relationship causes, has to be tormenting (I assume). Divorce is NOT fashionable! Anything that causes so much pain cannot be fashionable in any way. For most people, it's a shock when a relationship breaks down. Even if they've known for some time that things aren't working out, the final decision to part will stay with them for a long time.

To add to my already crabby mood, I found a tiny piece of paper that had dropped into a bottom shelf due to overcrowding of my top shelf (people who shove all junk into their shelves know what I am talking about). With a mere glance, I knew what it was. Another one of my hidden cached “to do” list. I usually start my day by jotting a quick “to do” list on a piece of paper. One of the items on my list was “lose 8 pounds”!! What was I thinking? Am I crazy? How could I jot that down? I also have a habit of ticking off against each activity/item on my list after having completed the activity. So I guess I was just hoping to lose 8 pounds by the end of the day :-S I may have been suffering from severe food coma that day. Anyway, today my list will begin with “lose 10 pounds” :-(

Pet Peeves

2006-01-10T21:29:00.000-08:00

How hard is it to start a sentence with a capital letter? Is it very difficult to hit the “shift key” and the letter at the same time? Will it take you an additional nanosecond to type “and” rather than “n” or “friends” instead of “frds”? And for heaven’s sake, we ALL have learnt (probably in our kindergarten itself) that all proper nouns start with a capital letter! You refer to yourself as “I” and not “i”. Use the question mark “?” when you want to ask a question. I know I am no pundit or a purist when it comes to the English language (I invariably end a lot of sentences with ellipses; I may use “you’ll” instead of “you will” to make the sentence less choppy). However, there are a few very basic rules that I think everyone ought to follow. Is it necessary to butcher the English language like this? What are we gaining by breaking lots of perfectly good rules of grammar?

Is this a symptom of OCD?

Everyone has their own pet peeves. Other than the above, here are things that annoy me thoroughly.
- Dog ear a book (need not have to be my book).
- Not switching off lights before leaving a room.
- Turning off the lights while I am in the room.
- Doodling/scribbling on anything other than a note book or plain paper that is meant to be written on.
- Honking unnecessarily.
- Not using coasters.
- Using a metal spatula on a non-stick pan.
- Using horrendous e-mail language – such as “4get urself”. Uuuggghhh! I HATE that.
- Using “loose” for “lose”.
- Peeking down my shoulder while I type.
- Forcing me to eat something I don’t want to eat.
- Not giving me my personal space (I mean, literally!).
- Give me a time and not stick by it (I should have been in the army).

Please let me know if these things irk most of you. Help me feel “normal”!

The shindig

2006-01-09T00:38:00.000-08:00

We had a party at home Sunday afternoon that involved drinks and a lot of food. I love organizing and throwing parties and I am absolutely at ease when I do it. However, what I am nervous about is putting my foot in my mouth. I am pretty good at that. I often speak my mind and a lot of times it is not appropriate. He is usually the one to steer back the conversation to a normal tone. I’ve had friends who are worse at party conversations – constipation, panties and what not. What is the appropriate party conversation? Or for that matter, what is an “acceptable” adult conversation. I bumped into an acquaintance from a student organization that I was a member of (more than 10 years ago). And I did not recognize him instantly – he walked up to me and announced my name. And we spent 10 minutes catching up and in 10 minutes he summed up 10 years of his life – only the positive highlights of his life :-S Why do people do that? -Especially when you don’t even know each other very well. Do I really want to know (or care) about what awards you got, or the kind of wines you have tasted (Yes! People do boast about this!!). Someone needs to write a book on this – “Acceptable adult conversation” :-)

Anyway, no weekend is complete without a movie thrown in. We watched King Kong Saturday night and I must admit that I am no longer a fan of movies that go beyond 2 hours especially if it is in a cinema hall that has seats that stick to your bottom and refuse to let go when you try to get out of them. And why did we go to that particular cinema hall? Because he believes that the cinema hall that we normally go to is a prime target for terrorist attack :-S He has no qualms about eating suspicious looking food from hawkers which would surely hospitalize you, if not cause a slow painful death…He’s weird that way :-) Anyway, our friends and I managed to coax him into going to a movie last night in the same hall which the terrorist are aiming at :-S And people, we came out of it alive! It was “business as usual”…

Throw another shrimp on the barbie, mate!

