Happy Birthday .. to me!

12:00 AM: An sms from first best friend Suppi wishing me a very happy birthday :)1:30AM:Mom whispering loudly to Altoid(Who is here for her annual vacation)"Is it 12 yet?"Altoid:*Matter of fact tone* "No , its 1:30"Mom:"Oh no!!! We missed midnight! .. I will wake your Dad up.."I pretended to be fast asleep and shut my eyes tighter lest I stole their thunder.By this time , my Mom had successfully prodded my Dad in the stomach to wake him up.Dad:*Who had taken his rehearsals from the previous night a tad too seriously* " Happy Birthday to you ....."*sing song voice*Mom:"Hushhhhh... Its me!"Dad:"oh"Mom:" Come.. we will get the cake"Dad:*Eyes shining* "Cake!"The next thing i see hear is my Dad brandishing a cake with a candle atop it.*Happy...

Aaj Din Badiya

Today I chose the work from option coz I had to take Amma to the doctor.She's been suffering from a bad bout of cold and cough for the past 2 weeks(FYI all the worry warts , she says she feels better now.She even criticized my Rasam , so I can vouch for the her being better part).After dropping her off at the clinic , I drove around looking for parking.It was a glorious morning with the sun's rays glistening through the trees.After about a week of wet and damp weather , I suddenly felt that my world was clearing up , with the Sun providing me with the much needed cheering up that I really could do with.I found a little parking spot , all secluded and shady under a tall Banian tree.Ever since I came back from the US I've been complaining about...

HAPPY DIWALI

My dearest readers :)Here's wishing you all a happy , prosperous and a peaceful Diwali :)HAPPY DIWALI...

Ahoy Farmer!

You know you are addicted to Farmville when your To-Do list for the day reads thus-Check in INTC changes-Check for multiple status report-Harvest strawberries in 1 hour , else they will wither-Hack into Amma's facebook account and gift self a Cherry Tree -The chicken is ready for harvesting-Befriend Zayed_Pasha_Coolest dude , he's on level 10 and is willing to send me free Farmville gifts .NOTE: Can also be added as a Neighbor - thats 200experience points. ...

The Raghu Dixit concert

was what I went to last Friday purely on a whim.It started with an impulsive yes to S's suggestion , who by the way has been singing paeans of praise about RD ever since the Gudugudiya song hit the charts.So there we were , S's two madcap cousins(who I found amazingly endearing), S's madcap friends , Aksa and I.My vision of RD at this point was that of a man who "..wore a Lungi and sported a bead necklace" ,courtesy Aksa and who was ".. the most divinely talented most amazing human being who's ever walked the earth " , courtesy S. What struck me most about the entire experience was RD himself , not only is he a wonderful singer, but the manner in which he interacted with the audience, explained in detail to us the whys and the hows behind each...

All my bags are packed ..

I return to India today.And , I am just back from a 6AM walk that gears me up to face the rest of the day.The ladies setting up the breakfast counter wished me a cheery good morning.I'm going to miss being here.Miss the 6AM hour , when there's a hint of daylight , the sound of those dreadful geese , and the splashing of the water in the fountain.I feel like the world is one giant baby that's slowly waking up .. and guess what? I already did that!Ok , so moving on..The highlight of the trip was the sister , of course! The only reason I didn't lose my mind given the colleagues I traveled with(calls out for a looong post) and the only reason I never felt homesick.Someone who'd patiently chalk out my travel itinerary for each weekend with the right...

Independence

-Is to drive 20 miles to Khasiyat and to rake in Sev-bhatata-puri , aloo-methi-corn parathas ,a (tall) glass of Lichee Lassi and to finish up with a sweet pan.-Is to book tickets to Kaminey and to realise that not only is the movie Fantabulous , but it also is a visual treat .. Shahid Kapur .. hubba hubba!!-Is to then hop on to a train to New York just in time to catch the New York night tour.-Is to then walk from the 42nd street to the something street to taste authentic Thai food.-Is to then drive back , miss a few exits , miss a few turns , curse NJ's confusing intersections and idiotic signage and finally reach familiar territory.-Is to come back to the hotel and try on the newly bought identical pink "I love NY" tees and go to bed while...

