NOMADIC MONOLOGUE

Travel and thoughts uncensored

2011-05-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Remember writing an email just before starting a 'voyage' way back, well, its kinda repetitive. I go through a strange kind of phase before I leave for a tour. And today, I found myself doing the same. Didnt write an email though, but was 'writing' a similar note, a checklist in my mind.

Hmm, coming to think of it, looks like I have a remnant from some previous lives, and I am still figuring it out. Given the kind of travel I do, I shouldn't have such jitters at all. But, what to do, I am sharing what I go through, real honest. Who knows, I probably have died in travel mode in my last birth? Who knows, probably I had lost all communications with my near and dear ones once I set out for that voyage?

Ha ha ha, sounding psychic, real strange, no? But, its ok to have different thoughts coming up and I let them be as they are....

Yes, its gonna be a lot of travel and its giving me a lot of jittery moments. Its kinda, I know everything will be alright but there are those moments of nerves which prepares me for the sojourn, which tells me its time to start packing, its time to give one last look at that Budhha picture before you close your apartment door, its time to start the voyage.

And I am preparing for all the voyages in store for me this year, and I know who all are counting... Ahh, let me explain...

Friend 1: "how many pages are left on your passport"
Moi: its my second passport, should be enough to accommodate my travel in 2011 :-)

Friend 2: "how many new places, this time"
Moi: (taking time) 1+1+1+1...four places in next two months

Friend 3 (a very cute one): "I am counting, so its going to be 20+ countries, eh?"
Moi: whoops, is that true, wow....you surely count :-)

Well then, you got the picture. And I gotta go, have to start packing. And I dont have anyone help me taking that suitcase down, ok...I will manage.

One hell of a BITCH :-)

2011-05-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

This is from one of those forwarded emails and I just couldnt stop laughing :-)
Well, here's something to all the super-duper bitches in this world (including moi!)
And btw, I like the second abbreviation the most, I like, I like :-)

"When I stand up for
Myself and my beliefs,
They call me a
Bitch.

When I stand up for
Those I love,
They call me a
Bitch.

When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts
Or do things my own way, they call me a
Bitch.

Being a bitch
Means I won't
Compromise what's
In my heart.
It means I live my life MY way.
It means I won't allow anyone to step on me.

When I refuse to
Tolerate injustice and
Speak against it, I am
Defined as a
bitch.

The same thing happens when I take time for
myself instead of being everyone's maid, or when I act a little selfish.

It means I have the courage and strength to allow myself to be who I truly am and won't become anyone else's idea of what they think I 'should' be...

I am outspoken, opinionated and determined. I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that!
So try to stomp on me, just try to douse my inner flame, try to squash every ounce of beauty I hold within me.
You won't succeed.

And if that makes me a bitch ,so be it.
I embrace the title and am proud to bear it.

B - Babe
I - In
T - Total
C - Control of
H - Herself

B = Beautiful
I = Intelligent
T = Talented
C = Charming
H = Hell of a Woman

B = Beautiful
I = Individual
T = That
C = Can
H = Handle 'anything'"

Its about Everything....

2011-04-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

Everything by Alanis Morissette

I can be an asshole of the grandest kind
I can withhold like it’s going out of style
I can be the moodiest baby and you’ve never met anyone
who is as negative as I am sometimes

I am the wisest woman you've ever met.
I am the kindest soul with whom you've connected.
I have the bravest heart that you've ever seen
And you've never met anyone
Who's as positive as I am sometimes.

You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can’t relate
And you’re still here

I blame everyone else, not my own partaking
My passive-aggressiveness can be devastating
I'm terrified and mistrusting
And you’ve never met anyone as,
As closed down as I am sometimes.

You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can’t relate
And you’re still here

What I resist, persists, and speaks louder than I know
What I resist, you love, no matter how low or high I go

I'm the funniest woman you've ever known.
I am the dullest woman you've ever known.
I'm the most gorgeous woman you've ever known
And you've never met anyone as, as everything as I am sometimes.

You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can’t relate
And you’re still here

And you’re still here
And you're still here...

Dreams uncensored!

2011-04-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

Hmmm....I do dream a lot. Yes, I do live in my own world, my world of dreams. I am happy that I have dreams, I am happy that I live to see my dreams come true. Yes, its true, dreams do come true.

I am reliving one such moments when I see my dreams coming true. Looks like this year is going to be a dreamy year. This year is going to be an amazing year. This year will be my globe trotting year! Yes, I am awake, wide awake and seeing my dreams come true.

I am happy that the nomad in me will have an opportunity to set her feet on different soil, on different shores, and on different mountains. She will have her moments of joy with air in her hair which she so fondly loves. She will have moments of happiness filling her tummy with different food, gorging on different tastes. She will have her time of her life setting her eyes on wonderful monuments which stood the test of time.

Hmmm....I am already sensing the itch, and the 'mustard seeds under my feet' started to roll again! Whoosh......

Yes, dreams do come true. Dream. Live. Be happy.

Quote Unquote

2011-04-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do... Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Life's a Beach.....

2011-04-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Life is like a wave, things go and things come….sounds like as if I am writing this from middle of a beach holiday, no? I would have loved that….what a thought! Probably, deep within, I am longing for one such holiday, just to listen to the gurgle as waves after waves keep crashing on the shore, soaking in all the air laden with smell of the sea, soaking all the warmth of the sun from under those shades of palm groves, while leisurely hanging from my hammock.

Now, coming to talk about where I started this post….Well, to tell you the truth, I am growing patient with me, and watching me how me goes about doing things, how things around me keep happening….

Its amazing to realize that most of the time you don’t have to do anything, things just happen…just go with the flow….and there it feels so meaningless, so foolish to be so pumped up about things, so charged up about some work….yes, its just our way of looking at things. Its our way of making us think that we are important and that we are making things happen.

Coming to talk about waves, I am seeing an amazing pattern these days around me. Well, more precisely about people around me. And call me psychic, call me intuitive, call me whatever….but I feel as if I am living in a déjà-vu, I kinda am watching a movie which seemed to be so known!

Yes, I am seeing some kind of pattern around me, with people around me. People around me - they come and then they go. People around me are moving in and then moving out. People around me are getting pulled in by a huge magnetic force in my life and then they are disappearing somewhere as if another huge magnet pulled them in another pole. And with this goings and comings, I see a pattern- I am just mere a spectator, I have no role to play…or rather I cannot do anything. I have no control. I like it that way, I don’t want to control, its much less work if things happen on its own. Yeah, I am a lazy bum with a nice façade. I am a control freak who wants to be nice, and doesn’t know how to pretend. Honestly, I don’t want to control anything. I just see things and I know what all are happening, probably why things are happening but again I try just to watch the show and not be part of it.

Have you ever done this? If you ever, then you will see how cool it is to be a watcher, to be a by-stander, to be a mere passerby in this game of life as waves after waves keep crashing at your feet when you walk on those soft sands all soaked up, all warm yet so wet from the sun and from the water, on that beach. Suddenly everything looks so serene, so beautiful, just so very relaxing.

Yes, letting go of things is indeed very calming. I have done that, I have lived that. And I like living that way…..

Quote-Unquote

2011-04-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

"Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile."

Feelin' light.....

2011-04-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

"Introspection is the self-observation and reporting of conscious inner thoughts, desires and sensations. It is a conscious mental and usually purposive process relying on thinking, reasoning, and examining one's own thoughts, feelings, and, in more spiritual cases, one's soul." Feelin' good...Happy that I did this today (wide grin)

the air around me :-)

2011-03-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

Love air in my hair….umm…I love it when cool breeze plays with my unruly locks…..I like it when its disheveled, just out of bed. Well, that’s my look actually…I have a real nice, low-maintenance look and I don’t even need a comb! This hairdo just sits so perfectly on me, err suits me so well, every time, all the time, while on vacation, while I am at work, after shower and even on a bad hair day!

Don’t know why of all topics I am talking about hair….well, loved air in my hair this morning, while seeping some nice Darjeeling tea in my balcony. Yeah, spring is here….

Yes, I know why I am talking about my hair. Because, just the other day a certain colleague commented on my hair and I kinda didn’t understand whether she was complimenting or being sarcastic. If I corroborate the conversion it almost could sound ‘why don’t your hair fall?’ (smirk!) Well, I offer benefit of doubt and move on thinking probably she is envious of my lush unruly locks and may be my hair is note-worthy. Hmm…I mean what else you could do in such a situation? Would you try showing her that your hair is glued on the scalp with some fancy gel? Ha ha ha….

Moving on…from hair to air…And talking about air, I do have an air about me. Well, we all have and it’s not a bad thing. I rather feel a certain air about yourself is really cool, it’s confidence building, it’s encouraging, it’s infectious. And it’s all how you play the air….'play the air'? well….read on….

Call me arrogant, call me difficult, and call me troublesome. I know one thing for sure, someone just could not topple me and probably all roughed up so hence such names. I don’t mind either. Call me whatever you may, I will care if you are worth paying attention to. And most times I get such names from people who either just found them in a sticky situation, who are unfair, who are unprofessional and trying to get through me, who are outright incompetent and trying to get into a logical conversation. Well, I don’t mind failing but I will never go down without a fight. I feel it’s my obligation to reason out, and show things the way it is. And I can be a tough nut despite such lush hair and real nice façade (wide grin)

I know it’s only when I give you a tight fight and you see red in the eye, you mouth such names. Well…

I love the air I wear, I love the way I am. Because I know I am walking straight, I am walking in all fairness and I am walking the walk I can walk. I do what I can, I never try to do more than I can do. I only do things what my pocket allows me, which I gracefully own. Thus I despise people who flaunt larger than life persona and forget to pay the bill at a fancy restaurant where they invite themselves. I pity such gluttons who only can fill their mouths with others money. I call such creatures a failure with all academic degrees they accumulate from around the globe when they are unmindful of courteous behavior. What is the point when you cannot think of spending a penny from your pocket for your travel and ask for change from the host at a housewarming get together? What is the point when you invite someone on her birthday and let her pay for the party? Such parasites are burden on this planet and it’s worthwhile if you know them at the earliest and weed away.

And end of the day, I could care less if such parasites call me names….as it’s not worth wasting time and energy on such non-worthy things. O’yeah, I really love the air I have about me, the air in my hair, and my hair looks great….and its gonna be like this for some more time. So, I can tell a certain someone that the wait’s gonna be long (wink)

Eye-ohhh (2)

2011-02-25T01:34:00.000-08:00

"I can still see that lovely eye liner that you’d put the last time I met you. It really made your eyes look gorgeous."

Ouch....I just read this in an email sent to me and I said "eye-oh!"...err aiyo! This has reference to a meeting at a lecture and it seems people notice my eyes and remember them, I wonder people also remember what I speak so passionately on Tuberculosis researches I do in India. Hmmmm....

What can I do? I do have real nice eyes, as they say gorgeous eyes :-) Call me a narcissist but there have been precedences as well.

Eyes Eyes Baby Baby!!

On the "Face" of it.....

2011-01-27T08:14:00.000-08:00

Lets face it, ok? Well, we have been facing these a lot these days and that's why I say, lets face it, huh?

It was an emotional moment that afternoon when she felt a pang in her heart as she typed " that was a time when we lived in the same neighborhood and met everyday in the class and then there was a time when we didnt have any news about each other and now here is another time when we are looking at each others pictures and chatting on FaceBook".

Once they were neighbors and they were best of friends and there wasnt a day when they never met each other except for those six weeks when her family would travel out of the city during summer vacations each year. Well, that was the time...

Now here is another time when he saw her picture first time ever, a photograph that is, when her name appeared on a common friend's friend list. Umm....things change, time changes, and looks change too....and wow, she looks different. Nice.

So on the face of it, its nice to be in touch with long lost friends and nice to see how old friends share notes, how friends are curious about life, how we keep moving in our lives and how we get into different paths when we had started together and how our paths cross when we have no idea where we started. Well.....

Nice, I am happy, things are moving, things are shaping up, things are making sense. And there was that smile, that happy smile that I love and I long for....

That afternoon, from within that music, from within that euphoria there was that moment which was so perfect, so unusual and yet so in-sync that everything felt normal. Yet it was different. Nice.

A song for you....

2010-11-17T05:09:00.000-08:00

simplifying the complexity

2010-11-16T06:22:00.000-08:00

Hmmm....I didnt think of visiting my blog today but someone had left a comment on an old post and that brought me here. Interesting, how I deviate from my plans, how I just put aside those dirty dishes on my kitchen sink and devote some time to my blog. Well, not that I dont like to write err blog...I rather like to be consistent about my writing as I nurture my dream to have my own book, a bestseller. People who read my blog tell me that I write well, that I kinda can weave things and its interesting. Recently my big brother went through my blog and read some of the posts and he even recommended me to start writing on a particular genre, I am glad, I am happy and these words of appreciation inspire me to write more, to create more, to weave more with my words. Yes, words...

Things are going crazy lately, life is so hectic that I am losing count of days and how its already mid November and I have no idea its just feels yesterday I was thinking about going to the mountains to beat the summer heat in Delhi. Hmmm, truly, time indeed flies...You know, you are lucky to get this feeling as this means things are going good...and you are going with the flow...I remember one friend saying this one day. Yes, I am grateful that things are all good, li'l hectic and tiring but its all good, as they say in NYC.

Talking about pace, speed, life's ongoing string of things, and in the midst of all these madness I sometimes think its good to have no format, no pattern and its fun to be spontaneous, and be there for that moment. Its good sometimes to have no plans...or the way the ultimate 'virgo' in me would put: its ok not to follow the plans! Well, I really dont know, whats good and what's not...as end of the day if I can flash that smile which you call bewitching, I am happy with that. If at the end of the day I can fall asleep next to you, I am happy with that. If at the end of the day that funny, non-descriptive curry I churn out in my new kitchen tastes like thousand bucks, I am happy. Actually, its really a simple thing to be happy in life and I dont know why people choose a complex route for happiness. Anyway....

May be I should be asking this to myself...as I sometimes become such an epitome of perfection that things go really rigid, really structured and my scheme of things do look like a fortress...as if I am that super warrior with a no-non sense air...hmmm...

Well, I am good as long as I take time to point fingers at myself. No one is perfect, you see....

Talking about complexities, I do get bit worked up when things are not so simple around me, when things are unclear, when things around you give you doubts, when things around you make you think twice. I am sure it doesnt give you a good feeling, when in one hand you expect a bunch of roses but you are poked with thorns. Who like to have such surprises? Not me at the least.

I know roses are enchanting, beautiful and so ethereal... but I would rather appreciate those lanky stems of tuberoses. I like things simple, things which are clear...things which dont confuse you. Well....thats how I have been leading my life and I have no complaints. Its been awesome so far, its been a great ride so far, as I call it 'awesome lonesome' and I am really fortunate to have it shaping up this way. I am glad, thankful, all humbled!

Pink cloud indeed...

2010-10-17T01:41:00.000-07:00

"The key to happiness is good health and short memory", so said Ingrid Bergman.

Hmm...I wish it could be that way for me too as I reminisce about an afternoon, those clouded, oh-so-very dreamy moments, when you don't need your eyes as if you are blinded, when it was just about the feelings - how you feel inside, how those touch feel, how those moments feel....hmmm...

It was as if you were on those pink clouds, literally, feeling an awesome high where head feels so light as if you could fly, when things happen like a dream and you wonder whether its magic or destiny.

And in that dark room, in that haze it felt so heavenly, it felt so dreamy, it felt so romantic. It was so strikingly different from its surrounding when sun was blazing and shining bright outside, without an iota of any cloud, without any hint of pink, where honking vehicles pass by and you wake up from your dream as you walk back home.

That was lovely, those whispers, those murmurs, those unopened eyes and yet there was a beautiful conversation, in all awareness, in all life and blood, in all its passion and love.

Have you ever fed a baby who is half asleep? Its that kinda feeling and I liked my 'pink cloud' moments with a baby half awake half asleep that afternoon.

Scaping-scope

2010-10-16T00:17:00.000-07:00

"In love, if you are looking for someone new, consider taking a drive into the countryside to view the brilliant fall foliage in early October. You never know - the handsome stranger picking apples next to you may be someone you'll want to know better. Venus and her lover Mars will make a rare and sparkling conjunction on October 3, scattering radiant romantic vibrations all over your chart. For you, love happens when on a short trip away from home, so go ahead - give in!"

Hmm...this is what Virgo horoscope read for the month of October.

And how true! I did go on a short trip..well, for two weeks. And I did go apple picking. Fall weather was lovely and I did love everything about it. Moving about among the greens on a sunny day doing some girl-talk with a friend was romantic indeed. So, in nutshell, words in horoscope are all true if you just consider the words. Amazing.

September chronicle!

2010-09-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Septembers have been always special. Its my month, my birth month to be specific.

A month full of activities, highs and lows, joys and confusions, it indeed is a memorable month. Here I am reminiscing about a month so hectic, so packed, so tiring, so full of food, friends and fun just before a voyage...err..I am setting off for yet another trip.

October will be different, I am sure. For its gonna be a different month, a different time, in a different terrain, different temperature....also so different. My mind is full of Pacific Ocean and Rocky Mountain!

I am all set for watching fabulous sunsets by the Pacific and see moon rise over Rocky Mountain with a nice nice cocktail by my side. I have that nice cocktail dress from Paris sitting pretty in my suitcase and I surely haven't forgotten that sexy stilettos. I am sure life at 35th floor would be pretty exciting too. Umm...I am all set for some amazing time!

Adios and see you soon! Life has been a roller coaster ride and I ain't complaining.

Eat Pray Love 2010

2010-09-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Till some months ago I only considered 'eat', and 'sleep' as two most important aspects of my life. That was until when I held Eat Pray Love in my hands and embraced ...umm....well...and became inseparable.

