Untitled So Far...

Wedding bells everywhere

2009-09-22T00:26:00.004+05:30

Some arranged, some love, some arranged-love, some fought it out, but we are ALL getting married! Neeta, Pavan, Geetha, Paaji, Swarnkar, Vippo, Pratho… just everyone is getting married!

I am dealing with a fair amount of change already, and as if that isn't enough, even I am getting wedded! Leaving Abu Dhabi in exactly 9 days, the next two months will only mean preparations for my wedding! And then, in order - the big day, the short vacation, the one-month stay with in-laws, the half-month stay with my parents, and then back to Abu Dhabi!
Between now and then, the tranformation will be nothing short of IMMENSE.

I am numb right now. A thick-skinned buffalo. I don’t feel any of what a would-be-bride must feel. I am not nervous, I am not tense, and I am not planning much! The only feeling is that of contentment.

Oh my god! Am I getting wise n all?

An evening walk at the Corniche

2009-08-08T14:15:00.001+05:30

Skyscrapers standing tall and proud, with the background of the clear coastline - making this the most striking site in Abu Dhabi.

As we walk along lost in the crystal blue waters, a mischievous (they all are!) Arab kid almost skates into us. We totally get the point. Actually they are so superior, they “cannot see no one else”. ;)

The hot air blows in my face, and suddenly, the tension of going darker emerges and I tie up a scarf covering my face. Friends giggle and chuckle over me, calling me “Begam Gagan” as we move along.
Today is a relatively cool day to walk around and breath in some fresh non-AC air.
The boards ahead of us read “Take good care of your children”. Tell me about it! Someone tell these guys to take care of their children. Kids are eternally looking for their moms out here. And you know better than to find their mom for them.

Looking right at all the office buildings including my own, I wonder in disbelief – all these buildings are standing tall on reclaimed land! Artificial beaches, Artificial Islands, architectural wonders – They’ve done it all.

While they are 30 years ahead in the construction arena, they seem atleast a 100 behind in social equality. With due respect to the vibrancy of their culture, it’s a man’s world out here. There are huge constraints on ladies traveling alone to Abu Dhabi, and guess what – My manager tells me, he gets an sms every time his wife leaves the country! Blimey!

Talking, giggling, playing the famous guessing game - “Is she a p****”, juggling discussions about our office, UAE and life in general, we reach the corniche intersection, hire cycles to take another look of this truly beautiful coast line.

Leaving...

2009-06-22T22:28:00.001+05:30

Ok, so I exactly haven’t left Abu Dhabi, but left to return in about two to three weeks. Before leaving, I had an important last minute gift to buy for my uncle, so I left office a little early to catch a taxi to the mall.

The sun was shining in my eyes and I could barely see. The scorching heat was leaving me exhausted and dehydrated. No sign of a taxi made me want to cry. Really, as it is taxis are not many, and to add to our woes, during summers, the taxi drivers prefer driving only at night! After having waited a good while, I got a taxi and also found my gift after a little extra mall hopping (in the sun again!).

I returned to my apartment with a pounding headache. I was absolutely uncomfortable, and felt very pukish. Just then my colleague-friends came in to give me some stuff to take back. They found me in this terrible state, Cute-Geetha rushed to make me tea, got me a painkiller quickly, while freaky-preethi (these are names we have given them out of atmost sarcasm) sat with me all the time and massaged my head. Slowmo (trust me, he is snail slow…) finished all my last minute packing. I was just lying down all the while. They ordered food; they laid out everything perfectly for me. All I had to do was to get ready and fly out! I was up and running in no time. I was so touched...

As I sat in the taxi and saw them off, I was almost fighting back tears. I was overwhelmed with how much these guys did for me in such little time. I felt lucky to be amongst my own people. It’s bliss to have someone by your side especially when you are away from home.

My friend once told me that I forget to make my friends feel important. So thank you to all of you for just being on your toes that night so that I could go safely. All that concern is priceless. And it simply means a lot to me. :)

Just another day in Abu Dhabi

2009-06-03T04:12:00.001+05:30

So, I have been in Abu Dhabi for over two months now and haven’t written at all!
I enjoyed my weekends for the first one-month here, after which we (project team) got awfully busy with work. It was all about work work and work! Anyways, things have looked up now, and when I finish work in the evening, it’s still bright and sunny outside! So, I have decided to take time out to blog about this place and all my bizarre experiences in a country where every person has a tale to tell. Great!

Turns out we had budget for a project team dinner today, and Abu Dhabi has a variety of cuisines to choose from. Eating out is an experience here (I have put on enough to render most of my clothes useless). We being we chose Asha’s, the chain of Asha Bhosle restaurants. Simply exotic… Some gossip, discussions on flat feet, childhood nostalgia, a little bit of shopping for essentials, a few Patel pictures and it was already 1 a.m by the time we got back.

Signing off now, but shall try and keep up with this.

This post was only for you Anil. I am sure you read every silly thing I write: P

Pigeon Scare

2009-02-14T16:06:00.004+05:30

Dad loves pigeons. They make nests in our balcony frequently to incubate their eggs. We have strict instructions not to touch the eggs lest the mother should abandon them. When we open the door to our balcony, the creaking door gives the pigeons a warning, and they all fly away immediately.

Right now their nest is under a sink in our balcony, in the dish-washing area, and you can hardly see the pigeons there. So it is a sort of a cube shaped home, open from the front, covered above and on the sides by marble.

I completely forgot about them, and walked up to fetch a bucket from near the sink. My sister watched from a distance. There was one pigeon inside, sitting on the eggs, I still didn’t realize this. I got so close to the pigeon; it was just about an inch away from me. They are scared of me, and I am scared of everything. The pigeon desperately wanting to fly out started flapping its wings vigorously in that small area. I was caught unawares, and I turned around to run and somehow it got somewhere between my knees in all this confusion. (I know, YUCK!) I was running with the pigeon between my knees and I screamed so loud that all the passers by on the street stopped and stared. I kept screaming, my sister fled from the scene, and somehow after a few seconds, the bird made its way out. Phew! My poor grandmother (now not in very good health) was terrified inside with all the screaming until she saw my sis and I roll on the floor laughing!!!