Lets make it short - I

“Amma … I’m leaving for work, come and shut the door”“Mini , has Adi left too?”“ I’ve no clue Amma , just check if his laptop is still in the room”“Really now, what kind of generation are we living in, in our times we used to know our husbands by the beat of his heart”“Right.Bye Amma”“Coffee?” pinged a message from Surya. It was 11 already? God , and she had’nt even started on that document .. when was the team meeting due …oh right , Friday.Mini started walking towards the lounge to find Surya leaning against the bay window, their regular coffee hang-out.“Whats up, Sue??”“Nothing much, the usual, met another matrimony guy ..”Mini smiled. “This must be the better of the phases?”“Mini , he’s this numerology freak and he thinks I must change...

The Bachelorette

Its been almost 2 months and a half that I have been in Umrica , and I feel like I've belonged to my hotel room forever!I have loved it so far , the long early morning walks listening to the iPod with the fresh wind on my face , the late evenings , coming home and cooking up whatever catches my fancy , sipping coffee while devouring Ponniyin Selvan. I think its the silence that I like most.The feeling of living with just myself.And I mean it in a non eerie way.There is the space and the silence and there's me and there's me again. :) Who would've thunk !Some of my favorite spots around my home here..yes , it can indeed be called that :)My 7:30 Pm cup of coffeeComfort food .. rice and spinach dalJust back from office mess .'Coz some of us need...

Identity Crisis

The other day , Altoid's close friend M invited us very kindly for lunch.After about 2 months of surviving my cooking and my colleagues' cooking..remind me to write about her sometime.. now this colleague of mine follows a very simple rule of thumb for every dish that she cooks ..-Prepare a tadka of mustard seeds , channa dal , green chillies, red chillies,red chilli powder,garam masala, turmeric , any handy powder within a 3 metre radius-Add to rice/subzi/semolina/vermicilli/egg mixture-Say FiniOk, moving on.. M had cooked a fabulous , tasty and healthy(just the kind I love) lunch for us and just when we were lolling about the kitchen waiting for M to scoop out the ice cream for us , Alt launched on her favorite topic - Sagittarians.About...

One can't have too many friends ... or pairs of shoes!

Alt's shoe fetish has caught on ... it didn't take too much effort , anyway.Like Joey says " I'm so happy ..."*goofy smil...

The Matrimony Chronicles -The Donts

If you're sick of my chronicles , I understand your pain ,maybe this list might make you laugh.The Don'ts1)I understand you have a best friend and he/she's been your friend ever since you were in diapers.But when he/she said you looked best in your profile photos , they meant it with your HEAD also turned ALONG with your body.Now ,its plain scary to look at you with your body heading west and your head peering into the camera with an oh-look-at-me-im-so-dandy expression.2)Remember Tinkle? Remember the column in which you had spot what was wrong with the picture that you saw in front of you?To quote an example .. one in which Hansel and Gretel are browsing the internet?(Ok, I made that up..hey, do you think I should send this as an entry to...

I want..

to be in the cab that takes me home everyday .. its raining and its 6:15 PM , the Hebbal flyover is milling with people who use plastic covers as head-gear.. and I hear familiar sounds in the bus ; of my cab mates playing dumb charades and fighting over whether the movie they're miming actually exists .. theres "Madhura pisumathigee " playing over the FM.. i see Girl1 and Guy2 exchanging glances when their favorite songs playing .. i hear Amma calling me asking me what I'd like to have for dinner .. I eye my favorite road near Hotel Ashoka .. i peek out to see if anything interesting is on at CKP...I wish... I were home...But I'm not ! And hence I'm planning a trip to NY tomorrow!Jai Ho! Carpe Diem!;) what did u thin...

North meets South

Its their wedding anniversary today.I called Alto's at 6:30 AM sharp.Me: Happy Wedding Anniversary, Appa! What did both of you do from morning?Appa:*Pauses* We BOTH got up. She drank milk. I made coffee and drank it. She went for a walk. I read the paper. She's back with Alto , so now I will go for a walk.:D , righ...

Tales from Pardes-I

Its 7:45 PM and there's still daylight.My watch reads 5:15 AM.There's always this bull headed urge to do the math and calculate US time rather than reset the watch that was set in India.Anyway , saying India umpteen times is just going to open the flood gates isn't it?So we think happy things.Jetlag.Yesterday night , I woke up every 1.5 Hr intervals, in one such interval I noticed that the temperature sensor blinked "Please replace the batteries." , yes , it even had the full stop.And I wondered if I should call Amma(Would it be day time for her) or my sister(Is it 4AM ? That , would be day time for her).I wondered what would happen if I hadn't woken up that second 1.5 Hour interval.Would I have been hermetically sealed inside the room with...