Yes, yes, I know what you will say, and I would still say 'eat' and 'sleep' were two most important things in this nomad's life when travel is so much part of life. And traveling or not traveling, my life revolved around food and more food and lots of sleep. You know, sleep is kind of a therapy in my life, it rejuvenates me, it renews me...ha ha ...now you know what keeps me all so energetic, happy and giggly.

Well, coming to talk about Eat Pray Love, I never knew a simple looking book could be so very life changing, addictive....or may be I fell prey ...or may be it was the weak, vulnerable side in me that could relate or forced 'me' to relate to what the protagonist (and also the writer) was going through. I still don't know, and I don't want to know either. But one thing is very clear, EPL ..I mean the book did affect me, my surroundings (read: friends). And I am amazed how most often my friends from far and near would see EPL trends in my activities, and when I have read/re-read the book a good three months back. I never knew any other book I recommended to my friends had been so popular. Anyway...

Life goes on and one tends to move on. I know, I did have a cute lil thing going on with EPL this summer but didn't think it will be so very indelible.. (umm...talking about things indelible, I want to have a few cute li'l tattoos!)..

I actually did an EPL ...well, EPL inspired trip. It's just an old habit and I had to take a break and sniff some coffee..err ...see some different faces, smell some different air and go under another cloud and get drenched in another place. Well, you got it, a change of place of sorts when life gets hectic when you don't get any creative in what you are passionate about and then you know its time to wander about and charge those batteries! Well, not literally...

I have been happily finding my groove in a new setting (you still call it new? well...) and I 'almost' found my niche and life looked pretty sorted. And here's where the nomad in me gets scared and starts throwing tantrums and that's something I haven't learnt to ignore. So, I had to sit back and listen to the nomad in me and decided to give it a shot when my love affair with sun was getting just so unbearable in the heart of the city. The practical me found out that it was almost eight long months since 'we' had gone for a vacation!

Yeh, we were at EPL, and explaining how my three city tour turned out to be my EPL or I had an EPL inspired trip....

However happy-go-lucky I look on the surface there exists a serene, tough, rather meticulous core. And a well planned, logical tour plan was charted out. And this girl loves to meet people (you think she's a loner, eh?), she simply loves people around her...Oh'yeah!

And I have an uncanny knack of packing a lot of things in a tiny bag...I mean, I have this tendency and this makes me feel good as if it 'is' the mandate to be doing things more efficiently, cost effectively, even if it means hopping to four different cities in less than ten days! Well, my friend 'Lonely Planet' knows this so very well that whenever I share an itinerary before a tour, he would mockingly say there's still room for at least two cities. I know, I know...this is incorrigible..Dont you know, there are somethings we know about ourselves and yet we cannot do or rather do no do anything about it. I mean, these are my traits, I am who I am...and having a hectic itinerary or a laid back spa holiday, I like it the way I want it!

So, with EPL, people (read: friends, super sexy ones at that!), hectic itinerary and tour planning, I found myself hopping from Delhi to Hyderabad on a very nice, romantic weekend...umm...I love country side and that train ride through those meadows, looking at the blue sky by a huge window in an air conditioned compartment as clouds played hide and seek with me, I was transported to a different world altogether. I love the feeling, the feeling so very me, so very passionate, so very deep.... And to make things interesting it is important to mention that my visit to the city of four pillars "Charminar" coincided with Ramadan and which translates to lot of feasting after fasting. So, my 'eat' part of the journey was made.

It has become a practice of sorts now, every time I cross the Vindhyas, I have to meet Him. And Tirupati- the holy city became my next stop after satiating my taste buds and after loading all the chambers of my stomach with aromatic preparations from the city of nawabs.

After some heavy duty trekking and very nice godly time and soul searching, it was time to move to part III of the tour, the love part. And if you are heading south on the East Coast in India, and looking for some leisure, Pondy hits you bang on. Yeah! you got it bang on, baby. I am talking about Pondicherry, with those cobbled streets and French Quarters, with that Bussy street which indeed a busy street and with that canal that cuts the city into halves and runs from its head to toe...well, almost literally! Ahh...I almost sounded as if I am describing Pondy at its anatomy....hmmm...

And then suddenly I realized (kinda eureka moment) I just planned my EPL however short it is, however local it could get, nonetheless, it was my EPL as I ended up eating a lot, praying some more and totally fell in love...ummm....

I didnt know it would still be so nostalgic and lingering....but I accept, I was, I am hit by EPL big time. And EPL did hit me...as I did eat, I did pray and I did love it! And there's love .....ummm....

Quote-Unquote

2010-08-20T09:11:00.001-07:00

"I have heard of reasons manifold
Why Love must needs be blind,
But this the best of all I hold,—
His eyes are in his mind."

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)

Brew that grew....

2010-03-01T06:18:00.000-08:00

Brew...the word sounds interesting, the sound of it simply!

So, whats brewing? Well, a lot of stuff is happening in my head. There is a lot of things brewing in my mind and they are kinda growing...urghh...

Wish I had loads of time to download...err draft what all my mind has been brewing. I get these sudden urges to jot down my thoughts, nice ideas, intense feelings, all oozing out of me and ready to pour out .....

Umm...there are a lot of things I wish to publish....I surely want to see them published, in front of my eyes, in front of your eyes and its just that its just not time yet...Waiting for the right time. My thoughts are ripening within me...

I am brimming with ideas, my mind brewing my thoughts.....

Coming to a Full Circle-II

2010-02-13T10:09:00.000-08:00

I remember writing one post earlier by the same name on this blog, so this one becomes ‘part II’ without having any continuity or relation. Now, coming to what I wanted to tell you…

I was perplexed at the complexity, at the multiple layers life could wear, at the different situations life presented to me and this led to some deep thinking to understand about life. Well, I try all the time…

I love to contemplate, to analyze, to think, to think deep…and all of that…

I was to switch into travel mode, this time on work and I was looking forward to the trip. There are more than one reasons and I am happy at the end of the trip that my work was satisfactory and I am looking forward to the collaboration. And I returned home on the weekend kinda satisfied, kinda disturbed (that’s not related to work though) and wanted to relax and get some massage and things like that.

I did have a quiet weekend and managed to relax and also work on a tight deadline without a computer…whoa? Yes, without a computer, you read it right. And my story of suffering started.

Something was wrong with my computer which I could not fix myself and hence I went to an IT expert who also wasn’t of any help. I call this person incompetent straightaway. Well, I know some really smart IT chaps (you know, I am in India, and these IT guys are good!) and so arriving at a conclusion was easy for me even when I would not know anything more than basic computer technique myself.

So, you kinda picture my state of being. I am at work and not able to work as the most important tool was not working! By the way, this is about my office laptop and then I have my personal laptop sitting in one of those fancy shelves I have at work because it is also not working for past few weeks. Talking of problems and here I am…

Anyway, I find the right person and my problem with computers are sorted. So, I get back to work. I go back to prepare my notes for an impending lecture and I concentrate on my class. I feel good. Well, work makes me happy. And I also love teaching. So at the end of the day I feel nice and glad.

Have you ever wondered how powerful it is when you speak and others listen. It’s actually a very powerful position to be in. Hmm…

Here, my computers break down, I feel horrible. I have a great class, and I feel good. And at the same time a lot of different things are happening, which makes you nervous, anxious, jolly, and this and that. And it’s a complex thing. Sometimes, we don’t even respond to all these and focus on to one or two particular triggers/emotions.

That day, there was a birthday, there was a funeral, there was a plan for a weekend trip, there were happy faces I like to see (I like to see the smile again and again), there were distractions, there were phone calls from old friends (yes, two to be precise...and how uncanny, both were calling from the same city. Ouch! actually, one introduced to me to the other...Hmm...talking about connections!).

And here I remember one of my favorite lines, ‘there is more than one truth’, I like repeating in my classes when I tell them about qualitative research. And looking at life you wonder how true it is, how striking it is.

And then, there are truths which become ‘truths’ later, when people come back to you to tell you what they said last time and how they feel now. And at the end of the day I find solace reading some books and sipping some pomegranate juice. I felt happy at Full Circle this Friday. It rained and I liked those little raindrops on my unruly locks...umm...thats another story altogether.

Life does come to a full circle, again and again.

Pitter Patter

2010-01-31T01:15:00.000-08:00

Hmm...I like the sound of it...no raindrops here for me but thats how my world gets filled with when I start to err...no, not work actually..but simply write. Hummmp...I am suddenly realizing the fact how computers have taken over our lives and how one day we will forget to write! Quite possible, I think so.

Last time I had written with a pen for hours together was in January,2009 which was well after 11 years I last sat for an exam. Well, I am from a time when exams were all in hand written mode. And believe me, I was so tired at the end of the session not because questions there were difficult to solve but because I had to use pen and paper instead. It was so taxing for me and especially when I was sitting for a competitive exam with people half my age. It was actually embarrassing, ask me how?

First, I was not one of the young participants and then I had trouble writing my answers and then I was the one who scored the least ( I am sure, though I did not get to know everyone's scores that afternoon.Well, that's just to explain how ill at ease I feel with pen and paper.

And coming to think of handwriting, its a shame when what we scribble simply remain undecipherable for others. I need to use the white board and marker pen in the class (yes, I teach, you guessed it right!) and often times its in addition to my presentation on the projection. I struggle to write legibly on the white board when once upon a time I would be called to write special notes in school for having good handwriting. Do you remember the times when there was special marks for having good handwriting?! Hmm...now if I go back I will score negative marks even after solving all the arithmetic!

Anyway, I have been talking about writing, updating my blog and here comes something about writing and on the blog. So, I am not that concerned after all for having bad handwriting! Shhh...the only time I write in a day, that too once on an average when I am required to put my signature. I am sure, thats the case for most people of my age these days. Ahhh...I also scribble with pencils when I do my to-do lists, thats like once a week.

So, given the amount of usage its pretty likely our generation would find writing redundant or may be an 'extinct' activity...err....something from the yore!
And I am laughing to myself as I am in an imaginary conversation with my kids (well, one day...) explaining to them what it is called writing...Well, lets see.

In the roots of things....

2009-12-31T10:12:00.000-08:00

This is gonna be my very last blog this year. 2009 has been a ‘great trip’ so far in so many ways in the journey of my life.

Its been a fulfilling year. Its been a memorable year. Its been a defining year. Its been a nice, beautiful year. And I wear a beautiful smile and my face looks nice....ummm....(more on this later)

I am happy as I sit next to an open suitcase, cameras peeping from within my old black backpack. I am just back from a fabulous vacation- a memorable trip from the land of my ancestors where I went tracing my roots. This was great in terms of my own identity, my Bengali roots. Bangladesh was a great experience.

This is gonna be a short blog as I had a very long ride back home, and I long for some massage. I wish to wake up to the New Year all fresh, feeling great and this requires a nice tight sleep.

I wish to wake up to the New Year looking forward to loads of travel, great time at work, friendship, and happiness. And my mind is full with Bhutan, snow, smiling faces, beautiful faces and a happPPy me.

BTW, life is a smooth ride if you have a great smile, have you ever thought so? I have a recent realization and I am in complete agreement with someone who once said “I've never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful”. And to be honest with myself I enjoyed every bit of attention I received in Bangladesh, be it in the music shop I went hunting for Bangladeshi pop music, be it from my fellow travellers in the jungles in the deep mangroves of Sunderbans , be it from people I met on the streets, in the villages, on the local buses, in the narrow lanes of old Dhaka, at the various eating places I visited, from friends and colleagues. I have come back home 'almost' feeling like a celebrity (I remember reading one particular sentence from the Lonely Planet's Bangladesh edition and that was so very true) with loads of admirers (hmm....thats for another time).

Wishing you all a great year ahead and I wish to write many more blogs in 2010, many more than 2009, inshallah!

Yahoo!

2009-10-30T01:34:00.000-07:00

Yahoo.....Hmmm....there is a famous Bollywood song and I ‘almost’ am ready to sing that one! It goes like this: Hero appears on the screen all energetic, with ‘wild’ fervor dancing and sings (as it would read in English) “yahoo!....yahoo!...let people call me that I am from jungles....yahoo!..”

And I am here ‘yahoo-ing’ and feeling all ‘junglee’. I will explain in a bit....

Things are looking all gorgeous around me and I am all pepped up and in high spirits. This indeed is good news after a ‘flat’ spell (hmm...thinking about a graphical representation!). Year 2009 brought a lot of changes in my life. I changed track in terms of profession..umm...came to academics to teach public health in an Indian institute (btw, this is my first appointment with an Indian Organization in the capital). I have a new address now, living on my own in my own apartment and cooking food on my own in my kitchen (it feels pretty powerful, you know!). And after all these months in new settings, new neighborhood and new colleagues, I am kinda getting a good feeling.

Hmm....now I don’t really fret and fume because going to work means doing a mean 62 miles a day. How wonderfully I came to realize everything is possible and I ‘actually’ can do a lot of stuff, pretty much a lot more than I ever have envisaged myself ( this indeed is a big realization).

Things are falling in place. I am able to forge my position in the institute, in the classroom and more importantly in my own head that I can contribute well enough with what I know. Now I have a door to door commute available, making my ‘cross-country’ a smooth affair. And the icing on the cake: I am all set for a vacation. Finally! This is my very first (and last) vacation in 2009.

And there are reasons why I chose to hum that particular song....

I am all set to face the biggest cats (oops! second largest according to WWF) on the earth this winter. I will have a vacation in the jungles. And to set everything all-so-perfect, the whole thing is on a cruise and I am ready to sail! Yahoo!

With cruise booked, tickets nicely tucked in a beautiful folder, road map in hand and visa papers on my desk, I am a happy picture. And I am looking forward to December (now you know why also said this is gonna be the last one in 2009!)

I am all excited, and also emotional (read: very) for this vacation. This also means tracing my roots, going to a village by a river which is etched in my memory from a very delicate age. And it means a lot to my own identity, my own being and my own existence. And for some reasons year 2009 has been a very defining year in my life so far.

I am all glad, humbled. I am all excited, wild. I am feeling an itch under my feet. And those mustard seeds under my feet are in action again for me....yahoo!

a wee bit of.....

2009-10-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

It is celebration time here. And I am looking for...ummm...a wee bit of ...

Celebration time should be splendid, with loads of fun, friends,food, love, joy, life full of happiness..

And here I am looking for a wee bit of this and that and all of these. Its sad and yet this is real. I am looking for wee bit of company, wee bit of love, wee bit of joy, happiness, laughter and I wish to enjoy my life a wee bit more.

Hmm...its true, more you become independent life gets lonely and the path becomes dark even when everyone else is celebrating festival of light.

Life sometimes is really full of contradictions!

Tale of Two Cities

2009-10-07T04:01:00.000-07:00

“Riding in a taxi one afternoon between very tall buildings under a mauve and rosy sky; I began to bawl because I had everything I wanted and knew I would never be so happy again.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald

This morning this was how I felt, well, almost. Only differences were- it was morning and I was not riding a taxi. But feelings were same and I did not know how to hide my tears when it was just perfect to feel happy and giggly and a smile was just the apt thing on my face.

I wake up pretty early (that’s a norm of sorts) and I start for work when many would be in their beds. Mornings are nice (I like mornings..umm and late evenings!), especially when it is this time of the year, when winter is just knocking at the gate. My route to work is a lovely stretch, especially from my side of the town. I cross the river, it’s a beautiful view, and I feel nice cold wind caressing my unruly locks. It feels so heavenly. I almost forget all the agonies of traveling in this city. And at that very moment I just got oh-so emotional and I could feel that awkward sensation when you get those lumps forming in your throat, just before your eyes start to get moist.

It was really a funny thing. On one hand I was happy, that I slept well, woke up on time, had a nice hot shower, and ate a wholesome breakfast before setting for work, cooked and packed a very nice satvik lunch. And that I also could manage to throw in a li’l bit of practice session with a 2 KM walk (hmm, I planned to run half marathon and I ‘was’ training for that. But I will have to give this run thingy a miss with a bad knee injury. Well, that’s another story!) and here I was in all tears.

Well, I just feel I am so grateful for what I am today, for where I am today and for what all I have today. I really felt so humbled at the sight of those four young girls singing for the passengers in that wee hours. I felt helpless as my giving them money would amount to giving them alms. And at the same time I was so overwhelmed and so overpowered with emotion that I failed to make an eye contact with them when they came to collect money. I just felt they should not see my tears. I just did not know what to say and before I could gather my wits I saw four of them disembarking at a major traffic junction.

I sure know these girls are told which all places to hover around so that they can make business. Bhajans always sell, especially, in a country where religion has a huge commercial (and sentimental) value. So, singing bhajans praising the goddess will always fetch moolah. It does not matter even when one can make out these girls do not follow what they singing; even when one can make out they are made to sing in a language which is very well not their mother tongue.I just wonder aloud here who are these people who train these young girls, who are these people who utilize someone’s poor economic status and lure young girls when you surely know its risky for four young girls to go about in this city in public transport?

May be its really complicated, here I remember what I heard eons ago (in Bengali) which roughly translates to “poverty does not know any distinction between prose and poem”. Hmmmm……….

Shoe bite

2009-09-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

I had to look into my blog today and to update it even when it meant stealing time from other activities as I went to work after four long days.

This was a long weekend for me. I celebrated my birthday and treated myself really well. I had a fabulous time this weekend, complete with family time, eating out, meeting family (brother’s family to be precise) and friends and then friends visiting home over home cooked food and collected loads of gifts (the little girl in me had a happy time unwrapping all the gifts and guessing what is what with a funny grin on her face!). There are a lot new stuffs around. And I got a pair of pretty clogs too....

And then I had to write today, on my blog. There were too many mentions about my not updating it regularly in recent times. I realised there are people who like to read my blog and keep looking for new posts. Hmm, it definitely boosts my confidence. And then again on my way to work this morning I got a similar request from an old friend as she complained about seeing only one new post after months.

I blabber to myself, ‘I will write more; writing helps me, it clears my thought and it’s kinda therapeutic’. I call it cathartic!

