Dreams Come True

India Shining

2012-02-13T15:49:00.000-08:00

(It was Deepa’s turn to select a topic for the group blogging activity and she selected “India Shining: two things you love and two things you would like to change”)

When Deepa announced the topic, I instantly found it analogous to someone asking you to mention two things you love in your husband and two things you would like to change. For all I know, most people (me included) would mention exactly two things that they like, but come up with a long list of things to change. I mean, he’s very kind and helps me, but only if he could do his chores without a lot of nagging, if only he would throw the trash on time, get me more gifts, help me more in the kitchen, gets up on time, and on and onJ

So this topic really got me thinking about what it is that I really like in my homeland and what would I like to change. There are literally dozens of things I like: the food, the people, the culture, the values. There are also dozens of things I would like to change: the dirt, the pollution, the corruption, the noise. So, do you want the good news or the bad news first? Always makes it better when you hear something good before hearing the bad, doesn’t it?

Two Things I Love
Festivals
I absolutely love all the festivals in India. Of course, the noise levels and the amount of money that is spent is not justifiable. But what I love in the festivals is the enthusiasm and the sense of unity among people. In today’s hectic life, festivals give us a good reason to meet each other and spend some quality time. I have so many fond memories associated with each and every festival. It’s difficult to choose a favorite: Holi with its vibrant colors, Navratri with the dandiya/garba, Diwali with the celebration of lights, and Ganpati with the dhol, tashas, and aartis.

I really believe that festivals also teach us a lot. For example, if you actively participate in a festival, you are bound to meet lot of people; share knowledge, ideas, and network. You can develop leadership qualities; learn how to handle different egos, resolve conflicts, manage time: in short, you learn good management skills. I would definitely say that part of what I am today is thanks to these festivals; I have learnt a lot and will continue to learn through participation. I would also urge my readers to actively participate and let their kids participate in the festivals. No matter how busy or tired you are, there’s a lot to gain by giving some time, energy, and presence in our festivals.

Knowing the good from the bad
There are always two paths to take: the good or the bad. India’s rich culture, its history, the diverse population, the different rituals have so much to teach us. I feel that the values our parents instill in us help in choosing the right vs. wrong. I don’t remember my mom or teachers teaching a subject “Values and culture”, but they are still passed on from generations after generations.

From a very early age, we expose and teach kids a plethora of shlokas and devotional songs, which build the foundation for learning good lessons. They also help us in learning recitation and improving our memory. I still remember my mother asking us to chant “Vadani kaval gheta” before eating the food on our plate.

Do you remember the story of the monkey and the crocodile? I am sure you do. It taught us a valuable lesson that presence of mind is always important. At a very early age, our parents introduced us to moral stories such as panchatantra which teach us good valuable lessons through short stories and anecdotes.

Lastly, we learn to observe and implement. Always help those around you, respect your elders, do not raise your voice, do not support evil even if you are alone are just some of the wonderful things we learn by observing our elders. I always give up my seat in a crowded bus to an elderly person or a pregnant lady. I never throw litter or spit on the road. I hope my daughter observes and learns these things.

No matter how old we grow, we can never forget these lessons. They help in shaping us in what we become and aid us in making the right choices in life.

Two Things I Would Like to Change
Customer Service or Customer Satisfaction
Does anyone in India ever care about customer service? I think not. In India, the focus seems to be more on selling a product or getting the job done, but not on quality. In US, we can return a product for up to 90 days after purchasing it. If you have a bad product experience, return the product and replace it. For me, it’s a sure sign that the customer might return for another product.

In India, if your product is broken, you have to call umpteen times to reach the repairmen. Banks, retail stores are always flooded with people with a long line at checkout. At the boarding desk in India, the lady made an error in our boarding passes which resulted in us to wait for over 2 hrs at the same place. Did she apologize? No. Did anyone attend to us at the earliest? No. It was only after we had completely lost it, that someone saw our passes, checked all of our 9 check-in bags, verified that we were not terrorists, and let us proceed to immigration. Why wasn’t this done in the first 15 minutes?

The customer is GOD and if you treat him well and give him a good experience, your business will flourish.

Safe place for women
It shocks and makes me extremely sad to realize that India is still not very safe for women. Open any newspaper and there would be at least 2-3 news of rapes within any part of India. I was under the illusion that at least Mumbai is comparatively safe. But this news shattered my illusion. While travelling in public transport in Mumbai is not so risky, friends have told me horror stories of public transport in Delhi. I dare not think what happens in the rural villages. It breaks my heart to think that the very woman, who gives birth, nurses her kids, and sacrifices so much to bring them up, is sometimes looked upon as an object of pleasure and is forced to give pleasure. If I were to have the power to change something, I would make extremely strict punishment for rapists.

At the end of this blog post, I cannot help but remember the movie “Nayak”, where a civilian is made a minister for a day. He goes about getting rid of the corruption and tackling the corrupt politicians. While some of the things depicted in the movie were very farfetched, if we have a minister who takes every good idea and turns it into a good deed, our country will be a much safer and better place to live. Jai Hind!

Felt like a dream

2012-01-05T19:42:00.000-08:00

(I know I have to write a different post for my group blogging activity. But I am feeling so nostalgic about home and our recent trip, that I couldn’t help but write this post.)

It seems just like yesterday that we were busy shopping, buying gifts, and packing for our India trip. It seems just like yesterday that one day before our departure we got the sweet news that we were blessed with a niece. It seems very recently that we boarded a flight to India, counting the hours left before we could see our parents.

We landed in India on 5th Dec, exactly a month back. We thought three weeks would be enough to visit home. But we were terribly wrong. The first 2-3 days went in fighting the jet lag and getting accustomed to the weather. Meanwhile, we also started our shopping for my brother’s wedding. We visited our flat that first weekend and managed to meet a few friends.

The next week was wedding preparations week. I don't even recall how that went by what with last minute shopping, buying tons of things, welcoming relatives, organizing things, packing bags, etc. My kid brother got married on 18th and somehow that is still sinking in. It takes time to believe that the baby you held in your arms, the one you watched grow up, had innumerable fights with, shared dozens of things with finally grew up into a responsible man and tied the knot. Anyway, the wedding was a grand hit and we had a fun time doing fancy dress by changing into different gorgeous sarees and enjoying good Indian food. The day before and after the wedding we had poojas and they went exactly the way I like them: calmly, quietly, with the mantras spreading a positive vibe in our house. The newly weds left for their honeymoon two days after the wedding. And that was our last week in India.

We had just four days left spare after the wedding. They went by in the blink of an eye. We managed to eat whatever was on our list whenever we could. I am sure people couldn't understand the joy on our faces as we relishied the road-side pani puri after 8 months:)

Yes, some things back home are still the same. We were hot and miserable the first few days. We were shocked by the inflated prices every time we ate/drank something. An itty-bitty glass of lime juice costs us 20 bucks. The traffic and the pollution is still bad. I spent 10 minutes trying to cross the road those first few days. I thanked God every time I safely survived an autorickshaw ride. But nothing can beat the love of parents, relatives, and friends. We felt so pampered and loved during our small stay. Our kid had a grand time with her grandparents. Before we knew, it was time to repack and head to US.

There was a big scene at the airport where my kid cried out for her grandparents and wanted to stay back. My heart broke into a million pieces as I saw my kid crying in my arms, reaching out to her grandparents, who cried on the other side of the airport entrance. Meanwhile, I tried to put on a brave face and stop my tears, but failed miserably. We came back on 24th Dec.

It was such a short trip that I can't even believe I had actually gone there. I mean, how could it get over so soon? I keep cursing myself that I should have checked the holiday calendar and stayed there the whole of December. I was unaware that we had holiday on 26th and 30th. And now, I keep regretting that I could have taken additional three days off, or worked from there, or done something, just something, but stayed for a while more. Till the very last minute before leaving India, I felt that I should extend our tickets and stay some more. But what's the point of repenting now?

It really feels like a sweet dream of us visiting home, spending time with our loved ones, and eating home-made food. I only wish the dream would never get over!

Quotable Quotes

2011-11-30T21:27:00.000-08:00

That’s how I fell in love with quotes. Reader’s Digest carried a column on some wonderful quotes. I remember reading and memorizing those quotes in my teen years. Even before that, I would always enjoy inspirational quotes which my teachers used to write on the school board.

I always take a moment to ponder on a quote and analyze its deep meaning. Really, quotes are just a few words, but they carry such deep meanings. And once in a while you find a quote that just tugs at your heart. You can totally connect with some quotes; some make you smile, while others leave a lasting impression and bond with us forever.

Over the years, I luckily bumped into people who also had a penchant for knowing and sharing good quotes. Be it my ex-boss who would email me a few chosen quotes, be it friends who would put up beautiful quotes on Facebook, or my dad who would always get wonderful diaries filled with numerous quotes.

Still, good quotes are hard to find. My chosen topic for this month’s group blog activity was “five quotes you love and live by”. I thought it would be an easy affair to write this post as I had chosen the topic. But as I sat down to write this post, of course, just an hour before deadline, all the quotes I knew over the years screamed at me “Pick me, pick me”. After much deliberation, I picked these:

Tough times never lasts, but tough people do!

This is by far my most favorite quote. I love the quote, the poem based on it, and also the book by Robert Schuller. This quote, poem, and book have given me immense strength when I went through a rough phase or when I feel down.

What it means to me?

We all go through ups and downs in life. But when we are going through the down phase, we have to remember that the “up” phase will soon arrive. And while the down phase may not last long, the strong people, who have the courage to keep it going during the down phase, will definitely lasts.

This quote is a reminder to me and my advice to everyone who’s reading this. When you are faced with a difficult situation, just hang in there and good times will meet you soon. I highly recommend the book to everyone.

You have to walk before you run

In one of my previous jobs, we had to attend conference calls with the clients. Our boss handled the conference calls and we girls just sat around pretending to listen. I wouldn’t follow 80% of what was said during those calls because I couldn’t follow the client’s accent, or I would be far away from the receiver. One fine day, my boss didn’t come to the office and asked me to handle the call. I was truly terrified and unsure if I would be able to handle it. My boss said “You have to walk before you run”. I hesitantly handled the first call, became a tad more confident in the next, and was superbly managing well within the next two months.

What it means to me?

You take one step at a time. If you are unsure of something, start slow. Analyze what’s holding you back. Trust yourself and take the first step. Then the next. And surely, you will be running in no time and then there will be no looking back.

Courage is not the absence of fear but the judgment that something else is more important than fear.

I first heard this quote in the movie “Princess Diaries”. The father has written a wonderful letter to his daughter and he mentions this quote, urging her to let go of her inhibitions and face the world.

The extended version is “Courage is not the absence of fear but the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all. For now you are traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be.”

What it means to me?

All through our life we are faced with something or the other that makes us pause before taking the next step. We are unsure of our self and find enough excuses from taking that next step. We are filled with questions. Will people mock me if I do this? What if I fail? Isn’t it easy to be where I am now?

But I guess I have realized that the best thing to do is to ask ourselves “What is the worst that could happen if I do this?” If I let go of my fear for a while, surely there must be something great awaiting me. It’s important to realize that something else; our happiness, our life, our future is more important than fear.

On a recent trip we went horse riding with some friends. My stomach developed a tight knot even before I sat on the horse. It worsened when the horse moved. And I was about to shriek when the horse treacherously went down a slope. But before screaming my lungs out, I took a deep breath and asked myself “What is the worst that can happen to me?” Surely, there was a guide who would come to my rescue if the horse galloped away. Surely, I would break a few bones if the horse skidded down. But I may not die. The minute I let go of my fear, I started enjoying the ride. I breathed in the fresh air and enjoyed the nature surrounding us. It was the best 45 minutes of my life. Surely, the horse must also be questioning himself “For how long do I have to carry this horrible weight on my back?”J

Apologizing doesn't always mean that you're wrong and the other person is right. It just means that you value your relationship more than your ego.

I don’t remember how or when I came across this quote. But it totally struck home.

What it means to me?

A lot of times, we spoil important relations because of silly squabbles. We hold on to the little three letter word with an amazing destructive power. Ego. So what if the person who was your friend for 10 years may never talk to you again. Your ego seems more important after a fuming fight.

Well, it always helps to remember that a few harsh words said in the heat of the moment may not be true. In any relation, differences are bound to happen. But it’s always important to learn to apologize before it’s too late. Apologizing doesn’t mean that you are a looser. That you bent down and let the other person hold the triumph card. It means that you valued the relation more than your ego and were ready to take the first step in amending things.

There are three types of people in this world: those who can count, those who cannot, and those who count

When I first read this one, it took me a while to figure out its meaning. But once I did, I totally agreed.

What it means to me?

To me, this quote simply means there are three kinds of people. The first are those who can count numbers; the second are those who cannot count numbers. And the third are those who make efforts to make themselves count/matter to anyone or anything. Their deeds speak more than their words.

This quote aligns with my purpose of life. For me, it’s very important to matter to somebody.

A few other chart busters

A child gives birth to a mother.
The only difference between ordinary and extra ordinary is the little “extra”.
It’s better to wipe the slate clean and make a fresh start.
Change is the only constant in life.
All that happens, happens for the best.

I always share inspiring quotes with my friends; I update my Facebook status using these quotes. I also like to add them as my email signature and make sure I change them regularly. After all, it’s just a small way to thank the quotes who teach us so much in such a short sentence. Great things always come in small packages!

Phew, this was a long post but I totally loved writing it. If you have a quote which is close to your heart, please share it with me. I would love to add in my collection.

Purpose of my life

2011-10-31T19:13:00.000-07:00

(Ask a guy to choose a blog topic and he will invariably choose something complicated like “Purpose of my life”. Ask a girl to choose a topic and she may choose something uncomplicated like “Top 10 favorite shopping places in the world”. Just kiddingJ. Anyway, the background to this topic is that I and my 3 friends took on the 10 day you challenge and it was fun to complete it together. So we took it a step forward and persuaded 2 more friends to join us. Now the 6 of us will write on a common topic once every month. One of us will choose the blog topic and declare it by the 15^th of every month. We have to publish the post on the month end. Go to the end of this post to view the blog URL’s of my friend’s blogs.)

The first topic, chosen by Pradeep of RTOAC is “Purpose of my life”. Pradeep chose this topic as a tribute to legends such as Steve Jobs and Jagjit Singh who passed away last month. I guess they found the purpose of their life and followed their passion.)

I could have said “I don’t know” and gotten away with it. But Pradeep’s choice for the blog topic really made me think hard. There’s a certain restlessness, uncertainty, and anxiety in me because I am still searching for the purpose of my life. Why was I born? Is there any meaning to my life? These questions haunt me over and over again. A few years back, I met a man in Vivekanand Ashram, Kanyakumari. He had done his B.Tech from IIT, but had left his corporate career to travel throughout India teaching young minds. At that time, I had gotten hyper and wondered why he had wasted an engineering seat. However, as I grow older and hopefully more mature, I understand that maybe he did find the purpose of his life and was happy pursuing it. It was what gave him “nirmal anand”.

