The weekend of dreams

The weekend that went by was the stuff that you always fantasize about. The kinds you wish would happen, but you know the chances are as great as dinosaurs roaming the world again. No I did not bump into a celebrity or win a lottery. (And those are not the stuff I day-dream about either).

Long long ago – more precisely 10 years ago, my bestie and I were lying on our hostel bed and making glorious plans for the future. One of them included having a family vacation together once in a while. I know there are people for whom such dreams materialise. There are people who are neighbours with their best friends! Such things don’t happen to me. Of the few friends that I have, none were in the same city as me for a long time after graduation. Now none are even in the same continent. 

But then life has a knack of throwing that odd bouncer, which struck just right goes for a six! After a decade of work and life, Ashma had the opportunity to visit a neighbouring island. It felt like an arm’s reach from UK. Of course she would come and visit us if she was coming to Ireland. There was the initial dilemma of whether she would accept the offer or not in the first place, given that she had a young child. My suggestion was to accept the offer with open arms and bring family along since it would be a very good opportunity. At least her fares would be paid for and they would have a mini vacation abroad. Everything progressed smoothly from then on. They were travel ready, but then she had a personal emergency due to which she had to cancel all plans. We were kind of prepared for some dreams being too good to come true. 

As months moved on, the opportunity presented itself again. Yayyyy !!!!  This time she was finally and definitely coming! It was all happening   very fast and we thought we would go about planning everything once she landed. She landed and we did some sketchy planning. Her trip was super compressed into 3 weeks giving her 2.5 weekends. She had to make a trip to UK in the middle week. Coming all the way to UK, she definitely wanted to give London a look. So the Friday, Saturday and Sunday she decided to come to UK with Saturday reserved for London. 

Friday morning Ashu, M and her lil boy S reached home. It was wonderful to have her make tea while I flipped dosas. K was trying to work from home :D. The home was filled with warmth as the adults chatted and kids after their initial shyness played along. I will admit, that thanks to technology its not we are totally out of each other’s worlds. We keep messaging each other, swapping pictures and I make it a point to call twice a month. We have our long chats about everything under the sun then. So though I was seeing her after 6 years, it was not 6 years  of white noise. It was  6 years where we were ‘virtually’ in touch with one another. Evening the men decided to hit the bar while being typical women folk, we busied ourselves with kids and cooking. It was very interesting to note the little bickering, competition for attention, the clamouring for same toy and the final reconciliation that the kids had amidst themselves. Evening it was gorgeous Indian takeaway and an early night in since Ashu and co had a rise and shine at dawn for London. 

We spent most of Saturday by ourselves. Sunday Chiyaa had her swimming class. Since Ashu was the only one awake (miracle!) she came along with us. As Chiyaa and K took to the pool, we got another half an hour to just randomly chat. It was S’s birthday! Once back home, after breakfast, it was time for cake! Woo hoo! The gift we gave to S was a bone of contention as both the kids wanted exclusive rights over them. It was so funny, entertaining and educating to watch how the kids dealt with the situation. Just because S began to cry at a certain point, Chiyaa started crying as well. Finally peace reigned and they played together. We were too lazy to venture outside. But finally at 5 in the evening K took control and asked everyone to get started. We went to the nearby docks which was a pleasant walk together. The kids were going berserk literally using anything and everything as an item to play with. We have been in this city for 5 years but we had never used the water taxi that ferries on the canal. With friends around, it was the best excuse and we all took a ride in it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Some really amazing Indian food was the perfect end to the evening. 

Back home, the kids played as we packed and got ready for the upcoming Monday. There was just so much to generally talk, the refugee crisis, disease control in India, fate and destiny and what not. I literally had to pull myself away when the clock approached 2200 since they had to depart to the airport at 0430 in the morning. I had a weird dream where I saw K and me walking with Ashu to drop her while M was coming along in a car behind us. At the end of the journey, Ashu just turned back and hugged me. I felt very vacant after that dream and it was a bit tough for me to get back to sleep. Finally the hands of the clock indicated, it was time to say goodbye.

The house seems vacant today. But somehow Chiyaa and the routine around her is making everything bearable. It is oh so rare that we get to have real friends over – friends with whom the times apart does not matter, because there are no actual times apart. Friends with whom one is perfectly comfortable making calls home or playing games on the computer without thinking what they might think. Friends with whom one is ok to venture out for a couple of drinks even if you have met them for the very first time. Friends with whom one is crazy enough to think of a family vacation together again in the near future.

Fantastic Friday

At 1000 on Friday morning my heart skipped a beat. I got an alert in my phone "give notice in twinkles". Twinkles is the day care she attends. She will be attending full time day care again in a month hence the 1 month notice is to intimate them of the same . She will be going full time because mummy will be returning to India. *big sigh*

I was living in constant dread that mummy's return would happen one day. I was living in constant preparation of the event. As usual when it was upon me I was least prepared. But life must go on. Since K was out of town we gurls decided to paint the town red ;) No nothing very risqué just dinner and shopping. We went to a place called Red Hot World Buffet which has the most amazing fare when it comes to buffet food. There is a variety of cuisines like Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Continental, Italian and of course Indian! And who rules the roost? Of course humara desi khana! The queues in front of samosa, tandoori chicken, pulao, chicken korma and masala kulcha have no end. The only place where there is a dearth is the dessert section where only gulab jamun is able to make an entry. The splash of cakes, ice creams and fudges can blow the mind of anyone with a sweet tooth.

 

The little birdie also loves this place. There is something or the other for her. If she is bored with chapatti, there is pizza, if she had enough of that, there is noodles. If noodles has stopped grabbing her attention, there is French fries. Even having small portions gives me the satisfaction that she has had enough. This time to top it all, mummy loved it!! What more could I ask for?

 

After that, we stopped by a place to do some Diwali shopping. I wanted to get it over with before we were too close to the date and it became a rushed affair. Chiyaa's dress was priority. We managed to get a very nice outfit. Little did we know, that she would come home and insist on wearing it. She has been wearing it for 3 days now (Well she does change into her night wear when she goes to bed and changes clothes a million times during the day. But on and off, she had managed to keep on wearing it *rolls eyes*)

 

As the kitty was busy playing, mummy and I managed to watch a documentary on the recent spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone and the wonderful job that Medecins Sans Frontieres is doing there. Hats off to the people who take up such a tremendous responsibility. Since the kid showed no signs of being drowsy, we continued with some more tv time by watching the movie Taken. It is not brand new, but it was good fun watching it with mummy. We were all ready to hit the bed, and there is no pleasure greater than 3 generations huddling inside the same duvet on a cold September night. *Sighs* Simple joys!

