shorty speaks!!

2011-06-14T12:26:00.002-04:00

5 Happy Years and Counting…

We have been married for 5 yrs as of 6/14/2011. Am excited to reach this milestone…not surprised… but excited enough to add to the regular Anniversary celebrations.

Ours was a fairly typical arranged marriage. The kind where parents checked the horoscopes, then we spent hours and days and weeks and months talking to each other, okay-ed each other, the in-laws came to “see” me and “finalize’ our marriage and that was it, then we were married. And if I may say, we didn’t start out in love with each other. I would say we were infatuated with each other. And over these 5 years have fallen in love . Touchwood!

I’d like to make 2 lists, One, our journey in the last 5 years and two, 5 things that Marriage has taught me.

Our journey together so far…

June 2006 – May 2007 : Dealing with adopting a new family to be my own, living away from each other after being married, Moving to a strange city and then a strange country, learning to cook , Learning to manage our home, Not being able to lock myself alone when mad with the other half, Getting used to being called a ‘wife’ or asked about the ‘husband’, enjoying the freedom to romance and love a man openly, yearning for someone in a way you never imagined, long drives and feeling elated ‘coz I realize that the hubby loves driving as much as the dad does….. Honestly, the 1s year was a very confusing one.
Places we were at : Bangalore, Dindigul (TN), Chennai, Kerala, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Vermont, NYC, Niagara Falls, Pittsburgh, Boston

June 2007 – May 2008 : Appreciating that I have a husband who is willing to move for my job, Enjoying time with each other, Figuring out a routine as a married couple, Trying to manage our work-related travels, Struggling to attain stability, began the ‘yearly’ holiday routine…….This was the year that we were figuring out each other and what makes things better vs worse. There were times we loved each other and at other times when we questioned the marriage.
Places we were at: Maryland, Virginia, DC, NJ, Puerto Rico, Pennsylvania, Toronto, Ontario, Montreal

June 2008 -May 2009 : Managed to start leading the life of a ‘regular’ married couple, Appreciated belonging to each other, started gaining stability in life, Did an awesome road-trip, discovered our love for nature and national parks….A good and fairly uneventful year!
Places we were at: Vermont, San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Utah, LA

June 2009 -May 2010 : Had the in-laws visiting for 4 months, learnt that the husband will not behave differently in front of parents, in fact learnt that he will stand up for me if it comes down to that, Started getting a feel of potential life troubles heading our way, handled it very nervously……A rollercoaster year!
Places we were at: Vermont, NYC, NJ, Maine, Boston, Keywest, Miami, Orlando

June 2010 -May 2011 : The potential trouble became an actual heartache , it brought us closer than ever, We became adventurous and greedy about making the best of life, We cared lesser about the world’s opinions, became more health-conscious, Cried and laughed together a lot more often, did a 17-hour road trip and realized we’ll love to try a month-long one, figured we don’t know when we’ll get the answer to our worries, but know for sure that we will get it some day….. An eventful year!
Places we were at: Vermont, SFO, Maine, Smoky Mountains

5 Lessons that Marriage has taught me
1.As clichéd as it sounds, Marriage has taught me all that matters is that eventually we are together. It’s not that worldly worries don’t haunt me or that I welcome it with open arms..but dealing with them seems a lot easier when we have each other. The trait of ‘sense of humor’ mabbe under-rated but definitely not over-rated, it helps you get by a lot of stuff in life. If life gave me another chance, I would embrace it just the way it currently is.

2.Marriage has taught me to be less bull-headed. To be a li’l patient and to change those things about me that at one point -in-time were considered to be personality traits that one could never ever change. It has taught me that compromise is not a bad word and the importance of giving a relationship one’s best at pretty much all times.

3.Marriage has taught me that relationships need to be worked on, on a regular basis, if not day-to-day. It has taught me that each phase of a marriage poses a different type of challenge and that both the parties involved need to figure out the solution. It has taught me that what the world feels doesn’t matter as long as we both agree. It has taught me that fights are not a bad thing.

4.Marriage has taught me to look at LOVE differently. To respect and understand those who cannot say those 3 words . It has made me realize that different people have different ways of showing their love and affection and it’s up to the receiver to interpret and u’stand the way the giver chooses to give it.

5.Marriage has taught me what it is to belong to someone. It has taught me that one can be an independent woman even while the two people in the marriage are responsible for a different set of tasks and therefore dependent on each other. It has taught me to work as a team. It has helped me u’stand how two people become one.

2011-05-25T16:48:00.001-04:00

Last Year in my 20s !

Hmm.. so the B’day obsessed girl that I am..I have to write about it… I celebrated yet another ‘Happy’ B’day! Was a nice few days leading up to it and following it.. Made up for the lousy B’day that I had last year.

Jack.. I was so touched, that you remembered. Thank You so much!

On the evening before my B’day 2 of my girl friends coordinated with the husband and had me go over to their place to pick up something. When I went there…they had cooked an awesome dinner for us and baked me a upside down pineapple cake. All yummmieee stuff! They presented me a beautiful dress and cleaning gloves… ya u read right..lol, Mon is alwez complaining about how I don’t use gloves while doing dishes…and now, thanks to her gift, I use them and take care of my hands :)

On my B’day , I wore this really pretty dress. I don’t have any of that kind and it was a last-minute steal. The husband gifted me a cool slide-sling bag. At work, a colleague Heidi, presented me a card, a friendship willow-tree doll, a pair of ear-rings and bught me a cake. I’ve alwez wanted to collect them willow-tree dolls and this is the 1st one..i was so happy. The day at work went by in a daze. I was busy attending meetings and B’day phone calls.

In the evening, another couple-friend brought over a Ben n Jerry’s ice-cream cake. Yummylicious is an understatement. So ya I cut 3 cakes this B’day !

Then V and I went to a play of ‘To kill a mocking Bird’. It was brilliant and dined at a mexican restaurant afterwards.I received gifts from 2 other friends through post. A bag, a top, a card . a scarf and a fancy hair clip. So ya, gifts galore!

On the Saturday following my B’day we went to Albany for the Tulip festival…which was a great day out to ! so ya, all in all had an awesome time.

The following i.e on May 14th, I wrote my PMP certification exam and passed it! so ya, I am a certified Project Management Professional now! woo hoooo !

The Tamil New Year started on a fairly bad note for us. But I hope that was the end of bad times, that good times are awaiting us. I pray that my 29th year is very special and turns out to be a significant one!

2011-05-03T16:22:00.001-04:00

Is the Glass half empty or half full?
I feel the World is becoming a better place. Everything about it isn’t perfect and in all honesty will probably never be, but what the hec, I’ve always believed that perfection is an illusion! Therz nothing about it that’s realistic or for that matter inspiring. There is always scope for improvement and that’s what motivates me and keeps me hopeful.

I don’t understand the cynics who smirk at every step we take and say there is no use of that step ‘coz we’ll never quite reach the top of the tower. How does one reach the top without climbing those zillion small steps? I agree…that maybe for every 10 steps we take ahead , there are actions that send us 5 steps down or mabbe 15 steps down, but yet I want to rejoice n celebrate those 10 steps while I mourn n rant about the 15 steps. You don’t quite have the right to whine , if you don’t appreciate…do you? If pessimism is going to aid in development in any manner, tell me ,and I’ll join you but not otherwise.

Anyways..over the last few days…this is what some of us have celebrated while the rest have criticized n been cynical about…

- The World Cup win. What’s not to celebrate in this u ask…some ppl are cookin up a match-fixin story , while others are whining about why other sports aren’t given as much attention while some others are worried about the display of unity in India on just that one evening! What spoil-sports? Do they realize they were not part of that unity for even that one night?
- Anna Hazare’s movement. I was so proud of him. n yet there are ppl scoffing at him and his supporters asking if that’ll change India and make it free of corruption. No it won’t. Its not an overnight movement. No kind of revolution is. It takes time and perseverance. It’s not going to make India better for us…but if we are diligent and don’t give up..I’m sure it will be a better place for our children or mabbe our grandchildren.
- Osama Bin Laden’s death… The unimaginable has been made possible! La la la ! You say , his death doesn’t mean that terrorism has ended? I very well know that ! He played such a significant role n manslaughter and his death will definitely shake up his team-mates., no? Baby steps people…Baby steps! You can’t do nothing and expect a miracle to occur overnight. I donno I mabbe daft , but I believed it, the instant I saw the news flash on my phone. I know people are asking for a death certificate n what not… but me…I’m a believer and a celebrator (is that a word?) !

I want to ask the cynics, pessimists, non-believers to back off and focus their energy in encouraging(if not contributing) those who are trying to make the world a better place. Don’t forget the age-old sayin, ‘Li’l dops of water make an ocean!”

2011-03-03T10:42:00.000-05:00

Just Sayin
I have had so many many many posts in my mind..but life has gotten so busy. Find it hard to make the time to write. Today I’m down with fever, cold, cough and so am working from home..and so using the opportunity to write in my space.

Okay..so last year many of you may have suddenly noticed that girls across the globe were updating their status on FB with the name of a color.. ‘Red’. ‘Blue’. ‘off-white’,’black’. I know I did and was a while before I caught on, and like me many of you may have eventually learnt that this was for breast-cancer awareness and girls had to update the color of their bras. Some people criticized it and the rest said it was a ‘Fun’ way to spread awareness. Personally, I was on the fence and couldn’t make up my mind.
This year.. several messages and emails were sent over the last weekend asking girls to update their status with the name of a fruit depending on what their relationship status was, this again to spread awareness about breast cancer. There were not as many updates as the last time. I wonder why? How is this less fun than putting up ur bra color? I donno, I feel like those who updated their status last year, but didn’t this year…were not really concerned about spreading any kind of awareness! So, Not cool , I say !!

2011-01-07T10:23:00.003-05:00

The Decade that was…

I didn’t realize that we were beginning a whole new decade until I read a fellow blogger’s post about looking back at the decade. And that’s when it struck me, that it was indeed the beginning of a new decade! In the last decade I’ve evolved from a student to a working professional and taken on the role of a wife, which has taught me so much more about life and myself! I really liked the idea of looking back at the last 10 years..n so here I go….

- At the beginning of the decade I turned 18, a fairly significant age, in my mind.

- For the 1st 17 years of my life, I hadn’t seen much change. I went to the same school and stayed in the same house, with pretty much the same neighbors and friends in school for 14 long years. ( Don’t have much of a recollection of life before I was 4) Life was a routine for the most part n I loved it. Dusshera and summer vacations were in Chennai (ya, u can gasp, we spent summer breaks in Chennai) with maternal grandparents. N then at the beginning of the decade we moved to our new home and I joint college. I feared the change even before it set upon us and made peace with it only ‘coz I didn’t have a choice. Once I adapted to the new home and college, I again got into a mode when I didn’t want anything to change.

- Marriage happened around mid-decade and that’s when I started embracing and even looking forward to changes. Since Marriage I have moved several cities and even across a country. If I had my way, I would move to a new city or mabbe even country every year. I want to explore, experience and learn as much as possible.

- It was the decade in which I met some amazing people who I believe will be friends for life. Of course, there have been several ups n downs with these people but still I yearned for their friendships that were/are meant to be forever in my mind, n things have always got sorted out eventually. And as I moved from city to city I fearlessly made wonderful new friends and learnt to appreciate how much they had to offer to me in terms of love, laughter and lessons.

- I yet have friends from the previous decade and I feel like I will have them for a long time to come.

- I have learnt that at one point though it may seem like life is impossible without a certain person/thing and the want is so strong that our life revolves around it yet eventually we WILL move on. No want is so big that it will destroy us, unless we let it do so. We will get over anyone or anything. Life goes on. Period.

- I have shocked myself with some of the decisions I’ve made and things I’ve done. At one point I would have never approved of these things from anyone forget myself, but after being thru’ it I realize one can never predict what one will or will not do for sure. It depends on the circumstance.

- I used to be a cry-baby. Don’t cry so much anymore.

- I’ve learnt to swim.

- I’ve learnt to drive a car. (Will hopefully learn to ride a 2-wheeler this decade!)

- I’ve gotten drunk twice, bad enough to be puking and have a headache for most of the next day. Both times I realized I HATE how I feel when I’m drunk. It’s “being high” that I liked.

- I’ve learnt that love can be expressed in far better ways than using the three words “I love you”.

- Thru this decade my weight has varied from 36 Kgs to a max of 44 kgs.

- I have vacationed a lot this decade. Seen many places and hope the next decade only gets better in this aspect

- I have suffered and survived things that I would never imagine myself going thru’. I feel like I handled it pretty well. Of course I cried and questioned and all that, but eventually I got back to hoping and believing and giving my best.

- I’ve made an online friend who I’ve still never seen face-to-face. Someone who I can share my deepest secrets with and one who has been a great pillar of support.

- Bangalore is yet very close to my heart and yet the place I will call home, but if I were given a choice in the immediate future, Bangalore is not the place I would want to move to.

- In school I wasn’t very popular among the boys, this decade changed that. Some of my closest friends are guys and I’ve had the chance to say ‘No’ to some proposals!

- I can vouch for the “If you love something let it go, if it returns to you, it’s yours; if not, it never was” saying. I’ve tried and tested it. People I’ve let go after years of desperation for their attention and love have returned to me! n I've gotten over the people who didn't. This experience has resulted in me handling my relationships in an entirely different manner.

- I have always been curious about astrology and other forms of getting a peak into the future. Some experiences from the last decade have made the belief and curiosity stronger

Would love to know what was happening at your end thru’ the last decade...

Edited to add: I was talking to a school friend yesterday and towards the end of a 1 hr long conversation she mentioned how nice it would be to be able to go back to school. I agreed, but only briefly, While I don’t mind reliving my life and going thru’ school life all over again, that was not the best phase of my life. As I thought about it I realized yesterday,today…this phase of my life is what is probably the best. I’m at that place where I’m feeling fairly confident about myself. I know irrespective of what I can do and what I cannot, I am good, I am worth it. I feel like the results don’t matter as long as I give it my best shot! Back in school, I felt like a failure after having scored 76% in class X, that’s what my school could do to you! My PT teacher thought it was funny when she teased me saying “oh Pavi, your growing only horizontally, not vertically.” Li’l did she know how hurt I was. So ya, a new, confident girl has emerged thru the last decade

2011-01-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

N so we Begin Another Year…

2010 ended pleasantly with not much drama, not much noise, not much emotions , a sense of satisfaction and positive enrgy unlike the rest of the year. There was also some excitement, good amount of love, some care-freeness and plenty of hope for the following year!

The last 2 weeks of the year we were on a vacation in northern CA ! While on this vacation, we did check off one of the “want-to-visit’ places from our list but technically the vacation was more about meeting n spending time with friends.

Spent quality time with 2 college friends who are now married, another friend who I’ve become so much closer to after moving to the US and is now preggo ! ya ya, I felt the kicks! An ex-colleague who was meeting the hubby for the 1st time. Visited yet another college friend at midnite, no less, while her baby was fast asleep!! N the icing on the cake was bumping into a school friend unexpectedly and of course talking non-stop ! So ya..this trip was all about F.R.I.E.N.D.S !!

What did I think of SF…well it is a fun place, no debating that ! But it didn’t live upto the expectations that everyone had built about it for me! so well….

This year..I feel like writing and so hopefully my blog will see more of me than it did in 2010. I hardly have readers now, but yet I’m motivated to pen, ‘coz I want to be able to look back at what was cooking I n my life at a later point of time.

N on that note…I must get back to work , it’s the 1st working day of the year and I have a very busy day ahead….

So Here is wishing you and your loved ones a Happy, Healthy and Fabulous 2011…one that’s full of laughs, celebrations and excitement!

2010-11-03T14:58:00.000-04:00

Festival of lights!

It’s that time of the year! My fav festival is here.. love how we have so many festivals before…leading up to the excitement and then of course Christmas and New Year following up, before we put the festive spirit to rest.
A good 2-3 months of new clothes, yummy food, meeting people, parties and lots more non-stop fun stuff…

This festival of cheer and hope never fails to bring a smile on my face and excitement in my life :)

This year we threw a Diwali party 2 weeks earlier. Everyone loved the décor, food, games and everything. so ya, we had a good time! The coming weekend..we have a Diwali party to attend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening. Can’t wait to get dolled up ! How are you guys going to celebrate?

Wish all of you, who yet visit this space a Very Happy Diwali !

2010-10-11T10:01:00.001-04:00

I try…..

I try to do things I love, I try to talk nonstop, I try to remain silent, I try reading a book, I try goin on long scenic drives, I try listening to music, I try to get absorbed in endless games of sudoku, I try to crack jokes with my fav people, I try to plan a vacation, I try to day-dream of happy things, I try to sleep, I try to stay awake and think of other things, I try surf the web aimlessly, I try to not write, I try to write, I try to talk about it, I try to not talk about it, I try to let the tears fall down my face, I try to stop thinking, I try to think of nothing, I try to pretend that everything is fine hoping that THAT will actually make things fine

…..All this while dealing with what must be dealt with…

…N yet the heart aches, overcome with sadness.

I begin to realize that mabbe I don’t need to try this hard, that its pretty much impossible to not think about it. None of this is actually going to make anything better or easier….It is what it is.

And in the end…it WILL be fine!

2010-01-27T15:07:00.000-05:00

Blah Moment

Warning : I’m in one of those moods.

All the things that have happened makes me wonder how a girl can transform from one who never lost hope inspite of the tears, from one who was so convinced that some relationships are meant to be and so no insult nor rejection could deter her from keeping the faith alive, from one who was patient for about 4 long years..to prove to someone that that friendship was meant to be.

TO

a girl who is so worried of herself being hurt that she just won’t try, a girl who can walk away from a relationship after trying for a mere year n a half, a girl who gets frustrated n worked up that the other person is not realizing that its over and won’t give up holding onto the friendship.

N wats scary n more upsetting is that the 1st time around..this girl was proved right. That friendship has survived all storms n lasted for 10 long years n continues to be precious for the 2 people . Then why won’t she/ shouldn’t she give this other friendship some more time? Why is she not able to bring herself to give it one more shot?

If only life’s questions had simple answers……

2010-01-09T20:50:00.006-05:00

A one-sided view about India

PS : I had another post in draft that was going to be my first post for this year that i have been writing bit by bit thru' this week. I was to post it today. But then..I got this fwd this morning...n i couldnt not post it and disucss it here. So before your blood begins to boil Here is wishing each one of you and your near n dear ones a Very Very Happy 2010....One thats full of love, joy and contentment!!

********************
I don't disagree with all that the author has written. NOR DO I AGREE with him. India is some of what he writes..but its lots more as well. The **good** aspects about our country has conveniently been forgotten.

n "India Doesn't care" makes me want to laugh out loud at the author's ignorance!

I got this Fwd with the subject as "An Interesting Read about India". I diagreed and so changed the subject.

Ur thoughts?

*********************
**Reflections on India**

By Sean Paul Kelley

If you are Indian, or of Indian descent, I must preface this post with a
clear warning: you are not going to like what I have to say. My criticisms
may be very hard to stomach. But consider them as the hard words and loving
advice of a good friend. Someone who's being honest with you and wants
nothing from you. These criticisms apply to all of India except Kerala and
the places I didn't visit, except that I have a feeling it applies to all of
India, except as I mentioned before, Kerala.. Lastly, before anyone accuses
me of Western Cultural Imperialism, let me say this: if this is what India
and Indians want, then hey, who am I to tell them differently. Take what you
like and leave the rest. In the end it doesn't really matter, as I get the
sense that Indians, at least many upper class Indians, don't seem to care
and the lower classes just don't know any better, what with Indian culture
being so intense and pervasive on the sub-continent. But here goes,
nonetheless.

India is a mess. It's that simple, but it's also quite complicated. I'll
start with what I think are India's four major problems--the four most
preventing India from becoming a developing nation--and then move to some of
the ancillary ones.

First, pollution. In my opinion the filth, squalor and all around pollution
indicates a marked lack of respect for India by *Indians.* I don't know how
cultural the filth is, but it's really beyond anything I have ever
encountered. At times the smells, trash, refuse and excrement are like a
garbage dump. Right
next door to the Taj Mahal was a pile of trash that smelled so bad,
was so foul as to almost ruin the entire Taj experience. Delhi, Bangalore
and Chennai to a lesser degree were so very polluted as to make me
physically ill. Sinus infections, ear infection, bowels churning was an all
to common experience in India. Dung, be it goat, cow or human fecal matter
was common *on the streets..* In major tourist areas filth was
everywhere, littering
the sidewalks, the
roadways, you name it. Toilets in the middle of the road, men
urinating
and defecating anywhere, in broad daylight. Whole villages are plastic bag
wastelands. Roadsides are choked by it. Air quality that can hardly be
called quality. Far
too much coal and far to few unleaded vehicles on the road. The
measure
should be how dangerous the air is for one's health, not how good it is.
People casually throw trash in the streets, on the roads. The only two
cities that could be considered sanitary in my journey were Trivandrum--the
capital of Kerala--and Calicut. I don't know why this is. But I can assure
you that at some point this pollution will cut into India's productivity, if
it already hasn't. The pollution will hobble India's growth path, if that
indeed is what the country wants. (Which I personally doubt, as India is far
too conservative a country, in the small 'c' sense.)

*More after the jump.*

The second issue, infrastructure, can be divided into four subcategories:
roads, rails and ports and the electrical grid. The electrical grid is a
joke. Load
shedding is all too common, everywhere in India. Wide swaths of the country
spend much of the day without the electricity they actually pay for. With
out regular electricity, productivity, again, falls. The ports are a joke.
Antiquated, out of date, hardly even appropriate for the mechanized world of
container ports, more in line with the days of longshoremen and the like.
Roads are an equal disaster. I only saw one elevated highway that would be
considered decent in Thailand, much less Western Europe or America. And I
covered fully two thirds of the country during my visit. There are so few
dual carriage way roads as to be laughable. There are no traffic laws to
speak of, and if there are, they are rarely obeyed, much less enforced. A
drive that should take an hour takes three. A drive that should take three
takes nine. The buses are at least thirty years
old, if not older. Everyone
in India, or who travels in India raves about the railway system.
Rubbish. It's awful. Now, when I was there in 2003 and then late 2004 it was
decent. But in the last five years the traffic on the rails has grown so
quickly that once again, it is threatening productivity. Waiting in line
just to ask a question now takes thirty minutes. Routes are routinely sold
out three and four days in advance now, leaving travellers stranded with
little option except to take the decrepit and dangerous buses. At least
fifty million people use the trains *a day* in India. 50 million people! Not
surprising that waitlists of 500 or more people are common now. The rails
are affordable and comprehensive but they are overcrowded and what with
budget airlines popping up in India like Sashes in an ashram the middle and
lowers classes are left to deal with the over utilized rails and quality
suffers. No one seems to give a shit. Seriously, I just never have the
impression that the Indian government really cares. Too interested in buying
weapons from Russia, Israel and the US I guess.

The last major problem in India is an old problem and can be divided into
two parts that've been two sides of the same coin since government was
invented: bureaucracy and corruption. It take triplicates to register into a
hotel. To get a SIM card for one's phone is like wading into a jungle of
red-tape and photocopies one is not likely to emerge from in a good mood,
much less satisfied with customer service. Getting train tickets is a
terrible ordeal, first you have to find the train number, which takes 30
minutes, then you have to fill in the form, which is far from easy, then you
have to wait in line to try and make a reservation, which takes 30 minutes
at least and if you made a single mistake on the form back you go to the end
of the queue, or what passes for a queue in India. The government is
notoriously uninterested in the problems of the commoners, too busy fleecing
the rich, or trying to get rich themselves in some way shape or form. Take
the trash for example, civil rubbish collection authorities are too busy
taking kickbacks from the wealthy to keep their areas clean that they don't
have the time, manpower, money or interest in doing their job. Rural
hospitals are perennially understaffed as doctors pocket the fees the
government pays them, never show up at the rural hospitals and practice in
the cities instead.

I could go on for quite some time about my perception of India and its
problems, but in all seriousness, I don't think anyone in India really
cares. And that, to me, is the biggest problem. India is too conservative a
society to want to change in any way. Mumbai, India's financial capital is
about as filthy, polluted and poor as the worst city imaginable in Vietnam,
or Indonesia--and being more polluted than Medan, in Sumatra is no easy
task. The biggest rats I have ever seen were in Medan!

One would expect a certain amount of, yes, I am going to use this word,
backwardness, in a country that hasn't produced so many Nobel Laureates,
nuclear physicists, imminent economists and entrepreneurs. But India has all
these things and what have they brought back to India with them? Nothing.
The rich still have their servants, the lower castes are still there to do
the dirty work and so the country remains in stasis. It's a shame. Indians
and India have many wonderful things to offer the world, but I'm far from
sanguine that India will amount to much in my lifetime..

Now, have at it, call me a cultural imperialist, a spoiled child of the West
and all that. But remember, I've been there. I've done it. And I've seen 50
other countries on this planet and none, not even Ethiopia, have as long and
gargantuan a laundry list of problems as India does. And the bottom line is,
I don't think India really cares. Too complacent and too conservative.

2009-12-08T12:45:00.000-05:00

Confusions of the Thinking Mind

Picture this. Year 2009. A couple who live by themselves. The husband, Mr Open Minded , 60 yrs old, closed his own business 5 years back.[He didnt have a choice about it and did what he had to in the give circumstances]. The wife, Ms Independent, 55 yrs , is working at a 9 to 6 job. they have a debt to clear n Ms independent intends on quitting her job once the loan has been taken care of. Mr Open-minded helps around the house. As needed he washes clothes (India style, on a washing stone; not by loading the washing machine!!), sweeps n mops the house, washes the front porch n draws a rangoli etc etc. Ms Independent does her share of house-work, cooking, cleaning dishes etc.

So what is your instant reaction to such a story? Do you want to pat the guy on the back and say New-age man and applaud him for throwing in a helping hand? For being broad-minded enough to agree and live this set-up?

