And we reach the finale – Post 28

I did it. Yes, as successfully as I could. Skipped 2 days, first because it was this mad mad day and 2^nd because I was a bit mad that day.

Wrote every single day. Wrote about things I wouldn’t have written otherwise. My readers know more about me post the NaBloPoMo now.

Completed the month without picking up a tag!! And that is something I am very happy about.

My friend thinks that next month will be a “Na – Blog – Post – Month”. Let’s see if she knows me well.

My reason for taking this up was to be regular with my blogging. I had been missing for a while and I am sure nothing better could get me back. Work was at its worst and that made the entire effort even more worth it.

It was taxing no doubt but it was as much fun too.

Its now time for my thank-you speech:

All my partners in this crime – Monika, Meira, Pixie, Swaram, Prats and some more, I owe this to the commenting you guys did. Had it not been for the “present here” comment I would have lost hope long back. {Ducks to avoid the eggs and tomatoes!!!

now please don’t stop commenting, phuleaseeee}

A big hug to Aman, for enduring my “its 11:30 pm, the clock is ticking and I haven’t posted yet” panic modes.

Anu – hugs to u, u tried to get me off this and I know your intentions were right

Thanks to my neighbors – generally!!

And aunty’s dog – even more generally!!!

And to the maid and the cook – now what if I didn’t have the support system at home. Time would have gone in cribbing and ordering food, right?? {What, you thought I would say – cooking and cleaning, huh???}

So tra lala la. And its time to treat myself!! Chicken Biryani any one??

And the Day was made – Post 27

Mornings are typical. Aman wakes me up in the warmest way possible. I scramble out of the bed, switch on the geyser, then the laptop and then collapse again to catch another precious 5 mins of sleep.

While the bath gets ready, I clear a few mails, plan my work day and then log into Facebook. Not that anything earth shattering would have happened through the night. It’s just like a habit.

So this morning when I logged on to FB I saw a notification saying my blog had been mentioned in a friend’s status message.

And when I read what it was, I was happy and touched beyond words.

My friend’s status message said “she wakes up to My blog and Monika’s blog each morning”

Now isn’t that extremely flattering??

Check it out for yourself.

I didn’t even know she was reading me, let alone reading me each day. So “E” big big thank-you to you. You really made my day!!

What do women want? Post 26

Many a philosophers have spent a lifetime trying to figure this one out. Many a sages went through time to get the answers. But does anyone really know?? Here is my attempt to answer the question as I see it. For the one woman really close to me is Me.

What women want is control over her destiny, a control over her life.

We want freedom of choice, of opinion, of living the way we want.

We want to be secured and yet be fancy free!

We want a man who loves us, respects us and cares for us. We want a man who keeps us on a pedestal up there and adore us. We want a man who really wants us.

We want children when we want them and not when the world thinks we should have them.

We want a home. A warm welcoming place to come back to.

We want friends who are as mad as us and yet understand us.

We want a career and we want the choice to quit when we wish.

We want money. We want the perfect wardrobe. We want a lot of shoes. We want holidays and vacations.

We want a healthy body. We want to love our curves, our color, our skin and our hair. And we do. Please let us be.

We want to walk at any hour without carrying the pepper-spray.

We want to be respected. We are proud of who we are, please do not force us to think otherwise.

We want to be individuals first and then be seen as “women”.

Is this asking for a lot??

Ps: this is also my entry for BlogAdda’s What Woman Want contest In association with pringoo.com

Gucci or Shakespeare - Post 25

What would you rather be – “rich and uneducated” or “poor and educated” ??

Is it preferable to have a Prada without even knowing how to pronounce it or would you be rather be reading a battered 3^rd version of a classic?

If education is just a means to prosperity then why is wealth without one considered vulgar??

Go on tell me, what would you rather be??

Ain’t I lucky? Post 24

Yesterday when I got home after work I found my MIL busy in the kitchen. She always is and one more person having a blast other than Aman and me is my cook. He comes, looks around, and finding nothing much to do, cuts some salads and fruits and leaves.

