Hello, Satsriakaal, Namashkaar, Vanakkam, Kem Cho, Baagunnara, Assalaam Valekhumm! Yeh hai Mayanagari!!! High time I spoke about myself and my interests!!! The world can take a backseat.
Greetings friends. It's still snowing. So tired of this 'S" word. Where is the sun? God must have really heard my prayers when I was a kid, wishing to "see" snow. I grew up in the scorching heat of South India where there was no season called winter. But I can't complain now, since I am living the American dream, that most people want to but can't. Sigh! Poor Sanju Baba, back in jail. Must have finished shooting all his pending projects. RIP Nanda, although I did not watch any of her movies. Also, a moment of silence for all those innocent people who lost their lives on that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. Hope the relatives find strength to deal with this trauma. Song of the day from the movie Rafoo Chakkar. Wahi hota hai jo manzoore khuda hota hai. So apt for what's happening in my life right now.
If you are reading this, there is a chance that you are bored and browsing the internet for something interesting to do. And kudos to you, you are taking the right step, in the right direction to beat monotony! Is it true that only boring people get bored? The feeling of boredom is truly personal. I think engaging the mind is THE BEST way to beat boredom. Some examples of keeping the mind busy is to play games like chess, Suduku, board games etc. We can also meditate. I like to doodle. Since I can remember, the back of my notebooks were covered with my art work. I have some fascination for faces, flowers and connecting the dots. I draw random dots and then connect them. I have come up with so many new designs so far. Some day I will make a post of just my doodles. Maybe someone might think of it as a masterpiece and offer to publish them. Am I day dreaming? Well, that's another way of killing boredom. Many fantastic ideas have given birth as a result of day dreaming. One thing that most people tend to do when they are bored is eat. While this may offer instant satisfaction, it might have some bad, long term effects. Therefore it is not recommended. Pinpoint what bores you and see if you learn something new about yourself. While you do that, I will go to bed as it's quiet late here. Shub ratri folks!
Namaskar dosts! It was not that I was lazy or busy, I had a specific thought, going on in my mind, for the last 2 months, which needed a closure. And finally, late last evening, I got my answer. And that moment, when I got my answer, I felt liberated. It was not the happiest solution, but nevertheless, it was an answer that helped me stop thinking "what if"? So, I decided to come back to my favorite space, which I had been neglecting. Here in Virginia, we are lucky, we get to experience seasons change DAILY! The weekend was enjoyable. On Friday, I went out with friends for a ladies night out, followed by a movie - "Queen". It was a light hearted movie. Kangana's character was simple and relatable. On Saturday evening after a whole day of lazing around, our family decided to go for an evening out. We watched the movie Non Stop. Thanks to the movie, now flying on an airplane will never be the same for me. A good movie though. At some points had to sit at the edge of the seat. We then enjoyed a really good meal at the Indian restaurant called "Haveli". Met two interesting people who waited our table. Both were so cheerful. They both asked the same questions. Kind of had the same personality. One was an Indian man and the other a white lady. Turns out they are husband and wife. Imagine that! Song of the day, for that cheerful couple, is from the movie Chitchor:
Is Ko Sanjog Kahen Yaa Qismat Kaa Lekhaa
Hum Jo Achaanak Mile Hain
Man Chaahe Saathi Paakar Ham Sab Ke Chehare
Dekho To Kaise Khile Hain
I have been watching too many interviews on YouTube. The one common question, celebrities get asked is "An idea that changed your life?". I have heard some really good answers like, the idea to start making movies, the idea to leave my city and come to Mumbai, the idea not to listen to my parents to go for further studies etc. etc. After thinking about what is that one idea that changed MY life, I came up with "the idea to express myself the way I really am". Growing up, I have listened to my parents and did exactly what they wanted me to do, After marriage, till recently, I listened to my husband to some extent. When the kids arrived, it was mostly about them. For the past say 3 years I have started thinking for myself. I began, saying exactly what I felt. While it has been a very satisfactory experience, it has also landed me in trouble. I have lost good friends, I have been given the silent treatment and gotten hurt very badly. I have been emotionally scarred to the extent that I have shed tears for days together. It is a lot to analyze and process. The positive to this is, I am living life on my terms. No one is telling me to do what I am doing. No one is stopping me from doing what I really want to do. I have made a few good choices. The rest, that were bad choices, I do not regret them at all, as I have grown from those experiences. My box of experiences, is getting fuller. Oh, what a nice feeling! Someone once told me, a life lived without taking risks, is a life not lived at all. Now, I understand this completely and agree with that genius who thought of this first. I still can't say that I have become a stronger person, but the goal is to get there. The best outcome so far is that, I am spending a lot more time with my family. In the end, they are the ones who matter the MOST. The second best thing, is my decision to blog. I can always come here and pen down my thoughts for the day, and keep a live diary! The fun part is, I sometimes get an email or two from strangers who read my blog. Love you all! Keep reading! Shub Ratri!
