The escape

Namaste, Satsriakal, Vanakkam, Baagunara my dear cyber friends. What kept me busy? Telangana! He he. OMG! Why are we playing divide and rule? Haven't the Angrez left already? How many more states do we need? Bollywood is rocking these days, with the event of the century - My favorite Khans are friends again!  Heard SRK has invited Sallu for a Iftar party tomorrow. Hope Katrina and PC are not around. Sigh!
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I always dreamt of having a beautiful vegetable garden of my own, where I could escape from the stresses of everyday life. I never acted on creating one, as my dream project was a magnanimous undertaking, which required a lot of hard work. So like many other projects, this was pushed to the back part of my brain. Last Sunday, we were invited to a good friend's house for dinner. We were going to their house for the first time. The cordial friends took us out on their deck. And what I saw, was breathtaking! My dream project, my vision, was right in front of my eyes! You have to see it to believe it! Please see pictures below.  A gorgeous patio table, with 6 comfortable chairs welcomed us. A perfect bonsai plant occupied the center of this table. The back of the table was lined with healthy, green tomato plants that were perfectly gathered with a guard. Plump green tomatoes were hanging form each plant, silently saying "pluck me".  Purple eggplant bushes of different varieties, adorned the front of the table. I could spot green chili plants, in between the eggplant shrubs, heavily populated with spicy green chilies. Just as I was wondering about Kadi patta plant, my eyes rested on a yet to blossom Kadi patta plant, next to which were two full mint leaf plant pots. To the left of the mint plants, were some cucumber creepers, loaded with medium sized, light green, perfect textured cucumbers, begging to be plucked to make a crunchy salad. And the best was yet to come. A canopy by the side of the deck that had a gorgeous creeper growing next to it that spread all over the canopy, giving it a oh! so romantic feeling!  By this time, the sun had also begun to set and the orange-yellow rays were cascading down the canopy. This made a perfect backdrop for a Bollywood act. I swear, I was imagining the Gazebo scene of SRK and Kajol in Kuch, kuch hota hai. The host who definitely has a green thumb, told us that he has planted grapevines on the outside of this canopy.  I wish I could see them in full yield someday. A bird bath and a splendid wind chime completed this beautiful canopy. We ate yummy appetizers made by the host sitting in this magnificent garden as we savored the alcoholic drinks made by our gracious, green thumbed host and enjoyed Hindi songs from the 70's along with Shayaris recited by another good friend. What more could I have asked for? Good company, good food and above all good ambiance. Now, that's what I call a perfect ending to a perfect weekend. Congratulations friends on your beautiful veggie garden! You are truly an inspiration to me. Thanks for a lovely evening. The salad I made for dinner tonight, using the cucumbers and green chilies from this dream garden was yummy! All of us enjoyed it.

 The gorgeous patio table and the stunning canopy on the left.

 Healthy tomato plants

 Mint leaf plant

 

 Kadi Patta plant

 More tomato plants

 See the plump green tomato?

 Eggplant plant

Eggplant plants and Green chilli plants

Folks, leaving you tonight with a 70's song from the movie Kora Kagaz. Enjoy! Shub Ratri.

 

The Alamo theater experience

Namaskar friends. Time was well spent at the movies this weekend. On Sat. night we went to the new theater (Alamo) in town to watch the movie "Pacific Rim". This was not a normal theater. The ambiance is so relaxing. It's like sitting at home and watching the movie. They had one rule that stood out from other theaters. Apart from not talking and texting, one could not enter the movie if they were late by even 5 mins. In this theater the food is served at your chair. See pic. below. The order has to be written down on a piece of paper and placed in front of you,. the servers then, pick up the order and bring the food to you. I loved the experience.

Today, I watched the creative genius Farhan Akhtar in the movie Bhag Milka Bhag. All I can remember is the one scene where they showcase his 6 pack, perfectly toned body, when he is skipping. The movie was too long otherwise. Remove FA and the movie fails miserably. For a person like me, who does not like to read, movies like this have to be made, in order to honor great people like Milka Singh, who lived to be a part of the great country called India. Mera Bharat really Mahan hai.  A little tired today. So, I am exiting with the Song of the day from this movie. Enjoy! Shub Ratri.

 

Disability - a curse?

Hello World! Bad hair days for me. This humidity is killing me. I could literally scoop it our of the hair. At this rate, either I have to shave my head off completely or start wearing hats. It's impossible to keep the hair looking neat. She calls herself exotic, hotter than the tropics, this gorgeous desi girl is none other than our very own PC, who has come out with another video, this time with Pitbull. The song is catchy, but sounds exactly like the previous one "In my city". It has the same synthesized, computer voice. Nevertheless, this girl is reaching soaring heights. So proud of this hardworking girl. This is the the Song of the day.