Being too scared never helps I guess. I should have just moved aside and let it fly away. Just checked the sink, and the bird has returned to its nest. Its sitting on one egg, while the other has fallen out – courtesy my stupidity!

Indeed ... a Sad New Year :(

2009-01-14T19:30:00.001+05:30

So, I got back from Abu Dhabi right on the New Year, and I haven’t been too happy ever since. Oh no… I am not those – Oh-what-shit-is-this-India sorts. I am glad to be back, but just the turn of events has been rather upsetting. Turns out, I was hooked to a depressing book for the first couple of days, and then a weird book for another few days, and then of course, when I got over all that crying and stepped out in my car, I had a terrifying experience. Yeah, it’s the Auto Driver again. This one was scary AS HELL.

In full public view an auto driver managed to threaten, bang the car windows, twist the rear view mirror – All this because I took down his auto number. Mind you, this was on a main road jam packed with traffic. He rode his auto ahead of my car and parked it right there. So I HAD to stop. He got off and ran towards my car. And before he came close, I managed to go ahead. He did the same thing again. Rode Ahead. Stopped. Got off. This time, before I could move towards the left n overtake, he reached us, banged the windows, twisted the rear view mirror, and was yelling – He simply wanted to break something so my friend and I get off the car and he could lay his letcherous eyes on us (and maybe even hands). I was really scared and helpless. No one stopped. Nor did I. I didn’t want to be the Rang-De-Basanti style to get off and fight with this dirty man. In that minute of panic, many thoughts crossed my mind

1. He can’t do much. Get off, say something. Don’t take this lying down.
2. Run, he has rapist written all over his face

I felt ashamed to run, but I did. I don’t remember anything I did in those few seconds. I just remember my friend screaming in fear. And I have no clue if I judged the traffic before I steered left, and over took the parked auto as he continued to bang on the windows. I just remember that I drove real fast. And then before he could run back, sit in his auto and follow us, we had gone far ahead.

We were terrified! As small as this incident sounds, I was torn apart. All kinds of thoughts struck that night. I wept to sleep. I never expected such harrassment in full public view. I was wondering what I would do if I were alone. I wondered if I am safe in my own city. I kept calculating- what did I do wrong, what did I do right, was it sensible to not get off, should I have gotten off and fought for my so-called rights??? I think I never expected a situation where I would chicken out to this extent. AND how I am making this confession on my blog is beyond my understanding!

I have this gut feeling, something worse waits…

ctd...Memories of Thailand

2008-11-21T01:30:00.009+05:30

Our tour guide Nisha rightly said in a strong thai accent – “Phuket, very safe place for lady, but very Dangerous for man”. I didn’t know what the main attraction of Phuket is, until we took a walk on Bangla Street. Its not tin or rubber, its simply sex tourism! You’ll spot old men with sixteen year olds, and that really isn’t pleasing!

Anything you want to buy at Phuket - bargain and go on until you’ve settled for one-third the price. The whole process will anyway suck the shopping spirit out of you. If you have all the money in the world, spend it at the flattering gem factory! I loved an emrald ring, but I don’t think I can afford it in this lifetime to say the least. :P

Walking along the patong beach was simply my favorite thing. Pics -

Phuket has an awesome nightlife, needless to say! It’s a city that’s alive all night; we even spotted kids out at mid night! I don’t think I saw a cop all through my stay at Phuket! Everything is legal until you get caught, and there is hardly any chance you will!

The tuk-tuk is the most preferred public transport system. You can even get a ride on the Bike-Taxi’s (You get a drop on a bike!).

As we walked across the shopping markets, the store-owners sitting outside kept asking us “Heyyyyy, you from Paaakeesthhhhaaaan “ (With a tune, dragging the last bit). We were so tired of responding to “Ohhhhh Namasteyyyyyyyy!!”, that we simply decided to ignore their comments. So we walked along and suddenly - “Heyyyy you from Indeeeyaaaaaaa”… again…“Heyyyy you from Indeeeyaaaaaaa” …”Indeeeyaaaaa”… “ you not talkeeeeng”… “only walkeeeeeeng”… and we burst into laughter !!

I obviously missed my niece despite the short duration! :P The best –EST part of the trip was Canoeing at James Bond Island. It has startling needle-shaped limestone formations. This was the most memorable of all the (few) things I have done.
Noticed a perfect lady carved out on the limestone rock, seemed like a wonder of nature to me!

Phuket is a place run by ladies and lady boys (below: P).

All in all - an awesome place to chill out, the best place for a vacation. I am just crazy about clear blue waters, and beaches at Phuket were crystal clear. Loved it!

Memories of Thailand

2008-11-13T22:00:00.010+05:30

This blog is awefully late, and by now, I know I have said so much about this trip that most of you would be bored reading this entry! So if you’ve heard enough about this, then please do me the favour of CTRL-W. (You are obviously using Mozilla, aren’t you?)

Phuket, Thailand – I had the time of my life! Thailand makes you live like there is no tomorrow! We were put up at the Novotel in Patong beach area, right by the splashy blue waters of… of… of..ahem…ahem… the Andaman ??!!?! (I am geographically challenged!) I loved the place - the view from the hotel being awesome! Take a look...

At the hotel View from the Balcony

First day on my first trip abroad was unforgettable! I am not exaggerating when I say – I did so much on the first day, that by night, I was calling morning - yesterday. Eh ?
This sounds damn cheesy, but, five of us were strangers yesterday, yet, together we really freaked out. We were the few like minded youngsters on the trip and we had no choice...

What made me really enjoy this trip was the fact that I was so stressed at work, and I needed to take my mind off it for once, and I did ! I have lots and lots coming up... but on the next entry... running out of time now.. come back for more !

