On poop duty!

And loving every stinky bit of it. Motherhood, I have realized, is something that's got to be experienced to understand what it exactly means!

Right now my life totally revolves only around my baby boy... Mushki! He is, as the cliche goes, the apple of my eye! There is not one moment that goes by without him in my thoughts, it's like he is sitting in my brain all the time... Not that I am complaining. For me any moment without him around is a moment in my life being wasted.

Like any other normal mother, I do have pouts of anger and frustration running in my blood every time he cries or the constant attention he craves for... But that's the part and package of the deal :).

A lot of mothers/people as such advice on how to bring up my child or how to hold him or blah blah blah.... To all those... Thanks so much, I do appreciate it but I am the person who held him inside me for 9 months and so, I am very well aware of so many things myself.. Maternal instinct is just not a word, it means something too...

Parenthood is a learning process involving lots of trials and errors but its definitely fun, we enjoy his company and he has brought us all together in every true sense. And the patience levels that I have developed, thanks to him, is to be seen to be believed... Phew!

Oh well, I can just go on and on about how things are going along but oops.. poop duty calls... :)

Hold the press! I AM BACK

It's been so so long that I am finding it difficult as to where to begin... So many things have happened in these past few years...

Do I start with my most amazing US holiday in the summer of 2010 or do I rant about my day to day life or do I talk about my new found passion -"baking" which I have taken an interest to lately or to finally burst out what I am trying to hold back - the best news of my life!

Well, the most exciting of all is the last bit; not that my holiday wasn't, it was definitely the best holiday till date and the memories of it still linger on inspite of the two year gap!

Baking is probably the most exciting endeavor that I have picked up lately and yes, I have been doing loads of it. Though I don't want my blog to turn into a food blog and I am definitely not interested in starting another one, I do plan to regularly update some little post nips here on cooking/baking stuff that I do...

I am sure no one is interested in my constant day to day rantings, so we can just leave that out for now...

Let's see... what else is there to share? Any guesses???

Ok ok enough of the suspense.... Here is what I am dying to say...... I am a mommy to a dear little fellow :) yes! I delivered a baby boy on 23rd May 2012 and he is an absolute joy. I have no words to express the magical mysteries of motherhood... Definitely the best phase of my life, rather our lives... Dare not leave the dear hubby out of this, he is more excited that I am! We are ecstatic, he is too much fun and I thank God for this. I always wanted a boy and I got mine :)

It's been three whole months and I am totally looking forward to all the fun things in store for the three of us!

A Century

Finally!!! I never thought I’d ever come to this... It took me four years to reach my 100th post and guess what?? I celebrated that by cribbing...:-0. My previous post was my 100th post and after all that BESCOM bashing, I realised that the post should have been a happy one!!! *SIGH*

Anyhow coming back to my happy post, it has been a great journey and I can see myself mature, not talking age-wise here, but in my writing. I have tried sharing all my experiences (good ones and not so good ones as well) in the ‘blogland’ and tried using humour to the maximum extent possible to make it interesting. And boy have I thoroughly enjoyed myself or what??

As I continue my journey forward, I shall try to keep my blog updated during each phase of my life with the same vigour and enthusiasm that has kept me going for the last four years. Whatte journey it has been and I am hoping the future only gets better :)

Democrazy

In a democratic country you choose your government by casting a vote to the party most suited to take control of the place you stay in. Sadly in our case we cast a vote to a bunch of irresponsive morons who give us power cuts in return....

The reason for my outburst is because I am sitting in darkness for the 6th hr today!!! Each time I call the Bescom dept the answer I get is unscheduled load shedding – but for 6hrs???? This is the heights! The cheek of the department to tell me that we get orders from the station and we only take complaints, so then where do we even complain? And if you ask them for the station number they simply reply saying they don’t have any and that it won’t matter whom ever you call! Can you believe this???

Any other day would have been fine but not when the summer is down on us at its best!!! I do have an alternative to this situation; we are already getting an inverter installed but think of people who cannot afford it... I’d say you should kick all these politicians on the road who only talk and fart...