Wo shaam mastani :D

*Giggles* Yep I do not believe the cheesiness of the title :D But somehow this struck and now this is stuck :) 

Enough of my pjs. Let me come to main mudda. Hua yun ki yesterday K came home early. *Giggles* And I was like yayyyyyyyyyyy. After 4 years 3 months and 6 days of marriage, his coming back from work fills me with glee. And if he comes home early its like sone pe suhaga. I literally welcome him like a puppy welcomes its master. (Yes he does call me puppy/poppy). So yesterday when he came home early (with K's schedules normal time is early) but yesterday he was really seriously early. I could not believe my ears when I heard him turn the lock in the door. And when he stepped inside, I gave him the widest grins. It was raining, the weather was murky, everything was damp, dull and cold. But when he stepped inside - it was absolute yayyyyyy. :) (You can see I am at a loss of words - I was that happy!) 

Since I had daddy taking care of darling daughter, I had some time at hand. He had asked me since quite a few days to make some vermicelli kheer. I was always hard pressed for time for the same. So I took the opportunity to make some. And we always make it a point to make some special dishes extra so that K can hand some over to his bachelor friends. So I made quite a big load.We savored some amount of the hot pudding. Then it was time to video conference with the grannies back in India. After spending some time, I went off for a little walk within the apartment. Day in and out I do most of the stuff at home myself and also manage to take care of the baby. But with K around yesterday I realised, how much of a help an extra hand was! I had time to myself, to just go blank. Flipping through the pages of the novel without having to keep glancing at what the kiddo was doing, was in itself a blessing. Bless him!

Now a dark, dreadful and depressing rainy evening deserves one thing - yep - Ginger TEA! So I spruced up two nice cuppas. We all huddled in one cosy bed - K reading comics, Chiyaa cooing and playing and I investigating my new phone. (Let me take this opportunity to reveal that K gifted me an iPhone 4s. I am a technically challenged person and centuries behind the latest gadgets. But I have my sister and my cousins mentoring and tutoring me and making me slowly but surely hooked onto the phone.)

We barely noticed how well and how swiftly time just flew. As the clock inched towards 2100 hours, we made our way to the living for it was time for The Apprentice. Episode done, it was nighty night. After a truly wonderful and enchanting evening - in spite of the rains :)

Of great weekends and sunny Sundays

For the first time I did not resent the Monday. In spite of being a full time mom, I still hate Mondays.

But not this week.

The gorgeous Saturday started with K being at home.So I got time to work on a project of mine. I was trying to make a decorative piece for my kitten now that shes started looking around. So while K minded her, I was able to complete my piece. It took a day and looks amateurish, but then I was happy with the results :)

Sunday was frigid but sunnnnnnnnnnnny!! And I LOVE THE SUN! So at once I suggested we make a trip to a park. Got ready in a jiffy and packed ourselves for the tour. We took a good long stroll for close to an hour in the park. Finally when the sun started shying away, we decided to make the trek home. It was again another splendid walk with the sun playing hide and seek with the clouds. We thought of venturing to the library, but noticed that the timings had changed. To make use of the time we had at hand, we spent some time in the local museum.

K loves museums and his interest is contagious. I tried to look around at the sections of interest to me. But then I got tired after a bit and took to being with my daughter on a bench. After K was done with his wanderings, we were both famished. We treated ourselves to buffet at Spice Quarters. The lil one was cooperative to some extent. We took turns eating and at a point, where she would not rest, I held her while K fed me. :) Thank God there was not much of a crowd else it would have been embarrassing. Food done, library was the last stop after which it was homie home. 

Sun, Sunday, scrumptious food and stimulating time - who is scared of Mondays?  

Full House

Amma joined us on the 20th of last month and the Chennai trio was complete. And last week on the 10th, my mom, dad and sis reached! Now that's are a real full house!

Our joy just knows no bounds. It is just so amazing to be all together. The whole plan had so much ironing out to do. Dad has his post retirement activities which he did not want to miss out. Sis had her work. Mom had her responsibilities for my  maternal granny. So along with all this, it was a marvel that all 3 of them were able to manage these 3 weeks to come here. It would have been a cherry on top of it, if K would have been able to manage some leaves. But then perfect is boring.

I really relish that fact that my family gets along famously. Big touchwood to that! And somehow by the grace of God, we do happen to pull out some or the other get together. 2008, we spent the Dusserra vacation together at Bbsr with trips to Puri and Chilika being the highlights. 2009, when sis got her posting at Mysore, we all managed a trip for 4 days when we travelled like crazy. 2010, was a bad year by all standards. 2011, and here we are all together. Could not thank Chubby God enough for making this happen.

The travel agent/tour operator inside me was kicked alive by the presence of so many people. And I made plans like crazy. I had a 2.5 days trip to London and a 3.5 days trip to Scotland planned to a T. Since K was conspicuous by his absence, I had a lot of things to take care of. Surprisingly my dad who is annoyingly fussy about food, place or stay and literally everything was very well behaved. A proper rice and chappatti person, he lived on sandwiches, salads, pasta and pizzas for 7 days! He was a sport to climb the tallest peaks in Scotland, which even the moms had given up. Being the fast walker, it was amazing fun to strut beside him. I am so proud of you Papa! There was even this one time, when he being the impulsive adventurous one, broke off from the herd and ended up getting separated from us. This when we were in a ferry. He got down in some stop where we were not supposed to. But then when the womenfolk returned realising a missing Papa, he was standing guard at the gates of the stop with the most ridiculous smile on his face. I was fuming but seeing his smile did not have the heart to reprimand. Amma of course did give him a nice hearing ;)

The moms as usual were the voice of advise and reason and were ever watchful. Tour done, we all concurred that India simply rocks. Be it history, architecture, nature or any realm, India can put the entire world to shame. I just hope someone gives our tourism industry a booster shot :(

Anyhoo, now its time for the next good thing about holidays. FOOD. The house is brimming with it. Both moms cook in a frenzy and we gobble food like theres no tomorrow. K has resumed his habit of coming for luch whenever he can cos who wants to miss a the cosy feel of home. Along with good food, there is also shopping. It is such fun shopping with mom and sister. I have been able to stack up shoes and purses again.  