I won’t say I am 100% sure about the purpose of my life. But I do know what makes me really happy. It’s not the big, fat pay check (LOL) at the end of every month. A few years back, I went through this phase with my kid brother. He was going through that age where he was more close to his friends and engrossed in his own world. We would often go for entire weeks without talking to each other. No matter how many times I tried to talk to him, he found it boring. I was devastated and depressed with his attitude. I kept feeling that I am the only one who loves him and he does not love me back. When I was really down, I told my concerns to my dad. I said “He doesn’t love me back. He doesn’t do special things for me”. That’s when my dad said “Maybe it’s you in this relation who has to do the job of loving him. You are the giver and he’s the receiver”. Something in dad’s words clicked. I understood what he wanted to say. Now, where is all this leading us? And what does it have to do with the purpose of my life?

The purpose of my life as I have understood it or the things that make me happy are: spreading love and happiness, making my friends and loved ones feel special, and educating and inspiring people. If I am able to make even one person feel special, then I have achieved the purpose of my life. If I am able to help even a single person, then I have achieved the purpose of my life. This may sound very cliché, but it truly makes me happy. I do like to help people and also tend to give unsolicited advice at times.

Sometime back, I helped a friend by simply passing on the contact number of a reputed gynecologist. She was having some trouble and was advised to go for surgery. Luckily, with the treatment of that gynecologist she delivered a healthy baby boy. I was amongst the first people to receive a call from the hospital with the good news. I can’t even begin to describe how happy that made me.

I really love the movie “Lakshya” which depicts a great story of a young boy and how he strives to find the purpose of his life and achieves success in the end. I do believe that whatever you do, you should do it with all your heart. I really like this dialogue from this movie “Tum jo bhi karo, accha karo. Agar tum ghaas katnewale ho, to tum acchese ghaas katon”J

Moral of the story: do whatever makes you happy. And then no matter where you are, or what you do, you will always be happy!

My blogging gang includes:

Deepa from Life through the lens of a kaliedoscope
Sonali from Straight from the heart
Pradeep from RTOAC
Bhagyashri from Predictably Random
Swati from Finding myself (invite only)

While you were sleeping…

2011-10-11T20:00:00.001-07:00

(I like to write blog post titles which sync with movie names. I am writing this post to describe my kid’s mischief when we were taking a nap. This is an attempt to write a blog post through her perspective. The title also happens to be a favorite movie starring Sandra Bullock.)

Dear Readers,

My parents are still a bit angry over the stunt I pulled this Sunday afternoon while they were sleeping. But give me a chance to explain.

Now, don’t blame my parents for falling asleep without putting me to sleep. After all, they tried their best to put me to sleep for over 45 minutes. However, I now have very strong opinions about when I should sleep. And 3pm was not suitable enough. Mom and Dad dozed off in two separate rooms, each assuming that I was peacefully napping with the other.

What they did not know was that I got my little hands on a small jar of Vaseline. I am a very keen observer. I have seen how Mom opens the jar, dips her finger in the jar, and applies it over my lips when they get too dry. However, I thought my whole body was a bit dry and thought it would be good to apply Vaseline all over it. So, off go all my clothes. I dipped my finger in the jar and started meticulously applying Vaseline all over my body.

Imagine dad’s surprise when he woke up and saw me without any clothes, covered entirely in Vaseline. I was determined to finish the entire jar when he yanked me from the floor and carried me unceremoniously to the bathroom. All the while, he kept muttering to himself. Thankfully, Mom was still sleeping. Splash, splash a hot bath. Dad used a lot of soap in a vain attempt to get the Vaseline off me. Dad was giving me a piece of his mind all through my bath. Mom woke up because of the commotion. Now, dad really can’t shout at me. After all, I am daddy’s girl. He tries to look serious and raise his voice. But I am really not too scared of him. Mom is an entirely different story. One look at me was all she needed to know what had happened. She started the big fundewala lecture, rolling eyes, all the works. I thought it best to look scared and then quickly dozed off to put an end to her shouting.

Why you may ask did I pull this stunt? Now, I have tried to teach my parents N number of lessons, so that they would keep everything in its right place, far away from my reach. Alas, my parents just don’t get it. Once, mom woke up to a good smell. But there was too much of it. When she turned her head, she saw a cloud of white powder. I was splashing it over myself and over the bed sheets. Well, I got a bit carried away. But why couldn’t she keep it off my reach? Then there was that other time when they forgot to keep the iron on the top shelf. Mom was having her bath and I thought I would iron my clothes. So I plugged in the iron. I did get a bit scared when it turned hot. Imagine my mom’s horror when she came out and discovered that the iron was plugged in and I was sitting right next to it. Do I even need to tell you how she shouted at dad who had forgotten to keep the iron?

Anyway, I really hope that my parents keep all things at a safe place. And I also hope that once in a while they forget, and I get to play with them:)

10 day challenge: one picture and a recap

2011-10-03T19:59:00.000-07:00

Finally the day is here. I and my comrades have successfully completed the 10-day challenge. Special thanks to Deepu for initiating this challenge. Big round of applause for Sonali who always posted on time. The rest of us started with much gusto, but we missed a few deadlines and then missing became a habit. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed writing each and every post.

This happens to be my favorite snap. This was taken on my husband's birthday in 2007 in our Louisville apartment. We had invited some 35 close friends for a small celebration. He clicked this snap while we were waiting for our guests.

I love my slight smile, the hair that for once stayed intact, and my general aura in this snap. I always use it when I need a decent close-up.

I would like to recap the lasts nine posts in this post. There were things that I either forgot or didn't divulge. Have fun reading:

Ten secrets: I suffer from mint kleptomania. Just kidding. I like to joke that I do. But I can't resist stealing atleast 4-5 mints from restaurants. I steal only one type. The white ones with the red design. Once, a waitress charged us 6$ for an item she didn't tell us about. We assumed it was complimentary by her casual mention. We didn't want to reverse the bill. I picked up 20 mints on my way out just to feel better about the whole thing. I intend to stop doing this. I hope no restaurant owners are reading this.
Nine loves: Sleeping. I love sleeping for long hours. There was a time when I used to sleep for 12 hours. Half the day gone. I even slept for long hours during my board exams.
Eight fears: In the haste of finishing the post on time, I totally forgot my biggest fear. Visiting dentists. I am so fearful that I wait till the pain gets impossible. I have sacrified 2 teeth, which could have been saved had I gone earlier. I just hate everything about dentists. The smelly clinic, the odd smelling gloves, the drilling noise, the excruiating pain. Yucks! I would prefer having a permanent denture than go through the pain of visiting a dentist.
Seven wants: To ride a motorbike wearing all leather gear. I have this vision of myself roaring on a bike wearing black leather pants, black leather jacket, black helmet, and black sunglasses. I have never been able to figure out why I need the sunglasses inside the helmet:)
Six places: Surat. Love visiting my aunt who stays there. Visiting her gives me an oppurtunity to sample all Gujrati foods. She always makes undhiyo, which is a treat in itself. Earlier, I would visit her in vacations and just laze around on her sofa:)
Five foods: Dadpe pohe! Always has and always will be my favorite breakfast or snack. I can easily gobble up 4-5 plates. Check out the recipe on my food blog.
Four books: Tough times never last, but tough people do! This book and the poem have always been a source of inspiration.
Three films: Legally Blonde. Totally love Reese Witherspoon in this one.
Two songs: Gagan sadan tejomaya. Of course, my husband always covers his ears when I try to match the high notes.

Thanks to all those who took the time to read my posts. Adios!

10 day challenge: two songs

2011-09-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Songs. Music. Lyrics. Wonderful companions during a long drive; cooking for friends and family; late night studies; picnics and parties; putting your baby to sleep.

I am a big fan of old Hindi songs, and an even bigger fan of all of Lata’s classics. I like a lot of new songs as well; but they don’t seem to stick around. Somehow, it’s always oldies which come to mind when playing antakshari. I haven’t heard a lot of English songs. When I was an engineering student, I would stay up late to study for exams. I would tune to the radio and listen to English songs for company. Two songs that would always play and I over the years, I have fallen in love with those. One was “Hotel California”. This always makes me imagine myself strumming a guitar. The other is Celine Dion’s “A New Day has Come”.

This post was an easy one for me; not because I don’t listen to a lot of music, but because I knew which songs I would choose as my favorite two:

Every couple should have a special song for themselves and ours is: Rimzim Gire Sawan

We both know the entire lyrics of this song and have troubled a lot of friends by singing the entire song: he in his lovely voice, me in my croaking voice.

The second song is one that I heard only recently and completely fell in love with: Saibo from Shor in the City.

The music is very refreshing and this is my type of song with its high and low alterations. Shreya Ghoshal is outstanding, and Tochi Raina supports her with his upbeat voice. The lyrics are sensible and wonderful.

Other songs that I have to mention:

Third Hindi Favorite: Barse sapne boond boond from Wake Up Sid. This one’s a lose third favorite after Saibo.
My ideal Bollywood playlist: As far as Bollywood goes, my playlist would contain all songs from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Khamoshi, Devdas, Abhimaan, Sathiya, Sapnay, Roja.
Marathi: All of Padmaja Fenani’s songs from the album Ghar Nachle Nachle, all songs from the movie Nivdung, majority of Asha’s songs.
English: Uptown girl, 500 miles (Benny and Joon).
Telegu: How can a Marathi mulgi love a Telegu song?:) Our group discovered Ringa Ringa and are obsessed with it. So much so, that we found that song with subtitles. During a recent trip, where we drove for 10 hours, we must have heard this song atleast 50 times. My little daughter is an ardent fan and tries to rote it.

Listening to good music always uplifts my mood and leaves me feeling fresh.
I might post mid-week about my favorite photo.

10 day challenge: Three movies

2011-09-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

I have cribbed endlessly about writing only five foods and four books. But that cribbing isn’t going to
come even close to my cribbing to write only three movies. Find out why.

My love saga with movies began when I was four. I still remember clutching dad’s hand and going to
watch my first movie: Jack and the Beanstalk. That movie and the story has always been my favorite. My
dad is an avid movie watcher and he has been responsible for getting me addicted to movies. We both
have common favorites, including, but not limited to Amar Akhbar Anthony, Guide, Sholay, Mackennas’s
Gold, Where Eagles Dare, The Guns of Navaronne. We have seen these movies so many times, that we
have lost track.

We did not have Cable TV for a good 24 years of my life. But we did watch a lot of oldies on
Doordarshan. Come summer vacation and we would rent out movies. I still remember all of us watching movies late into the night, with the perfect setting: a couple of pillows under your head and a bag of chips to munch on. Mom also tries to stay up late to accompany us, but she has her own limits and soon sleep in the chair:)

Luckily, the friends I made over the years also loved to watch movies. A certain friend B is a big-time
Salmaan Khan fan, and she has dragged me to all of his movies: good or bad. In my engineering college,
our group would often bunk lectures and catch latest movies at the nearby theatre. How I love all those
memories.

Then came Mr. P in my life; my husband who loves movies so much and goes around throwing movie
dialogues at everyone around him. So much so, that I often complain that he lives in a world of movies
and should come out of the imaginary life and look around him! During our last trip to US from Sep06 to
Dec 07, we watched loads of movies every weekend. We had a set schedule. Go to Blockbuster on Friday
eve, get 2 DVD’s, finish them off, go back on Saturday, get two more, finish them off on Saturday night,
and then watch another one on Sunday. Do the maths!

We watch movies and often discuss them. He made me watch “Memento” and we discussed it for 2
hours after watching it. We often fight about which movies to watch, which ones to order via Netflix.
More than once, I have quietly changed the movie priority and moved my favorites up in the queue.
Once, I even changed the password and refused to share it with him.

It’s not that I like watching only a particular type of films. I have a definite inclination towards feel-
good-romantic-flicks!:). But I can watch all types of movies: action, thriller, comedy, horror, romantic.
Sometimes I just feel like watching a family drama and turn to movies such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi
Khushi Kabhi Gum, Hum Saath Saath Hai, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.

I don’t know if my three comrades have noticed that we have limited options as we approach the end
of this challenge. I mean, I would happily trade three movies with ten secrets. Who would like to divulge
ten secrets, but food, book, and movie lovers would definitely jump at picking up 10 items in those
categories.

How can a girl who watches almost 3 movies every week, pick only three favorites? Anyway, here are
the top ones:

The Shawshank Redemption: This was an easy one to pick. My husband introduced me and my parents to this movie and we all loved it. My favorite quote from this movie “Hope is a good
thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies.” Truly, the movie tells the story of a
man who lives on hope, believes in it, and works on achieving the best in life.
Father of the Bride: I had a tie between P.S I Love You and Father of the Bride. But in the end, I picked the movie based on dad’s love, his daughter’s marriage, and what the dad endured.
There has not been a single time when I have seen this movie and it failed to bring tears in my
eyes. Steve Martin is outstanding in this movie. I always imagine me and my dad on screen
when I see this movie. The first time I saw it in the US, being miles away from my dad, I had
cried hysterically. Truly, this movie always reminds me of how my dad let me marry the guy I
love, and made my wedding day a memorable one.
Parichay: Inspired from the Sound of Music, our very own Bollywood version touches my heart
every time I see it. I am not a big Jitendra fan, but he’s acted very well in this one. Then there
are my favorites: Jaya Bhaduri, Pran, and the lovely kids. The songs are beautiful. The morale
and the climax are awesome. Be sure to see this movie if you haven’t seen it.

Other favorites include:

The Ghost and the Darkness: No, this isn’t a horror flick. If you haven’t seen this one, you should definitely check it out.
The Pink Panther: Absolutely loved Steve Martin in this one.
Kill Bill 1 and 2, Final Destination 1,2,3
Romantic flicks such as: 27 Dresses, Sweet Home Alabama, Pretty Woman, Addicted to Love, 50 First Dates, and so on.
Bollywood Favorites: Dil Chahta Hai, Sarfarosh, Chak De India, Anand, Abhimaan, Khatta Meetha
Marathi Favorites: Gammat Jammat, Ashihi Banva Banvi, Navri mile Navryala, Matichya Chuli

After seeing so many movies, I and hubby consult friends on which movies to watch. Maybe, we should
open a movie consultancy firm. What say?:)

If you have seen a movie that you thought was outstanding, please leave a comment. We have
exhausted our list of “movies to watch” and would love hearing new ones.

10 day challenge: Four books

2011-08-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

Books. The very word conjures up so many memories. I don't remember the first book I read or held, but I do know that my parents instilled good reading habits in me and my brother. I remember them buying Childcraft series for us, which in those days costs 12K. They also subscribed to Reader's Digest, and for years we archived them in the house. In 2000, we discovered magazines dating back to 1993 and realized it was high time to give away some of them. I remember reading novels late into the night, when my father would discover that I was still reading at 1am he would tell me to go to sleep. "Five minutes baba", I would say and continue reading till 4am, satisfied that I had finished the book:)

Our school library also housed a good collection of books. It is through the school library that I fell in love with Nancy Drew, Famous Five, and Secret Seven. Oh! How I loved those cute gangs and their parties with cookies and lemonade.