These are the sad and sorry state of affairs in India, we are all so helpless in the hands of the so called politicians that we have nothing left but to sit quietly and do nothing... when I complain to the husband the answer I get is “what is it that I can do”? Why is it that we can’t do anything, they loot us in the name of development and in return give us only inconvenience - be it inflation or power cuts!!! Unfortunately me a common man is not gaining anything!!! Grrrr....

I am so irritated and annoyed to an extent that I feel like marching down to the ministers house and sit in his luxury, after all that’s something we have given him in return for his begging!!! Why should he sit in comfort while I suffer from heat and darkness???

Better watch out, knowing me I might just do that one day!!! And the next time you come begging for votes I know what to do... give you a total shock with the electricity you deprive us of!

Addicted to Bones

My latest obsession on TV is this serial on Star World called Bones, an FBI murder mystery investigation based on forensic science... How did I get addicted to this?? Thanks to the husband’s visit to the US and our late night chats, I started watching the serial (aired between 11 & 12am) and started liking it as well...

That’s what I am currently following on TV apart from my regulars like ‘The Nanny’ and ‘Friends’ (repeats of repeats!!!). Bones is a serial which is currently aired on Star World channel here in India. It is a murder investigation serial with a lot of blood & gore in it and revolves primarily around two characters - Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan. Given the theme of the serial, one might think it could be a serious stuff like any other serial in that genre but on the contrary it’s very funny and full of humour. That’s probably why it makes for an interesting watch and caught my attention at well.

The chemistry / romance between the two leading actors and their constant denial is the highlight of the serial... So when there is a lot of gore involved, the relief comes in the form of humour and light- hearted comedy not just between the leading actors but also amongst their working team.

The show’s main characters are Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) and Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel). Everyone in the forensic anthropology team is great and I love the character Sweets... he is indeed a sweet guy!!! I have always liked David (Booth) from his ‘Buffy The Vampire' days and he is still the same handsome guy as he was earlier!!

The show i.e the 4th season ended today, which is really sad news to me especially because I really liked it so much and would watch it though it was very late in the night (in spite of the husband now having returned). *SIGH* I only started watching it from season 4 onwards... I have to get hold of the earlier ones before the start of season 5!

Hindustan Ka dil Dekha...

The latest ad of MP tourism is really captivating, very creative and one of a kind. It’s so simple and yet so informative. Each time I see the advertisement on TV I leave everything that I am engaged in and watch it fully.

For those of you who haven’t seen it, this is part of the ‘Incredible India’ campaign and portrays the different locations in Madhya Pradesh (located in central part of India); from mountains to palaces to lakes etc and the highlight of this advt is that every place is expressed so fascinatingly through the varied expressions using just two eyes. It features no fancy props, no storyline, nothing whatsoever – it’s just simply the set of eyes that express the whole story; in this case the ad. What a beautiful way to present a picture!!

Kudos to Ogilvy India for making this ad, it’s intelligent, unique and so mysterious in many ways. I was so fascinated by it that I decided to do some background research. Though there is no particular source of info on the subject, I did however get a lot of information with regards to the model and how the idea was developed. I cannot source the information but I can share whatever I have read so far.

Shekhar Jha, creative director of Oglivy India, is the singer, musician and lyricist of the ad. They were in need of a model who is a trained Indian classical dancer. Their hunt led them to Jayalaxmi Appadorai (also referred as Shree Jeilachmee Appadorai in some places), a South-Indian model based in Malaysia who is trained in Bharatnatyam and other Indian classical dances. She has also acted in some other ad films such as the new Minute Maid Pulpy Orange and is the runner up in Miss India Worldwide 2001. I also read that the expressions in the ad are 60 per cent real and 40 per cent computer graphics and was carried out in Malaysia.

Find below the YouTube link to the ad… Am sure you all will like it too... Enjoy!!!

Summer already?

Well whaddya know... It’s here and with a vengeance... It is already scorching hot and getting hotter with each passing day!