I do not do the dishes, vaccuum the house, throw garbage, cook or do anything at all for that matter. But everything gets done. Some parts of the house do look like the waiting room of a railway station. ( Picture this) 

But I am amazed that six people are able to fit in this real minuscule place.I think when we got place in the hearts there no need for rooms in a house. (Kitna zyaada filmi dialogue

hai - shame on me).  

My dil goes mmm

• When I sit bored on a Friday evening, mulling over the most worthless stuff like what's the big deal about Friday?  What's the point in giving so much importance to the start of the weekend? How easy it is for guys to bond over work etc. (No rhyme or reason right? I think crazy sometimes *sighs*) As I keep sinking into more morbid thoughts, K knocks on the door and says "No booze party today, am all yours" ;)
• When after n attempts at the mock tests for a certification, I finally pass one
• When after feeling utterly bored once K has ventured out to work real early on a Saturday morning, I do my set of step ups (I step up and down at the fire exit of our apartment as a means of cardio) and come back feeling recharged, revitalised and rejuvinated!
• When I cook a real good meal which K loves :)
• When I drown myself in back to back episodes of MTV Roadies Season 8 
• When K reverts his decision to go to work on a fine Sunday morning
• When we shop groceries together (after eons)
• When we loose ourselves in chole and rotis at an Indian Takeaway
• When we sit and watch a movie ( Seven- yes old movie, and long over due. But an amazing watch) 
• When we feel guilty over the HUGE doughnuts we hog upon
• When we finally retire feeling good about a weekend well spent  :) 

The last lap

When I was back in Chennai,the last week with my parents and sister were one of the most fulfilling and fun filled ones. It was going to be a long time before we would be together again, so we decided to make the fullest of it.

My mom comes to Chennai and I don't take her to T Nagar for shopping is just not done. So we had the customary trip to T Nagar which resulted in quite some heavy shopping. I tend to loose my patience with such stuff but then anything for mommy dear. Along with this we also had the trips to make to K's office which was far far away from humanity. I had to make 4 trips to the office to get all the travel related stuff done,and boy I did notch some kms in my car!Again, it was going to be quite a while before I drove the beauty again, so I was not AT ALL complaining about the time spent with her. Now also even though I have the most ravishing cars serenading on the streets, my heart longs for the Red Beauty parked in our apartment back in Chennai. :(

By the grace of God, my mother in law and mom get along like a house on fire. (Touchwood) Ironically there are times when the ladies gang  up against me! This time too was no different, with both of them pampering me when I got tired of running here and there, helping me a lot with the packing, suggesting what to take and what to skip and equally reprimanding me if I lost patience. It was also heartening to see, both of them cook side by side. Mil making the south Indian delicacies and mom cooking for her finicky husband :). They also did chores together, mil putting the washing machine,mom drying the clothes and folding them, cleaning up some of the mess the packing used to create and all the other pesky work that creeps up. I really miss the two moms I have :(

My dad was way too busy those days. There was the Soccer World Cup, Wimbledon, Twenty Twenty between England and Australia if I am not mistaken and some other series. So while the whole house zip zapped and zoomed, my dad was the stationary figure, completely glued to the TV. The one time he moved muscles was during the morning walks. And I was not the one to miss the walks with him. All the while, I used to walk all alone and with the ipod plugged in. This time it was going to be with my dad. It brought back old memories of when I was in school and dad, sis and I used to go on long walks. Suprisingly, my sister, not one to wake up before 0800 also jumped in to the prospect of walking even though it entailed getting up a 0600! Three of us had some enjoyable walks around Besant Nagar and I will always cherish those mornings.

The gang of girls went out for a dinner one night which will always remain one of my favourite outings. We went to a place called "Once upon a Pirate" near the Besant Nagar beach and had a splendid evening there. We gorged on some delicious food and took all the time in the world chatting about this and that. Dad decided to put up at home itself since,he did not want to budge an inch from the TV front.

Mom,sis and I also spent a lot of time walking in the evenings to the nearby stores. We used to spend the evening running small small errands, someday for the rolling pin, for safety pins some other day,some evening it was a trip to the parlor for some pampering while some other time it was a temple visit to thank chubby God.We just needed an excuse to step out of the house and do things together. Towards the fag end of my days in Chennai, the times became more action packed. There was purchase of new luggage, some clothes for K and other some other knick knacks. The list that was made was big, but it was awesome fun, checking off things which had already been purchased, striking out stuffs which we felt were not necessary, weighing the suitcases and then again rearranging the stuff all over again. There were some things which I wanted my sister to take back since she would be able to use them atleast. There was fervent packing of those items as well. Now as I reminisce, there are so many many instances I can think, when we rolled over laughing over some silly joke, got all hyper on some instance, raised voices over some difference. But one common thread that ran through all the 5 days the 5 of us were there, we were in it "together". Everyone was thinking in the same direction. I thank God for making me pass through the difficult times that were and in the end showing me how much my entire family rallied for me and K. Touchwood. And Thank God! 

Run up to the holiday season

I somehow have not seen a lot of year ending posts this year. Last year, reading such posts only made me write my very own year ending post - with the ups and downs. This year, I have not been up to date in visiting my favorite blogs and many apologies for the same.

This year, the run up to the holiday season itself was fantastic with my sis reaching Chennai on 24th Dec and mommy following up on 25th Dec. It was supposed to be one week full of travel, with mom making a trip to Mysore and sis making a trip again on the 31st weekend. We somehow convinced our lazy dad to also come by the 31st weekend. All of us would be together on the morning of the New Year that way! But then, man proposes and God disposes. Sister got her posting to Bbsr sooner and she had to move down there on the 27th. Now she and dad will be coming down together this evening! Somehow the wish of all 4 of us being together got fulfilled by chubby God.