Hmm...I did that yesterday. It was yesterday ‘Lonely Planet’ and his cute little daughter visited my place from across so many places. (This family really travels and knows how to land up in places so beautiful or dangerous or so out of reach. I really envy them.) And it made me happy ‘happy-HappPPy’yesterday. I am happy not just because I met them or just because LP talked about my blog but I am happy that I could be home to host them, I am happy that I could cook for them, I am happy that it was a special day. Well, it was my birthday and I was home to celebrate the special day. And I am happy that he surprised me with his precision!

Whoa....I gotta be explaining here.....

Talking about LP, I just cannot stop praising him. I have hosted quite a few get-togethers at my place and as a practice I send a standard set of instruction to friends well in advance on how to reach my place (you know, I am so very well organised...umm.. professional!). And now that it’s a regular thing to have friends visiting me from different places, from within Delhi, from other cities in India, from other countries, I almost keep that 10 point list very handy. It’s just a matter of copying and pasting and sending an email and voila (I think) its all clear. And invariably there would be frantic phone calls on the day when I will be busy tossing mushroom in my kitchen or when I will just be setting the table or clearing some clutter in my living room, in the middle of some clumsy last minute preparation or in the middle of a clear-all shower. And I would talk to them muttering ‘was not my instruction on ‘how to find my place’ sent for this, so that there is no confusion’. I least expect such phone calls when there is a step by step instruction. Giving directions and making sure the petrol pump is on the left and that you are facing the road are the least liked things for me. Urgh... And it never so happened all these while that anyone landed at my place without getting confused or without making those phone calls, well, until yesterday.

So, in a way, I almost thought my way of instruction does not work and said to myself ‘maybe I am confusing’. But when there is no room for confusion and there is no other way but to land up at my place if one really ‘reads’ those 10 points, I very sarcastically wondered what made people call me from middle of a ride, is it that they like to call me, or they have a cheap mobile connection or they are simply confused people or they take my step by step instruction lightly and don’t read my instruction before starting for my place.

Well, for the first time in almost 12 months I had a visitor who landed at my place bang on and surprised me. First because he reached well before the time I thought he would (my assumption was hugely based on my previous experiences with my other friends). Secondly, he is not from Delhi and not even from India. And most amazing part, he was travelling with a little kid and used public transport to commute to my place from where he is staying (that seven star place)! And I somehow now know that my instructions work and that the list is very clear and you cannot miss but reach the destination bang on! Hmmm...btw, I have been copying and pasting the same list without any edit all these times just in case you wondered whether I modified or changed anything (oops, making sure I used same instrument for all the episodes...ahh...see, its coming from someone who is into hardcore research!!)

And I am amazed with LP for other reasons also. I met him after a good five years and it felt as if it was yesterday. We have been neighbors once and then I ‘almost’ traveled wherever they went as I would either get vivid descriptions from all the travelogue he would post from time to time or from my own travel plans to visit them (so far all flopped!). Hmmm....

And at the end of it, it brought me back to my blog and I drafted this after a long day at work, from the middle of working on a presentation for my lecture tomorrow.

I will write more, surely, I will. There is a lot to write, so many update, those fermented beans recipes I learnt from my friend from Manipur over lunch today (ahh...my birthday bash is so very long this time!), those tips on Oddissi dance from my bro’s fiancée, those recipes mom ‘taught’ me over that sumptuous luncheon my bro planned for my birthday. I need to write about ‘Oh! Calcutta’ too, I love the place and it seems I was quite a head-turner of sorts that day...or maybe they all knew it was my birthday! About how I ended up with some good French red wine in ‘bad’ state and how I am desperately looking for good recipes to use this ‘bad’ wine! And I will write about other stuff happening in life in general.

So, watch this space for more...if not less!

Its been time...

2009-08-25T02:34:00.000-07:00

Hummmppppp....

Well, it looked like a pretty long time and this time I was not off and away travelling. So I am here without any excuse for such a long absence from blogging scene. But, truly I was hit by a 'very busy and hectic' time where I only cared for getting my share of sleep...at least six hours per night!

Life is fine. I guess I only tossed this blog thingy out of my scheme of things. But I have been writing nonetheless, on different platforms, different stuff, though. I am happy that I am working on my publications and also coming back to keep in touch with my blog.

Nothing much happened after I last updated. Except for a few trips to tribal (and naxal) hinterland for some research work, a few luncheon parties that I had at my place, a few late nights and a major family event (not a happy one) where I got to meet as close to hundred of my relatives at one go, (ouch) and realized what a BIG family I 'actually' have and ahoy! why 'globe trotting' comes so easily to me.

I have been teaching off late and finding it quite interesting. There are different kinds of students to interact with from different corners of the globe, different age groups and backgrounds, language, eating preferences. Faculty members are also an interesting bunch, I kinda like their company (I like the vibe!).

And I am doing 62 odd miles a day, cooking for myself, living on my own, and doing pretty well in terms of time management. I am also driving these days, hopefully will drive pretty regularly, that's the plan.

I am looking forward to life at this moment...well, September is my birth month and I have lots to feel good for me.

Coming to talk about birthday, it reminds me what a milestone of a year this year is for me. In terms of demography I have lived 50% of my life looking at average life expectancy. And here one is generally expected to look li'l worn out but I don't know how/why I have a major challenge to look my age. I know many women will envy me and tell me to take this to my stride and take it as a compliment. Even I am curious how many women would actually like to look their age after scoring thirty odd years and when 'anti-ageing' Rx is in vogue.
Looking young does not work to my advantage here- tell me, who wants to look 'fresh out of college' when addressing a class of mid-career professionals where as a matter of fact one is very much at the other side of thirty..

Hmm....someone teased me good naturedly the other day: "Thirty is new Sixteen"...ahem...(it feels good though but not when my students think so). I remember the advice of one of my old friend, who I am sure had (is still) had similar luck when he started with academics, to go on and speak your mind as when you speak they know where it is coming from. Yes, so true...I exactly know the feeling and I am quite liking it!!

I hope to write more and put my thoughts as they grow in my head into words; I surely hope so..

Follow me...

2009-05-22T03:19:00.001-07:00

Hmm...this is going to be a request-esque blog.

I have added a tool from google (you can see that on the left side of the screen, just next to this post) which tells you who all are my 'follower'.. ..well, I mean, reads my blog. And I know there are a number of followers (I know, I know!! Stats tell me all!) for my nomadic monologue. Now the scene is that I dont see any of you giving a heads up on that 'follower' thingy...and I take all the trouble of writing this whole paragraph to ask as you read this post, why dont you add your name and be a 'follower'.

Umm....follow me and I will flow with more posts!
I am waiting, all loaded with ideas for new posts, all ready to ooze out of my head and trickle down to my fingers as I pour them on the keyboard and splash them on the screen...

So, wouldnt ye wanna make me happy? And I dont take 'no' very kindly...Well, for you I can be patient though...So, I am waiting....ok?

Miles and Bumps..

2009-05-12T03:13:00.000-07:00

It’s a ‘miles and bump’ story this side- just sorta update after a month long not-so-active phase on blogspot. No mistaking there, its miles (and miles) and bumps only and no Mills and Boons. Huh.. I am doing 60 miles a day and a lot of bumpy rides. And I have been doing this for past few weeks now after preparing myself for the joyride for last four months or so.

Ahh...you really need to talk straight here. Alright then, I tell you all.

I have moved to academics and taken up my current appointment as a faculty in a public health institute after giving a longish possible thought. BTW, my current employer seems to be a patient lot and given me time as I made up my mind for this ‘cross-country run’. It was a big decision for me, almost like life changing of sorts, but not so life changing from my standard given my stints in cut-off areas and in remote tribal pockets. My parents have become super-immune to any kind of shock my professional decisions can bring and this time they were like, ‘WTF, go play your shot!’

Well, it was me who was kinda mixed bundle of confusion, anxiety, nerves, and things like that. To be very honest I was not sure whether this is going to be a good decision, a correct step in my career at this point in time, a right move when I just wanted to settle down in life with loads of time in my kitchen and spending time with family! But then it was me who finally took the decision and landed up at the new workspace all cheerful and bright one morning after crossing 30 miles through three states (ahhh...who needs all the info?).

I am kinda settling down in this new sphere and hoping to find my groove soon. I wish to develop my niche as an anthropologist working in the domain of public health and working in India and in the subcontinent is immensely challenging given our tryst with tuberculosis and HIV in the current times.

And with miles and bumps notwithstanding, road ahead is a pleasant sight. Surprisingly, life is looking so clear and I am experiencing that kind of a phase when you are driving and the highway looks all yours.

This reminds me, I need to 'seriously' start driving my new car. Ummm, I have a gorgeous man giving me driving lesson...umm..

Need some clean air....

2009-04-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

Breathe easy, who wants to get stressed? Not me at the least. But I invariably get to get it. And it happened so very recently. Because I got manipulated, I was used and most importantly I was a bloody fool myself. lol.

Well, why blame another, look at yourself and find how important it is to know and see your own actions, decisions, and everything else. It’s a good thing that you got to see another’s true color, that’s a bonus. But what’s the guarantee that you won’t falter again?

Well, it’s a big challenge of sorts to ‘come prepared’ every time you plan to meet people socially. For some reasons I cannot do that as I am quite an antithesis of being ‘come prepared’. Well, I am organized, like to plan my life but when it comes to interaction or conversation I never follow any ‘guidebook’. Call it a good thing or a bad thing, I believe in being natural and can never wear a manipulative hat. But so many people shamelessly wear one and when caught red-handed they stage-manage with a plastic grin as if nothing happened. Well, nothing happened actually, for them.

But for me, it’s being unfaithful, disrespectful and not at all cool. I will continue to think this way even when you score a trillion and flash those painted lips. Because for me being simple/being upfront/being honest/being confident is the way of life. Thank heavens I don’t need to manipulate people.

I will be myself, but I will be careful the next time around. I promise, I will not again let anyone manipulate me….huh.. That’s a tall order!

Eatopia

2009-04-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

Food is something that keeps me happy. Well, to tell you the truth- I just need to eat yummy food (more variety the better) and talk a lot. I guess these are the two most important things in my life. And the result is a happy and ‘satisfied’ me.

Tsk tsk…its so easy for you now, well….

Talking about food: food has been part of my life, this has marked many important occasions in my life, making food, entering people’s kitchens, getting people in my own kitchen, sharing recipes, recipes on emails, emails on recipe-sites, and once got a whole recipe dedicated to me ..hmm …how can I forget that blog? I am sure people are used to getting songs dedicated or such things when experiencing, you know, those blissful moments. And I was showered with, guess what, a recipe I was curious to learn and eat eventually (a tale of long distance romance!). Well…coming back to food and a blog on that, well, this is not going on to woo any nice guy but to ‘please’ two damsels in distress (if I may say so!).

Hmm…wait a bit…..I am explaining!

I had a cozy little get-together at my new place last weekend and I got an opportunity to cook for an elaborate lunch. I am mostly into experimental cuisine (if that’s a term!) and most often add variety to the menu with food/ideas from different corners of the globe. I know I disappoint friends who come jumping to my place expecting Bengali cuisine complete with ‘maachher-jhol’ (read: fish curries); but then I do make fish and curries, only thing is that these were two separate items this time around…ha ha..

But there must be something with Bengalis and fishes. Because, of all the things I prepared, my fish preparation was liked, actually way too much for my expectation. This was a Portuguese style preparation in white sauce (ahh…there is something about white sauce and me these days…may be I am becoming Calcium deficient!) I learnt from a friend’s mother who's from Portuguese descent.

Before I delve deeper into that Portuguese fish thingy, the other items that landed on the table from my kitchen were (BTW, everything was prepared at home by me) as under:

Salad: fruity-veggie type with diced cucumber and apple with pomegranate, and a dash of lime just before tossing them together before serving

Mexican wild rice (ahh…. my paella fixation!): I collected this wild brown rice which grows in the wild, marshy areas (I am into collecting brown rice or what?). My procedure is pretty simple. Soak rice over night; put it on low flame with double the amount of water and add some salt, let it boil. Meanwhile on another pan heat oil, garlic and ginger cubes- one teaspoonful, add spring onion with about two inches of stem- sliced vertically -about six of them, diced tomatoes- two medium sized, two green chilies, let this get cooked, little brownish. And when you get nice aroma as they are getting fried/cooked add three eggs on the mixture. Turn slowly and try to mix in with the veggies for nice scrambled eggs. Throw in peas, and sprinkle some tofu (I take a handful, crush them and spread it on top of the egg-veggie-scramble. Then take out rice (by this time rice is already boiled and cooked, try to check that from time to time- its easy for me as I have a big four burner stove) on a bowl (the serving bowl) and layer it with veggie-egg thingy. Mix it loosely. And you are ready for some healthy fiesta.

Vegetarian hot pot: This one was a last minute addition as a few of my friends like to eat vegetables along with fish and flesh err meat. And I learned to make vegetable broth at home (see, I told you everything was home cooked). In vegetable broth- about two litres- add diced ginger and garlic-one tablespoon, bring this to boil. Then keep it on low flame and simmer. In another pan pour some oil, add a lot of mushroom (I like to cut then vertically into four), cook this for about three minutes till they change color and gets cooked. Add strips of baby cabbage-very thinly cut, and cook for another two minutes; add slices of baby carrots-about half inches thick. Transfer this mixture to the broth, stir well. Then add large cubes of tofu. Take it off from heat and cover. Garnish with whole spring onions-cut into fours- let them float on the surface.

Portuguese Fish: Boneless varieties are better; usually marine fishes are preferable. But I used Rohu (actually I have always used), only the portions from the stomach (its easy to de-bone from this part), cut into pieces-four by two inches. This time I marinated for about an hour with olive oil and vinegar (this was very experimental) with black pepper powder. Fry these pieces nice and crispy and set aside. This recipe has a special trick: the way other ingredients are cut. Potatoes-big sizes are better, onions- big, round ones are better. Potatoes are cut in long-tall slices- in lateral sections; onions are cut in slices- in cross sections, so that we get a lot of onion rings. Use a thick bottomed pan, pour oil (not miserly or else it wont taste like the way I made) heat oil for some time. Start with potatoes, sprinkle some whole black pepper seeds, turn potatoes occasionally and continue till they are little brownish. Add onion slices; these will soon break into rings. Start to cook/fry till these two are softer. Add fish pieces. And cook for about three-four minutes. Remove from fire. After it’s cooled down cover it with white sauce- I make it with milk and cheese and some barley/wheat flour. Keep it aside. Before serving heat it for 5 minutes in microwave (one can broil for 1 minutes in 100deg C; I use auto-cook mode for vegetable- which is 5 minutes in medium heat), this gives a light-brownish coat and nice aroma.

Chicken-Indian style (I don’t know which region in India!): I am calling it Indian style as I used regular ‘garam masala’, bay leaf, ginger, garlic paste, etc. To begin with I marinated chicken in yogurt and garlic, ginger paste, tomato paste, sprinkled some ‘meat masala’ and kept it aside for about one hour. On a thick bottomed pan (I used my wide mouthed pressure cooker which comes with a thick and slender bottom) heat oil, add cumin seeds, bay leaf-2/3, big chunky onions- cut into fours, cook for sometime. Then transfer the whole marinated chicken to the pan, keep stirring. Continue till all the spices are cooked/fried, and a smooth gravy is formed. Cover it and cook it till the time fork can smoothly pass through chicken pieces. It can be pressure cooked as well but it might get over cooked/over boiled.

For dessert I had melons (I got two different colors) cut into boat shaped pieces- smeared with sugar powder and honey. I had put this in the freezer for sometime for a thin crystal like crust on melons. And there was a freshly baked cake-Czech style- thanks to my friend from Prague.

Ahhh…and there was some nice Darjeeling tea and some baked cookies. And this time there was no wine (I still don’t have a cork opener) and nobody volunteered to open one of those Rioja to say cheers (my attempt to tempt this man with muscles failed, he wanted beer instead!)

Hope ‘damsels in distress’ are happy with this elaborate blog.

‘AM’, chak chaare? Don’t forget to call me when you are trying this fish recipe, I will love to eat them without doing any effort…..I love food more if someone else is cooking and I get to do ‘only eating’!!

Bon Appétit !

Of crossing roads and cross connections...

2009-04-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

'Crossroad' has been a very common word in my usage off late. I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or bad. But literally I am finding myself at cross roads more often these days than ever before. I guess, you get what you think!! Ha ha ha..

Well, coming to think of ‘thinking’, I am thinking a lot more as well. Well, that’s normal of sorts, isn’t it? So many people have already mentioned that and have known this trait of mine. And I am OK with it rather than being defensive or not lending an ear for words of criticism. You know, some things are supposed to be the way it is. And I am happy the way I am. I am God’s own creation (this offends my mom the most ....huh!)

And another recent trend is that: a lot many people are telling things to me about me. Hmm, I wonder may be its time I really hear what they mean. Or may be its too many people in my life? And I am realizing its difficult to balance things in life when things are out of proportion. It holds good especially for me. Because I am an organized, sorta disciplined, and I am used to my ways of life where I am the only person involved; and the most contradictory aspect about it is that I am social and like to go out and meet friends. Arghh…its a dilemma to have a balance here. Because everybody cannot be like you and I am not in-charge of a military mission. So….

So, here I am sitting in front of a computer at my work-station with a bad headache, shoulder pain and what not. I realized how stressed I am myself and how stressful I could be for others. But then, is there a way out? I, for some reason, am for peaceful existence, healthy living and bonhomie. So, what shall I do? I should hide in one of those shells and get cocooned? Or go in for a diplomatic, ‘pseudo’, superficial way which is pleasant on the surface but without any bond of friendship, no straight-talking?