The most interesting thing is that the weather almost changed overnight, or so it seems, without even a warning or a hint, tch tch... Not that we could do have done anything about it but still!! At least, I could have prepared myself not just for the heat but also for the wonderful method with which the Govt chooses to make our lives even more miserable, the power cuts :-(

Yes dear Bangaloreans, brace yourselves up for hotter days and many more hours of agonising power cuts; they are here to stay. The day the weather changed, almost the very same say the power cuts also began – so far it’s only 4 hrs a day but I am 100% certain it is only going to increase along with the heat waves... Kudos to our Govt; they are punctual and prompt in this matter at least!

I never liked summer season which is quite contrary to my upbringing - born in the hot month of June in a desert (Rajasthan) and later spent 15 long years in Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu); summer and heat isn’t new to me but I have always hated it! Weather was the one thing that I liked about Bangalore but guess that’s changing as well, all thanks to the global warming... And guess what, the husband, brought up in Delhi and Bangalore, doesn’t mind the heat... A match made in heaven I swear!

And while I am crying here, the husband is facing one of the craziest blizzard ever in the US! I believe this year has been the worst ever in terms of snowfall... Phew... Talk about irony!!!

Now the only solution I have here is first to install a UPS. So far I never thought of that as something important but since the time I changed my work status from a working wife to a homemaker, I can tell you that this has become a necessity now. Well the second task is to get air-conditioning fixed, I know it might sound absurd for people living in Bangalore but times are changing and so is the weather... The only relief is rains and only God knows when and Oh I forgot the husband's consent for all these – after all it will come out of his pocket!!!!!!

Where is my Valentine!!!!

Usually am not in for celebrating days... I feel it is stupid and dumb... for instance take Mother’s day or Father’s day or Friendship day – I don’t really see the meaning of it... Every day is special for that special person in your life, be it dad, mom or friends and I feel we don’t need a day to celebrate that, do we???

But today being the most romantic day in the calendar, I hate to admit that I miss my husband a great deal... maybe the spirit of the day has finally struck me or maybe it is the distance and looks like the days of endless wait have finally taken a toll on me. Not that I would have done anything extraordinary but I guess with him not being around, I am thinking I could have done everything that a cupid-stuck person could have :-)

Today was the day my husband was to return as per his original schedule but then the workaholic in him decided to pay heed to the calls of official responsibility and hence has delayed his return by another 3 weeks!!!! 2 months (almost) is the longest I have ever been without him... I am hoping I don’t have to face a similar situation in future :-(

As mushy as it sounds I can’t help but blog... of late my posts have been mostly about him but what the heck, that’s just what I miss the most right now!!!

Come Back Soon....

Mystic River

I happen to watch this movie today on World movie channel. The Movie released in 2003 and is directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins (Shawshank redemption fame) Kevin Bacon to name a few...

The story revolves around Jimmy (Penn’s) daughter being murdered and while Sean (Kevin) a detective tries to solve the case Tim gets unnecessary involved in it too... I think you should catch the movie first before you try to comprehend what I am exactly trying to say here.

The most realistic thing that is conveyed, at least my understanding is how people get misunderstood and then if you are not up to it might just cost you big time!!! Seriously you’ll have to watch this for me to prove my point.

This movie gave Penn and Robins Best actor and Best supporting actor awards at the Oscars for their performance and if you are a lover of interesting stories then you must catch it.People who have seen the movie it is a good one, isn’t it?

And the Grammy goes to.....

I know this one is a bit late but I just had to blog about it... Late than never right!

The Grammy awards 2010 was a special one for us Indians... 3 of our esteemed musicians were nominated and I knew if not anyone, then at least AR Rahman had to win it and he did... not one but two.

Doing India proud last year, he won the Oscars, at all the award ceremonies here in India and now the final big one - “The Grammys”. He took away the award for the best album compilation for movies and the best song for ‘Jai Ho’ all for Slumdog Millionaire... he definitely is a Star :)

My husband who is a huge, huge fan of his is more than elated hearing the news!!!

There is one thing about the man that no one can deny, he is mesmerising... his nonchalant way of talking to the media; his music or anything else about him. One thing that I have discovered is that his music grows on you... just hear his album for 4 times in a row and then it becomes your favorite of the season... am not kidding – just try it.

Another thing special this year was the tribute to MJ... It was just so overwhelming with Usher, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson and Celine Dion singing the Earth Song :). While other attractions in the ceremony included Eminem, Jon Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Pink, Beyonce, BEP and many more but MJ’s tribute was the highlight!!!