Well.tho not completely, for a while..that was my reaction. I convinced myself that this is development n change n this is what we are heading to. But no more fooling myself,. Something , just something seems to be amiss with the set-up. It doesn’t paint the picture of a happy couple leading a happy life. I’m not sure if the husband should actually be called “Mr Open-minded”. Or the Wife “Ms Independent”. She is more like “Ms supporter” and he “Mr easy-way-out”

For starters I know the Ms Supporter is tired of working @ a 9-6 job. She has been doing this for the last 25 odd years. She needs a break. BUT if a debt must be cleared, then someone has got to work. n if its okay for a guy to work even when he doesn’t want to, why can’t the same hold true for a woman? N its not that Mr Easy-Way-Out has a job opportunity but won’t take it up. He doesn’t have any that are “appropriate”. And India is not yet matured to treat all jobs with the same dignity.

If I don’t feel sorry for a house wife (now known as home maker) who does the home tasks why should I feel sorry for a guy who is at home, who does the same? BUT it’s so hard for me to wrap my mind around the idea of a guy drawing a rangoli in front of the house at 6 am! There is something about it that doesn’t look as modern as it sounds.

So much for preaching the equality of men and women! Given my reactions, should I be branded as a hypocrite in this situation? Is it just me who has this kinda reaction? Can my resistance to this scenario be categorized under the “normal” general resistance to change and will I be able to look at the same situation in a positive manner few years down the line when it is more prevalent? Will such a scenario become more prevalent in the coming years?

What if I told you that now, Mr Easy-Way-Out has b’come used to Ms Supporter providing for them and so shows no inclination to contribute to the finances in any manner so that she can retire soon, like she wishes to? Even when Ms Supporter says that she wants to quit..he clearly says/shows his disagreement with the idea and prods her to continue working atleast part-time. That can’t be the right thing to do!?! But if both of them are done working, then what does the family do to provide for themselves?!

Sorry, I’ve raised a zillion questions in this post. But my mind feels very confused. It’s not able to come up with any solution. What do you feel about all this?

2009-10-12T15:21:00.000-04:00

It’s the time

Its that time of the year when there is loads n loads of festivals!..Starting Raksha Bandan/Aavani Avittam(the day the men change their sacred thread. Never mind that Mr husband takes it off the very next day..’coz its yet a day of celebration at home) in early August until New Years even in Dec..its celebration time. Time to get dolled up, cook fancy food, throw parties, attend parties and have a blast!

Well, technically this post should have come much earlier i.e in august. I generally look forward to all the festivals and this time more so ‘coz my inlaws were suppose to be here..and I was planning on celebrating all of them very traditionally and making lots of yummy food ‘coz I would be assisting well-experienced hands in the kitchen. But it wasn’t meant to be. The Avani Avittam and Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations were nice…but inlaws left early, just before Janmashatami..and so it was back to just the husband and I for the remaining festivals.

I was bummed about it and thanks to being in low spirits did not celebrate Janmashtami or Dusshera. We did nothing at home. Not even any special food. No special prayers. Nothing. The husband played along. He didn’t complain about the lack of celebration nor did he motivate to actually celebrate.

Now it’s time for Diwali. n since childhood this has remained my fav festival. For the last 2 years that I have been in the US..we have had a Diwali potluck at my place..decorated our home with Diyas and Rangoli, cooked some special food, did puja, wore new traditional clothes etc etc etc. This year coz my mil was suppose to be here..i had decided that we would have a Diwali party at home as usual except that we would do ALL the cooking. Atleast 30 people had come over last year minus the kids.

Thankfully the high spirits have returned and I want to celebrate Diwali nicely. If possible, make up for all the festivals I missed celebrating. Now of course plans had to change. I couldn’t cook for 30 people…but no, I want to cook. N there has been disagreements between the husband and me in that area. I don’t like throwing a party in OUR HOME unless we are on the same page.

As luck would have it…we have to move by the end of the month. We are just moving to the ground floor in the same apartment. N this is being done mostly ‘coz I want to. Thanks to constantly moving for the last 2 years..this year, I couldn’t rest in peace when we recently completed a year in the same home. I have been itching to move and the opportunity has risen and the husband has agreed! I like moving ‘coz it brings about the excitement of setting up a new home and of course it’s a nice excuse to clean and do away with all the unwanted stuff we have collected at home.

N so..we have decided that we will throw a party once we move to our new home and settle down there. I’m looking forward to the move and the party that will follow after.

Meanwhile..I am really xcited about Diwali. I have decided on the menu for the day. I’m yet to choose which sari I’m going to drape, but I’ve picked up some matching jewellery to go with a few saris I have shortlisted. We have chosen the sherwani for the hubby and have been invited to attend a party at a friend’s place in the evening.

Am so looking forward to the coming days! Hope its fun! Yippe!

So, what are your plans for Diwali? And which is your favorite festival?

2009-09-29T09:25:00.002-04:00

Sum Of All Fears

They were crawling below the unbderbush. Tired and sweaty. "Come on, Pavi...a few more miles and we are through", Vinod implored. Pavi knew it wasn't true, but after seeing the way Musheer and Vinay were taken down, she did not care for rest. Clutching her gun close to the chest she crawled further, inch by inch.

---
"It wil be fun!", Harish was exclaiming, "You guys have just a day with us and why waste it by sitting at a coffee shop and yapping; which we do anyways over chat and mail!". She could see that Vinod was on his side, he too liked the idea of having a day in the outdoors as he had been cooped up since the time they visited India. She could see the merits but for a reason she could not quite fathom, felt uneasy. She looked at Musheer and Vinay. Vinay was as usual a fence sitter but Musheer, maybe sensing her unease, said "Yeah da! It sounds fun. With the jungle all around and you, i don't know...hanging out sounds like a perfect plan to me! What's wrong with hang..."

"...don't be a girl Mush!" Harish snapped, "You know that all this talk about naxals in the jungle are rubbish...and what do you think I would try? Kill you?"

---

And now he was. Pavi couldn't help but shake the feeling that this was all Harish's plan. For one; he had practically disappeared the moment they hit the resort. And Musheer was shot from the front. The red splattered across his chest was a large blob which meant that he was shot up close, he wouldn't allow someone he didn't know to come that close, right?

"What?" She turned to Vinod, "I didn't hear what you said". "I said, we will take a break once we reach that ridge, but we will have to cross it alone. I will sneak along and give you the signal to come across, alright?"

She nodded, barely able to hide her frustration. She dragged him into this and he had endured for so long without complaining and not even for once had he uttered anything about giving up. A surge of affection welled up inside her for her husband and before she could bring herself to say anything he gave her a look. A look that meant he understood and a that it will be over soon. A feeling, though she did not share, was glad that he did.

---
"You okay, right? Vinod asked, "We can cancel this and stay back in the city if you want" She could see that he was serious and even though he liked the idea of gallivanting through the jungle, he would stay back if she did not feel upto it. "Hmmm...Can we?" She asked teasingly and laughed at the flight of expressions across his face; dismay, concern and; when he realized she was kidding; a wide grin.

"Alright, alright...I get it...I will pay the price for this won't I?"

"We'll see"
---

With a quick kiss and a nod, he slowly began to walk, crouching, towards the ridge. There was an open stretch where for a second he was exposed to anyone watching but he quickly crossed it and leaned on a rock; partially hidden from her. She sighed in relief and for a minute had this optimistic thought that they might yet make it.

He looked over to her and smiled, or so she thought and she smiled back. And realized in horror that there was a shape slowly disengaging itself from the cluster of rocks and was rising behind Vinod. She gave a muted scream and realized thta he hasn't noticed it. The form resolved itself to the familiar, and now loathed, shape of Harish. Vinod realised something was wrong when her piercing scream reached his ears and he turned back with his gun raised, a little too late. She heard the chatter of Harish's rifle and saw the blotches, dark and brooding, appear in front of Vinod's chest.

He was falling and then...it was all a blur...she remember pointing her gun and screaming...running down the slope...body powered by rage and thirst for revenge...staring into Harish's eyes and pressing the trigger...seeing the red blob where his head was...jumping on his flailing body and hitting his helmeted head with her gun...

"Pavi, Pavi...whoa!!! Easy!! It's paintball, not wrestle mania!! You win! You win!"

*********************************************************************************

This space means a lot to me. It belongs to me…ONLY me. Its a space that I have complete control over.Its a space where I can speak w/o having anyone interrupt me. N that I like. There have been times when I have been hooked to it and given it lots of attention by writing many posts[one per week ;every week of the month is MANY in my dictionary!], responding to comments on a daily basis and all of that. n then there have been times when I hvn’t visited it in ages. I’ve just let it be;not done anything with it for several weeks. Frankly, I rarely beat myself up or feel guilty about not updating my blog as often as I should. I’ve always been aware n conscious of its existence. Of the fact that I can come here n write what I want n instantly feel better. n that’s all matters to me. After all its MINE.

All you people who have been reading me for several months now. Thank You very much. I won’t lie that the readers..commenters is one other reason that keeps me coming back to my space. As much as jotting my thoughts down makes me feel good; the fact that someone cares to read what I write makes me feel better.

I can’t remember why I started writing back in Dec 2004.Think it was a fad to own blogs then and then I had friends who wrote very well, n who I loved to read. Thus began this journey. Now its no more the fad..the most important reason why I write is ‘coz I want to be able to look back at my life and my thoughts. It’s about coming back to it several years later. Its about capturing some things in words.

So ya in [close to] 5 years…I finally have my 100th post. THIS is it! N of course the dear dear friend who created this space for me n wrote my first post.. is the obvious choice to write my 100th post. He doesn’t blog as much these days.I really wish he blogged more often.

I hope this space continues to live with me!

Okay..tell me honestly..how many of u all could identify that the “Sum of All Fears” wasn’t authored by me? N how/why? Be honest u guys!

2009-08-17T16:22:00.000-04:00

Of Love, Hate n more Intellectual stuff

I read The FountainHead. Again. I enjoyed it. Again. I could appreciate how profound it is. Again.

The 1st time I read the book, I was 19 years old and it was the first of the kind that I was reading. I was graduating from Sidney Sheldons n the likes to authors like Ayn Rand. I developed a different kind of respect for the book and it instantly became a favorite.

The 2nd time I read the book, I’m as impressed as I was the first time, mostly for the same reasons, but yet in a different way. This time I have no silly illusions about living in a world where people like Howard Roark actually exist. I don’t have the slightest dream to live life like him. I accept that, that’s so far from reality. But I do feel saddened that this is all just fiction and can never be reality.

I don’t believe I’ve come across a book that conveys deeper philosophy than this. And definitely not in a more interesting manner than The FountainHead does.I’m not surprised that the book has been in print for more than 25 years.. It is definitely likeable across genders, age groups, cultures and generations The author reminisces that they don’t write such books anymore. She could be right.

In the “Afterword”..It is mentioned that that one of the best things about this book is that it temporarily it allows you to live in Howard Roark’s world. I agree and would like to add..The book makes you imagine and wonder about how well you would fit into that world and what you would do under the circumstances.

Among the many personalities in the book are 3 key personalities, the man that WAS, the man that COULD HAVE BEEN and the man who COULD NEVER BE. I like this classification. It takes so much effort and energy to be a certain personality. No one has it easy..It is tough sometime or the other…At the beginning, thru’ the journey or at the end…for anybody…for everybody.

I could go on n on but you must read the book to be able to appreciate it. I ‘ll end with what remained a question in my head. The book suggests that “one who is not capable of hate is not capable of love”.

I believe that no greater importance can be given to someone than the emotion of hatred. It is finally the person who hates who loses ‘coz hatred results in so much negative energy. N so I don’t hate anyone or anything. Is that why I don’t u’stand what love is?Is that why I don’t know what the word or emotion means?

2009-08-10T17:31:00.001-04:00

Me Thinks…

- Its offensive that ppl respond to selected comments on their posts and don’t even bother with acknowledging the other comments.
- A certain person has blocked me on gtalk, though they keep sending me emails saying “oh!how I wish I can get online when u come online. We MUST catch up” . Yeah Rite! Why the effort to pretend I wonder!
- The gossipy neighbor who said “that girl must have committed some sin in her past, that’s why she has a mother like B” is SO out of her mind! N may I add THAT girl is 2 yrs old!!!
- Most times it’s the company that matters and not so much the place
- This world won’t let anyone who chooses a different/ out of “normal” path for their life...to live peacefully. The world doesn’t u’stand that many times it’s not necessarily a ‘chosen’ path. They don’t u’stand its really NOT their business to opine about it!
- Its unfair when one is okay with spending a huge amount simply ‘coz it’s not their money that is being spent.
- Its hard to make good lifelong friends as one grows older
- EVERYONE has an element of selfishness in them and that’s not a bad thing
- Making one u’stand that Religion and God are 2 completely different subjects is a mammoth of a task.
- Job Security is such a far-away dream
- One’s got to be so damn heartless to give family politics more importance than seeing a newborn
- A parent who is a friend to their child is not necessarily a good parent. A friend and a parent, each is a separate role and have separate responsibilities.
- Pen friends are GREAT! A blogger and I have come so far in our friendship without having ever met each other. We can’t imagine a day without mailing/texting each other. We don’t even crave to meet. We are happy with things the way they are. Touchwood!
- That I have a wonderful husband though it’s hard to explain how n why. Touchwood again!

2009-08-06T09:31:00.001-04:00

Celebrating Srishti and Sibling love!

This post has been on my mind for several days. I’m not sure why xactly I didn’t write it down..i didn’t know how to start, I didn’t know how to end, I didn’t know what to write in between.. All I knew that I was happy…very happy that my sister had a baby girl on the 17th of July. The baby girl we waited for so desperately.

When I knew she was expecting a baby..I declared how happy I was that now I will have to write letters to 2 li'l angels. I told her that I secretly hoped it would be a girl so I can buy her all the junk jewellery! N then we waited until D-day with baited` breath.

I also knew that I was very upset over not being able to be there physically, to celebrate the joy with them. To not be able to hold the bundle of joy “carefully”. To not look into her eyes n wonder what she’s thinking, to not wait for the time when she would open her eyes n look at me n thereafter declare that she approves of me n adores me n so is why she looked at me, to not get upset about the fact that she doesn’t jump with glee when I return from work…
All of this I did with her 1st child..Rishab, 31/2 yrs back.

I remember calling Rishab my li’l angel…n boy has he proved me wrong! One tiny brat he is..mite as well have christened “Trouble”.The boy is so naughty n uber cute n hes being a very loving brother (so far). Touchwood!

Srishti G Chari feels like a li’l angel too. N I secretly hope that she proves me wrong as well [tho my sister will kill me for this]

I hear from everyone that she is a very good girl. Doesn’t cry much. Sleeps for most of the day.

N the li’l darling..i think she forgives me for not being able to be with her physically. Tho she slept for the initial few mins..she did slowly open her eyes and stare at me on the webcam. She even yawned her baby-yawn for me. She does approve of me n love me! Boy! Did she make my day or what!

N while I hurt ‘coz all of family n friends collected in my house to celebrate the birth of Srishti ..it took a 3 1/2 yr old to make me feel better . This is how the conversation went :

Me : Hi rishu! How are u?

R:Fine chitti. Ni eppdi irrika?chittappa eppadi irrika?(How are you n uncle?)

Me; Fine kanna. Papa eppadi irrika?(how is the baby?)

R: Cute chitti. Aana kan tharakve matandra. Amma’v kuda avlo pakamatandra. En kuda veliyadmatandra. Thungide irika (she is cute. But she doesn’t open her eyes. Not even to see mom.She doesn’t play with me. She just keeps sleeping)

N so I told myself…I shldnt feel too bad abt not being there now. After all she wouldn’t even know that I visited her. Hopefully I can see her in a year, when she would have b’com Trouble2 n will have everyone on their toes.

Rite now shez just a bubble of joy. Completing my sister’s family. N so far Rishab is being a wonderful brother. He wants to take care of his li’l sister. Hug his sister. Play with her. Teach her rhymes.n was thrilled to have her tie rakhi for him

Therz a picture of them sitting on the swing in our balcony. She is on Rishab’s lap n he is holding onto her tightly. Shez looking up into his eyes..n he down at her. Both of them so oblivious of the fact that there is a camera trying to capture the moment. Both of them so in awe of each other. :)
[Before u get worried, there is a pair of adult’s hands holding onto Srishti..but that I’m hoping, can be chopped off from the picture]

So while Srishti is a cutie-pie herself..i’m sure a lot of her life will shape up the way it does ‘coz of her brother. I hope they both love each other endlessly..just like how my sis n I did. For a very long time I didn’t care for an identity separate from my sister’s. I loved(n yet do) being known as her li’l sister , n without even trying, in that manner, my own identity came into being.

Cheers to Srishti G chari n another era of sibling love!

Bless the 2 babies..will u all please?

2009-07-10T09:00:00.002-04:00

Ryan and Dakota.....we wait for thee!

***************
Pavi took When will you have children, what will you have and what will there names be

/* Insert a VERY CUTE pic of 2 babies here , 'coz i donno how to embed the same! */

Twins
You will have Twins 1 Boy and 1 Girl
You have the best of both worlds
They will be born on January 27 2017
They will be born naturally
They will be called Ryan and Dakota
Ryan will have Brown Hair and Blue eyes
Dakota will have Blonde Hair and Green Eyes
Ryan will grow up to be in the RAF
Dakota will be a stay at home mum with 5 Girls and will marry a Millionaire
****************

- If our daughter's husband is a millionaire, she becomes one too n thereby we,her parents too become millionaires rite?like, by default? with zero effort from our side...except of course the effort of making her!
- Can u imagine in her times Dakota is going to be a stay-at-home mom with 5 girls ?! I'm tellin u...times are changing... DRASTICALLY!
-RAF is Royal Army Airforce no??? not too bad either !
- So can someone now tell us..how do V n I...who look as desi as we do, produce childrern with brown/blonde hair and green/blue eyes?
-2017 : seeems far far away ; will have to make some changes to our early retirement plan!

/* For those of you who think i've gone cuckoo...this is a test I took on FB this morning!*/

I couldnt resist bloggin this...so i can visit this years later n validate it. n mabbe sue FB 'coz things didn't happen as it promised! ...see there are many ways of becoming a millionaire..one's just got to THINK!

PS: I really thank FB for providing such a comic relief to life n other such complicated matters!

2009-06-30T13:19:00.001-04:00

What do you do???

When you have to work on a friendship , that’s lasted 9 years(n that too alone)
When the friendship matters a helluva lot
When you are taken for granted ‘coz you are loved
When the other person doesn’t even u’stand what the fuss(read anger) is about
When they assume that you will be “okay” with anything they do
When your sure that they will be “okay” with anything that you do
When they get so upset that ur mad at them
When they seem to be clueless on how to set things right
When they say they hope that you know that you are one of their most fav people in this world
When you actually know that that’s the truth
When they donno what else to say/do to make things right
When you just like that forget to be angry
When all you want to do is share a hug n a laugh (but don’t want to give in so easily)
When u know this drama will reccur a zillion times like it already has in the past!
When u know NOTHING will really change..not even in a zillion years!

2009-06-24T17:20:00.002-04:00

Hello and All that’s Happening…

Now that’s the subject with which a dear friend and I exchange emails…Seeing an email with that subject perks me up…
[Silly boy…he hasnt yet replied to my email!]

So ..how have u guys been?Been Good?Atleast sometimes?

Okay we are done with the Hellos…let me move on to the happening bit…Well in the past months..so much has happened n then nothing really happened…

Well there was my B’day…n I had a nice one. The hubby with some friends threw me a surprise B’day party and I got loads n loads of gifts… do u mind if I list them?Don’t think u shld…these will be ideas when its ur turn to gift..
Money (from mom-dad, nanaji) – thank God somethings never change :)
A fossil watch (its so big n sexy..the kind monica wears in Friends..the kind I’ve alwez wanted!!) + other random things (that I cant list) from the hubby
A NY&Co. party (small) bag + an awesome junky chain + maybelline lipstick + card.. from the “forever friend”
A poem written by the afore mentioned dear friend... Harish
A 1 year subscription to Reader’s Digest from the friend with who I HAVE to communicate every single day of life.
Pretty tops n kurtis n jewellery.. from the bestest sis in the whole wide world
“The White Tiger” from who I think can be the world’s bestest cook!
A B.I.G white bag + a bouquet of tulips + a box of brownies(makes me crave for more YET!) + card from a friend at work
Chocolates + a surprise team lunch from the manager
karthik's wishes from the blogworld who remembered from last year that it was my b'day!
N plenty of phone calls n emails n ecards n orkut n FB scraps…

Oh thank u all for making my day so special. Its these things that makes growing old kinda worth it!

So ya ..like every year..this year too the day after the b’day was very sad…coz then when it sinks in that u’ve grown older but therz no gifts n well-wishes to compensate for the news! N ya if u havent guessed by now I LOVE BIG…..big cars,bags, ear-rings, rings, watches…’et all !

N then came the knee surgery from which I’m yet recovering…therez been a lot of drama happening over the knee for the last year n then it went to its peak over the last 2-3 mths… but now that I have got the surgery done and am “In Recovery” I can talk about it w/o panicking too much. I cant even begin to xplain the problem…’coz even the docs don’t know wat it is completely n the reason or cure hasn’t been discovered..but the wiki says only 1 in a million people get the problem. So ya..im unique n it mite pay to know me!!

The surgery has led me to discover wat a wonderful care-taker the hubby can be. That he is indeed capable of taking control and managing the home. Tho he did say that the 1st week after surgery ,when I was on anesthisia n pain killers , which had opium in it..was the most entertaining week of his married life! He says it’s better than me getting drunk! Sigh!

1 week after surgery was our Wedding Anniversary! Ya wrong timing no?!?! but it was a nice one.. The 1st time I got out of the house after the surgery….we saw The Hangover (OMG! such a laughing riot!!) and had dinner outside..n plenty of gifts again. [Don’t panic! Relax! I’m not listing these!] We have been married for 3 years…can’t believe it! Time flies! Feels like yester when I was the “MAD” [not SHY] bride running around doing the wedding shopping!

PS: I think the trick to having good celebrations..is expecting things to go bad or simply not expecting anything at all..then automatically it becomes a wonderful day..atleast most times.

This year, I’ve mostly been content with life. Touchwood. Somethings are amiss…but I don’t find a reason to crib about it night n day. Things could be worse. I really want to soak up life n live it up ! I think I have finally grown up.

N then I saw this program ‘View’ on TV…in which they said that one of the signs of immaturity is to worry about having shaved ur legs while visiting the doc. Well..I do VERY much worry about it! n I worry more when the doc is young and/or cute! So ya back to Square one…age is just a number and doesn’t say anything about growing up!

2009-06-16T18:01:00.000-04:00

Truth be told...

**Was tagged to do this on FB **

From now on, you can't tell lies, are you ready?
I’ll do my best!

Think back six months ago, were you single?
Nope

What do you carry with you at all times?
My wedding ring (I wear it)

When you say you don't care, do you mean it?
Rarely. Most times it means..i wish I could stop caring or I’m going to try to stop caring

How are you feeling?
Bored

Is something wrong right now?
Not exactly

Are you mad at someone?
No

What's on your mind?
sumthing I cant write in such a public forum

Are you jealous of someone right now?
Nope..havn't been for a while

Do you have a piggy bank that's actually shaped like a pig?
Never did!

Do you want to start over with anyone?
No..its all good

Do you know if anyone likes you?
hmmm…ya !

Are you good at hiding your feelings?
ya, If I want to.
What are you supposed to be doing right now?
Working

True love or 1 billion bucks?
I really am not gonna ans anything to do with love!

Has anyone ever told you you have pretty eyes?
I used to get a lot of “u have nice big eyes like ur mom’s" as a child n then I think my eyes just shrunk :(

Anything you would change about your life right now?
Ya..a few things.. But it could be worse u know!

You have to get a tattoo, where and what do you get?
Permanent tatoo….No..i wont get it.
Temporary….i cld get some design done on my arm.

Could you cry right now?
No, don’t feel like!

Do you ever think about stuff and start crying?
Ya, sumtimes. Specially if im alone.

How often do you hold back from saying what you are thinking?
Times when I know that me saying it wont make a difference to the situation nor give me any self-satisfaction

Are you okay with the life you live?
ya. Its been fairly good.

Last person you told a secret to?
I think it was Harish..Ahaha! Such a silly secret!

Do you like hugs?
Of Course ! But got to be from the right people!

Do you believe true love can conquer anything?
told u am not answering stuff to do with love.

When was the last time you cried?
June 8th…

How much money did you spend today?
zilch! The hubby took care of it all.

What are you sitting on right now?
Futon

Who's the last person you IM'd?
Sneha

What's something you really want right now, be honest.
Hug n sleep.

How do you feel about your hair right now?
I HATE it!

What did you do yesterday?
Work n watch a couple of shows of david Letternman

Would you forgive a friend for telling your biggest secret?
Depends

Is there someone that makes you happy every time you speak with them?
Yes..My mom or sis.

When's the last time you said you were fine and you really weren't?
This morning!

Is someone on your mind right now?
so many people..now that it got me thinking!

Who's birthday is coming up?
The li'l angel which my sis is due to have soon.

Were you happy when you woke up?
Not exactly…I was anxious about sumthing.

What is one emotion you are feeling right now?
Didn’t u ask me already?.... Boredom!

What's the last thing you ate?
omlette
Are you easy to get along with?
That’s what some people say

Ever cheated on someone?
Why do u care?

Who is the last person to send you a text?
Sneha

What are you currently listening to?
Thoughts in my head!!

2009-05-21T14:53:00.002-04:00

Feeling the Unsaid…

It is important to express oneself.. Say “I love you” ; Say “I miss you”..It is important to tell friends and family how much they matter to you, how much of a difference they have made to your life. There might be no tomorrow, for you or them..so don’t delay…pick up the phone, or the paper n pen (if ur writing a letter), or write an email and convey ur true feelings ..TODAY..NOW. Don’t be shy to hug. Don’t hesitate to cry. Kiss n Tell. EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS…SAY IT ALOUD

As you read this, many of you may be nodding ur head in agreement. Just like me, you have read and heard different versions of this, conveying the same thing in essence; from several people, in several books. N then when we meet people who don’t necessarily feel comfortable in saying how and what they feel..we torment them, and ourselves..asking them and wishing for them to say it aloud.

Is it Fair????