2006-01-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

I couldn’t resist that :-) I know that any Aussie reading this is going to want to kill me. Three years ago, while we were driving to New Orleans for a holiday, we borrowed the book (both hard copy and the tape) - “The Sunburned Country – by Bill Bryson” (the book is now called “Down Under”). Since it was a long drive, we finished listening to the book by the time we headed back home. You can imagine the effect Bill Bryson had on us – we decided to apply for an Australian PR (Permanent Residency) without even having visited that place. This was only because we LOVED Bill Bryson’s description of the Oz land. About 8 months ago, we heard from the immigration office and we were granted our PR. We decided to get it validated during Christmas this year – and so we did. Australia surpassed our expectations when it came to scenic beauty. This is even though we missed seeing Ayers rock (Uluru), Great Barrier Reef and the outback among other things. The little that we saw was breathtaking (like the 12 Apostles - Great Ocean Road). And yes, the Kangaroos and Koalas do deserve all the fame they have been getting all these years. However, the cities reminded me of smaller towns in the US. We were told that the local folks were totally in awe of the American culture and most people tried hard to ape the Americans. One thing that was very bizarre was the lack of Christmas festivities - be it mistletoes, lights or trees. We drove around Sydney and Melbourne and we could only see a few areas (or probably one street) that had some Christmas decorations. This was very unlike US where the festivities begin more than a month before Christmas and EVERTYHING is glowing and lit up and there’s ONLY Christmas music/carols playing on the radio/malls/restaurants/cafes etc. I think that is the most beautiful time in the year (in US). This photo below is the closest we got to a Christmassy thing in Oz.

Malaysia and Singapore were just the opposite. We visited these two places first before finally landing in Australia. Even though Malaysia’s official religion is Islam, Christmas seems to be celebrated in a big way. Our Hotel room window opened up to a direct view of the “Petronas” (Just what I wanted after having watched “Entrapment” :-S). We were a little disappointed that KL did not have the opulence or cultural history that Thailand had. Nor did it have a very distinct character. However, the food made up for everything. The food is to DIE FOR! All he thought of throughout the trip was the food. The only reason we would ever travel back there would be for the food. Here is a glimpse of Christmas in Malaysia.

Singapore is just amazing. It may not have the scenic beauty of Australia but if you want to see the tremendous achievement of man, this is the place. And our hotel room window opened up to a gorgeous view of this incredible man-made downtown. The country is absolutely well planned and clean (almost sterile). The railway transport is amazing. The laws and the rules and regulations have been put into place after much deliberation (or so it seems) and seem to be very beneficial for people residing there. And apparently Christmas is a BIG deal in Singapore. The country has a population of 4 million and I am sure all of them were on “Orchard Road” on Christmas Eve. We were literally walking on our toes because there was absolutely no space on the sidewalks. It was a beautiful experience. I would love to move to Singapore sometime. Here is a snapshot of Christmas in Singapore.

As always, I am glad to be back home to my patio, books, music and work (true!). But the past 12 days we spent together were indescribable. Holidays/vacation brings out the best in both of us. We always end up having such a blast that it becomes difficult to get back to a normal routine. I get a total kick looking at his excitement in exploring various cultures, their traditions and habits. I am so very glad that we share the same passion in this (even though we may not enjoy the same kind of food). We met so many friends (including a sweet cousin) during our trip. I LOVED IT!

I am happy to be back to my blog and my blog friends :-) Hope everyone had an extraordinary New Year!

Good tidings

2005-12-16T03:36:00.000-08:00

As another year comes to an end, I can’t help but think - firstly that I am getting older, and second - what I have “achieved” this year? Sometimes I feel like I am on a treadmill and I have to keep going because there’s no way I could jump off in between. Atleast I don’t feel that I have been on the treadmill running all along but not really reaching anywhere (stole that from him). That would suck…

There have been so many changes that have taken place in the past one year. Most of the times it’s exciting but sometimes it’s a struggle to keep up. I have learned so much and there’s still so much to learn! I hope the New Year brings me closer to realizing my dreams and takes me higher. It’s hard to believe that this is my second Christmas/New year at my current job. When I started working here over a year (and a half) ago, I had no idea what I was getting into. Even though the initial period was a bit overwhelming, I am so glad I decided to stick around. There are phases of “down time” but the other times it is absolutely KILLING. I just have to accept this as an industry trend and learn to enjoy the down time…

I am currently reading “Good Grief” and the start is so depressing. The theme of the book is very interesting and I am reminded again of how lucky most of us are. I am glad I am reading this book now which makes me respect my ‘good times’ much more than I ever did. I am glad that I will be starting the New Year on a positive note and I truly wish that you all have a very safe and satisfying year ahead. We will be traveling from the 20th December to the 2nd of January for a much deserved holiday. You will hear from me again early next year unless I have something else to say in the next 3-4 days :-)