Just for you Honey!

A sweet surprise all the way from the Americas; well not literally... My husband who is away for a month surprised me today by sending across this... I am not a sweets person meaning I don’t have a sweet tooth but when it brownies I can’t resist them. I am not fond of any other dessert!

They are scrumptious and yummy, just the way I like my brownies to be... gooey and medium sweet they just suit me perfectly... hmmmmm

And the message to the sender...What can I say – Sweetheart you are the best! I wish you were here this would have been more delicious...

Love you loads!!!

Salami de...

Wishing all Indians a very Happy Republic Day... 60 years and we sure have come a long way! Let’s all hope for growth and prosperity in the coming years. Republic day is celebrated as the day when our constitution came into force in the year 1950 and so, in the true sense marks the birth of a democratic and political India.

I am not going to get into further details on the subject but I do want to share a nice piece of remembrance with you... Today also marked the launch of “Phir mile sur”, the newer version of "Mile sur" which was released on 15th Aug 1988... I was instantly flooded with lots and lots of memories and am sure all of you would feel nostalgic as well... I grew up with that song and like every other Indian, I too know it by-heart... The song has now been re-done and features 22 superstars, 18 musicians, 13 artistes & singers and 15 other known personalities including AR Rahman, Sivamani, Aman & Ayan, Anuksha Sharma Bhupen Hazarika, Aamir Khan, Amitabh bachchan, the list is loooooooooooooong!

Though I must admit I have a fondness towards the old version just for a simple fact that it is more dignified and brings back childhood memories; nevertheless the newer one portrays the new generation.

Here are both versions of the song... hats off to each and every person who made this!!!

Old is gold



While the New is bold!!!



Don’t miss on Sivamani and AR Rahman's bit... and the one featuring Salman Khan as well.. It is different!!!

However the sportspersons' and the army personnel bits seemed like they were added at the last moment in haste... Not too sure what were Shahid, Deepika, Priyanka and Ranbir doing in there?? No industrialists and politicians as well... India is not just movies & bollywood; there is a lot to it... This album is about coming-together of people from different walks of life and I would have loved to see a genuine mix of all... Anyways, it is a good effort and we must applaud everyone who has worked on this!!!

A true heart-warming tribute in a very Indian way... Jai Hind!

2010

Firstly wish you all a very happy and a safe 2010. It has been good so far except that now I am separated from my husband for a month starting from the 15th of Jan. Yes it has been a teary-eyed start for me as I have never been separated from him (for this long) in all our 4 and a half years since our love blossomed. Being an emotional fool, it is kind of hard for me and so my day begins with tears and ends with the same :-(

The long video calls are the only things I look forward to these days. Even though it has been just 5 days since he left, it feels like eternity and guess what?? I’ve got another 25 days to go before I see him in person again... *SIGH* you can’t even imagine!!!

I am constantly thinking of ways to keep myself occupied. I had my elder sister from Coimbatore for company and now she has gone back as well. As of now I have my mother till tomorrow. I am also thinking of restarting tatting; a hobby I lost touch after I quit work. It was more like a stress buster to me in those days and now that there is no work, there is no stress and so no tatting also!! I also plan to read at least over 5 books, the reviews of which I shall post as and when I finish.

However unlike the previous years, I don’t intend to create any resolution list for obvious reasons... Looking back to the one I made in 2009 and keeping with the tradition, I can proudly say that I haven’t stuck to a single one so far, though all I can say is that I want to be happy and feel good. I personally think only that works!

Enough of my sob story. I didn’t want to start my first post in 2010 to be a sad one but just can’t help it... I hope it has started on a fabulous note for all of you.

On a cheerful note - Let’s toast to a happy 2010 everyone!!!

26/11 - A year after

And we still burn.

Those agonising 60 hours of nonstop horror; I feel as though time has just stopped! The whole episode keeps on running in my head over and over again! How the entire year just passed by is not a secret to anyone - Finger pointing blame game continues but we will never forget or let it fade away the happenings of that fateful night.