I’m not disagreeing with how important it is to express but we all do u’stand and agree that it is fine for each individual to be different. So there are some people who can’t say it..mabbe they donno how to say it, mabbe they don’t believe in saying it , for whatever reasons ; instead they prefer sitting back n waiting for their actions to speak; for the other person to “FEEL” their love n warmth. Is that so absolutely wrong???

A recent episode has made me realize that someone who HARDLY EVER says “I love u” ( n whenever said..it is said only ‘coz they know that I expect them to) loves me.. a LOOOOOOOOOT .. lot lot more than I could have imagined.. How n why I felt it is kinda personal..n I wont get into details here…but I felt it…n thts wat matters.
n then I felt small, embarrassed n silly..for giving them such a hard time about expressing themselves all these years. About letting all these books and people convince me that expressing oneself is SOOOOOO important! About not making the effort to u’stand that they are different n they let their actions speak for them but expecting them to make the effort to learn to speak their mind. About making life miserable for them and myself..over wat seems sooo trivial now!
Mabbe we well-spoken people should learn how to read minds and experience what they are not able to say to us, instead of preaching to them the importance of expressing their feelings in words. N mabbe we should also learn that people don’t ALWAYS mean what they say. N so mabbe we should start applying the “actions speaker louder than words” proverb in this context.

This realization wouldn’t have come if not for the episode and what followed. Mabbe in a few months, I’ll be back to square one wanting to be told how much I’m cared for and loved (I HOPE NOT!!!)...…n then I will hopefully remember to come back n read this post and remind myself about what a wonderful life I have and what wonderful people (though different from me) are a part of it!

I wish there were books and people telling us that it isn’t all that important to say the three or more precious words, that words aren’t ALL that precious to start with, that there might be some people who will not be able to say it in words and that that’s allright!!! If such books do exist n it’s just me who doesn’t know, please enlighten me! If not..why don’t one of you aspiring authors start with writing about “Feeling the Unsaid…” ?? I will surely buy it!

P.S: No offence to those of u who have written posts about the importance of expressing oneself in words, But I would surely like your thoughts on this post of mine!

2009-04-06T21:59:00.002-04:00

FB Timepass!

A couple of weeks back...V was down with the flu symptoms and took some medicines that caused him to sleep all day. So obviously moi had too much time in my hands..n how did i use it?? By taking up a zillion FB quizes...n 'coz u choose to read me..u too will be tortured ;) Here Goes....

Pavi completed the quiz "Who Were You In A Past Life?" with the result Marylin Monroe.
In your past life you were Marylin Monroe. In this life you continue to be radiant, happy, whimsical, and daring..
/*Ain't that fancy */

Pavi completed the quiz "Dr. Phil's Personality Test" with the result The Lively Center of Attention.
Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well-balanced not one to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out..
/*Don't miss the chance to get into my good books by seconding this!*/

Pavi completed the quiz "What Color Is Your Heart?" with the result Pink.
The Pink Heart is compassionate, empathetic, imaginative, sensitive, mystical, spiritual, dreamy, passive, easy-going, idealistic, visionary, inspirational, accepting, undiscriminating, charitable, believes in soul growth, self-sacrificing and artistic. They can also sometimes be distracted, detached, illusory, impractical, gullible, neglectful, escapist and lazy..
/*me...lazzzy?me...escapist??I'm offended!!*/

Pavi completed the quiz "What should your nick name be" with the result PJ.
You are a typical normal person. Your nickname should be PJ .
/*yawn...typical normal...yawn*/

Pavi scored 90% on the There/Their/They're Test test.
There/Their/They're Test: Do you know when to use the words there, their, and they're?
/*I missed the 10% 'coz of a silly mistake i realized a second late..REALLY*/

Pavi completed the quiz "Which country describes you best??" with the result Hawaii.
Your ultimate destination is Hawaii: You love the sun and relaxation of the beach..you love the crystal clear, blue waters and you love to take a dip in the pool... you don't like it too hot or too cool...you like it right in between.. better get packing... your destination awaits....
/*now wher'z the Q about who i should bug to take me there?*/

Pavi completed the quiz "What color is your personality?" with the result Melon.
You are a very shy person. But you are also very compassionate and kind. You love to help other people, and you are very selfless. If someone is hurt, you are always the first one to help even if you don't know them. However, you are very timid, so you don't have many friends. If you want to be someone's friend, tell them. Trust me, they want to be your friend too. Your motto: "Others before me."
/*Blah..shy???don't have many friends??Timid??Selfless??.. Blah*/

Pavi completed the quiz "Are You Clinically Insane?" with the result Bipolar.
Ever wondered why you're so moody? You experience days or weeks of paralyzing, cheeto-binging depression, then a week of frenzied, hyperactive, ridiculously irresponsible behavior characterized by wild thoughts, sleepless nights, maxing out credit cards, having unprotected sex with dozens of strangers... or shaving your head and attacking the paparazzi with an umbrella. Some might call that chemically imbalanced... others call it "passionate" or blame it on the "artistic temperament". Whatever you call it, you could do with some balance... and Abilify..
/*ahaha! wat docs couldn't figure, FB did :D */

Pavi took the What Car fits you the best? quiz and the result is Volkswagen golf
A car is an object to get from one place to another: nothing more, nothing less.. But if you drive one, you don't want any crap
/*I want a SUV.Period.I dont care wat any1 says!*/

Pavi took the Where are you going to end up living in your future? quiz and the result is Shack
You might be poor, but atleast you have a life!
/* See..I'm poor..now pls start donating so i can have a decent life! */

Pavi took the Are You a Grammar and Spelling Freak? quiz and the result is English Professor Material
You could correct College-Level paper! Your spelling and Grammar are Perfect!
/*Told ya! My English rocks;) */

Pavi took the What nationality are you? quiz and the result is American
Believing and ready to help! You can see the good in people, but also in yourself. too bad you seem naiv for some people.
/*wot?When?How?Why?*/

Pls note : U may be subjected to more of this kinda torture.

2009-03-20T12:22:00.000-04:00

Favor for the Sis!!

The sister of mine…I lover her…n she knows n so she takes advantage! She NEVER has time to come online or send photographs of our li’l angel(her 3yrd old) or herself(I want to see her too, now that she is expecting another angel). N that son of hers wants ALL of her [atleast] when she returns home from work at night and that part of the weekend that she’s at home. She attends phone calls more often than she used to these days but doesn’t have the time to write or respond to emails.. Alas, the excuse is shez a mommy n has a job(that demands 11 hrs of work everyday) n hardly has any time for herself…n WE ALL ( Dad, mom, I, few friends n sumtimes her hubby!) fall for her [lame] excuse n instantly forgive her!

Anyways yesterday I suddenly see an email from that gurl sitting in my inbox! I was shocked (ya, not pleasantly surprised!)n open it INSTANTLY! It talks about voting for sumone yada yada..I sigh n crib to the hubby “All that she can email after decades n centuries is this?!?!.. a forward??? N she tells us all STRICTLY to not send her any forwards!The guts of the woman!!!”.. n then today there is a follow-up email saying “ Pavi, Sorry. Pls vote for that guy and send this to as many friends as possible. Also please publish this on ur blog if u can. Am in a hurry. Longer mail later. Sorry. U know I love u”
Ya ya, I know she loves me!!! N I also know the longer mail is NEVER coming…but yet if my sis sent 2 mails abt sumthing…I’m sure as hell its sumthing SUPER important for her.. so guys, can u PLEASE read the below post and do as instructed? Pretty Please! N ya once u vote….my sis will owe u all one..just like she owes me!!!

PS: The Request for the vote is on a separate post ‘coz she wanted me to send the link to her once I publish it…and I’m not quite sure what she wants to do with it…but I didn’t want all this personal info to be with it!

2009-03-20T12:19:00.003-04:00

Vote for the Indian

A contest is happening in Australia called “The best job in the World” for which millions around the world had applied. Now, 50 ppl have been short-listed and among them an Indian – Anjaan, popularly known as RJ Anjaan from Radio One, Bangalore, has also got featured. Now, to go further he needs YOUR SUPPORT. So do vote for him and support another Indian to attain great heights at the world arena.

Vote for him at

http://www.islandreefjob.com/Anjaan

Pass this onto your friends as well. The last date for voting is March 23 and you can vote for him multiple times from the same id, but only once in 24 hrs. So everyday (if you want to) you can vote for Anjaan once from the same id.

/*Thanks a Bunch..u all!*/

2009-03-12T13:59:00.000-04:00

M Alive!!!

Hey guys..Hope life is treating u all well. The reason that I am not writing regularly is that I do not like anything I write. There are a few posts in draft mode and several which have gone to the thrash! N then of course the lazy bug bites me n so I don’t even attempt !
It’s not right that I simply vanish…n so thought I ll keep u guys posted that I’m very much alive n will post whenever I come up with decent reading material!

Meanwhile..wat is it with some people??? Therz some who want to pretend that everything and everyone about their life is PURRFECT and the rest who what to WHINE about everyone and everything! (No) complaints (galore) about the hubby/bf, the in-laws, the friends, the work, the length of weekends, the children, the snow, the rain, the increasing job-insecurity, the pay-cut, the hair-fall, the boredom, the hectic life, the acne, cooking decisions, ever-increasing waist-line, lack of time, too much time…..and the list goes on n on n on !
Can someone please enlighten these people about Striking the Balance!

2009-01-22T16:52:00.000-05:00

Back Up Plan

Firstly Thank You All…for coming back to read me and not forgettin me. I know I’m not updating my blog as often as I should..well I never have done that..but still…I feel like saying Sorry, this time around! I have been swamped since the beginning of this Year…Work has been hectic. VERY HECTIC. Guess I should be thankful that I have a job and be glad to be busy. .So, no complaints.
Weekends have been busy with outings or cooking or simply trying to keep ourselves warm! Ya this year we have had all time lows.. It went down to -40 F last week n of course the cake has to have an icing… the heater in our home stopped working over the weekend, when the temp was lowest. How did we survive? No clue! But ya we are alive!

At the end of Dec my company laid off over 10 people. That and all else that’s going on with the economy has resulted in “Back-Up Plan” being the most common topic of discussion. Over the last few months I’ve noticed most Indians, even bachelors mention having their savings to fall upon for a few months .To most phirangs the concept of savings seem alien.

I think most of us desis have grown up believing that savings is a must for a safe n good future. I’m not the kind of person who says give up ur present day fun just ‘coz u have to save up for a future which is anyway not certain. But at the same I’m totally against the kinda person who takes a loan to go shopping and attend parties, the kind who’s expenses are more than their income on a constant basis. My conscience wouldn’t let me borrow money that I don’t ABSOLUTELY need and that I can’t be certain of returning. Neither do I like anyone doing that with my money.

A friend(student in the US) told me her dad’s advise to her was to always have a bank balance enough to be able to purchase a ticket to India at any given time. I loved the advice. Think it’s very justified and sensible. Most of us are far away from our family..and ‘coz we never know wat will happen…shouldn’t we alwez have the minimum funds necessary to be with them in their times of need?

Our parents lived a lifestyle so they could save for us, their children. They made many sacrifices. Was that required? Not Really. Should we give up our present day fun to provide for our children’s future? Guess Not. Do present generation parents save money to be able to provide for their children 10 years later? I donno, mabbe it’s a parental instinct?

2008-12-31T09:33:00.002-05:00

Good Bye 2008!

I can’t believe its time to say bye to yet another year…time does fly..I still remember the end of 2007..the hopes n dreams and prayers n wishes we had for 2008..n as I step into 2009 I feel the same way…as if time flew by and as if a year was completed before I could realize…n I’m waiting with great enthusiasm to see wat the New Year holds for us…

As I look back at this year…

I’m glad that

 I had an overall good year
 I visited India
 I got my H1
 I have my job!
 I cut my hair so short [ tho its grown back!]
 Got my Driver’s license
 We went on an awesome vacation
 I don’t have to travel anymore
 There was some “GOOD NEWS” from certain friends and a family member
 Some of my dearest friends got happily married
 I got a new friend who I’m addicted to talking to
 Made a few more good friends
 Obama won the elections
 I got V to shake his leg n that he actually enjoyed it!

N I wish

 There weren’t so many terrorist attacks
 Certain relationships didn’t have to break
 Nature didn’t get so wild n furious n destroy people n things
 The economy didn’t go to the dumps
 I had been a better friend at certain times
 The relationship didn’t get as strained as it did
 A certain health problem didn’t trouble me so much
 I didn’t gain weight so fast!
 We didn’t have to move to VT
 I didn’t have to quit my previous job.

N in the year ahead I hope

 The World remains peaceful and calm
 There are no natural calamities
 There are no terrorist attacks
 The economy improves
 The GOOD NEWS gets BETTER
 We continue to have our jobs
 I learn something new
 Obama meets the world’s expectations of him
 Certain relationships return to what it was n life feels normal.
 We have yet another awesome vacation (so we can make a hat trick!)

What are your memories & thoughts as u look back at the year that was and what do you wish for, in the coming year?

And as I bid Good Bye to 2008…Here’s wishing you and your loved ones a Very Happy, Prosperous n Joyous 2009!

For those of u who enjoy seeing photographs, here are some links I received in an email,
The Year 2008 in Pictures:
Set 1
Set 2
Set 3

2008-12-28T16:13:00.002-05:00

B'lated Merry Christmas!

Hello u all....Hope u had a Very Merry Chrismtas!n that u were surprised by gifts and that u got to eat awesome pastries n drink some classy wine!

Well I've been doin great...Sorry I was gone for so long..I was out on a 2-week vacation..I didn't want to talk about it before I left 'coz this year we had planned a vacation on 3 different ocassions and each time it got cancelled.So i was kinda skeptical about it..until we were on the plane!

So where did we go...well I was off to Vegas,LA and San Diego..Enroute we went to the Grand Canyon,Antelope Canyon[Page,AZ], Joshua Tree National Monument, Mojave Deser National Preserve and Palm Springs... These were such beautiful landscapes, the kind we had never seen before.Nature at its best! Gorgeous stuff! Ones got to experience it to believe it.n our love for road-trips has b'com stronger! We hiked some Sand Dunes and it was awesome fun!If only we were taken on school-trips to these places, Geography would have made so much more sense and I might have respected the subject more!!

We did think that we were goin to escape the bitter cold of Vermont but wat are the chances...it was snowin in Vegas after 20-odd years....when we were there!!!!At the Joshua Tree,the Park Rangers told us "Your Lucky, ur here at such a time, it never ever snows at this place!!" oh well....we didn't love the cold...but I'm not complaining..the snow-capped mountains n trees were a treat to the eyes.

This trip was a perfect mix of man-made beauty and nature's beauty..one just can't compare the two. I'll try post some pics soon.

And icing on the cake...I'm happy with the 2-week vacation and ready to get back to work tomorrow[tho I'm not looking forward to wake up early!]

2008-12-03T10:06:00.001-05:00

A Prayer

A prayer for the victims…
A prayer for the dead (wo)man’s soul to rest in peace…
A prayer for the safety of those alive…
A prayer for those living to be able to be strong and not lose hope…
A prayer for the Brave men’s efforts to pay off…
A prayer for this not to b’com a Political/Religion/Civil war (’coz there is no time for that)…
A prayer that such attacks should never be repeated, NEVER AGAIN…
A prayer to know the cause…
A prayer to identify the culprits…
A prayer for a solution…
A prayer to induce some sense in the terrorist’s brain…
A prayer for love n warmth to prevail in this world…
A prayer for a Happy Morning…
A prayer for lasting peace…
A prayer for humans to be more humane…
A prayer for a Happy World...

A Prayer ‘coz it seems to be the safest bet! Amen!

2008-11-19T12:40:00.001-05:00

Relationship Questions

Some questions that I’ve been pondering over …thought I’d get different perspectives on them:

-> Isn’t it a pity that CA finally banned the law allowing gay marriages? While most of us would agree to that, (Pls tell me if u don’t, I would love to discuss/argue!) I was thinking should married homosexuals and/or single heterosexuals be allowed to adopt children?
The ideal environment for a child to grow in is with a mother and a father. Of course due to some unavoidable reasons, sometimes this is not possible. But as a law should we allow otherwise?

-> N talking about adoption one of my ex-colleagues and her husband had decided that they would have one biological child and adopt another child. But now, after having had the biological child, her husband argues about whether they will do equal justice to both the children, if they were to adopt a child. He is in doubt. What do you think?

-> Is it always people who are alike that get along very well? A friend recently mentioned about how xcited she was coz she met sumone who was in the same field as her and seemed to think like her and share her interests. Is it such stuff that makes a relationship work? So will my relationship not work coz I dislike sweets and my special someone loves sweets, ‘coz I drink and mine is a teetotaler, ‘coz I love reading books and he doesn’t really enjoy the same, ‘coz I dance and he doesn’t? Is being like-minded a key success-factor for relationships?

-> If a person cheats, lies, fools, gets over the break-up of a certain relationship too fast..for reasons which start looking like mere excuses once u start placing the pieces of the puzzle at the right spot; Does it mean that they might be the same in their future relationships? Must one be weary of such people? Is it hard to trust such a person?

N then I wonder…
-> Who is a good friend? The one who stands up to what she does not support and disagrees with; the one who voices her disagreement and shows her unhappiness over her friends’ unchangeable actions; But at the same time promises to Get over it with time and be Friends Forever OR the one who stands by her friend and nods her head in agreement from Day one, in spite of actually not agreeing…just so that her friend does not hurt?

2008-11-01T10:02:00.001-04:00

High Spirits

There are these specific days of the year..when no matter what....but ones spirits remain high..nothing can take the smile off from ones face..the enthusiasm n joy around is so contagious..that everyone has no choice but to be Happy.Diwali is one such day for me. I remain in high spirits weeks before n after the festival. The enthusiasm drops a little only to get perked up again a few weeks before Christmas! Fun n delightful times…this time of the year!

When we were kids Mom, Dad, Sis n me would go shopping about a month in advance. Commercial Street would be more crowded than usual n 2 days or so before Diwali the street would be lit up with lights looking more beautiful than ever. The lights would stay up until New Year..making us want to visit the street n therefore shop for some li’l thing every weekend!

As kids, Sis n I with a few other friends would prepare a dance for the adults. So the rehearsals for that would begin too. My mom would make so many delicacies .It would indeed become busy times with so much to look forward to. Before D-day, we would take out our new clothes, the matching jewellery etc and lay them out ready. We would start decorating the house and when we grew a li’l bigger Sis n I would spend hours drawing the huge Rangoli in front of our home. On D-day we would wake up early morning, have our mom put haldi on our legs n hands, have the special headbath, n try to be the 1st one to burst the cracker. Prats has explained the tradition very well.

As we grew up the dance routines and bursting crackers stopped..but not the enthusiasm for dressing up nor eatin the yummy stuff mom made.

Last year was my first Diwali in the US. Before Diwali I was kind-of worried about not celebratin it the way we did in India. I made sure we got new clothes and I thought why not have some people over for dinner and planned a game-night. That was the first time V n I had more than 3 people come over to our home! We had 8 guests n that nite was a hit! We enjoyed cooking, decorating the house and getting dressed ourselves. We were satisfied! N so I decided to make it a tradition..that every year we’ll host a Diwali party!

In August we moved to Vermont and in a short span of time we have made several friends. As Diwali approached I didn’t want to give up the tradition and so we started making the list for number of invitees. The list had over 30 adults. It made us nervous but we decided that we’ll have a pot-luck n then should be able to work things out. It took us over a week to get our li’l home ready for the party. A tiring but fun week.!n finally last Saturday we did have our Diwali party. We played Bingo n sang some songs. n all turned out well. All our guests seem to have enjoyed n as a host I moved from wearin a salwar to drapin a saree. It was a fun evening…n I feel so confident that I can’t wait until next Diwali to host our next big party

Now u tell me..which time of the year can you not help being in high spirits and u feel like ur in La-La-Land?

2008-10-20T21:24:00.002-04:00

Hey All...
As a result of my new job and the festive season(Dusshera & Diwali) I've been super busy on the home and work front...Sorry, I haven't been able to update my blog as often as I would like to. Pls do keep visitin!

Is Honesty Really the best Policy?

Is it important or even essential to tell everyone the truth about everything?

Is any lie...Just that...a lie? Should no exceptions be made for white lies?

Is saying the truth in any situation always the best thing to do??

A friend of mine is in that phase of life where shez looking for a partner. Shes been meeting up with men and at that point when the 2 of them get comfortable with each other and seem to like each other…she takes the plunge and enlightens him COMPLETELY about her past relationships. Her information sharing is more than simply stating that she has an ex-boyfriend. She tells the guy that shez lived in for a few months n some more details . N after this the guy doesn’t come online as often as he used to, keeps missing her calls and mysteriously vanishes…
Initially I was tempted to say “oh! The guy is not good enough if he can’t accept you they way u are, with all ur past, present details”.. But I’m beginning to rethink that..coz this has been happening with her for too long now and with too many men. Is it really important to give the guy all the details? She has honestly gotten over her ex. Can’t she simply say “Yes, I’ve had past relationships” and leave it at that?

In yet another instance..another friend’s boyfriend came along and confessed to her that he had had a thing for her friend before he fell in love with her. He said he had gotten over the crush/infatuation/whatever well before their relationship started. Yet she was disturbed. She tried to sustain the relationship for a few weeks and then she broke up. The guy didn’t deserve that. He was truly heart-broken. They would have been better off if he had kept his secret to himself.

During college days, a girl wanted to be honest n went n asked her parents permission to get drunk in Goa… well..u can guess wat her parents response to that was… n so much for honesty…she wasn’t even allowed to go on the Goa trip anymore!

During my school days for about 1 or 2 yrs, I and a few other friends used to copy during class tests. I used to pass around my paper to the boys. One fine day, my class Xiii teacher asked all those who copied to go over and confess to her. Most of us didn’t. A few who did were given grade E that year…

Honesty was definitely not the best policy in all the above cases. N Really there was no lesson to learn from being honest either. So, what’s your response to my questions at the beginning of this post? Mine is pretty obvious!

2008-10-05T21:25:00.002-04:00

20Q Again!

Ray Ray tagged me… I’ve actually done this tag before…infact I think this is the 1st tag I did…but this tag seems to have gone around the world n its come back with a new set of Qs…. So here I go..

RULE #1 People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

RULE #2 Tag 6 people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by continue this game by sending it to other people.

Note: Q4 is the one I introduced,n the people I tag are not allowed to replace it.

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
Shock n disappointment. Followed by conversations so I can figure out why it happened.n tDepending on the reasons ,the decision regarding OUR future together shall be made.
BTW..I don’t like the term LOVER.

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be?
I’m superstitious…can’t share my REAL dream..sorry!
On a lighter note…I just had my dream of getting a license come true! Yayeeeee, I passed my road test,that I took for the first time, last Friday!

3. Whose butt would you like to kick?
For fun? Let me think…Hmm.. Harish! why? Coz its FUNNNNNNNN ! n therz more surface area to kick :P
(I’m runnin ‘coz I’m def getting a butt-kick for this one!)

4. Why do you blog?
’coz I love Talkin!!!

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
Been There. Done that.:) (Just FYI I don’t know what love is! N no don’t bother trying to teach me)

6. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone?
Loving someone. U gotta be lucky n blessed to love someone selflessly and not expecting anything in return..irrespective of anything . I believe there are very very few people on this planet who can do that!

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you love?
Until I’m pushed to my limits and my patience is tested! (Damn, why are there so many Qs that have got sumthing to do with love??)

8. If the person you secretly like is attached, what will you do?
Try n Get over him! I don’t think I have a choice!

9. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?
I’m with Ray Ray on this one..Peace has got to be it!

10. What takes you down the fastest?
Betrayal, disloyalty, breaking the trust! ouch… all of that hurts!

11. What resurrects you the fastest?
TLC from the loved ones..

12. What’s your fear?
I fear losing near n dear ones. I also fear the punishment I’ll get for some of my sins!

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
Fun!Fun!Fun! A prankster. Easy-go-lucky, n did I say Fun?!

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?
Would any of this matter as long as I’m content n happy?

15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Brush my teeth n check email…for all these days. The routine could change once I start my new job.

16. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously who will you pick?
Is it possible to be in love with 2 people at the same time?

17. Would you give all in a relationship?
Well almost. Not completely though. The self-pride and self-respect matters.

18. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing he has done?
Forgive. Yes. Forget.Never. My memory is my strength n weakness. I’m incapable of forgettin!

19. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
A bit of both…It keeps changing.

20. Tag 6 people.
Gunj, Preeti(Incesant musings), Suma, CG, Ankur, xh – Just naming people I’ve never tagged before.

2008-10-02T22:27:00.002-04:00

New Beginning…

On Sep 30th I sent this email to countless folks at work, Friends and Acquaintances I’ve acquired in the last 5 years…

“Hello

One’s first job is like love at first sight. Irrespective of the flaws, the downs in the journey, it is and it will always be close to your heart.

Accenture is my first job and I have had the best and best times in these 4.10 years. It has been a wonderful platform for learning the trade when I joined as a novice Junior Software Engineer. During my tenure here, I have seen working culture in both East and West namely IDC (BDC and HDC) and USDC. Today, I am a successful career woman and my thanks go to Accenture and the various well-wishers, colleagues with whom I worked with throughout.

Hence as I move towards new pastures I take this opportunity to thank each and everyone one of you for making me what I am in my career today. I wish you a warm farewell and wish all your dreams and achievements fair-well!
It is a small world and I hope to bump into you someplace someday. Do keep in touch. My personal email-id is . “

Yes…I’ve Quit. N like mentioned in the email among many other reasons it hurts ‘coz Accenture is my first job and I’ve been there for close to 5 years. A Really long time. Needless to say, am emotionally attached to the place. I loved my work and colleagues and they in turn adored me and respected me and trusted me! Though the travel was hard , the occasional work-from-home was a treat…

The reason I had to quit is a long story and I don’t want to explain it here…but bottom-line is I didn’t have much of a choice. I had to leave.

For 3 full days now, I’m Jobless, n am lovin it…am enjoyin lazy days. On the 6th of Oct, I start work with my new company and have fingers crossed for everything to go allrite…

I’m nervous about the new job in terms of getting the work I’ve been hired to do, getting along well with my new colleagues, having a good relationship with my manager, no work-from-homes, no time to get online or surf the net during the day and working in the same office as my husband! Yeah! A couple of big changes….

