Tagging along

Remember those times when tags were so popular. I used to do one a month I think. Finally Amy did a tag and it was simply awesome.  She executed it so nicely that I could not resist it. Here goes...

1. If we didn’t work to earn money, what would I be doing?

Cooking :) I aspire to be a tea stall owner :)

2. What would I say in my own eulogy?

A thoughtful person with her heart in the right place. But also her head in the right place which made her seem like an emotionless b. :)

It's my eulogy, I can swear :)

3. Where do I see myself in 10 years?

I hope to have made my peace professionally and enjoying my time with my girls who would be just the right age then - not kids nor adults, not clingy nor indifferent.

4. Do I receive more than I give, or give more than I receive?

Always equal. For me the scale seems balanced. Maybe I tune my giving to what I receive. 

5. What is the one thing I can do better than others?

Debate. I am too logical and can nail a debate.

6. Whom do I want to be like?

Michelle Obama - those killer arms, that wit, that intellect, those gorgeous daughters and that cool husband! 

But really - I have always wished to be like my mother.

7. What have I done for which I’ll be remembered after I am gone?

This blog - I hope. 

8. Who are the ones who make me happy?

I am a very selective person, and anyone within my circle makes me happy.

Mummy, Papa, Lichie, K, Chiyaa, Pumpki, Ashu, Sam, roomie dear 

9. Do people miss me if I’m not present in a gathering?

No. I am nondescript in gatherings, why would I be missed?

So would you take a shot at this tag?

Ek teer se do shikaar

Nancy and Deeps handed me "The Versatile Blogger" Award. 
As part of the award, I have to complete a tag and write down 7 random facts about me! Ahem! 
R-A-N-D-O-M says you, Random gets me :) 

1. I cannot listen to the songs of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara - especially Paint it red. It was during the summer of 2011, that both my and K's parents made the trip to UK. It was a time filled with fun and warmth. It was time with family. It was also the time which hooked me to this song and would be the first one when I used to venture out on my walks. Now this song fills me with dreadful nostalgia :( 
2. My nose remains cold no matter how warm the temperature it. I am annoyed like crazy by it. I suit up and gear up against the cold with layers and layers of clothing. But what do I do with the nose?!!!!! It remains cold, frigid and just does not warm up. And I have no idea what to do with it. I do keep cupping my fingers around it and blowing air. But then it is not very helpful :(
3. I love seeing photographs - old ones, new ones, people, flowers, buildings, sceneries, mine, family, friends, unknown people, random people, celebrities - anyone, any occasion. I just love seeing photographs.
4. I have never ever baked anything. I love cooking. I have tried most sorts of cuisine and am completely hooked to recipe sites. Somehow, I have stayed away from baking. My mom used to bake immensely tasty cakes and cookies. And I have taken recipes from her umpteen times. But then have never been able to bring myself up for baking. I seriously envy people who can bake. I wish someday I am confident and daring enough to bake something. I should atleast try something in the microwave with so many brownie and cookie recipes which are do-able in a microwave.
5. Tea without biscuits does not complete the experience for me. I am in love with tea. The evening cuppa is a ritual for me - sacred and unmissable. But what I love with tea is biscuits. There are days when I run out of biscuits. Those days I miss it so bad. I feel as if something was missing from the day. 
6. I seem to have an OCD when it comes to responding to pings on instant messengers, sms-es or emails. If I am around I will surely respond. In the electronic era, it is very easy to ignore a hi or a ping. But if I am around I am sure to respond. I just cannot imagine not doing it. It somehow seems a bit rude to me to not respond.
7. I buy accessories but forget to wear them when the time comes :D Yea, I get them all, I stock them and then I forget them. Its mostly when I see someones ahem photograph in which everyone stands beautifully dressed and accessorized, I rue why I dont I do that more often :|

Now tagging 15 people is simply out of bounds. So I am going to tag Furobiker and Amrita.

If but then ...

A very interesting tag from Renu, I started doing it as soon as I read it. Here it goes -

If I were a month - December :) The time to wrap up (both a year and new year gifts) and begin anew. Nothing like looking forward to a New Year. Does'nt it explain the hype for 31st night! Poor 1st Jan inspite of being the cause of the celebration never gets celebrated much. Yes I have to be a December.

If I were a day of the week- What do zillions of people thank God every week for? Monday? No.Tuesday? Naha. Wednesday? Nopsie. Thursday?Nopsie  again. Friday?? Need I say more?

If I were a time of day-Evening. Evenings are so charming. They have a strange sense of romance to them. And for the not so early birds, the look and feel during evening is the same as day break (So sleep on sleepy pies, you are not missing much) And evening is such a joyous moment, kids come back from school and scamper to play. Moms make the leisurely dinner while watching re runs of soaps, what lies ahead in office is calls, you  just have to sit through them :D and is there anything better than coming back from work in the evening, enjoying the light sunlight?

If I were a season- Winter. The markets are  full of my favorite gobis, capsicums, beans,brrr you name it. Fried rice does'nt taste yummier than in this season. (Sadly somehow due to the supermarket culture, all veggies are available in all seasons now :( )

But in the good old days, we had to wait for winter to savor the tastiest peas, carrots and the likes. Its the season of Diwali, Dussera, Christmas, Id!  To sum it all things nice and good. Surely the most power packed season. And did I forget to mention the joys of having ginger tea, curled up with a novel in hand?

If I were a planet - The most intriguing one, for me always has been Saturn. I know its feared in the Hindu pantheon, but then He  is known to be a generous planet too! It comes second in  size, but then, does Jupiter have rings? Nay nay nay nay nay :)

If I were a sea animal- This might sound silly, but I would have liked to be a ahem ahem Dolphin. :) Yes a nice friendly one. Something about them reminds me of dogs, and I chimply louveeeeeeee dogs.