Hello friends! Yes, the fireplace in on 24x7 at our house these days. So tired of "trying" to stay warm. The "S" word again! This time the weather man is predicting an accumulation of 10" to 12" on the ground. Schools closed again. Children losing focus. Sigh! I watched too many award shows over the weekend. Watching Oscars at present. Amazed at the creative writing skills. Every year these shows offer something different. I am really hesitant to start watching these shows as I think that they are too long. But the content is so good that somehow the time flies and I realize that I have just sat on the couch for 3hours straight. If not for the weather, it was a nice weekend. Attended an international night on Friday night. Witnessed dances from at least 25 different countries, including the dragon dance of China, Lion dance of Korea, Bhangra of India, Salsa dance of Latin America and so on. Finally got to "experience" the movie Goliyon Ki Ras Leela Ram-Leela. An epic movie it was! SLB got it right this time. Right from the story, to casting, to music to the colors in the movie. Since love stories is the genre of movies that I enjoy the most, this movie was a complete entertainer for me. The dances were so good. Both RS and DP have done a fantabulous job. For me, Ranvir is the next SRK. His energy is contagious. Definitely spreads enthusiasm. So, the song of the day is from this movie. My favorite number. "Lahu Munh Lag gay".
By now, most of you know, that my favorite pass time is to watch YouTube videos. This morning, I was watching Koffee with Karan episode with Abhishek Bachchan and Farah Khan. One sentence from that episode that was said by AB Jr. caught my attention. He said he is a "lover" not a "hater". This made me think. Whole day, I was thinking about it. There is so much to learn from this statement. A lot can be achieved by spreading love. My younger son, always wins our heart at home with his love. My husband sometimes can be really very strict with the kids Every time, after a serious argument, Rohit makes it a point to say "I love you". My heart just melts when I hear that. How can you not love the child that much more? There is nothing like the vibration of love. It makes us feel good and it makes others feel good. Couple it with the frequency of gratitude and you have a winning formula for life! Our days are happier when we give people a bit of our heart rather than a piece of our mind ! Some of the different ways of spreading love can be:
1. Be kind - Do random acts of genuine kindness. You can smile more when you walk down the street, open doors for strangers (even women can open doors for men — ladies can be gentlemen too!), give a genuine compliment. 2. Treat all equal -Try to notice yourself in others and aim to perceive that we are all a part of God. Send love to everyone, especially those who irritate, provoke or scare you. Feed people with fear and they will become fearsome, feed them with love and they will become loving. 3. Express love -Express acts of love and kindness to animals, plants and insects too, we are their guardians. All life has the signature of our creator embedded in their fabric 4. Give - Practice giving without the need for receiving. this one I need a lot of practice. I do expect. 5. Be thankful - Give thanks for all the things that are going right in your life. We so often harp on the things that are going wrong for us 6. Hug: Hugging was never encouraged at my house when I was growing up. This is something I have learnt recently. Hugs have such healing powers. Give away free hugs whenever you see the opportunity. Humans are tactile beings (well, at least some of us anyway) and the value of appropriate physical contact can be just what someone may need from you.
I am sure if we put these things to practice we will experience love in return.
If anything, the movie Ram-Leela has taught me to always gracefully emerge from the flames with your head held high and a fire of passion in your heart. My new favorite star, Ranvir Singh is a perfect example of this. I have always seen him spreading love, whether it is with his co-star, his boys who work with him on the sets, his directors, his fans etc., and that is why I feel he was a perfect fit for the role of Ram in the movie. Keep it up Ranvir, you are an inspiration to most of us.
Had an awesome looong weekend! Finally, I think we are done with snow storms for this year. It was a better day today. V-day was a memorable day. My kids helped around with chores, which is a rarity. I love you kiddos. We have so many hopes and aspirations for our kids My most important wish for my kids is that, they get all the love in the world and stay happy throughout their lives. I am sure God will watch out for them.
Today's song of the day is from the movie Bazaar- seene mein jalan by Suresh Wadkar. RIP Farooq Shaikh! You will be remembered for your real life portrayal through your acting in your simplistic yet memorable movies.
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4 days of holidays and you really have nothing much to do after a while. You can clean a house that is already clean, you can read for 4 to 5 hrs. straight, you can cook a delicious meal, you can play with kids, you can shop, the list is endless. They were the activities that I had already done and was bored with. I wanted to do something different. So, I spent Friday night and Saturday morning thinking about it. Yes I did. I like to spend time alone, I like watching Hindi movies. Now, how can I put these 2 together and make a fun day out of it? I browsed through the local cinema listing. To my luck, there were 2 movies playing back to back. Both of them that I hadn't watched! What a pleasant surprise! Gunday and Hasse toh Phasee. I quickly cooked a nice meal for the family and packed some fruits for myself and went to the theaters. I purchased a ticket for Gunday. I had to kill 20 more minutes before the show started. So, I treated myself to a café mocha. Can it get better than this? Yes, it can. Now, the best part. I go inside the theater and there is pin drop silence. There is a still of some advertisement running on the screen. There was only 5 more minutes for the movie to start. There was no one else in the theater. It was pitch dark. I thought to myself, am I in the wrong theater or is this movie so boring that nobody wants to watch it. Fortunately, my thoughts proved to be wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed Gunday. It was like attending a movie premiere. The movie itself was like old wine in a new bottle. Why it worked for me? It had style, confidence, attitude, dialogues, music and most of all energy!!! The boys did a great job. (the little ones too). The movie belonged to Ranvir Singh in my opinion. Came out of that movie and now I was starving. Sat down in a corner, ate my "peru" that I had thoughtfully packed. It was another experience to watch the people, rushing to their respective movies with their overflowing bag of popcorn and drinks. No home theaters can stop the cine goers from going to the theaters. The whole experience is very therapeutically entertaining. The smell of popcorn, the quiet, dark, cold theaters and the loud speakers over which you hear the husky voice of your favorite hero/heroine. Aah! it's an affair for lifetime! Ok, so now I stand in line again to buy another ticket for the next movie. This theater was half full for this show. The smell of Indian food and Indian people soon filled this hall. I was missing my previous theater already. Nevertheless, enjoyed the "desi" experience. Siddhart Malhotra is god's gift to girls. Good looking, but really needs to learn to act. Parineeti did a fabulous job. So, next time you want to do something different, try wathing back to back movies in a theater. What would I do without Bollywood? Sigh!