At Uncle Sams'

The I is now in Umrica :)..more updates and posts to follow ..Jai h...

Result of Matrimony Chronicles -III

Dhanya, you asked for it ;).The story so farQ is the latest matrimony matter.Q is phone-shy.I was supposed to meet aforesaid matter at 6.I vetoed the continental restaurant idea.As it is things are going very shamathuly, imagine meeting Q matter in Conti restaurant at 6.Nothing to eat also , no coffee also.So I vetoed.I went about 5 minutes early and plonked myself at Vi , Viv's and my favorite table , the corner table facing the road.And conveniently got lost in Ponniyan Selvan.SMS at 18:00:00 sharp, unknown number reads(I don't store numbers until after the first meeting,no?)"I am here".I replied " :), come up I'm on the first floor".And then Q came.And sat.And I smiled.And silence reigned.I started tapping feet to the tunes of "Jinke mari...

The Matrimony Chronicles- III

Lets call him , Q. 'Coz if he's following this blog , he mightn't know.Well err yeah , mostly he wouldnt know.I'm told most people don't know their quirks even when they're told about it.Take Amma , for example.She thinks she's got a great sing song voice.She doesn't.Whenever my Dad's friends call up , they think she's him.Anyway,back to Q.Q lives two streets away which is why I thought there'd be some hope for the alliance.Imagine!! 2 streets!And so,I agreed.After the initial Hi , I studied till 10th here ,my family are descendants from this rhesus monkey etc etc, we moved to Phase 2 i.e the boy girl chatting meeting stage.I mailed him my email id and mobile number, for which he replied saying he was , hold your breath *phone-shy*.Now , none...

A trip to Maddur

Some weeks back , I decided I'd take the geriatrics to to Maddur.Why Maddur? 'Coz of the famous Vaidyanatha Temple thats a few kilometres from the town and also the Ambegal Krishna temple at Doddamalur , near Chennapatna.Now , lets talk our language.We set out at 7:30AM laden with biscuits , fruits , dates , Filter kaapi flask , hand towel , leg towel, towel towel , newspaper , 3 library books(which were stored carefully in a separate 'book' bag in case they got lost/damaged/lost and damaged),iodex, amritanjan,shampoo hair comb, paddle hair comb, soap,dettol.Suffice to say , my Mother's previous birth must have been that of an ant.A wary one at that.Car driving always puts me into a bad mood.The pressure of having to save one's life , one's...

yesterday all my troubles seemed faar away ..!

Yesterday was just lovely.The entire day.Morning started off with rigorous gymming , after which i settled down beside a colleague with a plate of hot poha and chutney sent by Mom and a cup of steaming filter coffee.The evening was cloudy and windy (typically Bangalore after 3 days of touching 35 degs) , my cab mates started playing DC and one girl had t he *gasp* audacity to ask me if I was good at acting.*GASP* . I wondered what Mom , Dad and Alt would sat to this .. . i still cant get over it! Seren , can you act??? can i act??Oh well . I got quite a difficult word to "act" .. its just that my team cracked "illusion" in just about errm 10 seconds.Thank you very much.Anyway , evening saw me reach home by 6:30 , there was no power and I popped...

All my Bags

I'm not really a 'My bag needs to go with my outfit' kind of person.I'm more of a 'I will carry whichever bag I carried last night' kind of person.This is understandable since I need to catch a cab at 7:50 AM everyday and shifting a wallet , ipod,mobile,mobile charger,hair brush and a couple of other sensible utilities is too much to do that early in the morning when my To do list for the day reads1.Don't leave without a bath2.By leave , I mean to office.Anyway , an avid shopper that I am, I can never think one bag more, is too many. Please find below, photos of my veritable bag collection and the tale that they have to tell. The Shantiniketan BagAlto had the same bag in red (Do you still have it , Alt?) and I loved it.So much that Mom gifted...

Retail therapy

A visit to the Home Store on a Sunday evening , cups of Latte and Cappuccino and plenty of 'family gossip' with the Mom make a looming Monday not so bad...

Results are out!

My engineering results have come .. after 6 and a half years .. from Sivaji TV.com.They renamed Bangalore University to Visveshvaraya Tech Univeristy , that I knew .. maybe its like how they renamed the MG road circle to Anil Kumble circle , err this meant Rajni Saar visited VTU?Hmm .. oh look ..I flunked CS1303...