If I were a direction - East because I can never miss that direction. (Can anyone? Its the side  on which the sun rises! )

If I were a piece of furniture-This is a very tough question. I have a lot of favvie furnitures. It was a close call, but then I have to chose one. I would be a bed. You can sit and read, eat (I do, though it drives K mad :D, watch tv, have a phone conversation and then doze off. Its the place where normal human beings can and should and mostly do spend close to 8 hours. Makes one third of the day right? )

If I were a liquid - I would go with Renu on this, I would be water. The liquid which can be in 3 states of matter just like that. The universal solvent and one of the reasons for life on earth.

If I were a tree- I would be a Banyan tree mostly. I find something very majestic about the tree. And I sometimes imagine a rustic getaway when I am bit fuzzled by city life and the picture is never complete with a big Banyan tree welcoming me.

If I were a tool - I am not so much of a tools person, so this was though. I would like to be a pair of scissors. Its a pretty useful one, cant forget the crafts classes! What about the hairstyles that adorn us, not so achievable without scissors eh?

If I were an element- I would be Carbon. The life forming one, the thing that because of its crazy properties forms organic compounds which results in close to 8 chapters in Chemistry for a science student which drive most students against the wall (Am  I correct? 8 chapter hmm? Been so long! ). The one which can be the crystalline diamond (the most precious thing, a girls alleged best friend), or can be coal (which caused industrial revolutions to take place). Teams up with many elements pretty nicely :)

If I were a gemstone - Not much into gemstones, but I think being a Sapphire would look cool :)

If I were a musical instrument- A sitar. I feel the most happy notes can flow from that instrument.

If I were a color - Blue blue blue blue. Dont ask me why. The sky, the seas, peacocks - even nature seems to have a thing for blue. Other colors, no offense.

If I were a emotion- I would be satisfaction. I feel no matter, how happy or sad or angry or whatever one is, feeling satisfied simply rocks :)

If I were a fruit-Go crazy over Mangooooooooooes

If I were a sound-I would be the tinkle of a bell, a soft, little sound,and there is always something happy about it. The simple tinkle of bells seem celebratory during Christmas, seem pious in a temple and festive in a larger gathering.

If I were a car - A Merc, elegant, classy. For a more massy one I would be a Maruti 800, the car for everyone.

If I were food-I would be panipuri :) My fav street food.

If I were a taste- Salty. Zindagi main namak chahiye na.

If I were a scent- I would be nothing but Davidoff Coolwater.

If I were a pair of shoes - Sneakers. Always comfortable and stylish too.

If I were a bird - I would be a friendly domestic talkative parrot. I don't like the color green. But a parrot green is something I love. I would love be a parrot especially in an old age home maybe. I am not sure where the idea comes from, but somehow I would keep all company by imitating stupid youngsters and making fun of them :)

Done. A very interesting tag indeed. Now my turn to tag :) And I tag Ashu, Abhishek, Satish

Now time for some action

I was tagged by Reflections many moons ago to do the gender tag. You gotta spill 10 facts about you which do not fit the stereotype of your gender. And I read some posts executing the tag..and boy o boy some girls simply kick a**!! Phuh! Some had climbed trees, others were gadget freaks, and many many more. I always prided myself in you know being a little 'non girly' (maybe Kajol's rendition of "ayeee mujhe ladki mat bolna haan" in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai glamorised the idea so much more that I tended to believe more in it. Sadly KJo made her ultimately become very "ladki" type before she could charm SRK back :( Damnnn stereotypes :(  )
But now as I sit to do this tag, and I had been thinking about it for quite a while, and I am still fumbling to find mere 10 facts about myself which would not fit the gender stereotype :(. Here is a me who loves house work, simply adores cooking, wont step out without a dab of lipstick and eye liner, splashes perfumes like egyptian mummies (a college mate wrote that about me in the slam book, still aint sure whether to take it as a comment or a compliment :S) andddddd I am rotten when it comes to numbers :( (Maths is just so not my cup of tea) . So much so, I am shaped like a pear, that I even look better in the "feminine" Indian attires and skirts than in trousers and the like.
Well, with this sad story as the background, let me start my feeble attempt at making through this tag.

1. Ahem, I am logical.
Long time ago, I had heard in a session back in school, that "As men have reason women have intuition". I would not champion the veracity of the statement, but if that is some general wisdom, then I would have erred against my gender. Cos I buy nothing but logic and reason. You can even make me take 3 steps back after seeing a black cat, but give me one solid, logical reason. Emotional hulabaloo, religious sentimentality, superstitious mores - nothing, none of them can make me do something I am not convinced to do. You gotta convince me with reasoning only. Thats why I prefer Hercule Poirot so much more than Miss Marple :)
2.I am the one who goes to the fridge to fetch the tomato and then spends a good 10 minutes wondering at the open coldness thinking what did I come to get there in the first place.
3.I cannot gossip. Talking about someone is more of information per se. So and so got married to so and so - cool. That person changed a job - awesome. That aunty did that - too bad. It kinda just ends there. Between my friends and family, its more like whats happening in our lives, analysing stuff and discussing some major events. Swapping in laws stories and husband idiosynchrasies and backbiting colleagues or school mates just does not come naturally. There was one time I spoke some 30 minutes with my friend about project management and my mom once took 15 minutes to explain hawala to me. Go figure.
4.I love the color blue! Black comes a very close second,nearly tied neck to neck with red.
5.I can drive and 'park' the car with dexterity :)
6.I do not understand flowers. As in, I love seeing someone holding a bunch of flowers for me and even like holding the same for sometime. But then I dont know what to do. They seem like such a waste. I feel they should be left to adorn the plants they are supposed to :(.
7. In the same vein,I hate teddy bears and other stuffed toys. The only thing that strikes me when I see any stuffed toy is the humungous amounts of dust they can trap and the lovely sneeze sessions they can give! (A teddy once made me sneeze so much, I was nearly paralyzed huh!)
8.Fascinated by the yellow metal - thats so not me. "Mujhe sone ke kangan chahiye" is something K will never ever hear from me. The love affair women have with gold completely beats me.