Then I reached college and discovered Sidney Sheldon, Arthur Hailey, Jeffrey Archer, and John Grisham. I think I have read all of their novels. Of course, my college buddies also introduced Mills and Boons, and I remember reading a few of them and wondering about love and romance:) I still remember spending hours and hours near Churchgate station and picking up books for cheap prices.

I have always been lucky to meet people who are passionate about reading and I often wonder about people who don't like to read. Some people find libraries boring, but for me they are a treasure trove of discoveries. Books have never let me down in my entire life and I consider them to be my best friends. I wonder what my life had been had I not discovered the wonderful world of books and what one can learn from them.

This post is about four of my favorite books. Again, it was very difficult to choose just four amongst the thousands that I have read. But still, here's an attempt:

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl: I haven't read a more touching book till date. I was horrified to discover that at an age when I was roaming around freely with my friends, a girl much younger than me had spent years trapped inside a cramped apartment. Anne's writing and its simplicity made me feel as if I was experiencing what she had. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.
Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer: I love reading this book over and over again. The climax is superb. This was my first Jeffrey Archer novel, and the rest I read didn't match up.
Not without my daughter by Betty Mahmoody: An amazing story of an American woman, trapped in a foreign land and her courageous attempt to escape the country with her daughter. I read this pre and post giving birth to my daughter. The latter reading touched me even more than the first one as I could totally connect with the author. The Bollywood attempt at adapting this story (Shakti) totally sucks.
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri: I loved all the characters in this book; each and every one is so different, yet so special and convincing. Ashima, the mother who leaves her homeland at a very young age and settles in a foreign land. Accepts staying there, yet, no letting go of her roots. Ashoke, an intelligent professor who loves reading books. Gogol, a true ABCD (American Born Confused Desi) in his earlier years, soon transforms into a total American. Jhumpa hooks her readers right from the first page, wonderfully builds up the story, and leaves them with a satisfying end. Read my review here.

Other favorites include To kill a mockingbird (Harper Lee), The Godfather (Mario Puzo), The Final Diagnosis (Arthur Hailey), The Hindi Bindi Club (Monica Pradhan), 2 States (Chetan Bhagat), and The Client (John Grisham).

See you next week with my list of three movies.

10 day challenge: 5 foods

2011-08-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

Ask a foodie like me to list only five favorite foods and she will scratch her head so many times, that finally there would be no hair left on her head. Don’t worry, I haven’t turned bald, but came close to going bonkers thinking of this list.

I thought of looking up the real definition of foodie: a word that everyone throws around a lot lately. So, I googled “define:foodie” and the result was “a person keenly interested in food, especially in eating or cooking.” Do I fit into the definition? Definitely:)

I was not much of a junkie as a child. But I sure turned into one after I joined Ruia for my junior college. If there are restaurants like DP’s, Mani’s in your vicinity, who’s to blame if you start eating outside food regularly? Then there was the vada pav wala outside King George school. Walk a bit further and you reach D Damodar: another favorite snacks place. I and my friends were in love with the samosa, kachori, and sweet pattice. So much so, that I and my best friend B, dreamt of marrying Damu’s son in the hopes of getting a lifelong supply of samosas:)

I am lucky to find a soul mate who also happens to be an ardent foodie. We have tried Mexican, Ethiopian, Chinese, Mediterranean, and Italian. We hope to try Japanese, though we know that there are very limited options for vegetarians.

As I have said before, this list was a toughie. So I finally closed my eyes and thought of five foods that immediately came to my mind:

1. Pav Bhaji: I can’t recollect when, where, how I ate my very first pav bhaji. But I love it so much, that I won’t mind eating it every day for the rest of my life. It’s healthy, as it brings together all important vegetables. My daughter also loves pav bhaji.
If you don’t mind extra calories, try Sardar’s pav bhaji near Tardeo. It’s loaded with butter. I could manage to eat only one pav.
I like the home-made version better than the restaurant ones. I have noticed that restaurants add food coloring to get the rich, red color. I have never eaten street side pav bhaji .

2. Pani Puri and all chat items: It would be injustice to the other chat items if I say that I like only pani puri. So I have to declare that I love all of them. Pani puri, bhel puri, sev batata puri, ragda pattice, dahi batata puri; I am drooling just by writing all this:) I have to admit that till I reached 10std, I couldn’t eat pani puri. Apparently, I couldn’t open my mouth wide enough to gobble down the whole puri. It used to break to pieces, and that’s not how you eat it. I also don’t like chilled pani puri, which is why, I didn’t eat pani puri in Delhi.
For me, the ideal pani puri is the one with small puris (I instruct the bhaiya to choose the smallest puris), hot ragda, and tangy and spicy chutney. To finish off the lovely treat, a masala puri with potato, sev, and spices is an absolute must.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, and supposedly not allowed to eat outside food, I made my mom prepare bhel puri, pani puri, and sev puri at home. There was only one condition from my side and that I was I could eat unlimited:) Of course, the home made chat food doesn’t taste that much great as the one that the bhaiya makes for you. And there’s that old joke that it tastes great only because the bhaiya’s sweat adds flavor to it! Gross, but maybe true!:)

3. Vegatable Pulao and Tomato Saar: This one has been a favorite since childhood. My mom makes the best pulao and tomato saar in the whole world! I just love the combination. Hot, steamy, white pulao, mixed with vegetables such as cauliflower, carrot, and peas reminds me of India’s flag. Top it with some really hot tomato saar: a wonderful blend of boiled tomatoes, coconut, and garlic. This simple, quintessential meal has been an all-time favorite for me.

4. Vada Pav: Now, who doesn’t like this one? Probably no one who has tasted it. I can name at least 10 places in Mumbai where I have tasted really good vada pav. Add to this list the ones that mom makes. Me? I am not much of a frying fan. In the sense, I love eating fried food, but don’t love standing next to the stove, frying stuff for hours. So I make vada pav only once in a while.
We have a vada pav vendor right across the street where my mom stays. And I always used to make my kid brother get vada pav for me. My brother has this photo of me on his digi cam. I am looking really cross, crazy, and irritated because he wouldn’t get vada pav for me when I was pregnant. He always teases me with this photo.

5. Gulab Jamun: I do like sweets, but can’t eat them in unlimited quantities. The one sweet that I can eat limitless is gulab jamun. I have my mom make them for my every birthday and no birthday is complete without eating at least 20 of them:)

There, you have it! Five foods that I can eat over and over again, without getting bored. Five foods that I can gobble in unlimited quantities. I know the limit is five, but I would just like to mention that I also love bhutta (corn), pakoras, mattha (spicy buttermilk), chips, jalebis.

I loved writing this post, though it was a sweet torture. I am surely going to make all the foods listed above in the very near future:)

10 day you challenge: 6 places

2011-08-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

I know I am terribly late with this post. I also know that my 3 comrades have finished writing their posts on time. It wasn’t that I was extremely busy over the weekend, but I just didn’t write it. By the time I realized that I hadn’t, the weekend had waived goodbye. Anyway, here’s my post: better late, than never.

6 places for me are 6 places where I have been and liked. If I were to die, I would ask my loved ones to scatter my ashes at these 6 places. Sounds too cheesy, eh? Without much further ado, here they are:

Mumbai meri jaan: Yes, Mumbai is truly a jaan (life) for everyone who has spent a better part of their life in it. I had never left Mumbai for a good 27 years of my life. I was born in Mumbai. I did my schooling, college education, graduation, first jobs all in Mumbai. My favorite place in the whole world is my parent’s house in Mahim where I and my brother grew up. As I write this post, I wish I had a remote control which would take me to my mom anytime I feel like, and let me enjoy “maa ke haath ka khana”:)
I love Mumbai with its noise, pollution, crowd, competition, festivals, train rides. I love the fact that people from so many different castes, religions, backgrounds, cultures gel and stay in Mumbai. I love the enthusiasm of Mumbaikars.
My heart breaks every time I hear of a terrorist attack on Mumbai. What option does the average Mumbaikar have other than carrying on with their “spirit”? I hope and pray that these stupid terrorists attack stop and that Mumbai is left with peace and harmony.
Mulund, Mumbai: “Home is where the heart is”. Even if we are in the US, and happy where we are, a part of heart is in Mulund where we live.
My aunt lived in Mulund. My earliest memories of Mulund are associated with summer vacations when I and my cousins visited my aunt. We used to stand in her balcony, call out to strangers, and then duck down when they looked up. It sounds so silly now. However, it gave us endless joy at that age. Mulund reminds me of convincing my aunt to give us Re.1, so that the four of us could eat pepsi colas. It reminds me of watching Ajooba, eating chips at 2am, and having stupid fights with my cousins.
Luckily, we bought a house in Mulund. It is in Mulund that we started our married life together. We learnt to set up our house, take responsibilities, pay bills, buy groceries, and start a family. We are blessed with wonderful neighbors and a superb group in our complex. We celebrate all festivals with zeal and have a wonderful time together.
Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu: I strongly believe in destiny and also that if you truly wish something, it will come true. I had attended a family function, just two weeks before my HSC board exam. As I was hurrying up my lunch and wondering how I would complete the pending studies, the lady sitting next to me mentioned about a camp to Kanyakumari. I had always wanted to visit the southernmost tip of India. My ears perked up and I gathered all the information. Soon, after my exams, I attended a 10-day camp to Kanyakumari by Vivekanand Kendra. It has been more than a decade since I attended that camp. However, what I learnt there, our daily schedule, the places we visited, the talks I shared with my friends, are forever itched in my memory.
We had a hectic schedule which included getting up at 4am; doing yogasanas; completing chores such as cleaning the library, serving food, cleaning the mess; maintain absolute silence for half an hour; lectures on life and time management by the Kendra people; and indoor and outdoor games. We learnt valuable lessons and interacted with a lot of people. I remember waking up at an obscene hour to see the sunrise. We saw the first rays of sun, saw the sand from three different oceans; and watched in absolute awe and wonder. I want to visit Kanyakumari again, and I want to take my daughter with me.
Kodaikanal, Tamilnadu: We went for our honeymoon to Kodai and fell in love with the place. I find it hard to believe that it was five years ago. After much deliberation and wondering if we could afford or whether we should afford a five-star, we booked our stay in Carlton: a five-star resort by K Raheja. It was one of our best decisions ever. The hotel, the food, the weather: everything was just so perfect.
Ours is a love marriage. So we didn’t go through the whole “getting to know each other” phase on our honeymoon. We are foodies and thoroughly enjoyed the hotel’s buffet. We cycled around the lake. My husband had just finished a photography course and he made me stand clutching pine trees, while he spent 15 minutes adjusting brightness, composure, focus, and what not. Of course, I would have several spectators, wondering what I was talking to a tree, when in fact, I was telling my husband to hurry up. Those are our best memories ever. We took boat rides in all types of boats: paddle boat, motor boat, and the shikara, which made us feel like we were in Kashmir. How I wish I could turn back the clock and relive all those golden moments.
Louisville, KY: The first place where I spent major time outside Mumbai. Came to Louisville in Sep’06. Spent a year-and-a-half discovering that I could remain sane without a job. Yes, I was on H4 on my last trip here. Louisville is a quaint, small city in Kentucky, just an hour from Cincinnati. There are lots of Indians in Louisville, which is why; at times it becomes difficult to believe that we are in US.
My trip to Louisville gave me the opportunity to spend quality time with my husband, start this blog, discover my love for cooking, learn cake decoration, learn how to make bead jewelry, make and nurture friendships, and realize that there are a whole lot of things to do without a job.
This is our second trip to Louisville. This time Louisville let me realize one of my dreams: work in US.
I think I would have been lost in a bigger city like Chicago or New York. Louisville is a great place to be.
Las Vegas, Nevada: We took this trip in Dec’07 and it has been one of our best trips ever. The first time I saw the strip, my mouth fell open just seeing all the lights. My God, I had never seen so many lights in my life. I loved Vegas with all its grandeur, glamour, and shine. All the casinos are beautiful. I have so many memories associated with Vegas. The Bellagio falls, the gondola ride in Venetian, seeing Phantom of the Opera in Venetian, I would definitely love to visit Vegas again. Now, when I see any movie filmed in Vegas, I smile and feel happy that I got to visit Las Vegas.

I realized after writing my list that out of six, two of my favorite 6 places are in Mumbai, the other two in Tamil Nadu, and the last two in US. I am sure that if I visit Europe or Egypt, I will add them to this list.
Hope you enjoy reading this post, as much as I enjoyed recollecting my memories. See you this weekend with my list of 5 foods. Boy, five is a very, very small number:)

10 day challenge: 7 wants

2011-08-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

I am done with my 10 secrets, 9 loves, and 8 fears. It’s time to move on to 7 wants. Well, 7 is a very small number for the things that I want.

There’s stuff that I wish every day, like ready-made homemade food; 16 hrs of sleep; hot, relaxing, bubble baths; no morning rush; no unexpected problems.

Then, there’s stuff that I wish every weekend. Like a robot that will take care of the piled-up work such as vacuuming, laundry, cleaning the furniture, paying bills, organizing wardrobes, cleaning the toilets, checking for grocery, buying grocery, cleaning the refrigerator, ironing clothes, making preps for the coming week. Lots of “me” time for reading and relaxing.

However, this post is going to be about my ongoing wants. I am going to do some cheating with this post and use sub-bullets to cover many wants under one big headingJ I played fair with the earlier posts, so it’s ok if I cheat in thisJ This one’s going to be a long post for the obvious reasons.

1. To get the same parents, husband, daughter, brother, SIL, and best friends in all future births. I would also add my former boss, AP to this list. I am not even sure if there’s after birth or anything like it. But if there is, then I would definitely like the same set of people in every birth.

2. To complete all projects that I start: Started a lot of things, finished some. Spent 6 years learning Bharatnayam, didn’t finish it. Spent a good amount of time learning yoga and gymnastics, hardly practice it. Spent some money learning how to bead, still am lazy to bead every weekend. Have lots of wonderful ideas. Don’t have the motivation and energy to execute them. My want would be to finish every important thing that I start. To have boundless energy, motivation, and enthusiasm.

3. To get serious about my health

a. Never to have common cold again: I am extremely susceptible to common cold. I get it from anywhere, anytime. I have it for months and months. When I was pregnant and couldn’t take medicines, there was a time when I had cold for whole 2 months. I do not have sinus; it’s just that I catch cold very fast. Spend an hour in the pool, the next day I will start sneezing like crazy. I hate it. I hate having a runny nose, breathing through my mouth; I would want to increase my resistance power and never get the stupid, irritating common cold again.

b. Start exercising: Not to look slim, but to be fit. I am fed-up of falling sick for stupid things. Need to exercise, stop eating as much junk food, and stop procrastinating going to the gym.