I will remember this year, for both professional and personal reasons.
Professionally I moved on, a lot. I was given challenges, I took up responsibilities apart from the mundane work and I essentially did stuff that I so enjoy doing. A bit less than 5 years back, when I was in the nadir of my professional life, I never thought, I would see days like this. Those were the times, when everyday I would pray to God to make it pass somehow. Every single thing about my life was so so wrong then. The main reason I was in agony was because of my work life. And inspite of whatever I did to get over it, the double I seemed to be pulled into the quagmire of despodency. But those 2.5 years of utter anguish did teach me a lot. Today, its a me, who simply loves going to work and tries to instill the same in the young and restless newbies. Maybe God showed me the darkest of the dark phase, so that I can empathise with any kind of person at work. Touchwood.

There were a lot of changes on the personal front especially in my parents house. I got to start the year with some quality time with them. Then my sister moved out to her professional life, which was a big milestone. To see her off, it was again the gang, parents, mil and K. We again had some real good time together. But the time that followed with her not being there with my parents was very tough. No one was able to reign in their emotions when it came to sis's absence from home. Life has somehow come full circle and shes back where shes truly missed. Then again my parents paid a visit for Dussera which turned out to be a week of fun and togetherness. I chanced to make a trip to Bbsr in Novemeber, where a weeks' trip turned into 3 thanks to typhoid :D. And now we 4 will end the year with a bang!

There was a particular professional gain I was looking for which went down to the dumps. I am not sure when it can be revived again. I also has some financial losses with both my cell phone and wallet getting stolen. But I will choose to ignore them and remember the trips I took up with K be it Mysore, Ooty, Hampi or Goa, the time I spent with family, the work I did and all the other good parts.

Here hoping everyone who stumbles by this post remembers 2009 as a good year but what use are the bad parts except giving heartaches. And heres hoping 2010 is 10 times better!! Have a utterly butterly happy NEW YEAR!!

A very special weekend

I have been meaning to write this post since a veryyyyy long time. (As I have been meaning to read all the posts in my google reader :( But not been able to manage the time. I intend to read each and every unread post - not that it matters the world to the writers :D)

This year after a span of 9 years, I was with my parents on my birthday. Luckily that time was also the end of days for the typhoid attack. The day preceding my birthday, which was a friday, the doctor had recommended leaving the only liquid diet and switching to some light solid stuff. And some switch I made by having a chicken submarine. My mom, aghast at my loss of weight (moms have this weird tendency to magnify their kids weight loss and big time underplay the gargantuan weight gains) coaxed to have 2 subs! But I literally had to scream at her to make her stop from chocking me with food. We also bought some delightful chocolate cookies and brownies. After the pet puja the rest of the evening was spent doing some birthday shopping :)

The next day - the birthday - started early with calls from friends and relatives. And one hellova chocolate cake from dad! I feasted on the cake like I had been kept off food for years. As with all member of the fairer gender, shopping is not something which reaches its threshold soon. So there were lots and lots more stuff to be bought and off went mom and I for another round of shopping. We started at 1130 in the morning and by the time we got back home it was 1800 hours! Women get some divine stamina when it comes to shopping :D After the humongous shopping was done, it was time to get home, refresh and pack for the coming day when I had to leave for Chennai. After being there for 3 weeks, it did feel weird to pack. But some things got to be done.

The next day I started back. Back to my home. I would feel out of place for a long time in Chennai and every single thing would make me feel nostalgic. I would miss my parents at the slightest pretext. The solace was the fact, within two weeks my time, my mother would be coming over to meet her daughters.....


(The cake dad got... being his typical self, he forgot to write my name on the cake :D )

A trip and some thoughts

Last weekend K and I made a trip to Ooty with K's project team. Frankly speaking, I am not a fan of cooler climes. They trigger an unprecedented bout of sinus and leave me dazed and harried. It was group trip, and the only person I knew from the group was my husband :S - this thought caused further trepidation. And I am not so much of a "group" person either.

In spite of these blatant negative pointers, somehow I had an irrational feeling - that the trip would be good. And It was!

For starters, for the first time, of all the journeys we have undertaken, K and I were well ahead of time in getting to the station. Since it was a completely Tamil speaking crowd I would be travelling with, I had braced myself to get mega bored, as I had on previous occasions with K's friends. ( If any of K's friends except the Dino are reading this - please don't take any offense :) ) I had decided that, as my last resort, I would start reading the novel I was carrying risking the fact that I might look like an utter snob by doing so. But then you gotta do what you gotta do. Once the train started and the conversations too started flowing, I sat through it entirely without getting the least bit bored. I did not understand 85% of what was going on, but then I amused myself by observing the animations on each ones face, the different accent with which some people spoke, the affected mannerisms of others and generally analysing and passing verdicts on each one. I did that for 2hours 15 minutes after which I got tired of the cramped space and made my move to doze off.

I am not sure if I have "evolved" after the stay at a place whose lingua franca I do not understand. If I have, I am very pleased with the evolution. :) I no longer get peeved by the fact that folks do not even bother to ask me my name. I do not object to the fact that the majority tongue flows freely with scant regard that a person might be interested in getting into the conversation. And when there is something I feel I should know, I innocently interrupt with an"English please :D " and dont feel abashed at doing so either. I wish I was so footloose free on prior occassions. I would have done myself a mighty favor. But then, evolution happens only with time.

On reaching Coimbatore, the ride to Ooty was a pleasure to say the least. I hate the color green. On previous visits to hill stations, whenever any one would draw my attention to the greenery, I used to remark - "Am I a cow to go ga ga over this!!" This trip was meant to be different - I found the greenery refreshing.


The trees were washed fresh with sporadic showers. The clouds fumed from the base of the mountains. The roads were wide and the hair pin curves did not cause a mutiny in the organs. I thoroughly enjoyed the uphill ride.

Once set in the cottages, I got ready for the sight seeing with amazing alacrity. The places we went to were resplendent with an old world charm. I had heard about Ooty being crowded, commercialised and chaotic. But I found it out of the world, one which very much deserved being called the Queen of the Nilgiris. K and I walked along a lot.