Missing my baby ! :(

2008-11-05T21:36:00.016+05:30

I have been upto a lot, but for now, being away from home, I miss my little niece the most...

When I'd return home at five in the evening, my cutie would stand waiting at the door, hoping I'll take her out... (Of course kids are selfish ! )

And, don't even get me started on all the fuss she makes when someone leaves home and isn't willing to take her along...

Her toys can't keep her busy for any more than five minutes in a row !

I waited for her to come into our lives... I imagined I'm always going to be strict with her... I'm not going to give in to her brattish demands...I'll teach her the manner, grammar blah blah blah... but, I was already shopping for her before she came.. and when she did... I was the first one to want to spoil her... she follows me in the house... she hits keys randomly on my laptop... she wears my socks... she uses my clips... she walks into my wardrobe and messes it all up... yet I can only encourage her, and love her more and more...

Thats my spoilt little princess. My heart... my life... I love you my doll and I miss you the most even when I know I'll be back soon...

Good old days are gone for good.

2008-08-20T00:26:00.002+05:30

So it’s finally time to write. A friend told me he misses reading my innocent chatter (if that’s what you call it, thank you!), and another wrote up a good entry himself and had a very interesting story to go with it; all this encouraged me and I am back.

I have been up to a lot over the last month. The Highlights being -

I have learnt a LOT of cooking in the last month.

I also went to 300 years of Celebration With The Guru ceremony at the Gurudwara and loved it!

I have made up some really good slogans to abuse my cab mates (colleagues) when they can’t stop preaching about piracy. E.g. the racist condemns piracy.

And many more…

1RV02IS021. I could forget my name when I was in college, but not this number.

This number would be entered four times every semester in the huge VTU exam form with one copy for college, one for VTU, one for the student and one on the hall ticket, four times on the Valuation form, four times on the fee receipt and so on!

All the receipts were “submitted” from one side of the window to the lethargic fat man on the other side. Our hands would hang on the window bars; Sometimes if we had guts enough - we would sway the receipt a bit to grab the fat mans attention, who gets enough heat from the layers of fat on his body, to feel like he is underneath a thick blanket, dozing off in God’s-Kind-World.

All those lab attendants who did not know anything about computers and tried to bully us to satisfy their ego; all those teachers who were constantly trying to solve the who-is-going-out-with-who mystery; all those silly hangers-on of our even sillier principal who roamed around in college to check for couples; all the cell phone confiscators; all those examination cheats; the forming of bbings; the non stop non-sense and Mallika Sherawat jokes; the CIP class and the quizzes we won by intelligent guessing (read : utter fluke); the cheti-and-gang-and-pavan non-sense; the bheja fries; the awesome five some; the pappu; the DOS class always interpreted as the LAS(T) class by us; sitting in the last bench with all the front benches empty; sharing one notebook amongst four; combine studies; the examination time smses; the bus driver menace; the placement season; the lab viva and the likes are indeed good old days I miss terribly.

I wish I could rewind to catch a glimpse of the good old days that are gone for good!

The Most Beautiful Girl I know

2008-07-11T17:14:00.000+05:30

Mood : Missing my sweet little niece. :(

Innocent Tease ?

2008-06-07T21:58:00.000+05:30

I am not the Indian woman out of a soap, so quite obviously I wasn’t really dressed up at 10.p.m. in the night. A silly pink nightdress, and Innu to give me company in the exact same nightdress in a different color.

My dad always complained to me about one (supposedly) terrible habit my mom has – that she remembers all the important things at late hours. And my mom just lived up to this complaint dad has, and remembered one really important tablet we just HAD to have at that hour. I am paranoid (I am tired of explaining this – so assuming all my readers out there know it by now), so I wouldn’t let Mom and Innu go to the medical store by walk at 10.p.m. in the night. And after much fight with my lazy-self, I decided to drive them down, ONLY and ONLY on the condition that I will not change (nightdress is THE thing to live in), hence will not get off the car! My mom said of course no problem. So if I didn’t have to get off anyway, I could safely wear dad’s bathroom slippers too. Innu looked exactly like me, and my slippers on her were even better than the bathroom slippers on me, trust me!

We reached the medical store and Mom gave me that Oh-I-Work-For-You-Guys-All-Day-Long look. Almost begged Innu and me to get off and get the tablets. WHAT???

So we just sneaked in trying to go unnoticed. Found a safe corner and stood there. There are at least twenty guys at the other side attending the huge crowd, cause this medical store is apparently the best, and most crowded, in Bangalore. And those guys just have to have a girl on the other side, they come running to attend you. That always helps to get out of the store quickly :D

There was this broad man standing in front of us and he got a call, he wanted to move out, he just dashed into me and moved out. I got super pissed, and before I knew it, he again came all over me and moved back in. It was so annoying; Innu and I uttered loud curses at him, still trying to go unseen… Those nightdresses and giant slippers were making us look just HORRIBLE – we just couldn’t afford to get noticed! And again! He gets a call and barges out and that’s it! We both screamed REAL loud, in chorus – EXCUUUUUUUUUUUSE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE !!!!

All, and I mean ALL heads turned, and gave us one thorough look, and this man somehow had the support of the crowd and the advantage because we looked like Idiots in those pajamas. This broad-guy just made us feel more stupid, and put up a really innocent face and said “Oh! So Sorry!” All this was actually so hilarious, and till we stood there we kept getting Silly-Girls stare and this man made sure he said loud excuse-me-pleases before he would move. We took our packet, returned a few stares and RAN!

Pictures from A Memorable Trip

2008-05-16T22:23:00.000+05:30

En route Gopalaswamy betta

Nandi

The beautiful sleeping flamingo !

Mysore Palace

And the most most most memorable Tanga Ride !!!!!!!

Chal Dhano !

Quick Question

2008-05-14T20:55:00.000+05:30

Can two people live happily forever ? Can they be in love forever ?

Don't know what to call this one

2008-03-10T20:05:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer – This entry does not intend to offend or criticize any entity/religion, nor is it intended to hurt any ones belief and feelings in any way.