The perfect balance

2005-12-12T04:08:00.000-08:00

Someone must have heard me when I mentioned a few posts ago how I had more time on my hands and life at work wasn’t as stressful as I would have liked it to be. The trip to Kolkata changed everything. It was just what I needed. Extreme exhaustion. However, I wish I could have gotten a few more hours of sleep every night. Since I was sleep-deprived for the whole week, I had to drag myself out of the bed at 3.30 a.m to catch the 5.30 a.m flight. This is where I lost it. I was already in a crabby mood since it was 4.30 a.m in the morning (and I am NOT a morning person).I stood in the queue to check in and there was a lady behind me who was literally hugging me. I could feel her stomach against my back (UUGGHH!). You would think airports are different and people respect personal space. No such luck. People have total disregard for ANY space. Then there were people cutting the queue, and hoardes of them running into the shuttle that carries you to the airplane because “WHAT IF” they reach second! There is a constant race everywhere. Space utilization is at its maximum. When will everyone learn to follow simple instructions – switch off (THE DAMN) cell phones, do not get off your seat until the seat belt sign is turned off. Even after the airline staff goes through the trouble of announcing these instructions in all languages possible, cell phones start ringing just as the plane is taking off! People jump out of their seats while the airplane is still taxiing down the runway. Don’t they realize that there is NO WAY they could get out before the doors open! I seriously feel like personally whacking these idiots. Done whining…

During the trip I was reading ‘Little Earthquakes’ which I finished on the flight. The book starts off with a tone that suggests that the three girlfriends have the perfect balance of life and work (hysterical, right?). I read the book while I planned my Sunday in my mind – unpacking, cleaning, organizing documents for an impending trip, making calls, replying to pending emails and catching the latest movie. I managed to do just one – cleaning. PERFECT BALANCE :-). Anyway, getting back to the book, I loved it because it ended on a more realistic note. Nothing can be PERFECT. Good enough should be enough. And that is very true most of the times…I am happy that we at least got to hang out and go for a long dinner (and not a movie). I am happy that he came to pick me up at 7.30 a.m (even after my pleading that he should not) after having worked till 3.00 a.m. I am excited about working on the next project even though right now, I feel like my back is going to break and all I need is a LOOOONG nap. I envy my friends who may be snuggling in their comforters, watching TV or reading as I sit here :-(

You can’t have everything, right?

The Bangalore Connection

2005-12-02T23:03:00.000-08:00

We were in Bangalore for a day. He had a meeting with one of his Clients and he wanted me to tag along with him – and I was more than happy to oblige. I spent time with a friend and we did what girls are expected to do – shop. It’s surprising that I very rarely shop in my home town (even though you get fantastic things here) and the minute I am in a different place, something happens and I shop a lot. If you can rise above the pollution and traffic, Bangalore is a lovely place to walk around and have fun. I still can’t get over the number of IT companies scattered all over the city. As he pointed out – we have all the biggies that are scattered all across USA, in one single Indian city. Every big company in the US wants to have a “presence” in Bangalore. That is something to be proud of :-)

At some point during the trip (and I will NOT reveal where and when because it is utterly embarrassing) I managed to fall flat on my face on a concrete road – go ahead, laugh. He really panicked when it happened but after a while when he knew it wasn’t that serious he LAUGHED! Anyway, this has become so common – me falling and tripping over stuff. I have realized that I was NEVER like this before I got married. But I tend to fall and trip so often when he’s around. I wonder why! So, this was a good start to our anniversary. We have officially completed 6 years of total dependency on each other. I wonder if what they say about “7 year itch” is true. I am going to be more observant and alert this year :-) My fall caused swelling on my right knee and now I have a slight limp. That didn’t stop me from limping to the restaurant last night for a romantic dinner.

Well, tomorrow I am heading out to Kolkatta for a week long training that I have to deliver. So you can imagine the amount of shopping time I am going to have!! I LOVE that place and I am really looking forward to being there. You guys may not hear from me for a week (I am assuming that people actually browse my blog :-))

Chicken salad and un-sweet iced tea

2005-11-25T03:17:00.000-08:00

We met one of our friends for dinner last night. He’s here on a business trip from US. We exchanged all niceties and commented on how we have changed/not changed. Then came the inevitable question which ALL of our friends in the US have asked us at one point or the other. “How is it to return back to your home land?” Of course, we both have answered this question a million times and now we no longer even have to think about what we like/do not like about returning. I thought I’d make a post out of it, so that any of you who want to return back will get a clearer picture of what it is like to be back. Of course everyone knows that every place has its own pros and cons. And finally it is ONLY up to you. If YOU have made up your mind, nothing is going to faze you.

Pros

-Family

-Very affordable (you can live like a queen with just enough money and you also end up saving much more)

-Active social life

-Maids (I HATE to sound like one those whose life revolves around maids – that is not me - really. It’s just that I enjoy not having to worry about cleaning, cooking, dusting, laundry, ironing, washing bathrooms, watering plants, making tea in the morning or going out to buy emergency groceries)

-Someone VERY dependable around – ALWAYS. Very strong support system. The minute I get worried about having to do something, I just call my mom and it is taken care of (I am NOT an escapist, though I may sound like one).

-More vacations (and easier and cheaper to travel to different countries).

-Booming economy

Cons

-Traffic (And this I think will not change – may only get worse) and roads

-Lack of civility (Nothing you can do about this)

-Lack of privacy (This is something you can work on. Once you set clear boundaries, people tend to stay out of your hair – of course in the process they just might end up thinking you are a b**ch – does that matter?)