Two more to go,I am inching towards the finishing line :D
9.I am a D.I.Y person. I would not wait for K to reach for stuff in the highest shelves but would prefer putting a chair and elevating myself to reach the thing I want. Same goes for stuff gone kaput be it a telephone chord or the ipod.
10. I HATE(underline hate, make the font real big,scream  it out from the roof tops) Love stories. Yessssssssssss......is this a winner or what. Reading/viewing love stories gives me an uneasy feeling in the stomach and at the end of the exercise I am so tired, I dont even get sleep. So please keep away from the DDLJs(I like it just cos its an SRK movie), the You have got mails and Sleepless in Seattles. What makes me feel good? Liberating movies like Ab tak Chappan, Black, Kill Bill (Oh how I love that movie!) and even something as slapstick as American Pie would also do. I have read 3 Mills and Boons and they are some waste of time. Long long time back, I migrated to more realistic stuff.

I did itttttttttttttttttttt. Now I would like to tag Renu, Ashu,Satish, Shylu and Abhishek (Bahut time ho gaya tumhe tag kiye hue *evil* )

Taggity tag by Shylu

Shylu tagged me with a real special one. This is how it goes..

1.A writeup on a kind gesture that someone had done for you which left you speechless
Yes there is one person whom I am indebted to for the kind of support she has given to me. Let me call her S. She was my roomie in Kolkatta where I started my professional career with more lows than highs. Every single thing was wrong including the Vaastu of the place I stayed in. And the only good thing there was dear S. I dunno what made her trust me so much and help me so much over a period of just 5 days. Yes in 5 days time, she was helping me with my studies ( I was preparing for IAS exams then :( A long lost dream :( ) , tending to my eating and also helping me with my work. She was helping me not only in doing the same so that I could get home quick and resume studies but also advising me on steps to take. I am not sure, I have been mothered by no one else but my mom. I usually put up a very independent and stoic stand though I might be weak kneed. Yet I allowed her to take care of me and guide me. Undoubtedly when she took a transfer to Hyd I was devastated. But our relationship continued beyond that. She was there helping me inspite of the distances, travelling long hours to be with me when I attended couple of interviews. She was like a family member..... I truly will be never be able to repay you lh. Her kindness still has me speechless......

2.Indebted to someone lifelong..who??
Who else but my mom. I cannot thank her enough for being what she has been to me - as I keep saying, she is the air that I breathe. She has been my role model ever since I remember maybe. I always wanted to be someone like her. As I grew I did see lapses in her, and improved on them myself. But the best thing I always owe to her is her listening. She always listens to me and understands me. I believe many a times when I jabber on about work, about technical stuffs (trust me I do talk to her about resource crunch and estimation flaws) and about emotional upheavals - she listens. She listens to no matter what I am talking about. And because she listens, she understands and then she supports and advises me. I cannot say in enough words how much she has motivated me constantly. I truly am indebted to her for this one life and many more.

3.Want to say "sorry" to someone..who???
There are many - :) I am sometimes rough in my speech many a times. As I keep saying, I am frank to the extent of being rude. I am strongly opinionated. On top of that I have this quirk to assert my opinion. ( I try to get rid of this - opinion hai to apne paas rakho na. But no - I will voice it aloud!! ) So many a times I have blurted rude facts and am sure I must have hurt a lot of people.

4.Want to say "thank you" to someone ..who??
Thank you - hmmm - this is such a difficult question. There are so many people again I would like to say thank you to...I do keep saying thank you to people all the time. But if I make it like an Oscar receiving speech brace yourself. I would so like to thank Mrs Sharada Chadha who inculcated my love for English - the language way back in school. My uncle - we call him Rocks mama :) for inadvertently instilling in me the voracious reader that I am. Hes a role model, an elder brother I do not have but will never miss having either. Vinnie in college for being the splendid agony aunt she was to me during my NIT days - pity we are hardly in touch with each other now :( Preeti - to whose guidance I owe my first job to - she helped me retain my sanity during those crazy "campus" times where everyone and his brother was going nuts. My manager during my stint in Hyd - he taught me how to "lead" rather than "manage". A boss par excellence. And dear FB - a high grade techo who taught me how to "work" with "passion". I dont have a job which just gives me a living, I enjoy what I do. I owe a lot to what FB taught me - though he taught from a purest of the pure technical perspective, his humanity shone through. Kudos to you. Shylu - you must be repenting asking me this question hai na? This is what happens if you get me started :)

5.And whats your most cherished possession till date??
I will sound very very very materialistic when I say this - but my most cherished possession is my car. Yea - it was always a dream for me. To drive - gives me such a liberated feeling. No haggling with @!#!%$@%# auto drivers. It is not a luxury for me, it is something I always felt I need. We as a family of 3 can travel any where we want without depending on anyone else. If there are guests, there is no need to plan the logistics for going around. Things are so much in place. And being one thing I coaxed out entirely out of my own earnings, I have a very special attachment to it.