And after all these I hate to say: I am confused with myself. And yes, I figured out how difficult I could get and so-very-high-maintenance. Sometimes, these terms just don’t register the right meaning and often we (I) get defensive but actions or instances offer such glaring examples. Umm, now I have empirical evidence to say I could be cited as difficult and high-maintenance personality. I am so very happy to know that and I am grateful to people in my life as without them I would have never realized this. Sometimes, you need to bump into people to know your own self.

It just happened to me recently, three times in a row. Wow!

Hold All

2009-03-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

Hold-all is something I have inherited, it’s a gift from heirloom, sort of ‘poitrik sompotti’ –which is kind of a treasure passed down from generation to another, from one’s dad (if I can offer a more specific translation for this Über-Bengali terminology), if I can label it that way! Thanks to our nomadic existence which warranted sturdy travel gears anytime of the year, in rains and in snows, every now and then …hmm….

And a hold-all is all I want when that’s an odd piece of article in my store room. Hope dad is not reading it, yikes!

Thinking of the term ‘hold-all’, I wish I could be one such myself when its such a difficult task to seal all those invisible pores which cry out loud from time to time to shed all the ‘stories’ all over. Umm, what an expression! Yes, I know exactly what I am talking about and you might need a wee bit of explaining here :)

As a person I am all words, spoken the better. Now you know what I am trying hard to ‘hold-all’ so badly.

I guess I have come to realize how this talkative nature is so irritating. This is a quality as I am never at odds in a new situation; I can just walk up to someone and talk. Well, that’s a good way to be not-so tongue-tied. But have you wondered what happens when in a group you are the only one who is all words? Sound-bites…err sound-byte!!
The same trait if exercised within limits could be very entertaining, social, and fun and if toppled a wee-bit more could be so very boring and not-attractive? I have found that out.
And I feel a mix of bad and sad :) Hehehe… I am incorrigible! (Gyan-paapi! Baaps, that's again a heavy duty Bong from my side..hic hic)

And sometimes I thank my stars when my friends are busy in midst of things, either running from one corner of the city to another or on treadmill or lost in contemplation or analyzing facts and figures or just browsing and away from their phones. I really thank my timing as that’s when I get to see what all I have in store to ‘pour’ out. And such times could be frustrating for someone who believes in voicing it out. But after all those turbulent times-which lasts for a good five-to-ten minutes, its all so serene and I am all so sane and rational.

Its actually a good idea to have those thoughts with you and not let those out the moment you see a pair of ‘willing’ears!! Oops, I feel so sorry for those who had been victims of my non-stop non-sense.. err …'stories of the day'-bout with a nice guise of smiling face and a set of twinkling eyes.

Silence is golden, said someone somewhere. May be not for me definitely! But I love Buddha and what all he says. I wish to listen to him…..

Hold all…err …hold on..I offer to change. Change is only constant.

And here goes Solna ‘holding all’ in prayers…“Buddham Sharanam Gachhami”. And Buddha smiles…

Culture-vulture

2009-03-05T07:33:00.000-08:00

I am totally immersed with Tagore these days....I am with him day in and day out...

Err...I mean I am reading his books, listening to his music and talking about him, researching on him...I am into him. Yes, its like this ever since I have visited Shantiniketan.

Hmmm...I just managed a weekend to visit Shantiniketan and what a trip that was. I suddenly discovered the dormant Bengali side of me...and I am happy.

I am pasting a couple of pictures from my Tagore trail so that you can also walk with me as I recite:

"amader chhoto nodi
choley aanke-bnaake
boishakh maashe taar hnaathu jowl thake"

Hmm....I am happy when someone commented that my Bengali has improved that I have been speaking in Bangla with such eloquence that no one can say I have been away from West Bengal for a good 22 years. It definitely makes me swell in pride and I am sure this will make my mom happy too......

P.S: All pictures are copyright material Solna.

Happy and GAY

2009-03-03T03:47:00.000-08:00

I am happy and I am gay…oops!

Anyway, stop calling me names, I really mean it. I get grumpy here.

This is a post-mortem of sorts after a nice concert and group dinner. One important mention of the evening is that it was dominated by a man who is always gay. The after effect: I feel happy after a weekend long me-time and a slow Monday with ‘work from home’. But I do feel tired on Tuesday afternoon with just four hours of sleep….yikes, don’t ask me why so much sleeping time was lost.

This is no bipolar thingy. It’s simple PMS and it’s normal. And it’s normal to feel moody. Just like some people are differently creative (wow, what a term!) I am differently moody and I sport different shades of mood. But most of all, if you really know me that well, I am a perky, happy, cheerful, all energetic kinda person (as if I owe you an explanation? I am fine the way I am.)

I just tried to re-read some of my old blogs (just to know what all some of my friends are reading and what all things they are finding out about me) and I was awesomely stunned at some of the descriptions I have written about me. And I really gave it a thought. But then how does it matter if you have a complete different interpretation reading what I write? Does this mean I stop writing the way I want to? Or I check what all meaning or interpretations are possible for some of my descriptions? I give a damn, seriously, I do.

The other day I was asked as if someone took me for a case of bipolar disorder just that I have been writing about mood swings, getting on sudden highs, and then low phases. Well, I have been just writing about me. I actually say more than I should …but….

You know I was actually upset when you probe based on what you read and enquire whether I could be case of a clinical condition. Anyway, it’s my fault. I should have taken care in using words like ‘going on a roller coaster ride’, ‘doomed’ etc with such generosity.

High or low, its business as usual and I realized one thing really hard: its only you ( I remember the number “Its only words, and words are all I have, to take. Your heart away”; I really like this song, ahhh, my guitar) and you only at the end of the day to help you out of a sticky wicket. And that you can only help yourself. And I am happy that I have me with me all the time. I love this moody-me so very much.

Ouch! Just going on for nose-dive…

2009-02-28T02:04:00.000-08:00

I guess it is inevitable and I also knew its coming!

Yikes, I almost know how someone is reacting after reading this one sentence….Well, for your benefit Sir, I am explaining…so, don’t again say what you once said!!

I have been going through a very longish ‘high energy’ phase and it had to come to an end. It’s only normal. What is not normal is the erratic way it knocks me out. And I find me doomed in the middle of an important deadline and lose all my smartness and forget to flaunt my trademark smile (someone said ‘bewitching’) and for some reason get bogged down by the stare of that new-chick (I have a new term for her: ‘sophisticated-uncouth bitch’). I really hate when I am on such a sticky wicket… (Ouch, what’s happening down under with these men in Blue, losing matches after matches!!? I was referring to T20 matches in New Zealand and the losing streak India is continuing with…See, I am explaining!)

I guess I know what’s been happening…I mean in my zone, in my life, that is.

I have been happily spreading thin and not realizing the after effect as my energy level was high. I was wondering the other day when I was ruminating on my energy spurts as if I had taken some dope. Seriously, I can go on a high without anything and behave in such a manner which could be so very similar to someone just high on, say, marijuana. But I am naturally like this. My happy ‘high’ phase is very high and it shows. You will notice that bang on, no mistaking my presence.

But what comes after that is a very sudden, out-of-control ‘doomed’ phase. And I feel so utterly sorry for this. I have been on a roller-coaster ride and suddenly when I park myself within some unknown shell it surprises everyone around me and I am so very ‘shelled’ that I don’t offer an explanation and I know it could be irksome.

But for the benefit of my friends around me I have issued an 'update' (oops, so sophisticated, who cares?); have you seen my FaceBook off late? I know, its irrational. It can be seen as an act of immature mind. But I just wanted such an ‘absolute-ME-time’ that I have to enter into my shell without mincing any more words. And I am telling this way on my blog so that you all know I have not been avoiding any of you. But I just needed to have me with me, just in my skin, in my raw self, in my emotions, in my tears and… and…

I hope you will help me get my me-time and I wish to give time to you (I wish to meet you, sorry for the goof up this weekend) and see you when I have that nice smile to compliment my new hairdo. I don’t want to effect you with my moods. I care for you.

And I remember a phrase which is so apt: ‘conserve energy’. I need to learn that, its high time I do. And I also remembered just in time to 'cut the details' for a story well said!!

Obama Speaks....

2009-02-26T08:30:00.001-08:00

Obama believes, "that every man is trying to either live up to his father's expectations, or make up for his father's mistakes."

Hair and Now

2009-02-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

I had a very exciting Valentine’s Day eve this year. Complete with a new hairdo followed by a sexy dinner date at a Chinese place where we ate some yummy lamb with nicely stinking bamboo shoot and got drunk on some Vodka shots. And I did a tipsy walking on my way home. No one noticed, only I knew I was drunk. It was a very nice feeling as when I am drunk I am super efficient; I even ordered around and asked a man to vacate the ladies seat on Metro; that was the last train, btw!

Ummm..this new hairdo is really hot…I mean I am liking it.

It started like this: I have been growing my hair for quite sometime actually. Hmm, there is a history to it. Some background for the readers: I remember the last two visits to hair salons, one was in January 2007 in Tirupathi (a kind of annual ritual which has become irregular) and the very last visit to a hair dresser was in November 2007 (that was just before a trip to shed some baggage, well….). After that I spared my hair and allowed them to grow and get longer. (It actually grew quite long; you can see for yourself in the picture taken just before I went under the scissors again.) This long hair looked cool until this winter when I struggled every morning with my entangled hair and ended up making either a bun or an untidy looking plait And for some reasons that was not helping my nice façade (read: face). Hmmm.

So, I have been giving serious thoughts about a new hair cut (read: short hair cut). Voila!
I not only got a great suggestion but also had a friend accompanying me for the session.

And it happened just a day before Valentine’s Day. First, I could not wait to get a new hairdo and then I would be gone and away for another week after that.

So, I meet Mujeeb after a busy Friday at work and pleasntly realized I was at a heritage site as he is the third generation creating magic with scissors since 1930. Wow, such impressive bio. And he played with my hair, worked with it and ultimately came up with this new one for me. I was at one point feeling like a guinea pig with onlookers around me; I really created such a big thing out of this that my session took quite long and others in the salon got thoroughly entertained! BTW, I saw a very nice looking man who was waiting for his turn. And I later found out that he had come to shave off his hair as he lost a bet. Hmmm! But I rather liked him…shhhh. He even came prepared with a sexy cap; I quite liked his flowing hair, but they are all gone now…hmm.

Coming back to my new hairdo, I was really impressed, not just with the result but with the way he played with his scissors. He simply is superb in understanding your need, the person you are and the kind of look would go well on you. So, I am not only looking a few years younger (that’s a good thing!) and trendy but I am also having a very low maintenance look for my ‘on the go’ lifestyle (a very good thing!).

And at the end of it I was so excited that I had to celebrate, so went on to dine with my friend. And you know I had a fabulous time this Valentine’s Day. I am loving every bit of it.

So, now you know I had a great time this Valentine’s Day…..

P.S: I will back with my N-counter series once I am back from the fabulous land of Mizos.

Quote-Unquote

2009-02-12T22:39:00.001-08:00

“Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more;
Whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more;
Love more, and all good things will be yours.” - Swedish proverb

Counter that..

2009-02-11T07:20:00.000-08:00

I am in the middle of finding out where Mamit is located and I had this thought about updating my BlogSpot. Oops, such a thought; especially when it means sitting in glass cabinets and stealing time from work. But I am just being creative and I have nothing pending on my desk and I am all set for a trip to far North East on work!

I remember updating my Face Book status to 'suddenly she is on a high' a few days ago and which is true. I am most certainly on a high, not high on alcohol as you may think. But this is kinda feeling high and relishing it (I almost had a serious tête-à-tête with one of my friends whether this is any symptomatic variation of mood swings/bipolar or other such disorders). I was not worried but I am getting conscious with comments from friends and alike. I call it 'my high energy phase'. But I like this active, lively, miss-sunshine state of mine. This state identifies my being to the 'T'. Hmmm, I wonder as if I suddenly discovered me…voila!

So, you know I am on a high. And it shows- be it with friends after a tiring (call it boring) day at work for an impromptu tea at our favorite cha-bar, be it about marking an attendance at a film festival sans anyone (I remember one comment 'you went alone?'), be it with travel plans (I have been rather prolific all these weekends, traveling non-stop for short weekend trips and making quite a list), house work (I am still revamping…oops, its never ending or may be I am fussy that I always feel 'that picture frame isn't great, lets change the color of the wall..etc etc') and ultimately I hear my wise (and very nice and great looking) brother say 'you really have energy for all these!' with loads of appreciation mixed with awe in his tone. Hmm, I love praises and especially the genuine ones.

I was meaning to write about some N-counters for quite some time. And before I deviate to another idea I must document these very thought provoking and life changing philosophies of life. I have been specially saving them since December last and still haven't managed to document them.

N-counter #1: I am standing in a line at a bank counter and I am at my most irritated state. I like plastic transactions, any day! And counting currencies are not for me. I would hate it if I have to carry them with me and then deposit them and then find a long queue waiting to greet me at the bank! Hmm, so you know what irritated me that day. And when ultimately my line started to move I found one gentleman stealthily positioning himself near the counter such that he can bypass the line. It made me mad. First, I started to murmur and then in more audible sound protested; this made my predecessor in the line direct his grievances to the gentleman in question. The gentleman turned and said 'no line for senior citizen'. Oops, I almost looked for a cover. Then after his turn he stopped to do some thing at the counter and by that time my turn came. We looked at each other, face to face, eye to eye. And then he smiled and said 'I just came in to deposit what all I saved from this month's expenses'. I was rather taken aback at his simplicity. I came back home remembering those words, especially when we are not having sunny days financially. This little savings and the whole idea of not expanding our needs are so important to realize.

This remained with me for quite sometime and I still remember the golden words, the thought behind it.

Hmm. This is all for this post. I hope I could describe well this time and especially for someone who started to read my blog recently with a hope he will not crib about its 'tantalizingly incomplete' description.

And I will be back with more on N-counters. Promise!

N-counter

2009-01-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

Hey there...it’s been quite some time already and I realized how soon its end of a month in this new year. Umm...true...time flies! And it really did.

But for some reasons I am having that 'time well spent' feeling about January. I was sharing my thoughts with my very good friend, who is crisscrossing the Vindhyas, the other day about how January has suddenly filled my life with so much of energy....Well, its way too much to handle actually!! First, I am sort of a hyper-energetic/ hyper-active type and then suddenly there are so much of activities around me...looks usual with a casual glance though...but the more you peer in and you realize...whoa....everyone around me is spinning with ideas and they all want 'me' to be there...Yikes!!

But I am not complaining...I am rather happy as I have never seen me so amazingly striking off my 'to-do' list every evening with such a lovely grin on my face...almost makes me feel like a big achiever everyday.

Well, I have not gotten much time to fill in my blog-sphere with bits-n-bytes as much of the time was spent on the roads, traveling for various things and not so much for road trips though. I was busy attending meetings, sitting for exams (don’t ask me!), standing in the queues, visiting my old college campus, meeting my old teachers, writing/editing a number of documents (amazing...how I finish just on time!), more meetings, shopping for gifts and flowers (there was an anniversary dinner at home!), partying, late-nights, fun times with old friends, meeting some cranky old men (read: professors...not mine...never had such ones teaching me in my life), listening to Obama (dude, I am in love!!), attending a family dinner at the US embassy (read: a big family!), meeting new friends and their friends, drinking coffee at 2am and hopping ...(nah! I am not saying anything here..), traffic jams, flexing plans with flexibility, going to gala events (can you believe: just returned from attending 'one-day' at Jaipur literature festival? Thanks to a very nice person and a writer and a poet!) and realizing how sometimes I forget to breathe in!!

Hmm....seriously...I really have to slow down...not to say stop and do nothing but I wish to give space between what I do and breathe in from time to time.

Ahh...and I was meaning to write about some encounters when I started to write this...but I completely got into another trajectory...well...that will happen in my next when I return from this cute little 'sexy' trip this weekend. I am starting tomorrow and I have not yet undone my travel bag from my last trip...urgh.....I almost can smell that stinking Levis…yikes!

Trek a break..

2008-12-31T10:30:00.000-08:00

I suffer from itchy feet all the time; it has become part of me, sort of an eczema which never cures. I don’t want to find a cure, I kinda enjoy the itch…(umm more you itch more pleasure you derive out of it, I am getting naughty here!). And I love itching..err my itchy feet. And now I am into etching…what?

Intrigued? So, read on…

I am sure you will wonder what brought her back to blogspot on 31st December when she had already written her last post of the year and vouched for a very-busy day-and-night on New Year eve. I surely shall explain - I do owe an explanation, especially when I deviate from my plan and write another post (which also means asking you to read/review it when it was unanticipated). So, I must explain, I better without mincing any more words…

So you must know what brought me here tonight ‘ignoring’ my New Year eve activities (I actually got home early and all my meetings went on well, so no worries! ‘She is exaggerating’) and preparation for my dad’s birthday (this one is real) as I found very interesting inspiration in this and this (really nice stuff!!). And they brought me back to my beloved blogspot. And I don’t seem to be complaining. Why, you wonder….hmmm

Coming back to itching and etching…I mean writing about this thing surely can satiate my itchy feet syndrome. I already find myself dreaming about a holiday in the forest of Borneo, in the serene environs of Malaysia, amidst the monks chanting Buddhist hymns in Cambodia and….and…and the list goes on. I really wish to land up in a beautiful place for my next holiday. I surely deserve a great holiday….don’t you know?

And I can’t tell you how itchy my feet are now; I have to get into travel mode soon.

Looking forward to a great year full of exciting trips, vacations, and a lot more travel writing. And I want to feel the itch err.. I am ‘itching’ to win this one.

Trek a break or shall I say, 'break a leg'!!

One more year and another…

2008-12-30T10:37:00.000-08:00

I am at half century… Umm…I managed to score a 50. Well, I am talking about number of posts this year. One post per week on an average if you want more analysis… (he he).