-If you are a girl, be ready for people to “expect” things of you. And do NOT get too hassled by it. The minute you decide that this is not going to effect you and you let them know in some manner that “expecting” things from you is not going to work, everything becomes honky dory. Of course, most importantly, your spouse must be supportive.

What I miss about the US:

-My VERY special and fantastic friends (E, A, Y, H, K, I, J, A & R1, B, A & R2, K & P)

-SALADS!!! Especially chicken salad and un-sweet iced tea which used to be my lunch everyday for a few years.

-Roads

-Stand-up comedy

What I missed about India while in the US:

-My adorable friends and my awesome cousins

-Tasty Indian food (grass is always greener…huh :-))

-Weddings (of friends and cousins)

-Family

There you have it. It is all true and coming from my heart. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the US and did not regret even for a minute about having gone there. We ONLY had great experiences and made friends for life. For everything there is a time and place. I *may* want to go back there after a few years or maybe some other country. I would love to experience various cultures...it would make me more tolerant and wiser. For now, I am quiet content here.

Yohoo!

2005-11-24T21:57:00.000-08:00

We are building a house! We have been planning that for sometime now but as everyone knows, the pace of initial formalities is decided by the amount of moolah that is offered to the concerned officials. We both are really excited because this is the first house that WE have planned and are building from ground up :-). It was easy to chalk out “the plan” because we were very sure in our minds about what we wanted. He is primarily excited about our terrace bar with an attached music room. It’s totally going to rock!

Okay, now comes the difficult part. I am a little nervous about the way its going to be made. I just hope we are not at each other’s throats while deciding about the paints/flooring/bathroom fittings/light fixtures. Because I hate bloodshed (*Shudder*). Would it have been easier to just buy a “ready to move in” house? Only time shall tell. People who have been through this, please reassure me that it’s going to be okay and it’s going to be a cake walk. I am soon going to start meditation and yoga – doesn’t that calm your nerves down?

Looking at this picture always brings a smile to my face and calms me down. That is one of my favorite places in the world. And I don’t think it’s just the beauty and serenity, but it reminds me of one of the best times we had :-). I am sure there’ll be many more such pictures in future too. So, this is a picture of the moment.

"We are like this only"

2005-11-23T02:06:00.000-08:00

This post has been inspired by shoe fiend’s post on her experiences at various embassies and the people’s attitude in general – Indian Embassy - “They will be rude to the country’s subjects but fawningly attentive to those who not long ago lorded about us in crinoline skirts and tight breeches.” This is not an isolated observation. I’ve had this discussion with so many of my friends before. Indians, in general, tend to be nice to everyone BUT Indians, especially in a foreign country. There are so many instances that I can cite from what we experienced while we were in the US. I have seen this bitterness mostly amongst the older generation who had to struggle to reach US. They are bitter about the fact that things have become so easy now and how “IT people do not deserve the money they get” :-S

Sadly, this is not confined to just foreign countries – Indians here in India tend to discriminate amongst their own depending on which region a person belonged to. This according to me is extremely tacky and obnoxious behavior. And I have noticed this discrimination between “North” and “South” Indians. I have come across so many people who have migrated to places that they would have never imagined they would move to, to grab opportunities that came their way. However, they REFUSE to even try to learn the local language, culture or etiquette. And even if they did learn a word (God Forbid!), I am sure they would pretend that they have never even heard of that word before. This to me is extremely disconcerting. The same people who insist they cannot understand or relate to the language or culture in a particular part of India, would start churning out “Muy Bien, Gracias!” and “Merci beaucoup” the minute they were to set foot in Spain or France. And they would pronounce it with ease and flair. However, to pronounce “yella unnaru”, they would struggle. Such HYPOCRICY! I know a few American friends who have come to India on projects and have taken classes to learn the local languages and, we, as Indians WILL NOT learn the local language because, of course, it is “so uncool”. WAKE UP! India is growing by leaps and bounds. Forget this inconsequential battle between “anda gundu” (South Indians) and “Hee Haw/Hain Jee” (North Indians). Stop complaining!

Moving with the times

2005-11-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

That is where we were last evening watching a play. I have realized that the longer you have stayed away from a place, the more you learn to appreciate it. It is now that we are back here, do we realize the splendor of the exquisite monuments that have been a part of this place for centuries. No other place can beat or even come close to the class, tehzeeb (culture) and sophistication (not the stiff upper lip kinds) that this town exudes. It is extremely unsettling to be so torn between two opposite thoughts. On the one hand I am so happy that the city gets more and more diverse by the day, making place for new people to assimilate (isn’t that a sign of progress?). On the other hand, I feel sad about the culture getting diluted. Well, I can’t have my cake and eat it too. I can’t expect my city to progress and want the culture to remain intact. So instead of sulking, I need to start enjoying the evolution of a new culture – isn’t that an oxymoron? Can culture be “new”?