6.A special moment in life which brings along a smile every time you think of it.
This is a very tricky question. It should be a special moment, but then it should bring a smile everytime I think of it. I should say it was the span at Delhi with my close friends A and B. It was my first taste of independence, travelling alone, "working" and seeing friendship from a whole new angle. And also the first time we thought we were in love :) Brings a smile when I think how silly we were. We were mature enough not to fall for the school crushes and college interests, but there we drooling over intellect and grave personalities. I still remember how A and I used to sit in the park and get all serious and philosophical munching a packet of Lays :) I did mention in my last post, how we cried the day we were leaving the place :D The age of innocence, thats what it was.


Ab meri baari to tag a few folks : -

Renu
Jack
Nilu
Deeps
and Shylu (you should have done it first!)

Chalo tag karte hain

Renu tagged me, well I caught it late, and here is my work product :)


1. What is your current obsession?
Getting the stuff at work right

2. What are you wearing today?
Skirt and T shirt

3. What’s for dinner?
Poha - K wanted something light

4. What’s the last thing you bought?
Veggies for the weekend :)

5. What are you listening to right now?
Dil to bachcha hai jiii (Hmmm....)

6. What do you think about the person who tagged you?
Someone who has her ethics and morals strongly ingrained but still does not seem like an anachronism. She is grounded in the values of the past but has the outlook of the present generation. She says I am a lot like her :) which does make me very happy!

7. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
I would chooooooooose......... Hmmmm place does nt matter. Home is where the heart it. Give it to me anywhere I will re model it to make it "mine".

8. What are your must-have pieces for summer?
Patialas and Kurtas

9. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Would go to a the Ayush massage center in the next street. The neck, shoulder and back have been complaining and I yearn for a massage. Never managed the time for it :(

10. Which language do you want to learn?
Phew! Not Tamil :) Ignorance is bliss and I want to continue that state. (No offense please please pretty pleaseee)

11. What’s your favourite quote?
"Life is what happens when you are busy making plans " :D

12. Who do you want to meet right now?
Honestly speaking - no one. Prefer to be alone in this corner typing away like crazy.

13. What is your favourite colour?
Blue :)

14. Give us 3 styling tips that work for you.
Remember your body shape - clothes should highlight the good parts and shade off the not so good ones
Pay attention to the shoes
Dont go overboard with the makeup kit

15. What is your dream job?
IAS officer

16. What’s your favorite magazine?
Reader's Digest

17. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
Hmmm.. $100 would not make a humongous change, even I would give it in charity

18. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?
The same color all over the place or lotsa prints on one single person. Hate to see people wearing a floral print kurta with a striped salwar etc - but trust me people do that. And yes atrocious color combis - dark blue shirt with brown trouser is so not cool and so is orange shirt with khaki green trousers. I could go on about the weirdest color combis I have seen :)

19. Who according to you is the most over-rated style icon?
Rekha :) in India.

20. What kind of haircut do you prefer?
Haha on myself, I just have it tied in a pony thanks to the frizzy curly unruly nature of them. Worn the same style for close to a decade now :( Since I get to do nothing with my hair, I dont mind how they are on any one else either. :) Somehow hate very short hair on women. They give me a feeling of having been tonsured in some asylum a tere naam style and sent back to civilisation. (Again noooo offense please - ladies who mite be having their hair till their ears. I was just being "frank" :( )

21. What are you going to do after this?
Cooking and drying the clothes

22. What are your favourite movies?
There are a whole lot - Amar Akbar Anthony comes bang to my mind somehow!

23. What inspires you?
My moms words.

24. What do your friends call you most commonly?
Cherrie, Amu

25. Would you prefer coffee or tea?
What an absurd question - tea beats coffee handsssss down.

26. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?
Call mom, pray, talk to God, talk to K, get scolded by him as he continues his "advise express", cry and of course - go to sleep. Sleep is therapeutic for me!

27. What makes you go wild?
Wild in the bad way - into a fit of rage - room freshner which instinctively triggers a fit of sneezing.
Wild in the good way - the very thought of travelling somewhere, anywhere :)

28. Which other blogs do you love visiting?
All those in my blogroll :)

29. Favorite Dessert/Sweet?
Fruit salad

30. How many tabs are turned on in ur browser right now?
5

31. Favorite Season?
Winterrrrrrrrrrrr

32. If I come to your house now, what would u cook for me?
Matar paneer, poori and kheer. Okay? You want anything more heavy?

33. What is the right way to avoid people who purposefully hurt you?
Huh well.... I am very thick skinned at this one. I purposefully do not get hurt and more or less ignore or become nonchalant to such people. Trust me nothing irritates them more and they give up their efforts sooner or later.

34. What are you afraid of the most?
Lizards :(

35. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
I got biggggggggggg darrrrrrrrrrk circles around my eyes :(

36. What brings a smile on your face instantly??
Thanks to K I would give the answer as "K's imitation of Eric Cartman from Southpark "

37. A word that you say a lot?
Just a word - Ahan


38. What would you do if you were made President of India for one day?
See the entire Rashtrapati Bhawan hehe - A Paa style :)

39. What is that one thing that keeps you going.
Mom always says "Ganapati is watching us, He is never unjust." I live by it.