Happy Valentine's day people! I hope everyone survived the snow storm. I was so bored the whole day. I tried everything from playing Flappy bird (sad about the murder case), watching Winter Olympics, news, SRK movies, cooking good lunch and I was still not able to kill time. I think it was because, I did not feel constructive in any of these activities. It was a dull and boring day. I did one good thing today. I joined Pinterest, just to learn more about it. Quiet impressed by the product. Not sure if I have the time to use it. For people like me, who don't like to read, Pinterest is our answer. It's a pictorial of different categories of interest, like cooking, home, fashion etc. I am looking forward to the release of the movie Gunday. Hence the Song of the day is "tune mari entriyan". Enjoy!
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I am a romantic person by nature. So, this should be MY day right? Wrong!!! While I do believe in love, I do not believe in celebrating it on a particular day. When 2 people have decided to be together, everyday is a celebration. I like the color red, don't you.? I am posting a few things red that I like.
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.
I want to change the look of this blog to red today. Hope you like the new look.
Hello dosts. Good weekend. The weather was not so great, but then again, I can't remember when was the last time we had some great weather. I see no difference between living here and in Alaska. When w were freezing, the drama of Kejriwal was continuing in Delhi. Dharana's after dharana's by him is making him responsible for his own downfall. Now he is threatening to quit if the Lokpal bill is not passed. Isn't that what Congress wants? What started out as a great idea for the future, is now reduced to mockery by the same people who once supported him. By doing so, he is letting down the people who trust him. So sad. I see the hope of Indians dying down rapidly. Salman Khan has refused to host Bigg Boss 8. The show must go on. Who is going to replace him? If the rumor mills are to be believed, it's Ajay Devgan. Salman Khan also visited the Siddhivinayak temple to pray for his movie Jai Ho. I guess these visits have now become more of a publicity gimmick. There was a time when Amitabh used to genuinely go to the temple and the then Bombay would come to a standstill. Nevermind, whatever works best for everyone. And what's up with Vidya Balan wearing maxi dresses to the promotions of her new movie Shadi ka side effects? Is she pregnant?
It was ghazal Sunday for me. Coincidentally, it was the ghazal king's b'day on 08 February. Song of the day is "Muskurakar mila karo humse" by the King. Soul stirring isn't it? Misery needs company. If you have no friend to listen to you when you are lonely and sad, there is always Jagjit Singh. In a nice way.
I am the type of person, who will go to 10 stores first, do a through comparison shopping, then buy the item I wish to buy, even if it means saving only a few dollars.
A bargain ain't a bargain unless it's something you need.
- Sidney Carroll
My husband can't understand this as he does not believe is wasting time and effort in shopping. For him time is money. I understand fully that in order to save, one has to spend. We HAVE to buy items we "need". That's were my focus is in this post. Now "wants" are a different story. I had gone grocery shopping to the local grocery store this afternoon. I have this belief that the savings will come off of the list only if we present the savings card when all the items have been scanned by the cashier. I refuse to give the card in the middle of the scanning. Today, when the cashier scanned the card, the savings kept scrolling for a while. It resembled the slot machines at the casino. I couldn't help thinking to myself, is this going to stop at some time? I was overjoyed to see how much came off the total. Must have been a lucky day, when most of the items we normally buy were on sale. There was a time when I used to cut coupons out of a newspaper and take it to the grocery store. I have given that up now. I feel sad to see a coupon being thrown away. But I have learnt to live with that. There are many things that make a person happy and I am no different. But my day is especially made when I save money. Even if it is a few cents. I can sleep well when I know that we have saved some money for a rainy day. I think my Indian upbringing is responsible for this kind of thinking. We were always taught the value of hard earned money.
A simple fact that is hard to learn is that the time to save money is when you have some.
- Joe Moore
Namaskar friends. Patha nahi kyon, but remembering SRK a lot today. I saw him attend Ahana Deol's wedding reception with a leg injury. He still looked so adorable. Aww. Today's song of the day is from his movie Koyla. Looks like money can buy handsome Son-in-laws. Hema Malini did a fantastic job finding rich, good looking, first hand hubby's for her daughters. What a grand, star studded wedding it was. Everyone was dressed so well for once. Loved Deepika's and Diya Mirza's sarees. Kushal-Gauhar and Arman-Tanisha are milking their cheap stunt at stardom. They are seen everywhere these days. Gau-shal are participating in a reality show now. What??! As long as they have the audience, they win.