There were 2 other couples, one recently married and another as old as us. The newbies were eager to get clicked beside every tree and hedge. The older one, took a more mature stance. While K and I were behaving like old friends. We held hands with ease and K did help me in conquering a couple of tough rocks. Then I remebered how a couple of days after wedding I had felt strange that K and I are not so demonstrative of our affection as some people are. I remember writing in this post, how I felt my sis in law and her hubby being publicly affectionate. During this trip, I could feel the comfort K and I shared even in a social arena. It needs time to get used to being with the new person post marriage even if its a love marriage. It is something like a new friendship. One takes those baby steps first, sheds inhibitions slowly and then becomes completely comfortable. For a friend also no one gets to the back slapping comfort zone from the day one. It takes time to build that camaraderie. Same it works with a spouse too. When I reached this profound conclusion, I felt even better. :)

The sight seeing at Ooty was very satisfying. The crowning glory was the ride in the heritage train. After a fully packed 2 day tour, I slept like a log during the return trip and woke up with a splendid sinus the next morning. Good enough, for things should never be too good :)

Feeling blue

Since the month of March, ever since I came back from a visit to my parents, I was waiting for June 17th. The day they would come to Chennai and we would make a trip to Mysore to see off my sissy for her job. And the run up to their arrival was filled with so much anxiousness. I wanted everything planned to the T. Since there would be 6 of us travelling- I had the hotel rooms and the cab for travel pre booked. When I learned that my sissy (being my sissy ) had a luggage count of 5, I started scurrying for an optimum vehicle. I had to scout quite a number of cab providers in the city to finally get to the one which would be able to provide a large enough vehicle. That apart, I got planning on what to cook the next day. My dad has a tongue for non spicey food - which is not so much of a norm in southern India. So I had to coax my mil to let me tweak the food to adhere to my dad's taste. She was exasperated seeing the miniscule quantity of tamarind and red chilly I used. She felt it was sacrilege to make sambar with just a pinch of tamarind and one red chilly (for 6 people) but then I put my two dainty feet down and said "Today you adjust :P "

The whole day prior to their arrival I could barely contain my excitement. My friends would vouch for how I was all pepped up for the upcoming vacation. I was waiting for the clock to tick the day away.

When my folks finally arrived - it was some feeling. The house was full of stuff. The gifts were exchanged - the best being a diamond ring for me from my dad! Over the chatter everyone forgot their apetite. Inspite of my cajoling that mil and I have been up since 6:30 cooking, my folks barely had the hunger. It was only excitement that prevailed - nothing else. A meagre breakfast done, mom, sis and I ventured shopping while dad chose to avoid the tan :) With mom shopping is typical - its a frenzy. She makes sure she checks out everything, more or less visits every shop and ends up buying a lot but each one is simply unique. Sis and I survived the period with mom and also managed 4 awesome buys. That done we strutted home where there were a zillion+1 last minute stuff to be done. Till the last moment we were zipping bags, pushing things into polythene bags to put it properly later in the station, yelling at each other, reminding whether one has taken this or that, checking the taps, the switches, the gas stove - it was pandemonium personified. Thanks to all this - all 6 of us slept like there was no tomorrow in the train.

Reaching Mysore, we had an awesome time. The lesser said the better about the tour. We ate good, we slept well, we had some real nice time talking with eachother, we argued about which way to take, we felt exhausted, we clicked a lotssssa pixies :). The penultimate day did turn out to be a bit on the off side, since we chucked the plans to tour around cos of general exhaustion. But the choice made us all feel a bit lousy and bored towards the afternoon. But then - nothings perfect. That night mom, sis and I chatted late till the night. The conversation just flowed easily and did not dwell on anything in particular. We kept on cos we had a feeling - tomorrow yet again we go separate ways, having no idea when we might meet up again. And tomorrow, the baby of the house - my sis, leaves the nest. It was a feeling full of trepidation and anxiety. But more than my sis, I was worried about my mom and dad. I know having 2 daughters, they might always have prepared themselves for this time, when inspite of needing them the max, they would be without them. But no amount of preparation comes close to the actual event. While dropping sis at her stay, when my dad also shed tears, I felt too frustrated at the damn distances between us :( Wish any one of us was a bit closer to them :( I know my condition is much better than folks who stay across the continents, but then ......

Through out the return journey I was bursting into sporadic tears. I am not a person to let my emotions flow easily, but then yesterday I felt it was better to let go. Giving two hoots to what people might think, K just hugged me and let me be. All the planning, all the preparation everything over in those 4 days and all that remained was a lull and fond memories. K was so used to the ruckus that morning he too had a forlone look. Our house which was such a mess just 4 days ago, seemed so empty. My parents today went into a house where the dirtiest room was the cleanest. It was very painful. But then when sissy called and said, she had slept well and last evening had gone cycling with friends to "survey" the place- we all smiled in spite of her tears. Life is so bloody ironical.

Mazdoor Union

Zindabad zindabad!!

I hate communism. But I Lourveeeeeeee them for giving us Labor Day! Chuttiiiiiiiiii!!

This was a weekend I was awaiting with bated breath. This year since its inception has been damn hectic; and all my plans of taking breaks, vacations, time offs have been going for a toss. I have had to work on weekends- many times on my own volition, on holidays, work from home after office hours and all that jazz. I was anticipating something untoward to happen this long weekend too - upar se election vilection ka time hai bhai - one never knows.

But then I think good Lord looking over me from the high heavens thought, ok let the sloth sloth around this time. And I ended up having the lazzzzzzzzzzzzzzziest 3 days possible.

Friday I lazily woke up at 8 ( very late by the standard of a good bahu) Once done with the morn chores and seeing K off (he had office all the 3 days) and done with an early lunch - I hit the bed. And i dozed a good 4 hours! Evening I caught up with some blogs, orkutted, chatted and generally browsed. Saturday was spent equally leisurely in the company of magazines and books. Evening we had invited Ks newly wed cousin and his bride for dinner. Mil and I were scurrying around in the kitchen, me busy with matar paneer and she with kolambu. Luckily both the dishes came out yummy yum. The couple wanted to get some shopping done and I escorted them to some areas near the beach to get the stuff. We never realised how we just like that passed 2 solid hours going from shop to shop.

And it was really endearing to see the newly wedded couple. Theirs is again a love marriage and the guy is head over heels over head in love with the gal. There he was playing the perrrrrrrfect hubby. Running to open the doors, pulling out the wallet zap as soon as they reached the billing counter, buying gifts secretely for her and asking me to hide them and to the extent of running to pick the shopping trolley for her too. I was like Dude, till 2 days ago she was doing all this on her own, and you get married to her and treat her as if shes some princess from Egypt. Then the girl was like, I swear, 2 days into marriage and hes like this - let a year pass, then I would have to remind him who I am. To this he solemnly replied - I wont change. I was like, touche :)

It was a real pleasure hosting them over. And sunday, mil and I bonded over the tv. Random we were watching shows all over the place :) End of day we made two bigggggggggggg jars of musk melon milk shake and mango milk shake - gulped a good amount (WOW) and kept the rest for the bebe of the house.