4. To work on happiness project: I am at that point in my life where at times I think that life has no meaning. What’s the use of slogging, earning all that money, bothering about bills and retirement; if one fine day you are going to go away from this earth? Of course, life is beautiful. But what is the use if we keep worrying?
I learnt about the happiness project and want to adapt it in my life. Not follow it completely, but take the main things. For example, spend half-hour each day to do what makes you happy.

5. To learn to let go: I won’t and don’t preach “Forgive and forget”. I will never be able to forgive some people who have hurt me immensely. I also won’t preach “Let go of your ego” or something similar. I think everyone should have some amount of ego, or would it be self-respect? But I would definitely like to learn to let go of small things that bother me endlessly. Like a relative’s rude remark, someone not replying to my email, someone’s sarcastic comment. Once something happens and I feel bad about it, it should go away from my mind. Vanish. No pondering, bickering the next day. If I am able to achieve that, my life will be much better.

I also want to learn to stop getting hyper on futile things. What if we reach 15 minutes late, what if we don’t cook today, what if we Learn to take a deep breath and think “what’s the worst that I can happen if I or we don’t do this”? Most of the times the answer is not severe. If I am able to achieve this, my life and those of everyone around me, will be much better.

6. House stays clean at least for 5 hours after I clean it: I spent 3 hrs last Saturday to clean my apartment’s hall and kitchen. I scrubbed the kitchen cabinets, cleaned the furniture, vacuumed the hall, and mopped the kitchen. All this on a Saturday afternoon when the very creatures (my husband and daughter) who make mess in the house, took a jolly good nap. They were both snoring! Their snores and peaceful sleep aggravated me and gave me extra power to do the cleaning. Once they woke up, husband said something on the lines of “wow, apartment is looking as good as new”. Within the next 2 hours, I saw that the house started returning to its earlier messy state. He kept books here and there; she spilled stuff here and there. Gone was my 3 hrs of hard work. There’s no point in setting rules if no one’s going to follow them. It’s not that they don’t help me. My daughter keeps her toys in her toy chest most of the days. But she’s two and a half; she spills stuff on the furniture and carpet.

It’s not that I am a cleanliness freak. But I do get upset, hyper, and depressed in varying degrees when I see mess in the house. My want is that my house stays clean at least for a decent period of time after I have cleaned it.
7. Global warming: This one freaks me out and has been a major topic of thinking. Notice how all the weather conditions have become extreme? Extreme heat wave, heat warnings, high heat index. Extreme flooding, rains; regular tornado warnings.

All this, thanks to global warming. I am trying to do my bit to save the earth. I am careful about using water and using power only when it’s necessary. I do not print pages and pages of documents. I switch off lights when I leave a room.
I want everyone to get serious about global warming. If each one of us does his part, maybe we’ll have the Earth as a healthy place for our next generation.

Phew, what a long list!

See you next week with my list of 6 places.

10 day challenge: 8 fears

2011-07-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I used to accompany my dad to the market to buy vegetables. I often used to get engrossed in the surroundings, while dad paid the vegetable seller. Then dad would start walking ahead. When I used to wake up from my reverie, I would realize that dad isn’t near me. I would start searching for him and get scared thinking that he has left me alone. Very soon, I would find dad standing 10 steps away from me, smiling after seeing my confusion. That one minute would be the longest and scariest of my life. That is my earliest memory of being scared.

In this post, I have jotted 8 things that bother/scare me:

1. Snakes: Snakes and any other creepy, crawly things scare me. Snakes freak me out; I can’t even watch them on TV. My dear friend G, once played a prank on me. We had gone out on a walk, and while returning home we had to cross a field. It was dark. She knew my fear of snakes. In the most serious expression, she told me that the field was full of snakes and we had to run so that they won’t bite us. I ran the fastest and when I turned back, I saw my friend doubled up with laughter.

2. Dogs: I am terrified of dogs of all shapes and sizes. They have never caused me any harm. However, I prefer keeping distance from them. I have never petted a dog in my entire life. Once I and my friend were busy talking near her building. A dog came running and sniffed me. I screamed so loudly that 4-5 people came running to see what had happened.

3. Lightning: Yeah, when the rains pour down, and the sky sparks with lightning, I pray to God that one doesn’t strike me. The stupidest thing that I do is, I close all the curtains in my home in the hope that the lightning will be blocked by closed curtains:)

4. Life cut short: I am not afraid of death as such. I know it is the ultimate reality and all of us have to face it, one day or the other. What bothers me is premature death. What if I die today? What if I am not able to achieve what I want to? What will happen of my family if I go away today?

5. Crows: Yucks! I am not scared of crows as such. But of crows hitting my head. Read this to get a good laugh.

6. Escalators: I feel dizzy on escalators, and try my best to avoid them. I am a bit more confident while riding up, but get terribly scared to ride down. My friends and cousins have tried their best to help me overcome my fear – with no luck. Wait, see the yellow line, and step when it reaches midway. This is the mantra I keep chanting. I get weird looks as I stand gathering courage, and others wait patiently behind me.
When I was pregnant, I and hubby had gone to @home store, and the only way to reach the lower level was through an escalator. After 5 failed attempts, I approached the store’s security. This was when a huge belly and a worried expression used to help me a lot:P I convinced the security guard to let me use the staff elevator:)

7. Loneliness: I am a social, outgoing person. I often worry about losing every one of my loved ones, my true friends. I am scared of loneliness.

8. Horror movies: Well, I am very curious and intrigued to see horror movies. I see them with interest and then get terribly scared. I remember watching the Urmila starrer “Kaun”, siting in the second row. I was so scared later on, that I slept next to my mom for a good one week. The other flick which was quite interesting to watch, but scared me horribly was Jeepers Creepers. Now, on every late right road trip, I am convinced that Jeepers will attack our vehicle.

I realized after writing this list, that 3 of my 8 fears were related to animals or birds. I will have to do something to get rid of those fears.

Next weekend is 7 wants. Well, I want much, much more than 7.

10 day challenge: 9 loves

2011-07-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, so after divulging 10 secrets about myself, it’s time to talk about my nine loves.

Most of my loves have evolved as I grew up. There was a time when I loved watching TV. We didn’t even have cable TV. Only the great Doordarshan, with DD1 and DD2. I used to switch on the TV first thing after entering the house. However, over time, I realized it’s a waste of time and watch limited TV.

The latest thing that’s addictive and fascinating is Facebook. It would be too embarrassing to divulge the number of times I check Facebook in a day.

Here goes my list of 9 loves:

1. My family: My immediate family, my husband, my closest friends. I absolutely love them. They have always motivated and inspired me and largely contribute to what I am today. They have also told me I am an idiot, when I behaved like one. They are the pillars of my life. They have accepted me the way I am, and love me for whatever I am.

2. My baby: She came into my life on a cold December morning and changed it forever. I remember seeing this saying near a signal in Bandra “A child gives birth to a mother”. It couldn’t be truer. She’s taught me to love, care, be responsible, and be patient. Her single smile energizes me like nothing else and sleeping in her arms comforts me like nothing else. I love buying stuff for her – be it dresses, toys, or accessories. I loved dolls as a kid, and God gave me a real one. Unfortunately, my doll doesn’t let me dress the way I want her to. Her beautiful clips come out 5 minutes after I have carefully added them in her hair.
She has also taught me to appreciate whatever my mother did for me. I now better understand why my mom behaved in a certain way, why she took the decisions that she did, and how easy it was for her to those all those sacrifices for me and my brother.
My baby will always be my baby, though one day she will marry someone and go away from me. Sob, sob!

3. Chips: I am obsessed with potato chips. I can easily devour one whole bag in one go. Once I start eating chips, I cannot control how much I eat. I think I have OCD when it comes to chips. I love Arby’s curly fries.
When I used to have fights with my dad and stop talking to him, he would bring me chips to resolve my anger and make me talk to him. My husband doesn’t buy chips when I fight with him though:(I DO NOT like to share chips with anyone else. I find it hard to share them even with my little daughter. She seems to be fascinated with them too.

4. Beading: I learnt to make bead jewelry during our last trip in US. I didn’t pursue it as much until recently. Beading rejuvenates me and makes me happy. It keeps negative thoughts away from my mind. It gives me immense pleasure to create a beaded piece. I love gifting finished pieces to my friends; I also love to wear my beaded pieces. I hope to launch my bead jewelry business very soon.

5. Books: Books are a man’s best friend. That’s so true. Books have never let me down.
I am a voracious reader. I can easily gobble up a 250 page book in one sitting. I mostly like to read fiction, self-help, or inspiring books. Nowadays, I prefer reading Magazines because they are easy to read and take less time.
Books traverse you to time and places written in them. My mind took me to Louvre museum after reading Da Vinci code; I had read so much about the FBI building, that I lovingly touched it when I visited Washington DC.
As a teenager, I used to read books late into the night. My dad would get up in the middle of the night and tell me to go to sleep. I would say “5 more minutes” and continue reading till I finished the bookJ

6. Travelling: I wish I had all the money in the world to visit wherever I want. I dream of touring the entire India. I also aim to visit Europe and Africa. Luckily, I have visited the major tourist spots in the US. I am fortunate to have a husband who also loves to travel. Together, we explore new places to visit, find information about places to see, click innumerable pictures, and cherish our travel memories.

7. The God of Small Things: Yes, I have read the book. And no, I didn’t like it. I couldn’t connect to the book. But I do love all the small things in life that God has created and I am in awe of them. “What is life if full of care, you have no time to stand and stare”. Life is too small to run after money, be obsessed with your career. We should always appreciate little things in life. Rainbows, the smell after the first rains, dew drops, a beautiful quote are all lovely things.

8. Writing: I have always enjoyed reading and my love for writing stems from that. I am glad I discovered the Technical Writing profession and it gave me the opportunity to explore writing. I love writing long emails to my good friends. I have blogged regularly in the past about daily happenings and maintained a food blog. I wish that I write more. I also aspire to inspire people through my writing.

9. Dance: Put on some really good music, and the next thing you know, I start tapping my feet and swaying myself. I have learnt Bharatnatyam, and my love for dance comes through that training. A good dance, not only burns some calories, but also makes me happy.
I am happy and proud to see that my little one also appreciated good music and sways on the tune.

The next posts is about 8 fears. That's a tough one.

10 day challenge: 10 secrets

2011-07-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

Finally, my dear, dormant blog gets some activity. My friend Dee, passed on the 10-day challenge, where we have to write about a particular topic for 10 consecutive days. Busy (??lazy) as we are, we decided to write on 10 consecutive weekends. So, here’s the post for the first challenge: 10 secrets. Frankly, it’s quite odd to divulge 10 secrets to the whole world, and I wish it was 10 foods instead. Or maybe 100 foods that I like:)

On the other hand, my life is an open book. There’s nothing that my parents, husband, and close friends don’t know about me. I am an outgoing and extrovert person. Ask me something, and most probably I will tell you about it. Anyway, here’s my attempt at divulging some secrets or let me call them facts about my life:

I am big sucker for feel good, romantic comedies or romantic flicks. And the ending has to be happy. For me, if it’s not happy, then it’s not the end. I harass my husband every weekend to watch a movie that fits that category. I can watch my favorite movies over and over again. The top ones include: 27 dresses, Sweet Home Alabama, Pretty woman.
I am still scared of my dad. There’s no other human being whom I find scary, but if my dad glares at me, or raises his voice, I still feel scared.
I love buying plastic containers of all shapes and sizes. I may not freak out to buy any expensive stuff, but take me to Dollar or Wal-Mart, and I start walking towards the aisle where they display plastic containers. I am quite eco-friendly in all other aspects. My husband pulls me away when he realizes that I am heading towards that aisle.
I tend to take on more than I can handle at times. Too many tasks, too much work, too many things to do. Then I get stressed out and wished that I hadn’t taken up so many things.
I have contradictory feelings about a lot of things. I am quite social and outgoing; yet do love to be alone once in a while. I am hyperactive, yet can let go of some things. I like to take fast decisions, yet procrastinate others for no reason.
I have changed a lot over the years. I was a very shy, introvert, low-confidence, silly girl in school. My dressing sense was pathetic (still hasn’t improved much). However, I have observed a lot of people in my life and learnt to be confident. I am proud of what I am today. The only thing I yearn is to be wise and be at peace.
I love organizing things. I like to assign places for items, make lists, and arrange stuff. That doesn’t mean that my house is always neat and tidy. I make lists for everything: things to do, shopping list, and contacts list. I love to strike out items as and when I complete them. Earlier, I and hubby used to sit and make a list of things to do on every Saturday morning. It would be a long list with 15 items such as visit the bank, pay the power bill, or fix something. By Sunday EOD, we would complete only 3 out of 10 items. Now we have stopped making a Saturday things to do list.
I am jealous of the chemistry between my husband and daughter. She doesn’t even look at me when he’s around. It’s like I feed her, bathe her, play with her, but when daddy gets home, she turns her complete attention towards him. It feels good to see that they are so attached to each other. But sometimes I feel neglected.
I can figure out how complicated stuff works, yet never find it easy to operate a coffee machine, open doors (never understand which way they open), turn on faucets (why do they make them so complicated), and how to swipe credit/debit cards.
I get extremely irritated when friends, relatives fall out of touch and claim that they are very busy to write back. I think our generation has plenty of communication medium- emails, skype, facebook to communicate with each other. But we have lost the zeal to stay in touch with people or have become to casual. We hide under the disguise of “being busy”. I know I have neglected communication in the past under the same disguise, but I am definitely improving on keeping consistent contact.

The next post will be about nine loves. Stay tuned.

U, Me, aur Hum

2008-06-11T23:17:00.000-07:00

(This post was meant to be posted some 3 months back. However, I never got the time to post it untill today.)

Ajay Devgan had left no stone unturned in promoting his directorial debut. After seeing the trailers, numerous ads such as Alpenlibe promoting the movie, we decided to give it a shot. However, the trailers were not the only motivation to catch the film. Both I and P are huge fans of Kajol and we wanted to see the movie for the sole reason that Kajol was starring in it. We had wasted our money on Fanaa two years back, but we still marched into the theatres with the hopes of catching a good flick. I have tremendous confidence in Ajay after seeing most of his movies. He’s a systematic and great actor. I was excited to see his directorial talent.

U, Me, aur Hum runs in flashback. Ajay Devgan narrates his love story, taking place on a cruise to a stranger. He tells her how he meets the love of his life, tries to win her love, their life together, and problems they encounter in their marriage. His wife suffers from Alzheimer’s and Ajay has used very touché scenes to depict the troubles he faces because of her inability to remember anything. He leaves her at the care facility and finds it difficult to cope with a life without her. His friends encourage him to bring her back and he does exactly that. The climax is quite good.

In times of difficulties it’s so easy to leave your loved one and move on with your life. But real love lies in sticking together through thick and thin. That’s what U, Me, aur Hum is all about. Kajol and Ajay are great actors and it was a treat to see them together on screen.