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Every year I go to India, a visit to the fish market is a must. My parents call me a cat. I love the smell of fresh fish. Sorry vegetarians this post is definitely NOT for you. For your information, it is just like visiting the farmers market, to buy locally fresh, locally grown produce. This year too, I fulfilled the tradition. My brother and his son, who also have the same intensity of love for fish and a high tolerance for the smell, took me to this brand new, quintessential fish market, that has now opened in Udupi. It was like taking a kid to a toy store. It was almost closing time for the market. The fish mongers were quoting the lowest prices, I had ever heard off. OMG! the variety of fish that was on display was amazing. The fish comes from the nearby harbor of Malpe. The baskets of fresh, silver fish, looked so inviting. I could eat it all up, that too raw! I bought mackerel, Shrimp, Pomfret, sardines and crab. Rs. 2000/- worth of fish. I did not care if I had paid more. I did not bother to do any comparison shopping. My mind was doing the conversion from rupees to dollars. So cheap! Had to buy them all. I was on a roll. My brother had to stop me. See pics below. Sorry for the poor quality. I was concentrating on the fish. :)
Fish Market
It took my nephew and I, 3 hours to clean that much fish. We could have got it cleaned at the fish market, but I wanted to have the pleasure of cleaning it myself. Since my Mom is a vegetarian, we sat in the backyard of our house to clean the fish. mosquitoes had a field trip sucking our blood. My brother came up with the idea of lighting a mini bonfire next to us, to keep the evil mosquitoes away. It worked temporarily. In the meantime, my brother and Mom were the preparation team they had prepped all he vegetables and masalas for the cleaned fish.
Marinated fish
It took us another 2 hours to finish cooking the fish. Sorry I don't have the pics of the final product. I was too tired to take pics, for that matter even eat. All of us had lost appetite by the time we finished cooking. It was too late at night to eat. We did try to eat a little. The next day we had to travel. So guess what? all that wish had to be given to the maid and her family to enjoy. How sad. It was fun, but never again will I go overboard in buying fish, however tempting it might be. (I do wish, I had bought some clams :)). As they say, too much of anything is bad.
Namaskar! Narayana, Narayana, Narayana. Sriman Narayana, Narayana.. So blessed to have attended a Satyanarayana Puja this weekend. it was a peaceful evening followed by a lot of catching up with good old friends. Rivals Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan seem to be making good progress in fixing their once-gone-sour friendship. At the Star Guild Awards 2014 held in Mumbai, the two stars put their differences aside and hugged each other, much to the shutterbugs' delight. From the pictures I saw, it looks like Salman made the first move. Publicity stunt for his upcoming movie "Jai Ho"? Who knows, who cares? It takes a big heart for such a nice gesture, which Salman seems to have. Aamir Khan has also been counting down the release of this movie on Facebook. "Chalo acchi bath hai". All Khans are getting along. Behind the innocent face of Alia Bhatt, here is a dedicated actress and a singer?!! She sang a song in her upcoming movie Highway directed by Imitiaz Ali. I am eagerly looking forward to this movie The promos look interesting. It has been shot in 6 states of North India. I can connect to this, as I recently went on a trip of North India myself. I was closely following the Sunanda Pushkar-Sashi Tharoor-Mehr Tarar. It was noting less than a Bollywood masala movie. Unfortunately, it had a quick, tragic ending to it. Both the ladies involved were gorgeous. I really hope that it was not a murder and there was no conspiracy behind Sunanda's death. May her soul RIP. Today's Song of the day is a Ghazal sung by one of my favorite singers with a unique, deep, ringing voice full of raw energy and spirit. Richa Sharma - Chap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaike... This was written by Amir Khusro.
We all know that skilled labor is so cheap in India. It breaks my heart to see such talented, hard working, creative people, earning so little money. Clearly a case of too many skilled workers than jobs. All we can do is encourage them and help them by buying their products. That's exactly what I did when I visited a moving sculpture camp that had come to Manipal from Chhattisgarh. (If Mohammad can't go to the mountain, bring he mountain to Mohammad). A very refreshing concept. I also saw people from Rajasthan come to Manipal temporarily to make and sell friendship bracelets. The location of the sculpture camp was behind the lake called "Mannina Palla". We had gone during sunset. Manipal is growing in the right direction. See pics below.
Sunset at the lake "mannina palla" where Manipal got it's name from
The Sculpture Camp
Artists carving a sculpture of "Buddha" from a singe stone under a tent
Artists polishing the iron sculptures
A pot maker showing us his talent o the wheel and his products
The building where the sculptures are finally going t be displayed.
I will promote Manipal every time I have an opportunity, a I have left part of my soul over there. Do visit Manipal if you can and share your experience with me. Shub Ratri.
