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.

Bucket List

Well, I am waiting. Yep - for the inevitable. For the end of life as I have always known. 


Carrying itself was a novelty. The feeling of life inside you is surreal. The inconveniences it poses is as they say in "corny-land" - preparation for what lies ahead. There are moments of agony and pure exhilaration. There are times when you wish it would all end while there are others when you are ok with it going on forever for you are clueless what to do when its all over. But then as my midwife summed it beautifully - kids are the good things in life and all good things make us wait, and cos they make us wait, we love them so much. Hmmm true!!!


Waise, main aise dadi maa types batein kyun kar rahi hoon. Yea sab mujhe shobha nehi deta :D So I am going to revert to original self. Now my mobility is severely restricted thanks to all the Ahem "nutritious" food that I am consuming (carrot cakes and ferero rochers and margarita pizzas ;) )which have added Dunlop tyres to me. I can barely walk 20 mins without panting like a hippopotamus who ran a triathlon.  K's paranoia is also at its zenith with rules imposed as to how far I am supposed to travel at what time of the day and how I am supposed to get from point A to point B. I am like ok Saar what ever you say :P 


So that has given me lots and lots of - TIME. And I have thought of a bucket list. Thus every single day, I catch up on friends :) Then watch a good movie - an interest I am trying to re-inculcate. Read some pages of a good book. Then of course there is the usual of cooking and eating good food :) 


The movement to a new house has also landed me with a lot of additional chores. So there is also setting the house in order. With K's office being across the street, thankfully I have his company for all the meals of the day - which is a great bonus. So its a good run now - eat, relax and be merry - for tomorrow we may have sleepless nights :)

Time for the ritual- Yea the year end post!

Now is the time for the year end wala post J

Don’t believe it, that in a day this years going to be over! This year went really really fast did nt it? There were no big milestones that I crossed but there were some junctures which I crossed that made this year extra special. The most epic one was our decision to become errr… parents. Scary thought eh? I know. I would nt trust myself with a child, let alone a baby. But then I dunno, I feel one fine day you just feel ready to take on the journey. Yes, any right minded person would think – Whoa are you crazy? But yea buddy – there are quirks in nature. Life does bring you to a stage where you see past the dirty diapers, the puke, the terrible twos and assume you can cope with all that. And take that big leap of faith. I could go on and on about how the whole thing can make you feel, but then I would become arduous. So dive we did and mind you those were some months of anticipation.

We had reached a point where we had given up – yes we are impossibly impatient. We were rather looking forward to the parents making a trip. When they reached, it was sheer bliss. The little one bed apartment accommodated 6 people! There was cooking, chatting, shopping, roaming; the house was literally on fire. I also acted guide after a long time organising trips sans K to Scotland, London and the Bath. It was some serious fun. On the last week of my parent’s 3 week stay, we got the confirmation of the new +1 in the offing. It was delirious to break the news with everyone being there in person. There is a reason God makes one wait for good stuff. The smiles (and tears for the moms) on everyones face add so much splendour to the whole fact. The icing on the cake was, 2 people I am pretty close to are also due within weeks of me – one 2 weeks ahead and the other 4 weeks hence. We don’t constantly swap stories but do get some reassurance from the fact that we are all sailing in the same boat. J

My parents stay drew to a close and it was terrible to bid them goodbye. But Amma was to be around for some more months, so there was not a sudden vacuum either.

Life moved on as I cleared 2 technical certifications – phew atleast something to write home about.  This brings me to a post by Nancy where she rues about merely existing. I feel that it is not a bad thing entirely. Yes there are young guns who take the world by storm, there are achievers who make us feel like nothings and there are qualifications and titles which make us feel incompetent – but then is nt everyone a mere face in the crowd? I do not propagate complacency, but then I don’t think we fare any less by doing our day to day tasks with diligence and honesty. I feel every person has a role to play in the fabric of the world. Just like the much clichéd every drop makes an ocean, every person’s carbon footprint adds up, every person’s activities add up to some economic, social or ethical good. We might be part of a mass, but our actions might end up making parts of a product that improves the quality of life somewhere. We might be mere parents but we might end up giving values and ethics to future world citizens who may in turn bring momentous changes. We might be merely “existing” but our actions might be the reason someone else smiles and goes on. Well sounds philosophical and my philosophy might be totally misplaced. Hence I shall stop blabbering.