But well, it all does happen for the Best… so here I am waiting for a new beginning….Wish me luck u all…

2008-09-16T13:18:00.004-04:00

Applause...

Galadriel thought i deserved this

my very first award n boy! am I excited! thanks so much gurl...

I'm required to give it away..like a passing trophy...n here are the people I would like to share this award with :

Harish : The reason for the existence for my blog. His blog inspired me to start writing and he gave my blog its title..Shorty Speaks , which i adore! Also, hes back writing n his fan-count is surely nsteadily increasing :) keep it goin Pl***y :D

Solitaire : Thanks to Psychobabble, i resumed writing after my long hiatus. It is a blog which served as a great inspiration, which helped reflect on one's own life, which helped open so many people's brains, which served as a great forum for discussions, which helped gather different perspectives and the blog 'coz of which i got to know so many of you all. never let this blog die Sneha :)

PS : She calls herself "Just a Mother of Two" n anyone whoz read her blog will know she is so much more than that! Seems to be a super-mom, super-wife, super-friend, super-writer n in sum-total a super-woman! If u haven't checked it out yet, go here to keep track of her upcoming book, 34 Bubblegums and Candies. Yes! shes a published writer! Wish u more success PS:)

Ray Ray : Therz never a dull moment on this gurl's blog. The way she narrates all of her experiences is so humorous. The fun element is rarley missing from this blog n the consistency at which they come is also sumthing to be appreciated! Keep 'em coming Ray Ray.

n yes once they start coming..they keep coming...Here is wat Harish gave me

n u guessed rite..I can't stop smiling :)

2008-09-05T12:26:00.005-04:00

Discomgoogolation

Do u know wat I’m talking about?

If u donno ur probably thinking, well..it has google n wats new about google..Chrome..so it must be something about Chrome that every1 seems to be raving about…..

Discomgoogolation has nothing to do with Chrome. But yes Chrome is super cool, I installed it yesterday n am lovin it….mite bid good-bye to I.E. except some websites don’t work on chrome…(oops I’m digressing)

Discomgoogolation is a problem that internet addicts could be suffering from. It is a feeling of distress and anxiety when one can’t access the internet.

To read more about it click Here

2-3 months back I would have been sure that I’m suffering from this thing..(bored to type that long word again, n I cant seem to remember the spelling!) But the good news is that I may not be…n I know that, ‘coz I didn’t have a need to check blogs, emails, orkut or do anything else on the web during my vacation in India. Its only when I’m at home (here in the US) or I’m at work that I have this desperate need for the internet! So, could have the problem partially!

Are u suffering from discomgoogolation??( phew!last time im typing that word!) . I wonder why its such a complicated name, like they wanted to make sure no one remembers it n also, wonder why they dragged google(..goog..) into it….

2008-09-02T11:22:00.001-04:00

No Knowing me…

Shruti tagged me centuries ago..shez probably even forgotten that she tagged me n given up on me…But I promised her that I’ll get to it..sometime..n finally the time has come…

So I’m suppose to list 5 unknown facts about me..n as I think over it, the only kind of facts that come into my head are the ones that I can’t be telling anyone..there are so many of those, that it shocks me; n those I can’t list here for obvious reasons..so yes there is No Knowing me completely.

On thinking more, here is some lame stuff I came up with:

->I come across as very transparent n the “tells it all” kinds….but the reality is I have some secrets which absolutely no one knows about. N these are my secrets that I hope no one will ever know. One of the reasons why I’m as scared of being hypnotized as much as I’m excited!

->I get very worried about my weight at times! Yes, I look small…but weight in the wrong places worries me so much..specially when I know therz no easy way to get rid of the excess!

->I donno how to apply make-up. Really. All that I know how to apply is kajal n lipstick..n that also ..im not the best at. I have no clue how to apply mascara, eye-liner, lip-liner yada yada n I don’t own any such thing! N yes, im a gurl.:)

->RayRay recently enlightened me about this. I have no idea what’s the difference between cartoons, comic, animated characters et all…n I don’t have the inclination to learn! I think they are all the same n dislike ‘em all.

->There are times when I pretend like Everything is alrite, n give everyone a happy sunny picture of my life, when that’s not what it is in reality….just hopin that sumtime(not too late) it WILL, all be ALRITE!

2008-08-26T18:54:00.000-04:00

Am Thrilled!

Guess Wat…. I got a mail.. a mail from my school principal..yes, the place which was my world for 14 full years.. n she mailed me asking if I can write an article for the Special Edition of the School Magazine. U know how it is…when the people who taught u alphabets, articles, prepositions, grammar, punctuations, words ‘et all…asks u to write an essay..putting together all of that, so many years later. I’m thrilled n excited n nervous!

When I visited India, My sis n I had gone to school. We wanted to meet a few teachers and enquire about admissions for Rishab(sister’s son). Though there were a whole lot of new teachers, there were a whole bunch of the old ones too. My LKG teacher was yet there! To think she attended our weddings n now is there to see our li’l one grow..was so emotional for us. On seeing us one of the teachers exclaimed ..”Oh My God! Look at you sisters. You haven’t changed at all. If you were in your uniform I would have reprimanded you for being out of class. You girls haven’t aged! N Sumathi , u have a son? Unbelievable !!” Yes, we were super happy! It feels so good to see your teachers look at you and beam with pride about how well their “products” have turned out. They had put in their life n soul into making these products n their effort seems to be worth it, atleast in their eyes.

Our HM, was complaining about how times have changed so much. About how today’s parents are so interfering and panic over every li’l thing their child goes back home n tells them. She was telling us about how during those days they could freely scold us and give us punishments when we had done wrong (which I’m sure every child does) but how that isn’t possible today. She said Children have learnt to spin yarns and parents believe everything the child says. She was also telling us about how parents were so desperate to showcase their child and keep showin-off about wat all their child could do. One feels like it’s a competition among the parents for which they use their children.
Now I’m sure this is not true of all parents. But yes I’ve seen many parents like this, who love to keep talking about n show-casing their child’s talents at any given opportunity. They don’t want anyone to scold their child. N I don’t think that’s a very healthy way of growing up.

BTW I got this mail from my principal Monday morning and have been thinking of what I can write about…Any suggestions?

2008-08-22T00:05:00.000-04:00

The Move

Alrite…so one of the things I promised to write about is the move…so here I go…This one is long.

We moved to Vermont from Maryland for a whole bunch of reasons, the details of which I’m not getting into.

V n I had foreseen busy times keeping in mind my India trip and so started packing the Memorial Day weekend…Whenever V traveled to Vermont, he took a few bags/boxes with him…so it wouldn’t be that bad finally..

From when I returned from India we had 12 days including 1 weekend to finish packing, cleaning up the apartment etc etc…Seemed do-able, though strenuous… until the point when I was told I’ll have to travel for a week…That left us with 12-4 , 8 days out of which there were 6 working days! Gosh! Those were tiring times!

We were moving on Saturday. I got back home on Thursday late night. On Friday office work wasn’t too stressful. N I was thankful coz there was so much of packing n cleaning to do.

We used to stay in the 3rd floor and after much lookin around had not found any help with carryin stuff down. V n I was to carry everything down by ourselves! Sigh! The plan was to load the trailer Fri afternoon/evening and then start the journey of about 12 hrs on Saturday early morning. But the uhaul chap couldn’t fix the trailer to the car that evening..n so our plan was delayed. Of course we were bugged…but finished packing n cleaning n etc etc n hit the sack around midnite in preparation for a long day ahead.

On Saturday we carried the couch n mattress n futon n Dining table n chairs n TV n book shelf n this n that all by ourselves down 3 floors. It took us 4 hrs to load the trailer. We showered n left around 2 pm. We thought the worst was over. Little did we know what was ahead!

The drive went well for most parts until we were about 3 hours from home..n there was thunderstorm n rain. V managed to drive thru that tho it slowed us down considerably. N then close to midnite, when we were abt 30 miles from our new home the car started making some weird noise..we pulled over..checked for a bit couldn’t really spot anything that could be fixed n so carried on..After 10 mins..when we were 20 miles away from what was to be our home sweet home…the car seized! Ya it just seized n wouldn’t start! We dialed a zillion numbers including uhaul insurance n car insurance n yada yada…Finally after abt 2 hours , our solution came from a call to the local police department. We were told towing vehicles will be sent. All this while..it was raining.

When we finally got home it was around 4 am on Sunday.

The car engine was gone and we had to get it replaced. We didn’t have a car for more than a week. N in the US, specially Vermont that’s a nightmare! I had a flight Monday early morning…n the bad luck with my travels has stuck on! I’m so tired of cars that won’t start and delayed flights.. Even people at work are wondering why im having this spree of bad luck with regard to travel…but well that’ll be another long post… which I’ll spare u of.

BTW as a reward to ourselves for goin thru all that we did..We got ourselves a new 32’’ HDTV :D..the Hubby’s idea of course!

2008-08-19T14:29:00.000-04:00

Pact Keeper

3 boys, an insane conversation, endless laughs, unlimited nonsense, some boy (or mabbe men)..k lets call it guy talk and (of course) Me….lead to me being assigned the role of a pact keeper! N I’m super thrilled about it!

So the guys sign a pact every once in a while….n I am the keeper! Yayeeeeee…Wat exactly my responsibilities are…I’m not sure..but the boys MUST tell me the details of the pact when they sign it and also details about when each one of them fulfills it! That was enough motivation for me to take up the role.

I tell u these guys are whackos and the pacts are interesting! Hints/updates on the pacts can be read here . But don’t say I didn’t warn u ..that it may not make sense to u!

K lets play hot or cold…Why don u people guess wat kinda pacts guys make..(should be easier for u men!)

Yayyeeeeeeee yayeeeeeeee yayeeeeeeee.. I am a Guys’ Pact Keeper !

2008-08-06T14:08:00.001-04:00

Orkut says

Today's fortune: If your desires are not extravagant they will be granted.

Alrite...accepted..now can someone please define extravagant for me??

2008-08-01T16:24:00.002-04:00

N I’m Back

Finalllllllllllllllllllly.. I found the energy, time n mood to update my blog…ya if any1 of this is missing…it’s a problem…the blog says dormant…n this time…all 3 were missing.

Thanks to all of u all who left behind comments for me. I ll reply to each one of u all soon. N thank you so much for not forgettin me.

I came back from vacation on the 13th of July n since then have been busy with work, traveling on work, packing, moving(details in another post) and reading most of ur spaces. Life has truly never been busier…n I’m hoping I’ll get to heave a sigh of relief soon!

Yes, yes, yes my vacation was great. I got pampered silly n spoilt rotten (by parents, relatives, inlaws n few friends). I got to do some things that I wished to do n didn’t get to do the rest. But overall it was nice.

Traveling alone wasn’t as bad as I thot it would be…but some ppl I tell u are so stooopid. Specially those holding clerical jobs. No offence meant to any1.Ya, I ll write abt this too in another post.

It was gr8 to see my home…so much has changed n so much hasn’t; If u know wat I mean. I think the most obvious changes were in Rishab (sister’s 2 ½ yr old son) and my nana-nani-ji. The li’l one had grown up too fast and my grandfolks were also getting old too soon. Everyone else was the same. When it was time to say bye…Rishab was the hardest to say bye to.(will write a post on the li’l brat later !!)

There’s a new Sweet Chariot store opened at about 3 mins walking distance from home and a new chaat shop. Had yummmmmmy home-made food, veg puffs , chaat, masal dosa etc etc etc. Lazzy Lazzy days. No one would let me do any work. I had almost forgotten how to cook when I returned n V bought that for a few days:)

My first time alone with inlaws was fabulous! We had fun bitchin abt V endlessly :P n missed him lots too !

When it was time to return, I was actually ready to return. It didn’t feel as bad as I thought it would feel. One part of it was missing V. But I was also missing work n home n yada yada yada. N that was nice for me. Now I know I’ve moved on. My love for Blr hasn’t decreased but I’m open to living in another place w/o thinking “I’m missing so much”. I feel good going back home after a year or 2, having a great vacation n then resuming life…

N yes..since I’ve come back I’ve had so much to do on the home n work front that I’ve more than made-up for my lazy days in India. I so badly n desperately need a break!

oh ya, I almost forgot...welcome back to my space u all...I hope u've been good, as told :)

2008-06-16T06:18:00.001-04:00

About the Excitement

As promised, here is why I'm excited.So this update was suppose to come in 2 posts but have been pressed for time. So here goes all in one post..

Well firstly… V n I celebrated our 2nd anniversary this Saturday. Yes, it was a beautiful day. It’s hard for us or family n friends to believe that we have been married for 2 years…Time does fly indeed.Feels like it was yesterday when I was a new bride! As a friend said 2 years of “Unbelievable Togetherness”.

Next..I’m goin on a Break. N naaah I’m not sayin it ‘coz almost every1 in blogshphere seems to have said it n infact gone on a break atleast for a week…but I’m actually taking a break from my day-to-day routine.. yayeeeeee !

I’m flying to India, Bangalore, Home…after 1.5 yrs! I’m so looking forward to it. This is the 1st time I’m going to MY home on a vacation so I’m not sure how it’ll be! I keep hearing about the zillion changes..donno how it’ll be to see it all.

I look forward to see Rishab (sister’s 2.5 yr old son). The last time I saw him was when he was 1 n trying to talk n walk w/o holding anything, quite desperately. He talks so much on the phone these days n seems to have grown so much; I wonder if I’ll be able to recognize him. I really hope he warms up to me soon! I’m dyin to take him shoppin!

I’m dyin to eat food cooked by ma. Infact I’m waiting for my turn to say “Hey, I ll tty later, Mom’s calling me for dinner!” How many of my friends have said this to me in the last year n how jealous I have felt. Only I know!

Sis n mom are taking a break from work while I’m there. So there could be plenty of gurl-talk!

My nana-nani-ji will pamper me so much I know for sure! They used to pamper me when I visited ‘em for summer vacations! N my nani will cry! Tears guaranteed as soon as she sees me n when I’m leaving n mabbe while I’m there. Sigh!

Sis n I will go berserk shopping! (V may cancel my trip if he reads this!!)

Looking forward to catch up with all my loony friends! N turn mad all over again!

Waiting to goto Tirupati.. that’s one place which I must visit. Just a personal belief!

This is the 1st time I’m going to be alone with my inlaws i.e minus V. Damn! I’m nervous! I donno wat I’ll talk to them n so many people ask this Q of me! Any suggestions? They are waiting for me too :) n I’m thinking evverything should go well…n I should prove to be a good bahu ;)

N I have to make some doc visits that I’m not looking forward to. Fingers crossed about that.

Also don’t look forward to fielding Qs on when we plan to have a baby! Damn! I dread that Q n long lectures that’ll follow! But I know its coming!!! n also Qs on what are our plans for future n where we plan to settle. Only if we know can we think about telling people. For starters we donno our plans!

V is not coming. Feel bad about that. I dread the journey all alone n I’m gonna miss him there (atleast at times)! But well..i think the only motivation factor for me to look forward to my trip back from home to here will be V. So not too bad I guess?!?!

But all that matters now is that I’m goin home! Yayeeeeeeeeee! Super excited.

I’ve removed comment moderation as you may have already noticed. So no mean comments please. I have no clue about how often I ll be able to read or write blogs. If I don’t get time there, I’ll catch up wit u all once I’m back! Feel free to let me know that u miss me if u do! I’d love to hear it. How-many-ever times!

U all be good n smiling until the next time :)

2008-06-11T17:01:00.002-04:00

Moi

Taggin myself with this one 'coz i liked it

I am : wat I am!
Excited! (will tell u soon why!)

I think : so much !

I know : that eventually it all happens for the best!

I want : nothing at times and everything at other times!

I have : memories of wonderful things!

I wish : I could undo the last 1 year of a friend’s life n let her start fresh

I hate : nothing!

I miss : the good ol’ times in Blr.

I fear : a special someone’s anger

I feel : our lives have already been planned!

I hear : the unsaid most times

I smell : good food!

I crave : to eat food cooked by mom.

I search : for a reason

I wonder : what’s gonna happen in the next year

I regret : Nothing in my life!

I ache : when near n dear ones are in pain

I m not : into poetry

I believe : perfection is non-existent

I dance : when I’m happy or sad or just like that

I sing : when I’m around people who I’m comfortable with!

I cry : rarely these days

I don’t always : not worry about my weight

I fight : for things that matter to me

I write : what I feel like

I win : at times

I lose : at times

I never : go to a restaurant or movie alone

I always : wear matching ear-rings

I confuse : when I cant convince

I listen : depending on my mood

I can usually be found : on gtalk!

I m scared : when my friends ask me to make decisions for them

I need : to be loved

I am happy about : my upcoming trip

I imagine : all the beautiful things that life will hold for V n me

I tag : Ray-Ray, Solitaire n Harish

2008-06-09T18:45:00.001-04:00

Bookish thoughts

Been tagged.
Tag Rules
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge the person who tagged you.

Found the 5th sentence n the next 3 sentences are: Kinnard said with equal sarcasm, “Have a nice life.” He threw his car into reverse, shot backwards and skidded to a stop. Then he put the engine in drive and tromped on the accelerator.

Those are the lamest 3 sentences! Anywez..wanna guess which book?

N yeah since almost every1 has done this tag over the weekend, I’m not taggin any1.

*******************************
Talking about books…Would you rather read a story in a book or see a story as a movie?

Personally I’d rather read a book:
It leaves something to the imagination. I mean, the complete visualization is left to ones imagination. The place, the characters all of it!
N a movie lasts just 2.5 hrs. A book definitely lasts longer. There are so many more pgs
A book is more descriptive.

Da vinci Code book was 100 times better than the movie.

Well..I cld go on n on…u tell me wat u like more? n mabbe even egs of books/movies?

*********************************
BTW , I’m Jealous of all u who are studying n writin xams! I miss those days - combined studies n sleepless nites n maggi during all hrs n the tension n random laughter n the celebration once the xams are over! I miss it all!

I know the grass is greener on the other side!Anywez Good Luck to all of u writing exams or ur thesis!

2008-06-04T00:27:00.000-04:00

Seduction by Surpise?!?!

Below is a conversation btw my friend, Horton n a gurl Ashley. The two of ‘em worked together for a while in ACME n that’s how they know each other.

Horton really is the God of Sarcasm n can take someone’s trip without even ‘em realizing it.

6:54 PM Ashley: Hey
How r u today?
How was weekend
6:56 PM Horton: i good
weekend was great
7:00 PM Ashley: What did u do?
7:02 PM Horton: met my gang of friends from ACME
Ashley: Thats great
how r they?
7:03 PM Horton: great
Ashley: U know vanessa got married
She was also from ur gang itself i guess
7:04 PM Horton: i knw
she cudnt come...was busy
7:05 PM Ashley: Yeah, obviously newly married people
;)
7:06 PM Horton: :)
7:09 PM Ashley: Gary married Ann right?
me: yeah
Ashley: How r they?
me: she was also there
greattt
7:10 PM Ashley: Nice to see people u know happy
:)
Horton: yeah true
Ashley: I guess i can never be happy
:(
Horton: why?
7:11 PM Ashley: Im soo damn confused abt all the 3 BFs of mine
Horton: 3 BFs?
woww
Ashley: im never serious
Scared to get into marriage
7:12 PM Horton: but u have 3 bfs?
seriously? good appetite
:)
7:13 PM Ashley: not really
I just flirt with them
and not serious
Horton: just flirt?
Ashley: They are serious and thats the problem
7:14 PM I feel soo damn irritated now, what turned out to be a joke has become serious
Horton: all 3 are serious?
and want to marry you?
7:16 PM Ashley: yeah
Cuz they think i like just them as i have not told abt others
My life is in a kind of mess now
:(
Horton: oh
7:17 PM Ashley: So planning to escape to the UK
soon
Horton: who do you like ?
u migrating to UK?
Ashley: im confused
yep
Till this issue settles down
for 6 months
7:18 PM Horton: nice...hope you dont find and charm a british guy there...
i mean...u seem to be insatiable...3 guys n all
Ashley: Oh well
I have already found some
Garry, Jon, Guy and Alexander
Horton: who are they?
Ashley: U can see their pictures in my profile
7:19 PM My best buddies there at the UK
Horton: so they also are fida ovr u?
7:20 PM so u have 7 boyfriends then... :-)
7:21 PM Ashley: not fida but they like me
Ashley: I have changed a lot since then
Horton: is it?
Ashley: yeah
I dont look like that innocent ugly gal anymore ;)
7:22 PM Horton: hey...u never were ugly
Ashley: I felt i was as i put on weight
Horton: naah
Ashley: now i worked out and became better
Yeah
Im super hot ;)
7:23 PM hehe
Horton: im not surprised...
u must be ultra hot...as u have 7 BFs man
how do u manage al that?
Ashley: I worked out and diet
and some grooming needed
7:24 PM Horton: nice
Ashley: and i got into a good job at XYZ which helped me earn loads
Horton: rich and hot...wht more do u need?
Ashley: Then no more loooking back i guess
Horton: nice...
Ashley: I have one more thing to accomplish through
7:25 PM Horton: rich hot confident and a line of BFs
what is that? :D
Ashley: - Im working to also setup a new company
So thats what i wanna accomplish
Horton: hmm...
woww
7:27 PM Ashley: So need to put in a lot of efforts and no time for my BFs
7:28 PM Horton: hmmm
Ashley: Probably u did not know much abt me
7:29 PM and u got to know now
7:30 PM Horton: :)yeah
7:31 PM ure a hot rich woman who is gonna start her own company and has 7 bfs...4 indian 3 uk
7:39 PM Ashley: hehe
not bad, u r a quick learner
7:40 PM Horton: well...im tempted too..
Ashley: stop joking now
Horton: who said im joking?
Ashley: I know that even u r a BIG flirt like me too
7:41 PM ;)
Horton: me? flirt?
Ashley: yeah, i felt u were
Horton: not me
Ashley: oh well, it may be my assumption then
Horton: he he
7:53 PM Ashley: k. Where are you at these days?

7:55 PM Horton: im at New York

Ashley: I mean where in New York?

7:56 PM Horton: East Village

Ashley: okay

Horton: haan...so temme

Ashley: what to tell yaar

I was just flirting as usual

;)

7:57 PM Horton: u were?

Ashley: yep

Horton: with me?

yeah rite?

Ashley: yeah

Horton: me....of all people

Ashley: Wats wrong with that

Horton: u have 7 bfs man...and all must be hunks

Ashley: Whats wrong with u?

Horton: and ure hot...why shud u?

nothings wrong with me...hellooooo

:)

Ashley: U r not bad either

U R pretty good looking

Horton: now don say that just coz i said ure hot

i was truthing n ure lying

:)

Ashley: nope i am hot, i stick to that :)

Dont worry thats the truth

7:59 PM Horton: yeah...the truth is dat..ure hot im not

Ashley: oh well

Thats not a problem

U dont have to be hot to flirt

Horton: problem for what?

ha ha....

8:00 PM Ashley: U need to be hot just to get gals do what u want them to do :)

And that you are.

I have seen you in Acme.

You always had a big fan following

Horton: what is that? (I mean make them do wt?)

8:01 PM Ashley: I hope i make sense

If i am hot guys listen to whatever i ask them to do

Horton: no

oh....

8:02 PM Ashley: If u are hot, gals will listen to whatever u ask them to do

Goddit??

Horton: oh....

so what all have u made guys do to you?

Ashley: oh well, not much

8:03 PM just to pick me or drop me, sometimes accompany me for shopping

Horton: dats all?

freinds do that yaar

8:04 PM Ashley: I mean my work and relax when im tired of working

Horton: lol

Ashley: oh well, i may want them to do more later

but no time now ;-)

8:05 PM Horton: want to do what?

Ashley: I may want to get wilder later

;)

Horton: wild is so generic...:)

8:06 PM Ashley: yeah, i guess u need to clearly tell me what u want me to do ;)

Horton: me??

Ashley: So i would follow ur instructions

Horton: i don want you to do anyhting...c'mon

8:07 PM im just asking out of curiosity

N at this point my Very wise Friend said he had to go and blocked her for good on chat. The first part, I was laughing at the conversation n in the 2nd part towards the end..i wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh or cry!

U tell me wat u think and I ll post what I think as an update to the post.

2008-06-01T22:12:00.001-04:00

Devils as Friends

Now most of my dear friends are devils! They really are! They love embarrassing me, teasing me, plotting against me. It brings them so much of joy, that I let them entertain ‘emselves. There are 2 friends in particular. One from School. One from College. Who this post is about.

She n I studied in the same school since KG. She‘ll forget my B’day. Her B’day is almost exactly a month after mine n there have been years when the lights begin to blink only after I wish her for her B’day! She’ll just not keep in touch! At times it’ll feel like she just doesn’t care. We both have had major arguments. Been without talking to each other for months together.
But she’ll make up in a grand manner. Her cards to me are mostly hand-made. Her Sorry cards are sooo from the bottom-of-her-heart. The card she gave me before my weddin was so beautiful with a collage of both our pics from the childhood days and wonderful words. (This gurl has her way with words). I was the first friend to talk to her then To-Be fiancée. N i couldn’t u’stand why! I didn’t know she had so much regard for me! She had told him that she had had wonderful childhood days with me! Crazzzy Gurl, she never did tell it to me that way!

He n I met in college. Typical Hindi movie style we had a zillion real bad fights before we grew to b’com such thick friends! He has made me cry so much! n then got angry that I cried and didn’t make the effort to make me feel better. He would call me a day after my B’day! He would refuse to let me ride with him on his bike at times. He would tell me how much he hates Bangalore!
But he was the one who would make me laugh so much as well. I could (n can) tell him absolutely anything under this planet. He would be so caring n protective at times, that it would surprise me. He would send me these sweet sorry mails and the grammar in his mails would be all messed up making me laugh n forget my anger! He has a special nick for me which he uses once in a while. He knew I loved cards n so gave me 2-3 of ‘em at one time. His reaction to the news of my Marriage was so …hmm I can’t find the right word…but he was happy for me n scared we wouldn’t be as good friends that we were. (Touchwood! We yet have what we had!) His gf complained to me that he had been cryin so much when I was leaving Blr. He visited me here in the US!