Hello folks! It's raining awards at Bollywood. So disappointed with the crowd that's showing up for these awards. The "real" new generation (Aditya Roy K, Varun Dhawan, Sidhhart Malhotra, Shradha Kapoor) has decided to give these events a miss. Better things to do? All the losers showed up with full zeal. Mr. & Mrs. Nene (yeh dono kahin bi pahunch jaate hain aaj kal), Mr. & Mrs. Oberoi (hmm), Mr. & Mrs. Behl (really?), one time movie wonders girls Vaani Kapoor, Nimrat Kaur, Huma Qureshi. (How did these girls even become actresses?) And their dressing sense? Please! All look like "wannabes". The highlight of the screen awards for me was when Amitabh acknowledged the presence of Rekha and Jaya did not mind. Awww. Rekha could not make eye contact with Big B. She still loves and respects him so much. True love and sacrifice. I wish a day will come when AB and Rekha can act in a movie again. Would be a treat for the audience. Abay Deol "sported" a black eye at the Screen awards. Looks like he took some "panga" with T Series for some royalty issues. Names like Sonu Nigam, Shankara Mahadevan are also being thrown in on the same issue. It seems Sonu Nigam got so tired that he announced his retirement. Lets wish Abay good luck on his music proms for his new movie One By Two. And the latest to be diagnosed with cancer is Emraan Hshimi's 4 year old son. Why O why? So sorry. Praying for all people who are unwell. Get well soon! Song of the day from the movie Jurm. Not the famous Vinod Khanna - Meenakshi Sheshadri starrer. This is another movie with the same name starring Bobby Deol and Gul Panag from 2005. O Sanam, O SanamTum saath hote agar... It has a nice "Khanak" to it. Just found out the male singer is Udit Narayan. Of course!
Leaving you tonight with Kapil Sharma in mind. He has been in my thoughts for the past one week. Multi talented guy. A TRUE Punjabi. I stumbled upon a singing show called "Star ya Rockstar" on You Tube. Apparently this was aired on Zee TV in 2011. He was one of the participants on that show. Did not win the show but his songs were amazing! When he sings, he brings the environment of Punjab right in front of you. The 'sarson ka keth", the "mitti" "makki di roti", the "lassi" etc. That makes Punjab what it is. He makes everything look so easy. So far success has not gone to his head. He is so simple and down to earth. Every time I watch him perform, I feel that I should meet people like him in real life. People who are so creative and really enjoy what they are doing. I have never heard him repeat a single joke. Amazing talent! Well, he does portray girls to be the weaker sex, as many people argue. Lately he got into trouble as some woman institute in Maharashtra has registered a case against him for speaking poorly about pregnant women delivering babies in rickshaws due to the number of potholes on the roads in India. It's hard to keep everyone's sentiments in mind while doing such a huge show. Kapil does have a responsibility as his show is being aired on national TV at prime time and billions of people are watching him around the world. Lets hope the show does not stop for these kind of reasons as laughter is indeed the BEST medicine and can cure many people like me of a disease called boredom. LOL! Thanks Kapil! I AM HOOKED!!!
Hi blog dosts. I am a happy camper since the last 2 days. Yes, you all guessed right. I found a job. A good start to this year. A very happy Makara Sankranti/Pongal/Lohri! Call it whatever you want, it's the most auspicious occasion for the Hindus and is celebrated almost in all parts of India. It is the harvest festival. It is marked as the beginning of Spring in India. Indian television, will soon witness a war of the comedians very soon. Sunil Grover aka "Gutthi" is soon going to start his own comedy show presenting himself as "Chutki". Kapil Sharma beware!. It's a win-win situation for the laughter hungry audience. I am hooked on to Comedy nights with Kapil. At the end of a long, tiring day, he makes me happy. And poor Sanju baba, looks like a dark cloud follows him where ever he goes. Now his wife is terribly sick. Looks like she has a tumor which is undergoing diagnosis. I really hope she gets well soon! Virat Kholi and Anuska Sharma. Hmmm. Not a cute couple. But who am I to judge? These watchmen, at the buildings are notorious for keeping tabs on all the wrong things. Apparently, opened his mouth and told TOI that Virat was staying with Anushka for the past 5 days. Ouch! Well, Bollywood mein yeh sab chalta reheta hai. The hot, now old John Abraham is now married to Priya Ranchal and Bipasha is dating Harman Baweja. Looks like everyone has moved on and rightly so. Live and let live! Song of the day from the movie Dil-E-Naadan. Chaandini raat mein ek baar tujhe dekha hai...
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Is there such a thing as too much free time? 2 weeks have just gone by since I had no agenda to follow. It did feel like I wasted all my time. The sooner I have a routine, the more constructive I will feel. When I was working full time, I was so pressed for time, that I would wait for the weekends to pack so many activities. Believe it or not, I accomplished a lot more then. When I had a couple of weeks to do nothing, I took time for granted and postponed doing the things that I really wanted to do, like reading, cleaning house, going to the gym, etc., that I ended up doing nothing! I had too much free time! I don't regret it though. I always wanted to do nothing. I always wanted to be at home with no one around to disturb me. A quiet, peaceful home! Now I have been there and done that too. I enjoyed it for sometime. One more check mark on the "to do list." That being said, I don't think I can do this forever. We have come into this world to be productive and contribute to society. And that, everyone should do, as long we are energetic and healthy.
Time = Life. Therefore, waste your time and waste your life or master your time and master your life. - Alan Lakein.