Its kinda year end stock taking! Its stats, my dear, hard facts and numbers…

Not bad, I murmur…given all the nomadic existence err experiences, mood swings... (Umm, actually these are rather high-yielding times, so discount that!), other time consuming activities (read: my apartment and things associated with that) erratic behavior (read: last minute plans for movies, parties and meeting with friends on a short notice and such things). Well, no bragging, but honestly I am happy at my regular relationship with this blogspot.

This year made a mark for many reasons, for good reasons and bad.

For my little world 2008 would be a milestone, as I bought myself an apartment which I call my home. I am also happy for my trips to 25 cities and three countries this year despite not-so-good economic situation. I am happy to meet some of my old friends when they visited me. I am thankful to all who hosted me in different places this year for making my time memorable and safe. I am very happy as Mr. Obama could head for the US President’s chair on 20 January (I really am a BIG admirer of Obama!)

2008 was also a damper of sorts for global and local economy, many would not want to remember 2008 and would avoid its mention in case it re-visits (such superstitions!). Terrorism (read: cross border terrorism) was at its height in India and five major cities were attacked in 2008 causing loss of lives, property and not to mention peace. It was really B-A-D, they had a B.A.D plan to hit Bangalore-Ahmedabad-Delhi but they also went beyond their plan and added Jaipur (looks like they pre-tested their method here?) and Mumbai. Mumbai incident saw the largest casualty and maximum involvement of forces (Army, anti-terrorist squad, Mumbai police, Maharashtra police and not to mention the commandos from special security forces). And this one led to massive nation-wide awareness campaigns which has brought people of India together to fight against terrorism and made all of us stand in unity with a hope for a peaceful and democratic system tomorrow. Let’s hope for a better time in 2009.

And this one will be the last one in 2008’s slot.

I decided to punch in this one today with advance new year wishes looking at my schedule on 31st December when I will be hopping from one airport to another, talking about statistics, preparing for e.ee…egg-(and)–jams…ha ha ha exams (or taking one, not sure, lets see) and juggle in some ‘friendly’ meetings (no partying, no plans so far). I surely have a busy day-and-night tomorrow. I will tell you how I fare. So, see you next year then :)

So, here’s wishing all of you a very happy, peaceful, prosperous, fulfilling NEW YEAR. Happy New Year folks!!

Now I really want some nice food and some……do I need to tell you that also?

Corner Kick!

2008-12-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

Ummm…so much is happening around her and she heard her muttering whether someone up there is listening to what she has been thinking…and she wonders. Well, not that she is complaining!

There is a saying ‘When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going!’. Whatever you derive out of it and wherever you come from and however you wish to read it, it actually best describes her current state. No worries, dude. She has seen these, been there and done these many times over. Now you wonder what? And she says nothing for you here.

Just a sort of example to elucidate what all these gibberish happening so far:

She is having a free time, (taken a break that is, for all you sophisticated souls). She is feeling the cool air and sniffing the soot that comes free with it sitting in the open in a posh coffee shop. She is planning to have yummy cup cakes they make in Flurys and sing Christmas carol at St Xavier’s next door. She is unpacking her old baggage in disbelief and discovering those ‘new’ shopping from 2005 from another shore. She is amazed to find how tall he can be when this hunk from Nordic took her for a traditional lunch which made her forget her own height in shock (even she forgot to stand next to him, such embarrassing moment!). She was thinking about a particular dish, just a casual thought, she was suppose to prepare under guidance (the guide went missing!) and returns to her base to find the lady in the kitchen tossing the same recipe (a variant of sorts, though). She goes out for a meeting, a more formal one and discovers her own follies and others follies too. And she goes about twinkling eyes, (hmmm..lilting music there), with a jump in her stride. The Levis from Mexico just fits her fine even now…wow!

Still she is continuing and she is wanting to do ‘this and that’ (she remembers him say ‘this and that’ on phone from across the border) amidst of all this madness - a kind of schizophrenic situation by the river. And the gentleman from the bay was right, that was her schizophrenic moment!

Then comes a realization, something so crucial dawns on her. So how far will you go? And she says ‘all the corners of the globe’. It keeps her going. And that gives her a kick!

Are there any corners, world is a round place, isn’t it? And more so, even flat, he he…

Missing Link

2008-12-21T11:50:00.000-08:00

I am missing my Mr Globe (you know who I am talking about, don’t you?). No, I am not talking about any variant of Mr World or anything of that sort. He is the one who sends me to the globe to check where on earth he is located every time we communicate.

Yes, he is a globe trotter of sorts. I have a nick-name for him (it’s just for me, so you don’t say, ok?). I call him ‘Lonely Planet’ (good naturedly, I say giggling!!).

I realized that he has not been up and kicking for past few weeks and that he has been recuperating from a nasty infection. I was amazed at the ease with which he actually described that; I have seen/heard men not describing much about their illnesses. One of my researches on masculinity did trace why ‘they’ do that. Oops, you got me talking about my work on my blog, yikes! No complains….you better know what do I do for my living err….for my .nomadic existence, or better even, what makes my life so nomadic (the other day the hunk err the Prof from Uppsala called me vagabond much to my dislike, though. I gave him a benefit of doubt considering the amount of English communication in the university town of Uppsala…here goes…oops ‘shala’!!). Anyway…I move on…

I wish LP a quick recovery; want to see him up and kicking. I really do. More so with a selfish motive, since he had not read my blogposts for many weeks now, and I had not heard him discussing them.

So, get up, get going and start reading and let me hear your comments and how you like them. Ooops, such stern female this one, no mercy at all..he he.

Quote-Unquote

2008-12-20T10:07:00.000-08:00

"It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it" - W. Somerset Maugham

Why Lie?

2008-12-19T21:22:00.000-08:00

It was strange, I will say very strange.

I was in a meeting with someone who is not a stranger and yet not a celebrity but so much is known about him (may be he did not know that). And during the course of interaction I did ask him not-so-important questions which he very promptly answered. I repeated the answers since I had heard before (and known) something completely different so that he gets a chance to correct himself. Yet he repeated the same response. Hmmm, I wondered and stopped still looking eye-to-eye with him. I did see a slight hint of discomfort. Well....

I wonder why people lie about little things in life, when so much more is already known about them (thanks to websites, authentic ones at that) and especially when its about mundane things as trivial as which school one attended and from which University/city one graduated. I cannot understand what makes people cringe and not say the name of the university if its a small town? Why people are so insecure and hierarchical? I would like to think one needs to stand by these little facts of their lives, or else one will always run for cover under a Gucci dress or an Armani suit to feel great. Life is about being honest. Life is about acknowledging who we are; where we came from. Its our habit of hiding such trivial facts makes these issues so-very important to us, have you ever wondered that? Its we who first value-judge a thing before others do.

Sir, just so you know its an utter shame for a person like you to suffer from such insecurities as after doing so well and achieved what all you have so far you should have felt proud to mention your alma mater and the city you came from. Or else you should not have mentioned them in your bio or better even went to another school and re-done your degree.

Well, at the end of the day, you are a liar for me even if you stand tall among people but you score quite low on my list.

Me(N)merizing…

2008-12-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

I wonder what make men meet another woman….

I have no problem with friendships with men, with their chivalrous gestures. But I am talking about special attentions from men which are uncalled for, do you get it?

I am talking about those thin lines between mischievous and flirtatious pokes and those disgusting, very suggestive activities. I am talking about when much married men try their hands on other women. And I ask what make these men take interest in another woman? Hmmm…really a good question when we see number of application for separation and divorce is going north in geometric proportion, and we hear stories of bad marriages and ‘caught him red handed’ tales from our female friends and colleagues.

Sometimes, I think twice before I plan to attend a get together at my married friend’s place. Well, I take care, you know. I have seen myself. I have experienced myself how my very confident female friend found herself in a not-so-great situation and how she did not feel confident about it. And I didn’t feel great about it either; not comfortable in such company when my idea of attending such functions or get-together is spoiled.

I do not go to these get-together with an intention to score a point over any of my married female friends with their husbands wearing lecherous hats. I am chirpy, friendly, extrovert, I have confidence to strike up a conversation in a gathering, and I have self respect. And I do look good sans cellulite! These definitely make me look attractive on any day of solar calendar! And most importantly, I really DO believe these are not reasons for a man to stray and forget his vows he had once pronounced when he took that holy bow.

Well friends, it’s disgusting. I hope my friends read this and know how I feel about all these. And why sometimes I am so choosy about who all are coming to a party, you know?

Hmmm…. Give me a break from double standards, lecherous men, ‘good-husband-trying-on-their-wife’s-friends’. Just know that I have friends (both male and female) who can give me good company, respect and great time. And another thing, I like my company to a hilt, so, you don’t have to worry even if I am single and looking. It is to say I am not looking at you. So, stay away and let me walk my way. Got me?

Writing on the wall…

2008-11-29T02:38:00.000-08:00

We like to see grass greener on the other side. Can we beat that? I got that feeling just a few while ago when an acquaintance sent me a similar sounding appreciation on the chat window. Oh-hell, ma’am, I am just not doing as great you ‘always’ think I do.

So, how are you doing today? Hmmm…I.A.S…
I.A.S? How do you read it? Let’s see how we read that.

(1) The most appropriate and common response for an Indian would be ‘Indian Administrative Service’. Well, you got it correct and scored a point there. And it shows you are intelligent, well-tuned, and may be ‘happy’. Really? Does it help?

(2) It can read as I am Sad. Yes, I am sad now, so, I am in I.A.S mode. Can you be happy and partying away when you are sitting on a time bomb and especially when you don’t know when that’s timed? Do you get me? Well…..
I hear how my friends escaped the terror attack in Mumbai. I still can’t forget the sentence when one of my friends said “I was so relieved to see my baby’s face the next morning”. Why does anyone want to live in terror? I would not, you would not. Then why still we are allowing it to creep in and leading this life counting for our turns? Have you ever wondered how it is to wave a goodbye to your young ones on your way to work; you never know that could be the very last time you saw each other.
I am not saying we are all immortal otherwise, we are not. But this terrorism is really making our lives hell. No one wants to live in terror, shock, fear. We all want to live a normal life free from all these cheap thrills. Can we all join hands and say ‘our lives are not for ransom’?

(3) It can also read I am Safe. Wish we all wherever we are in the world can say this without any fear one day.

Terrorism has to stop and no matter what our politicians have to shell out from their brains or pockets, no matter what it takes terrorism should be shown the door. Do we have any one in Indian polity to take charge, to come in front and lead and show us the way?

For post script I have today’s story: Its election time in Delhi. I was supposed to vote today for Delhi state legislature to elect our next Chief Minister. And guess what? I don’t have my name in the voter’s list!! I called up the office of local legislator and explained my scene. I am not a new voter (I have been voting since I turned 18); I am not a new resident in this residential area. I am a citizen of state of Delhi, and most importantly I want to vote. I have all the credentials to exercise my right when I was told to turn back and go home. And my local legislator told me he could not help me cast my vote today. And this is just when my American friend sitting in Mysore could vote for Obama? So, why is that? And we say we are the biggest democracy on the face of this earth. I still wonder!

Um, I told you ma’am, life is not always flying as you think. It does take nosedives sometimes.

Taken for ransom?

2008-11-28T07:23:00.000-08:00

Its a pity how terrorism is taking our lives for ransom. I would like to wish that we all come together and fight this menace. We need to tell 'them' that this has to stop. We need to strengthen our combat system against terrorism along with more public awareness and vigilance. We, as citizens just cant turn back and have that 'business as usual' attitude.

We need to learn from the past. Delhi rocked with serial bomb blasts two months ago and now innocent people are held hostages in hotels in Mumbai. Do we need more examples to learn and fight these?

And if you look into the coverage of Mumbai episode its like war, army is in, special forces are in to comb them out of hotels? Why did we wait to make 'them' so strong? Our lives are not for ransom; we just cannot put more lives on the firing line for 'these' terrorists. Our men in uniform and citizen don't deserve these. Any thought on that?

I can ‘DIY’ for it

2008-11-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

Picture this: Evening time on Saturday, nice cold wind playing with soft silky curtains on my bedroom door, dimly lit rooms and I am admiring my silhouette on balcony walls as I try to explain how I have this throaty voice as an old buddy throws an alarm in the air thinking I was down hearing my voice on phone.

Nah! I am rather all perked up and rearing to go..... I am set for some crowd at my place after doing up the place. Well, more than that actually. Hmmm…

A mere mention about my place gets a dancer’s swirl in his voice (gawd, this man knows how to shake his booty, I swear!) and he wants to land up here in a jiffy from the land of four squares err…pillars. He is in all wonders and wants to know how come I am all so smitten and engaged with this place and how beautiful it must be that I have been revamping/renovating ever since I have acquired.

I say: some things just know how to get attention, don’t you know?

Well dude, this is for you: just to say my place is an ordinary place and I am keeping it all spruced up with my imagination from time to time with some innovation. But don’t rate it as anything great. It’s my sweet li’l pad and I loooooove it. So, that’s the reason in all probability it’s mentioned more often in my conversations.

I just wish you to visit without any major expectations and believe me I am not in a mood to show off my place or readying it for any home-décor magazine shoot. (Ahhh, I have to take pictures anyway, just reminded of a request of other friends, tsk tsk!! Chris and Rikke, this is for you as well). What I can assure you are nice food (hand made, home cooked by one-and-only ‘me’) and comfortable stay if you wish to spend time over some movie and drinks. And when you do visit and spend some time around and seen things with your ‘critical’ eyes I would like to know what you think about the place you have been hearing from me all these months. Fair enough.

Now some update from what kept me so busy last week if you did not hear much from me after I returned from the hills.

I just completed adding a nice 'closet cum bookshelf cum dressing cabinet' complete with mirror (I for some reason find it rather sexy!) and I am really happy with it as its not only my design but I single handedly gotten this job done without much splurging (my wise brother commented) with generous helping of a smart carpenter (he is getting more work at my place if I plan to add another furniture in future).

What next? A luncheon party? Some cozy time with movies on my sexy home theatre? Another renovation? Hmmm…

I am heading for bath…err bathroom, it needs a make-over I feel. Let’s see, how my planning goes around the bathroom. I will keep wondering till some nice brainwave strikes and I know for sure that’s the right design (I have already started with some sketches). I will wait for my ‘eureka’ moment. And till then keep guessing: what I am ‘DIY-ing’ for.

P.S: Just a piece of query: does anyone know of any website about home renovation, especially bathroom fixtures etc? I am quite a regular with ApartmentTherapy, want to know any other nice website/s. Thanks!

Blissful and High

2008-11-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

Its sheer bliss, truly!

Picture this: 3000 meters above sea level, 0-5 degC, amidst tall pine trees, monks and monkeys (no joking). Its peaceful and amazingly quiet. And I was blissfully disconnected: no mobile, no wi-fi, no Internet connection on my laptop (Indian telecom network has spared this village), no cameras, and no writing materials (these were intentional…hmm…what?). My wrist watch was the ‘only’ thing which told me the time and the date and somewhat kept me oriented.

I was with my body and my mind, truly. Just the way I am to the core.

Yes, I just returned from a fabulous trip from the foothills of the Himalayas. It was planned just so when the time was perfect: winter is slowly setting in and when my mind was in the verge of a ‘shut-down’ and such a ‘me-time’ was the need of the hour.

Hmmm..that was it and I found myself in that dreamy village.

Really a dream come true and this nomad never had such an exotic experience ever in her life. She stayed in a little asbestos-roofed hut with just a cot with a thin mattress and a few sheets of blankets and quilts; where she ate one meal a day, bathed and washed in water, just water and not hot water. And most importantly, she spent all these days only hearing sounds from the nature. It was complete silence for her.

First, I had no one to speak to. No chatting with neighbors. I could hear bells ringing in a nearby school at some time of the day; some times I would hear sound of drums from distance presumably from a marriage procession from the nearby village; or some sudden chaos from the monkey family which also lived with me on that hilly terrain; or some random drops on the asbestos when those pine cones fell on my roof which I collected dutifully at the day break (such collections!). Few other sounds I got familiar with were of a hoarsely croaking crow and barks of a very strange looking dog (he looked diseased for some reason; his color looked abnormal and so was his snout).

I was so connected with myself that I knew how it feels when I breathe in and whats the sensation like. Spending time on the lap of nature rejuvenated me, brought some divine serenity around me, in my steps, the way I walked, went about trekking up and down five hours a day. And at the end I only feel blessed.

I was so much in love with my ‘holy-day’ that I almost felt like extending my stay. I was not missing anything in particular (I only felt the need to know about Obama and my brother (there was a family thing around my brother’s would-be which was planned at the last minute when I was all set for this exotic trip)). I remember chalking out how to spend the last day in the hills before I started my descent: which food I will have; Tibetan or Israeli. And after descending down from the hills on my way to the next town I knew my brother is a happy man and Obama got his chair!! Wow…I say: a double wow!!

And ever since I am back I have been ‘prescribing’ this holy-day to all my friends and family. And I am waiting for my turn next year.

I say its blissful time at the top. Blissful and high at the height!

P.S: This picture is a copyright material. Solna ®.

Quote-Unquote

2008-10-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

"As above, so below. As within, so without."

-The Emerald Tablet, circa 3000 BC

Silence Please

2008-10-18T01:23:00.000-07:00

I don’t know how many have taken a boat ride; I mean the boat I am on.

Some times it’s hard to tell your own self that no matter what all others are saying you are what you are. I mean, you kinda know yourself by now, is not it?

Critical comments or those heart breaking/demoralizing blows should not affect one. Because you know what you are. And then you are a strong person.

Are we really so strong?

At least I believe so. I am my own person; I have my own convictions; I do what I want to do; I tread a path I fancy; I pursue what I dream what can be unthinkable for some. Well, that’s me. I don’t have to be you.

Looks like a tough cookie. Well, she too can have a low.

And to be honest with myself I do get affected; I do feel weak. And sometimes I shout out loud in my head to cut that side off me. But those words/comments/sarcasm/questions do dent my ego, shake my beliefs about me.