Relaxed

2005-11-19T04:02:00.000-08:00

I am sitting in my husband’s office as I type this post. I took the second half day off from work for some “personal work” (I feel like I have been saying this way too often – with the rate I have started taking days off, they might just hire a replacement and I wouldn’t even realize it). Well, what can I do – it’s SATURDAY for cryin’ out loud! Who in their sane mind would want to be stuck behind a screen typing away – apparently, ME!

*Sigh* Okay, this is last time you heard me complain about this one. They say, that to stay ahead in your field/career such inconsequential things such as “six day week” should not matter. I just have to concentrate on attaining my goals even if that meant working 168 hours a week…blah, blah, blah. However, I must say that I am currently undergoing a crisis period because I don't know what I will be doing at work and I don't really feel satisfied unless I have more work than is humanly possible to perform. As much as I used to complain about the stress of my job (including the endless traveling), I only really like it when it is stressful. Right now I'm going through the most non-stressful phase I’ve had (since past couple of months), and so I'm completely at a loss. Maybe I should just sit back, relax and enjoy it while it lasts.

Anyway, I am not trying to wallow in self-pity here. However, I find it silly that I took the half day off from work only to be stuck in my hubby’s work place (actually, I am enjoying it). We spent an hour driving to get here and I was the one driving. No, this does not happen normally – me driving when he is in the car with me. Firstly, because I CANNOT stand the constant braking on “invisible brakes” at the passenger side; secondly, because I am not in control of the music system in the car and this means that I have to listen to ONLY bits and pieces of any song -that is a weird and endearing (?) quirk he has…you will NEVER be able to listen to one complete song in one go if you were sitting with him in the car – it is either in a fast forwarded mode or a rewind mode – and to top it all, the music system even has a remote control! WHERE IS THE WORLD HEADED? Why do we need remotes for car stereos? Have we become so lazy that we would refuse to lift our arm and stretch it? SAD.

At least I am glad that I have a well planned weekend ahead of me – sometimes I like that. Lots of things to look forward to :-)

Blouse nazi - No blouse for you!

2005-11-16T02:28:00.000-08:00

Indian women would be able to relate to this better. Have we EVER been treated badly by a tailor who makes saree blouses? No, that’s what I thought. Most of these tailors are so glad to get business that they almost act servile about it. But not this one! She looked irritated about customers walking into her store. She made me sit in a corner and think of designs for my blouses and told me clearly that she would not help me in that. She glared at me when I tried to make small talk and conveyed through her eyes that she is not in the least interested about my thoughts on the traffic today. She frowned at me when I said I wanted plunging necklines and made me feel guilty about it. What is up with these tailors? Why and when have they started taking up moral responsibility for deciding how much of skin display is okay? And why did I still stand there without a show of self-respect and not walk out of that place? Too lazy and tired to look around and find a new tailor…

(For the benefit of the ignorant - The title of this post is inspired by the "soup nazi" character in "Seinfeld" - I am not being a racist here)

Joys of being married

2005-11-16T01:28:00.000-08:00

He: Looks like your car has a flat tire!
Me: I think I just need to get the tire pressure checked.
He: No! It is a flat – punctured – I think you ought to get it fixed!
Me: Baby, can you just fix the flat tire for me?
He: Umm…I think it’s just a low tire pressure.

Seven weddings, three great reunions and a baby shower

2005-11-13T21:21:00.000-08:00

Seven of my good friends are getting married this month. SEVEN! Two down and five more to go. And I am still not sure what I should be wearing for these weddings. I am going through a phase where any jewelry I wear, I feel uncomfortable and I feel it is a bit “too much”. But yesterday I felt uncomfortable after I arrived at the wedding because I was SO dressed down. And you know Indian weddings! Women try and wear ALL the jewelry they own – it doesn’t matter if it goes with the outfit or not (ok, I am generalizing here). If they own gold, they HAVE to wear it. Needless to say, I invited a lot of stares since I was the only one who had nothing in her neck and I was wearing these tiny earrings and my dress was cotton. Yeah, I know I shouldn’t have done that. COTTON! TO A WEDDING! If my friend wasn’t pregnant (not the one who was getting married), she would have lunged at me for having worn that. She ranted about me being an Indian and how I had committed a crime by wearing cotton. And she reminded me that “she” was supposed to be the plain Jane in the group. Even as a teenager, she hated make up. And I remember that we literally had to wrestle with her to tame her mane. She hated us for making her wear ironed clothes and to this date she says we abused her. BTW, this friend of mine means the world to me. I have known her since the second grade and we grew up in each others houses. I love her to death. And ONLY for this reason, I have promised her that I would wear a saree for her baby shower tonight and also for the reception on Wednesday. Fortunately for both of us, our husbands got along like a house on fire. Rarely does that happen. You know what I mean? It is SO difficult to find a “couple” where all four can get along very well. This was very important for me, especially with this couple, since this friend means a lot to me.