Hello blog friends! The Polar Vortex has come and gone and we survived. For most of you, it was just about the cold to pass and life would continue as it was. For me, not so much. I am in this restless period of time. Looking for a new job, new friends, new hobbies, basically a new beginning. Last week was a grueling week with back to back interviews. I hope to hear some good news soon. The Song of the day that comes to mind is from the movie Don. Uff! Zennie baby can make any dance sexy, simply by her presence. Love her and her movies.
My Mom, the genius! She is a multitalented lady. An over achiever. She can find a use for any thing that is lying around the house and make it look so good in the process, that you are left dumb founded. Every trip I make to India, I find many such examples. This time, it was a washing machine cover. After I came back to my parents house, from a 3 day trip to Coorg (my next post), I decided to use the washing machine at my parents house, to quickly wash all the dirty clothes from the trip. What I saw on the machine was unbelievable. The washing machine was beautifully draped by one of my Mom's old Sarees. How interesting! I thought to myself. I carefully pulled it off the machine, not wanting to spoil it's shape. I realized that the sari was not sewed to that shape The pleats were gathered at the center and the rest of the Sari simply hung loose over the machine. (See pic. below).
What an economical washing machine cover! It also adds color to the otherwise dull and boring corner, that washing machines usually occupy in Indian homes. I am sure many housewives will benefit from this idea. If only I knew someone who could do some marketing for me. It was a pleasure washing clothes, as my Mom made everything so convenient. The taps and pipes were well within the reach of the machine. The water flow was powerful as it the water was coming from a full tank upstairs. From that day on, my morning routine at my parents, included washing clothes. Now drying the clothes? That was another pleasurable experience altogether. I would dry it out in the open under the hot sun on the clothes line. The clothes would dry in exactly 1 hour. The fragrance that was emitted from the dried clothes, had CLEAN written all over them. So folks, next time you don't know what to do with your favorite old sari, please think "washing machine"! Shub ratri.
Vanakkam 2014! Bye, bye 2013. My first post this year. Awww. Personally, I had a fab 2013 with more ups and few downs. My Father in law passed away this September. Hopefully the downs will erase from memory with time. A great many things happened around the world this year. RG3 benched due to injury, Pope Benedict stunned the world by announcing his resignation, Margaret Thatcher died, the Royal baby was born, Bomb at the Boston marathon killed 3 and injured many, Government Shutdown, Miley Cyrus and her crazy acts, Nelson Mandela died, Devyani Khobragade prosecution and many more evetns. In my very own India, Sachin Tendulkar retired, Uttarakhand flood disaster, Jiah Khan suicide, Movie Chennai Express was a super duper hit beyond belief, Sanjay Dutt gets parole, Arvind Kejriwal is sworn as Delhi's chief minister for his Aam Aadmi party (AAP), or Common Man's party, Gauhar Khan wins Bigg Boss 7, Farooq Sheik died, but the biggest news for me, was the split between Hrithik Roshan and Suzanne Roshan. This shows that life is a roller coaster ride. We have got to be prepared for anything and everything.
Leaving you tonight with the Song of the day - an apt first time song for me by Kishore Kumar. This is from the movie Pehli Tarikh in1962.
Folks, it's 3 minutes till midnight. Got to go now. I am watching the ball drop on TV. Lazy night with family. I will try to write more this year. I have so many topics I want to write about. Had gone to India for 2 weeks and collected lots of pictures. Just wondering, by wishing people Happy New Year is their year really going to be happy? Whatever!!!
Hello my friends! Happy Birthday to me! I have mixed feelings about this day. Growing old is not a happy thing, but at the same time, times never stops and a lot has been said and done that made me both happy and sad in the past few months. Wish happy times would stay forever. Looking forward to a brand new 2014! An opportunity to start off on a clean slate. This time, I am making no resolutions, as I was not very successful in keeping the ones I made this year. I have realized that life has to be lived "in the moment". Heard the gorgeous hunk Kushal Tandon, is back on Bigg Boss 7 . I stopped watching this show, as it cost me my computer. Every year around this time, I buy a new computer. These sites that upload these BB7 episodes carry virus and affects my computer. This time I bought a Lenovo computer for it' sleek looks (resembles a mac) and touch screen capabilities. A birthday present for myself. Will be travelling t New York for thanksgiving. So much to look forward to. Life is good. Wish I could share this with some "good" people, who are in my memory for all the good times and bad times we have shared. I truly miss you guys. Friends come and friends go, but memories remain. With that, I post the Song of the day. Heart touching song. Old is Gold. Really!