40. Whats one thing that you used to love that you left
Watching movies. Somehow something has ruined the charm of cinema for me :(

Rules for those who are tagged:


Respond and rework – answer these questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own, and add one more question to the list. Then tag others :)

I tag
Ashma
Shylu
Satish and
Shalom

Honestly speaking

Nancy gave me the Honest Scrap award for the "openness that shines through my pages". I felt - Chalo kisine mera sahi hunar pehchana :D
Now the tough part is this award comes with a tag in which one has to mention 10 facts which others may or may not know. Hmmm... I thought 8 was difficult enough till I was made to do 20, then a quarter of a century, said a lot about myself through pictures after which I surprised myself by writing the mighty Century tag!
But still people if you are not satisfied (or rather bored) of knowing about yours truly here are some more hard hitting facts to digest :D

1.I am a bit conscious of the fact that some(I am sure of one aint sure if there are some ) of Ks friends and family read this blog.The sadder part is they are all silent which is a bit unfair since I never get the other party's opinion. Not that it makes me cringe and bite my nails thinking how to camouflage what I am thinking - cos these are Cherrie's blogs. What you get here is a dice of my mind :)

2.My left and right are very bad - I mean when any one says left I do right and vice versa. Tend to do the same to others too. Imagine going in an auto some place and there being only on left turn and I screaming right right!! Have left many Chennai auto fellows damn perplexed due to this habit of mine :)

3.K says when I drive I look just like my mom - and I love believing that. :)

4.I like it quiet in the mornings. Yes no discussions, no talking, no music nothing. Don't even like bhajans or stuff like that put up in the morning. Just like it quiet (Loved the way Jason Statham says that in a movie - no patience to remember the name of it, I think in The Transporter :( )

5.I psychologically need food once every 4 hours. Even if I ate a horse in the last meal, even if it was just tea with a bun. 4 hours done and I want grub again :)

6.I love the fact that I was a bio student in school. I understand many stuffs, I can hush the non bio kinds in a debate if not logically then with big words at least :D

7.My sister listens to me more than she does to my mom. She kind of looks up to me as an idol which is funny but true. :) And I have known this since a longggggg time :D

8.Maybe being a sickly person with a very low immunity makes me very attuned to the aches and pains of others. And I come first in empathising and taking care of a sick person. Sinusitis since I was some 7 years old made me realise how a good head feels and how a bad head feels. Since I savoured the massages mom gave me so much, I picked the knack and am good at giving massages! But I reserve this treat for the deserving few only.

9.I completely lack any sort of diplomacy. I am what I am - in your face. Many a times, being the typical me, I have vented my "free", "frank" and "open" ;) opinion giving two hoots to the repercussions. Have been embroiled in many domestic tiffs due to this also :( But DNA never changes I guess.

10. Yesterday was our 2nd wedding anniversary and it was beautiful. I know everyone gives the first one the most hype with others fading to anonymity till the silver knocks. But somehow the first one was lost somewhere between work and home chores. And the 2nd ended being so special. I was able to work from home while he took off. Went out for lunch with mil and then lazed around the house. Evening was some work for me and random tv for him. But being with each other itself was a pleasure beyond words. We turned two and it felt hmmm good :)

For me the award goes to:-
Piper
Abhishek
Renu and
Satish

Go on put the award and put up 10 things about yourself!

Indecisive me, guilty conscience and an innocent tag

The title of the post is quite a mouthful :) For the lack of a load to write on, I decided to club everything I could think of.

The Ganesh Chaturthi weekend that went by was full of dilemmas for me. I do not mind the earth shattering, tsunami causing ones, cos I feel I am well empowered to handle them. The ones I dread are, what should I wear, should I eat another sweet or not, should I go to gym today or succumb to laziness and doze some more and so on.

There was nothing planned for the weekend, so K as per his latest fancy that I should sport shorter hair, was persistent we make a trip to a salon far far away where I would get the hair cut to die for. I like change, but then I dread if some changes will make me become a recluse unable the face the mirror and people. What if I end up having a mop like hair cut or any other the other nightmarish cuts that so many actresses sport with elan. For Sunday there was a whole bunch of things packed - puja in the morning, temple visit in the afternoon and a wedding reception in the evening. So with my puppy eyes I went to master K and said, tomorrow was going to be too tiring, could we just laze around the house for a day? Reluctantly I got his nod and then slept off for good 3 hours in the afternoon.

But when I woke, I was guilt ridden - at having wasted precious time. Rather than being re freshed and rejuvinated, I was feeling strangely drained. I wished, I had ventured out and gotten some fresh air:( But then it was too late. And I had to amuse myself with back to back movies on tv. I hoped the coming day would be better as I hit the bed.

Sunday also started on a gloomy note. I rose and shone at 0600 for the puja preparation, but then things got going faster than I anticipated. Most chores were over by 0900 thanks to the propelling force of my mil. And then there was nothing to do but wait for K to finish some sacred thread changing thingy he was on with. By mid day, a cover of sleep started to envelope me. We had planned to go to the replica of the Jagannath temple on ECR with some colleagues of mine. But with the laziness that was surging over, I chucked the plan. K tried to convince to make it, but then I chose to be lazy yet again. As an action replay of the previous day, yet again, I felt guilty of not sticking to the plan, not venturing out, not summoning that extra bit of will and making it. The ride to the temple would have been so much fun - wish I had made it. Argh - I so wish I was a more decisive person and if I was not created decisive, wish God had left me without this penchant for feeling guilty so easily.

And on the same note, Deeps tagged me
Here are the rules :-
RULE 1
You can only say Guilty or Innocent.
RULE 2
You are not allowed to explain anything unless someone messages you and asks!

Asked someone to marry you? Innocent

Ever kissed someone of the same sex? Guilty

Danced on a table in a bar? Innocent

Ever told a lie? Guilty

Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have back? Innocent

Kissed a picture? Guilty

Slept in until 5 PM? Innocent

Fallen asleep at work/school? Innocent

Held a snake? Innocent.