As the year draws to a close, there are lot of new things to look forward to. We a moving to a new house which will be literally a stone’s throw away from K’s work place. Life will be different there. We will be a getting a new member to the family and life will never be the same again. And we have to brace for the zillion uncertainties that life is anyways going to throw at us. 

So heres wishing good changes and the strength to bear them in the New Year! Hope the year brings the best for all! Happy New Year!

Zip Zap Zoom - went a wonderful Christmas

Just done with the most idyllic Christmas vacation and seriously loved every bit of it.

It was 4 days of holiday and K thankfully did not have to go to work any of the days. That itself was bestest gift I could ask for. Friday evening he gave the surprise of surprises by coming home early. He also chose to skip his customary friday booze party. He has been really sweet lately by giving up time with the "guys" to spend time with me! I love him 10 times more when he does that :) though I keep telling him he could go and have some fun rather than being stuck in the house with a fat lady :) But stay he did and got on with cleaning some surfaces and painting bits of the house where some stains had come along. After grubbing on some frozen samosas, we called it a day.

The next day the sun shone bright, we chose to trek in search of some more Indian fare. Food does call the shots in our choice for outing. We decided to go for a new restaurant and had the most scrumptious Kachodi chat and dhokle. K was developing a mild eye infection, but not letting go of the holiday spirit. Once home, he made a trip to his favourite electronics shop for some window shopping. We ended up spending the evening watching The Inbetweeners and eating lots and lots of Indian snacks that we had purchased on our way back.

Christmas being the day when the city shuts down, we decided to take it slow. We still had to make a trip to the hospital, since K's eye infection was worsening as was his cold. Once back, I got on with the cooking while K attended to some serious enemy killing. All fattened up, we got on with back to back animated movies - Monsters Vs. Aliens, Happy Feet and Ratatoulie. I then chose to hit the bed with a book while K had to get back to saving the world. We saved up all the energy for the next day was Boxing Day - the day when the "SALE" gates open. I do not get the customary rush to shops on Boxing Day. I feel no difference in the options available on this day compared to any other time of the year. But somehow the frenzy is infectious. People do flock to the stores at 5 in the morn!! We too stepped out of the house at somewhere around 1230 to enjoy the sights. We chose to go to a mall far far away with a group of K's colleagues. Since it was a holiday, getting there got a bit painful since transport facilities were way limited. We took close to 2 hours while a normal day should have taken us there in 45 mins. But then it was totally worth the pain, since the decorations, the activity and the general festive fervour charged me with the same emotion. Did not splurge a lot, but it was amazing to catch the guys go crazy in the shops! Now that does not happen very often! Caught up on some reading in the evening along with catching up on 50 most annoying celebrities of 2011 :D (The stuffs people countdown and people watch :D )

Tuesday heralded the very last day of the Christmas holidays (boo hoo). We had a couple of friends invited for a small eatout and K helped me hugely inspite of his illness and eye infection. He was an outright darling from the outset.

As K started to work today morning, I could not help but treasure the wonderful time I had with him. It was a near perfect Christmas.

A fine balance

I love anything Indian - cuisine, couture or culture. Same goes for books too. I simply love Indian authors. R.K. Narayanan is an all time fav with others like Shashi Tharoor, Jhumpa Lahiri, Amitav Ghosh being authors I love going back to. Last week when I finished reading "A fine balance" by Rohinton Mistry, I had another name to add to my list of "wow" authors.

A fine balance is the story of four people from different background who end up having a strangely symbiotic relationship. Its a weird juxtaposition of Dina Dayal, a Parsi widow; OmPrakash and Ishvar, two tailors and Maneck a student. Its an odd ensemble, but the way life makes strange partners is something to be watched out for. I loved the backdrop of each character that the author provides. Its elaborate but not boring in the slightest bit.

There are a host of supporting characters - 

• Shankar - the limbless beggar who is strangely optimistic inspite of his physical deformities
• Beggarmaster - the one who employs Shankar and ends up having a link with the four main characters 
• Maneck's mom and dad - who rue the loss of pristine mountain beauty in their quaint hilly town and somehow end up distancing Maneck as a result  of misplaced angst
• Rajaram - a slum dweller with the tailors who again ends up having a lot of say in the flow of things.
• Ashraf Chacha - the guru for the tailors

There is a lot of characterization and a lot of sub plots. It ends up making the book 614 pages thick, but somehow there is not a bit which feel extraneous. Every bit is relevant and ties up neatly. Some of the twists and turns might seem  a bit too fantastical - but then the book is a work of fiction. Set in the 1970s, the backdrop itself is an interesting revelation. 