And I question: Do you really understand me? Do you really care for me?

I feel our opinion makes us what we are. We can be critical, opinionated in our ways. But have you ever wondered what criticism brings to another. Here I am not talking about critical comments or constructive criticism; but those of scathing variety where you literally don’t stand a chance; you don’t feel like opening your mouth. It sounds so illogical, so full of ignorance but there are those loud-mouths who always behave as know-alls when they have not seen an iota of the reality but always are loaded with judgment. These people just form opinion and are so rigid that what they think or say should be treated as holy words. Or else you are doomed!

I like to think I would not have cared. But I did.

It was about me. And I know me better than anyone else in this world. If you want to think what you want to think about me in private I don’t care. But if you do that in public, and say things which are concocted, seen with a shade then you better listen to my side of the story.

Ever since that duel happened I have really sunk into a low phase; I have started to look for approval; started to ask my friends what they feel and think about me. Suddenly I can see a streak of insecurity seeping in.

But that was it. I have decided to deal with it, my way. I just can’t let it bother me.

Let me know how was your boat ride? Ohhh, you are still on board?
What about you? If you are off that boat how you did manage that?

Shhhh …its prayer time… …Silence please.

But you can still let me know; I really like to know how to get impervious to what life throws at us from time to time. Is there a special mantra or a technique or a strategy, just send them my way whatever works for you and however you call it. Am waiting….

Eye...ohhh...

2008-10-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

Eye-ohhhh!!!

That’s a common expression in South India and among South Indians.
But here I have nothing to say about them and not even about my South Indian connection. Ahem…I mean my four musketeers….err.. ‘Mallu’ friends (I will write about my ‘mallu’ connection later; oops, so much of connections or cross connections? He he he). Its not that I picked up a new word from my recent trips; I am very much in North India and have not visited any place beyond Vindhyas in recent weeks.

This story of ‘eye-ohh’ is from the land of straw hats, golden paddy fields; and stunning skin(umm!). It was admiration galore.

I was admiring undulating rhythm playing on those paddy fields. I can spend the whole day admiring such a stunning sight. Something happens to me; I get immersed in another mode cut-off from the world around me.
I found myself admiring their smooth baby skin (such stunning skin texture these females have!). And my admiring words were there for things I was liking and my comments were mostly around those things, in words, literally.

Then it was time for ‘return gift’. And compliments followed.

‘I want your eyes’, said she.

(I wonder is that a way of complementing in Vietnamese…hmmm, have to explore cultural connotations)

Well, I did not know what was that? You like my eyes? Then say so.
But if you want my eyes then it’s a hard task for you. You have to wait till I die and always remain on the lookout wherever I go and track me all over (I have not yet donated my eyes).
I cannot help you here even if I want to; first I don’t know when I will die and most crucially, where I will breathe my last.
I ask, will you?

Ha ha ha. You get them or not, thats your decision but I like my eyes the way they are. And I know you also liked them. Eye-ohhh!!

aung-BONG-chong

2008-10-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

aung-BONg-chong......I am only humming these.
They say Bong Connection...err I say, loose connection.
Stay put and be alert. Ha ha ha.

P.S: For those who cannot decipher Bengali: its a sound track (a remixed version in the movie by the same singer) from a film named "Bong Connection" (Bong meaning Bengali) . Sorry for not able to give you a word-to-word translation here. I am so kicked with the sound of 'aung-Bong-chong'......he he he!
Enjoy the sound bytes err music...Sound of Music...nice guiter there.

Quote-Unquote

2008-10-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

"The less you know, the more you believe." - Bono

Jokes (do us) Apart…

2008-09-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

I have been reading some serious stuff the whole day and for some light relief I opened those bulk mails. Just an effort to think afresh.

You know, what I mean, don’t you? We all do and its no different with me.

And I read some. And remembered TWO of them. Just two of them. Why?
You will find out yourself….

[1] Between the ages of 15 - 20 a woman is like Africa. She is half discovered, half wild. Between the ages of 20 - 30 a woman is like America. Fully discovered and scientifically perfect. Between the ages of 30 - 35, she is like India & Japan. Very hot, wise and beautiful !!!!!!!!! Between the ages of 35 - 40 a woman is like France. She is half destroyed after the war but still desirable. Between the ages of 40 - 50 she is like Germany. She lost the war but not the hope. Between the ages of 50 - 60 she is like Russia. Very wide, very quiet but nobody goes there. Between the ages of 60 - 70 a woman is like England. With a glorious past but no future. After 70, they become Siberia. Everyone knows where it is, but no one wants to go there.

[2] A man wanted to get married. He was having trouble choosing among three likely candidates. He gives each woman a present of $5,000 and watches to see what they do with the money.

The first does a total make-over. She goes to a fancy beauty salon, gets her hair done, new make-up and buys several new outfits, and dresses up very nicely for the man. She tells him that she has done this to be more attractive for him because she loves him so much.

The man was impressed.

The second goes shopping to buy the man gifts. She gets him a new set of golf clubs, some new gizmos for his computer, and some expensive clothes. As she presents these gifts, she tells him that she has spent all the money on him because she loves him so much

Again, the man is impressed.

The third invests the money in the stock market. She earns several times the $5,000. She gives him back his $5,000 and reinvests the remainder in a joint account. She tells him that she wants to save for their future because she loves him so much.

Obviously, the man was impressed.

The man thought for a long time about what each woman had done with the money he'd given her. Then, he married the one with the biggest boobs.

Any guess, who did what? I mean who sent which one?
Err…I mean, more specifically: gender of the sender...ha ha ha…(some comic relief there, as if.).

No prizes for guessing.
[1] some globe trotter still on the look out
[2] some analyst doing rounds of..err…no comments

Just some silly jokes doing rounds for light relief like this. Any comments?

Talking Stats...

2008-09-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

Its number game: it scored 1000 hits. I am talking about my blogspot stats.
I am HaPPppy. Keep reading and keep in touch. I hope to be more regular and hope to keep up the expectation.

Tac/Tac su mycket/Gracias/Merci/ Mahalo/Dhanyavaad/Shukriya/Thank you/ blah blah..and blah..

Quote-Unquote

2008-09-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

"A wonderful thing about a book, in contrast to a computer screen, is that you can take it to bed with you." - Daniel J Boorstin.

Escaping Escapade

2008-09-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

I am safe home and miraculously escaped serial bomb blasts that rocked the capital city this evening. Really a narrow escape of sorts and I am lucky that I am safely back home.

Its kinda usual to catch up with friends or go for a movie on a weekend. And this Saturday was no different. I started the day with some phone calls to plan the weekend while browsing the morning newspaper. Movie I was interested in was not part of a common agenda so it was ruled out. But a get together was planned.

And our hang out zone for this weekend was as always the heart of the city which we fondly refer as CP (Connaught Place) . We still call it CP despite a more Indianized name of 'Rajiv Chowk' as it's become part of our vocabulary. We met and had a good time. Soon it's time to return.

I am for some reason fond of public transport and prefer taking metro rather than hiring a cab or an auto-rickshaw (equivalent to tuk-tuk). And since CP and my place are bang on the metro line its much preferred. And as usual I planned to take a train on my way back home. But for some reason I hovered around that place and stayed back to meet an old acquaintance (I used to live there and had lived almost for two decades in that area) .

Thus I escaped the twin blasts in CP.

If I had not for some reason NOT remembered that occasion and NOT decided to pay him a visit, I would have definitely be near the Central Park in CP around the time the blast was clocked.

I was so oblivious of the tragedy even when I was on my way back until suddenly my phone rang (it was jammed for well over an hour) and my dad broke the news. By then things were under control. And when I was walking down those lanes of Lutyens' Delhi (I like to walk those lanes; it brings me nostalgia from my childhood days), I was the only soul walking down the street.

Now the BIG question was: how do I get home?

My friends have already gone home, so no cars for me (and I don't drive). Delhi is on alert and all shops are closed, all street corners are deserted. My options were: a) to get in one of those crowded public buses and go bonkers with the thought of a blast on the bus for an hour (it takes an hour to reach my place on a bus); b) wait for an auto-rickshaw if it is willing to go my way; c) and wait till metro starts plying (it was stopped for security reasons).

I was getting all kinds of suggestions as friends and family were calling me non-stop. In my mind, walking was the safest mode but it's bit of an irrational thought to walk 20 KM. I completely ruled out the option of public bus as there is no control who boards and with what. News still pouring in about yet to explode bombs which were yet to be found. So, I patiently walked towards the nearest metro station and was greeted by a long queue; dozens of police vehicles; reporters from TV channels; sirens and hooters going on non-stop. I thought in my head: its much better to wait and get frisked and screened and be sure that there is no bomb in any one's bag. For some reason I trust the way metro functions.

But, you know for some reason I did not sound even for a second or felt 'panicked'; that's a strange realization. I was walking as if nothing happened. I was waiting in the queue amidst those brouhaha as if nothing can move me.

And I came home unscathed. I am alive.

Where is SIR?

2008-09-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

Umm…I would not have even attempted to write something on this line if today for the n-th time I had not heard this. I guess it made up to the level to ‘inspire’ me for a blog post instead of writing what my super cute boss has been insisting on for a few days now (just two days to be precise, I will finish that the first thing after this one, promise!).

Well, the question was: “where is ‘sir’ (it was not ‘sir’ but a variation of sorts in Hindi)? Ohh, he must be at work” Whoa?

To tell you the whole thing I have to mince a few more words. So, allow me.

I am on my own. And off late, I am REALLY on my own (Read: started to stay in the flat I had bought earlier this year). This requires me to commission works when I want to fix some particular furniture or an appliance the way I want. Which further means I need to meet/talk with carpenters, electricians, plumbers, painters, etc etc and bring them home and tell them their job and supervise. Quite a process.

I am a perfectionist when it comes to a job and I can be really ‘bossy’ in my just five feet (or even less than that) stature and a nice façade (Read: face).

In India (especially) it is normal for people to be overtly curious. I have been courting volleys..err queries around who all are the occupants in my flat. I guess it’s because these workers around here do not think a female can be a sole occupant when I ONLY bring them home and I am the ONLY person they see in the place. And then it’s a full fledged house, so they are ‘entitled’ to think its housing a family and not just ‘only the female’ they meet.

And depending upon how blunt the question my repertoire varies between being sharp and rude to being snappy and snubbing. I have heard them all and tackled them with an effortless ‘dodging’ of a footballer in a way “dude, just tell me whether it functions properly or not; it’s immaterial whether for 10 people or one. And don’t ask me how many people will drink water from this water purifier in a day?”

Ummm…that was easy.

Then came a smart one from this electrician (who apparently knows my family, my dad and all): “who all will be staying here? Are you all shifting here?”

Umm…I had no clear answer. Because, I don’t want to give him any info. So I very nicely swallowed the question, yikes!

He’s a very curious sort, so he did not stop at that: "you are not married, right? Is this ok for you to stay here all alone?"

Urghhh…I least expected this one. So it was a shocker of sorts. But he has a point; he wants your info, that’s his birth-right. When you don’t even look married (well, here in India women sport certain symbols when they are taken…well, I mean married) why on earth you chose to live separately (he has been working for us for five past years or so, so has the right to talk like my granny!) I murmured something and I felt really angry while answering, so I preferred not to repeat it clearly in more audible voice (dont want to spoil a relationship; I very timely remembered advice of my so-very-good-at-man-management brother) and started to call some numbers while toying with my mobile. I later heard from dad that the electrician had paid him a visit and showed concerns around my new flat and that he (my dad) had not made a right decision.

Many more such comments followed and forgotten (as they did not ‘affect’ me so much) and I was just getting more used to the ‘game’; becoming a veteran of sorts.

Then it was the turn of my ‘I-don’t-know-what-to-say’ neighbor. He meets my brother during his weekend visits and very happily he goes on blabbering: “good that you started to stay here, it was lying vacant for so many months. So, it’s you and your wife?” Wow!! what imagination, I say, really creative imagination!!

It’s hard to engage my brother in a conversation in the middle of a staircase and when his smile can make you forget what your next sentence was. So, that was it.
And this one is so typical: watch this. This neighbor always watches me in the place, day in and day out and not my brother but he only chooses to ask questions to him. Such “gender sensitive” some people are! Anyway, my brother and him have become very goody-goody-hi-hello pals ever since.

But coming back to what made me start it all: I am revamping the look (not mine) of my flat and planned some more work and hence engaged a few more workers. I needed to go to their workshop and place an order and they needed to come and fix it after a week. They came (I brought them as they never came to this part of town or village?).
They entered, and looked in, and kept on looking as if they wanted someone to come out of the corridor, or the bathroom or whatever nook and corner not visible from the entrance. Well, what’s the matter?

Where is ‘sir’? I was like: windows are here, why do you need ‘sir’ in the house? I kept silent, I did not know how to react. Thank heavens, he incorporated his own answers: "Ohh, he must be at work.."

Umm…what?? I am paying you for what you are planning to fix on my windows and then I gave you correct measurements. I even got this helpful doorman remain standby in case he needs a hand. Now, why you need a ‘sir’ to appear from nowhere?

Anyway, here I am waiting for ‘sir’ to appear from nowhere to come home after his work. And then I have a ‘weekend-husband’ visiting me with such sexy smile (now I know from where my ‘I-don’t-know-what-to-say’ neighbor got so imaginative).

Now you know how it feels in my new place, on my own with ‘husband’ and ‘sir’ trooping in from all over. And I say: I don’t really know what to say. I am sort of speechless.

Umm….that’s something new..err news of sorts.

What’s say?

(W)rite THE Passage

2008-08-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend was supposed to be super-hectic because: (1) my out-of-town brother's visit was due, (2) I had planned an outing with a friend over a movie - my house guest has left, so its time to shower attention to others (I better should do this as I am meeting him for the first time after my return home; we are neighbors across the street; can you imagine how my social life has been ever since I have returned?!), (3) catch up with some others to set everything write..err right. So quite a chock-a-block of a weekend...ummm.

And it indeed was a super-duper hectic weekend and I enjoyed to a hilt. Bro is super cool as ever (he is looking damn sexy, FYI); Movie rocked; outings were super nice. And I realized how more hectic it could get.

There was a discussion over some nice tea (I am a tea-addict) about some articles I just read (it was a travelogue and about a city I just visited and it almost felt he published it before me, ouch!) and our conversation invariably shifted on writing and such things and there came a shocker.

Why do not you write? Whoa?

Well, I have heard this before and I have been toying with such ideas. But writing professionally?

Does not your profession need you to write?

Well, thats different. I write and I love to write, on the job on technical matters; I love to write to unwind and mostly end up writing never-ending (read: LONG) e-mails/e-notes; I love to describe things vividly, may be its part of my training as an Anthropologist or this is a gift of being born in a family ( my mum is/was into literature and my granny was a prolific writer and a gifted poet; its a pity she never published). Well...well...I still do not see myself cut out as a writer. I might write as a hobby or for some kicks.

It reminds me how I have failed others expectations in the past: my supervisor commented reading my thesis that we were not attempting something in English literature and that all my passionate 'write-up' should find another place for its expression (well, if you read it you will notice my touch here-n-there oozing out from somewhere in the middle of those theorizing!). At the end of it he did press me for a book (in my style definitely) on my thesis and its still 'going on' despite a lot of encouraging-inspiring anecdotes. And so far I have not really completed it. Till this moment it will count as: I failed his expectation.

Then, my very nice boss (you know who I am talking about..ummm) had a similar idea looking at how I handle writing reports and churning up e-notes that I might do justice for a nice piece on the project we put our hearts on. Well, its still in the back-burner (read: its the least accessed folder on my comp). So, you know I have one more on the list of failed expectations.

And this is the latest: my very beautiful boss (this one is a female, at last; looks like I always praise men a lot!) was (or still is) sore with me for not completing what is again a write-up!

So, do you still think I can do justice?

And you wanted me to jot down my notes from all the places I had been over those ten weeks, five time zones and three countries? And you want me to write a series for a big name? And you are offering me what is sounding like a 'job'? And that I have good sense of photography (!)

Such a pot loaded with talent: Someone should hire me, soon....

Ouch...I have no clue what to say. And how to respond.

As far as I know: I am at my best creatively when I am not pressed for; when I am not hard pressed with a deadline. And when I am on my own and when the mood is just (w)right!

Umm...you never know I might be one ONE day..Amen! What do you say?

P.S: I am wanting to know your response, have you voted yet?

Here I am....

2008-08-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

Wow...I have to write about this one: just chanced upon this new book "You Are Here" by Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan.

I am reading quite a lot these days as I like to keep myself busy.

Well, what more you can do when you find yourself surrounded by a horde of workers? Dont you worry: I am not being mobbed or anything; I was supervising workers at my new place as I was readying it for my house guest, a dear friend.

And this was one of the books I read during this stint.

I am amazed at her description and I must tell you this girl can write from her heart and what all she can write! Kudos to her frankness and openness. I admire her for that. Not just because she wrote it but because she is all of 26 years; because she is from India (dont you know about those hypocrites and setting standards and stereotypes?). Ouch, truth hurts.

Hmmm...commendable feat! I gotta meet her and talk with her. I somehow already liked her.

(Her next book reading is on 23 August at MGF Metropolitan Mall, Saket; I will be there.)

One Year and Counting....

2008-08-18T23:56:00.000-07:00

There is something very uncanny about me. Seriously, I mean it.

I somehow cannot forget dates and however busy I am I will still remember Birthdays and remember my friends from middle of nowhere.

Well, this time it was my Blogspot. This sweetheart has just turned ONE and I am so very happy for him or her (?) (I prefer a girl child!).

Thanks to all of you who makes the number ticking to more than 900 (wow, thats quite a feat considering this baby of mine is just 365 days old). I love all the attention you shower on my baby (and me) reading it, commenting on it, discussing it, sometimes even sending me reminders for more updates. I love that, even if I am tired and in travel mode and in a place with no gadgets; I like to oblige as I hate to disappoint.