I have a lot to be thankful for. In the last week I met three friends who have been there for me during various phases of my life. And I was reminded (again) how beautiful, caring and down-to-earth they are.

*Sigh* I better get all the blouses ready for my flashy sarees if I want to blend into the crowd in the coming weddings…Who am I kidding? I am EXCITED!

The outdoors

2005-11-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

As much as I adore my house, I could never spend an entire day at home without an outing - even if that meant going to the grocery store. Sunday was one such perfect day to be out. We were invited to a day long picnic birthday party which was such a welcome change from our regular movies/pubs/restaurants. There were about 10-12 ten year old boys! So you can imagine the amount of energy that surrounded us. The physical activity, adrenalin and excitement - was very soothing in a way. It reminded me of my childhood when we spent most of our time (after school) playing outdoors – Hide-n-seek or aaispice:-), Cops and Robbers or chor police, Hopscotch or thokkud billa, Badminton, Kho Kho, Cycling and much more. My parents took us to a park EVERY weekend where the five of us would play. Picnics were at least twice in a month affair. My parents have always been very energetic and my mom used to make up these cool games for us. And I owe my active childhood to them and to the absence of The Idiot Box. Believe me when I say that I am not one of those people who would start rambling about “during our time…” But I do believe that anything to do with physical activity has almost become an “event” now, rather than a “way of life” which was the case earlier. We have to spend money now in order to keep kids active – tennis classes, swimming classes etc. Well, I guess I just have to accept that lifestyles are changing – for better or worse. Hmmm…maybe I’ll go for a quick walk during my lunch break…it’ll make me feel better about myself.

At the risk of sounding philosophical

2005-11-06T23:27:00.000-08:00

The past few months have been extremely revealing to me. I have begun to understand myself like never before. I know I am a bit old for finally figuring out who I really am, but I know it’s not late. It is just amazing how little you know about yourself and there are times when others point out things about you that you have never realized. NOW I think I am getting to know who I really am and what my objectives are (sounds almost as though I am writing my research paper). This is an ongoing process and I know I am just at the beginning.

For those who have always wanted to “find themselves” – let me tell you – you do not have to become a recluse or escape to an isolated mountaintop to find yourself. Just “think”. Think about yourself; what you have been doing; what you want to do; and what your ultimate goal in life is. That’s it!

It wasn’t that I took time out to find myself and then one fine day there was an epiphany! No, these moments have come to me in the most ordinary circumstances. For instance, just the other day, while driving, I realized that I am a person who does NOT get influenced easily and I am extremely opinionated (which may not always be right). I have always been made to feel that I am a little weak and I get carried away by what people think. In fact, when I think back, I have always done everything AGAINST the natural flow - and I will save the details of these events for later :-)

Last few months have put me in touch with the basic themes of my life. That people matter. That people who are mean to you or to people you love, DO NOT matter. That love and our time are all we have to offer each other. That death is a mean dog, and that he comes for all of us. That life is worth living, no matter how agonizing or daunting it sometimes gets. That magic is real.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you – I have mentioned in my earlier posts that I am going to write about anything I feel like…

The eccentric pooch

2005-10-31T01:03:00.000-08:00

I called in sick on Saturday and both of us spent the weekend (two whole days!) together. We helped one of his cousins move into his new apartment. This couple is the best couple I have inherited upon marriage with him. We later went to a friend’s place and gambled into the wee hours of the night. I lost everything, whereas he made a profit of 285 bucks! So, together, we made a profit of 85 bucks, which was not bad. Sunday was just perfect. I realized on Sunday that I might have a problem. I actually thoroughly enjoy cleaning my house and making it look pretty. It is not just another chore for me…rather it is my form of meditation :-) (And of course it helps to have a maid who is in charge of the “implementation” while I am there for “ideation”). After a whole day of lazing around, we went hunting for someone who makes lampshades but to no avail. Then, the highlight of my Sunday – We came across a book fair and ended up buying quiet a few good books. I plan to go back today to get a few more. One of the books we picked up was “how to live with a neurotic dog” – though I must say I was hoping to find “how to live with a psychotic dog”. Yes, we have a dog (bitch actually – but I am going to call her a dog because that sounds more “lady like”). We actually adopted her from my in-laws. She is already a senior citizen in dog years (12 year old) and she does behave like one when she is in a mood to demand attention. She’s quiet a drama queen…she “forgets” about behaving old when she smells ANY form of meat or salad. She receives many compliments about how young she looks and I can see my husband smiling proudly almost as if he has contributed. Infact, that is all thanks to her diet. Her diet comprised of two bread slices with a cup of milk for lunch and dinner, for 12 years of her life! ONLY that for 4380 days! It’s only after we adopted her has she realized why she belonged to the “canine” family. In her “mind” she believes she is extremely ferocious and huge. She confidently barks (until she’s frothing) at any buffalo she comes across and all they do is, throw a glance her way and say in their buffalo language - “whatever”! They say, “Dogs are loyal companions”. Not this one. She does not even look at my mom-in-law who has taken care of her for the past 12 years; instead, she has become an ardent devotee of my husband. So, you get the picture – she is plain eccentric (his devotee???). We are hoping that this book would help us teach her some etiquette…

How much is too much?