Been suspended from school? Innocent

Worked at a fast food restaurant? Innocent

Stolen from a store? Innocent

Been fired from a job? Innocent

Done something you regret? Guilty

Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Innocent

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Innocent

Kissed in the rain? Innocent

Sat on a roof top? Innocent

Kissed someone you shouldn’t? Innocent

Sang in the shower? Guilty.

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent

Shaved your head? Guilty

Had a boxing membership? Innocent.

Made a girlfriend cry? Guilty.

Been in a band? Innocent

Shot a gun? Guilty

Donated Blood? Innocent

Eaten alligator meat? Innocent!

Eaten cheesecake? Guilty

Still love someone you shouldn’t? Innocent

Have/had a tattoo? Innocent.

Liked someone, but will never tell who? Innocent

Been too honest? Guilty

Ruined a surprise? Innocent :)

Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn’t walk afterwards? Guilty. Guilty Guilty

Erased someone in your friends list? Guilty

Dressed in a woman’s clothes (if you’re a guy) or man’s clothes (if you’re a girl)? Guilty.

Joined a pageant? Innocent

Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? Guilty

Had communication with your ex? Innocent

Got totally drunk on the night before exam? Innocent.

Got totally angry that you cried so hard? Guilty!

I am actually doing this :O

I always take pride in being this practical girl. Till I was tagged by Deeps.
This is how the tag goes, I got to fish for a picture on My Pictures and tell the story behind it. That very day I happened to read this from Ashu which made me zero in on a picture I am reallllllllllllly scared to put. This is gonna ruin my reputation! :( The personal laptop being kaputsy, has added to the burden, since I just got a limited choice on my office laptop - I had no other option but to put this pic :( :( :(


Yes people laugh all you want. This is the handwriting of yours truly(except for one place where K has replied with lipstick :( ) and thanks to Ashu's post which was so corny in parts, I boiled down to this particular picture and now for the story.

Well, in the recent past I had posted about my feelings on going to my parent's place without K and all. So when the day came for me to leave Chennai, I took these post its and put them in different places. Some were within reach, the bathroom mirror, the tv set, on the wardrobe, on the microwave, on the fridge and one on his tooth brush. Some were the sneaky ones which needed proding to reach, for instance - shoes, in the cover of the trimmer( K uses his trimmer and blissfully forgets to keep it inside the case, so it was a challenge), one on the plant in the balcony ( now that was a risk, but I ensured the post it was tightly attached, this was more of a test how often he would water the plants :P) and a few on the cutlery. K did manage to find EACH one of them :) Smartie hubby of mine *bats eyelid*

I am not sure what made him take a click once he had collected them. He took a click of few of them and am not sure if he lost the rest by the time he decided on taking a picture.

Well.... hmm so.. thats my rather embarassing story.
Now for my turn to pick the people who should spill their beans
Satish, Shylu, Ashu, Raaji

Century!

Thanks a ton Ashu for giving some exercise to my grey cells. :) Here comes a very lenghty tag.. Brace yourself.

1. Last drink: Coffee

2. Last phone call: With Mommmmy

3. Last text message: Some Airtel promotion message

4. Last song you listened to: Something on in my gym maybe Britney Spears crooning "I was born to make you happy"

5. Last time you cried: Last weekend maybe. I was boredddddd cos K would nt give me the laptop. I still cry if I am bored :D A trait that has remained since I was a toddler.

HAVE YOU EVER...
6. Dated someone twice: K who else.

7. Been cheated upon? Cheated - Guess no.

8. Kissed someone & regretted it? Hell no

9. Lost someone special? Hmm I dont think so.

10. Been depressed? Of course!! And I tell you its an awful feeling.

11. Been drunk and threw up? Nopes

LIST THREE FAVOURITE COLOURS:
12. Red
13. Black
14. Blue

FIRSTS :
15. Made new friends: Yes :) Luckily started it in school when I chanced upon Sameepa. She was a friend to stay.

16. Fallen out of love: No - Am too level headed for that

17. Laughed until you cried: That's not me :)

18. Met someone who changed you: Changed me a little bit? - Yes. My friend Swapna did bring about some changes in me. Again I am too stubborn to bring in a whole lot of change.

19. Found out who your true friends were:Yes during graduation.

20. Found out someone was talking about you:Yes in school :) We were silly girls then :)

HAVE/YOU:
21. Kissed anyone on your friend's list: K is very much on my friends list :P

22. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life:There are 4 whom I don't know. Rest all I do.

23. How many kids do you want to have: 2

24. Do you have any pets:No

25. Do you want to change your name: NO

26. What did you do for your last birthday: Went roamie roam with K :)

27. What time did you wake up today: 9:45 technically though woke up umpteen times for the milkman, open door for household help, close the door once she left, answer a phone call from - Log sunday ko sone bhi nehi dete hain :(

28. What were you doing at midnight last night: Reading Love in the time of Cholera

29. Name something you CANNOT wait for: My parents to make a visit here

30. Last time you saw your father: In March

31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life:One decision I took in my professional career

32. Most visited web page: Goooooooooogle

Whats your:
33. Name: Amrita

34. Nicknames: Cherrie, Amu, Moooo, Moosie, Chubby,Bunny

35. Zodiac sign:Sagi

36. Male or female or transgender: Huh. Female

37. Elementary: St. Annes Convent School

38. School: Carmel Convent

39. Colleges:NIT Rourkela

40. Hair color: Jet Black

41. Long or short: Longish :)

42. Height: A little less than 5 5"

43. Do you have a crush on someone? Hugh Jackman, Sachin Tendulkar :D

44. Ever been in love? Still am :D :D

45. Piercings? Ears and they suffice

46. Tattoos? Are you talking to me?

47. Righty or lefty: Righty right

48. First surgery: Will the ear piercing count? :P I got it done at a pediatrician

49. First piercing: Those ears are coming in a lot of answers

50. First best friend: A girl name Ranjita in school. We were such thick friends.

51. First sport you loved: Badminton

52. First pet: A doggy named Ramu :) Ram Jaane how his name came :)

53. First vacation: We used to make yearly trips to my mom and dad's native place during summer vacations. But a real vacation which I remember was a trip to UP and Delhi with 13 other member of our family.