And I am still angry, angrier than that night and it seems to build over time promising not to subside. If I feel this way I cannot imagine what those people, who lost their kith and kin in that horrific tragedy, would be going through. I can’t even express and it will be a shame on anyone sympathizing with us! Sympathy is for weaklings not fighters...

Today, exactly a year later, while watching the entire tragedy unfolding yet again on all the news channels I keep thinking what did they gain? We have fought back and always will! I guess that's human nature.... Life goes on...

Time keeps teaching us that hope still prevails and justice will be done, it is just a matter of time and we shall wait for it to come.

This burning candle is my tribute to each and every person who fought that night; each and every person who lost their precious life that night; each and every person who shared a helping hand that night; each and every person who lost someone important in their life that night.

God Bless and Jaihind!

Time flies

Wow yes it does realising that it has been over few months without any updates on my blog. Interestingly now that I am a homemaker there a lot of things that demand attention including gym,sleep and other activities, I've somehow lost track of days; quite contratry to my belief that staying at home will give me a lot of time to myself... but there is always something to occupy my time.

It was quite difficult to leave work after 3 and a half years it had almost become like a home but change is inevitable for the both of us (office and myself) and so I had to take this decision.... I must admit it was a bit overwhelming as I had made a lot of friends as well as enemies (You know what I mean :)) well that is past and past it shall remain - I am happy now that this action atleast leaves me with time [its been nearly 8 years since I have been working - 3 and a half yrs being an articleship student, one year at GE and 3 and a half at Amba]...

I was so frustrated at first but now I am kinda loving this timeout however long this turns out to be!!!

The Way it is always!

Grrrrrr... Why cant people just be professional and enjoy a professional relationship? Why be so lame??? Is there a different way to communicate your displeasure cos I think certain people don’t understand the simple plain human language!!! And whats more LAME is when people think you are dumb enough to not understand a lie...

Darn!!!

I wish I could use the F word here but.... I will just be polite as always... Hope you get what I am trying to say!!!

To Everyone's favourite God!!!

Vinayaka or Ganesh, we all so fondly call him!!! Like many Hindus, I too love him and adore him... Although a Jain by religion we still place Him first in all our functions, invite Him first and thus put Him before all of our Gods as well.

This year Sunil & I invited Him to our humble abode with lots of love and affection on his birthday “Ganesh Chaturthi”… I am not aware of the pujas that are performed as we do not celebrate it but for Sunil, this is a much more important festival almost as big as Diwali.

Today was a testing time for me in terms of cooking while Sunil took care of the puja stuff… I made modaks for the first time and definitely would like to skip the details… However, lunch on this special day included mooli sambhar, beans curry, semiya payasam and of course “curd rice”, the husband is so obsessed with!

And so I am leaving with you a snapshot of what happened at home today and wishing you a very Happy Ganesh Chaturti… while I retire now after a tiring morning and a very heavy lunch!!!

Another feather in my cap

Rads has so kindly awarded me the best blog and tagged me as well to answer a few questions. That’s so sweet of you Rads thank you so much, I am so touched!

Allow me to carry on with my answers while you get yourselves a cuppa coffee!

1. What is your current obsession?
Stay at home and sleeeeeeeep!!!!
2. What are you wearing today?
Pyjamas and t-shirt
3. What’s for dinner?
Long way off – haven’t thought bout it (its morning here)
4. What’s the last thing you bought?
Chanel Chance
5. What are you listening to right now?
Nothing
6. What do you think about the person who tagged you?
A wonderful long distance friend who interestingly I haven’t met :)
7. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
Bangalore
8. What are your must-have pieces for summer?
Anything cotton
9. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Some place cold with snow
10. Which language do you want to learn?
Cantonese
11. What’s your favorite quote?
What goes around comes around
12. Who do you want to meet right now?
My Nephews
13. What is your favorite color?
Mauve/sea green-blue
14. What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own closet?
Nothing yet :)
15. What is your dream job?
Restaurateur
16. What’s your favorite magazine?
Vogue, auto car and of course food lovers guide (very specific to Bangalore city)
17. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
Probably something for my house
18. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?
People trying too hard to be what they are not…
19. Who are your style icons?
Nobody
20. What kind of haircut do you prefer?
Rachael in friends
21. What are you going to do after this?
Cook lunch
22. What are your favorite movies?
Too many to pen
24. What are three cosmetic/makeup/perfume products that you can't live without?
Deo, Chap Stick and moisturiser
23. What inspires you?
Nothing in particular – I am a very self obsessed woman
24. Give us three styling tips that always work for you:
Be confident, casual and comfortable – It does me good!