Coming back to yesterday – she was cooking Arbi (Also known as Taro, picture below for ref). This is a very popular north Indian vegetable. Both Aman and I are very fond of it. Aman likes the dry version and I like the gravy version better. Arbi is not easily available in Bangalore and so she brought a kilogram or so of it all the way from Punjab. Really sweet of her!! So first time she made the dry version and I casually commented that I like the gravy one more.

Now yesterday, when I entered the kitchen, I saw her making both types of Arbi. On one burner was the type Aman likes and on the other side was how I like it.

I asked her why she was doing it and she said because that’s how I like it. I was touched beyond words. Really, which MIL will go all the way and do something like this. Didn’t I say I am blessed?

TOUCHWOOD!!

From the eyes of a North Indian – Post 23

On the account of generalizing a bit I can say that for a typical north Indian, the four southern Indian states existed only in the geography books. Outside of books it was all “South India” or “Madras” to be more specific. And I was no exception.

This changed when I went to Pune for my MBA. That’s where I realized how different a Malayali is from a Kannadiga. How the food eaten by an Andhraite was very different from Tamilian.

And yes there was more to the rich cuisine than just Idli, Dosa and Sambhar.

I had 2 roommates. One was a Tam Bram (Iyer) and other a Kannadiga from Dharwad. My closest fried was a Reddy from Andhra Pradesh. The girl in the next room was a Manglorean. The guy I use to borrow notes from was a Tamilian. This really cool girl who sang like a dream was from Kerala. And then there were many more.

And living with them for 2 years in the residential environment of B School, I was made aware of how varied each of the culture was.

From sharing the spicy pickle from one to having the curd rice with another, to having fried fish with one to sharing the bissibele bath with another, I savored the variation and the variety of each of these regions.

And then as destiny had it, I got my first job in Bangalore. The small window that had opened up in Pune became like this big passage to discovery. Every since, I have been on a mode to learn and imbibe more and more. From “the on your face diversity” to “the finer nuances”, the journey has been extraordinary till now.

Happy hours Forever – Post 22

Finally the day has come, for the little girl to grow a wee bit older!!!

Here’s wishing Meira a very very happy birthday. May you get more of everything this year and in all the years to come by!!

More love, more kisses, more $#%.

Lot more parties and even more holidays.

More beer and more egg rolls.

More fun and more money

More happiness and more contentment!!!

And let the joy in the “happy hours” grow many many fold!!!

And on your (what 21^st it is??) birthday, here is a small gift from my side!!

A Channel bag and a Dolce and Gabbana Dress!!!

Image Curtesy - Channel and D&G

Hop over at Monika’s to have some cake and then at Pixie’s to raise a toast and then at Swaram’s for some goodies!!

Of this perfect day in Phuket – Post 21

I was in Phuket in February this year. It was an official trip (yeah, not kidding, it was). We had our 3 day Sales Conference there. The schedule was as packed as it can get. And being in-charge of the conference meant I had no breather at all.

The event got over on a Friday night with this gala dinner and celebrations. And my return to Bangalore was on Saturday evening.

I had 2 choices 1) to step out of Marriott where I was staying and explore the local Phuket or 2) to stay back and enjoy the beautiful resort.

I was tired beyond words and so I opted for the second option.

And in that I had one of the most perfect days I could without Aman by my side. For me the idea of having fun without him is very limited. I love my girlie time out. I love my random shopping trips. I love my coffee and my books. But if it’s something big I have to have to have him.

Yeah I missed him and it goes without saying, for those who know me well. But I didn’t have too much choice. Either I could sit and sulk or I could get out and enjoy the sun, sea and sand!!

And I choose the saner option!!

Woke up really early and went for this hour long swim followed by a session in the open Jacuzzi. The place has Asia’s largest meandering pool (that’s what I was told.)

This was followed by a real sumptuous breakfast of salami, croissant, eggs, waffles, pancakes, fresh fruits and of course lots of coffee.

The next few hours were spent on the beach reading and introspecting. Staring at the pristine waters, soaking in the sun, and trying to get some tan. After all who comes back from Thailand without one??