I so often make a strong resolve not to talk to these 2 people ‘coz of how much they hurt me. I’ll be so mad at them for days n weeks n months. But I can never quite keep the resolve. They woo me back into friendship in great style that I find it so hard to resist. I find it hard to imagine life without them! Well some relationships are worth the pain ‘coz of the joy they bring to Life. Hope the friendships last forever!

Similarities between these 2 are that they are both Gemini, they are over-confident about our friendship n both are getting married in Dec this year (To different people)!!!!
I’m sooooooooo xcited n happy for them! Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it to either of their weddings but all of my thoughts this Dec will be with them, I’m hoping to spend some good time and share grand hugs with them when I goto India.

2008-05-29T08:47:00.003-04:00

Good Deal?????

Please make the time to read the following 2 articles :

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7418755.stm

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSCOO85501120080528?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&rpc=69

Seriously, wat is this world coming to?Have these parents lost it? I 2nd n 3rd my thought that sometimes the so called "normal" people walking around are the ones who need treatment rather than the ones who are called mad/insane n locked up in hospitals. The normal people are far more dangerous to humanity at times!

n to have the balls to call that a joke!Woah! wat a sense of humor! $1.6 for thier li'l one!or even $10,000!A price tag on their li'l baby.How cruel is that???How hurt will those li'l beings be if they u'stood wat was happening with them. I sincerely hope they never hear about this. Don't these parents realize somethings in life are priceless!

2008-05-26T09:06:00.000-04:00

After a Fight…

The kind of person I am..if I have a fight/argument with anyone..hubby/family/friends/co-worker….any1… I’d like to talk it over, I’d like it for all parties concerned to pour out their anger..mabbe the fight could last for 30 mins..an hr..cpl of hrs (if it must)…but that’s its…not more than that. “Never Sleep over fights” is my attitude.

As it is I get worked up n tensed about fights. If I’ve had an argument with someone..thats all I can think of until that argument is resolved, until we have resumed our normal conversations. I lose sleep over the fight. I cry at times in anger n frustration. I don’t like the dead silence after a fight. I don’t like to do “my own thing” or “go my way”. I’ll talk anything to just fill that silence…mabbe even about physics/math (which I hate) or politics (which I have no clue of) n if there is a “sorry” exchanged followed by a hug, I’ll be on top of the world!

But alas, that’s how I feel. Not they way people around me feel. N it takes 2 people to resolve fights!

How do you like to handle such situations?

2008-05-20T22:37:00.002-04:00

A Date with Your Honor

(Sorry this one got too long, couldn’t help it)

I’m guessin u’ll be wondering what am I talking about, who am I talking about? Well, as soon as I say “Your Honor” who comes to ur mind??............................ If it’s the Judge, then ur right, that’s who I’m talking about!

Now ur wondering why on earth did Pavi go on a date with a judge?? Well, I didn’t have a choice….so here is the story of how it all happened!

So it was one of those Sundays in Feb when V had to travel on work. Now I’m kinda used to V traveling once in a few weeks, its been close to a year since we are following this routine..but everytime he has to travel I get tensed about how I’m gonna spend the rest of the Sunday and the week! The week actually fly’s by, thanks to work n blogs n chat…but I don’t like any part of the weekend without V. Not sure I’ll ever get used to it…. Anywez…

So V was traveling on United to Vermont. He had checked in online the previous day but could not get a seat. He had a confirmed ticket of course, so nothing to worry about. He left home around 1:45 pm for a 4:45 pm flight. It was about an hour and a half drive to the airport n then he had to park his car and take a shuttle to the main terminal. No check-in luggage. The security lines are unpredictable n that day it was long . Now DC airport sucks! From the main terminal to the other terminals one has to take another shuttle. But of course V had nothing to worry about coz’ he had a confirmed ticket and he had checked in online. He didn’t need more time than he had!

He reaches his gate around 4 pm .The line to the helpdesk at the gate was really long n V waits patiently to get his seat number. Eventually at about 4:20 pm they tell him hez on Stand By and mostly he will not be able to get on that flight as they already have too many people waiting. Now V was beyond shocked ‘coz this ticket was booked like 3 weeks back! The next flight they could put him on was Tues afternoon. Before that all their flights were fully booked.

Right at this time, I call him ‘coz I’m worried that I haven’t got the call to say he’s reached the gate. He tells me what happened n I immediately call United helpdesk. They tell me this kinda stuff is impossible! I mean what audacity!!!! Like I’m so jobless to call up United n make up some fancy story of this sorts!(In my younger days I might have done it.But not this time!I had a confirmation number to prove myself!) They said they can’t help much and he should contact the Airport authorities!! They had clearly overbooked the flight! I figured no point in wasting time with them n tried to look for alternative flights. But none seemed feasible.

V was already in the line for the Airport Helpdesk which was another long queue. It was 4:45 n obviously V’s flight took off without him! The only thing the Airport authorities had to tell V, when he eventually reached the helpdesk was “sorry” and that he could rebook his ticket for a date convenient to him! How generous!! They had no tickets available for that day n so V just rescheduled the trip for 3 weeks later and decided to drive down to Vermont!

He calls me around 6 pm to say that he has booked a rental car n will be driving down to Vermont. Now I was furious. This just didn’t make sense!! It was a 9-10 hrs drive and I didn’t want V driving alone. I was gonna work from home that week, so I told V to come home n pick me up and that we two will drive together. Then I ran in to have a shower (yeah, it was a lazy Sunday n I hadn’t showered till the evening!), packed my bag, n some stuff to eat etc n got ready.

It was 8:30 pm when V reached home, thanks to the traffic, n we set off on the long drive! It was past midnight n we both just wanted to reach Vermont. We thought the evening/night couldn’t get worse. Murphy’s Law has never been so much in action as on that day! N then things did get worse!!

A cop car’s lights flashing at us! Our first time! V’s first time in 3.5 yrs! Sigh! He was doin a 100 on a 60 speed limit. It was 2 AM. There was no soul on the road. We didn’t expect this! V is very tactful while driving fast. He alwez knows when to slow down. His eyes rarely miss the cops. But alas that day was dedicated to troubles! The cop was ruthless. He gave us 6 points and imposed a fine!(sob)

We reached the hotel tired n worn out at about 5:30 AM. Hit the bed and started Monday morning at about 8 AM. Since then V kinda sticks to speed limits! All of it was just too stressful!

6 out of 10 points was too much to have on the license. If he got 10 points his license would be suspended. n so we decided to plead guilty. We made up a fancy story to justify ourselves. (The story will make this long post longer..so I’ll skip it!) Our court date was May 13, in Albany! V would make me watch Judge Judy and say “This is how it will be. Be prepared”. For those who haven’t seen the show that Judge is awfully mean!n entertaining!! If ur in the US n have never seen that show, ur missing sumthing!!!

On May 13 things were not too bad. I mean, it could have been worse. We told our story to the lawyer and the points were reduced from 6 to 3 and a fine of 175$ was imposed!

Once we come out of the court all that V has to say is “How boring is the Judge’s job! He just has to read out what the lawyer has scribbled for him on the paper!!” Nothing as exciting as what we thought happenend. Hmmmm…… A boring date indeed!!!

2008-05-15T10:21:00.002-04:00

A to Z of me…

Was tagged to do this centuries ago by I can't remember who..but chose to do it now...'coz my posts are getting too serious for my liking these days...

Assumptions
The mother of all u-know-what!

Bangalore
Home is where the heart is! Childhood and plenty of amazing memories!

Challenges
Life’s full of them and each one of them teach a valuable lesson

Dance
Ohhh , how much I love it n miss it!

Epitaph
My epitaph will read “Pavi has finished Speaking!” (I think)

Friends & Family
My world

God
The reason I continue to breathe and enjoy each moment that life offers!

Holidays
I so badly need one! Seems like it was centuries ago that I had the 2-mth summer vacation!

Jewellery
I love wearing ‘em. Specially Junk-jewellery. If u have the perfect ear-ring , chain, bracelet and finger-ring..u can’t look wrong :)

Luck
This is what really matters at the end!

Mother
The woman I most respect and admire on this planet

Memories
I'm so thankful for this!

I do know my alphabets...Did M twice intentionally

Never
A word I try not to use ‘coz I don’t think anything in this world is permanent

Organized
I think I am organized..atleast inside my head..my thots are organized most of the time ;-)

Perfection
The existence of which I don’t believe

Quote - fav
Everything happens for the best (it really does)
or during the bad-mood days I settle with “Never Give Up”!

Regret
Nothing!

Sorry
A word I say easily! And mean it when I say it!

Thank You
Another word that I say often! And am accused of Being formal for using it so often!

Understand
If one understands a person/thing/situation…..would it be a less-complex world??

V-factor
The 1st letter of the names of most of my crushes and my dear hubby starts with V. Started writing posts about this back in 2006 in my blog and then decided against it! The post on V Factor -part I, remains in my blog 'coz i don't like deleting posts.

Weddings
Fun, eventful n tiring times… Times that never (should)come back!
Of course I'm talking about one's own wedding here

X –Rays
They say it reveals it all! Reallly? Then how come the docs couldn’t figure out wats wrong wit my knee for the over 9 mths!

Yawn
Am tired , doing this tag!

Zzzzzzz
Wish I could go back to sleep!But its 10:30 AM on a work-day!!!

2008-05-12T07:16:00.001-04:00

Of Relationships in Blogsphere

I’d like to believe that most of us who maintain blogs do so for our love of writing, for reaching out to people, as a medium thru’ which we can share our experiences and feelings, to spread awareness about thingswe know and mabbe to make new friends(tho that can’t be the sole reason).
I personally have come across many kinds of people on blogsphere - some of who I have made nice friends with, some who open up my mind thru’ their writings, some who give me a reason to smile everyday, some for whom I Hope n pray that things get better soon, some who remind me of my teen years and a zillion other things- all positive. Honestly, there are a few I like to build a relationship with out of blogsphere but a few others with whom I want to retain my relationship to within blogsphere.

N I believe that’s what it can be. One can’t love or hate a person with whom they have such limited interaction and exposure. One thing we must all remember is that what we know of a person is just’ thru’ what they write and mabbe their comments. So one can’t afford to get judgmental or make assumptions about a person. It would be incorrect.

I’ve noticed people thrashing others in Blogsphere. Getting abusive. Cursing. All without a Reason. All without any explanation. If one does feel wronged I think they should reach out to the person concerned and try have a conversation instead of lashing out at the person in all blogs. It’s a li’l easy for the rest of us to say “Ignore it” to the victim. Well that’s what one does eventually. But it’s annoying and disturbing to start with .

If I don’t get access to a private blog I should be insane to take offense n start thinking that blog is dedicated to bitching about me! The contents of a private blog are only for the eyes of those who the author has granted access. It is not ethical for this information to be shared with others. That too incorrect information!!!

I always thought that one common trait of everyone in Blogsphere is that we love to write. This joy is taken away when such stuff occurs. This joy is taken away when anonymous commenters leave behind inappropriate messages. I’m forced to write about similar kind of stuff repeatedly ‘coz such incidents keep happening with someone or the other n I don’t want to take a diplomatic stand or keep quiet about this.I want to stand up and say i disapprove of such stuff!!

2008-05-07T21:03:00.005-04:00

Random Thoughts….

Some of u wanted to know wat I did on my B’day..How it was…. Well it wasn’t like every year….

We went to this v. exquisite place for dinner.I got wishes thru’ e-mails, e-cards, comments on my blog, the phone, scraps on orkut , IM etc…they all felt good. Some of it was AS Expected, some was More than what I Expected, Some was totally Unexpected and a few was Lesser than what I Expected.

I’m not going to get into details. But this was a different B’day. The first of its kind. Mabbe that’s how B’days become as one grows up. How unfortunate!

**************************************************************************
Not very long back I had a dream. Not a nice one, so I’m not telling you the details. I can never remember dreams when I wake up, wonder why I had to remember this one!!Posting about my dream will force me to relive the dream and also have me looking back at it ‘n’ times..Both of which I don’t want to do. But this dream had me thinking thru’ some things…

After this dream, in my head I had a message to a certain someone – “I hope atleast now u realize my value in ur Life. Hope u miss me and realize the role I play in ur life”. This for someone who matters helluva lotn to whom I should matter helluva lot!!! I don’t feel good about it.

***************************************************************************
Tell me if u think doing the following is being pessimistic. Give me ur immediate reaction 1st and then ponder over it and tell me what you think is RIGHT

- Writing one’s will in the Twentys.
- Signing up one’s organs for donation as soon as one realizes that such an option exists. Mabbe when one is 12 yrs old?
- Deciding on who’ll take care of ur babies/kids/children once both u n ur spouse gone? At which point do u think this decision should be made?

If you can think of any other Qs like this, which are hard to answer but probably must be answered, feel free to ask.

PS: I’m not in the best of moods. I’m hoping it’s the usual yearly feeling I have after my B’day and therez nothing more to it. But this yr it wasn’ t even all that special a Day. Darn! I donno wats wrong :(

2008-05-01T18:59:00.002-04:00

Sum it up to Eight!

Tagged by solitaire

8 Things I’m Passionate About

- Life (Of course)
- Talking…. Yeah I loveeeeeee talking!
- Reading
- Writing
Can’t think of anything else that I’m passionate about. Now don’t judge me!

8 Things I want to do before I die

- Have a Child
-Donate Blood (yeah , seems an impossible task coz all docs think I don’t have enuf blood just looking at me!)
- Travel
- Write long letters to some people on paper with pen
- Learn Driving( another one that seems impossible)
- Work in a Social organization for sometime
- Work in the Psychology/ Counseling field

8 Words I say often

- Oh My God!
-Shit
-Hmmmmm
-Realllly?
-Sorry
-Thank You
- Hey
- !!!!!!

8 Songs I could listen to over n over again
This is the only place wherein 8 seems too less!

- Leaving on a Jet Plane: John Denver
- A Thousand Miles: Venesa carlton
- Iris : Goo Goo Dolls
- Hands in my pocket: Alanis Morisette
- I Believe I can fly: R. Kelly
- Allah ke bandhe : Kailash Kher
- Yeh safar bahut hai khatin : 1942 A Love Story
- Netr illadh matram ennadho : Pudhiya Mugam (Tamil)

8 Books I’ve Read recently

- Lipstick Jungle (Reading)
- Not without My Daughter
- A Thousand Splendid Suns
- I never promised you a Rose Garden
I can't remember before this

8 Things that attract me to my Dear Friends

- They accept me for who I am
- They are there for me (even when I think I can manage on my own)
- For being as Goofy n loony as it gets!
- They pamper me
- They never need an “explanation”
- They entertain my idea of celebrating my B’day all month long without complaining
- They never ask to be reassured about how much they mean to me
- They Never forget my Happy B’day!

8 people I tag
- Harish ( Whoz back to Bloggin)
- RayRay
- Keshi (‘Coz I’ve never seen u do a tag!)
- CG
- Ashu
- Kartik (‘Coz I want to make u write sumthing I can read!)
- Mez
- Samby

2008-04-27T15:34:00.000-04:00

Questions to God

I wish I could meet God..not coz I have a wish-list that need immediate attention but ‘coz I have a list of Qs for which I need answers… ASAP! . I want to ask God What was his plan

->When a relationship that has survived so many years n almost defined love suddenly breaks up?
->When he kills the husband (who has been very healthy and shows no symptoms of death) just months before a couple celebrates their 25th Wedding Anniversary
->When he breaks up/separates a couple who have been married for 25 odd years
->When he kills the father of a 18-yr old.
->When he doesn’t give a baby to a couple who has been praying for one for many many yrs
->When a woman gets pregnant inspite of the couple not planning to have a baby...
->...n then they grow to love their li’l one..look forward to its birth but eventually the baby is born dead?

I want to know what God was thinking thru’ all these events that he planned.

N See this… Incredible Modern India indeed!

PS: None of the above Qs is a piece of my imagination. All of it is the reality happening to some people I know!

2008-04-23T21:11:00.003-04:00

Ur View..

If some faceless and nameless character told u nasty things about another faceless but named person..would u believe it? Would u give it a 2nd thought and think of the probability of truth in the nasty things? Would your attitude towards the named person change?

Does a faceless and nameless character have the right to voice his/her opinion on the named person ?

If the Nasty comments are ignored, would u think the person is Accepting all that is being said as the truth?

I want YOUR view only if your willing to share your name

PS: Name could be blogname or ur actual name or ur email!

2008-04-21T19:45:00.003-04:00

Discrimination

This post does not intend to offend to anyone.

I love my country. I really do. N I absolutely adore Bangalore. After all home is where the heart is!

N Being away from India for the last 1 yr….has made it possible for me to point out the specifics of what I really like about India and Indians and the things which really annoy me.

Being in the USA…I really yearn for some “Indian stuff”. Like while in India I would not crave Indian food but now I do. I would not get excited about huge get-togethers at home, but now I look forward to it. I was not into watching too many Indian movies, but now I kinda do. I had stopped watching cricket after the match-fixing controversy, but now I’m following the IPL matches pretty closely! I love meeting fellow Indians n talking a dozen about India n this n that …

‘Coz of some experiences I feel I Indians are the biggest discriminators I’ve come across….I’ve listed below some of these experiences and u can feel free to share ur experience.

- During my 1st few weeks in the US, I realized the culture here is to say “Hello , How r u”…to pretty much any1 who crosses ur way. N even back in India I used to keep smiling at strangers..There it was a kind of problem, Here it wasn’t and so I was more than happy to smile at any1 and every1. Now, most Indians have seem to hv learnt this culture. But the problem is they practice it with only the phirangis..not other “fellow” Indians. I don’t get it! What is their problem in smiling at Indians?!?!

- My hubby’s office has mostly Telugu- speaking people. They speak to each other in their language knowing very well that some ppl don’t u’stand it. They don’t care about it and I believe scream across the office to each other in Telugu. Even the Americans don’t like it. All the Telugu-ites lunch together and my hubby is not welcome to this daily lunch routine of theirs. And there have been a few parties to which only he was not invited coz hes not telugu-speaking! Not like he cares! But I find it ridiculous!

- On Jan 1st….we had gone to the temple. It’s a routine..I follow every yr. So while we were eating the yummy food at the temple.. there was this girl n 2 guys sitting opposite us. She was talking in Tamil about some friend of hers (From her conversation I gathered shez from Chennai) n she tells the guys ..”Yeah X is like tht..anywez wat else can u expect from Blr n pune gurls..All of ‘em drink n smoke”! I could have slapped her, really! Not coz I care abt wat she thinks but coz shes sitting in a temple and b***h-ing shamelessly! I think drinking n smoking is okay…but not wat she was doing!

Back in India I hear

- Karnataka and Tamil Nadu continue to fight over water (They have been fighting over it on n off for the last n years!). It won’t take more than a day in Blr for u to realize that Blr has very few kannadigas. The place has Tamils, North-Indians, ppl from Nepal, the north-east and wat not. So the kannadigas(Not all. Mostly the politicians and a few jobless ppl) got insecure. They got smart and said that movies of any other language will be released only 1 mth after its release in the rest of India. They were trying to make ppl watch Kannada movies…For heavensake! Obviously it din’t work. If they send non-kannadigas out of Blr….there won’t be any Blr!

- Shiv sena is trying similar stuff in Mumbai. My friend retaliates…If there were no Gujjus , Mumbai would have no money! I can’t help feeling sad!

These people have truly lost it! Sense of humor is okay…But I’m tired of hearing abt north-Indian(NI), south-Indian(SI). 2 people (1 my friend) who were roomies were arguing…I don’t like NI..coz they eat only roti! The other one says I don’t like SI coz they eat too much rice! Phew! Why can’t people eat what they want and stop categorizing according to language n state!

Isn't Unity in Diversity suppose to be a matter of pride for India?

If each one of us start truly n honestly reflecting on our behavior…we’ll realize, that probably we also discriminate. Sometimes in a subtle manner and at other times quite obviously! Being affectionate towards out hometown, the place we grew up, our mother-tongue is not wrong. But ridiculing all else is most definitely not Right!

I feel sad to say Indians are indeed the biggest Discriminators I’ve come across!

2008-04-18T10:39:00.004-04:00

Hide n Seek Pic

Here is the pic ..I promised I would post.The 1st pic I'm posting on blogger! Wah Wah..kya achievement hai?! ;-) For details on Hide n Seek..pls read the post below.

In the pic

The one on the rite is Pankaj...He wasn't hidin there...he couldn't fit in (only small me could!!) but he insisted on being a part of the pic!

We had the cupboard doors closed(obviously, we were playing hide n seek!!). Nam would stand rite in front of the cupboard and cry with frustration about not being able to find us and that were playing an "ILLEGAL game"!!!!!(Watever he meant by that?!) Harry was sitting on top and munching away some nuts(God knows how many yrs old!) happily. I look comfortably tucked in, but my legs did hurt. All 3 of us tried to not breathe too loudly or giggle, lest the whining boy heard us n we did succeed!

2008-04-16T23:14:00.002-04:00

Hide n Seek

Part of the ‘Crazzzy Times” series.

In my college we had many guys who had come from different parts of India and not local-ites… ‘coz of that there were 3 bachelor houses – Nam’s place , Vek’s place(my 1st home during college days!) and Tavrakare home. All of us would gang up at one of these places for lunch or on holidays or random afternoons when there was no class. Those were such fun times…n the cooks in each of these guys’ places were AWESOME! So yummy food was guaranteed.

On one such holiday we all ganged up at Nam’s place. I can’t recollect for lunch or after lunch. N then having nothing to do…we decided we’ll play hide-n-seek. The people on scene were: Tarun, Nam, Pankaj, Harry, Varsha, Sowm, Div and Yours Truly! (Not too sure if I’m missing out any1). A few argument and finally we decided on who has to Seek. The game was fun and so was the day… The particular incidents which make this day so memorable are :

This one time when Pankaj was trying to push me onto the attic…He lifted me up and kept pushing me. It was real filthy up there (Attics generally are and imagine an Attic at a Bachelor’s place!). I was like “Pankaj pls leave me..i cant go up ther…Stop pushing me up. Drop me down.” But in vain! I kicked him hard and he let me free…by then I didn’t have much time to find a good hiding spot and so I jumped onto the bed and pulled the blanket over me! N Hahahahaha..i could not be spotted! Being small does pay off!

Tarun had to seek n we all locked ourselves up in 1 room. He knew we were in there and kept knocking on the door. Bu we refused to open it..n were inside dancing to some music ;-)

N then the best part..we hid in the cupboard... 3 of us- Sowm, Harry n me! Nam had to find us and after about 2-3 turns he gave up n stared whining.. “I’m tired, I cant find ‘em. Not fair!Boo hoo!" Haha…Thinking of it makes me Laugh Out Loud!

N after all the masti we got into some crazzzy pillow fights! Pankaj beat Div so bad, he left a mark on her hand.It was black for a week!

N then we started water fight. Throwing water all over the place. Varsha emptied the dustbin, filled water in it and started throwing it over every1! Ewwwwwwww

Those days will never be back! Thank God for memories!

PS: I will upload the pic of us hiding in the cupboard once I’ve figured out how to!

2008-04-08T16:16:00.002-04:00

BEST FRIEND

Blogsphere is talking so much about Friendship and so I decided its time I publish this post that has been in draft forever now!

Let me first start by saying I do not have a Best Friend and take plenty of care to avoid creating that relationship with any of my Friends. Now before u feel sad for me or feel like advising me on why its kinda essential to have atleast one Best Friend, please read on.

As a child..I became really close to this girl in my class. In Class V and VI she and I were best friends. She was a Punjabi, fair n all. N I was a Bangalorean a li’l dark n all. We spent quite sometime together n I really grew close to her. It din’t matter to me that her li’l sis(class I) would walk upto us and tell her “ Didi, mamma told u not to have lunch with the kaali South Indian girl. I’ll tell mummy” . (I guess her mom had something against dark ppl or south Indians)We continued to visit each other’s home and I can’t recollect any bad treatment. N then at the end of class VI , her family moved to Delhi. We exchanged a few letters initially but slowly lost touch. I often wonder how and what Shireen Warickoo is doing. I looked for her on Orkut but in vain.Did she stop writing to me ‘coz she found new friends or did her mom not let her write to me. It used to hurt me for quite a bit then. I had lost my 1st Best Friend!

Class VIII & IX.. I grew really close to “A”. We were so called ‘Best Friends’ I will not mention her name ‘coz im yet in touch with her. We were quite grown up then. It was time for dirty jokes n pranks n loads of masti. In school I was known as “chatter-Box” as I talked endlessly and was an "average" student. My friend A was part of the gang playing pranks and laughing at dirty jokes but she was a “good” student. Her mom was in touch with plenty of the school teachers. School reopened in June and Class IX began. She was behaving a li’l weird; not talking like we always do. On June 9th , she told me that her mom had told her that our LKG teacher (Pam ma’am) had warned aunty to ask A to stop being my friend and hanging out with me as I wasn’t a good girl. I don’t remember if there was an explanation given. But I know I was stumped n hurt that...
- A teacher could b***h about their own students! Pam Ma’am had seen me as a 4 yr old and this is what she was telling mothers about me!
- My friend’s mother thought it appropriate to give her 14 yr old daughter this information
- My “Best Friend” was getting influenced by this information!

For 2 months, we both would walk away from each other, try not looking into each other’s eyes n all that. It really was so hard to do. I recollect having gone home and crying to my ma about it and she asked me to not care about such people. N then on Friendship Day A gave me the most beautiful card ‘Sorry’ card n letter. It was hard not to accept it. We were back to being friends.

Again in Class XII, we both had some problems n this time after several months when we started conversing again. We never went back to what we were, though she was special until about early 2007.

When I started college. I had already lost faith in Best Friends. But there used to be one girl “D” (who I’m in touch with). She n I were good friends. But slowly I realized I couldn’t live upto her expectations. She was extremely possessive of me and was v. insistent about us being Best Friends. She wanted me to keep her posted if I met with any of my other friends and was so jealous about it!We used to fight so often and it used to make me so sad and helpless.It was hard to explain or rationalize things wit her. It is yet so hard!