It was one of those weekends when I hardly get about one good minute for my own self. I had been out straight since Friday night, and when I got home on Saturday evening, I had a friend calling from the parlor, saying the ladies are already there and waiting. I rushed.

So there was this Muslim girl and her mother waiting. I sat with both my palms stretched out, thinking mother and daughter would be painting henna on my palms. Turns out, only the girl was going to do this. Her mother was there to merely escort her!

At any given point in time, I have a hundred things to daydream of. AT LEAST. So as this long, arduous task of keeping my hands stretched out continued, I dreamed a lot, about my kids, their kids, n then everything that I wanted to do n blah blah. After about an hour when I had touched the tip of almost every desire that I ever had, I looked into my palms - and WHAT!??!! We were not even done with one side of one hand! The mehendi was beautiful though. I had run out of things to daydream off, so I found myself (quite annoyingly) staring at the girl sitting next to me, totally engrossed in painting my hands. She hadn’t spoken a word! How could she not have said anything yet? I stared at her burkha, and was tempted to ask her how she could bear the heat.

Anyways, just to strike a conversation I asked her how long she had been doing this, and all that crappy stuff. I knew what I wanted to ask. I just turned to take a peek at her mother, she was mumbling away to herself, so I grabbed the chance to ask her – ‘Apne kya padha hai? Aap naukri nahi karna chahte?’ (What have you studied? Don’t you want to work full time?) She told me she has done her graduation, and many computer courses, but her brothers wouldn’t allow her to work. I uttered something through my clenched teeth and said ‘Apke bhai aapko yeh kaam karne dete hain, par office nahin jaane dete?’ And quickly she replied – ‘Unko pata nahi’. Just to pursue her interest, leave alone career, she had to have the permission of her brothers, when she herself was probably as old as I am. I was appalled! Comparing her with me, I was feeling helplessly pitiful for her, that she has not even the right to make her own decisions. Would she ever step out and see what the world is like, without her mother accompanying her? I know this is probably very small to you, when you read it, but I couldn’t imagine being caged like that, with my brothers telling me what to do. I wanted to say a lot of things… but I just didn’t!

I don’t know when our country will rise beyond all this!

The worst thing about me ?

2008-02-13T20:19:00.000+05:30

Like any common person, I love myself! (Is it all that common?)

However, there is a kind of circumstance, and just this one kind so far, when I’ve hated myself and wanted to pick up a “life master remote control” and rewind (undo – what we call Ctrl-Z) whatever I did/said. This is generally when you catch me extremely emotional about something, and if you ask, I tend to dramatize. A LOT!

I’m not saying I exaggerate. I’m not saying I over state anything. I feel and mean every bit of all that dramatizing that I would have done, it’s just that – its not very normal! I’m a classic example of an idealist. I have perfect ideas in my mind, and I strive to achieve that same perfection, which is just not possible in real life! And then of course what I would have expected is very different from what one would have expected. (‘One’ - as in – a normal person.) This would lead to more dissatisfaction than normal, which in turn would lead to all that drama.

Hence proved.

Anyway, I know a lot of people- who know me and are reading my entry- have patiently dealt with all that dramatizing. So here goes a big thank you with reminders of the dramatizing (although I know its not something you guys have forgotten: P)

My Mommy – when we were watching that stupid soap, and I just randomly cried telling you about my petty troubles.

Brunga – when you were in London and how I just jumped on you, in the middle of the night, telling you stuff.

Ashit – when I made you skip that drink with your friends, just cause I HAD to meet you in the middle of the night!

Ravi - When I shared every bit and every teeny weeny issue I had at work or anything else, with you!

Innu – ALL THE BLOODY TIME! (You were no less)

Shilpa – On those rare occasions that we spoke any sense at all.

Soup – Before every exam, and after every result (What a pain I was!). And of course no better drama than the day I howled in your car and refused to take the chocolates.

***** – Oh my god! This is a completely unrevealed drama. The day I typed at least a thousand mails in justification to you.

And all you guys who shared the endless drama – Bhanita, Priyanka, Abhinav, Preethi, Arvind, Chetu... each one of you!!
Thanks Guys :) I won’t change, but you all have surely become more patient: D

Rich n Creamy.. yummm...

2008-02-03T23:21:00.000+05:30

Ordering a Pista scoop at the dinner table today, my mind drifted back to Wayanad. I’ve had the creamiest ice creams EVER at Green Gates, Wayanad! I tried so many places after that, but no, the best ice cream is waiting for me at Wayanad.

The irony being - although I can probably afford to take a ride to Wayanad for an ice cream, I really cannot afford to have too much of ice cream!!!

Madam - one and a half please !

2008-01-10T22:14:00.000+05:30

They leave you with a bitter taste; their money is hard earn (Khoon-paise-ki-kamayee), ours is all lottery business; they harass; they are unsafe; and they are broad day light robbers!! Yes, it’s the very famous auto driver nuisance.

Since office moved, I don’t travel by car, and any extra traveling will be at the mercy of a stupid enough auto-driver. I caught up with my friend at The Forum Mall last evening, at around 8 ‘o’ clock, and we had to head to Shantinagar. I knew it wasn’t a good time for one (paranoid one) to be taking an auto. Having decided to go prepaid, we walked towards the Christ college entrance; the cop at the Prepaid counter recommended the other entrance. We walked there to find it shut! Got back to the front entrance, with an irritated expression well defined on our faces, and finally got a receipt – thirty bucks to Shantinagar. Isn’t prepaid just as pointless if they don’t let you pay up right there? We could foresee the excess fare menace now. By the time we approached Shantinagar, this dude starts off – “Madam this is not Shantinagar, this is Double Road”. And mind you, he was arrogant, very arrogant! This guy was totally bigheaded and argued till we showed him a big yellow board that read – ‘Shantinagar’. He couldn’t argue about it not being shantinagar anymore, but hell he could still argue, over just some random, arbit thing! We asked him to stop and when he did, we were in a lonely by lane. He said fifty bucks. We didn’t intend to pay any more than thirty.