2005-10-20T00:07:00.000-07:00

Should I be happy about the fact that unlike most other husbands, my husband is extremely involved in “making” our house look beautiful? I was happy there for a while, but then comes along a comment that completely throws me off - “You are not really the creative type”!ME??? AND NOT KNOW ABOUT THE BEAUTIFICATION OF MY OWN HOUSE?? *Screaming*! Fortunately for me, anyone who walks into our house looks at “me” and says “you have done a fantastic job here”…hehehe. And most of the times, I remain mum and do not divulge any information – that most of my living room (which I LOVE BTW) has been my husband’s creation. After all, what’s wrong in taking credit for my husband’s work – what’s mine is his and vise versa, correct?

Anyways, that being said, yesterday I picked up this gorgeous lampshade in an expo that costed me almost NOTHING. It is made out of banana fiber (People - I am saving the world here!). I placed it on one of our antique lamp stands and I think it looked pretty okay – it was a bit too small though. But I thought it looked MUCH better than our tattered old lampshade (that most people think is “meant” to look tattered/antique – and of course we don’t tell them otherwise). Then comes waltzing in – my husband – and screams like he’s seen a dragon. He immediately pulls the shade down and puts the old one back up. I KNOW for a fact that if HE had bought this shade, he would have said, “Look at this beauty – I am so creative”! Anyway, that’s all water under the bridge now – the banana fiber lampshade goes up again this afternoon and will spread its glow in my living room by sunset :-)

Aah! The simple joys of life...

2005-10-14T02:47:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous day outside! Most people usually find cloudy weather a bit gloomy. But I just LOVE it! I love the cool breeze that blows just before the dark rain clouds start moving in.

And it was just the perfect day to step out for a bite. A bunch of us piled in to the car and drove to a fine place for what turned out to be a HUGE bite after all. After a nice Chinese lunch, all I want to do is to go back home, play some soft music, take my goose down comforter, stack up two huge pillows on my bed, curl up and read the lovely book I am currently reading (English August – awesome book) – just popping my head up once in a while to stare at the beautiful plants in the patio. Now, that is heaven! No, wait – put my man beside me – both of us quietly reading (I repeat – “quietly” reading:-)). Yeah, “that” surely is heaven :-)

Up and down the block,

cats pant,

heat wavers off tar patches in the broiling alleyway....

I stare out over rooftops,

past chimneys, into the way off distance.

And that's when I see it coming,

clouds rolling in,

gray clouds, bunched and bulging under a purple sky.

A creeper of hope circles round my bones.

"Come on, rain!" I whisper.

~Karen Hesse

For you...my friend.

2005-10-07T03:07:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my one of my bestest friends. We exchange long, detailed mails every other day so it’s almost as if we lived next door (she’s in the US). Her mails always full of love and they always make me smile. Pasted below is an excerpt from her mail to me…

“Mondays are bad enough without having to give a presentation too. I am not looking forward to it. I am nervous because I am so out of practice. Remember in school, we gave one a week practically. I can't believe how true the saying is "if you don't use it, you lose it". Too bad that doesn't apply to my butt!”

I love you girl…I think you are one of the funniest girls I know :-)

TGIF!!

2005-10-07T02:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I get to say this just ONCE in a month (remember I work six days a week?)…so even though it has been said a zillion times before, let me say it again…TGIF! Second Saturday of the month is the only Saturday we don’t work. I am so excited about the weekend…without even having any concrete plans. Just the idea of sleeping in and spending some “quality” time (again, even though this is a cliché, “I” totally have the right to say it, since I get to spend only an hour in the whole day with my dearest) with my super busy hubby… *Sigh*. However, I am NOT going to complain because “I” get to blow his hard-earned money :-) Poor chap - toiling away while I get my manicures and pedicures – O’ the injustices of life…

Gawd dammit Tivo!! It's time to come to India already!

2005-10-07T00:51:00.000-07:00

If McDonald's and KFC could come to India, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't. People here are just as crazy about TV as they are about 'artery-clogging lard'. Or, is it that the USA is conspiring to solely "outsource obesity"? I want an answer...NOW!