Catching an airplane to visit dream destinations can be very stressful, from reaching on time, to the never ending transit to the gate via moving floor escalators, over crowded trams, signs that seem to point you to never, never land, frowning people who seem to always be in a hurry, etc. In spite of all that, I absolutely love airports. Once the baggage is checked in and I am handed my boarding pass, I get an adrenalin rush, just from the anticipation of (finally!) boarding the plane. It makes the whole process well worth it. I usually reach the gate well in advance and have all this time before boarding. My favorite activity is to watch people, while sipping my favorite cup of Joe. I skip eating, what seems like tasty food, even though my stomach suddenly feels pangs of hunger, reminding me of it's existence, when clearly I would have eaten a full stomach, at home, just before we left for the airport. And same goes with bathrooms. Why oh why? Anyway, coming back to observations, no two people are alike. Everyone is dressed so uniquely, it's feels like I am at a fashion show, where models are doing their catwalk, except that it's free! I observe the way people spend their time. I noticed that the favorite past time of people is to catch some well needed Zzzzs. Good idea! However, I cannot fall asleep, in those uncomfortable, plastic airport chairs or on a plane. Some others read, while others use their laptops. The cartoons are those who continuously talk on their cell phones, like there is no tomorrow. Kids indulge themselves in hand held games. I call it electronic baby sitting. Good help for parents travelling with the otherwise annoying kids, who find that time at the airport compelling to throw tantrums. Sigh! Those are the days that I don't ever want to visit again. International airports also have the upscale shopping, a girl's number UNO pass time. When I get tired of observing people, I occupy myself with some strictly window shopping only. The chocolates make me drool and makeup, jewelry and those sexy attractive bottles of perfume make me feel like I have none at all. The temptation to buy everything I see, is at it's maximum. Luckily the pain in the ears, announcements that are happening regarding different airplanes landing and taking off, help me stay distracted from the temptations. The stress starts building again when the plane lands. I do not like waiting in airports for my bags. Even worse, I don't like waiting in airports when my bags are lost. Somehow, it always happens to me. It's a miracle then, that I get through all of that chaos and reach my destination safe to breath some fresh air! Here's wishing everyone a safe journey, for their next travel. With that I will sign off for today. Shub Ratri!
Birthday Prayer
Thank you, God, for giving me another year of life.
Thank you for all the people who remembered me today
by sending cards, and letters, gifts and good wishes.
Thank you for all the experience of this past year;
for times of success which will always be happy memories,
for times of failure which reminded me of my own weakness and of my need for you,
for times of joy when the sun was shining,
for times of sadness which drove me to you.
Forgive me
for the hours I wasted,
for the chances I failed to take,
for the opportunities I missed this past year.
Help me in the days ahead to make this the best year yet,
and through it to bring good credit to myself,
happiness and pride to my loved ones,
and joy to you. Amen. http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Other/Birthday-Prayer.aspx#
Hello folks! I have got the Monday blues again! I had so much fun over the weekend. Did so many things for the first time. Gave me a sense of achievement. More check mark on my "things to do before I die" list. Celebrated a friend's B'day at a comedy show, downtown. The headliner that day was Gary Valentine form the show "The King of Queens". OMG! he was hilarious. It was non stop one hour of belly laugh. I found out that he shares a B'day (Nov. 22nd) with me. I also watched an Air show for the first time, at the local airport, this weekend. I had seen it in movies earlier. The stunts performed by those pilots were amazing. The one that was unbelievable for me was when a lady hung upside down form a plane when it was high up in the air. The Sunday, ended with a beautiful gift bought by me for me. It was a dream for so many years. I finally decided to spend my hard earned money on it. Although, at first,, I felt guilty indulging, now I think it's well worth it! It's a secret that I will share when the time is appropriate. Till then, keep reading. The Song of the day is Banarasiya from the movie Raanjhanaa. I first heard it in the Gym, in the new Bollywood Jam class. It was so melodious, it stuck with me for some days. The instruments used in this song, automatically take your senses to a rural area in India. And it is no surprise that Shreya Ghosal has lent her golden voice to this song. She is the next Lata Mangeskar in my opinion. Lataji celebrated her 84th B'day yesterday (28th September). I am remembering a soul stirring song "Lag Jaa Gale" from the 1964 classic 'Woh Kaun Thi', this ones
probably one of the most romantic songs of Hindi cinema. Sadhana looks gorgeous
and Lata's angelic voice only adds to her charm.
I had a constructive week. Attended back to school days for both kids. Every year I attend these events more out of guilt. I feel by attending these events, I stay involved with what the kids do in school. I blame my "busy" schedule for not being an active volunteer at the school. The teachers spend most of their allotted time - they're given just 10 minutes per subject, previewing a year of learning. It takes skill to cram so much information into such short time frame. The teachers talk so rapidly and it's hard to retain all that information for parents. By the end of the night, I don't remember the teachers names or which subject each one teaches. The high schools here are so big, I feel blessed to have studied in India. Life is so much simpler over there.The students stay put in one classroom and the teachers do their rotation. It's not until college, that students also get to move around. What I like to watch are the parents who come for these back to school nights. Some of them, are so serious, they come prepared to ask questions and they hold up the teacher form finishing their thoughts. Then, there are some who treat the night as a "time for themselves". They hold hands all through the evening. It's kind of like a date night for them. Then, there those parents who rush from work and somehow make it to the school. They are so confused, that they have to excuse themselves either for coming late, or entering a classroom, that they are not meant to be in. What I find the most amusing are those women, who come dressed to kill! Now, I understand, that they are well maintained and it takes a lot of effort to look like they do, but lets save the "I am hot" look for some other day ladies. And then there are folks, who attend the events just to make sure that they are not missing out on information, where the kids can show extra effort and gain extra points to get an A+ . While there is nothing wrong with that, I feel it's more of the parents interest than that of the students. God help those kids at home, when the parents pressure their children to do better and better at the cost of their kids getting frustrated. Which category do you belong? Do let me know. Shub ratri folks.