Flipside:

Excessive screening of consumption of alcohol. There are three doctors in a group of 6, yet all three men have been shown clinging to bottles throughout the film. If they show doctors consuming alcohol so casually, it makes a very bad impression on the common man.
Not so great songs: I didn’t like any of the songs. Most of the time, I could not make out the words, and whatever words I could make out, didn’t make any sense. The lyrics are good, but I felt that they have created songs just for the sake of creating them. They seem meaningless. I mean what does “Bareli jaise sajna” mean? Maybe I heard it wrong. But that’s what P heard too:). I hope Ajay improves on this part the next time he directs a movie.

Over in all, a great performance by Ajay and Kajol. Ajay’s directorial venture is a good, decent movie. U, Me, aur Hum leaves a good message about love and companionship. It reminded us of the Hollywood flicks “The notebook” and “50 first dates”.

Birthday wishes from the Cabadi clan

2008-05-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

Guess what my office buddies gifted me on my birthday?

But before that a little bit about the birthday tradition in our office. There are two gifts one gets on his/her birthday. One is a serious gift and one is a prank gift. We always ask what the person needs as a serious gift so that we can gift her something that she needs or has been planning to buy since a long time.

Even before my friends asked me what I wanted, I told them I wanted a cookbook as a gift. I love receiving gifts and find it very difficult to control my urge to tear open the gift paper. I was on leave for the entire week before my birthday; my friends got ample time to plan and execute a prank gift.

They all know my total hatred for cabbage. I never touch it. I hate its smell and sight. I sometimes order lunch from a nearby lunch home and whenever they give cabbage, I whine and cry and hardly eat it. So it was not very difficult for them to think about a prank gift. However, I had no idea how creative they could get with a dry thing like cabbage.

My friend S took great pains to decorate a real cabbage with red chillies. She also made a paper cap for my Cabby man. Another friend P wrote a whole recipe book complete with cabbage recipes. The whole team all put together another document that listed all the things I could do as part of the cabbage therapy. This included covering my eyes with cabbage leaves, wearing the leaves as a cap, and a chant that went on:
Cabba cabba abba, abba abba cabba, aowa aowa
The whole document was very, very funny and innovative.

On my birthday, the whole team, or should I say the Cabadi clan, gathered near my workplace and handed me the cabby man and the documents. I was thrilled with their creativity. Thanks a lot for making my birthday so special. I have kept the Cabby man on my desk and told my friends that he will stay there till he stinks and they all start hating cabbage:). Here's a picture of the Cabby man who sits on my desk:

Isn't he cute?:)

Reporting live from Mumbai

2008-02-08T00:26:00.001-08:00

Hi, this is Swapna, reporting the weather conditions live from Mumbai. It’s been 1.5 months now since we shifted back to India from US. I have been getting mails from my friends asking about my whereabouts, so I thought I will write a post and update everyone at once.

Firstly, the Mumbai weather has changed drastically over the past few days. We had the temperature dropping to 8 degrees this time. Never in my entire life in Mumbai (I could have written, “Never in my X number of years in Mumbai”, but that would mean divulging my age.) have I seen the temperature drop below 10degrees. Two weeks back, the Times reported that Mumbai had experienced the lowest temperature in 42 years. I felt cold after reading the news. After a week, it dropped even further. I leave for work at sharp 7.15 am and faced the full brunt of the cold. I see the building security guards warming their hands over a small fire, and every morning I feel jealous of them. How I wish I could join them and sit feeling the warmth, instead I would bravely rush off to face the cold. The worst part of the day was the rickshaw ride to the station. As the rickshaw zooms off at full speed, I would start shivering and pull my sweater close to my body.
Since the past 4-5 days, there has been a sudden change in the weather. The cold weather has suddenly turned hot, forcing us to turn on the fans at night.

US to India transition: The transition went off pretty smoothly. Luckily, P and I didn’t suffer from jet lag this time. He had to resume work immediately, while I spent the whole of January enjoying the last few days of my 1.5 years vacation. I relaxed, slept a lot, shopped for our house, cleaned it, and started cooking. I managed to secure a good job at a company and started working from 1st Feb. At first, the idea of going to work on a daily basis seemed daunting. I would be working after a long gap of 1.5 years. I was a bit apprehensive about the whole ‘leaving home early in the morning and rushing off to work’ process, but after 4-5 days I got used to it. Of course, all the ‘aaram’ I did in US has boomeranged back at me. My office hours are 8.30-5 and it takes 1 hour to commute to office. I get up at 5.30AM (yawn), get ready, make chapattis, and rush off to work. I sleep at sharp 11pm. I shout at P if he switches on the TV after that. We both have converted from night owls to morning persons.

Do I miss US?: Definitely. But not so much as I had thought I would. I was confident that I would crib endlessly about the pollution, the traffic jams, the hectic travel; but I accepted certain facts and moved on. I miss all my close friends back in Louisville. Other thoughts come to my mind very subtly and unexpectedly:
#I think of US when I open my wallet and see dollars and cents mingling with rupees.
#I miss ‘Coldstone Creamery’ when I buy cakes or ice cream here.
#I miss our Mitsubishi Lancer when I see any black car zooming on the road.

How does it feel to be back home?: Simply superb! It feels great to be back among family and friends, or to attend weddings and poojas, or to eat all the junk food that I terribly missed in US. Most of all, it feels great to stay in the house that we missed the last one year. We both feel belonged here, unlike feeling like a guest in US.
In the past 1.5 months, we attended a superb concert by Ustaad Zakir Hussain, saw Tare Zameen Par, and visited the Vasai fort and beach. I will post the reviews soon. I terribly miss posting on Dreams come true and Swad. I should be getting Internet connection in the next week, so stay tuned for more news from Amchi Mumbai!

Shopped till we dropped, then shopped some more

2007-11-26T13:15:00.000-08:00

What a fantastic holiday this was. Last year, I was here for Thanksgiving, but I found the whole idea of getting up at an ungodly hour in the morning and running for deals a bit foolish. I remember we went to Kohls at 1pm and by that time the Black Friday deals were over.

I don't know what brought about the transition, but I was quite excited to do major shopping this year. For all those who don't know, Thanksgiving is the biggest and craziest holiday in the US. We get 4 days holiday! The limelight of this holiday is the Black Friday Sales. Major shops all over US offer items at cheap, discounted prices. Most of the shops open at 6am Friday morning. However, people who want to buy costly items such as laptops, stand in the line from Thursday night. Crazy na? But I think it's understandable. I mean, if I am getting a 800$ laptop for 500$ bucks, even I would stand in the line. The details of these deals are released on certain websites such as this and this. Your local newspaper sold on the previous day also contains details about all the deals.

We purchased the newspaper Thursday eve weighing around 3kgs. I even took a snap of the width of the paper. We sorted out all needed deals and jotted down what we wanted to buy from where. While browsing on the bestbuy website, I came across a cool deal for a Sony camcorder. We immediately bought it. At 12am, we went out for a drive to Circuit City and Best Buy to see the line outside these shops. People had actually put up tents outside these shops! We came home by 1am and had no desire to sleep. However, we wanted to conserve our energy for the next day so slept from 2-4am. Got up at 4 and was out of the house by 5. Walmart had a good deal for portable DVD players. Unfortunately, we reached there at 5.10 and all the players were gone by then:(. So much so for getting up early. We were thoroughly disappointed by this first fiasco. Luckily, the next stop at Radio Shack got us a good PDVD at a good price.

Next on the list was Circuit City. We picked up a MP3 player, couple of flash drives, camera memory card, and a camcorder bag. After standing in the Circuit City checkout line for close to half hour, we went and picked up our camcorder from Best Buy. Next we reached Oxmoor centre containing a dozen different shops including Macy's, Sears, Disney, Bath and Body works. I found a cute teddy in Disney and stood in the line for 45 minutes to buy him. I picked up some good creams from Bath and Body works, they had a great sale going on and I had a 10$ off coupon. I bought some nice jewelry from Macy's. In Kohls, P bought some T-shirts and miscellaneous items. I was eagerly eyeing the Fabberware 14pc non-stick cookware set sold for 50$, when P reminded that we possibly couldn't carry all the items to India whenever we went. I was really sad to let such a fabulous deal slip out.

It was very, very cold that day and it was impossible to find parking. We visited 7 shops in all and shopped for 7 hours. If this was not enough, the next day we went to Edinburgh Premium Outlet and shopped more clothes, perfumes, and shoes. I also bought beautiful beads from Bead Palace. We both were very happy with all the shopping and most importantly we didn't buy unnecessary stuff. Over all a great shopping experience that I will never forget. It's a different matter that my legs ached for 2 days after the shopping:)

The Namesake

2007-11-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

There are some books which are so good that you don't feel like putting them down till you have completed them. These are called page turners. And then there are some books which are so good that you don't feel like putting them down, and yet to want to read them slowly, savoring each word and each emotion expressed in them. 'The Namesake' by Jhumpa Lahiri is one book that falls in the second category.

I watched the movie before I read the book so I knew what was going to happen when. I loved both. While Tabu and Irfan Khan have done an excellent job through their acting, Jhumpa has vividly described each character through words. When she wrote about Ashima, I imagined Tabu performing that action.

She writes in a simple yet powerful language. Her words flow flawlessly as she weaves a wonderful story through words, sentences, and paragraphs. You can imagine each character through her words and situations. She has not described characters by providing their height and weight; she has brought forward each one of them through lovely situations. I loved the scene when Ashima finds the brown shoes intriguing and tries them on. But most of all I loved the scene when Gogol and his father forget the camera and go to the farthest point near the beach. The father tells Gogol to remember this day and Gogol enquires for how long he should remember it. His father replies on the lines "Remember this day forever, Gogol, when you and I made this journey to the point where there was nowhere left to go."

Each character has some flaws, yet you love all of them. Jhumpa shifts attention from one character to the other. The book is primarily based on Gogol's life - his childhood, teenage years, his studies, love life, behavioral patterns, and actions. It's based on his struggle to accept his name and know the story behind it.

I don't think that I can say the book was only about Gogol's life. It's about a young bride who leaves everything behind and comes into a new country. It is about the young couple who slowly get accustomed to life in US, yet find it impossible to adjust to its culture. It is about one night that alters the path of a young man's life. It is about children who find it more important to spend time with their friends rather than go home for some pooja. It is about generation gap. It is also about Indian culture and cultural differences.

Nothing in the book sounds false or stretched. I found myself nodding my head a lot of times. Jhumpa describes a scene when Gogol thinks about Indian and American woman. Indian woman get hyper when they call guests for dinner, they cook for 1-2 days. They will rarely accompany their guests while eating, and even if they do, one eye is fixed on the guests' plate. Isn't this so true? I too do the same:))

There were a lot of times I had tears in my eyes while reading this book. I always get irritated when I read books that have hanging ends, but this book was an exception. It went in the list of my favorite books. My favorite character in it is Ashima. I am definitely going to buy it.

My experiences with glass painting

2007-10-21T23:07:00.000-07:00

Last week I completed my first decent glass painting. First because the earlier attempt had turned into disaster. I remember buying a glass painting kit, some colors and hastily setting off to make the first painting just days before my marriage. I couldn't get the outline correctly and I kept getting bubbles everywhere in the color. Frustrated, I had given up that project like many others.

The motivation
A dear friend H took an online class for glass painting through an Orkut community. She provided excellent links for patterns and videos on how to do glass painting. Through a Yahoo conference, she showed us the entire process with the help of a webcam. Her inputs and this video helped me immensely in completing my project.

The project
The first thing you need to do is select a pattern for your painting. Several websites provide glass painting designs. I selected a pattern called 'Lady with flowers'.

The execution
Materials required for glass painting project:

A design: Can be downloaded from different websites. Do a Google check for 'Glass painting patterns'.

A glass: The best option is to buy a photo frame from Dollar shop. You will get both the glass and frame for one dollar. But first, take a print out of the design and buy a glass of the required size.

Glass painting colors: I bought Plaid Gallery Glass Window color kit for 10$ from Michaels. This included the black outline and five colors (Amber, Ruby red, Blue, White, and Green). Individual bottles cost 2$ each approximately.

A brush and a palette: To mix colors and apply them.

A plastic bag for outlining: To get thin lines

Aluminium foil: Serves as a background for the glass and elevates the effect.

Cotton ball: To clean outline if it smudges

Pin: To prick bubbles formed while applying colors.

Newspaper: Keep this below the glass while applying outline and color.

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Total cost of all materials: 15$ apprx. (The colors can be used for other designs)

How to proceed?

After you have all the materials, you can get started. Spread a newspaper before starting your project. This will avoid spilled colors for spoiling your carpet. Place the design (paper) below the glass.

Trace the design on the glass using the black outliner. If you use the outline directly from the bottle, you will get thick ugly lines. To avoid this, take a Ziploc or any plastic bag. Pour the black outline color in this bag. Make a small hole in one corner. Push the color in this corner and use it like a cone. You will get really neat and thin lines. I would highly recommend this method. At any point if the design smudges or goes wrong, you can clean it using a wet cotton ball.

Once the outline is completed, let it dry for 1-2 days.

Apply colors directly from the bottle. Start at one point and move up in a zigzag fashion. Alternatively, you can use the brush to apply colors. Pour the color in a palette and apply them with a brush. You can mix different colors together and also make lighter/darker shades of one. If you get bubbles while applying colors, prick them using a pin.

Now remain the finishing touches. Take an aluminium foil bigger than the glass. Crumple it. Place it below the glass and then place both of them in the frame. This step is optional; the aluminium foil adds a different effect to the painting.

Your glass painting project is now complete. Take a look at my finished painting.

(Lady with flowers)

The feeling

I felt triumphant after looking at this lady. Sure, there is room for improvement, but she looks elegant and beautiful. The project was fun to do. I will surely be doing loads of glass painting in the future.

It's all about money, honey!

2007-09-11T16:46:00.001-07:00

(This article is my entry to the online competition on IHM, an Orkut community. The topic this week is "Provide 5 money management/saving tips".)

Every Indian comes to the US with the hope of saving dollars and then returning to his homeland to live a luxurious life. With a little bit of saving and planning, this dream can become a reality. How much to spend and how much to save also depends on how long you will stay in US. If you are planning to settle here, then you don't need to be too conscious of your spending habits. But, if you want to return back to pay off your home loans, then saving is crucial. Here are five money management/saving tips:

Deals: Websites offer deals on everything - travel, electronics, clothes, grocery. Keep looking for deals on websites such as Deals2buy. They come in handy if you have to buy electronic items for personal use or gift someone. For travel deals, Orbitz is the best website. It offers deals on airline tickets, car rentals, and hotel stays. Walgreens and similar shops have deals on grocery items. Once a week, they sell milk at a low price. Look out for such deals and inquire about them to your local friends.
Coupons: Many people harp on benefits of using coupons, but being a vegetarian, I don't find them very useful. Websites such as Coolsavings offer grocery and restaurant coupons. Entertainment.com offers an extremely useful coupon book. They provide coupons for restaurants, movies, travel, and grocery too. Just enter your zip code and details and they ship you the book for around 25$. Coupons are also placed near discounted items in malls such as Kroger and Meijer. If you get a coupon, don't discard it. We have placed a box in the house where we keep all coupons. Whenever we feel like ordering pizza, we check the box:)

Maintaining an Excel sheet of expenses: We maintain an Excel sheet of our monthly expenses and write down the details of every dollar we spend. This may seem nerdish or living in a meagre way, but it helps in knowing how much is going where. We create worksheets for each month and have columns such as Date, Where, and Amount. We enter common details such as Rent, Electricity and water bills, car insurance details and then keep adding as and when we spend. We have also fixed certain budget for eating out and movies. At the end of the month, we add up all expenses and highlight the figure in bold.