Now I have a couple of people in my life..who mean the world to me. Among these people there is just 1 girl and the rest all guys. Since my college days I’ve realized it’s so much easier to be friends with a guy! They expect less and that way the relationship remains good. That 1 girl has been one of the pillars that support my life!These people are my dearest friends who I trust! I will not call ‘em my BEST FRIENDS ‘coz I’m scared I’ll lose them the minute I assign that tag!

PS:I have been holding back this post for so long ‘coz I was worried abt hurting some people. If any of u reading this post was that Best friend of mine, pls don’t be hurt. U know, I just said the truth.

2008-04-04T12:04:00.002-04:00

Visit to the Cup Vision Lady

This is the 1st of my blog series of “Those Crazzy Times” . This week I’ve been catching up with loads of friends and we have been talking so much about the ol’ times and the gone-by days. So I’m super nostalgic n decided to blog abt the fun times! Here goes the story about The Cup Vision Lady:

September 2004

So Div (my dearest friend) n I were at work. These were the times in life when every li’l thing seemed like it was the end of the world and both of us were confused n worried about certain things in or life! One of our friends told us about this Cup Vision Lady(Ms Nawalghani) and how she was “so right” when she predicted the future. We call Ms Nawalghani and ask when we can come, how much she charges, where she is at etc etc. She was quite expensive, I think 700 Rs for one session per person. But we had started earning now..so it would be allright. N she said we must go that afternoon ‘coz she would be out of Bangalore for a month after that.That did it. We decided we must visit her.

Both of us tell our manager that we are sick and took half day off work.We took an auto to reach her place in shivajinagar from Dairy Circle. The stairway to her place was so narrow. We were a bundle of nerves, I remember. We knock on her door and there was this lady with reallly long frizzy brown hair, left open. She was tall and kinda huge, the magician types..if u know wat im talking about (Wish I had clicked pictures, but we din’t have a camera back then). She called her maid to attend to us. The maid made us sit in this roof garden kinda place. It looked so old n rusted. The maid told us she ll be right back. We had 2 mins to talk n both of us were freaked out by how Ms. Nawalghani looked!

The maid comes back n she gives us this coffee cup with black coffee in it. N asked us to drink most of it and leave behind a little. We were like…. OMG! We have to drink sumthing,wat if its poisoned or had sumthing to drug us?! We hadn’t even told our parents we were coming here. No one but the 2 of us knew where we were at.We hadn't said our last good-byes!We were contemplating walking away. But the “miseries of life and desire to know the future” got the better of us and we stayed back.

Now I really don’t like black coffee so with lot of difficulty I gulped it down. It tasted bad! Div din’t mind the taste at all. The maid came n took away our cups and then we sat waiting by ourselves for several minutes.mabbe 15 mins. n then we were called in one-by-one. Both of us wanted to go in together n din’t mind each other’s presence n so we did.

Ms Nawalghani asked us to look into our cups n think of the Qs we wanted to ask her. We did n then she started with my cup. It was weird..they way she kept looking into the cup deep like she was studying something and answering my Qs in exactly the same order that I had thought of them in my head! N some of what she said has actually come true. For Eg, she told me I’ll marry a guy whoz in Canada and Vinod is in Vermont, 2 hrs drive from Canada!

Even Div had the same kind of experience with her.

We are not sure if we blv her or not. But it was fun ‘coz both of us din’t take it too seriously n believed in what we wanted to believe in. It was fun n till date we laugh about it.

After that we both met up with S n vek (our friends) n had an awesome night out :). Oh those crazzzy times... how much I miss ‘em!

PS: I yet have Nawalghani’s business card if any of u want her number !!!

2008-04-01T22:57:00.002-04:00

Everything Does Happen for the Best

Those who know me…know that I take on the role of playing “Aunt Agony” often n can go on endlessly with my gyaan. A blogger friend who I recently added on gtalk will vouch for this. This post is mainly for her and I would like to share this story with the rest of u all as well.

So yeah..my gyaan sessions almost always ends with “Keep the smile and faith. Remember Everything Happens for the Best”. I’m not sure how or by whom this idea about everything happening for the best got into my head. But it did and even back in school days I remember saying and believing in it strongly. This is what pulls me thru’ a zillion hard situations in life. But one situation made me Q this thought..

2004
When I started working, I had a colleague, let’s call her ‘A’. We were initially just that, colleagues and went on to become good friends. We would talk endlessly and confide in each other. She shared with me an incident that had happened to her sister about 2 months back. Her sister, say ‘S’, was seeing a guy n the 2 of ‘em were supposedly madly in love with each other. They had told parents on either side abut the relationship and sought agreement to marriage. They were waiting for A to get married as she was the elder one and then planned to get married themselves. The details of their love story was simply so beautiful. The guy was into trekking and hiking and other adventure sports and was visiting Bangalore for one such trekking expedition. He lost balance and fell off the cliff. He didn’t survive. S’s life became empty. The families were shattered. It was unbelievable that, he could be snatched away like that… Just like that!
When I heard this story…I couldn’t say my fav words, words that I believed in so much.. “Keep the smile and faith. Remember everything happens for the best”. I felt weak and couldn’t face S. Inside my brains I really struggled , trying to find a reason, draw some explanation as to what good would come.

2006
S met another guy, ‘G’, who she fell in love with. Then began the process of her faith in life being restored.Things started looking sunny n beautiful again.

I begun to gain back the faith in my fav words. Mabbe they were true.

2008
S and G got married in Feb. They look so happy n content together! Touchwood!

And I 2nd and 3rd the words “Keep the smile and faith. Remember Everything Happens for the Best”. There is a reason why God chooses to make happen all that happens. It’s important to trust, do our bit and leave the rest to him.

PS : Story -Telling is not my skillset, pls u'stand that thats not wat this post is about.

2008-03-30T18:30:00.002-04:00

Doubts and Feedback

Doubts

I have been blogging since Dec 2004, but donno much about blosphere. I am lazy and din’t feel like googling , so I thot I would get my doubts clarified by you guys ..

1. When I post a comment on some of ur blogs I get prompted to enter some random text before I can hit on the submit button. I find it very irritating, coz I rarely manage to get those letters right the 1st time. Any idea why those letters appear? Does it appear for all of u all as well? Any suggestions on how I can avoid them?

2. Is there a way that I can get an alert each time you update ur blog?

3. Some blogs are “private”. For such blogs can I approach the blogger n ask for permission to read the blog or is it wrong to ask coz the author would invite the readers whom they are okay with sharing their blogs anyway?

4. How does one put up polls? (I don’t plan to put up one, but might sometime in the future!)

5. How does one add a ‘C-Box’ ? C-Box works like an instant messenger, right? (I don’t plan to add one, but am curious!)

6. In a couple of comments I read discussions on people (not) getting “Feeds”. What are these Feeds?

7. How do I give out Awards?

8. What must I do to get awards ? ;-)

Feedback

Please be frank, I appreciate honesty. I will try my best to make changes based on the feedback I get from you. Kindly don’t be rude

1. Do u wish I got rid of the exclamation marks by my name?

With Respect to blogging, please complete the following :

1. U wish I would start..

2. U wish I would stop…

3.U wish I continued..

Thanks for clarifying my doubts and giving me ur feedback.

2008-03-25T16:28:00.001-04:00

To Have or Not To Have

A few weeks back I saw the movie Juno. I enjoyed it. For those of you who haven’t seen the movie, its about a 16-year old getting pregnant and having a baby and finally giving up the baby for adoption.

I thought it takes talent to handle such a serious subject in such a light-hearted manner. The movie was fun. The dialogues were great. The screenplay writer was a 1st timer and she was a stripper before she came into Hollywood. She won an oscar for the movie. Ellen Page rocks! She’s so cute n peppy , looks 16 yrs old and was nominated for an oscar!
If u’ve seen the Hindi movie “kya kehna” which handles the same subject..u’ll u’stand when I say this movies is sooooo much better!

One common thread of discussion that came up whoever I spoke to about the movie..is , the movie is so not to be seen by teenagers, specifically American teenagers. They’ll think life is sooo easy! Get knocked up, have ur baby (its just 9 mths of trouble) and give away the baby to someone lese. Even the way the parents’ in the movie react when their daughter tells ‘em that she is pregnant is weird! They are too cool . I can’t even imagine what my parents would have done to me if I had gone to them with this kinda news at the age of 16 when I was in class X.!

I was watching some TV show on the movie and heard that the movie was made to spread the msg that “Abortion is to be avoided. Abortion is not the only solution to teenage pregnancies. Teenage pregnancies are bad, but not end of the world. There is an alternate solution available.” So the Q for u all is: To Have or Not Have the Baby?

Yeah, abortion as such does sound wrong. Two people have sex (or a few rare cases make love) and by-mistake create a new being. As this li’l one was not a part of their plans they want to destroy the baby! Its not the baby’s fault!All Beings are created by God and it is incorrect to abort….actually KILL the baby before (s)he is born. Rite? MABBE!

Though I haven’t been thru’ it I am sure giving birth to a baby isn’t all that easy for any woman.I don't think it is essential for me to explain what a nightmare life would be if the teenage mother chooses to keep the baby. Bringing up a child is obviously not easy. I’ve heard and agree that the mother develops a unique bond with the li’l one and it won’t be so easy to give it up to some strangers or friends and carry on with life like nothing happened at the end of those 9 mths. Me thinks it would haunt a mother for a long time if not all thru’ her life .She would want to know where n how her baby is doing. But let’s assume the teenage mother doesn’t really feel that bond for the baby and is ready to give it up…

Even then, I’m pretty sure 9 months doesn’t fly by when one is pregnant. For starters ur body is going to look weird and behave weirder. Society is going to ridicule you. It won’t be as easy to go back to school/college and NORMAL life. The after-effects will remain for many years before the gurl can get back to regular living and the baby-incident fades from the minds of society. So, Abortion is the best solution. Rite? MABBE!

2008-03-18T15:45:00.002-04:00

Me Me Me !

This title ‘coz hubby n I often tease each other saying “Me Me Me” in a particular sing-song manner if we feel either one of us are talking too much about ‘emselves. I feel I’m talking too much about myself now;-)

Aneri tagged me to list 7 weird things about me and solitaire tagged me to list 5 things I love about me.. Here I Go

WEIRD ME….

1. Has NEVER EVER watched a cartoon. I donno, I can’t comprehend them! I don’t read comic strips as well! Never read an Archies book ! But I loooooooove Calvin Hobes! He’s so easy to u’stand and so much fun!
2. Has not watched Matrix, Independence Day, or ANY animated movie till date. Me thinks animated movies will be boring, I have never tried to see one!
3. Looooooooooooooves ketchup so much that I can have pretty much anything on the planet with ketchup. EG: I think fortune cookies tastes awesome with ketchup!
4. Can’t remember ever having played any video games!
5. Doesn’t like boiled egg. N I have never tasted it! It’s just the look. Cauliflower, capsicum, and mushroom used to be part of the list of things I have never tasted but don’t like. But now I’ve tasted these and actually like Gobi! BTW, I love scrambled egg n omlette.
6. Is not too sure if I can ride a bicycle! I love walking and as a child a whole bunch of us would walk to and from school. Those who had cycles would push the cycle. I recollect having tried to learn to ride a cycle, but I’m not sure if I succeeded! I’m tooooo scared to try riding a bicycle now and confirm my skills!
7. Use to sleep-walk and sleep-talk. These days I only sleep-talk!

LOVE ME… ‘coz

1. I’m a genuinely nice person and can smile thru’ any situation. I find it hard to be mean to people unless they go to great extents of annoying me!
2. If a friend is in need, I will do ANYTHING I can to help them in the situation. For starters I’ll lend my ears n shoulders!
3. I’m really open-minded! I feel there is a reason behind any act and that one act doesn’t make a person good or bad. If I think the act is wrong, I’ll explain what I think to you, but I won’t criticize the “person” that you are.
4. I’ll make the effort to “Be in Touch”. If we are friends, I’ll make the initiative of keeping in touch, never miss ur B’day or any day that matters to u! I’ll drop a note , if I cant call you “Just Like That” every once in a while.
5. I’m fairly sensible when it comes to managing my finances! U won’t find me without a decent “savings” balance

2008-03-10T16:04:00.003-04:00

Striking the Balance

Most women struggle to strike the balance between their career and family. I do! I want to be successful in my career and be a good home-maker!

But this post is not about the typical balance that married women must strike. Work at office during the day, cook 3 meals, manager their babies and blah blah blah… This could be topic for another post…

This post is about husbands’ n wives who work in different cities. It’s about long-distance relationships – between spouses, between parent’s n children. Below are some real-life examples of couples I know

-> India: This was a love marriage and they are a wonderful couple. They met at the call Center they both worked for. After marriage the guy got a better job in city “x” in India and the girl continues to work in City “y”. They visit each other over weekends. They celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary, and their lifestyle continues to be the same.
-> India: They were married for about a year. He got a job in Country “X”. She was pregnant. Had their baby at her mother’s place in city “Y”. Has returned to her job in City “Z” and visits the baby over weekends.Mom, Dad n child - each in a different place.
-> USA: She is pregnant and works in state “x”. Her husband works in state “y”. She has spent a lot on her education in the US and is trying to earn back some amount!She was so gullible, I couldn’t help feel sorry for her.
-> USA: She works in state “x”. Her husband and son are at state “y”. Her 2 or 3 yr old daughter is in India. She visits her husband and son alternate weekends. They have a EAD.

I know for sure, none of these couples feel good about this situation in their lives.
Is it worth it? …I don't think so.
This is just what I feel, and am not judging any1, coz i u'stand each family knows why they make the decisions that they do. But the way I look at thier situations is :

-> If you have to work in a call center in India I’m sure both of you can find a job in the same city.
-> Are you not spending all the money you earn on travel, 2 rents, phone calls etc?
-> Many Indians say people in US do it, why can’t we? Well, the Indians in USA do it coz of work permit issues. It’s not so easy here for both spouses to find a job in the same city. Is there a valid reason to be doing so in India?
-> When I’M pregnant, I want to be pampered. Have my husband by my side. It’s something every woman deserves!
-> My baby will grow up with his/her ma AND pa

My situation

I came to the US 6 months after I got married. During this 6 months, We had 3 months of long-distance relationship. (Me in India, He in USA) Once I came here(half the battle fought), I used to travel (out of the state) on work every Monday morning and return on Thrusday nights. Then for a brief period when I seemed to have got a long-term project, We moved to a different city and I worked from 8 to 5 .Vinod worked from home and traveled on work, week-by-week basis. But that was not meant to be, my project got over. My next project I traveled 3 hrs one way on work. N now We both work from home. I travel on work once in 1 or 2 months and Vinod travels once in 2 weeks.

It’s definitely not a fun/easy thing, but things have improved since the last 1 year. I find it hard to decide if its worth it ..’coz I don’t want to sit at home, I want to work. But I want a home as well. Is it too much to ask for? I will continue to do this as long as I can and then give up, when some other things will take higher priority in our lives.

2008-03-07T09:33:00.003-05:00

My SWOT Analysis

Thanks to all of u all who took or are going to take up this tag…of doing ur SWOT Analysis. I agree it is a li’l exhausting left-brain activity that involves quite a bit of thinking! But it is helpful too right?

I am glad that I dint execute the tag and then request all of u to take it up..coz each of u handled it in a different way and that was nice. I can't promise this will be as interesting as some of the other SWOTs that I read.

Now I’m sure if I don’t do my SWOT I’ll be abandoned by u all..so here goes :

Strengths
->I am a Learner: I keep trying to pick up n learn new things/ways of doing things related to work, cooking, and life! New ideas & thoughts fascinate me and don’t scare me. I have no qualms to admitting my mistakes, saying sorry and changing or correcting myself. N this is believe will take me places
->I realize “Man Proposes, God Disposes” – Things don’t always happen according to plans. I am flexible. I know I’ll be able to work out a new solution. I believe everything happens for the Best! ->Extremely understanding and flexible hubby who is willing to move with me wherever my job requires me to move (Blv me that’s a lot of places @ a ridiculous frequency!!). He hasn’t complained or said a negative word about it once. (Makes me guiltier!)
->My people skills coz of which I build relationships easily and I have so many friends and acquaintances to reach out to when in need.
-> I choose my battles. I was not always like this.Life n time has taught me not to argue and fight about everything. But if there is sumthing I feel about and believe in strongly I'll fight for it.
->I never forget: If someone has been good to me, done something nice for me, I would never ever forget it n be forever thankful for it. The good deed is a clear picture in my mind.

Weaknesses
->During the process of learning I Doubt myself a lot. I am not confident that I can do it. I am always in Self-Doubt and need someone else to approve of me/my work/dish , to tell me I’m good.
->Oh well I know things don’t go as planned but for that moment and for the 1st few days I get completely stressed out. I whine & crib to people around me endlessly and end up having sleepless nights trying to convince myself that things will be alrite.
->I’m not a go-getter. I dream to be or do a 100 things , have no clue how to do these things and don’t make the effort to figure it out.
->I never Forget: If someone has let me down, wronged me, cheated or betrayed me..I forgive and genuinely n honestly continue to be their friends, but I never ever forget the mistake and the pain it caused me. The mistake is a clear picture in my mind.

Opportunities
->The company that I am with…Accenture. The options are many coz its global n big and a great brand-name.
->A decent financial balance. Touchwood, I have never had to worry about insufficient money. (Yeah, I am a sensible spender)
->My age.. I’m young and have plenty of time to do the things I want to. I started some of the things early in life and am glad about it!
->Life. I believe to be alive and have another day to do the things I want and say the things I want are a great opportunity. Just donno how long I’ll have this oppurtuity!

Threats
->Certain personal/ family requirements that have to be fulfilled
->The instability in my career. Changes happen way too often!
->Myself. I tend to develop a negative attitude and have self-destructive thots in the heat of the moment.
->Confusion regarding my work permit in this country. There are too many issues and confusions!

PS: I have no clue how i ended up wit more strengths ! Pls dont think of me as pompous.

2008-03-05T10:24:00.002-05:00

Its all about Men!

Tagged by Aneri to list 10 things I Hate about men…

Changed the tag a wee bit…I (too, like other bloggers) don’t want to use the word hate..So I’m listing qualities found in many (Not All) men that really annoy me. Also listing only 8, coz I couldn’t think of 10!

1. The kind who dates/ flirts with a certain type of girl but wants to take home a different kind
If men were honest to themselves (forget others) they’ll realize a whole bunch of them are like this. Many many men have this problem.

2.The one who thinks boys don’t cry or people who cry are weak
I don’t entirely blame the men for this. Their parents, teachers, peers and society has made them believe this. As a kid, my cousin bro was afraid of the dark and was really bad @ losing games. He would start crying and throw up a tantrum. His dad and the rest of us cousins were so mean…we would tease him so much and tell him “stop being a girl” and address him by the female version of his name. Our Bad. I’m definitely not proud of this!

3.The men who think cooking , washing and/or cleaning is a woman’s job
I know many men are changing this view but plenty more need to.

4.Guys whose definition of a hot/beautiful girl is thin, tall n fair.
Seriously, No comments!

5.A guy who thinks once he’s married it’s his RIGHT to have sex with his wife and that she has no say about it.
I honestly donno any such men, but I’m sure they do exist.

6.The one who has a different set of rules for himself and a different set of rules for women (Eg: Men can have late nights but women can’t!)
Can be found in plenty!

7.Men who think the after marriage the girl belongs to his family but he doesn’t necessarily belong to her family!
They pretend otherwise to the world, ask the wives to know the true story!

8. Those who can fall in love but can't commit and run miles on the mention of the word Marriage.
I don't get what the problem is frankly. Why is it so hard to socially and publicly(which is mostly what marriage is) commit to the person u anywez want to spend the rest of ur life with?U can study, build ur career and fulfill all ur dreams together rite?

I feel we should hear the male perspective and so am tagging all MALE readers of my blog to list a few (how many ever u can think of) traits in men that they think are not so good (PS: Not Hate!) and need to change.
To list some of the men : Ceedy, Cosmic Joy, Mush

Gurls : I request you to pls not take up this tag.

2008-03-02T20:57:00.000-05:00

Tagging All Readers: SWOT Analysis

Many of u may have come across the term SWOT Analysis while reading “economic news” , for the rest SWOT stands for :
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats

The tag requires all of u to do a SWOT Analysis for urself ; i.e. list what you perceive as ur strengths, weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. There is no specific number but I would think you could list at least 4 under each section.

When I was in Class XI my Economics teacher made each one of us do a SWOT analysis of ourselves and then we revisited the list at the end of the year. I found it to be an extremely useful activity and since then on even if I don’t list down my SWOT on a paper, I do it mentally.

I’m tagging all my blog readers to do their SWOT Analysis!

2008-02-21T15:46:00.002-05:00

Tagged Myself

Solitare had posted this tag and I liked it so tagged myself .. Here I go..

1) Have you been on a date in the last month?
A. Does goin out with my hubby count as a date? If yes, then yup, went out yesterday:-)

2) What was your dream growing up?
A. I wanted to do something in the field of counseling/ psychology since I was in Class 8.

3) What talent do you wish you had?
A. Singing

4) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
A. Shikanji

5) Favorite vegetable?
A. Okra

6) What was the last book you read?
A. Thousand Splendid Suns

7) What zodiac sign are you?
A. Taurus

8) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.
A. Ears

9) Worst Habit?
A. Get worked up n stressed out easily

10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
A. Yes, most definitely. But not sure if you would accept coz I’m on a Learner’s permit!

11) What is your favorite sport?
A. None, though recently I have started watching tennis.

12) Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?
A. Both, depending on the situation

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
A. Say “Wooow, Can’t believe we get to meet” n talk a zillion.

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
A. Everything turns out to be “For the Best” at some point in life!

15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
A. I am so obsessed with shaping my nails. Do that at least once a week!

16) Do you have any pets?
A. No. Never will.

17) What if i showed up at your house unexpectedly?
A. Would invite you rite in, make place for you to sit and would run in so I could look/ present myself better.

18) What was your first impression of me?
A. Interesting!

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
A. Cute.

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
A. My hair.

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
A. Crime Partner – Yes (I think we’ll have fun!)
Conscience – No

22) What color eyes do you have?
A. Dark Brown

23) Ever been arrested?
A. Nope

24) Bottle or can soda?
A. None. I don’t drink aerated drinks.

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
A. Buy us a SUV

27) What's your favorite place to hang at?
A. Home.

28) Do you believe in ghosts?
A. Yes.

29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
A. Read

30) Do you swear a lot?
A. Not Really. Though I say SHIT often!

31) Biggest pet peeve?
A. Spend way too much time on the internet

32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
A. Talkative and Friendly (I know that’s not 1 word!)

33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
A. Yes, feel it adds spice to life!

35) Do you believe in God?
A. Yes. Absolutely!

36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?
A. Your Choice, not gonna force you!

2008-02-18T16:30:00.002-05:00

Docs… Life Savers?

I read a story on Ceedy’s blog (http://ceedyreflections.blogspot.com/) and its about a doc saving lives. The subject of the story made me write this post which has been on my mind for a while now.

At some point of time in one’s life, when a grandparent, sibling, parent, friend is saved a Doctor becomes as good as the God himself! One trusts the doc so much when the life of a near and dear one is dependent on him. If he manages to save a life, he is God in the human form! I’m sure its not an easy job! Reporting the right numbers to my client within a given time is stressful for me so I can imagine the kind of stress a doc would have when the Life and Death of a person is dependent on him!

So given all this, I believe we all should respect and be understanding of a doctor’s profession. I believe a Doctor’s job is one of the most rewarding and satisfying job.To bring new lives into existence and to renew dying lives must be gratifying!

I feel a Doctor should also respect his job. He should perform it truly and not take advantage of his position. He must comprehend the duty and responsibility his profession commands and the amount of trust placed on him.

Not very long back one of my doc friends, (A psychiatrist in CA) told me that a colleague of his was fired for misbehavior. His colleague had been taking physical advantage of the mentally ill patients visiting him.
Now, this is extremely disturbing to me. It’s not the first time I’m hearing about this kind of an incident. I’ve heard it many times and seen news on TV about it and read about it, but this kind of news never fail to shock me!

On the Dateline program I saw an episode where an American doctor (pediatrician) practicing in another country physically abusing little girls and boys who came in as his patients. The extent of physical abuse is hard to explain in words without being too explicit. And how screwed up is the law, all they could do is revoke his license, the law doesn’t permit them to arrest him ‘coz he was practicing in another country!

I have heard of gynecologists feeling the women (their patients) in all the wrong places.

We all have heard of doctors who steal organs from patients and make money of it.

When I think thru some of these cases I began to feel “Capital Punishment” is not such a bad idea after all!

Careless doctors are another story. My mom’s colleague’s right leg was operated upon instead of the left leg. The Anesthesia wears off before the operation is over. (There was a movie “Awake”, on this recently). Incorrect medicines are prescribed. Over-dosage of medicine kills the patient. (Read about an over-dosage killing a 1 yr old about a month back)

Yes the doctors invest plenty of time and money into their studies, but if all that one wants to do is make money, then the medical profession is not well-suited for them! There is a code of ethics in every job and it must be followed to some decent extent!

PS: Such specimens do not take away the respect I have for doctors who perform their job honestly, The True Life Savers!

2008-02-12T19:35:00.000-05:00

High on Life

This post is inspired by Bindu's post on "Her favourite Things" and Solitare, who has tagged me to list "51 Things that make me Smile" ...The post has to be up by Feb 14th is wat the tag rules say!51 things, thats quite some challenge!But I'm upto it and am working on it... Thanks Solitare.. the 2nd time around :-) The title of this post is High on Life coz I'm thinking of fav things, things that make me smile, the small joys of Life...n once u start thinking therez just no way one can remain sad. Your forced to smile and get High on Life!!

Until 20 it wasnt too bad and then it got hard....n when i was doing the last 10 or so, I suddenly had so many more things...n so had to combine a few points!Yayeee...i'm finallllly done !

Good Luck to all of u all reading it, hope u read this until the end!