And then I did something I have never done before. I treated myself to a proper Thai massage. It was heavenly to say the least. Those women have some strength. Don’t go by their petite frame. They are pretty good at this. So floored by them I also got a head message done. It was as close to ecstasy as one can get.

After letting the oil ooze in to each and every pore on my skin, I went swimming in the ocean. The warm salty water was a delight. And yeah the tan was coming in. Floating on my back, eyes closed, warm water on my skin, I was as close to Nirvana as possible. I have no idea how long I did that but it must be pretty long coz by the time I got out it was way past lunch time.

Which meant that time to leave for the airport was nearing.

Taking one last look at the sea, absorbing in as much as I could, content and happy, and of course with the promise to be back soon, this time obviously with Aman, I made my way back to the room.

And then you know the Earth has fallen!! Post 20

So the guy I am married to is very finicky about the food he eats. He is a big foodie and therefore he is extremely touchy about it. No, you can’t screw up. There are no bad food days. If the cook has messed up, the food remains untouched and promptly a phone call is made to order stuff from some or the other restaurant.

That’s one. The other very important aspect is that no dish can be repeated. Yeah, not even Rajma, not even Chicken curry. If he has eaten it ones, he won’t eat it again. No matter how nice it is, no matter how much is left, no matter how much I urge, cry and then threaten. In a household of 2 it’s rather difficult to cook the exact quantities, and that you will agree. But “LEFTOVERS” is a big no no.

Remember the doggy bags, the ones we use to get all that extra stuff packed from the restaurants?? Yeah, I miss them; I haven’t seen them since we got together.

One person is rather happy with this habit of my better half, and that’s the maid. She is the one who gets all the good stuff coz there are no takers for it in the Malhotra household.

I have tried in the past all tricks possible under the sun. From camouflaging the dish, to doing some major drama, to talking about the food wastage, to reminding him of all the poor children who sleep empty stomach and some more. Nothing has worked!!

The problem is he doesn’t fight. He just throws a tantrum, like a 4 yr old? Or he gets all cute in a way that tugs at my heart, or simply refuses to eat saying he isn’t hungry!! And the love sick girl I still am, I give in. That’s been the story of my life for the last 4.5 years and I have rather got used to it.

Now last week, there was Dal Makhani that was made for dinner by his Mom (I mentioned that in-laws are visiting). The next morning, mom suggested that she gave him the same Dal Makhani for breakfast as well. Me being me, said rather proudly, that Aman won’t even touch it. Right then our man walks into the kitchen and mom popped the question to him. And hold your breath ladies and gentlemen, HE AGREED. And then he ate it like it was the best thing he ever had!!! Praises and more praises.

Now, you my esteemed readers tell me, shouldn’t I be furious at this? Shouldn’t I bring the household down? For 4 years I have suffered. And now in front of my MIL this is what I get. I think its time to go on a strike!!

Coming back to where we started. - Post 19

So the last post was a total bouncer. Here is the background:

Was speaking to my bestest friend on Saturday night. It was close to 9:30 and I hadn’t written a post. It was frustrating. I wasn’t getting any ideas. I didn’t want to write a weekend update (I never do that), neither a book nor a movie review (again, I have never done that as well.) Time was ticking and in that I made my frustration way too vocal.

And the sweetheart that she is, keeping my best interest in mind, did this. Love you so much for it.

And then I slept over it all weekend. And the stubborn person that I am, decided to get back to it. Lets not stop this thing we started!!!

She might kill me after all. But maybe she loves me enough to understand. Or maybe she would contribute by writing a few more posts for me!!

Rules are a little different though. I would be skipping the weekend. And that’s because I will be out of Bangalore. So people, we are back to where we started!!

Can stop the thing we started..! Post 18

I remember Iya telling me that when she is sitting under a truckload of work, no time to breathe, and all damn milestones were to be met yesterday, she feels an urge to blog. This is not because she wants to run away from work, but because it is her biggest (well almost) stress buster. So in her busiest of days when she did not have time to come out for a cup of coffee, I could see an update in the mail that thewhiterain has updated her blog.