A gooood lazzzzy longggg weekend. Bring on the monday now. Am not afraid of it :D

In the summer time

I am a proper fire sign - I love the sun. The sun makes me feel happy! I don't mind the sweat or the fatigue that comes with it. And more than the sun, I like the change to the summer season which is otherwise known as spring.

By 9 ish, the sun is high in the sky, grinning at every one mischievously. But then, though hes shining bright, his rays don't pierce the body. And the mild breeze is a perfect consort for the blazing sun. I feel so pepped up with the magic the dazzling sun and frisky wind create. It makes me all nostalgic and remember the good things of life - remember the God of small things :)

The weather makes me remember, how my sister and I used to study at this time for our last term examinations. We would be left alone in the house by mom and dad, and the whole morning we would sit in front of the TV. After a nice scrumptious lunch, we would doze off. Conscience would awaken in either of us, and we would scramble to the study table. But it would only be at the fag end of the day when mom and dad would have returned that we would step on the accelerator. Then we would both realise, how much time we wasted as a result of being lax in the morning, vow to not repeat the same mistake the next day, but end up doing just the same thing even the next day.

For the first big exam of my life - the 10th standard ICSE exam, it was this very time of the year, that I actually started studying. When folks around me were comparing how many revisions they had done, which all test papers they had completed, and what not, Sam and I would be blissfully analysing the latest SRK flick or some other utterly trivial stuff for hours at end. It was only in Feb, that God pumped some sense into the 2 idiots and we started with the old Question papers :) How we managed to read the entire course within 3rd of March is in itself a miracle. And the results of that exam are something I still put up in the academic acheivements section. :)

The spring was also the time for cupid to come flying around! When in college, we would have one hellova time teasing folks, inflating the ego of some by hooking them up with the first good looking bloke we could lay our eyes on, going to parks just to find out who are the new couples of the season and being the reporters from ground zero for the rest of the bunch and of course celebrating our singledom with a boisterous treat. And it was also the time for the spring fest, which gave the hormonally charged guys and gals of the college, more opportunities to interact with each other. Being the perfect shusheel, shaleen parivarik ladki, I used to have no seconds thoughts, but go ahead and book tickets for my home town. Come on not every day you get a college leave of 3 days + add the weekends and you get 5 days at home!! Only a moron or a committed person or a wannabe commited person would miss the chance. One time, since a friend of mine did not manage tickets to go home, I promised not to abandon her and never booked my tickets. But seeing the frenzy of the couples around, I thought I had made the wrong decision. I just sooooo wanted to be home. End result, I pulled my friend, went up to the bus terminus and got 2 tickets for my place. I did not abandon her you see. We spent 3 gorgeous days at home. It was such fun :) But then the very last year,the entire batch, unnanimously decided to stay back and get all the prizes from the bloody joons :)
That was the summer of 2004.

Phew.
And this season I am at Chennai - a place famous for the 3 seasons being summer, more summer and even more summer. But its a pleasure to see the subtle nuances even in the tropical climate that it is said to have. And 2 people are making a difference and bringing a smile on my lips everyday.

One of them is M49 uncle. Well hes the driver of the bus M49 which comes to my office. Its a public transport bus - and thats the only one I got to get to office. This uncle, is ALWAYs on time. If I am around the bus terminus from the timespan of 1010 - 1030 I am bound to hop into his bus only. I am seriously amazed at the way he keeps time inspite of driving some 20 odd kms. from the start to end point (one way) . He has a pretty stern disposition and he simply does not wait for any one. If he is a tad late in getting to the bus depot, many times I have seen, he does not even park the vehicle and get a smoke. He just simply makes a U turn and moves on. Sometimes I used to feel, he should wait for a bit more, because there might be people missing his bus by seconds. But then I thought, he has got to keep time even for the folks at the other end of the route. There might be people on the end terminus similarly planning their itinerary depending on his timing. He does not disregard that! Kudos to you sir. If I knew tamil, I would go up to you and say, You do your job dutifully to the T. You are truly an inspiration.

The other person is the lady in the gym. She too sweats along with us with a smile on her face. In the place I am currently going to, we have a new floor activity every weekday. One day its yoga, the other aerobics, on another swish ball, and so on. She makes us do every single thing every single day without making any of the slow learners feel left out. One truly feels good after the session. Thank you very much for making each day good.

There are quite some happy news pouring in from family and extended family - people getting married, people getting approvals for getting married to the person they have chosen ;) , people doing good at office, people going very good in colleges, :) These things only make the crescent come on the face. The sun is shining, things will be nothing but bright.

The year 2008

Last year when I posted this I had scant thought that yet another year will pass by andddd it will be time to post another year ending thingy.

Hmm.... the end of this year does not seem like the end of a year at all. Partly I can blame it on the fact that TAMIL NADU SARKAR DOES NOT GIVE LEAVE ON 1st of JANUARY COS THE NEW YEAR BEGINS WITH THE TAM NEW YEAR. Grrrrrr......
Another reason might be, there were many things which were evened out in the year that I don't have any thing to anticipate in the coming year. There is nothing that I have planned and have to execute it next year. There is nothing that I have executed and have to await the results next year. Most of the rough and tumble happened in the year itself.

• I got married
• 2 of my closest friends got married
• I was able to trot around the country with my better half
  
• I had a splendid and a pretty educative year with my in laws ( education about the traits and quirks of the people who are to be my family hence forth :D )
  
• I moved in to a new firm and got used to it pretty decently.
  
• Got to spend awesome quality time with my parents and had helova lot of fun
• And the bestest I had a neice, the cutest thing on earth currently :)
  

Touchwood to all that ( I am superstitious in this) I hope I am able to post a placid post next year too. Wish all chancing upon this post a wonderful and glorious year and hope the new year with a new government down the line also brings in a lot of peace and prosperity to the country.

