10 day challenge: Four books

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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

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

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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

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

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

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

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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

(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

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

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

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

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

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:

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


2. 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.


3. 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.


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


5. A plastic bag for outlining: To get thin lines


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


7. Cotton ball: To clean outline if it smudges


8. Pin: To prick bubbles formed while applying colors.


9. 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?

1. 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.


2. 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.


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


4. 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.


5. 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.


6. 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!

(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:

1. 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.
   
2. 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:)


3. 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.


4. 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.


5. 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

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!

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

(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

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

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!