By now you all would have understood this is not Iya writing this post. I am Iya’s friend (I hope this stays after she reads this), and no other description is important. (Because if you don’t like what I am going to write here, I don’t want the curses to be directed to me :))

So people, this stress buster is fast converting into a stress in itself. What was a pleasure before and came straight from the heart, is on the todo list now. EOD for us in this industry meant before next morning and if required one stretches at night, but this milestone is stringent. Clock strikes twelve and you have missed an important deadline. And Iya wants to be home early on weekend nights, which are our biggest unwinding time of the week, to complete what she has started. Someone remember Julie and Julia?

So here I am writing this post (I have hacked her account, easily guessed her password, will pay a price soon) to make an announcement that Iya will be discontinuing NaBloPoMo. This does not mean much to anyone of us except her sadly. Because we love to read her “straight from the heart” posts and it does not matter to us if they come once a day or once a week. We do NOT want her to blog if it means stress and formality. So Iya, kudos for the heroic attempt :D but stop it now and get back to your usual self. And go back to freaking out on your weekends.. movies, dinners, and Naturals.. and sleep! Take care. Love you!

Be careful when you wish for who knows it might just come true - Post 17

There are times in life when we wish for things without even realizing what will happen if those wishes come true.

In one of those angry moments when I was very hurt I wished that this friend who was responsible for everything, suffered as well.

It happened way back. Back when nothing used to be trivial. Back when the biggest joys and biggest sorrows were something I would consider inconsequential now.

And after a few years, I had made peace with it. I had brought things to closure. We were friends again. Forgive, forget and shut it.

And then this friend suffered and suffered some more. On her own hands and on the hands of someone she loved.

It then struck me very hard. I was reminded of the vague wish I had made years ago. Was her suffering my doing? Had god finally listened to me? After years?

How much do we know the people we think we know? Post 16

This incident took place a couple of years back while I was working in my first organization. There was this guy in the office who sat like 5 cubicles away. By virtue of being on the same floor and part of the same group I knew him pretty well. He seemed like a very professional, confident and normal person.

Till, we saw news about him in the leading newspapers of being arrested on the grounds of domestic violence. Shocking it was. Not just to me, but to a lot of other folks in office. I didn’t pass any judgment but all logic said that he might have been actually beating his wife, till she had enough and sought help. The report said that neighbors had intervened when her cries had become unbearable. She was bruised and not just physically but mentally and emotionally too.

That’s when I realized that the types who hit their wives were regular people. No they didn’t have horns, neither a sign which said “stay away or I could harm you”. They are educated and as regular as you and me. The monster within is safely hidden. During the day they walk the planet like any other person, getting through the daily chores and responsibilities. It’s only behind the locked doors that they get creepy and slimy. They do the unthinkable and without remorse. And the very next moment they are normal again. There is no give away. There is no guilt.

Yes, we really don’t know that people we think we know. The monster remains hidden.

Has technology made us lame?? Post 15

Like I don’t remember more than 3 phone nos. And if someday the phone conks off, I really wouldn’t know what to do? Not that I haven’t lost phone before, but it has been a struggle to get all the contacts again. Back in the days of only landline phone, I could rattle nos like no ones business. Not just of the obvious ones but of vague ones as well like my mom’s friends driver’s home telephone number.

And now, barring like 3-4 numbers I don’t remember any other!!

Second example is of spellings. Now if not for the spell check feature on Ms Word, half my documents would be utter trash. I have become so complacent while typing that I just don’t bother if a “i” or a “e” is out of place, knowing for sure that my word editor will correct it.

(Very recently I realized that the Auto spell check of my name becomes “Ivy”, that is after a colleague kept sending mails addressed to some Ivy)

There are numerous other things as well, like I don’t even remember when was the last time sent someone a birthday greeting? We wish people on FB and the job is done.

I can think of more, but I need to publish this post right now as its already 12:45 pm and I can’t skip another day!!!

What do you think? Can you come up with more examples?

Girlie Wisdom from the males!! Post 14

Disclaimer: This post was written in the state of immense sleepiness and tiredness last night. I had no intention of missing one more day and hence decided to scribble something. Please feign ignorance to blatant spelling and grammatical and mental errors.