Making conscious use of appliances: This is not only for saving money, but also for being aware of global warming. Don't keep the lights on when you are not in the room. Don't waste water - close the tap while brushing, applying soap to utensils, or when not in need. If you want to keep your electricity bill really low, use moving fans instead of AC. Keep your car windows open; don't use AC.

Think before you spend: Do I need another ice-cream tub? Do I need so many vegetables? Ask yourself questions every time you feel you are buying something that is not required. Earlier, we used to buy loads of vegetables. They used to rot and end up in garbage. But now we have stopped doing that. Buy only what is required.

We don't think twice to go on a trip. We like to explore places. But, by keeping a few things in mind, we try to increase our savings. I am not saying our bank balance is impressive, but we sure don't spend frivolously.

One year completed

2007-09-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

It's been exactly a year since I set foot in the US. I still remember all the details of my journey. I was completely tired with change of flights, countries, and time. The Mumbai-Paris flight was quite peaceful. After enjoying a hearty meal, I had fallen into a deep sleep and later watched Malamaal Weekly for dearth of anything else. I again fell asleep at the Paris airport, where I was surrounded by a group of Indians.

The Paris-Atlanta flight was a different story. Never in my life have I been so bored. There was some problem in the entertainment system which meant no TV, music, flight information was displayed in the entire 9 hour flight. I didn't read anything for fear of getting headache. I had an aisle seat in front of the toilet, which meant that everytime anyone went to answer nature's call, they would collide with my arm. Beside me were seated two ladies who did not speak/understand English, and I had no idea what language they were speaking. I did nothing else but stare here and there for the entire journey. Just when I was bored enought to jump out of the flight, the pilot announced that we had 5 hrs before landing. Urggggggggggghhhhhhhhh..I wanted to scream in frustration.

Finally, we landed at Atlanta and after the Immigration and other formalities, I went and sat at the gate. I had 5 hrs to kill. My husband had told me to explore the airport, but I sat at the gate as I didn't want to be lost anywhere. I remember watching the news of Steve Irwin's death on the TV. I slept again. The Atlanta-Louisville flight was short and sweet. I was smiling to myself at the prospect of meeting my husband after 40 long days.

This past year has been pretty good. I have learnt and seen so much after coming here. I was feel like writing more about my experiences and life in the US. Somehow, never find the motivation to write. Hopefully, after this one year completion article, I will write more about life in the US. Over and out!

Chak de India rocks!

2007-08-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, it sure rocks! We were fortunate to be present in India when it was released. It was one of those rarest days in our 3 weeks vacation when we were sitting at home idle. After getting up late and getting fresh even later, hubby asked me if I wanted to catch the first day, first show of the movie. I pounced upon him saying that it's impossible to get tickets for the first day so late. This was based on my experience of seeing long queues on Monday for a forth-coming release. Little did I know that things had changed greatly. I had the phone number of a nearby theatre conveniently stored in my mobile. One call to them confirmed hubby's forecast that tickets would be available.

To be on the safe side, we reached a good one hour before time and easily got tickets. I was amazed to see people buying tickets till the last minute. Doesn't anyone watch movies in theatres these days or were tickets available in the afternoon time? There were other bekaar people like us who had either bunked college or who were jobless. We were excited to see a Hindi movie in a theatre after complete one year. We proudly stood and sang Jan Gana Mana as it held a special meaning being away from our country so long.

The movie started with Shahrukh's troubled flash back. The movie was running smooth for 10 minutes when all of sudden all the characters became upside down and the language turned South-Indian. The audience thought this was part of the movie and waited patiently for things to become normal. When after 5 mins the characters still had their feet in air, the audience started shouting:)). I guess this is one of the drawbacks of watching first shows. Things were restored in 10 mins.

I loved the movie for a number of reasons. Firstly, Shahrukh has done a different and serious role, in contrast to his romantic overdoses. There isn't an ounce of over acting from him. You really feel bad when he's blamed for something he has not done. He appears calm and matured. I loved the way he handled all the ego clashes.

All 16 players are superb. The director has not wasted time on focusing on each one of them. Each player is unique and special; the ever angry and powerful Balbeer, boyish Komal, non-English speaking Sui Mui, cool headed Vidya, determined Priti, to the trouble maker Bindiya. Out of all, I liked the roles of Priti, Bindiya, and Balbeer. The movie runs in a smooth flow and for once my logical head was satisfied. I couldn't decide which scene I liked most, whether it was the danga fasad in McDonald's, the outcome of the men's vs. women's match, or the exciting final. Chak de is sprinkled with cool one-liners and some good jokes. I think there are only two songs and they are inspiring. The final match will make you nervous and pray for the hockey team. It's exhilarating and fast. Don't rush out after the end as the last scenes running adjacent to the names are fun to watch.

The movie questions the sport committee about why women's hockey is not taken as seriously as it should be. I am sure the movie will bring some positive changes for the Indian hockey team.

This was one movie that your whole family can enjoy. It's a movie in which you can't sit still. You will get involved in it, either by cheering, shouting, clapping, or whistling. For all those who still haven't got the chance to see Chak de, don't miss it!!!

The Present

2007-07-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

(This is my first attempt at writing a book review. I have read so many books, somehow never sat down and wrote a review about them. Hopefully, this should be a good start to a long and meaningful series of book reviews.)

I spent a truly fruitful evening in Barnes and Nobles yesterday. What was decided as a casual visit to check out the new bestsellers, turned into a 2-hour sitting surrounded by books and music. While browsing through one section, my hand reached a book that I had been meaning to read since some time. Around a year back my friend had mentioned this inspirational book and somehow I never got to reading it. The Present is yet another wonderful book by Spencer Johnson that sets you thinking deep about who you really are and what you want from life. I had read "Who moved my cheese?" and appreciated the thoughts put forward in accepting changes in life. The Present focuses on the best gift a person can give himself and that is discovering to stay in the present.

The book starts off with the character Bill narrating the story to Liz, who's making desperate attempts at improving her life. The book then discusses 4 important things that we need to keep in mind:

*Live in The Present:Often, we let our mind drift away while what we should do is seize the present moment. We either whine about what went wrong in the past or worry too much about tomorrow. Unless we concentrate on the present, we won't appreciate it. It's challenging to focus on one particular thing at hand, only practice, patience, and perseverance will aid in doing it. I think a little bit of meditation every day will help us in concentrating on "The Present".

*Learn from the past: While it's important to fully concentrate on the present, at times we should think about the past. The crucial thing is to "let go" of our past and learn from its mistakes. He who acknowledges his past, learns from his previous mistakes, will surely make a progress in the present. I think everyone should write down important past events, think about them, and write what went wrong, why it went wrong, and what could be done in the future to correct it.

*Create the future:Your present won't be secure till you plan for your future. Planning each day's activities makes you more organized and confident. You should give a thought to where you see yourself in the future. This can be the immediate future like the next day or 4 years down the line.

*Do everything for a purpose:Your life won't be fulfilling unless you do everything with a purpose. Be it personal enrichment, getting a promotion in your career, or improving your family life; a sense of purpose motivates you to complete the task with zeal and energy. Decide your purpose in doing every action and see the positive changes in brings to your life.

The book was filled with inspiring quotes. However, one sentence struck me as excellent. It goes something like this, "Consider the present, the past, and the future as three legs of a tripod. If one falls down,the other 2 suffer as well."

The book was so good that I couldn't put in down. It took me just over an hour to read, understand, and decide how I could implement the story in my life. This book is a must-read for all those who want to be more creative and successful both in their life and work. Check out the website The Present.com to know more about the book. The Present sure got me thinking and analyzing my life more closely. I have decided to live in the present, let go of the past, and work on my future.

New 7 wonders

2007-07-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Yippee! Taj Mahal was declared as one of the new seven wonders of the world!Though I didn't behave like a patriot and vote for the Taj, I am elated on reading the news. It's sad that I still haven't got the chance to visit Taj Mahal.

I guess the date 7-7-2007 proved lucky to many Indians and this wonderful monument which is an epitome of love and beauty. Don't know how lucky the date's going to be for the hundreds of couples who have decided to take their marital vows on this day.

Till then, thank your lucky stars and destiny!

Home Alone

2007-05-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

After working for 3.5 years in the IT industry, I decided to take a break. My husband got an onsite opportunity and I joined him in US on the H4 dependent visa. I and my husband worked in the same organization; however there were no onsite opportunities in my field. The initial plan was that I would be in US for 4 months, then we would return back to India, and I would look out for a new job. That plan soon materialized into another plan when his project got extended and I had to stay on H4 for more than a year.

My status change from working to non-working also changed the attitude of a lot of people towards me. People whom I knew were earning less than me in the previous company suddenly started showing how superior they were to me. Working females would make statements like I can keep the house cleaner as I am a full-time housewife, I can cook better as I have nothing else to do. And I would be “Hello, I used to work 2 months back”. Of course, I never retaliated to any of the taunts/comments that people threw at me. I have the classic problem of not being able to say anything rude on anyone’s face and then later think about what/how could I have said something. Friends would ask me questions such as “Din bhar ghar mein kya time pass karti hai? (What time pass do you do the whole day sitting at home?)” “Why don’t you study in college?” “Why are you online the whole day just waiting for someone to come online and talk to you?” Initially, the word “Housewife” said to me sounded like an insult or bad word.

Mostly, I took all these attitude problems and questions in my stride and kept a positive outlook. Then there were times when I would get terribly depressed. The walls would close on me, all the ghosts seen in horror movies would haunt me in broad daylight, and I would feel like an utter failure. I would never pester my husband for all my boredom, after all staying here for an extended time was my decision too.

This article is my small contribution to all those females like me, who have willingly or unwillingly taken a break from their careers. The reasons and the duration of the break might be different. But the situation through which we are going through is the same. Mostly, this article is for all the females on the H4 dependent visa. And only females on the H4 dependent visa know how dependent they become through this visa. With a decent paying job in India, I never thought twice about buying anything. And oh, the freedom to buy and shop is so valuable to any girl. My husband would never stop me from buying anything in the US. But the ability to shop from your hard earned money is quite different than asking him to buy something for you. Some of you who have been in the US know most of the things covered in this article, but I am hoping that this article proves useful to girls who have newly come to US on H4.

Stuck on a H4? Don’t say so. Here’s how you should utilize your free time:

1.Volunteer: The first thing that comes to mind when you say H4 is that people cannot work on this visa. So, what now? Volunteer. Look up sites such as Volunteermatch.org and Idealist.org and find volunteer positions in your area. Find the work that best suites your likes and spend your time there. You can choose the schedule of your volunteer work. These jobs won’t pay you anything. But they will help in: a. Maintaining a schedule. b. Give you peace of mind that you are doing something worthwhile with your time. c. If you get a volunteer experience letter, then you can account for the free time when later applying for a job.

My friend A volunteered at a school here. It was a very enriching experience for her. I found several writing opportunities through Volunteermatch.org. It’s great to spend time writing articles. In fact, I am very busy in my work.

2.Internships: Several companies accept college interns to work for them for a certain time period. If you have some experience in a particular field and find an internship opening, then you can apply to work voluntarily for the same. My friend was working as an Instructional Designer in India and after coming to the US she found an internship opening in a firm. She applied, went through six rounds of interviews, and is now working as an intern with the firm. Read her experiences here. These firms will also not pay you anything, but they might give you gift cards to gyms and all. Again, the best thing about working as an intern is working as a full-time employee. If the firm is happy with your work, they may sponsor your H1 visa.
Check out websites such as this and this to find internship positions.

3.Further studies: For all those whose husband doesn’t mind sponsoring further education, this option is the best. You can complete your MS, MBA, or CPA in US universities.
If you are not interested in a full-time course or a degree, you can consider taking individual courses and earn credit points. Some colleges offer courses for 100$ and these will earn you a single credit point. You will need to increase the number of courses to earn more points. These credit points will definitely come in handy for job applications.
If going to college for earning a degree isn’t easy for you, take up some distance learning program. You can always search on Google for such programs in your field of study.
Lastly, there’s the option of online certifications. Females from IT background can complete Oracle, SAP, and software testing certifications.

4.Hobby classes: Find out about hobby classes in your area and join something that interests you. I was very lucky in this aspect after knowing about Friendship International. This group sponsored by the local church offers free hobby classes. Teachers train you on various hobbies such as sewing, stitching, home decorations crafts, crochet, knitting, and quilting. They provide free materials and offer free pick up and drop facility. The class is scheduled every Wednesday and is attended by people of all nationalities. I always look forward to this class as it gives me a chance to go out, meet so many people, and do something creative with my hands.

I recently came to know that the store Michaels offers cake decorating and bead jewelry making classes. I have enrolled for the cake decorating class. Whenever I do something creative, I feel like a child who has accomplished something.

5.Network: The more you network, the more you will be aware of opportunities. I have made several friends in my vicinity. These friends informed me about hobby classes, gave me shopping tips, and comforted me when I felt lonely. I also joined Orkut, a networking website and found several long lost friends. Later, I joined communities such as “H4 Marathi Mandal” and “Indian Homemakers in the USA”. Through these communities, I had 500+ virtual friends. I knew that whenever I posted a query or felt like talking to anyone, I would have company. These girls also chat online and play online antakshari.

6.Keep updated: My biggest worry of being on H4 was that I should get a decent job after going back to India. I should be able to account for the one year time I spent at home. I am Technical Writer by profession and regularly read everything happening in my field. I follow e-mail discussions, read online magazines, and keep updated with the new tools in my field. The biggest advantage of being in the US for me is the local library. I found several books on Technical Writing that would be difficult to find in India. I get these books, read them, and take notes. I regularly write articles, either for my blogs or as part of the voluntary work. I do not want to appear clueless and lost when I would apply for jobs in India.

Whatever field you belong to, keep yourself updated. You may convert your visa from H4 to H1 and while searching for jobs, you should be confident and well-informed.