1. The rainbow
2. Goin thru’ cards received in the past.
3. Goin thru’ photographs which bring back the ol’ times
4. Stayin up all thru’ the nite n talking endlessly with my fav bunch of girlfriends
5. My “Happpy Budday!”
6. Cards that have meaningful words and the words are meant truly!
7. Gifts n if its a surprise Gift…bigger smile
8. Chaat..pani puri, sev puri , samosa-chat all of ‘em….yuuuum!
9. Junk food –lays, French fries, veg puff, samosa
Touchwood..I wonder how I’ve been consistent between 40 and 42 kgs for the last 6 yrs or more!
10. Hugs n kisses – loads of ‘em
11. Catchin up with long lost friends after ages!
12. Board Games nite and of course winning ‘em makes it better!
13. Watchin the sit-com Friends or stand-up comedy shows with a close bunch of friends thru’ the nite..
14. An afternoon of great movies, chips/popcorn, good company n rain outside
15. Nite-outs n Memories of the “Sloshed times” hic..hic
16. Genuine Compliments
17. Comments on my blog
18. Long walks
19. Feeling Beautiful
20. Saturday mornings – which are dedicated to chatting with mom n dad
21. Mavs meet at Coffee Day every Saturday evening (while in India)
22. The thot of returning home - Bangalore
23. Long Drives
With some amazing music playing in the car or jus the wind if its a bike
24. Vacations
25. Road Trips
The longest has been from Montpelier, VT to Niagra Falls, NY/Canada to Toronto to Baltimore, MD and back to Montpelier,VT. Think it was 4 or 5 days trip! Hope there are longer ones in store!
26. A Break from the Routine
27. Dancing
28. Prayers
It helps retain the faith n to continue to hope
29. A good Bargain
Malls are okay for window-shopping but the joy of shopping on Mumbai or Delhi streets is unbeatable!
30. Good (pleasant) weather
31. My collection of junk jewelry
32. Chocolates
Especially 5-star!!
33. Lighting Candles- signifying spreading peace n love.
Finding this one hard to explain, but I hope you guys get wat I’m talking about. That’s how I brought in the New Year this year, n it was a brilliant feeling!
34. Diwali – Diyas, lights, mithai, and not to forget new clothes
35. Seeing and holding a new born
36. A good pep talk – receiving and giving
37. Being told I’m worth it!
38. A bonus (pay-wise)
39. A hard day’s (or week’s!!) work of cleaning up home and looking at the accomplished job with pride!
40. Playing “Agony Aunt” successfully!
41. Thinking about the “times together” before marriage. The Dating Days are some of the best times!
42. Mehndi and the design & color after - on my hands n legs
43. The fact that so many people care for me!
44. Favorite people :
The Hubby – Vinod!
Family- nanaji, nani, ma, pa n Sums
Rishab (sister’s li’l boy)
Friends – Div n the rest
45. Writing/ receiving long never-ending emails/ letters
46. Reading books
The ones that make u cry n laugh n feel with ‘em.
47. Raw mangoes, with salt n chilly powder on ‘em.. (Mouth-watering!)
48. A day at my regular beauty parlor in Bangalore
Aunty would pamper us with manicure, pedicure, a clean-up, massage, some gossip, jokes and plenty of warm talk!- ohhh I so miss it!
49. Visit to the cup-vision lady with Div
oh this one is hilarious, may be I should write a blog on it!
50. The smile on kids’ faces in a charity home/school for the poor when u give them a 50 paise toffee and all of ‘em screaming at once “Thank You akka” .
51. The feeling of Having Done it all and Said it all… (That’s the feeling I want to end my life with!)

Anyone can feel free to tag 'emselves n all those who are "not feelin so good" , must do this tag!

Smilin me :-)

2008-02-09T22:28:00.001-05:00

Today evening I was at the Mandir and suddenly this old "aunty" looks at me and says "Are you married?You look so young" A li'l surprised to be questioned randomly by a stranger I said "Yes". Guess she figured from my Mangalsutra. Next Q "What's ur age"..I'm embarassed but don't know how to tell a lady as old as my grandmother "Mind ur own business", so i tell her my age.Then she proceeds to say/scream "Its hard to believe ur "x" yrs old or that ur married. U look 18 or 19.Your so small." I'm confused about whether I should feel complimented or insulted!

At this point I want to flee but just take one step backward. she continues to question me... talking and laughing so loud, I felt all the people in the temple were looking at us .

"Is the guy who was with u ur husband? " I say a meek "Yes ". She says "You both look like kids.so young.How long have u been married for?" I say "Over a year" and can't take it anymore, I start walking away..As a parting shot she screams at me "Have a baby soon" !!!!

I was furious and embarassed as people around me gave me sympathetic looks ,wicked smiles and uncontrollable giggles!!!

2008-02-07T23:23:00.000-05:00

Love Vs Like !

Most of u would have heard this from me before .. "I think Love is overrated".. its used so much that now its become hard to u'stand when it is said genuinely, in the true sense.

I remember a friend once said "I love my mom" n I remember I said "Well, I LIKE mom ,n that for me is far beyond love". Its just my opinion!

Today I was reading a book at Barnes n Nobles n it said "It is not Love that makes Relationships, It is Like" ! Yayyye.. finally sumone understands what I mean!

2008-02-03T19:56:00.000-05:00

WHY ME??????????

From Jan 21st to Jan 31st.... I could have easily been one of the happiest people on planet earth. Sumthing I was waiting n praying n hoping for had happened, or atleast it felt like it had happened. Vinod n I translated our dreams into plans...n was almost going to start executing it n then boooom...jan 31st n they all got crushed.. I was back to Square One... facing the same Qs, same confusions, same problems...it was never-ending !!!

I ask of God... Why Me? Why the same problem for so many days...almost a year! ? Why raise hopes n make us happy n hopeful for a brief 10 days?

It wasn't fair....nothing was...There is a battle goin on inside my head......

One half is trying to convince me "All That Happens is for the best!" . "Leave it to God, He'll take care", "Count ur blessings, ur a lucky child", " U know u have committed some mistakes"

The other half says "All thats been happening with u, has definetly not been for the best" "The problem cld have continued,why did he have to make it look like things were good for 10 days?" "U have seen luckier people. Ur not being dealt with in a fair manner" , "Everyone makes mistakes, u realized n asked for forgiveness"

The second half won... I feel God is having the last laugh! I'm not about to lose...I'm gonna fight..for a change, alone and not with God by my side!

PS : In a weird state of mind, I hope I don't regret this post!

2008-01-29T18:24:00.000-05:00

SabseBolo

Thank You Sabheer Bhatia! ... Why Sabheer Bhatia of all the people you may ask...Read on

Well, he has introduced the new concept of dialling into a conference- sabsebolo (For me its new, so pls dont tell me its been there for donkeys years n I know only now!) . The facility basically allowes upto 10 people from any part of this planet to get into a conference call by dialling a single number.

All you have to do is Register and get a personal Conference ID & pin #... @ no cost and give them to the people who you want to get into a conference with. For more details check http://sabsebolo.com/ConferenceIndex.jsp .

This Saturday morning I woke up early..8:30 am , coz Vinod had set up one such conference for me. My mausa-maasi & thier 2 boys , my mama-mami & thier 2 kids, nanaji-naniji , Sums-Jeej-Rishab, Mom-Dad and Vinod & me... all logged into the call and it felt like one big party! Almost like we had gathered together for a function!Spent quite a few hours on the call...We even had Rishab ( he just turned 2!) say rhymes for us...

Now, if thats not a well spent Republic Day , I wonder wat else is! Tht was a happy morning for me!:-)

2008-01-27T22:43:00.000-05:00

20Q

I make a wish...abracadabra (swish goes the magic wand) n this is wat I got..food enuf for my brain to feel over-stuffed ;-)

There's a new game making the rounds "Tagged"

Instructions:Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.

Thanks Sneha (my tagger!) :-)

People I have tagged : Plumpy, Mush, Bindu, Shihab
Will be asking Div, Stuti & Vinod these Qs verbally coz they don blog!

Any1 else who is interested in answering the Qs , can feel free to tag themselves!

1. Name Three Most Valuable Assets?
Family n Friends, Faith & Trust, Values (In that order)

2. If you have the chance, what would you probably say to your beloved one?
You mean the world to me n these words ain't sufficent to express this.

3. If you were to be stranded on a desert island, who are the 3 blog buddies you would take with you?
Frankly, I have very few blog buddies, coz all my friends are lazzzzy n this response would have been different if the Q is just buddies!
1.Plumpy alias Harish (He is the perfect comby of goofiness n seriousness.He will sit thru' my tears n make me smile!)
2.Sneha (She makes me very curious rgdg wat kind of a person she is and I feel we'll have some nice conversations!)
3.Champu alias Shihab ('coz i miss seein him everyday n he's excellent timepass!)

4.Where is the place that you want to go the most?
To the moon.... Jus Vinod(Hubby dear of crse) n me !

5.If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be?
To be a Counsellor or sumthing on those lines.

6.What are you afraid to lose the most?
People who mean the word to me ( For the last few mths..my nanaji is who I've been praying for, hes in an xtremely fragile condition)

7.What would you do if you found a briefcase full of money?
Assuming the amount is huge....I'll give some amount to a charity in India. (My way of letting God know i'm thankful) n invest the rest in some savings ..so both Vinod n I can take a break n study (wat we have realllly..been wanting to do!)

8.If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
Oh well... I think I am with the person I love and have told him about it :-)
But no, I don't have the guts to make the first move!

9.List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you...
1) Very Interesting personality
2) Friendly
3) Writes really well

10. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
Accepting & liking me for who I am, Understanding, faithful , caring

11.Which type of person do you hate the most?
Patronizing people really get to me...thats one annoying trait!

12.What is your ambition?
To be an all-rounder ie manage my home, be successful as a career-woman, be the best wife and the best mother( when i get to that phase!!)

13.What is the thing that will make you think someone is a bad person?
Nothing. Good and Bad are relative terms and it is situations that make us behave the way we do. No human can be completely good or completely bad.

14.Christmas is coming, who do you like to celebrate with?
I would like to spend Christmas time with Friends, I think.

15.If you could do one thing different in life, what would it be?
Nothing. I would live life exactly the way that I have.I don't belive in regretting!

16.Are you a shopaholic or no?
No.

17.What is your stress buster?
It used to be Dancing , n then it became Crying n now...I don't know wat it is :-(

18. Do all of us like what are we doing here ?
I believe so.

19. Name one favorite song of yours.
Only One song, is reaaaaaaaaaal hard to choose...all day today I have been humming "Heal The World", MJ.

20. If it was your last few hours on this planet and you had a chance to talk to only one person,who would it be?
Mommmy...Have assumed Vinod is rite beside me ;-) I actually want a chance to talk to sis, Rishab,dad etc etc etc..but trust mom will convey my message to all (as always) !

2008-01-25T11:09:00.000-05:00

An Email to a Friend

I was clearing up my inbox and I found this mail that I wrote to a hi-bye (not v.close) friend on the 6th of Apr 2007. There is really nothing special about it. It just captures how I felt at a point of time..

n when I read it I was glad to realize...things haven't changed much -

- Life is as unsettling and a puzzle as it was ( I have changed 4 projects & 3 states since last April)
- My aspirations n dreams are the same, (i yet think S/w engineers are boring)
- I miss home a loooot n cry at times, but am yet managing fine
- Bangalore is dearer than ever
- I'm yet desperatley in search of food for my brain (in the process reaching out to ppl who are only accquaintances)

Some of you maybe thinking I should have made some progress..but well, a year is a short time.... Here is the mail

--------------------------- ************************------------------------------

A pleasure to mail U..

Well...I've been good n Life's been fun. Work is pretty hectic.My client is at NJ.So on monday mornings i fly here and Thurs evening i flyback home which is Montpelier,Vermont.Friday is wrk frm home. n Mon-Wednes I end up working frm 8:30 am to 8:30 pm!Of course its tiring, specially with my Thurs evening flites getting cancelled and me having to run from one airport to another in this cold weather..But I'm pretty much gettin to have the cake n eat it too..i.e. I get to keep my career goin n at the same time be with my hubby in the US of A..so no complaints.Would be unfair if i ask God for more u see!

Works a new profile..so thers plenty of the learning xcercise happenin..but ya i do miss wat i was doing earlier in terms of work as a profile.I loving talking..abt whatever it maybe...n wit my current profile..I'm not reqd to talk much..its pretty much "sit at ur desk n break urhead over it " kinda job!Lets see wat the future holds.So oracle since July..Thats cool.What's ur work profile ther?R u a Boring Software Engineer too?oh ya..i think S/w engineers have a borin job...I'd rather do sumthin like be a journalist..mabbe on Discovery/CNN or be a RJ on a radio show or teach li'l kids rhymes or teach the wrld abt keeping the environment clean.Actually i'd like to do all of this for a short while and then get into whats been till date my dream profession-a pshyciarist,counsellor..well sumthin on those lines!But theres the evil called Money!

Other than work howz life coming along?Hows gautam(hope i got the name rite) doing?U can do a lot of fun stuff in Blr.Actually one can have fun in any place..its all abt the company!n Chennai is soooo close.u can pretty much trvl every alternate wknd.

U sayin Blr mite get hotter than Hyd.phewwwww..that would indeed be a disaster!wats happng to my DEAR DEAR Blr :-(((

Honestly I've been handling the homesick bit pretty well..At the risk of blowin my own trumpet..for sum1 whos been at home,eatin mom's food,same surroundings,neignbours n friends n stores for 24.7 long long years..I would say i got adjusted to the life style here pretty fast.I've cried missin mom n sis abt 3 times..when n after i talk to 'em.Touchwood!i hope i continue to be strong. I guess the more challenges we face in Life, the stronger we b'come.

oh Boy! Thats one long mail...probably the 1st time i'm writing such a long mail to sum1 I know just as much as we know each other. well..as i said its a pleasure writing to u.Bring on an intresting topic to discuss/argue about when u find the time..I need Food for my Brain u see:-)Have fun until the nxt time

Smiles
Pavi

--------------------------- ************************------------------------------

2008-01-17T15:20:00.000-05:00

Orkut Vs FaceBook !!

I’m sure most people reading this are a member on both these sites….n probably many more like MySpace, Hi Fi, Gazzag ( or sumthing like that!) etc etc etc……

Personally for me….Orkut was the 1st of its kind..I know MySpace existed years before Google created Orkut….but for me…the 1st group I was a member of was Orkut. And initially Orkut had me addicted to it!...Probably even now I am addicted to it…But no more do I go about into unknown / distantly known people’s profiles..read their scraps/ see their photos, keep searching for communities etc…

Coz I got a zillion FaceBook requests, I succumbed to the pressure and became a member. Frankly..I struggle to keep my account alive! I donno how to use that site…and I feel it has a zillion good-for-nothing applications.. poke, n hug n gift n who are u like n this n that n there n here n….well u get the drift! N everytime I choose to use my free time to understand that site and how to use it…I get more confused! I know its just me…not the site’s fault!

Orkut got me back in touch with many many old time friends who I had lost touch with….and it feels good to wish old friends on New Years, Diwali or their Happy B’days ! Its good Orkut has brought about these new privacy settings. People can no more pry into your conversations…But its sad that orkut had to give in and copy FaceBook on giving updates on what all my Friends are doing! Orkut is a medium of keeping in touch for me…and yes playing word games that interest me…. Its not for making new friends or keeping myself updated about every1’s lives or adding weirdo applications!!

I plan to slowly but definitely stop using FaceBook completely!

PS : No offences given or taken!

2008-01-11T20:46:00.000-05:00

For You a Thousand Times Over…

These are li’l anecdotes/ thoughts from my childhood that will remain with me forever and can never be erased from my mind. Li’l facts that have helped build the person I am today….

->As students, I or Sums (my sister) have NEVER got reprimanded by my parents for our grades/scores. I really mean NEVER. N we were only average students though extremely hardworking, burning the midnight oil etc etc types. My Dad’s theories were
a) As long as we were putting in our best and were dedicated towards our efforts, it was not fair to complain about the grades.
b) Children would be only as intelligent as their parents. He believed it was a gene-thing. So it would be unfair if they expected miracles from us.
‘ Coz of these theories, we both were very highly motivated to study real hard n score the best n make him proud of us.

->My Dad comes from an extremely poor background. 3 meals a day was a luxury. He started working at the age of 17 to support his family of 3 sisters and 1 brother. N so he was willing to do whatever, spend how-much ever for his daughters to be educated, which at that point he could not afford. When he went to get my sister admitted into LKG, the principal told him “With your kind of salary, you won’t be able to afford my school”. He told my principal to give him a fair chance n send the kids out of the school the instant he missed paying a fee.
· My sister studied in that school for 12 years and had to leave after class X coz they din’t have the course she wanted.
· I studied in that school for 14 years. That was all they had!

->Mom had a very modest background and completed her B’com in Chennai. She got married at the age of 19 and had her 1st kid when she was 20 years old. She started working for financial reasons and is today the Media Manager of an Advertising Company. Today, she gets restless if she has a break for a little over 3-4 days and says she can’t dream of quitting work. She is our biggest inspiration…as a Home-maker, a Career Woman, a Mother, a Human Being!

->There were several instances where we received scoldings from our parents. My Dad ALWAYS said Sorry, when it was an undeserved scolding. I remember, he would walk into our bedroom at night before going to sleep, kiss our foreheads n say Sorry. He believed that sorry had to be said when it has to be said. There was no age barrier for using the word and that there are times when even a one-year old has to be asked for apology!

->Sums n I were extremely close to each other as children. Even now we are. But now I’m as close to mom much as I am to sums. As a child I would say “I love sums more” so easily. Now I know how much that must have hurt mom, though she never showed how she felt!
Mom was the tough one in the family. She was never expressive .She wasn’t the hug n kiss kind. Before each of our weddings my dad would have sleepless nights of how life would be without Sums/me at home. Mom dint say a word. Now I know, that was only to make us stronger. She cried more than anyone n she feels more than anyone, but she never shows! She is really the pillar of strength for the family.

->well I’ve been in the US for a year now…My 1st year out of home and I know mom ,dad n Sums are missing me real badly. I am getting very homesick myself. In November My manager at work had told me my leave in April was approved and there was so much excitement in the air. The 1st week of 2008, she comes back n tells me, my leave is not approved. I have been so upset about it and I know I crushed a whole bunch of dreams my parents had. All that mom had to say was “Don’t worry Sweetheart, God willing we’ll see you soon. Just be brave”. She dint show any disappointment. ….Just for me!

->Sums ..well to talk about our relationship would take a lifetime…There would be no childhood or for that matter no Pavi, if not for her…. Touchwood, I think we are simply the best n the perfect sisters in this whole wide galaxy!

These are a fraction of the reasons why I’m proud of you 3..

Well for u Ma n Pa and for u Sums… I want to relive those childhood years…
FOR YOU A THOUSAND TIMES OVER!

Ps: This line is used in the movie/book “The Kite Runner”. I just can’t get over the book….I can’t say enough how much I loved it….and I thought it was a beautiful line and am glad I found an appropriate usage for it in my life!!!

2007-09-27T22:42:00.000-04:00

Nothing's Permanent but Change !!!

When I think of the sudden changes happening in Life, the rude surprises..or shld i be saying Rude shocks..I , actually We(Vinod n I) seem to be getting in Life...I can't help but stress out n crib. Other than our Wedding , we have not been able to plan anything since 2006. Its been "Accept What you Get" for a long long time now. It gets super confusin n frustratin when u can't be sure of wat's going to happen or wher ur gonna be in the next 2 weeks...after every 3 - 6 months..Though I must admit, most of the things have eventually turned out to be good. I don belive in Regrettin anything..absolutely anything in Life ! I strongly feel there is a reason and Mind You, a positive Reason for Everything that happens. The key is to be patient n not lose faith n let God do his Job

2007-08-19T19:25:00.000-04:00

:

Everything happened as planned ....n we did move into our new apartment n its beautiful n the process of setting it up was fun n tirin..BUT...

Vinod's office gave us a new story...they want him working out of office, in Vermont for 2 weeks for the 1st few months.(Earlier they had said 1 week). Vinod jus left today...abt 2 hrs back...n I'm missin him sooooooooooooooo badly!!! Hope the next 12 days fly....

2007-07-24T23:30:00.000-04:00

The Pursuit of My Happyness :-)

Hmm..this title is special for a couple of reasons...
1) Firstly it was Vinod's n My 1st movie ‘alone’ 'together'...the ones before this were with a bunch of frends...
2) It was my 1st movie in the US of A..
3) I looooooooov Will Smith
4) His kid is a Daaaaaaaaaaaarlin..awww..so cute!
5) Its an amazin story...a must-watch..we njoyed the movie a lot
6) n Finally i like the way 'happyness' is spelt!

I'm at that point of my Life again..when i'm all excited n eager...Vinod n I are moving our base to Baltimore on July 29th(less than a week away)..we finally are gonna have 'OUR HOME' (Rented of course!)
We are finally settlin down..atleast for a while…

Therz no more gonna be weekly travels n that feels sooooooo good…U have no idea how good ,unless u’ve been in these shoes. Believe me! This implies..no more endless waiting hours in various airports, no more wakin up in the wee hours of the morning on Mondays, n no more reaching at obscene hours on Thursday nites…n for Vinod..No more cookin!

And the more exciting part is settin up our home..I’ve never done that before..never stayed at a place permanently, so we could set it up the way we wanted. Hyd was for 3 mths..n Vermont..was a studio aptment wher most things were provided n the rest, we din really want to buy ‘coz we din know for how long we were gonna be there.We knew we would be Shifting sumtime. Of course before that I was livin with ma-pa…n settin up that home is a completely different thing…’coz I wasn’t ther to start from scratch n I wasn’t contributin financially.
Now we have to shop for EVERYTHIN..rite from the Crockery to mattress to television to all the furnishins…and Shoppin for anything is fun n xcitin ..not jus clothes n shoes ;-) Tho of crse..it creates holes in the pockets!!

The place looks really nice with hi-fi security n all..u can see the pic,one of those houses is ours!! It has a mall with Macys n JC Penny less then .3 miles away..so yayyyyyyeeee.. N well..it has a gym n a pool…..I’m gonna try work out…n I donno swimming:-(

Its exciting to have a new bunch of neighbours..My Mangaer in India is also movin in about a mile away from my place..so that’s nice..I’ll have company before we can make new friends.I’ve heard there are a decent no. of Indians in the apartment.

Also my friends at work tell me..there are plenty of places to visit n hazar things to do in Baltimore/Virginia/DC..so lookin forward to all that. Another advantage about bein in Baltimore is, its at a central point..DC,Virginia,Delaware are all soo close and NYC,NJ are jus abt 3 hrs or lesser away..So thts reallie niceee..will get to see many more places.!

I’m sure I’ll miss sumthings we used to do up in Vermont, like the innumerable hike trails less than a mile away from home, the Ben n Jerry ice-cream, Main Street, The Jewellery shop on Main Street, Burlington, drives to the countless lakes n other scenic places less than 2 hrs away from Vermont, Our landlord Rose n her funny tantrums n of crse the safety around the place (We hear Baltimore is not xactly known for safety!)

The first time a significant change was happenin in my life is in the year 2000…when I was to join college after 14 yrs of school and when I had to change my residence..after the same no. of yrs…I remember..i was so depressed..not wantin to let go of the beautiful moments n memories I had…But since then…things have been only getting better n plenty of things have changed.
Specially with all that’s been happenin over the last 1 year..I realize..changes no more scare me..they jus make me look forward to new things..

Hopin for a new load of gr8 moments…

Smiles
Pavi:-)

2007-06-08T22:07:00.000-04:00

Trip to Niagara & Pittsburg
( 23-25 Dec ’06)

I had landed the previous Sunday evening and we planned to travel to Niagara falls the Christmas weekend. ‘Twas my first weekend in the US. Nu too had gone to Niagara his 1st weekend in the US about 2.5 yrs back.

I was jus abt trying to get used to the chillin winters. But was definitely excited abt the trip..coz I would see the famous Niagara falls and It wld be my 1st long drive with my hubby. Sumthing I had been longing for. (Don ask me why!)

Come Saturday(23rd) , we set out early morning. The mountains around Vermont were white covered by snow. The long drive made me ‘oh..so nostalgic’ abt home ‘coz I was very used to these long drives to various places in Dads car with family. This was a 8 hr drive n we finally reached the Days Inn resort arnd 5 pm. In the winters, it starts getting dark as early as 4 pm. We freshened up and then as the falls was v.close to the hotel we decided to walk it up. So taking our winter gear (gloves, jackets,mufflers etc) we set out. We walked for obout 2 mins n the cold begun to sink in. The wind was so strong and the roads were empty…we were swayin n walking!. But not wanting to return we continued..the falls did look pretty, we took a long walk..the nite sky was amazing..but well..I think we almost froze ! There was unstoppable water drippin frm our noses (yuck!) cld see the revolvin restaurant on the opp side i.e Ontario, Canada,

The Canada-US border is a thin white line (like a zebra corssin) drawn on the road.But u need a passport n visa to cross that line:(

We went to a casino after that..my 1st experience in a Casino.. Was fun..lost some money though! N ya..i also lost Vinod's gloves. Now this is sumthing u ‘ll read as a regular feature in all my stories..I end up losin sumthign in every trip I make :

Next morning we went to the Balaji temple at Pittsburg. A 4 hr drive. Believe me the food (Prasad) available in temples is jus amazing..its sooooooooooo yummy ! n u will stop thinking “Wat a cheapo..” once u taste it. We wanted to pack some boxes for dinner too but din have cash ( thnx to the xtensive usage of credit cards at all places!). But the temple didn’t accept card so we drove abt a mile and got cash to buy food. N then drove back to Niagara.

The next morning we went to the falls agn..roamed arnd a bit, clicked pics (vinods fav thing to do) n then drove back home.

Was a fun trip…wit perfect no. of days to do the stuff we had planned to do without tiring ourselves too much.

Waitin to visit Niagara in summer ‘coz all the rides n stuff was closed durin winter! N long drives have bcom pretty much one of our fav things to do.