Over dinner with friends the other day, the conversation conveniently steered towards woman and their clothing.

A particular guy complained that he was ragged big time by his 12 year old niece when she asked him to get her some spaghetti tops from France, and he asked what they were. I actually don’t blame him. Aman and I have been together for almost 7 years now and his knowledge of what I wear ends at “Sexy” or “Not so Sexy”.

So then the game started, in a group comprising of 7 girls and just 2 guys, it was an absolute laugh riot. The idea was to use logic!!

Now here are a few definitions these guys came up with.

Tube Top – it’s a top, so obviously worn on the upper part of the body. It’s like a tight mini skirt, too tight to be worn as a skirt, therefore it’s worn as a top.

Tank top – A top just like a tank, specialized in storing more content than it appears to be storing!!

Spaghetti top – A top, that hangs on spaghetti like straps

Halter top – a top “altered” in a manner that makes the guy’s heart beat halt!!

Corset – it’s like a closet, keeping things safe!!

There were more, but those hang on the edge decency, so will skip them.

My mom and her maid – Post 13

I fail to understand the fixation my mom has with her maid. Actually not just her maid, she has a fixation with my maid as well.

The first question on my daily call to her is inevitably “Maid came?” followed by “Cook came?” No mom, they didn’t and what will you sitting hundreds of miles away?

I know what she will do; she will curse her if she didn’t come. After all, the darling daughter will have to do the work.

So maid is a very integral part of my mom’s life. Each time I speak to her, the maid gets a mention. Either she was very good that day, or she was bad. Either she did some extra work without asking, or she didn’t finish her work!!

Sample Conversations:

Mom – Radha came late today

Me – Mom I am in Singapore

Mom – Good, I almost thought she won’t come.

Me – ok, I am running late for my meeting with the Chairman of my company

Mom – Oh, so I scolded Radha and she almost replied back

Me – Mom, I if I don’t make it on time he will fire me

Mom – Don’t worry, but Radha has become very rude!!

Me – Mom, I just got ran over by a bus

Mom – Oh, but how can Radha be so rude??

And the story goes on………

Random mumblings of a confused mind. Post 12

No matter how much I travel, each time I am about to leave for the airport, I still get that sunken feeling in the pit of my stomach. Like there will be something amiss happening. There is always this thought of calling the boss and telling him that I am almost dead and therefore can’t do this trip. But some things “have to be done” and travelling on work surely tops that list.

Sleep is another aspect that is totally screwed up while I am oversees. I sleep with the lights switched on and with TV playing as well. I have this major phobia of sleeping alone. So with TV on, I get the feeling that there is someone in the house. Also, I need to be fully aware of the surrounding and therefore the lights are kept on all night. With TV I have to be extra careful to ensure I tune it to some safe channel. Like some sport or some cartoon. Now what if they start showing some horror movie and I suddenly wake up to see some gory images!!! Night mare!!

Now why am I talking about all this today? That’s because I am sitting at the airport waiting to board my flight to Singapore. I will be gone for a couple of days. And didn’t want to skip writing a post.

So tomorrow’s update will be from Singapore la!!!

Nothing like sweet nothings!! Post 11

Pre Script: Yesterday was this mad mad day. and so I couldn’t write a post. Are we allowed a few life lines in the NaBloPoMo? I hope we are. I really want to continue this? So veterans, do let me know if missing a day or 2 is acceptable.

Now why was yesterday mad could be anybody’s guess. My dream of taking that 1 month break seems to be getting more and more real. And if life continues at the same pace I would be taking the break sooner than I thought.

Aman time and again shows me what a wise decision I made by marrying him. Not that I have any doubts, but the guy doesn’t fail to swoon me every now and then.

So Thursday morning while I was just about to leave for work, he caught me by surprise and clicked a picture of me from his blackberry. I didn’t even bother to see how the snap had come. And almost forgot about it as soon as it was clicked.

On Friday, I saw this message from Facebook, saying Aman had tagged a picture of mine. Curiosity obviously got the better of me like it always does and I logged on to check what the guy was upto?