It’s not about ten bucks but about the attitude and the unreceptive environment that these auto drivers create. They invariably have to ask for excess fare, all they care about is to over speed and dump you at your destination to catch the next fool. They harass the ones inside the auto and the ones driving outside. They are a big nuisance on the roads, and more often that not, an auto travel leaves me sick of the city!

I opened my wallet to find five hundred bucks and no change in it. No Choice! He was fuming, and could have ripped of our clothes any minute! I was well aware of where we were and frankly, I know a lot of people think its cowardly, but I knew that beyond a point, I wouldn’t argue. Of course, I wasn’t close to giving up yet. I asked for change, he gave four hundreds, then a fifty, and then of course – a ten. That’s it! We screamed and said he would have to pay us back, else we would complain. The moment I began to take notice of the number, he tried to run his auto over me while my friend still tried getting our money back! K A 0 2 A 4 7 5 1 sped off, leaving us with his damned registration number.

After all this, getting an auto from Shantinagar to Vijayanagar was a nightmare. We boarded at least three autos, with drivers being their nasty selves, demanding excess fares! Finally one decent auto driver came along and we got home that evening.

A year I won't forget...

2008-01-05T12:44:00.000+05:30

The past year has forced me to stop, look back and reflect on what I’ve done right, what I’ve done wrong, and what I haven’t done at all! A year that started very well, took a really ugly turn and ended – I don’t know how. Most of last year, I was overwhelmed, with every little thing, and looking back makes me feel like in the grand scheme of things, this is after all a year that will just fade.

The New Year is probably the most well known celebration in the world. For people like me however, it’s just another day! No resolutions, no celebrations to mark the beginning of a New Year. But as the year ended, and I took a moment to reflect, I knew - If there is any year I would never forget in my life – then its 2007. The last year has transformed me, taught me lessons; sometimes I struggle to live with them, I fight to disprove them, but at the end of the day I hope to carry them with me wherever I go. I know I haven’t done anything like I did last year in all my life. It’s the first time that I didn’t keep in touch with anyone over months, the first time that people around me influenced my life to such an extent, The first time I accepted a whole lot of non-idealistic things, and of course the first time that I ended up talking to anyone and everyone who came my way, as a result of which first time there were shocking revelations of people. I had small achievements to help me sail through a rather tough year, and I had myself. All in all GREAT! No, I’m not being sarcastic. I was always lucky beyond belief, and its good if once in a while, your good luck stabs you in the back, and shakes out the cobwebs.

Looking forward to an ambitious year myself, here’s wishing everyone else a very happy year ahead!

Where's mine ?

2007-12-25T21:50:00.000+05:30

She warned me - “Raje, you have never made mooli paratha, it’s not as easy as aloo paratha”.
I laughed… What? I wouldn’t be good with a paratha? I??
So I made the stuffing, and was all set to make the paratha… the best radish parathas ever! I had to make about ten - not a big deal really! I started, overconfidence stabbed me in the back, and I screwed up! The first two were nothing short of a disaster! How does mom do it? So perfectly, so tasty, so oil-free and yet so yummy? I tried, this time, a little differently, and – Not bad – This one was good, except, it was pale (one out of ten) compared to moms! And then Mom came, almost laughed up her sleeve, trying not to let down all that confidence oozing out of the dabbler, and showed me the tricks. And perfect - I got the next few right!

A good cook always adds love. Maybe that’s why, I always keep the best ones on the top, and up for grabs. But this time, self-love came first, and I so wanted to taste the better ones, just to see if they were like moms (of course, what did you think? I wouldn’t eat for myself :P). One tangerine, one orange and I would be done with the juice, to dive into my paratha’s. Sadly, when I was done, the last two awful ones remained, and I shoved them down my throat with lots of water!! We could have managed with a turkey or something for Christmas !!

Edit - Due to popular demand -
Raje - Used in Punjabi, to generally refer to a pampered little one.

Six days of grandeur...

2007-12-16T08:42:00.000+05:30

Loads of food and gifts, the bridal trousseau, diamond and silk draped aunts, and lots of kids – There I was, in the “City of Joy”, Kolkata, at the Big Fat Indian Wedding. Being a Punjabi, I mostly know what grand weddings are all about, but this one made my jaws drop. Everyone, and when I say everyone, I mean, just about anyone, was dressed like it’s his/her own wedding!!! Suddenly, mine felt like acceptable work attire! And worse still, for some reason my sweet tooth betrayed me big time - in Kolkata of all cities! Every time I reached the sweets section - the famous sweets of Kolkata, remember? - I was left with an “Oh they look so heavy” feeling. Maybe that was just the true blue Bangalorean response.

Since I was there for the wedding and the wedding alone, I didn’t have time to see around the city. But I have a lasting impression of the city with the old Victorian looks to it. The tall buildings, the traffic cops dressed in white, in the forties style, remind one of the bygone era. The city is indeed frozen in time. And that’s what makes it so distinct. I really then felt, that the city doesn’t need re-modelling. When discussing Kolkata, I cannot fail to mention the “oh so daring” Cab drivers. I had gone to meet my Cousin, one out of those six days, and for some reason we decided to watch goal. Two of his roommates and the both of us, took the cab, and what a journey it was! It seemed like ages in a Cab at a speed of eighty or ninety kmph. The drivers defy any concept of a two-way road. They take you as close to death and then take a steep curve off it! And man, I was driven to the edge; I said my last prayers too! They particularly love to play with the dividers; they’ll zoom and rip till about a foot or two away from the divider, and just when you think you have taken your last breath, hell, you are jolly well back on to the right side of the road!

My best experience was a barge party on the Hoogli River below the Howrah Bridge. That apart, I did some pretty daring things, like walk out at 2.a.m (just a few steps, but that’s still daring by my standards!), only on the assurance that Kolkata is a safe city. I’m sure they just said that to me in view of my paranoid mind! After this visit, one thing is for sure - mine is going to be a court marriage!