54. First concert: I attended or I gave? :D

55. First crush:Mel Gibson and Roberto Baggio :) I had a crush on Baggio more when he missed the penalty stroke. My heart just went out to him.

RIGHT NOW:
56. Eating: Nothing.

57. Drinking: Nothing again.

58. I'm about to: Make lunch

59. Listening to: K blabber his suggestions on how to answer the questions

60. Waiting for: Him to shut up.

YOUR/FUTURE
61. Want kids? Of course

62. Want to get married? I am. Not again :D

63. Careers in mind? Oh manyyyyy Full time mom, teacher, librarian, financial honcho.... lotsss

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?
64. Lips or eyes:Eyes undoubtedly

65. Hugs or kisses: Warm tender hugs

66. Shorter or taller: Tall. Short men don't make much of a statement :D ( Sorry no offense )

67. Older or Younger:Older

68. Romantic or spontaneous:Spontaneous. Romantic is so filmy

69. Nice stomach or nice arms: Nice arms only they can give the nice hugs :)

70. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive

71. Hook-up or relationship:Relationship dude.

72. Trouble maker or hesitant:I love trouble :)

HAVE YOU EVER :
73. Kissed a stranger: And why would I?

74. Lost glasses / contacts: Don't need either

75. Broken someone's heart: Nay I am not a heart breaker

76. Had your own heart broken: It broke when I heard Mel Gibson has a Russian girlfriend :( :( :(

77. Been arrested: Noooooo

78. Turned someone down:Yes

79. Cried when someone died: Hmm yes

80. Liked a friend that is a girl?Like? :S I dont think this like is in the right sense

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
81. Yourself: Everyday

82. Miracles:Again everyday

83. God:Hes my pillar of strength

84. Love at first sight:Of course not

85. Heaven:No. Everything is right here on earth.

86. Santa Claus:Hehe no. It was a Mrs Udita Kapoor in school who used to dress up as one. So I always knew who he is :D

87. Kiss on the first date?No.

88. Angels:Yes. Moms are.

89. Devils: Yes :) Many kids are. :)

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
90. Is there one person you want to be with right now?I am with him now.

91. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time?No.

92. Wanted to kill someone ever? Oh yes. Sometimes I wonder how are suparis given :D

93. Among your blog mates, whom would you like to kiss? Ewww no one.

94. Committed a blunder and regretted later? Are nt all blunders regreted later?

95. Wanted to steal your friend's boyfriend / girlfriend? Noo.

Associate with something you wear:
96. White: Kurta

97. Black:T shirt

98. Red: Saree

99. Pink: Shirt

100. Posting this as 100 Truths? Was fun :)

Now I tag Renu, Shalom, I'll try 2 be truthful,Satish ,Abhishek Khanna(I know you hate doing them and would make a complete nonsense out of this - but i am being optimistic here that you may just write it ) and Shylu

Unveiling me :)

Tagged by Shalom :) A welcome break because I was not able to think of anything to write.
Here go the rules -
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged.

1. I love chai biscuit. Love as in really love - I can have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There was a time when I was in Kolkatta and ginger tea and 6 milk bikis used to be my breakfast. K used to scold me to no end for the habit and I did look as if I was terminally ill :)

2. My mom is the air that I breathe. She is always right, always. I marvel at her instincts. Being the Cancerian, she can literally sniff people. There have been folks, she has passed judgments about and I being the independent me, have struck to my opinions just to be proven wrong after a long time. For a certain some one it took me a decade to realize, why my mom used to think the way she used to about her!

3. I am conscious of my smile because I feel I have weird teeth :S

4. I am shaped like a pear :(

5. I hate stuffed toys. I just dont know why would someone want to buy those fluffy things and keep them in their drawing rooms! They mar the aesthetic sense of the room and also cause sneezing for a person allergic to dust like me :( The only places where stuff toys look nice are in Archies showrooms and kids playhouses.

6. My bed is sparkling clean - always. Even the ends of the covers are neatly tucked, no stray towels/clothes on it.

7. I always sleep with a book, amrutanjan, cell phone and a handkerchief near me.
Book - cos mostly I read myself to sleep ,
Amrutanjan - the only thing that can stop a sudden nonsensical bout of sneezing
Cell phone - that marvel of man has the alarm
Hanky - again to ward off the sneeze

8. I am a properrrrr Ganesh bhakt. There is no other God I pray to.

9. On the same line - I am spiritual but irreligious. I don't like going to temples, don't like making offerings, don't like keeping mannats etc. It mostly so happens, that I go to a temple and feel a vibe there, which keeps me transfixed. I have tears flowing and I feel the deity's power too strongly. Its then that I pray to the deity. But as such, if any one asks/wants me to go to a temple, I do so very grudgingly :|

10. I adore my sister. Shes like my baby. I pamper her to no ends and I love her immensely too. Mom says there was never an iota of sibling rivalry between the two of us. Just that when she was a toddler, I used to ask for whatever she had in her hands - if it was a pen I would want that, if it was piece of paper I would want the same piece. So my parents used to feign they have got the thing from her, while giving me an altogether new object. Hmpf!