What I saw, made my heart skip a beat!! He had uploaded the same picture he had clicked the previous morning with the caption “Yesterday’s morning was really beautiful”. Now what does one do with that? One simply says a little prayer, thank all the gods in the world and hopes that things never change!!

P.S: I am still a bit modest so won’t put up the picture here. Those of you who I am connected on FB can obviously see the picture.

Home will be warmer from today… Post 10

Because In-Laws are reaching Bangalore tonight J

This means -

I will be waking up early

I will not have to unlock the door and enter an empty home (as aman invariably comes home after me!!)

Aman and I will be on a detox for obvious reasons ;)

There will be yum paratha’s for breakfast

There will be longish Mango hogging sessions after dinner

There will be home made mango pickle

There will be more laughter in the house

There will be a lot of baby talks – for which I will not have an answer!!

There will be good food all around

There will be more talks on shifting to Delhi

There will be gifts and more

There will be an attempt to wrap up work and reach home on time

There will be packed weekends and some out of Bangalore trips

Home will be a lot happier place. I am blessed, truly. Touchwood.

No Desserts for me please - Post 9

Some decisions are hard to come by. But when enough is enough, one has to take drastic steps. The pointer on the weighing scale has been moving in the wrong direction for a few years now. Finally the realization came home that I had moved to the category of “Overweight” people. And who wants to be that.

Something had to be done.

And after a lot of tears, resolve was made. Say no to SWEETS. Yeah, you read that right, I decided to be off desserts.

But considering the fact that I have a major sweet tooth, I love eating out and most weekends are spent trying some or the other new restaurant, I knew this would be a difficult job.

So the clever me decided that I won’t order any desserts for myself. I will just take a bit or two from what others are having. This way my craving would be satiated and I wouldn’t be taking in all those calories. And so began the mighty sacrifice.

But, alas, it turned out to be quite something else. How you may ask. This is how - I am out with friends. Each one orders a dessert. I don’t. But I take a bite from each. So ultimately mu intake is more than theirs.

So my taking a bite or two turns out to be such a duh!!

Who ever said sharing is a mighty good thing to do??

Even Good guys make mistake - Post 8

This was my FB status message a few days back and a lot of my friends assumed it was about Aman. Fortunately it wasn’t. My guy usually doesn’t make mistakes and even if he did I wouldn’t talk about it on FB, would I?

This is about someone else. Let me explain.

Recently I met this newly wed couple. While I have known and respected the guy for a couple of years, it was the first time I was meeting the girl. The guy is a mature, intelligent and an extremely smart fellow. He is a good human being and overall a nice person to know. He is good at his work and quite ambitious. And when he announced marriage we were very happy. It was a marriage of choice and he had known the girl for a few months.

I am sure they are in love. And I am sure they are happy. But what shocked me was the “couple itself”. They were just so opposite. And not opposite in that nice way which makes one go all mush.

They were opposite in this very weird manner. While the guy is all sober and intelligent, the girl was all silly and full of giggles. I surely don’t mind people who laugh a lot, but laughing without a reason is such a put off. The girl was also definitely low on IQ, a bit of a show off and seemed like a brat. She certainly wasn’t someone I could manage a decent conversation with.

Which obviously made me think what my friend saw in her. She was good looking. But it ended at that. So did my friend get so floored by the way she looked that he didn’t bother to go beyond that? So is it that men still just want eye candy as wives? What happens when this initial fascination with looks dies down? Will then the stupidity start bothering him? And wont it be too late? What will he do when he wants to talk? Will he still enjoy the giggles as much? Well, that only time will tell, but as of now, I think he did make a mistake.

The monkey menace - Post 7

That’s the most recent phenomenon that has plagued the so called up market, posh apartment I stay in.

So the security guards had warned me and had asked me to keep the doors closed. Which, of course, I forgot about.

So it was Saturday and Aman and I

were sitting on the balcony enjoying some evening tea. Suddenly I see these 2 pair of eyes staring at me from the adjoining balcony which is attached to the bedroom. I shrieked and we ran in only to realize that the bedroom door was open. The monkeys were faster than us and before we could enter the bedroom to close the door, the monkeys were comfortably sitting on the threshold.