Crowned Champions

2007-09-24T22:26:00.001+05:30

Finally a WORLD CUP after 24 years !!! Indians just clinched a five-run victory in what was by far the most nerve wracking match !!

Read this post for more

I just had to express how happy I'am :)

Found my way back here...

2007-09-23T21:58:00.000+05:30

Too many thoughts, one just racing to beat the other, and finally, the curtains fall… you never know who won.

I live a paradigm shift, and I believe I’ll emerge victorious, cause I still haven’t been shaken enough to change my truth, my basic value, and the principles that drive me. That should be just about enough to leap from the precipice :)

Working insane hours, and if work spared me any time, spending all of it with people around - catching movies and doing everything that I always thought I did not have time to do, returning home at crazy hours, I was left with a yearning for a slower rhythm. It was time to take the much-awaited break! I demanded a three day leave, I got it with great higgle haggle, but no guilt trips what so ever. :) I left work Friday evening (with loads of movies on my laptop), and it’s been great so far…

I watched a Kannada play for the first time – Heegadre hege. It’s cool, and funny, and I cannot understand one bit of Kannada when spoken in its purest form, only a familiar word here and there would do me the favour of “contextual understanding”. Apart from that, I got all of it! Caught up with a silly movie, and did some courtesy calls. Just pure timepass is fun sometimes :P Try it !

That’s all for now…

Ballerina please

2007-08-08T10:14:00.000+05:30

I went around the entire city, starting 6 '0' clock in the evening , and NO, not a single pair of appealing Ballerina shoes!!!!! What has this city come to...

Entering my house at 10.30, without those shoes, has inevitably been one of the most depressing moments of my life...(as I painfully learn to live with it)

(By the way check out the graffiti I made brunga on facebook :P)

Just a few clicks...

2007-07-05T11:09:00.001+05:30

Way to kushalnagar

Beautiful Kodagu ...

Namdroling monastery

And the Way back...

Whatever...

2007-06-17T21:59:00.000+05:30

I don't wanna know, I don't wanna hear = 128 * 120

This was in my dreams today, while I was taking a short nap!!
I thought every dream is connected to one's own reality! Boy! I must have been terribly wrong...

[I won't encourage comments saying I'm some psycho/nerd who needs a psychiatrist :P ]

Waking up to a beautiful Bangalore

2007-05-30T07:48:00.000+05:30

A few years ago, I used to believe Bangalore is heaven. I still remember the old times when it was just a 15 minute ride , from my home in Vijayanagar(yeah, it's a long distance call, so don't even try!), to my college at jayanagar.

Being a true-blue Bangalorean, I curse myself for not having any glimpses, any pictures whatsoever of the Bangalore that used to be. However, I woke up rather early yesterday morning, and could sense the day outside to be beautiful, so I just stepped into my balcony, and wow! There were no vehicles on the road, the rains had left the stretch cleansed and impeccable,and the weather made the day alluring! I felt completely nostalgic! I took a few pictures which I believe cannot capture how I felt, however, take a look...

Did I mention the Beautiful Sky??

Bbings...

2007-05-27T12:03:00.000+05:30

It’s been almost a month since I visited here. I know no one really missed this too much cause all the innumerous comments that I have (really? Thankyou!) come from all the publicity my status on gtalk brings, and little (just a little) of that other stuff I do (hush bush, ignorant people...you still haven’t read my blog entry?? hmph!) And I know some of you (yes! Abhinav and Bhanita, you can please smile at your mention here) regular readers don’t even have me bookmarked.

When I began to blog, I didn’t think I was going to blog regulary...as in… periodically… like those disciplined sorts… once a week blah blah. I knew I was going to write only when I really felt like it.

And today, trust me, I really feel like it, but as you may have already figured, I don’t know what to write! No… no ...please don’t go. Wait wait… let me come up with something. Like, shall I write about my really weird dreams these days?? Or would you like to know about my sleeping habits?? Okay let me just introduce you to whats on my mind right now – BBINGS.

Hmmm.It’s been quite a while since I met bbings and had the stupid fun that we always do. Suddenly we become like two year olds… have hell lot of fun … gossip (just a bit), discuss how everyone (we mean everyone “else”) has so many shortcomings, and no one is just as nice as us! It’s so true about bbings... you wouldn’t know the power of bbings until you’ve met them. No, we haven’t been trained in the jedi arts or anything, but yeah we can manage to get what we want pretty much easily.

So what is bbings? Going in the order, I can say it has one IQ-heavy photocopy machine, with weak ears, one storyteller, with a gay dog, one chatter queen with a small appetite (for food I mean! :P), one house of paranioa, and one small tiny kind of thing - a kind of a manipulator, a bit of a dancer, a bit of a head turner…

So all of this together forms a strong something (you see, we just cannot be defined or categorized), with an amazing bonding around it. And don’t mess… we are partners in crime too.

Anyways, we don’t reveal too much about ourselves cause we have some secret missions, which may be hampered by a lot of publicity. :P

And I have a few questions…

1) Why the hell do people (read: stupid people) commit suicide?

2) Can anyone interpret dreams around here?

Creativity Measured

2007-05-03T09:30:00.000+05:30

Be yourself!

Fever!

2007-04-09T20:56:00.000+05:30

No... I'm not Robin Cook and my daughter doesn't have fever! However, I HAVE fever and I'm not having a nice time. Just imagine a Nice, really nice, sweet, amazing, bubbly, full-of-high-spirits person like me has FEVER!! Who ever said life is fair!

Anyways, I think I need to spice up my fitness regime (maybe I should have said plan up a fitness regime!) . One day of activity and I'm down with severe body ache and fever. Feels like someone tied a bag of stones on my arms. Whereas people twice my age (or maybe a little less) were good at all the activities!! Fit as a Fiddle!