I hope to continue writing and bask under the Sun shine (I love Sun, dont you know?). Looking forward to all your admiration and dedicated patronage. Its the 90th blog and Solna will write more; at least that is the plan.

And here's wishing my beloved a very happy birthday!

Joyeux anniversaire! (French connection, eh?)

10 weeks and thereafter....

2008-08-11T01:42:00.001-07:00

I am really glad as I write this one. This is the one to say, I am back. I am back home. I am back for those relaxing-refreshing cups of chai, I am back for that warm little corner in my bed room.

Hmm, some one was missing home.

Yes, it has been 10 weeks and this was the longest time I was away on a trip and this was the longest I pretended I never missed home. This was the longest I wanted to feel like a nomad jet-setting from one place to another. This was the longest ‘trail’ I traveled at a stretch and it went on to such an extent that I almost forgot to appreciate the new place I was visiting. I guess I overdid this time and I could feel it; sense it.

Now I am back, back after a hectic yet nice, well executed trip. I want to relax (still wanna relax after beautiful Wales, huh?), take time off and go for a nice soak. What a wishful thinking….
It’s as if someone heard me or someone read my mind. I have to be on my toes and I have to be ready for a run and get ready for a hectic week ahead.

Or is it that I don’t know how to take it slowly?

News in New York

2008-08-10T05:23:00.000-07:00

I love to travel and I am a well planned traveler (hmm...can’t stop being a narcissist!). Mostly my trips go smoothly. But not this time, especially, not when I was in New York. This is the second story in a row and I just cannot ignore it. It never happened to me (someone muttered, there is always a first time. Well, I guess I know that.)

I 'lost' my luggage. I don’t mind it as most of the time it’s my extra clothes (I never wear one pair second time; I have so many clothes, don’t you know?) but I just cannot waste time waiting for my luggage as I had a trip lined up immediately. I waited near the conveyor belt for my second suitcase at Heathrow airport. Bags of different shapes and sizes ramp-walked until I knew the one I wanted to see was yet to board the flight. What?

Yes, that’s exactly what I was told when I went to American Airlines counter at Heathrow airport. My second suitcase from JFK airport was not loaded on the plane as they had problems reading barcodes on the tags as their computers failed. Well, good to know the reason. Things fail and life isn’t a perfect basket. And it failed in New York of all the places and exactly on the day I was traveling. Some really know how to make impression.
I should not crib as every passenger flying with AA on 30 July had a similar experience. And I was lucky as mine arrived on the next flight and it was delivered at my doorstep. And I could carry on with my cute little trip to the beautiful Wales on time. So it was not that bad.

But still for the first time someone goofed up with my luggage and it was in New York.
And it made news, yes it did. Did you see the footage where they showed me along with other passengers tugging along their suitcases and waiting in long lines at JFK when computers failed at all AA counters?

He's got my drink....

2008-07-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

Its been a long time I had updated my blog and you know why. Umm, I am in travel mode, you see! Yet I am being asked why I am not updating my blogspot. Sir, this one is for you.

I am in New York currently, holidaying, working, multi-tasking (don't ask me for details!). And the latest is that someone snatched my drink. Yes, you read that right; no mistake reading it.

I was in this fashionable restaurant in South of Houseton (SoHo) for a nice dinner with my friend; it was a nice evening after a rainy afternoon and we decided to sit out which is kinda sidewalks. We were excited, first with the food and drinks (especially, with the red wine I got to drink),then obviously with the environment and we were enjoying ourselves. We were talking as usual over a nice spread of food. Someone walks up to me: I look up thinking he is looking for something and before I could gather my friend gives a single and he leaves the scene. We continued.
Then someone dashes towards our table and this time he begs for food. I look up and so does my friend. It was like why these guys are coming to us? And not to other diners?
Well, we again continue with our eating-talking mode. We pretty much were engrossed with ourselves and food. Then again he strikes me (us)!

He walks, err.... almost dashes straight to me and asks if he could have my drink and grabs my drink gulps it down in no time before I could comprehend and hence react. I was like, whoa?
No one budged, no body went running after him; only some surprised faces.

It was such an awkward experience and I never imagined this could happen when you are in a nice place and when you are dining with dozen other diners. I was surprised and asked why was that?

The simple cheeky answer my friend had: you attract attention, don't you?
Well, I hope not.

That was scary and I would love to forget this to remember the nice dinner.

Watch me live on TV

2008-06-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

12 June, 2008: I will be at Olelo station for the "Health is Wealth" program with Dr. Inam Rahman.Tune in to channel 52 at 7:00 p.m.

HULA-cination!

2008-06-08T23:58:00.000-07:00

Aloha!!
It’s been quite some time for me in this Aloha-land and I have been pretty busy catching up with my work and activities and not to mention, my side trips, and, ummm…I am tanning beautifully. But, the first thing first.

This is HULA for you. And here you go……
I am awestruck and I cannot write. Well, no writer’s block this time. I strongly feel writing about something so awesomely beautiful will take away its whole essence. So, it’s for your eyes and I will help you with that. No, I am not gonna dance for you, well…you never know!! Hmmm, coming to think of it, I really feel like staying back here, and I am not kidding. Well, you know where it is coming from....no prizes for guessing!! Mahalo!!

Any Comments?

2008-06-07T23:51:00.000-07:00

I am still at it,have been figuring out what is happening when you are sending your comments. It seems some of you have been sending your comments and could not 'send' it across to me (I was told personally). Well, I must have done some stupid thing with this blogspot's settings, or else, someone must be sending comments on my posts to someone (!).

Comments or no comments, I love all the attention around me...err, my blogspot.
I love that!!

Sevilla Moments

2008-05-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

I love food and I love to travel and I love to talk. And all these happened as I met my favorite boss at Sevilla over some very nice Mediterranean and Spanish dinner. And we had a very nice time.

First the meeting: I was meeting him exactly after a year and since we both had a real hectic time at work and home and we both had cribbed to each other about some extra pounds we had added since our last meeting. I was meeting him when he just recovered from a very nasty lung infection which most definitely kept him away from Tennis which is something he does not like to miss. Way back, when he had a ski accident and broke his knee, I remember him going to Tennis court and play some shots without moving much when he could barely walk (that did the damage to his recovery and he had to go for another surgery to rectify it). Well, the point is, nothing can keep him away from Tennis for long and when it happens then the only complain you hear from him is about his weight going north!!

So, I knew what to expect. I reached there before him and waited for him. And when he arrived, I was rather surprised. He is as stunning as before, charming, stylish and that same lithe frame. I was like, where are those extra pounds, man? Anyway, this man knows how to crib when he misses his Tennis or definitely knows how not to put on weight.

Now the setting: a nice big piano and the pianist belting out very romantic, soulful numbers and I was mischievously grinning thinking he must have mistaken us for a couple. Well, we did not have any way to tell him we were not and enjoyed those lilting music which could sneak in between our conversation. And it was soon at the background as we got engrossed in our discussion on life, or rather philosophies of life. Hmmm…..

Now the food: And he wanted to immediately order food before I get into that deep thinking-talking mode and delay the order as he was very hungry; had worked on his presentation and forgot to order lunch. Well, I don’t mind either..food and yummy food and I don’t complain. So, we went ahead with ordering food. There was this duck recipe in red wine sauce and some ‘paella’ with jumbo prawns, chorizo, squid, fishes and some more seafood. And it pleased our expectation. I am not a rice-person but for some reason ended up with that paella variation as other things on menu meant too much of food and I was not really so hungry. They served such huge portion that I needed help; my order was shared by him for me to decently finish the platter.

And finally the most crucial point, the reason why such a dinner meeting finds a place in my blog. Life is one big complication; we need to make it complicated to live it or else its not interesting and yet we say we want to live it simple. Do I make sense? Hmmm….

It has been a pattern so far with me. I have a real ‘hectic’ life and I still manage to crowd it with some other things and in the process I fail to prioritize things. I move on to newer things leaving behind half-finished older things. I try to look for fresher avenues, newer projects/assignments as if more is less. And in the process I spread thin and lose focus. I want to be good; good at everything. Or else it’s not satisfying. I would rather do it nicely or not do it at all; it sounds good at some level. But at more practical level is it wise to spread thin? Is it wise to move on to newer things when one has unfinished work (read PENDING job from old projects)? Or is this just a need to feel good with something which holds more hope than the one in hand? Well, he got me thinking and I want to think about it too.

Sevilla will remain in my mind for long. Not because of anything else but for that life-churning discussion, for those soothing words which never criticized but alerted a lost mind, for those reassuring eyes telling me that you are not alone and that everyone is doing their bit in walking the path of ‘one big complication called life’.

So, where are we heading from here? Hmmm…I only hope that I know.

P.S: I am still spreading thin again, diverting my creativity on this blogpost neglecting my presentation in hand. And its when you just told me how someone never works on her publications, but updates regularly on the blog. Well, I believe in being happy and live for the moment. So far, such ‘moments’ have given me big joys and I don’t complain even with a fewer publications and I still get hired and I still am known for what I do. But, I could do better. I know, you meant that. Thanks!

Quote-Unquote

2008-05-02T02:26:00.000-07:00

"Life is like a trumpet - if you don't put anything into it, you don't get anything out of it. "- William Christopher Handy

Ri(N)gmarole….(2)

2008-04-25T01:22:00.000-07:00

And finally it’s out of the wraps, literally. And I am happy. But that ring has to be replaced.

Wait….let me tell you the whole story before you cook one for yourself just reading this one line….

I now have TEN fingers, all 'single' and ready to mingle..err all working and separate.

What? Did not I tell you last time, it’s about that ring and my finger?

Anyway…I wouldn’t mince any more words and give you the facts:

I was nursing a broken finger all these six weeks. It sounds to be a minor thing going by calamities happening around us. But for someone who never had a bone injury and that too when you were not ENGAGED in a fist fight or any such thing could really shake you out of your wits. I actually fainted (oops, I never knew I could!!) but the pain was way too much for me to bear it with a smile as I found my ring finger (with that RING of course) crushed and squeezed in the doorway.

And for first few seconds I bravely did my bit to free my fingers from there only to realize the damage and that was it. I could actually see the color of my flesh under the skin as if they were scooped out…OUCH!!
Luckily I had a friend with me who could take my beautiful trinity ring off as my fingers started to swell in no time (Let me tell you its not an easy task to take off a ring when the finger is hanging loose and when skin on the finger is not intact and when its that intertwined ring; to hell with it, all the complications together!! Thanks, dear. I dont know how you did it but you really did a clean job!!).
And two hours later I returned home with x-rays and prescriptions and wearing that bandage/plaster what my ‘funny’ orthopedic surgeon flirtingly called buddy-strapping (it indeed is called ‘buddy-strapping’!!). Yes, my ring finger needed a buddy to support it as it lay immobilized inside the wrap.

What an immobilized existence it was- My world had literally shrunk and I was limited only to telephones. You read an email and phone up to discuss, could not write emails in response. Not that the process was very slow but also with pain and that bandage and restriction to keep the injured hand up all the time was really making life quite difficult. It was not just difficult for me but people around me had to adjust. And shaking hands was one such…and even holding hands for that matter, Ooops!
I knew how handicapped I was, could not lift my arm as I also had injured some nerves and then that strapping had to be kept away from water, so no washing, no scrubbing your face, no shampooing your hair…omigoodness! And still you need to face the world….err, show your face to the world!!

I realized how it is to live life with one hand/arm. And life goes on….
And when you want to try to by-pass something you are invariably made to stand face-to-face with it. Such happened when I just dreaded the sight of a pen, forget about even lifting it and even 'trying' to hold it, I was needed to 'sign' papers and not just any papers but legal papers.
And the number of signatures I 'produced' that day even surpassed what I usually do in a month. And I learnt how to sign in forty (or more?) different ways in a day !!

Now, I know how to write with my left hand, how to eat food with left hand-here I mean my regular meal with chapatti, how to maneuver keys to open a lock and many such.

Now….ring finger is fine but I still can’t wear that RING.
I now need a different size as my ring finger really has a weird structure , thin at the tip and swollen at the base (yikes…what am I explaining…).

Do they really have customized service for trinity rings…I wonder!

Quote-Unquote

2008-04-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

"Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about wine". - Fran Lebowitz

Sp(L)it-zer Wide Open...

2008-04-11T01:09:00.000-07:00

"I remember the first time I had sex - I kept the receipt."
Said Groucho Marx. And someone did it.

Ooops, looks like Spitzer took this one too lierally!
But, you cant blame him either he used 'plastic' atleast..well, you should have spelt it right to him, no?

Anyway, poor chap wanted to have some fun which went ..well, we all know what he did, dont you? Tsk tsk...

ri(N)gmarole.....1

2008-04-06T02:37:00.000-07:00

Its about a ring, and not just any ring...its a Trinity ring. And there is a story...well...it will be told when the fingers start working.....What?

To be continued......

Quote-Unquote

2008-03-25T02:59:00.001-07:00

"If you can dream it, you can do it." - Walt Disney

Mental Autopsy (?)

2008-03-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

I love myself; it’s a known fact by now. Well, here I am not being my narcissist self. But….

For some time now, I am trying to be with ‘me’ (remember my New Year’s wishes?), spending much time with ‘me’, trying to understand what ‘me’ wants from life. I am walking on the sidelines lest I am pushed into the rat race of life. I am taking time to know how ‘me’ thinks, what 'me' sees, and believes in, and I am giving ‘me’ all the attention rather than getting bulldozed into that high speed track (Oops..I surely have speedo-phobia. Is this a word in Oxford English Dictionary?).

And understanding the inner self is so very rejuvenating. It feels as if I am being born again, all fresh, just out of the womb; pink lungs and rosy cheeks and all that. Ahh!

And here I arrived at a realization. It is difficult to admit things when you see them with a not-so ‘white’ color. Yes, I have arrived at a realization about me. And I think it is always a good idea to talk about it, internalize it rather than hiding or denying it just because we are so very proud to point fingers at our own self. Accept it, it helps!!

And I find my mind play ping-pong between two words: ‘high maintenance’ and ‘difficult’.

The other day I came across an article, thanks to one of my very close friends, and it made me think a lot on the issue. It talked about how our professional and personal successes shape our personalities. I remember doing an extensive research sometime back to understand what it is to be ‘high maintenance’ personality.

I find my mind having a jolly good time playing ping-pong with ‘high maintenance’ and ‘difficult’. Ahem…

I guess, I am analyzing a bit too far and my mind has reached its saturation. I hear ‘me’ saying: ‘I need a break’.

Yes, it’s the right time for one, the weather is just right and my calendar approves my idea as this would be a long weekend indeed and I see a happy looking suitcase waiting for me.

Well, I will be back soon. Till then, see you again!

Quote-Unquote

2008-03-14T01:40:00.000-07:00

"The future has a way of arriving unannounced." -George Will

Slice of Life

2008-03-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

Something happens when I see this particular shade of dark purple; this shade makes me happy, makes me nostalgic, makes me euphoric, makes me feel the joy from within. I am talking about that particular shade of purple, that Cadbury shade.

At some point of my life Cadbury was synonymous with chocolates before so many other names and colors started to crowd that corner of my refrigerator. Yet, my love for purple..err Cadbury's has not died; I still jump with joy like a child when someone gets me one.

And the other day I was so very happy to find this old advertisement which is off the air now; and I relived those nostalgia and the joyous child in me matched her steps with the girl in the ad.

Such moments are truly a slice of life worth living....umm, I am loving it...the chocolate, I mean!

Condemn Condom

2008-03-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

Damn it! Urghh..not again...

I had a very busy week and started another after a fun-filled weekend with..well..less said the better. Ummm, we had a ball..(oops!) at the conference (a lot praises are still pouring in) and after the conference and we heard a lot of stories from everybody. But I am still so very much excited about this one that I thought of sharing it on the blog..(oops, I have not even changed my clothes after the conference..too much of info..err I mean I came straight and logged into my blogspot to draft the story!) and share with you all at one shot...huh!

And now the story: its about my colleague Melissa and her tryst with condom(S) and what fun...ha ha ha. Maybe, you can read it yourself! And know there is someone called 'condom girl'!!

Oops, I did it again..ha ha ha! Melissa, I still cant stop giggling...ha ha ha! What next? caught red handed with samples of female-condom?

I say, "not again"!

Quote- Unquote

2008-02-28T08:44:00.000-08:00

"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." Mark Twain.

Quote- Unquote

2008-02-27T00:44:00.000-08:00

“My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my successes and my talents" - M. K. Gandhi.

Kelvinator

2008-02-22T13:06:00.000-08:00

" For your information, I'm staying like this, and everyone else can just get used to it! If people don't like me the way I am, well TOUGH BEANS! It's a free country! I don't need anyone's permission to be the way I want! This is how I am - Take it or leave it! "

Well, so said calvin and I like err.. love the quote.

Handle with Care!

2008-02-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

"Handle with care".
This is something I always instruct to the airline personnel while handing over my huge suitcases loaded with...well, just to tickle someone's 'imagination buds', things I often don’t get to see in the stores in my town. And my boxes wear a happy face with lots of 'fragile' stickers on them. And these help me in identifying my luggage when they come rolling down the conveyor belt. It’s kinda routine!!

And so is the case with me, I suppose. Well, I am not talking about luggage or fragile items in my boxes onboard. Its about handling the ‘I-me-myself’.

Its difficult to handle me, that’s what I was told. Well, not too directly actually. A friend brought to my notice an article on a daily about how men are having a tough time handling fragile suitcases…err tough women (yawn, yawn). Oops, I mixed it up again….it shows how much I am in 'travel mode'.

And I do remember a lot of phrases which were coined by people as synonym for ‘I cant handle’ her before flying off the handle. Ha ha ha!! And I know what must have happened when the nicest girl one ever meets can be so difficult to handle….ahem!