Return to normal state

This time of the year, always gives me the same kind of feeling :(
The feeling of emptiness.
Its the end of the Puja :(

For me Durga Puja/Dushera is not a festival per se... its a culture. Its a time, which fills me with a plethora of feelings. And its a time no matter where I have been and how I have been, for 5 odd days at least, I am happy, contended and strangely at peace.

This year puja was a pretty well planned out event and I was all enthu for it since July. Everything was going too smoothly. My holiday was to be with my husband and mom in law. I was to visit relatives, make trips and be with my parents after 9 odd months!

But I had planned an important event a day before the vacation was slated to begin. And somehow that very important task did not get accomplished. It left me a bit shattered and very very disappointed. I could not see the reasoning as to why it should have happened, a task involving pain staking effort over months- but then some things are supposed to happen and when I am able to fathom no rhyme or reason, I leave it to some ultimate power. Maybe that thing was not supposed to happen so it did not.

The next day was a flurry of activity which included a lot of shopping. And in the evening when we were all adding final touches to the packing et al, we got a minor glitch. A scenario which demanded instant decision and which would disrupt our plans. There were raised voices, high tempers and tears as the three of us discussed, debated and deliberated. Finally we decided to bid time till we are back from the vacation to get the final plan of action. But in spite of that, there was a sense of anticipation. We set on the journey with questions, uncertainties and hope- hope everything will fall into ultimately.

The on ward journey to my home seemed soooooo long and tedious. I could barely contain my irriation when the train slowed a bit. Finally we chugged along and reached bhubaneswar after 22 hours of travel.

And homeee ah! home was home. Perfect, spacious, welcoming. The lights on the streets, the tinge of coolness in the wind, the warmth of being surrounded by my mom, dad and sis!! - nothing can beat that feeling.

The next day onwards, there was no end to the invitations we had to accept- friends, family, relatives, each and every one had to share a moment of fame with the newly weds :) This being the first trip K and I made home, we were given celebrity status :) And boy cant go on to describe the calories we gorged on. Food was delicious, so did not have the heart to say no. I am a miserable failure when it comes to saying no anyways; any aunty says - itne pyaar se tere liye banaya hai - bas - I should have a heart of lead to say no.

We made a trip to Puri and stayed at the same resort where K and I had had our mini honeymoon. This time with the whole bunch with us, it was even more fun. I am not a great fan of the Puri Jagannath temple. But this time for the first time, I felt His aura! It was so humbling. It was like, God has chosen me to be convinced of his divinity. I could completely understand why the temple stands to be so popular in spite of the utterly obnoxious attitude of the priests there. I could fathom why there are innumerable songs, which go on lauding the Lord. I could understand the depth of the words I used to just like that sing when I was learning Hindustani Vocal. I felt touched. But the best part was yet to come. I turned to see my mom in law - and there she stood - dumbfounded and flushed with her eyes nearly on the verge of tears. I did not want to break the spell, and only after some seconds, I went ahead to touch her shoulder and escort her closer to the idol of the Lord.

Hmm.... quiet an experience I must say.
The days that followed were too fulfilling and satifying. But then all good things come to an end. This time it was a bit less painful since I was traveling with family. Bidding goodbye to my parents and sister was heart wrenching - but then since we still did not have one confirmed ticket, we were in the middle of a bit of confusion, which took our minds out of the pain of parting. At last when I lied down to sleep, with no thought , the tears poured in.

The return journey seemed so lacklusture, and I remarked to K - hey returning seems so boring, it seems faster, but still its kinda numb. He said - yea return trips are like that - they lack purpose na!! Hmmmmm those words stayed with me.
Reaching the house in Chennai, we had to get on with some setting up cos the working week began the very next day. So while there was a lot of hustle bustle through out the evening, the night seemed deadly silent. When I called up home to check out how my folks were doing, I learnt the conditions were no better there. Every one was missing us a lot.... :(

Today morning, when K mentioned he was feeling a bit bummed out and feeling out of place. If he could sense the momentum of the change, imagine my state. Hmmm it felt terrible in a word.

I am in the most depressed state now I suppose... feeling as if there is nothing to look forward to. I know it takes some time to come out of the hangover of such a good vacation. Hmm just hoping to keep myself real busy and get rid of the blues soon........

Come September

September is such a nice time of the year. The autumn air some how brings in many facets of me - one moment I might be full of anticipation, the other I would done a totally pessimistic attitude to the way of things, and yet in another I would be full of profundities.

And it being the 9th month of the year, its somehow a perfect time - to look back. To look back at the beginning of the year,how was a new year kick started, how sunny the summer was, how well the glooms in the monsoons were coped. And it is also the time to look forward - to a jam packed festive season, to weddings and get togethers and most important to a glorious wintery year end to compensate for any rough time that went by in the year.



Some how September especially September end, the mild chill in the air et al, makes me stand and take stock. With the Dusshera time coming up, I savor the wait for those nine days. Psychologically I feel as if all the elements of nature are gearing up for the festivities. The roads seems extra bright to me, people seem happier and I am flooded with nostalgia of my home town and state. I literally teleport myself to my home town and get gooseflesh. Whoa!! nothing like this time.

With 3 more months remaining for the year to be over, this time gives me a feeling, ok just three more months, this is the time to sprint. You got to cover up on all the lost time, all the lost connections with people, all the un fulfilled desires of shopping, all the planning for next year and the year after that - now. You just got 3 months!!

I will be home with my parents for a good 10 days after a long time and I think the skip in my gait is un missable. I am not sure why I penned down this post - maybe to keep still for some time atleast :)

Up and Down

I was on a trip to Hyderabad for 2 days. I am always so gaga about the place, that it sometimes gets on the nerves of K. So I call it the city which cannot be named ;)

I had asked Dino to book the rooms for us... and strangely.. the guest house itself was a pleasant surprise. Since Dino is awesome at underplaying his talents, he had said not to have any high hopes on the place especially since I was paying one grand per day. I somehow thought, the room would be one with the bare minimums - satisfying only one criteria I had stressed upon - cleanliness. But then when I reached there - it was neat no doubt, but was a good piece of construction as well. The wood work of the room was very tastefully done which was a treat for the eyes :) And with a tv and well functional ac - and a very BIG and beautiful bathroom(the tiles were too cute which depicted dolphins taking a splash ) - what more could I ask for?