7.Pursue your passion: I believe that there’s a passion in every human waiting to come out. Some of us might have found that passion, while some may find it later. You may be good at singing, cooking, painting, sketching, drawing, playing an instrument, or creative in whatever you make. I discovered my love for cooking after coming to the US. I truly believe that ‘Whatever happens, happens for the best'. I never cooked anything till I came here, and then had to cook as there is no concept of cooking maids in the US. Initially, I struggled but later found that I loved cooking different dishes. While searching for a particular recipe, I stumbled upon a food blog and through this I found several food bloggers. I now have my own food blog Swad, where I write about what I cook at home and post pictures of the cooked dishes. Food blogging serves three of my passions – writing, cooking, and photography. I have several blogger friends and we have a lot of blogging events. I love participating in all of them.

A friend of mine is taking her photography hobby very seriously. She has a Canon S2 IS digital camera and captures Mother Nature’s phenomenal wonders through her lens. She shares her work on Flickr and gives a chance to people to appreciate nature’s beauty. Whatever is your passion, find it and pursue it. You will never feel alone if you are engrossed in something.

8.Exercise regularly: The one thing that my dad said to me when I was leaving for the US is “Don’t come back fat”. I always remember this. It’s natural that if you sit at home and eat, you will put on weight. Sometimes you might eat because you are bored, or eat without noticing while watching TV. And then when you see in the mirror, you will see a fat lady. This might increase your frustration and you may end up eating even more. I am not saying that I regularly go to the gym, but some form of physical activity is necessary. Go for a morning walk, do jogging, hit the gym, practice yoga, or play tennis. I practice meditation taught to me in the ‘Art of living’ class. It makes me calm and controlled. Go out from time to time. You will feel refreshed after breathing the natural air.

9.Follow a schedule: During my early days in the US, I had absolutely no schedule. I used to get up and make breakfast for my husband, then sleep again till 11 am, get up and chat with my parents, eat lunch at odd times, watch TV, and have bath any time before hubby came home. I soon got bored with this schedule. All of us should follow some schedule to feel positive and happy. Nowadays, I get up early, make breakfast for hubby, read the news, clean the house, do my voluntary work, and maintain a fixed schedule.

10.Be positive: Oh no, it's not my blood group. Thoughts of your family, friends, and country are bound to come to your mind from time to time. Your inability to earn may depress you at times. But, try and be positive all the time. If you are feeling lonely, then share this feeling with someone. Read books. I believe that a person will never feel lonely whilst he’s in the company of books. Try to find a positive angle to the present situation. Although I miss my family and all the functions back home, I cherish all the time I am getting to spend with my husband. Who knows, every Sunday in India might have been spent attending weddings and birthday parties? I try and be happy most of the times. I dance when I am alone, laugh out loud, take photographs, and read a lot.

11.Keep company: I see to it that there’s some form of noise when I feel lonely; this way I feel that I have company. I listen to music when I am cooking; I switch on the TV while eating. Ask a friend to visit you if you are too bored or visit her instead. Plan a potluck party with a group of friends.

12.Eat properly: This point is more as a reminder to me than for anyone else. I hate eating alone. My husband’s office is far off and he can’t come home for lunch. I often neglect lunch and eat in minimal quantities. Sometimes I chuck making chapattis and settle for Maggi, a sandwich, or an apple. I sure hope that none of you do something similar, but if you do, then stop doing it. I have now become very serious about having a hearty lunch. I play my favorite movie, add fruits in my lunch, and seem to enjoy it.

13.Learn something new: What was it that you always wanted to do but never found the time to? Learn a new activity - be it sports, a musical instrument, or a new language. There are websites such as this that teach you Spanish. You can hear the pronunciations and learn the language. I am planning to learn tennis and swimming. Rekindle the romance with your husband and sign up for some dance classes. I recently found out that a local dance school offers classes for 40$ a month.

(Updated: One of my readers, Shabari suggested this very important point.)

14. Learn driving: I did the mistake of not learning to drive. If you stay in a city which does not have good local transport, driving becomes mandatory. Most of the states require you to appear for a written test. You can easily prepare for this test using the driver's guideline book for your state. All the driving rules and regulations are defined in this book. Once you pass the written exam, you have to wait for a month to give the driving test. Practice driving in this one month and then appear for the test. A driving license gives you the freedom to go out whenever you want, you need not be dependent on your husband to take you out. Go to the library, go shopping with your friends, or do volunteer work.

This is for all the smart asses (sorry to use this word, but it suits them) who think that people on H4 do nothing but time pass the whole day. Most of these girls are highly educated and know better about how to pass their time than you lecturing them. Do consider the fact that these girls are thousands of miles away from home and family. If you are not interested in talking to them, leave them alone. But at least don’t point out the fact that they are not working over and over again. Remember, if you say something depressing, you can spoil their day.

I hope that this article would help my female friends on H4 in some way or the other. Thanks for reading this article. If you would like to contribute any other helpful fact for this article, please contact me. I would love to add it to the article and give your reference. Also, if you want more information about anything, get in touch with me. I would be happy to help you out.

Till then, be happy on H4!Adios!

Holi Hai!!!

2007-02-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of Holi played with snow??? That's what we did today:-)
It was heavily snowing since morning. We were not doing anything except stare at the falling snow. It was snowing like cats and dogs and before we knew it the ground was covered with a thick layer of snow. We felt like going out, but were afraid that we might fall sick. When we saw two friends playing in snow, we said, "What the hell..let's go out and enjoy". We called up a couple of friends and everyone was ready in no time, donned in jackets, caps, thermals, and gloves. Before we knew it, everyone was throwing snow balls at each other. As each new person joined the group, he was bombarded with snow balls from all directions. Everyone tried to run away from this, which was even worst coz they would slip and fall in the snow. Masti knows no bounds, some guys put snow in other's shirt. And then someone decided a target. The guy was lifted off the ground, rolled in snow, showered with snow, and then left to take revenge. Luckily, we girls were spared, but not before we faced some major snow balls. We took loads of snaps of everyone enjoying and playing in the snow.

This reminded us of Holi, were we pull out friends from their houses and throw colors and water balloons on them. I thoroughly enjoyed this Holi played with snow.

The evening ended with hot tea and bhajjis. All in all, it was a rollicking evening that will always remain in my heart. Let it snow! Let it snow!

Pizza party and UNO attack

2007-02-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

Just got back from a pizza party that was planned to celebrate Valentine's. The reason for this early party was that all the beautiful ladies wanted to spend Valentine's eve with their sweethearts:P Amidst laughter, shouts, and noise we managed to order a large number of pizzas. It took us a whole 45 minutes to place the order.Grrrrrrr.

We gobbled the pizzas in total silence. Yes, we were too hungry to talk anything. This was followed by the hisaab-kitaab and planning of a special potluck for Holi. Holi is soon approaching and we all racked our brains to find a fun way to celebrate Holi in US.

Anyways, after all the planning we settled down to play UNO. Now, I have kinda become an expert in UNO. I play it almost every weekend since I have landed in the US. UNO is a wonderful game that can be played with a huge group. Players win the game by having minimum points. You can play a card of matching color or number. If you have a single card remaining, you have to shout, "UNO" at the top of your voice.
So, we began by training all the newbies with the rules and regulations.

Once we started playing the game, our voices reached higher decibels. Among shouts of "Mujhe draw 4 kyon diya", "Mujhe skip kyon kiya", "Mera turn to ata hi nahi!" and "UNO" we had total fun. The afternoon couldn't have got better with a sweet surprise of sweet kheer by our sweet friend S. Thanks! The kheer was yummy (I ofcoz took a second helping).

Here's wishing a very Happy Valentine's day to all my new friends (you know who you are). Just when I had thought that I won't be making many new friends after college and office life was over, God gifted me a whole bunch of friends:-))Thanks for your friendship!

Books.google.com

2007-02-09T06:53:00.000-08:00

Recently came across this new google site, which is in its beta version. Go to http://www.books.google.com/ and enter the name of any book, phrase from the book, chapter name and so on. Google has scanned thousands of books and intends to make all the book contents searchable. Some of the books that have no copyrights associated are available for full viewing. This site is just like an online library. Go check it out.

The crow girl

2007-02-05T13:28:00.000-08:00

Some days back, I was chatting with my cousin M on the messenger. When his friend enquired whom he was chatting with, my cousin told him my name. Upon which, this friend whom I have never met before, said, “Who? The crow girl!!!”

My cousin M had told this friend a very funny story starring two characters – me and the crow. It goes like this. I was en route to my college with my friend L. I had tied my hair in a different style that day, and put some pins to hold back strands. I and my friend were chatting non-stop – oblivious to our surroundings. In the midst of our walk, I stared up, only to notice a crow (I think it was a baby crow) aiming straight for my head. Now, let me tell you that I am completely, shamelessly, terrified of crows. Long back, a crow had banged his beak on my head suspecting me as a threat to his nest. I will never forget how much painful the experience was. From then on, the sight and sound of crows terrified me. It doesn’t help that the fish sellers choose the exact time to sell their wares when I step out of the house. It is so irritating to see hundreds of crows flying in all directions and flocking the fish basket on top of the seller’s head. I don’t have much option but to dodge crows, change lanes, and be as far away as possible.

Anyways, back to the story. I saw the crow approaching me and before he could bang my head, I ducked. This seemed to be a grave error in my calculation. For, I did nothing but confuse the crow. Its claws got stuck in my head. Because of the complex hairdo, he was not able to untangle himself from my hair. He wildly started flapping his wings. As for me, I shut my eyes and started screaming at the top of my lungs. This confused the crow even further and he joined me in screaming. Meanwhile, my friend tried to wave her hands in an attempt to shoo away the crow. She threw down my bag on the road. She couldn’t help laughing. I mean the whole scene was so hilarious. Imagine, a girl with a crow on top of her head! Some people from nearby shops came out to see the commotion. Luckily, after five minutes of screaming, flapping, shooing, and waving the crow finally untangled his claws and set off. I was relieved and thanked my friend.

I have my doubts on crows having eyes. They really seem to have no sense of direction. I think the only cure for my paranoid behavior would be to carry an umbrella all around the year.

Potluck for Vasant Panchami

2007-01-23T19:14:00.000-08:00

Today, I went to a lunch potluck – the second one I attended with the mahila mandal out here. I recently joined this group of terrific homemakers, and I am sure I will have loads of fun with them in the future too.

My first potluck with the group was on last Tuesday. It was a lunch potluck to celebrate Makar Sankranti. I was supposed to make starters and I opted to make pakoras. Wanting to try my hand at something new, I made Moong pakoras in addition to potato pakoras. I won’t write much about this potluck here, except that all the food was lovely, and we had a great time chatting and exchanging recipes.

Today’s potluck was arranged on the occasion of Vasant Panchami. We were supposed to dress in yellow and cook something that looked yellow. Vasant Panchami is celebrated to welcome spring. Goddess Saraswati - the goddess of knowledge is worshipped on this day. We should also worship our books. My friend informed me that children are not supposed to study on this day. Can they have a better excuse?:-) We made a small pooja of Saraswati. Yellow and white are favorite colors of Saraswati, hence the importance of wearing yellow and cooking a yellow colored dish.

When my friend told me about this potluck, I decided to cook fried idli. Later on, I was thinking that I could also have made potato poha or pithala. Anyways, my mom always used to make these idlis (which are almost like dhoklas), that I used to love and I wanted to make those. This is a minor variation from the normal idlis and taste divine. Here’s the recipe:

Fried Masala Idlis

Ingredients:
For the batter:
2 cups rice
1 cup udad daal
1 cup besan
½ cup curd (yoghurt)

For the masala:
Ginger paste
Paste of 4-5 green chillies (You can add more as per your choice.)
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon red chilli powder (You can add more as per your choice.)
Pinch of soda
½ teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste

For frying:
Oil
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
Pinch of asafoetida
½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Method:

Soak 2 cups of rice and 1 cup of udad daal in water for 4-5 hours.

Churn the above ingredients in the mixture, without draining the water.

Add 1 cup besan and half cup curd to the above batter. Ferment this for 10 hours.

Add all the ingredients listed under “For the masala” in the above batter. Mix well.

Pour this mixture in the greased plates of the idli stand.

Steam cook for 20 minutes.

Remove the idlis from the stand and let them cool for some time. Cut the idlis into two pieces (you can leave them whole, if you want).

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin and mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder.

Shallow fry the idli pieces on both sides.

Enjoy the fried masala idlis.

Everyone liked these idlis. We had a grand feast with dishes including khichdi, tamarind rice, boondi raita, laddu, and pakoras. We enjoyed playing dumb charades after this feast. Overall, a super potluck with loads of food and fun.

The day of our return

2007-01-20T16:21:00.000-08:00

I am feeling so sad at this very moment that the only thing that would calm me would be venting out my feelings. If all had gone according to the original plan, we would have been in air now – midway between Atlanta and Paris. Today’s date was so important for me – 20th Jan, 2007. After spending five months in the US, we were supposed to catch a return flight to India. This date was itched in my parent’s memory and all my near and dear ones. I have been playing a mind game since yesterday. At this time we would have been packing bags, at this time we would be leaving the apartment, reaching the airport, catching the flight, and so on. I guess my parents will be playing a similar mind game tomorrow. They would be thinking about getting ready to go to the airport and receiving us.

Well, our plans did change. So, I guess it will be a whole 6 more months before I will be visiting India. I was looking forward to so many things after reaching home. I had promised my friends that I would be attending their weddings. And yes, I had taken a promise from my husband of buying me a lot of new dresses to add to my excessive wardrobe. We have missed most of the important festivals in this first year after marriage. We had promised our parents that we will celebrate all festivals in 2007. We will be missing those too.

It’s funny to think what all you can miss when you are in a foreign land. I miss my home, the lanes near my home, the trees in my backyard, the shops I used to visit, the restaurants, theatres, and so much more. I miss the scent, smell, and crowd of Mumbai. I miss traveling in the over packed buses and trains. I loved buying earrings in the trains. I miss fighting over the meter with a rickshaw walla. I miss the weather and the heat. And I miss haggling over the vegetable prices with the sellers. How can I forget the Mumbai food – the pavbhaji, chat, and vada-pav? Being a total junkie, I miss all the food stalls that I used to frequent. I remember Juhu beach, Shivaji Park, and all the Mumbai malls.

Anyways, I have decided not to miss anything too much. If I think too much, then I will be sad all the time. My best wishes will always be with my friends on their wedding day. My parents know that they are always in my thoughts though I am physically far away. Sometimes, I wish that there would be a remote that could take you to any place of your choice at the click of a button. Till then, memories would have to suffice.

Happy Makar Sankranti!

2007-01-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

“Til gul ghya ani god god bola.” (Have this sweet, and speak sweetly to us.)