25. What do you do when you “have nothing to wear” (even though your closet’s packed)?
More shopping
26. Coffee or tea?
Coffee – anyday :)
27. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?
Cry!
28. What is the meaning of your name?
Dream
29. Favorite Dessert/Sweet?
Brownie with lots of chocolate sauce
30. Favorite Season ?
Winter
31. If I come to your house now, what would u cook for me?
Probably a yummy salad with pasta
32. What's your favorite cartoon character?
Tom and Jerry
33. My question: What’s your ideal holiday?

Unfortunately I dont have that many blog friends to tag so I'll just tag my husband here... but for the others - here are the rules...

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 eight or ten other new set of people.

Have fun and be good.

Fimply Fexy!!!

Not mumbling mind you, this is just my reaction after watching the latest Bollywood flick – “Kaminey”.

I haven’t really enjoyed any Bollywood movie off late (thanks to all the mindless ones that get released week after week) than I have watching Kaminey – and watta movie I say!!! Ladies and gentlemen, Shahid Kapoor has finally arrived!!!

This movie definitely transforms him into an actor leaving behind all the chocolate-hero roles he portrayed in Jab We Met and Kismet Konnection… His character as Charlie is much more macho than you can ever imagine him to be… so mature, so uber cool and so much oomph!!!

After drooling over Shahid, here’s my take on Vishal Bharadwaj - unlike his previous movies this is not an adaptation from any of Shakespeare’s plays. Honestly, I never liked his earlier movies (Omkara, Maqbool etc), coz am not really into those intense slow-paced movies – I kinda find them borrrrring!!! I like more of the fast paced ones with a lot of comedy/drama/action – something like, say, Mummy/ Dil Chahta Hai types… I give a thumb’s up to movies which have a certain comedy element in it and which are very gripping!!!

Now I wouldn’t want to be a party-spoiler and give away the story but what I can say about the movie is that it is really a gripping, fast-paced and entertaining movie leaving you glued to the screen. If you take your eyes away even for a moment, you might end up missing a crucial moment and only chance you can understand it is by watching it again!!!

And as far as Vishal Bharadwaj goes – with Kaminey, he seems to be in his elements and has proven that he is a better movie-director than a music-director!!!

Must watch people – go catch it… Dhan Tanaaaa nanana!!!

A break from break!!!

After 3 long weeks of disappearance, here I am back to my blogger space. Well I really owe this momentary lapse to blah blah blah…

To tell you the truth; I kinda owe this well deserved break to myself! You see after a lot of speculation / discussion /contemplation (and after having spent 3 1/2 years in the company), I finally quit my job a couple of months back. And after spending about a month and a half at work (doing nothing), I was given the opportunity to spend the balance notice period at home… What do ya say to that; I had to grab it, it was perfect! A break from break :-) if you know what I mean… well never mind…

And so, these three weeks were meant just to unwind and do nothing at all... All I wanted to do was to enjoy this break to the maximum even if it meant isolation from my blog :-). With no worries about work, phone calls, gossip with colleagues, filling timesheets etc., I had all the time in the world to do what I wanted; didn't have to think twice to take a nap or a coffee break or for whatever!!!

Hmmm… after having spent my days with empty thoughts/action and having another month at my disposal, we (with hubby & in-laws) have decided to go on a vacation to Singapore and Malaysia… how thoughtful I would say – just in time because I really did want this before I can actually take a step forward and think about my future in terms of work or otherwise.

So we leave on Friday, the 24th of July and get back to India in the early hours on 1st August… I’ll just skip the detailed itinerary here – don’t want to bore you’ll with it, but will come back with much more details of the trip.

So long everyone, have a great time – I know I will!!!