Once refreshed I ventured to visit pals at my previous firm. It felt different, but not weird. I wanted to meet so many folks, there was so much that needed to be said and expressed in the short time. I could literally feel how I and my friends were literally rushing on the words. There was really too much to talk. I always feel that no matter, how much you talk over the phones, how many hours you spend over messengers(even if daily), there are so many thoughts which come over when you actually meet the person. Mundane things seem to jump into the forefront, demanding immediate attention and the conversations just go on. And once its time to say the good byes yet again and depart- one is left with so many more thoughts- and a hope - ok next time.


Going back through the same lane of the office after 5 odd months made me very nostalgic. Some how - afternoons make me nostalgic. During the weekdays, I am so ensconced in the office environs, that I rarely get a chance to take a peek outside. So the days I do get an opportunity I dunno why, I fall into a reverie. Every person passing by reminds me of some by gone days. As on that day, I saw a person hurrying across the street with a file. And I was reminded of my last day in that office, when I was scurrying around getting a demand draft done to pay off my dues to the company and then the whole evening of my penultimate day at Hyderabad zapped through, making the heart ache.

Evening it was time to meet my ex roomie. The easy camaraderie that we always shared was bang in place. And though I did most of the talking during dinner cos her throat was in a shape, it was a real nice time. Shes passing through times which are topsy turvy times, but then shes the same hard core optimist that she always has been! I was feeling a bit jittery that she was passing through all that she was passing through, but then she never did as much as get a crease on her brow!!Wish you much better times ahead roomie dear..... The darkest hour is just before the dawn( The dark knight :) )

The next day I had to attend my friends wedding. I wished I could be near her all the while and I could be with her for the entire duration of the ceremonies. But then I was starting back home on the same day and I had to scurry off after being at the wedding for some 3 hours. This friends wedding was a big deal at her home. It was being a bit tough finding an alliance for her. But at the end, it all went on fine. I could see the glow of satisfaction on her moms face, which nearly brought me to tears. I know she was in the midst of too much, to be aware of the events, or of the transition she was stepping into. But when I left from the wedding hall, the feeling was of regret that I could not be with her for longer and happiness that she was "settled".

As I started back, I was a bundle of a lot of emotions. Each part of the city somehow evoked some memory. The malls reminded me of the joyous evenings, some sections reminded me of the road I used to take for the CAT mock tests, the street that led to my house made me reminiscent of the quaint life there.... Phew! I cant pen down all that I felt I suppose.

If I would have written this post yesterday, it would have had sadder intonations. Cos, I stepped into a house without my niece. She was with us for 3 months and then yesterday poof! suddenly she was gone - leaving some used clothes, her smell of milk, the smell of dettol( she was all of 3 months only :) and went back to her dad s place yesterday), her empty cradle which brought both K and me to tears and a deafening silence. The house used to reverberate with her cries, with footfalls to rush to her, with endearments to pacify her. Yesterday all that remained was a lull.

I just thought, this too will pass. Time is undoubtedly the bestest healer.
So I am in much better spirits today though I miss my dear chutki dearly......

Sweet nothings

Nothing specific to write, but I am full of emotions. Not ones which exult you, not ones which bog you down, not ones which make you raise hell, just simple smiles, small irritations, mild tempers, subdued impatience. A little sprinkling of emotions is what is making the concoction of my days.

I am not taking the damn auto rickshaws to work any more, on the contrary its the public transport - yea local buses for me. Bothers the wallet much less, but 2 other factors are more satisfying than just the economics of the action. The first being - I leave a smaller carbon foot print - imagine the one I was leaving till now , taking an auto alllllll the way over 15 kms!!! Now being a person who is as green as green can be (personally I don t like the color green) I am loving this fact. And the second fact is - I am with K for 25% of the journey :) The walk from home to the nearest bus stop and from there on till the first bus stop where we take buses to our respective offices which are exactly opposite in direction. Now in the time that we are together - we discuss investment options, fight over this and that, tease each other, complain about office, joke - in short - a time filled with sweet nothings :) I simply love this time. It makes me look forward to starting for office :)

The year started with my wedding for me. And I am looking forward to two of my greatest friends getting married - one in August and the otherrr on my BirthDAY!!!!! I am just too happy to see them having those changes in their lives, its really entertaining you know to listen to them crib about their future husbands. HaHa - I feel like a Daadi maa :) hehe and I think with an evil grin - Bacchu , kuch din aur fir tussi samjhoge ate daal ka bhaw!! *evil smile*
Andddddddddd apart from that a very special person is very much in love and loving it - but would not admit that :) Ahem! How I love teasing all these folks during our regular calls!!

Quite a year it has been and it will be quite a year to look forward to. Have taken up a couple of personal as well as professional commitments which give me the jitters some times - but what is life with out that dash of blue.
Heres hoping alls well for all of us. :)

The end

As my last blog pointed out, yesterday started on a miserable note.

Since I was on my cribathon, I ended up pissing off K big time. And when he gets pissed off, he scolds. And when he scolds, he can be remorseless, spiteful, hurtful :(
And he feels damn guilty for being so, but sadly he cant help loosing his temper either.

Hmm so as soon as I got to office the first thing I did was type out a short and crisp sorry mail.

Once I got my bearings, things started looking up. Work was going on at a nice and decent pace. But all the while I was kind of thinking that K might be all sulky through out the day. Cos, he says I make his day!

I was wondering if I was able to get home soon, and in case he was also able to make it to home at a decent time, we would do something together. I was thinking about sometime at the beach(which is very close to my home), but then the last time we had been there, we had fought on trivial matters :(
Then I thought, ok! roadside food from some stall would rock! We are both addicted to the veg rolls at a stall near our place.
And as K started from office at 1830 he text messaged me "Frankie on the way back?" I replied "You read my mind! "

I was all agog to go home.
But Murphy Chachu came up. And I was delayed at work. :(
I managed to start from office at 2030 hours. I called up K and said "Frankie plan cancelled :(". He was ok with it, but said we might need to go out to get some stuff for home.

I knew I would be tired by the time I got home, but I could not resist a bike ride to run the errand, so said yes.

I got home at 2100 hours, and we set out.
He parked the vehicle and started walking in the opposite direction. I was taken by surprise. Then I realised, we were headed to my favvvvvvvvvvv restaurant!
K's way of making up for being harsh with me in the morning.

Dinner was sumptuous. But dessert was best - a sundae called "The last time I saw my waist" :D