How many times have you looked forward to Makar Sankranti so that you get to eat lot of laadoos? I and my brother awaited 14th Jan every year, and celebrated the festival without knowing its religious significance. I helped my mom prepare the laadoos, gobbled up as many as I can, and then distributed these amongst neighbors. Sometimes, we used to be invited for haldi kumkums, which meant more laadoos for me.
My aunt stays in Surat, and her family celebrate this festival my flying kites. Three years back, I had been to Surat in December. Every evening, the sky used to be filled with kites of all colors, shapes, and sizes. I had a nice time learning to fly a kite, and most of the times I used to get a cut with the “manja”. There used to be undecided competition between all the kites and often you could hear a shout of “Kaipoche”.
So, as far as I was concerned, Makar Sankranti meant eating laadoos and flying kites.
My findings
Well, I am a married woman now. It is high time I get to know the significance of all the festivals. I wanted to find more information on Makar Sankranti, so I googled and was amazed to read so much about the festival. Here are excerpts from some of my findings:

Sankranti means “transition”. It signifies the transition of Sun from one zodiac to another. There are 12 transitions in a year considering that there are 12 zodiacs. But, two of these transitions are important. One is the “Mesh (Aries)” transition and the other is the “Makar (Capricorn)” transition.

Makar Sankranti is the transition of the Sun from Sagittarius to the Capricorn zodiac during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere (Uttarayana). After this day, winter starts reducing and days become longer in the northern hemisphere.

The Sun signifies light, power, and sparkle. So it is important to worship the Sun on this day and pray for knowledge and wisdom.

While most of the festivals are celebrated depending on lunar positions, Sankranti is a solar event. The English calendar date of Sankranti is always the same - Jan 14th.

Bhishma Pitamah from Mahabharata waited for this day to leave his mortal coil and reach immortality.

Lord Sun visits his son Shani on Makar Sankranti. Although the two of them don’t get along well, Lord Sun visits his son for a month every year. This day symbolizes the love of father and son.

It was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the ever increasing terrorism of the Asuras by finishing them off and burying their heads under the Mandar Parvat. So this occasion also represents the end of negativities and beginning of an era of righteous living.

People from all religions celebrate Makar Sankranti in their own unique way. Most of the people worship the Sun by chanting the Gayatri mantra.

Maharashtrians: Celebrate this festival by worshipping the Sun and distributing sweet laadoos called til-gul. These laadoos are made from sesame seeds and jaggery. They are distributed among relatives and neighbors in the hope of a new year filled with love and affection.Newly married females celebrate this festival by inviting married females for Haldi – Kumkum. The newly married female is gifted a black saree by her in-laws, and she is decorated with all kinds of jewelry made from halwa. Small gifts are distributed to all the married females who attend the haldi-kumkum.Similarly, babies are also decorated with jewelry and dressed in black. There is a separate function for toddlers called the “Bornahan”, where other kids are invited. You mix up a good quantity of bor (fruit), halwa, chocolates, or anything else you feel like. This mixture is then poured on the toddler’s head and the other kids are supposed to collect whatever they can.

Gujrathis: They look up to the Sun and worship him. They fly kites before and on this day. Kites are available at all prices, starting from Re. 1. The International Kite Festival is held in Ahmedabad every year on the 14th of Jan. Hundreds of people from the world participate in kite flying competitions, and thousands of tourists flock Ahmedabad every year.

Tamilians: Celebrate the festival by the name of Pongal. Rice and pulses cooked in ghee and milk are offered to the family diety, after worshipping the Sun.

Punjabis: Celebrate the Sankrant eve by the name of Lohari. Sweets, sugarcane and rice are thrown in the bonfires, around which friends and relatives gather together. The following day, which is Sankrant, is celebrated as MAGHI. The Punjabi's dance their famous Bhangra dance till they get exhausted.

Celebration this year
I was pondering over how to celebrate Sankranti in the US, when it struck me that I could at least make laadoos. I asked a friend to get sesame seeds and found a good recipe on the Internet. I set out to make laadoos on my own for the very first time. Just when the process was about to hit disaster, I called my husband for help. We found a solution and made a decent amount of laadoos. We offered these to the God and tasted them. They had really turned out well. We were the proud makers and took lots of snaps from all possible angles of our laadoos. We set out to distribute these among our friends. All our friends liked the laadoos and complimented us. I think I will make laadoos every year now.

About my blog

2007-01-12T14:05:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog. I had been meaning to create a blog of my own since a long time, but something was stopping me every time I decided to create one. I have even posted some arbitrary articles on my blog in December. But, now I think I will write an introductory article about my blog.

What is my blog about? : My blog is all about me – my life, friends, dreams, family, thoughts, actions, emotions, and everything that comes to my mind. I will write down anything that I feel worthwhile. Some of my ideas and articles might be funny, while others might be serious and urge you into deep thinking. I will write about book reviews and movie reviews. I will write about my travel stories. I will write about places I have visited in the past. My blog will also offer an insight about my profession – Technical Writing.

Why is my blog named so?: I couldn’t think of a better name, and what can be better than something related to my name. If you can think of a better name, then keep it to yourself:-)

Will I write frequently?: Well, I really can’t provide a definite answer to that question. I will write, whenever I feel like writing. Sometimes, I am in the middle of some chore, when an idea strikes me. So, I open my laptop and start scribbling away. Thoughts materialize into words, words into sentences, and sentences turn into meaningful articles. Sometimes, I start writing an article and leave it in the middle to write another one. Then the first article is never completed. I am hoping to continue with the same fervor with which I have started writing on my blog.

What is the purpose of my blog?: The purpose of this blog is to improve my writing skills. I am a writer by profession, and good writing skills are a must in my profession. As much as I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts with everyone, I am also hoping to improve as a writer. So, if you find any kind of mistake on my blog – be it grammatical, a spelling mistake, repetitiveness, please share it with me. Well, don’t point out the mistakes in a public comment:-). Please drop me a mail regarding it.
Writing more is also one of my New Year resolutions – and I am hoping not to break at least this one resolution.

So, wish me luck in my writing endeavor!

To cook or not to cook

2007-01-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

(This article is dedicated to my Mother and all the live human beings who had to eat what I cooked.)

Since the time I was in college, my Mom was after my life to teach me cooking. And I was always finding an excuse to procrastinate it. Well, I always used to think that it isn’t such a big deal to cook something. Plus, I had this snobbish attitude that I would be so well off in my career that I would always afford a cook. You just have to cut some vegetables, fry some onions in oil, throw in a variety of masalas, some salt to taste and voila – the vegetable is readyJ. Making rice was even simpler – just wash the rice, add water, keep it in the cooker, and do not forget the whistle. In about fifteen minutes, the rice is ready. Making chapattis is a bit more difficult – but manageable. You take some flour, mix some water in it, and make the dough till it is not too sticky. If it does become quite sticky, then you add more flour, and then if there’s too much of flour you add more water, more flour, more water, repeat the process till the dough is perfect. Caution: Make sure you have enough flour left for the next day.

Well, all my theories about cooking came crashing down when I tried my hand at it. I sometimes blame my sharp memory, for it remembers all my cooking misfortunes. When I made chapattis, my brother studied Geography. He used to identify the country from the chapatti map. Or the chapatti used to turn out similar to a papad and used to make a horrible cracking sound. Once, my Mom had asked me to keep the rice in the pressure cooker. I blindly kept the rice inside without checking if there was water in the utensil. We had to settle for brown rice. My Dad always supported me by eating whatever I cooked. But even he had his limits. Mom had enough with me. She had almost given up. She used to fret a lot about my future after I got married.

Luckily, I met my Mr. Right who was very caring and understanding. Immediately after marriage, I convinced my husband that it will be difficult for me to get up early in the morning and cook. And so, we hired a cook. When the cook took a leave, we settled for Maggi noodles. And yes, we even took a life-time membership of a nearby restaurant. Well, I am not totally hopeless. I did cook some nice dishes for my husband. But still, cooking never was my passion. I had never imagined that I would ever cook on a regular basis. But, fate had something else in store for me. My husband had to come to the US, and I was supposed to join him after a month. We had decided to share an apartment with another couple.

I arrived in US with a dread in my heart about my cooking skills. Unfortunately, there’s no concept of a cook, and everyone has to take turns to cook. I don’t exactly remember the first dish that I cooked here, but I do remember that nobody liked it. Everyday, I tried in vain to do something right. But, I was good at nothing. For starters, I was not comfortable cutting vegetables with a knife and used to spend hours cutting it. The vegetables I made either contained too much spice and salt, or were very bland. Once, I spent close to two hours cooking the pulav only to find out that the rice was under cooked. Even the tea I made was never right. My husband always used to praise whatever I cooked, but that was only because of his love for me. I was filled with shame and anger at myself for having wasted all the years when I could have learnt cooking. I resolved that I would take an interest and improve my cooking.

It was not that I did anything differently, but since the day my heart decided to have a passion for cooking, things happened differently. I improved my cutting speed and became careful while using spices. I tried vegetables with paneer, mushroom, sprouts, and some simple vegetable recipes. The daal I made started to taste decent, if not delicious. I ensured that whatever I cooked pleased me before serving it to others. After I started cooking good vegetables, I turned my attention to making chapattis. I observed my male friend everyday, making perfect-round chapattis in no time. I saw to it that I mixed the flour perfectly. I practiced making round chapattis. My friends started liking what I cooked and this gave me immense encouragement. I started reading cooking blogs and books. I studied tips and tricks to cook faster.

It is not true that I became an expert cook overnight. It’s just that I am improving day-by-day. I still fail at some of the things I make. But, there is a definite improvement. For someone like me who hardly used to enter the kitchen, I look forward to spend more time, experimenting with new stuff. I love it when my kitchen is filled with different aromas. My message to people like me would be – it doesn’t hurt to take an interest in cooking. You can manage a career and be a great cook too. For those who have not yet learnt cooking, it is never too late to start. Believe me, you will feel like a magician when a simple, innocent-looking vegetable turns out to be a delicious meal.

It is true that the path to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Since the day I started cooking delicious food, my husband loves me double!

New Year Resolutions for 2007

2007-01-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

Before the onset of every New Year, I religiously make New Year resolutions. Sometimes, I have a long list of them; sometimes the list is small. Sometimes, I make the resolutions in my mind; at other times, I write them down. Sometimes, the resolutions are very tough, sometimes they are easy. Well, in the midst of all these changing factors, one thing remains the same every year – I break all my New Year resolutions. I follow them determinedly in the beginning of the year. But after some days, I either get bored with them or I simply forget them. Last year I had the misfortune of my resolution list landing in the hands of my mother. She made a huge fuss over them. She reminded me every now and then about the progress, or should I say, digress of my resolutions. This year I have decided to share my resolutions with everyone.

Well, why should this year be any different? So, here I am making a list of all the resolutions that I am planning to break in 2007:

1. Make a proper schedule:- Since the time I have landed in the US, my whole schedule has been disrupted. I get up at 11 o’clock, spend the next two hours chatting with friends, and have lunch at any time after that. Once lunch is over, I either switch on the TV or read a book. I have a bath at any time between 3 to 4 o’clock. At times, I have a bath just before my husband reaches home. Frankly, after following this schedule for 3 months, I am utterly bored with it. I want to get up at a decent hour and utilize my time more effectively.

2. Exercise regularly:- Some background about my eating habits would be necessary before writing down this resolution. This is mostly two important resolutions combined into one. I hereby present two facts – I am thin and I am a total junkie. I do not think twice before devouring anything. I am absolutely crazy about fried stuff, especially chips. I can easily finish a bagful of chips all by myself. I love chocolates, ice-creams, cakes. I do not give a damn about how many calories I consume in a day, hour, or minute. I have realized that if I have any chance of staying beyond 60 years is if I get a grip on my eating habits and exercise regularly. I must have visited the gymnasium around 10 times in the past 3 months. It’s not that I don’t like going to the gym, it is pure laziness. So, I am planning to spend at least half an hour in the gym on a daily basis. I am determined to do Yoga every morning and visit the gym every evening.

3. Learn Spanish:- I always been interested in learning new languages. I currently know only three languages, and now that I have the time, I would like to learn a new one. I have always been intrigued by the Spanish language and am planning to learn it. A couple of books and some online oral tutorials should help me learn the basics of the language.

4. Regularly keep in touch with friends and family:- I have a huge and diverse group of friends, and a huge family. At times, I know what is happening in their lives; at others I don’t know anything. I always wonder whether it is difficult to keep in touch with friends – what with the e-mail, chat, phone options available. How much time does it take to drop in a little hello? Or is it necessary to reach out to friends only when we are feeling lonely and need their company?

5. Write more:- I am a Technical Writer by profession and have written so much technical stuff up till now. But now, I want to write more about everything I see and experience. There is so much to write. I want to write about places I visit, books I read, feelings, emotions, movies, and about life.

6. Be more creative and organized:- I am planning to learn lots of crafts, knitting, sewing in this year. These are things that I have always wanted to do, but never got the time to learn. I have done some painting and embroidery in the past, but I want to take this one step further and learn more. I also want to be more organized and always keep my home neat and tidy.

7. Reduce my temper:- My parents, my husband, and myself are very scared of my temper. At times, I don’t understand what tips me off. But I get very, very angry. I want to use meditation and yoga to reduce my temper.

8. Improve cooking:- Well, I am a terrible cook. I try very hard, but whatever I make turns out to be a disaster. My cooking has considerably improved since I have come to the US. I have taken a guanine interest in cooking and am trying out new things by visiting blogs. So, the New Year resolution is to be a really good cook.

Well, that’s all for it now. I hope I am able to meet at least some of my resolutions if not all. At the end of the year I will write another article – “Broken Resolutions in 2007”.

And it snowed!

2006-12-21T09:51:00.000-08:00

I will never forget the day I saw snow for the first time in my life – 7th December, 2006. Well, I am talking about real snow falling from the sky and not the ice in the refrigerator. I stay in India, but have not been fortunate enough to visit Shimla or other hill stations where it snows. I always used to wonder how it would feel to see snow everywhere. I always yearned to see snow. Well, God granted my wish and I landed in the US.

I came to the US before the winter season. The trees decided to change their dress in October. I saw the beautiful autumn colors of the leaves. The trees were dressed in breath-taking hues of yellow, orange, red, and maroon. It is a sight that will always stay in my heart. Later on, the trees decided to shed their leaves. Everyday, the ground was covered with more leaves. It was a bit sad to see the bare, naked trees. But then, they have a charm of their own.

The temperature started dropping day by day. Often, it went below 0 degrees. We covered ourselves from head to toe when we went out. The cold air coming out of the mouth, gave the feeling of smoking, without the cigarettesJ. With each passing day, I hoped to see snow. Once, snow was predicted and it did snow, except that it was so windy that I hardly saw any real snow. I think I wanted to see snow falling peacefully on the earth below.

I woke up on a beautiful morning, and I knew something was different the minute I woke up. I opened the curtains, and there it was, falling in front of my eyes. It was like beautiful, cotton-like flakes tumbling straight from the sky. It covered the cars, the grass, our windows, and everything else that fell in its path. I was mesmerized by its beauty. Though I know all the science behind snowfalls, I felt as if it was cotton candy falling out while the fairies were eating it. I called my husband and we both watched it. I went out and spread my hands to catch some snow. It felt funny when it fell on my hands and melted.

I watched it till it promised to come back to bring another smile on my face.