Being a die hard optimist, the book's macabre turn of events and pathos did not bog me down. But then, some episodes may put off the very emotional ones - cos there is only so much suffering one can see. Taste for yourself and see, if this Booker nominee  ends up painting the world in shades of black or shades of grey for you. 

End tak sab acha ho hi jaata hai

Disclaimer : Philo post ahead :P

The other day I was with a bunch of people who were reminiscing about days gone by and about India. I was going with the flow for sometime after which they lost me.

I am ok with musing about by-gone days. But then the optimist in me, somehow feels, things work out for the better not for worse. Don't they? In our childhood there are not much burdens to carry and studies and games make up life. There in untold fun in it but studies are utterly painful too ( Gosh I cannot fathom how I ploughed through all the huge chapters on Dravidian history and Indian Independence struggle! and I can never ever surmount entrance examinations) It works up to a joyous worklife. Deadlines are dreaded and Monday morning blues are a norm, but then the joy of splurging at a mall, being able to get something extra special for parents 25th wedding anniversary are things we can do only now. All leads up to getting married and setting a family. Its horrendous cleaning someone else's mess and having chores for additional people but then the sense of belonging is not something that cannot be done away. The stage of building one's nest and then seeing the young ones fly is tough work, but then don't they say, they are rocks in the river bed which give the river its song. The retirement phase might spell boredom for many, but then is'nt this the time to help the young ones grapple with their lives and catch up on all the wonderful reading in the world.

Maybe I sound annoyingly optimistic and maybe I am looking at the world through rose tinted glass which have an extra film of gloss for me. I do not deny that life is tough in each and every stage. But then I see more sense in seeing the good rather than the bad. I do understand the feeling of homesickness and ruing about life back in India, but I feel its healthier to enjoy the good at any place while the opportunity presents itself. Once back in the home-land, its time to savor the delights for it would mindless to wish for life else where then. Same goes for any situation and scenario, is nt it better to keep the good parts and forget the, er... not so good ones?

Ek aur Diwali Khatam

And I am waiting for a next one already.

No matter where I am festivals pep me up. I am at my chirpiest best and can somehow feel the gigantic vibes of good will allll around. Call me silly. But thats just me :)

This Diwali was no less special. The sun shone splendidly! In October having the sun shimmer down tireless in the land where the sun never rises is awesome. The morning was spent in quickly catching up with friends. K wanted to whet his feeling of nostalgia and asked a couple of friends to go closer to the bursting crackers so that he could savor the sound of them. He was in no mood to work and said he had spent most of the day making calls or chatting with colleagues. The British counterparts did bring up some sweets and savories which were matched by the Indian colleagues. There was a lot of munching and grubbing going on which added to the festive splendor. 

Amma was in full throttle and had started making sweets 2 days prior to the event. There was besan barfi and coconut laddus to be savored. She also make some kheer on the day of Diwali. I had plans for kachori and chole for dinner. Once K was back, he got on with helping me in getting stuffs in order and lighting up the candles as Amma made a trip to the local temple with some neighbors. 

I had called over a colleague of K's who has turned out to be a bit pally with me. Once she came over, she too helped me with bits of the cooking. While we were engrossed in dishing out the food, the heat of the candles and the cooking did make the fire alarm go off. But after some time when I suddenly turned to see the diyas, I noticed one of them burning with a big flame. And within the blink of an eye, it spluttered and another one started burning with a big flame. K was playing some computer games, and I thought it might be better to handle the situation silently. And I poured some water over the candles. It resulted in a conflagration! (I read up later in the internet that one should not try to extinguish a wax fire with water. And more over, the flames were getting bigger because there was some melted wax too which was catching fire) Now this caught the attention of K even though he was engrossed in a game. He came rushing and doused the fire by putting a thick towel over the candles. Then he gave me a look - which said - Woman you had nearly set the house on fire. Since we had a guest at hand, he spared me the sound hearing which came lashing down as soon as she stepped out. The judgement was passed that there would be no candles going forward and I either had to manage with some sort of electrical lighting or ask some one from India to get some authentic diyas for any occasion I wanted to light up things. All said and done we had a happy and safe Diwali. Wish everyone else too had an amazing time! 

The festival of lights done for this year, waiting for another gorgeous one!