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??