Panic struck the Bhatia – Malhotra household. And Aman, if not more, was at least as scared. We were standing at the entrance trying to hush the monkeys out. Aman was trying to make all these scary sounds but our monkeys were just not bothered. And slowly they entered the room and started scanning the place. I ran to get a stick, but before that I clicked this picture. The picture is not very clear, after all I could do only as much with Aman pushing me to get the stick, while he was holding the fort and protecting the house.

After running around the house I finally managed to find a curtain road which could be used as a weapon to chase these animals away. But before we could do anything, one of them grabbed the All Out {yes, the one we use for mosquitoes} and the other one clutched this Mobile phone box which had the warranty card and ear phones. Having their loot in place they ran. And we couldn’t do anything.

Huh. Even monkeys are getting the better of us!!

And if this was not enough, I saw then swimming in the apartment pool the next afternoon. It was sunny and what better way to cool themselves right??

The fall syndrome. Post 6

Yes, that’s what I have been suffering from since time immemorial. Ever since I can remember I have been this extremely fall prone person. As a kid, I could be often spotted with crape bandages on my ankles. My home back in Ranchi was a duplex. And I use to go up and down the stairs a number of times each day. And even then managed to trip or twist my ankle ever so often. This meant that I used to fall on the same set of staircase, which I knew like the back of my hand.

Things haven’t changed much. I walk extremely carefully as I am well aware of this tendency and yet I manage to do the mighty fall every now and then.

The most recent one was where I fell in the PVR cinemas. I was walking up the stairs, very carefully, and yet I managed to do the unthinkable. The on lookers were shocked and all I could do was laugh. You might think that my footwear choice is bad, but what will you say if I tell you that I fall even while I am wearing those Nikes. Just the other day Aman and I were at this cool restaurant having a romantic candle lit dinner. It was the beautiful Banglore night and we felt like going for a walk across the pool. So we got up, Aman was standing tall and I was on the floor. I really had no clue how I fell while getting up from the chair but I did. Don’t even ask me about the level of embarrassment.

There are way too many of such instances. Like recently when I was in Melbourne for the launch of our new centre I decided to save my company some dollars. So I doubled up as the event Emcee as well. I was wearing these awesome stilettos and was extremely careful while walking up the stage and just as I put my left foot on the stage it slipped. I felt the world come crashing. There were dignitaries, my company’s leadership, employees and media. Last place to fall you would agree. Right at that moment my hand held the podium and I stabled myself. Some people did notice what had happened but the mighty fall had been saved.

I trip and fall while walking on the plainest of the surfaces. People close to me know this well and there is always a helping hand nearby.

I think it’s time I go visit some astrologer, or maybe add another A or I to my name. Or maybe wear some precious stones. But I really need to find a solution.

Finally, I think I have arrived – Post 5

In the bylanes of beautiful Bangalore, with rains in the background and cool breeze in the hair, sat a girl, sipping coffee, nibbling on a croissant, engrossed in a book. Oblivious of the surrounding. Not bothered by the stares.

Enjoying her own company.

Well, your truly has finally learnt to enjoy herself when her better half slogs hard at work. For a while I am sure I won’t be complaining!!

The wedding story - Post 4

Girl: my parents agreed

Boy: mine did too

What??

No eloping, no drama, no blackmailing, no Bollywood moments??

Well that’s exactly what happened. When Aman and I decided to get married our parents were more than happy. They took charge of the situation as if they had gone all the way to find me a groom and him a bride!! No one complained. Not even that vague mammi or that chacha who loves conflicts!! Huh. What dampener.

So all my hopes of having some thrill during my wedding was gone. Now what stories would I tell my grand children? I wanted to be seen as this cool grand mom who had to fight all odds to win her prince charming. All my dreams were crushed by these ever understanding set of parents??

A day before the wedding both his and mine relatives danced away all night. I felt like going and reminding them that this was a love marriage? But they were in some different state of euphoria. Even the fact that both Aman and I were the first ones to get married in respective families and all younger cousins would follow suit did not deter them.