As you may have figured out by now, the point of this entry is : NOTHING :)

Fender-Bender

2007-02-25T23:37:00.000+05:30

Madhavan Park Circle, 3rd Block, Jayanagar...
Brunga was at an average speed, like never before, on her bike. We were heading to my place at around 8.30 p.m. For a change we weren't even talking, the both of us! A mélange beige Chevrolet optra was slightly behind us, on the right. A very common site on bangalore roads today, the driver (mad!) of this car, wanted to turn left, being on the extreme right of the road. And he DID! The car bumper banged us...We knew we are going to lose balance and fall... but no! We were okay... The driver having touched us clearly panicked and before we could realize... again...he hit us bad this time! There was a THUD noise, we knew what hit us, and we FELL! I had a whole lot of things in my hand, and they were all over the road.
Fortunately, I rolled on the ground when I fell and didn't really get hurt (not any that were visible atleast!) Even before I could get up I was worried about our bags cause a whole lot of people were around us...One big crowd! Seemed like we fell into a well with people peeping in to see who’s there. I grabbed the bags(I’m a girl..hehe…bag is my life) and my cell phone, and managed to get up with some help... And what do I see??? Brunga HOWLING! The bike was on her ankle! She was crying ;I ran up to her. I was so scared at that moment, but people around were so kind and helpful. They helped me get her to the footpath. I called her dad; he was there within minutes.
The guy who banged us was being extremely sweet (not that he had a choice). He was there all along and offered to take us to the doctor...But his WIFE! I could have eaten her alive! She claimed to be very tired! (Idiot! &*$^%$&^*^*)
We got back to her place with her dad, took her to the doctor. She hopped in with her bleeding ankle! Thankfully, she was just given tablets. We go back home, ordered pizza (nice part) and slept… when I woke up, it was 11.30 a.m!!! I have never slept so much. My body was so tired and pained after the fall! I slept n slept… and got late for dance (Yes yes… I went!)
Anyways just before leaving the accident scene I stopped to check what happened to the car. There was a huge dent on the bumper and it was terribly scratched too! (NO! I didn’t feel bad at all) Will cost him a bundle to get it replaced. Superb!

Let me out - Part II

2007-02-21T21:03:00.000+05:30

I'm back :) I know part II is awfully late.I've been coming home so tired from work..not because I'm working too much..just because I'm eating all the wrong things and messing up my health. And I'm getting depressed about weird weird stuff;like today..I got totally upset cause I don't have a brother!!!! (What!!!&*%#^$%&^%)

Anyways, getting back to the building, I spent an entire day at the building peacefully. A colleague I met at the same training guided me up and down those i'm-dying-to-close-on-you lifts. When leaving, we were given two heavy training books. These + my already heavy laptop bag = VERY HEAVY STUFF! I carried them and walked the corridor towards the entrance of the building...oops wrong direction.. thats the entrance...exit must be somewhere else! Went back to the other end of the corridor... ah i see a lift here. My car is on level 6 - superb! Get in! And the control panel brings me the bad news...it shows buttons upto level-5 ONLY! My only option was this guy in the lift... I asked him... excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the parking? He had that silly-woman smile on his face when he said ' You are in the wrong lift- come with me, i'll show you'. Now this guy was being really sweet... but "come with me" and my paranoid nature didn't allow a comfort zone! He was to get off at level-4...he skipped it and came with me to level 5... And then took me to someother lift...Before saying bye, he said something like 'go down to level -0 blah blah blah'. For some reason i was really numb when he gave the rest of the directions...

By now, my fingers had gone red..the bag seemed heavier than ever now! So i went back to level -0, and headed to the guard - HOW DO I GET OUT??? He mislead me completely!!Each one would guide, rather misguide, me with so much confidence that I thought I have gone mad or something!
I was desparately searching for the lift which has even numbers on the panel! Remember? In Part One, I said I noticed something really weird about the panel. Finally on one of my trips down the lift in this eternal search, there was this guy who i obviously turned to and asked - Could you please (please please please please) tell me how to get to the parking. Guess what this God sent angel said - 'I'm going there... you just follow me'

After that I realised...no matter what floor you are on, you have to come down to level-0, get out of the building and take the parking lift out there! You HAVE to come down to level-0!!!! I was amazed...truly! Why wud they design it like that?
I was just thanking my stars that i didn't park on an odd floor...cause the panel didn't show those numbers at all! May be there is another lift to get to those!

Let me out - Part I

2007-02-15T01:10:00.000+05:30

I happened to register for a training, and because it is common for the entire corporation, I had to visit another building to attend this training. Now my entry is completely about this building. I will call it …hmmm…say The building. So first thing, I drive to the The building and after almost half a kilometer drive I see a guard. I ask him for parking directions, and he shows me the way. Wow! Now that’s a huge parking lot! Eighteen floors of parking space!
Level 0 – FULL
Level 1 – FULL
Level 2 – FULL
Level 3 – FULL
Level 4 – FULL
Level 5 – FULL
8.a.m in the morning, I have gone up the parking ramp six times! On the contrary, if I get to my office building at 9.30 a.m., I have the entire parking lot to myself. Completely spoiled by the culture (Who’s complaining :)), I didn’t like the idea of driving so much extra just to park!
Anyways, I park on Level 6, search around a bit for the elevator. Oh! There it is…hiding somewhere behind the ramp. I had to cross the ramp to get to the elevator. Now! Now! This wasn’t as easy as pie. Cars came up the ramp like oblivious drivers speeding on fast lanes of highways! After a few unsuccessful attempts, I finally managed to cross and get to the elevator. Now this elevator is not really the patient kinds. It had just opened and I was strolling in, and ouch…it almost closed on me! I hop in and notice something weird about the control panel there. Never mind, my training was on level 0, so I obviously pressed level 0 and quietly waited. Oops…what happened…I’m back on the basement? The guard said “Madam floor two mein jaao”. Well, I got back in, pressed 2, and got to the ground floor! (WHAT???!!) Not to forget, I was carrying my laptop in a heavy, mind you, very heavy Dell laptop bag. The building had driven me crazy by now. There is more and more weird stuff waiting to be posted. Come back for Let me out – Part II

...And again!