Hmmm, I gotta say this one more time as I hand over my suitcase for yet another trip: handling too much, you see! Bon voyage to me!!

Lucky lEAps

2008-02-07T20:08:00.000-08:00

Lucky lips are always kissing
Lucky lips are never blue
…. ….. …… …….
.. …… …….
And here I am leaping my way to a vacation
Oops, it’s a leap year too!
(hey, is not that rhyming?)

Someone had not seen an update on my blogspot and as always the ‘pampered-me’ is woo-ed. And it shows.

I am in transit as I draft this post. It reads well past 2 am on the watch on my delicate wrist and I am banging furiously on the keyboard (are you fighting with keyboards, asks another from the other end over a long distance conversation). And I go with the keyboard with break-neck speed sitting in front of an open suitcase. It is lying ajar; a few bottles of gels and creams and a few tubes of lotions are peeping at me from that transparent travel kit. And I could see that yellow sticky glaringly looking at me with a reminder that I have to send a print out to dad to process my application (ahh, hell…I need to hit the button to start printing).

Ufff….multi-tasking at its peak; in leaps and bounds. Music, blogging, phone calls, packing, advance planning, you and I...blah..blah blah...

And I feel lucky (me and not my lips, ouch!) as I ask how many times you have gotten a free vacation? Well, some people are born lucky, isn’t it?

And at last with that lucky…err..happy thought there will be an update on my blogspot. Someone will see an update till I get back with more…what, I ask? More of …well, keep guessing!!

Laa káwn!!

There's something about Rahul.....

2008-01-27T22:22:00.000-08:00

He is awesome! And I have been saying this eversince I have seen him.

Well, where? Where else? Onscreen, of course.

Way back as a school girl, on that late-night serial in English which was one of the first English program on Indian Television (read: Doordarshan). And then more prolifically on bigscreen and I guess I have seen him from distance in some event. And I am yet to meet him....

I know what you will say, and I am gonna agree to that. I am crazy for him and its like hero-worshipping this man from Kolkata err Mumbai.

And suddenly I am all so gung-ho about him after his latest offering 'Anuranan'. If I could say, I was salivating with my eyes. His performance was awesome and he so effortlessly went into the skin of an understanding husband, a terrific human being.

Are 'you' really like that off-screen?

I have a feeling you are...dont know why...I gather that feeling from 'Mr and Mrs Iyer', 15 Park Avenue' and Chameli.. Why always I feel so moved every time I watch you onscreen, I wonder whether its to do you or your work or the content of the movie?? I ask why, I feel so very connected deep inside me whenever I set my eyes on you onscreen???

I dont know I could ever meet with him and chat with him and be friends with him...but the woman in me surely loves the Rahul on-screen.

Here's wishing you all the best for life. And I am wishing me luck (dont ask me...wont tell you)!!

And here is a crazy thought: who knows...may be 'you' are reading it....

Would love to meet you in person and talk, discuss and see the real 'you'...

Note for readers: Dont pass it off as some work done under influence, its real and I am all awake, sober, happy-giggly and completely in love with.... And with the load of grey matter I have up there I dont have to churn out 'brainy' stuff all the while. And most importantly, I have all the right to say what I feel...even if that means telling, I love Rahul, I mean Rahul Bose!! At least, it makes sense...And here's this one for one and only: Rahul Bose. Cheers!!

Resonance

2008-01-24T22:29:00.000-08:00

“As we pass through the numerous crossroads of life we come

across many who accompany us in this journey of myriad

experiences. Underlying this is a resonance, a chord

which strikes between two people.” Anuranan, Circa 2007

It was a letter, a hand written one with a portrait- a la-Titanic style. And he was trying to make sense taking examples from life’s jigsaw puzzle. Like with a piece in jigsaw many other pieces can be tried but there is just one unique combination that makes it perfect. And before that perfect picture is obtained many combinations can be tried and these are worthwhile. These makes the ‘piece’ more experienced. And there he tells 'her' that not every relation has to have a name.

Such is life. When memories turn olden they become meaningful.

It was when he was zipping through those mustard fields driving that Merc, 'she' was transported to a different place with 'her' eyes glued on the 70mm. Memories of mustard fields from the land of Vikings came alive. But 'she' did wake up at the sight of Big Ben and did realize that was London and he was zipping through the lovely country side of London.

Eto anuranon kano? 'She' asks herself.

The father comes looking for his daughter as she has just moved to the city after staying away for so long and he looks for her and her husband. And he calls for him. 'She' was surprised as that reminded her of a name.

Eto anuranan kano? 'She' asks herself.

While still in front of the 70mm 'her' mind was taking wandering trail through different timezones, different landscapes, different space and time and 'she' did find herself asking:

"Koto anuranan, koto spondon
Koto jigyasha, koto bhalobasha
Somoy egiye jaye, jibon kete jaaye
S(m)riti aar bis(m)riti hoye jaaye ekakar
Ei jibon e koto anuronon, koto spondon" (copyright-Solna)

Fijian Delight

2008-01-23T22:51:00.001-08:00

Its so beautiful, so awesomely beautiful. It has to be seen to be believed. He told her. And she nodded in agreement.

Golden Moments

2008-01-22T23:09:00.000-08:00

Its a lovely wintry evening and she is heading for some cozy time. It was a busy day and she has been criss crossing the town from the early morning. And something cropped up in her mind and she remembered.....

And the very next moment she finds herself infront of a florist's shop busy selecting flowers...err red roses for a bouquet she wants to make.

A bouquet of red roses: a bouquet which is so precious, an emotional statement, a symbol signifying deep love. She goes around the shop and picks up the best of the bunch. And she instructs the florist as he gathers all the sticks for a nice bouquet.

She gets the bouquet and she heads straight for the occassion.

Its late in the night and she is still up. She is happy and she is wearing that enchanting smile. O'lala a...and after a hearty meal she goes to bed happily admiring the everlasting bond playing with her unruly locks which is shining with some silver lining...and she hums the 'everlasting....

On her bed, in her cozy room she is admiring the love, the bond the old couple has been sharing for so long. A life full of togetherness in all the twists and turns life has taken. She is mersmerized in her thoughts as she admires the old couple she shares her life and soul with. The same couple who brought her on this earth.

Bon Anniversaire!! Love you for everything my old couple...

Nostalgic Hallucination

2008-01-16T21:18:00.000-08:00

It’s been a week now- seven long days since she had sore throat; seven days since she had flu. It has been seven days she has been asking why life presents such occasions.

It’s been seven days since she saw him last. She saw him from distance in that foggy morning; she found him standing just in front of her office. Yes, it was him, so unmistakably him! And it’s been seven years since she first saw him.

And it’s been seven days she is living in daze (this has nothing to do with foggy mornings, though!).

She thinks aloud in the middle of a busy day in her new office space, a dark (read no sunlight) room which she turned into a lovely work-station (thanks to her sense of harmony and creative ideas) which is doing rounds in her office building (that landmark building everyone wants to get into) and making a few colleagues to land up for inspection (or for inspiration, who knows?). And in her new husky voice (thanks to that recent flu she had) she ponders (as she discusses with another friend) whether finding him at her office gate was a coincidence or part of some plan. And more she thinks about it more surprised she gets.

Her mind laden in nostalgia and emotion takes her to the time when she would plan a rendezvous with him when one such was unthinkable and she would silently long for a meeting. And now, when a surprise meeting is taking place there is no splash of emotion…how things change, how we change….And she pinches herself.

Yes, you can’t act here, there are certain things which are spontaneous and they cannot be forced upon. There are certain things which are mutual and cannot be felt otherwise. And there are times one just forgets to respond. And she learnt that a week ago in that foggy morning in front of that pathway strewn with lilies and tulips.

Frozen mind and foggy vision.

It’s been seven days since. Seven days. Seven is such a mysterious number, oops…

reNEWal

2008-01-14T01:44:00.000-08:00

A new year has begun and this has been really a new year for her already. So many "new" things has rolled into her life.... and most importantly, a new SHE!

This is no surprise, a renewal was long overdue and she is happy to undergo a transformation: in mind, body and soul..well...no comments on the last! Not in a position to comment. She knows for sure her body is behaving in a 'new' fashion as every time she walks like a child (read...running while walking) her bones tell her to 'walk like a lady'!
Well, age is catching up...Is it?? Her mind does not seem to agree to what her body tries to tell. And still she goes on talking all gibberish like a teenager when she meets her group of friends. She talks non-stop and does not mind even if she is labeled 'the most talkative'. She does not feel embarrassed as she does not take her age seriously and still goes on the way she used to be in her tunics.
Here she remembers what she was told by an old friend when they connected on the New Year: "Oh, you are still the same, same old madcap. And you still giggle non-stop. Don’t feel bad if people think its funny. Don’t change yourself." And she thinks for a while and tears roll down her eyes, big, bright eyes.

May be, its time to CHANGE- Änderung-Changement- and call for a reNEWal.

Change is the name of the game and this is the reality of life.

PHYPA WEN RYEA!

2007-12-31T18:46:00.000-08:00

It has been a hectic month and I could not really spend much time with my blogspot for a while now. But what I can gather looking at the calendar that this would very well be the last post I would be writing this year unless I have a change of heart before midnight and write another. But, it seems unlikely as I am running late already for, first, a birthday party and then the New Year eve party and I don’t take things for granted when it comes to dressing up for an occasion, you see!

So here's wishing a brand new year, a very successful and bright, a very fulfilling and satisfying year for all of you. Wishing peace and prosperity; joy and happiness; smiling faces and laughter; strength in the tiring times; and will power to stay put when things look gloomy and dark. And much more of 'me-time' and lotsa time to discover yourself to know the real 'YOU'.

And here I remember a saying which is so very meaningful to me: 'Success is a journey not a destination' and similarly I put it for life: its a journey, its about growth and the name of the game is to go on and not stop as its more than just reaching a destination.

Let’s say cheers to the New Year as we pop the bubbly.........PHYPA WEN RYEA!!!!! Hic hic....that’s all jumbled up as I try to say ....(may be I am already drunk)....HNY!

Saying Goodbye!

2007-12-30T06:02:00.000-08:00

Just the other day I was discussing ‘this’ when I and a friend (the most down to earth guy I know for all his successes) decided to catch a movie to treat our eyes after treating ourselves leisurely over a lunch and some Australian wine.

That was a luxury for me. First I was at home all by myself and not traveling. And then it was a Sunday, a nice wintry December Sunday afternoon. And then the movie was a true blue bollywood blockbuster and a chartbuster of the season.

While we were casually chatting about the directorial lapses, and exchanging some such critical bytes after the movie we did touch upon the changing cityscape. How this city is transforming day by day which is almost like desperately going under plastic surgeon’s knives. And how multiplexes are becoming a big time favorite with the common people and the businessmen and the people in power alike. And how old cinema halls are standing like a sore point in this oh-so perfect hairline…err…cityscape.

As if someone heard us talking about it and lo and behold…almost in a few days I read an announcement with a heavy heart that this much loved movie hall, a classy address would soon go under the bulldozers to make one of those huge malls with multiplexes. One of those places where you don’t have to plan for a movie as one of those would anyway be showing what you want to watch just when one is in the mood. These days multiplexes are giving such options that planning for a movie sounds oh-so old-fashioned! Life is becoming oh-so convenient!

Chanakya theatre would not be there in future. The name which is synonymous with movie outings from childhood. It also meant good momos any time of the year. And it meant a convenient landmark where people from different parts of the city could gather when we plan re-unions and catch a movie over some yummy kebabs and entertaining bytes from friends. A lot of nostalgia of those idyllic moments spent would be bulldozed along with the movie hall.

For me at this point, it’s an end of a nice hang-out spot. And its end of a year as well which brought much changes and new beginnings. Hope Chanakya also gets a new beginning in future.

And I thank my friend for mentioning about a movie that Sunday while I was happily sipping that exotic variant from Oz or else I would have missed an opportunity to catch a movie at Chanakya one last time. Do I really have enough time to catch another before it shuts down for ever, may be Will Smith’s latest…err I am legend, what do you think?

Speak Up!

2007-12-29T04:56:00.000-08:00

Speak up. Say it loud and clear. It helps.

It helps as it does not keep a residue within your mind and you don’t get to hold your grudges for long. It helps as the other gets to understand your point of view and indirectly helps you resolving the matter, if that is so. Or otherwise it gives you an idea what to do next. It helps a great deal.

This is about one of my friends, a female whom I had met many moons ago at work and became friends, became almost like a family. And she would always be loving and polite and would take me as I am without any offence. She would never feel bad when I would correct her or for that matter advise her or rebuke her. I knew she likes me for my point of view and for my clarity. And this way I had become part of many discussions and her family.

But I used to get troubled at times as much of the times she would not mind my blunt ways. I had uneasy moments after commenting harshly sometimes which would make me think for sometime but I still spoke my mind all the time knowing how close we are.

But I do not have to feel bad again. She spoke up.

I am happy that she spoke up. She said the way her mind told her and she did not bother to think how I would feel. Somewhere it was not a good feeling but at a different level I felt she is no more that meek and indecisive person any more. And somewhere I felt good as now I don’t have to tell her the way I think about things she does and now she knows and she would not ask another for decision. I will feel less guilty after I speak my mind.

Well, I will remain the way I am anyway, some things just don’t change! Except one thing- my admiration for her. Now I admire her more than before.

Hey ‘you’, thanks for that verbal ‘deuce’ you lobbed at my court the other day, honestly it felt good. It’s good to be open and say things the way it is and I like it this way!
And it’s good to see some changes at least. And you scored a point there!

Will you find HappYness?

2007-12-12T23:01:00.000-08:00

I am a morning person and I am at my creative best when its sunrise time and I am at my productive best in the morning. And today was no different and I had to put an imaginary lid on the pot where all the thoughts were brewing for my next blog, for the recipe I would try tonight, the dress I would wear over the weekend when I attend that reception and things like that.
And then there were influences all around, we humans are just like blotting papers at soaking up ideas, moods, and vibes; only difference being we can regulate our selection unlike a sheet of blotting paper which without failure would soak anything it is thrown on!

Well, to tell you the gist there were a good number of influences around me this morning which triggered my thinking process on this blog, and it was at that time when the daily planner at my desk was flashing a colorful collage!

First it was Will Smith, (this man is surely addictive) and then the film called The Pursuit of Happyness and then that sudden encounter with that bitchy colleague of mine, and the group discussion at work as we are planning to relocate our office space and then….well, that’s something within my mind which got into that ‘deep thinking’ mode!

And I was thinking how tough it is to be humble and be genuine about it.

In this competitive world its difficult to scarf insecurities and often the inner bitch peeps out and we transmit a vibe unknowingly. I feel it’s a great quality to be humble when you are sitting at the highest rung of that ladder. And only those could flash it genuinely who have reached there after traveling rough patches in life. It shows through your eyes, through your actions, voice AND you can’t act there.

We all are running in this game of life, whatever is our goal, however successful we are, wherever on the ladder we are placed. Running is the name of the game. And we do it, its habit, you know it or not.

And there I read this: "I couldn't tell you that we were homeless, I just knew that we were always having to go. So, if anything, I remember us just moving, always moving". That’s what Chris Gardner tells when asked about his life on which the film is based played by Will Smith.

Wish we knew its just so for everyone: YOU, I and everyone, may be it’s a different track, on a different lane. So gear up, on your mark…GET-SET...and Goooooooooo

Tall Black and Sexy

2007-12-09T10:41:00.000-08:00

Aren’t these sexy? Umm…I like them pointed, I like them black and I like them when they are real sleek. And I have many of them. Well, I am talking about my love for stilettos (this is so girlie for a tomboy).

And as I stay put on the bed recuperating from, what a very nice doctor diagnosed as, soft tissue injury at lower back, I was reading/discussing more on lower back injury and things to do etc. And there I heard from a colleague about working out on stilettos are gaining ground in Manhattan and such places. I was wondering what went wrong when I tried to run…err walk a li’l too faster on my sexy stilettos last weekend. Now you know why I had to spend much of my weekend on my back…oops, it still hurts.

Learn to walk like a lady, if you can…umm, I am telling myself as my mum told me over phone!

be the man..err CHANGE

2007-12-08T23:43:00.000-08:00

I was away from my sweety for sometime now, was busy teasing my brain..err I was at work and it’s a demanding field you see! But I am in so much love with my blogspot that I had to be back and make my presence felt!!

I was part of a round table discussion to discuss what policies can inspire more men to end gender-based violence globally and more essentially in South East Asia. And there I came across a few lines which truly moved me:

be the man who says NO to Violence Against Women
be the man who Stands for Equality
be the man who Breaks the Silence
be the man who Cares

And I wonder how many (MAN) would truly answer in affirmative in this so called progressive era. And I ask: Are you man enough?

Well, don’t have to answer me…think for yourself .

November Quotes

2007-12-01T23:11:00.000-08:00

Its December already! And I have to go on a vacation.

One more year is going to pass. And for some reasons December has always been associated with parties, get-togethers for me, not only because of usual Christmas-New Year eve fest-ing and feasting but also because of my tenures in different places had mostly ended in December. But this year I have seen more number of farewells in November; farewells of my colleagues from various offices across the globe. And that was quite a number.

And I am a sucker of good time, good food and good words.

I flaunted some of my beautiful dresses and got compliments (they are actually for my designer friend).I ate some nice food, got to know some recipes and gained some flab. I drank some bubbly and felt nice. I listened to those speeches and I saved two quotes for my blog post.

The first one is what Confucius once heard saying "Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall" .

And the second is an Irish saying "May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be at your back, may the sun shine warmly on your face, the rain fall gently on your fields and may a kind and just God hold you in the palm of his hand until we meet again".

May you all have a nice time in the forthcoming festive season as I plan to go on a vacation.

And I am done with this one for the moment; need to catch some sleep after painting the town red…..oops, in my red dress.

Oops, I am still short of one blog from hitting a half-century..whats happening in the gardens of Eden?