So much so that on the eve of the wedding I almost wanted to run away with Aman. That would have been the first of its kind? Where the bride and the groom elope with each other, while the relatives are busy dancing!!!

Now every time I meet these couples who have braved all odds to get married I feel like kicking them. They will have these lovely stories to tell. How her father house arrested her. How he was kicked out of the house. How the brother threatened the guy etc etc. and all I can do is smile!!

Of books and some thought - Post 3

An evening well spent, browsing books, and then picking up a few. A couple of Jodi Picoult and one Shashi Tharoor to be precise.

Nothing works more to lift my spirits more than buying books {Well actually a few other things do too} but lets concentrate on books for the sake of this post.

So Mon and I met over coffee, browsed books, picked a few, ambled around the beautiful Indra Nagar, hogged on some delicious rolls at this quaint little eatery and spoke and spoke a lot.

And then it suddenly struck me, about bloggers, blogs and their personalities. For in Monika, you get what you read. No pretence what so ever. I have met a few other people too with whom I have interacted over blogs. Some have been a personification of their writings or rather I should say that their blogs are part of their personalities.

And then again there are people whose blog’s reek of something way too artificial. They choose to be anonymous and the picture they present is clearly of a wannabe. There are many such examples all around and since I don’t believe in conflicts I won’t mention them here.

So what drives such people? And don’t they get confused between being themselves and impersonating an image? In the longer run does the “real them” and “the put up them” gets intermingled? I won’t call all this a lie. Its aspiration I guess. And nothing wrong in aspiring, right?

Some of you who read me, know me from before. Some have come to know me after reading me. So guys, do you think there is a match between me and my blog? Honesty will help!!

So Marathon it will be.. - Post 2

And no its not the Sunfeast 10K kinds, the one that a dear friend recently took and I am so proud of her. This one is more intellectual (ahhmmm..) in nature. It’s the blog Marathon.

I have decided to get onto the blogging Marathon. And no I haven’t taken the break that I was planning to. So you might wonder what gave me this gigantic idea?? Even I don’t know.

Taking this up is like adding a bit more to my already crazy days. But then what’s life without challenges.

Also, my regularity on blog has been highly sporadic so what better than a marathon to get me all writing, eh?

Monika had done this earlier and I was highly impressed. So its now time to impress myself with some consistency. She is doing it again this month along with a few other folks so I decided to join the party!!

So guys, motivate me, leave comments, and be nice. It’s no mean feat, so I need all the good wishes.

On that note ready steady go!!!

What’s with parents these days? - Post 1

Disclaimer: I am not a parent, neither am I an expert, nor do I claim to be one. These observations are of a mature adult who is a little aghast by what is happening in the so called urban, upper middle class, households.

How can any one justify bringing kids to movie theaters? I see children of all age groups being subjected to movies. The most recent was spotting these little ones watching iron man and kites. Now please explain what a 4 year old will understand and take back from a movie like Kites and Ironman. Violence, sex, blood, gore and what not. Is it that the parents don’t fathom this or is it that they themselves are so desperate to watch movies that they just don’t care? Whatever be it, arrange for a baby sitter or take turns to come to a theater but please for heaven sake stop damaging your child’s mind.

I have also noticed a lot of parents employing young kids say 10 – 15 years of age to take care of their children? Now firstly, how can their conscience allow them to do so and secondly are they not worried about safety? I see this young house helper not more than 12 yrs take a toddler to play area of my building each day. And trust me it irks me no end.

Another trend that I largely see these days is that these mushrooming reality shows. Each channel has something or the other happening. Its either singing or dancing or comedy!! So stuff that was done solely for fun is now done for money. Kids are crying after being eliminated and so are these parents. Guys get a life. It’s really not worth it.

On the other end are parents who are adamant to make their child a scholar. A colleague of mine was teary eyed when her son got grade B. I guess life ends at that.

Expectations are sky rocketing. Why can’t parents  let these kids be kids and grow up on their own pace. Why the rush. Why do parents want their child to be a master of all trades? Sports, studies, extra curricular.

Are they not loosing their innocence somewhere? Are parents not rushing the eventuality too soon? Is this right?