2007-02-08T23:41:00.000+05:30

“Guru has nice songs” – said a colleague, raising her eyebrows in delight, as we were moving out of the conference room. My perception: Guru is a website to download songs!!! (Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you in my last post – I’m NOT a movie buff!)

Few Days later –

I can’t find a song I really like, and I recall, “Guru has nice songs”. I had a task at hand; I had to find the link to this website guru. I was sure I would find the song at this website. I pinged my favorite person for doubts. He’s like a stand-alone call center when it comes to links and website and registration information! Ladies and gentlemen, may I please introduce to you, my friend and colleague, Abhinav Kishore. (Round of applause and some faint noises of boo’s follow…). So, I asked this powerful resource for the link to guru. Now - comprehensively examine this situation –

He happens to be a huge movie buff

He and I are connected on the intranet

Consequence – he gives me the link to all the songs of guru on his machine!

Well, it then didn’t take me long to realize that guru movie is in fact a movie.
Going by all this, you can imagine my level of interest in the movie, my awareness about, and expectation from, this movie. (NIL!no marks for guessing!)

I happened to watch the movie just yesterday, and contrary to my beliefs and your expectations, I actually didn’t think it was ALL that bad! Not ALL that good either ;)
Aishwarya Rai – hmmm – generally I could have her head on a platter, but I must say in guru she is really not all that terrible. Maybe cause she hardly had a role! In fact in many places I thought she was cute and the romance (that’s all she’s there for) was refreshing, and real! And unlike all the other reviews of this movie, I also thought Abhishek was good. But yeah that’s about it. The story was the same old monotonous thing after a while, say an hour. And as usual, the demon of melodrama was sworn in and the end was completely meaningless!

Going far behind, I still haven’t found the song I was looking for.
Its called “yehi vo jagah hai, jahan hum mile the” from the movie “yeh raat phir na aayegi”. I have heard this song just once, fell in love with it, been looking for it ever since. Let me know if anyone finds it!

A movie after aeons!

2007-01-23T15:10:00.000+05:30

While I was still at work, a friend called me to ask “Shall we go watch blood diamond at night?” And I was just being my usual self, suffering from paranoia, when I asked… What time is the show? How will we go? How will we get back? What time does it end? Knowing me very well, she already had the answers to these. So it was 5 of us… My friend B, her dad (of course! That’s why I agreed to go out at night!) , And two kids along with us – S and I. (Names changed to protect the innocent.)

I caught up with I after work, and we went to B’s place to drop off my laptop. However B was with a friend(boy) and told her dad she was waiting for us at the mall!!!! Gosh we screwed up! So, after exchanging some bitter and twisted remarks, I finally got to watch a movie with lots of popcorn in my hands, after around 6 months (Yes, I’m not much of a movie buff but I had gotten to the bitter end… I was compelled to watch one now!), and I’m glad B chose this one! My expectations from the movie were not very high at all cause the last couple of movies I watched were just plain disappointment! A movie about conflict diamonds, also called Blood diamonds, managed to grab me from start to finish. It touches upon hugely sensitive issues and opens one’s mind to brutality of civil wars, of how child training could turn a child to a rebel!

DO NOT go there to watch Jennifer Connelly, she didn’t look good, AND her role was unwanted. However I’m glad the romance between Caprio n Connelly wasn’t developed. J I won’t reveal much here for the sake of people who haven’t watched the movie! And since it is an action thriller, the kids (I and S) were a bit scared. They refused to sleep at night!

Just for kicks...People who know me, may want to answer this - WHO DO YOU THINK THE KIDS ARE??

Could i speak to Mr. Gun Gun

2007-01-17T14:59:00.000+05:30

In a Sikh's household, soon after the birth of a baby, the naming ceremony is held at the Gurudwara. A name starting with the first letter of the shabad of the holy hukam (command) should be proposed by the granthi (man in attendance of Guru Granth Sahib), and after its acceptance by the congregation, the name should be announced by him.

It so happened that in my case they bent a rules a bit and my uncle named me... so here I am... Gagandeep Arneja! My name has and will go a long way in making me the sport I am (Thankyou :) ) But for the life of me I cant remember more than two or three (if i stretch) people, who could pronounce my name as it is supposed to be! (As pavan says - In your face suckers!)
There are many common deviations to it - Ganga, gungun, gangdeep, gaga and the list knows no end... In fact I even got my first internship pay cheque with one of these on it.

Here is what people are capable of making out of my name:

I'm in the training room on a fine morning and an HDFC representative rings me up.
Me: Yes?
HDFC: Can I Could I Could I speak to Mr. Gun - Gun - deep ?
(All the Can I's to get time enough to pronounce this extremely complex name)
Me: Speaking (what else could i say !!)
HDFC: (Baffled, still expecting a man on the other side) Mr. Gun - Ga?
Me: (going beet red) YES!!!!!!!
HDFC :Is this Mr. Ganga ?
Me: YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HDFC: (switches to a language he is more comfortable with) Idu ladies aa gents aa?
Me: (I'm in training...ten people around..how can i get myself to say.. I'm a lady speaking) Kiwi kelsalva?
Rest as they say is history.

Anyways, after i was born and before i was officially named, i was given a pet name - Preeti. Just when I thought this could be my hot back up...yes this is what i can tell people when they ask me "What is your name?”,I came across this.

Here is how you pronounce my name -
gag - say gun replacing the n sound with the g sound.
an - remember how they taught us way back in school that it is "an" ice cream.

That should be enough! :)

Opening night

2007-01-16T22:16:00.000+05:30

After a long day of reading all the blog entries of all the people I know who blog..I'm finally blogging! I don't think my blog can ever have a title suitable enough to encompass all that I am and everything I could think and write of. Yes, you are right... I can be complex sometimes but harmless otherwise :) Anyways, keep visiting for more... lets see how long I can keep this going!