Pics at : http://picasaweb.google.com/vinodindia/NiagaraVisit
http://picasaweb.google.com/vinodindia/Pittsburgh

2007-06-08T21:26:00.000-04:00

Wat Goes Around Comes Around…

My current project is in its closing phase. Now this project was for 4 mths but has been insanely adhoc n hectic…Our mgr has jus been makin things worse n as the weeks have passed by has proved that he is an amazing slave driver. My Tam Lead, on the other hand has been supportive, understanding and empathetic towards me. Though he has been getting slave driven himself! We have endlessly cribbed to each other about our manager. As an appreciation of how enduring he has been today I told him that I thot he has been good n kind. His response was “What goes around comes around Pavi. Ur good, so u get that in return. Noel has been a hard taskmaster, sometime he will be made to repent it”.
I have been confused & upset about a few things in Life at this point n hearing that made so much of a difference to me.
What goes Around indeed does come Around. So for all those things n people who have been getting on my nerves .I know they‘ll be made to pay for it. N I know, all that I have to do is continue fulfilling my responsibilities, God will take care n teach them a lesson when he has to. It’s not my business. N if it’s my turn to learn a lesson, I surely will be taught the same. I feel the lessons are learnt much easier when learnt early. Its important to stay quiet n let God do his job. I agree - Easy to Say, Hard to Do!
We are all equal Children of God’s. Have equal no. of ups n downs in Life. Things tht we are happy about n sad about. But having the faith n trust and not givin up is essential to survive. I have heard and at times feel its true that a plan has already been chalked out for each one of us. Then why do we make the mistakes we do, the things we repent n wish we hadn’t done? Has that all been planned? I often wonder. The answer maybe that God thinks, that’s the best way for us to learn.

Oh well. Thank You. N keep me a Good Human Being. That’s all I ask for.

2007-03-17T17:49:00.000-04:00

Finalllllllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…

I’ve been wanting to resume blogging forever now..but sumhow I wasn’t getting around to do it..Blame it on lack of time, lack of ideas, forgetting my Id, forgetting my password or very simply state the fact..I was plain lazzzy to put all the /emotions/events/minframes I’ve been thru’ the last few months into a written form.
But today as I sit in the airport ..wondering wat to do with all the time I get in the airport/in air these days (coz I finished reading the book I was carrying with me and ya I get a minimum of ½ a day in the airport/plane per week) I decided it was the perfect time to choose to write..no disturbance..n nothing to do!!

Hmm… do I rewind n go back…well the last blog seems to be jus b4 my wedding..so I could say all that has happened over the last 8 mths (wow!!!! I’ve been married for 8 mths…seems like it wasjus yesterday that Vinod n I began our life together at times..n at times it seems like I’ve been married forever!) OR I could talk abt today..tomorrow and maybe yesterday…. Hmmm let me start with today..

Well..Div shld be on her flight..finally she is coming to the US too..ppl tease us abt being weird n lucky ppl..coz we get to be around each other most of the times..well Touchwood!...n cheers to our friendship wat else can I say!!
Mush was chatting wit me today…n he was feeling bad about all of us going away…n was getting nostalgic.I guess that alwez happens…Good Byes are so hard to say! I guess a plenty of changes started with my wedding..First I got married then Plumpy moved to Pune..n then I moved to Hyd for 2 mths..n then in Dec I came to the US , S got here Jan n now Div has also left Blr..so thers Guldu n Mush in Blr…well Guys…Blv me its not jus u missing us..we miss U too..(Ya Mush..i agree it mus be a li’l harder for u guys..coz we are all at a new place) But But… its impossible for true Bangaloreans to not miss Blr !!!
I feel it all really depends on the way one chooses to look at life… Gods been Gr8..Vinod coming to Hyd..was such a blessing..coz for those 2 mths we had a ball.. WE..meaning a lot of ppl.. Thnx to varun n S..it wasn’t hard to feel at home from the minute we landed..Mythilli was real friendly too..making outings sooo much more fun!The holiday with Guldu, Mush, Plumpy, Bidisha…well rocking time agn…Sumthing we din really think we wld end up doing! N of crse..cant frgt to mention Div’s visits..n endless tireless games of scrabble or the discovery of Suneesh’s xpertise in Bluff (hahaha..Don get me for tht S)
Back to Blr frm Hyd…I got to make a new frend in office..thnx to my joblessness n frustration abt when I cld travel to the US..n his frustration n wtg to leave the company!! We made an amazing companionship in terms of displaying the “I don care” attitude and cribbing endlessly..Jus got to spend a mth with him…but I knew I had a friend for a long time to come..Wasnt so easy to say bye to him too..n I know both of us were thinking we wish we knew each other earlier!I was so touched when the other day he said I was his li’l sister….really touched..Well Nevis…remain the same whacko insane self u are…coz it takes Crazzy ppl like u to keep the stability in this world!!
Hmm..US of A has been good to me..Its been lots of fun..Its jus 3 months since I got here.. n I have seen so many places already..I plan to blog abt each of the places I have visited soooon.Work is cool..I have got a new profile n it seems pretty interesting and challenging..
One way of looking at this entire scenario is to complain about how Vinod n I are not able to settle down or about how much of traveling I am having to do and how tiring it is… BUT BUT.. another way is to think of the lovely vacation we have been having at different places, about how I get to work in the US and not have to sit at home doing nothing, about how lucky I am to end up with a client close to home, about how I can travel back every weekend, about how Vinod n I wait for Thursdays with xcitement every week…Well perspective does matter! N of crse I do the cribbing at times.. But I prefer having the positive perspective majority of the times.
I remember having an ambition of wanting to travel abroad on work before getting married.But now I know im so glad I’m married to Vinod ‘coz bein all alone in a new country wher u have to start building relationships from scratch isn’t really like eating a candy..it can get bloody tough n lonely here..n Touchwood!..i dint have to go thru’ that. I got my job onsite and a wonderful person to share the rest of my journey in Life with at the same time
Of course I miss mom, dad, grandfolks, sums, darling Rishu…tons n tons…But I know they r so proud of me n so happy for me. That makes the difference! Without their well-wishes and support i cldn’t have made it as far as I have today in my professional life. I also miss the Blr carefree life of jus hangin out wit a bunch of frenz, losin our heads over which coffee shop to meet in, mavs, the stoooopid fights wit Vek for absolutely no reason, Pluto times, the sensible Pramod and certified nutcase Shihab ,eating food cooked by mom, silly arguments wit dad, working hard n partying harder..

Well…Life aint a bed of roses and one can’t xpect to have everything in life…U win some n u lose some..I’m jus happy to be where I am , Who I am and with whom I am

Back to Bloggin sincerely
Pavi

2006-05-13T14:07:00.000-04:00

The "V" factor - Part I

Vinu has gone to have his lunch.....so I thot wat better time than now to finally start updatin about the V factor...its been pendin for v.v.v long now!!As far as I can recollect i think this should have 4 parts...

k here goes part I..

V- Vikram..Back to class V or VI in skool...i thot he was a v.cute guy..guess u cld call it my 1st infatuation...me n a v.gud frend of mine Shireen Warickoo had the same opinion rgdg him n so kept talkin abt him....

class VII ..it all vanished...he was the talk coz we are clasmates n know each other kinda friend

Later on..Couldn't believe that my 1st infatuation would be soooooooooo bad!!!Somehow grew to get v.v.v. irritated by the guy...din have a high opinion of him

NOW..God knows where he is!!!I really hope he doesnt read this blog!!!

2006-05-13T13:59:00.000-04:00

Weddin Updates

Fianlly....I have started my preprations for my weddin..as of today its gonna b xactly a month....
Everyone's been askin me if I'm xcited...but I think I'm more worked up about gettin everythin done on time...Plumpy told me "Pavi, the rest of Blr also has to shop...pls spare somethin for 'em!!" n ironically I feel I haven't completed 50% of my shoppin!!!he aslo said he plans to open a "one stop ..shop" weddin mall...seein my current situation!!
Hm..Anusha was the 1st person to get my weddin invite on 12th may...Did quite a bit of invite distribution today....(pls note when i say quite a bit i'm saying that relative to zero, teh previous figure!!)Spend some time wit vek today..gave him nice gaali n ate Manick bhaiiya's food...another 2 accomplishments for the day!
n as far as xcitement is concerend..well I'm more xcited abt 9th...its gonna b a BIGGG day for me..
Hmm..i've signed into orkut...n m presently glad/happy that i'e got back in touch witsoooo many of my old skool frenz!
Hopin to continue wit my weddin preps in full swing...its a funfull n tirin experience!

To be Bride
Pavi:-)

2006-05-06T09:10:00.000-04:00

Bad start.....

Yesterday was nice....as in a well-spent day....this was a b'day which for various reasons I thot wouldn't be too good...n for various reasons i desperately wanted it to be gud...
But as luck would have it..though 5th was gr8..6th turned out to be miserable:-((( I couldn't execute wat was planned as part of my B'day celebrations..thnx to some events....Don wanna talk abt all of that in detail....but feelin sick abt it.....its extremely depressin..coz if I were to recollect my last B'day as a spinster at any point of time this is one of the 1st things that 'll come to my mind..about not bein able to do sumthin..sumthin which my frenz took sooooooo much of an effort to plan n execute..sumthin which I so badly wanted to do n couldn't do!!!!

n i'm somehow back to having only my blog to crib abt this too...

2006-04-10T07:06:00.000-04:00

Finally awake frm my lonnnnng slumber...

Its been ages..i know....acually the title is sooooo incorrect...I've hardly been able to catch enuf sleep forget long sleep!!!!
well....lifez on a roll....the reason for which I will mention in my next blog...in which i intend to let out my secret regardin the V factor...
Work is super bizi...goin gud...but waitin to get some important updates..
Personal life is super bizi too...my weekends are spent travellin or on the net...I don remember the last time that i lazed around...had so much time in my hands to be able to do nothin!!!!so many frenz to meet up...so much of shoppin to do.....but but..m i complainin....nowez...M sure I'm gonna look back at the first half of 2006 as the time when I ve managed to so sooooo many things in Life!!Its gud to be on ur toes once in a while....
Went to Bandipur wit my project lot the Apr 8th-9th weekend..was gr8 fun....m sure better days r on thier way....

Time to run along now.....

Pavi:-)

2006-02-17T04:48:00.000-05:00

To Shorty.......

Every day I login,
wearily to my messenger.
To start a day of dull chores,
that never seem to falter.

The only thing that peps me,
and keeps me going all day.
It’s my sweet friend in MSN,
who chats in a sweeter way.

Every time I go mad,
I just click on her name.
Talk to her for few minutes,
and she makes me feel sane.

Sometimes when going's tough,
and life is full of madness.
You need a kindred soul,
to talk you out of this mess.

Some people have parent,
and pals so cool and hearty.
Who do I have to do that?
Of course, my friend shorty.

She may look tiny,
trust me that’s just altitude.
What she dint get in height,
she makes up in attitude.

She’s a bundle of common sense,
mature beyond her age.
Oh,don't think she’s always sweet,
sometimes she rocks with rage.

and if you think she’s all serious
wait till you know her well
she’s also lot of fun and laughs
and pull your legs so well

She’s also a major flirt
has crushes on evr1 guy she has met
some one who likes her t-shirt
and someone who makes omlette

Never met anyone
who’s so spicy and sweet
holds you when you fall down
and puts you back on your feet

I am so glad I met her
and don want to lose her till the end
you don’t know how lucky you are
to have Pavi as your friend.

lov
Plumpy

This one was for me from Plumpy impromptu while we were chatting one morning....Its a major ego-booster!!!
Thought I should add it to my blog coz..well..jus for the heck of it!!!

Pavi:-)

2006-02-17T04:41:00.000-05:00

The V Factor

Lotssssssssssssssssssssss n Lotsssssssssssssssssssssssssss n Lotssssssssssssssssssss n..... more will b updated on this soon....keep lookin out :-)

Smiles
Pavi:-)

2006-02-07T04:03:00.000-05:00

Jus Updates...

Its been long...well...lets see...wat has happened since the last blog...hmm...my li'l angel..(I also call him Gol-Gol these days..hehe)..is doin well...n keeps me entertained most of the time..he n my sis vl b lvg to Chennai on the 23rd of feb..not feelin too gud abt tht...evenings mite bcom quite empty....

hmm..o/w life has been gud in Jan..jus lazin around ..not doin too much wrk...n leadin life!..went to Tuscan Verve n a drive to chamundi hills on 7th nite...it was quite a bit of fun...Dolly n I have got back in touch with each other...feelin gud abt it...

hmm..Feb..aha...normal confusin life begins!!!!!!!well Feb 1st for starters mite turn out to be one v.imp day in my life...for 2 reasons..1 xtremely gud n 1 xtremly bad.. won't talk too much abt it now..have to keep it for laters!n actually thtas how this mth is turnin out to be...everytime sumthin about which I feel v.gud happens therz an almost immediate n opposite reaction!!!i really don want this trend to continue....

I was jus scannin thru my previous blogs(coz i mite have someone new to my life readin it..n i wanted to chk if it all sounds k)...n noticed tht for all the happiness in the 1st half of '05 actually 3/4th the year of '05 a lot of not too pleasant things happned at the end of they year...pls God let his yr not b like this!

ya i went to Guruvayur.Feb4th-5th..was a nice trip..have alwez wanted to go to tht temple..Also it was abt 10 of us frm CVG..went to some waterfalls n stuff..was gud fun!Needed the break

Professional life hasn't been goin gr8...tht too is of gr8 concern to me...i hope it settles n lady luck continues to smile upon me!

keepin the smile n faith
Pavi

2005-12-26T22:51:00.000-05:00

My li'l Angel arrives...

I'm finally an aunt...Yipeeeeeeeeeeeee!My sis had a baby boy on the 15th of Dec.The li'l angel is a sheer beauty...it never tires me to keep lookin at him..n well..as of now he's a sleepin beauty..all that he does is sleep!!lucky chap..wish I too could do that!On 25th was his namin cermony..n he's called Rishab...Rishab G Chari...i think it sounds cool :-)Jus hope n pray that he becomes a gud human being and is able to hold his own in this big bad world!

Hmmm...this is my last blog for this year....n retrospecting on the year gone by...well..2005 has been mostly a decent year..a few fun trips..the best holiday till date with my family..loads n loads of studies(thnx to Symbi n CSQA)..gud on the workfront..actually nothin too eventful..n thats gud in a a way...Compared to wat 2004 was..and 2006 is goin to be..it was the perfect break!

But somehow as the year comes to an end there is this depressing feeling..though most things around me are goin gud.I'm not sure why i go thru this syndrome pracically every year!Is it the same wit any of u all?Or am i sufferin from some disease?!?!

Yup..I think 2006 is goin to be a big year for me...m xpecting lot of things to happen..personal life as well as professional life...Will leave everyone to speculate on wat's about to happen...but while u speculate make sure u don forget to send a silent prayer for everything to be gud...

Wishin everyone on planet earth a beautful 2006...Hope n pray that only the best happens in each one of ur lives!

Cheers & Smiles
Pavi

2005-12-09T09:15:00.000-05:00

Happy B'day to my Blog!!!

A year back after lots n lots of persuasion Plumpy created "Shorty Speaks" for me...now its been a year..n my blog has managed to stay alive!!! i.e. even if I don do regular updates...i come back once in a while to pen or rather key my thoughts....

The year gone by has been mostly good...a few fun trips...lots n lots of studies...n good though hectic on the work front..n of crse loads of weddings..Since mid-Nov I've been attendin a weddin every weekend!!!

As for the last month..well..time for Symbi xams....so have to study again boo hoo:-((( Don have much plans of celebratin New Year's this time...n well....of crse waitin for the li'l angel-my niece/nephew...the suspense is actually killin me...jus hopin n prayin for all to go well..

Guess the next time I ll be bloggin is to talk about the arrival of a beauty on this earth..so until then....

Happy Last month of 2005 to ya all....n keep the spirits high..coz Dec is a month for celebrations!!

Cheers
Pavs

2005-11-02T01:55:00.000-05:00

Makin n Breakin of Relationships….

It jus doesn’t feel good…somehow seems so hard to pull along n say it ll all work out fine…well the truth is ..its not workin fine…n this time I want to be able to be strong n cope with things by myself independently…
I thought I was copin fine but somehow as days pass instead of the wound healin it jus seems to be getting worse..

Oct 12th-the day the BIG decision of not continuing the relationship was made..well wasn’t too easy to make but somehow din’t seem so hard also..but now I wish I was less stubborn, less egoistic, had less respect for myself n broke the promise to myself..coz I know that all that’s needed for getting the relationship back into place is a call from me.But some sensible part of me…guess that’s got to be the head..is saying U matter to Urself, so remain strong-willed.Temporary solutions are of no use,u ll again end up in pain, so don’t resort to the easy way out.Be as stubborn as u are n stick by ur promises, things WILL BE FINE in the long run…

Well I can’t wait for this so called period of ‘long run’,wish it starts soon.Wat makes things harder is the only point of venting out my feelings has been my pillow n of course my blog..its so much more easier when u cry to a friend, who ll put their arms around u n tell u to take things eazi n assure u that this world is a nice place and therz lots to hope for…This time around therz no one to give me that assurance..but I guess that’s the idea behind handling it independently!!!

Had a dream about me n 2 gud frenz of mine sittin on the swing in my balcony n chattin up…makes me feel sick coz these 2 ppl r no more the gr8 frenz that they were….it feels damn sick n empty…..

Before I used to cry sooooooooo easily…now-a-days even tears are hard to come…its jus making things harder for me coz…I donno..but I feel so relieved after a good bout of tears..now the sadness n sorrow is jus ther n well no way to let it out…

Want a break soooooooooo DESPERATELY..from LIFE!!!!

So all of this is about breakin relationships…the makin part….hmm

Two office colleagues of mine got married to the gurls they wer in lov wit after a lot of struggle…that’s something which makes me believe that if a relationship is true and meant to be ..It will be….

Hopin for better n keeping the faith….......

Pavi

2005-10-07T04:22:00.000-04:00

Feelin Incomplete....

Hmm..for the last few dayz i've been having this weird feeling..have been extremely sad..therz that urge in me to overcome the probs n carry on wit Life like nothin happened..but well easier said than done!!!

Though I'm xtrrrrrrreeeeeeeeemeeeeely tied up wit wrk..I'm lookin for some kinda vent????(wats the word..sheesh my english has gone for a toss) n wat better medium than my blog..

I'm angry about somethin...can't place it..not sure if my anger is justified also..but..Is it a problem with me?in terms of my expectations?Am i bein unresonable?n gettin myself into misery unnecessarily?Not sure...

We went to Shiv Ganga..n therz this theory about that place..therz a very deep hole with a very small opening and if one puts her hand in it one should get water..If one doesn't then..(s)he is a sinner..now I was the only one who din get any water in my hands..n I'm feelin sick about it..It mite sound down right silly to say I believe in such things..but some small part of me does...n deep inside i know my sins..n feel awful n unforgiveable about it!

Went to donate blood the other day..n for the 4th time in my Life..I was told I was unfit to do so...felt so bloody useless..the guyz I work with r such an awesome bunch...among many reasons jus to make me feel better we went to have icecream at corner house...Its at these times that i think its not valid for me to complain...

But still...Life's been this way...in which ppl who matter the world to u don care that much for u..but ppl who u expect nothin out of...well.. they get u back on track in life n keep u goin..

I've made or m makin some big decisons in Life...I'm hopin they r for the gud n i stick by them..i know these r goin to b the hardest decisions to follow but well..no harm in tryin..whn u bruise urself once u bcom stronger n thats the best way to learn!

Pavi...

PS:As far as I can recollect this is the first blog wher so much of information has been left as a puzzle...somehow m scared by talkin abt it i ll let out my deep dark secrets!!!

2005-09-05T23:38:00.000-04:00

Finally arose from my hibernation…

I ended my last blog sayin..Hope this year continues to be beautiful…the way things are goin…well m worried I ll be greedy if I ask for more…
I’m on cloud no. nine…totally elated…Touchwood….the magic should go on n on…
Where do I start…
Well as I Had written..upto Jun 25th it was study time…slogged it off..n was sick n tired of it…then finished my xam..of the 4 papers 2 were decent ..one I cldn’t predict n one was bad!..Tarun had cme down frm Delhi so met up wit him n chilled out the day r xam got over..Nam n S came down too…Sums was also in blr..was hard to please everyone n felt bad that I cldn’t spend time with everyone as much as I wanted..Went to Cauvery Fishing Camp with frenz..it was a gr8 experience..was loads of fun..somethin I’m gonna remember for a long long time…went to Hypnos n got drunk..div n me..it was crazy ..it was fun…n all of ‘em left Blr in no time…
Was hard n depressin to get back to the routine n mundane life..our Symbi exams started on 17th Jul…was study time again..n those 6 weeks upto aug 21st was tryin….u could say almost killin..there wasn’t a day when we(Div n me..Thank God..she was there..otherwise I think I would have killed myself!!!) wished n hoped that there was more Life in our Lives!!!In between frm Aug 1st-21st did something which well..i don wanna write here..but was a different experience..gud in many wayz..n not so gr8 in many wez..anewez..it ll be one of the wild things Pavithra did!!!Aug 21st…..YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..xams over….chillax time..party time!!!!
N ya the awesome news that I said I had got n cldn’t yet share(in a earlier blog of mine)…I’m gonna become an Aunt…oh yeah..my sis is gonna have a li’l angel….I can’t wait for Dec..thats when the beauty is due…..I want to scream frm the top of the world..keepin my fingers crossed for everything to be jus fine
Its been a year since I saw my grandfolks..n of course I can’t miss a single chance that I get to see my sis…so went to Chennai over the weekend…took 3 days off frm wrk..was a gud time lazin n doin nothing..only 2 things were a pain..the heat n the rumor that CSQA results were about to be out anytime……I think I could have died coz of my nervousness!
There hasn’t been a day in the recent past when I hvn’t prayed to clear my results…it matters so much..coz a) I have NEVER EVER flunked any exam b) I don hv the mental or physical strength to go thru the whole thing all over again..CSQA is freakin strenuous..
The previous weekend was gud..sums had come down..went out with frenz..n was basically gud…came to office on Monday(yesterday)…not sulkin but at the same time wasn’t feelin gr8 abt wrk…n wats the mail I see… “CONGRATS FOR CSQA”…whoaaaa…m not kiddin..I cleared CSQA….wat a brilliant way to start the week..Thanks..to all who believed in me n God…feels simply AWESOME….its mom’s b’day..n that makes it the perfect day to get the newz..Div n I are feelin gr8..i guess thats how it is to be on top of the world..I'm in no mood to come down to earth so...
Hope we clear r symbi xams too…that won’t be worth takin up again…Endin on the same note…wish this magic touch lasts…forever n ever…

Lucky Me :-)
(Touchwood!!!)

2005-05-07T07:35:00.000-04:00

Its B'day month:-)))

When Sowmya called from Pune to wish me for my B'day she said she could see the excitement n blush on my face rgdg my B'day all the way frm ther..she said the only thing missin was a lollipop in my mouth!!!But wat the hell 1 out of 365 days is all mine..n even if i grow 100 yrs old(For the record I don't want to live that long) I ll be excited about my B'day n I think that should be the case with everybody...
I thought 5th May is not gonna b all that excitin this year coz ther wasnt much to do..I ve alwez celebrated my B'day with my collg frenz n most of 'em are not in Blr nor is my sis so...But I turned out to be wrong..MY CVG frenz are simply the best...they never fail to make me feel special...Mush wrote a poem for me last year n a beautiful story this year..I was on cloud nine...Most of 'em called n wished me at 12 in the nite..
Lunched at Grahmin with Div n Plumpy..Recappin all ol' memories..
n in the evng my dear ol' frend Div had arranged this surprise thingy for me..If not for her...my B'day wouldn't have been half as intrestin...Thnx Div!!!!We had soo much fun n I reached home at 12 AM,May 6th..Wat a beautiful day May 5th was.....
The next day I went with my new project team to a resort n had a ball of a time again....
Our office has asked us to do CSQA(Quality certification) exam..Its gonna be damn hard..but with some blessings n luck n of crse hard wrk we should be able to make it..The next 2 months is gonna be study time n then again after June 25th(xam date) its gonna be fun time with so many of my collg frenz n S cmg down to Blr...
Life has been a roller-coaster..Touchwood!!!Hope this year continues to be beautiful....

Cheers
Pavi:-)

2005-05-07T06:50:00.000-04:00

Apr '05

First Fortnight....

Mar 30th I finally left to Delhi..it was Dads as well as my first flight journey ..I had sponsored the tickets for mom n dad n was so happy about it...
Was gonna see Sums(my sis)after almost a year.(I last saw her in May '04)..was damn excited...The flite was abt 30 mins late..n then finally we landed..hugs n kisses n then drove home..I gave her the digicam I got for her..n she was angry with me..she yet thinks i'm a kid..n din like the idea of her kiddo sis buyin somethin so expensive..But it was worth it coz for the first time I saw tears of happiness...
Met up with Tarun had laods of fun...Did loads n loads n loads..... of shoppin..Sums got me my first business suit.Went to Vaishno devi n Kulu Manali...Played with snow for the first time in my life..In Vaishno devi we slept in the queue coz we were so dead tired after walkin...This was my best holiday with my family..God knows if one better than this will ever happen...Moments I will treasue for ever n ever..
n then it was 14th apr..time to get back to Blr n normal life....It was confusion at the airport..they said our flight at 2:30 was cancelled n ther was one only at 8 PM..n after lots of runnin around we boarded another flight at 5 PM...We landed in Blr n got our lugggage out whn it started pourin..the typical Blr weather..Was happy n glad to be back in MY CITY!!

Second Fortnight

Apr 15th..Back to work....In an hours time of reachin office I got to know that I was promoted..My first Promotion...Was glad...I was shifting into a new role/responsibility...something I had been asking for had finally materialized...All nice things were happenin..Touchwood...In the evening we checked our Symbi reults n voila...We(Div,Sums n I) had passed...Too gud to be true..Thank God..the day was beautiful!!!!
n work has been hectic but good...Heard soem really good news..Can't yet say wat it is..But prayin for it to come true..April has been an AWESOME month...hope it carries on thru the year...
Am waitin for May for more than one reason....

Cheers
Pavs