No more "F" word

2005-10-03T04:09:00.000-07:00

My husband thinks that the usage of "F" word does not go with "my image". So, no more of that from me :-)

Friends forever

2005-10-03T02:13:00.000-07:00

I work in a place that does not believe that people need two days in a week to relax. So basically I work 6 days a week, which totally sucks. This weekend (which means only a "Sunday" for me) was the most fun weekend I've had in ages. We traveled 10 hours to meet a few of our old friends from college days - all of who were so much fun! We had never met their respective spouses and it was very refreshing to meet these people (new) who had no hang ups what so ever. These guys and girls (all of them) are very successful in their own careers/businesses and if they wished, they had a LOT they could "boast" about. Instead, they choose to be humble. We had a BLAST and I can't wait to see a few of them again - in December. The 20 hours of travel were worth the precious 10 hours we spent with our friends.

For me, fortunately, I've never had to "try" to make good friends. I have been extremely lucky (knock on wood!) with friends. I have friends from my kindergarten days that I still hang out with. There was a period in my life when most of my friends were boys. And now when I think of it, it surely didn't have much to do with "chemistry" or anything but it was just that the formula with boys was pretty simple - Boys = no drama or histrionics = low maintenance. However, in the past few years I’ve realized that I crave more and more for my girl friends. I have realized that female friendships are not frivolous. They are sustaining in real terms. I am so grateful that I have many wonderful girl friends who are not just acquaintances but who have been there with me through thick and thin and who I KNOW would drop everything to be there by my side if needed. I hope they know that I would do the same for them.

A study found that not having close friends can be as damaging to a woman’s health as being overweight or smoking. Still other studies have established that women make the connections (with other women) that create the social networks, which in turn keep men healthy.

The books and the cobwebs can wait. I am going to call a friend today and go out for a glass of wine, a coffee or a long walk. Or probably I’ll just make a phone call and begin to reconstitute an old friendship.

Good friends are hard to find…and I will never take them for granted.

Putting things into perspective

2005-10-01T04:31:00.000-07:00

I got back from my trip to Kolkata last night after having achieved everything that I had set out to do (work wise). I am thankful that I got a taste of the "real" Kolkata (Bandh included) since I was gone for four long days. Inspite of the smell, fumes, traffic and the poverty that hits you harder than the heat (and believe you, me - it is hot as hell), the city has a charm of its own. This trip to Kolkata has brought me down to earth. Everything that I experience from here on has been put into perspective, which has to be a good thing.

I thoroughly enjoyed shopping( at New Market and Park Street) and above all I LOVED the food! No, unfortunately, none of my meals comprised of fish and rice (staple diet of Bengalis). All I ate was lovely Thai food - my fav - and some good European food at "Flurys". The dessert (which I almost inhaled) was awesome!

I also got a chance to spend a few minutes at the colorful Kalighat Temple. However, the pandas there kinda freaked me out.

Well, I must say that as much as I loved Kolkata, being back home feels terrific...but sadly this will last for only a few more hours. I am travelling again to Poona tonight. I'll post more when I get back home.

MONDAY SUCKS!

2005-09-26T03:35:00.000-07:00

MONDAY SUCKS! I know, I know, this has been said a zillion times before…but do you realize that it REALLY sucks?! Especially since my office decides (out of the blue) that having Monday morning meetings would help increase revenues (where did that come from!). Anyhoo, this means I have to wake up early and reach the office on time (yes guys, it is possible)!! It is a royal pain in the ass….pardon my French.

The weekend was fun. We watched a HORRIBLE movie on Friday night and then watched a good movie on Saturday night. Why o’ why do most bollywood movies suck so bad! Have people just given up innovating? Almost all Bollywood movies just copy Hollywood movies (if not the whole movie, at least parts of it) and leave no room for creativity.
I leave for Kolkata tomorrow. I am pretty excited since this is the first time I am visiting the city and I’ve been told that the city is very rich culturally and has a character of it’s own. I will publish a detailed post from my experiences.

A Beauty!

2005-09-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

I had actually written something on the day that my car was delivered (Sept 19th, 2005) but I did not get a chance to post since I was traveling. Before you read on, let me warn you, my posts may not have any particular sequencing. First paragraph may not even be remotely connected to the next. I just write what I feel like and what comes to my mind. Below is a post from Sept 19th.
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Yes, I FINALLY got my car. All the formalities took about three hours but fortunately we were just in time to the temple. Hindus sanctify all new items and implements that are used in everyday life. This is my favorite temple and it has a special place in my heart. Not that I am religious...I just have some fond memories.

As I mentioned, I am not a very religious person. This is even after the fact that I had an extremely religious upbringing. I wonder how my parents feel about this. I am thankful that they raised me an independent thinker and gave me room and time to form my own opinions. I may not term myself an atheist…agnostic, maybe. I do want to believe in the existence of God…maybe I will, someday.

My First Blog!

2005-09-19T03:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Y'all!

This is my first blog and I am very excited about it! This blog is going to be about EVERYTHING. I am going to write about anything and everything.

Today has been a great day so far. I just got a call from my car dealer saying that my dream (current) car is ready for delivery after 3 f*$%*#g long months of wait period! It is a real beauty...that explains why I decided to wait for that long. I will upload the pictures soon.