Kem Cho folks? It is almost that time of the year, when the state of Gujarat in India will be getting ready for the most colorful season of the year. The Navaratri festival is round the corner. I am excited, as I will be participating in the at least one of the dance events. Nothing like a cultural get together, to lift my spirits. The whole idea of dressing up traditionally, and meeting up with friends and dancing the blues away is so intoxicating. Folks, friendships are so hard to maintain. Recently, I did not have a very good experience, in this area. It's hard to take back words, once said. Apologies, however sincere, do not have any effect, once the damage is done. I just learnt that, letting go, is the best solution. Some friendships are just not meant to be. Those following my blog know that I have failed more than once now. I have written about this so many times. It will take some time for me to bounce back. The vacuum of losing a friend will still be there, for I value the presence of people in my life. I have to move on knowing that, that person's chapter in my life was only for a short time. They say people come and go but only the true ones stay forever. I say people come and go and you can never know who the true ones are. In the end you only depend on one person and that person is yourself.
Not sure why, but when I am sad, I like to listen to sad, romantic songs. It's Sunday evening, Ghazal time for me. Song of the day is by my favorite duo J&C Singh. What a beautiful depiction of this great ghazal! Only a Ghazal can beautifully express the pain of separation. The song is not helping me, get in a better mood, but somehow, it's helping me heal. Strange but true. All I now need is a glass of wine. More power to music!
No one is above KARMA. The doctrine of Karma is a spiritual doctrine based on the theory of cause and effect. It is a spiritual doctrine based on the philosophy that God is not responsible for the happiness or failure of an individual, rather, we as individuals are solely responsible for the consequences of our own behavior. The problem with that is unjust people need to be held accountable in their next life as well. When dealing with Karma and it's concepts, we must be willing to accept Reincarnation. This is similar to the western concept of what we reap we sow. As it is often seen by ones deeds, actions, and words what type of heart they have and their actions can be justly inspected accordingly. Without having to die to come back as a lesser form of life. Karma is the truth behind the golden rule: do unto others as you would have done to you. Its wording varies from culture to culture. Every judgmental thought brings negative karma (Imbalances the root chakra and creates pain). Every loving and serving thought brings positive karma (Balances the root chakra and creates free flowing energy and brings healing). One must find the place within where only love prevails. Peace, Love and Blessings! A man is born alone and dies alone; and he experiences the good and bad consequences of this karma alone; and he goes alone to hell or the Supreme abode . - Chanakya .
Namaskar friends! Happy Janmastami to all my blog friends. Memories take me to childhood, when my parents would celebrate this festival with great pomp and show. My Mom, wearing her traditional saree, cooking the tastiest dishes, and my Dad dressed in his crisp white "dhoti", looking every bit the learned "pandit" and the head of the house. The house, filled with the fragrance of incense sticks and variety of flowers and fruits. My brother and I waiting for the Pooja to be over, so we could savor the "ladoos" that were so carefully made to look round as round can be, by my artistic Mom. Every Hindu Indian, might have fond memories of some child in the family being dressed to look like little Kanhaiya. Here is wishing all of you, that, may Lord Krishna, keep your family healthy, wealthy and wise.
Anyway, I had my own reasons to stay away from this space. I was in a happier place mentally, and therefore did not miss this space either. But expressing myself here is now part of my individuality and therefore I had to come back and feel complete again. Yes, harsh reality is that Summer is almost over and kids go back to school and the lazy routine has to change! Like they say, every good thing has to come to an end. While the Rupee continues to fall against the dollar, rape cases and corruption dominate the news in India. Rising prices for simple things like onions is making life miserable for the people of my beloved country. Hope and pray that the situation improves soon. My poor parents are feeling the brunt of all this. I wish I could help. Today, I felt like posting a love song that is very close to my heart from the 1976 Yash Chopra movie Kabhi Kabhi. You will see the brilliance in Sahir Ludhianvi's Lyrics.
I have often heard people say, her face looks like a lotus, his face resembles that of a horse, that baby was so cute he had a face just like the moon etc. Even though, they say, we have 7 lookalikes in the world, no 2 people look exactly like each other. It is believed that there are 7 types of faces. Oblong, Oval, Round, Rectangular, Square, Triangle or pear, Diamond, and Inverted Triangle or Heart.
Variety is the spice of life. The creator of the Universe was definitely intelligent. He thought of every little detail. Saved the humans from boredom. Have you ever wondered why, not everyone is attracted to the same person? Research has shown that the shape of a person’s face tells a lot about how sexually attractive he or she is, and can also convey a sense of trust, dominance, and good health. One facial feature that is consistently related to ratings of attractiveness, for both males and females, is facial symmetry. Facial symmetry is where both sides of the face, right and left, are alike. Face reading is also related to Astrology. Each of the five elements has a corresponding face shape which tells the face reader that certain energies, talents, or possible health problems may be found in this person’s make up.
I think I have an Oblong face. Sometimes I like it, but most times I wish I had a different face. Don't we all want something that we don't have? The most attractive face shape for a man according to me is the oval shape. Shows that the person has a lot of confidence.