Talking of PC, reminds me of my fav. Shahrukh Khan. He named his surrogate son AbRam. Hmm being politically correct again? Shah Rukh Khan said. "They say a baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. I always found him to be an Intelligent man. But at this stage in his life, why a surrogate baby? Following Aamir Khan? Wouldn't adoption be a better choice? Anyway, alls well, that ends well for Hrithik Roshan who got discharged from the hospital today, after a successful brain surgery to remove a clot. Thank god! Any medical issues connected to the brain or heart is sooo scary.

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Felt so sad on reading that a girl travelling from Mumbai to Delhi, who had an artificial leg was stopped at the airport security check and was asked to remove her prosthetic leg. Ouch! Can you imagine what this girl would have gone through. People have become so insensitive. The system is be partially blamed too. No one is excused. Not even if the person's name is Shahrukh Khan. It is human nature to fear or ridicule people who appear or act different than what we consider to be normal. That will never change, but I think there is more acceptance of people with physical handicaps -- we call them "disabilities" now -- and their ability to participate in normal activities.  The Americans With Disabilities Act requires businesses and government institutions to accommodate the needs of the disabled. People with disabilities are accepted at workplace, there are special arrangements made for the handicapped like special ramps, elevators etc. Kids are taught early in school to be nice to kids with special needs. All this tells me that the future looks bright for disabled people. Shub Ratri folks. OM!

When dreams come true



Hello world! It was THE weekend folks when dreams came true for me. Growing up, I was always made to feel that I have not achieved much in life. My friends were always smarter than me and I had accepted it and had started to believe that it's what it is. I had stopped trying. But everybody has that one nerve in them that when struck, makes them start to dream again. Like most of you already know, when I was in college, I participated in a lot of cultural activities. I enjoyed taking part in skits, dances, and music. But after college, I did not have the opportunity to perform anywhere. I got married and came to United states. I soon found out that my husband did not have similar interests.  I would look forward to going to social gatherings, as I would hope to meet someone, with whom I could connect on my passion. I would sing a song or 2, and be happy with the compliments I received from the small friends circle. But coming back home, I always wished and dreamed of a larger audience. Then in 2009, a miracle happened. I met my best friend from college again, through Facebook. It turned out, that she now lived in New Jersey. We got talking, and soon were reminiscing college days. I was awestruck when she told me that she still is following her passion and is now a RJ for a local desi Radio station. I expressed my desire to be one too to her then. It was all forgotten after that. I continued listening to her hosting the show (evening drive) every single Monday and practiced my RJ skills in front of the mirror. I was with her for the past four days. She kept saying she had a surprise for me. Guess what? She gave me a slot on the Radio show for 30 mins. air time as a guest RJ. That's what friends are for. Dreams to come true because of Angels on earth like my dear friend. Another dream that I got fulfilled was, I drove from VA to NJ by myself. It's all about the right timing, luck and keeping the dream alive! Folks leaving you with a soft song from the movie Agent Vinod. I chose the version with built in lyrics, so you can simultaneously enjoy the meaning. This song is all about the lyrics. Enjoy!

 

A window into the brain

Kem cho blog friends? I am excited about the new Bollywood movies that will be releasing in the coming months. Apart from my favorite SRK movie Chennai Express the other movie that I am looking for ward to is Ramaiya Vastavaiya. Shruthi Hassan is stunning. The brown color in her hair compliments her creamy white skin so beautifully. The new guy Girish Kumar is kinda cute too. Watch out for his dance number "Hip Hop Pammi". Although, today's Song of the day is the soft, romantic number by Atif Aslam. Enjoy!  My surprising discovery of the day - Arijit Singh who has become the nation's voice after Aashiqui 2, is none other than Arijit Singh form Fame Gurukul. We had just installed Indian TV in our house back then in 2005. It's good to know that, this kid pursued his dreams, even though he did not win. True talent is always rewarded.

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There have been many times, when I really wish I could read the others person's mind. I have noticed that in a developing friendship people sometimes say things, just to please the other for the moment. This may not necessarily be true. Sooner or later, this avalanche is going to grow so big, that eventually it's going to burst. I always thought, that it is not good to open up and be oneself, till you get to know the person completely. However, the current generation of kids, do not tolerate this old school concept. They are honest and tell things, exactly like how it is. It's either black or white. It was hard for me to understand this in the beginning. Therefore, it resulted in a lot of frustration, trying to fit in. One person even told me, one should not wait around for things to happen as a result of destiny. We have to make our own destiny. The statement stirred me up a little bit. Ever since, I have not stopped thinking about this. We definitely have only one life to live.  Like Bob Marley said - “One love, one heart, one destiny.” If we don't take ownership of what happens in this short period for us on earth, nobody else will. Is honesty always the best policy? I am starting to believe, that it is. At least, there is no hurt in going through a long period of time and finding out later, that the truth was never shared all along. the pain can be reduced to a large extent. Times have changed indeed! Shub Ratri.

“Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”
― William Jennings Bryan