11. I have a love hate relationship with my hair. My hair is curly/wavy and its a tad rough in texture. I so wish I had long straight soft silky dense hair like they show in commercials. I wish I could style my hair as I wished and try the bla bla cuts becoming fads every once in a while. But then I have never ever dared to do anything otherwise to my hair - no coloring, no straightening,no highlighting - no funny business. Cos maybe I like my hair as it is - especially after its been well oiled and shampooed :)

12. I am better off listening in any conversation. I am not a person who likes talking a lot except for with close friends and family. Sometimes I am my chatty self with people, but thats just to not scare them (Booo!) . Once I was at home and minding my own business when my sister in law told me," You should keep making some noise so that we know you are still in the house"

13. I hate guys who speed to show off. I so wish their manliness was taken by a big bad bunch of homosexual rapists. ( Excuse the language, but that is how much I hate them) My house being close to the beach, I see a good bunch of such freaks of nature who speed down the roads as if their dad himself melted the coal tar thats been laid on the road. Once a guy sped so fast, that he rammed into the divider on the road. Imagine what might have happened if another vehicle/pedestrian was coming from the other side.

14. I love reading the newspaper. If any one interrupts me reading the newspaper is bound to find the reticent, recalcitrant best of me. So if I am reading the newspaper - let me be.

15. I love readinggggg (this was easy :) ) Yes I love reading since I was 6 years old I think. My mom, my dad and my moms bro introduced me to the world of books (Seemed like an Oscar winning sentence - Arre not a sentence to win the Oscar, but the ones said after winning the Oscar. :) I thank my brother's sister, my neighbor's garden hose, my car's engine - that sorta sentence :) )
My mom was party to it inadvertently when she used to make us read newspaper headlines when I used to crib " Boreddddd" Later she had to struggle to keep me off novels when I used to hide them in text books and read. Dad ended up enrolling me at Max Mueller Bhawan which housed the biggest library (at Rourkela where I was initially) because he could find no other way to keep me constructively engaged during summer hols) My mom s bro was also in the same town - and he used to be my escort to the lib. He had a huge collection of comics, which fueled my interest for reading even more.

16. I am frank to the extent of being rude. My friend Ashu says "This is my takiya kalam :)"But yes thats a fact - if you expect an opinion from me, be sure you will get your moneys worth :D I call a spade a spade (what else can I call it? :S )

ps. Lately I found a person on my friends list in Orkut having the same words for "about me" ! And she is anything but frank. What has the world come to? :S

17. I am very cool. (Oh boy! this sounds sooooooooo banal rotfl) Half of the world today uses this world to describe itself. But for the lack of anything better - I had to use this much used word. Jokes apart - I am seriously a very cool person ( Seriously and cool in the same sentence - how Oxymoronic ( This reminds me of the movie Oscar in which Sly Stallone says "An ox with a moron is an oxymoron :D ) )
I am rather unfazed under fire. It has to be something earth shattering like I lost my cell phone or something ridiculously silly like my cell phones battery died at 1300 hours - that I would loose my cool. ( From the above sentence one can make out that I am rather attached to my cell phone. Would this count as point 18 Shalom? ) Ashu says we both are so cool that "Isse jyaada cool hote to cold ho jaate" (A classic Ashu PJ :P )

18. I am from the eastern part of India and I am married to a person from a quintessential Tamil family. How did this happen? - fate.

19. I like writing. Not only as in blogs etc, generally also I like writing - I write when I study something, I write to dos, I write expenses, I love writing.

20. Kolkatta is a place where I stayed the longest in my professional career and hated every bit of it. Hyderabad is the place where I stayed the shortest and loved every piece.

21. I am more into macho men. Give me those bulging biceps and 6 packs and please hide those clean shaven gore gore chiknas. :D

22. I have been a pretty sickly kid. I have chronic gastritis( which mandates I keep eating something every 4 hours or so else my stomach wrecks havoc) and sinusitis.
Apart from these two, I have always had some or other health related problem. When I was 4 years old, I was badly bitten by a dog and lost my health. When I was in std 8, I was taken seriously ill with malaria - and I had both the strains of virus - falcifarum and vivax. I was so ill that I was admitted to the Critical Care Unit and was on intravenous quinine for 10 days!
Apart from these, I am done with chicken pox and measles.

23. I am veryyyyyyyyyyyyyy impatient. In Hindi there is a usage, sabr ka baand tootna meaning, the dam of patience giving way. But I never had any dam. I just have a small katori of patience :(

24. I believe I am good at multi tasking. I can roll chapattis and have tea, chat and work, blog and talk over the phone, watch tv and chop vegetables, and multi task a plethora of other activities. The only 2 things I dont multi task are - read and listen and use the cell phone while crossing the road.

25. I am a perfume person. I love splashing myself with fragrances. In fact I have layers of them - the frangrant body wash, followed by the fragrant lotion, followed by the fragrant deo then the fragrant perfume - Howzzat? One class mate had written in my slam book during graduation - you smell like Egyptian mummies :S

Fact 26 - I wrote this post at a go. And had one hellova fun writing this. Made me think so much about myself, remembering some facts, mulling over whether to put something or not and thinking hard to put it all down. And I have written the whole of it in my rambling self. :) When I started it seemed unsurmountable, but then at the end of it I go on till 30 :D
Thanks for tagging again Shalom and I love doing tags ( fact 27?? :-? )

Now the people who have to get on their thinking caps *evil*
Shylu, Satish, Raaji,Piper,Ashma and Amrita