I've been Tagged too!

Grail tagged me! I have to tell you 9 things that you don't know about me, only 8 of them are true. You need to guess which one isn't true!!

So, here goes:



1. I studied in the USA for 2 years and that has influenced me a lot and has moulded me to be slightly different from my generation in my thinking. I loved my school years at CFTRI (especially high school)

2. It pisses me off to see injustice of any sort, hypocrisy and bad treatment to women. I have been passed over for promotions because I was the only one who dared rise a voice against my previous team lead.

3. I am a good cook and this surprised not only my husband initially, but it continues to surprise all my friends/acquaintances when I tell them that I cook every night at home.

4. I am scared of dark rooms, thunder and lightening...

5. I learnt classical dance for 15 yrs before quitting, the main reason being that I didn't respect my teacher anymore and I didn't want to abuse the dance form by learning it from her...

6. I am a damn good singer.

7. I truly believe that we have to pay back everything on our time here and that Heaven and Hell are all here. Life always comes a full circle and mean people will always pay for their meanness here before they die a horrible death!

8. I don't like to say bad things about people, like curse them because I believe that my curse will affect me more than the person I cursed! (I know!! it's lame, stop laughing, I still think its true!!)

9. I read a lot and my husband is just the opposite - he reads only the newspaper! We share house work since we don't have a maid at home...



There you go, all 9 are done!!! If you know me, you will know which one isn't true before completing the list!!

I tag,

Vicky
Mysorean
Sachin
Sundancer
Rayshma
Illusionaire
PizzaDude
Smi (I think I'm the second person to tag you!)

There you go people!! Enjoy! :)

Edited to add: My sister had her exams till yesterday, so I didn't tag her with this...
Now, she is done with that and I know I will enjoy reading what she puts up,
So, I tag my crazy, nutty, clever, very weird(at-times) sister too!!! :)
Looking forward to see what she writes!!!

A Mother is...

I received this thru e-mail from a very good friend of mine and I really liked it and it said a lot about Mothers, so I've posted it!!!

A Mother is...The DENTIST who uses a string.

The SUNSHINE on a cloudy day.

The STORY TELLER when you can't get to sleep.

The HAIR STYLIST on the night of the prom.

The DOCTOR who cures poison ivy.

The TEACHER who teaches about life.

The SEAMSTRESS who patches torn jeans.

The COMEDIAN who makes you laugh when you're down.

The CHEERLEADER at all sports activities.

The NURSE who bandages a scraped knee.

The ARTIST who teaches finger painting.

The LAUNDRY LADY who keeps you dressed so nice.

The BAKER who makes chocolate chip cookies.

The TUTOR who helps with homework.

The COUNSELOR who gives guidance.

The CLEANING LADY who finds the bedroom floor.

The TOOTH FAIRY who rewards you for your pain.

The HEALER of your first broken heart.

The CHAUFFEUR for all social events.

The DISHWASHER who never complains.

The SELF-ESTEEM BUILDER for everyone.

The COOK who keeps the meals balanced.

The DREAM CATCHER who helps find dreams.

The KLEENEX that dries the tears.

The KEY that unlocks the door to the future.

The JUDGE who makes decisions with wisdom.

The PARTY PLANNER who makes you popular.

The SINGER who taught childhood songs.

The LIGHT that guides through dark moments.

The EGO BUILDER, picking you up when you're down.

The DRUGGIST who knows the cure for your pain.

The PRAYING HANDS that guide spiritually.

The GUARDIAN ANGEL who keeps you safe.

The FRIEND who puts real meaning into "I Love You"!

Weekend...

My weekend was GOOD! :-)
(Yes, I am a little late with this post especially since the coming weekend is only 2 days away!)
I went home (Mysore) on Saturday, had dinner at my aunt's place and we rushed back on Sunday morning since we had the carpenters coming over and we needed to get the Apartment cleaned for them...
I really don't want to bore you guys with that, but something happened on our way to Mysore that I wanted to mention and need your opinion on it...
So, here goes:

We boarded the 6:45 AM bus (Volvo) as usual and the journey was actually nice, except when this guy with a small kid boarded the bus at the new bus stop in Bangalore...
The kid was pretty small and the dad had a cover filled with chips etc and another carry bag...
So, as we are travelling, the guy comes up with the small kid and tells the driver that the kid needs to puke and the driver hands him a plastic bag!
This guy proceeds to make the kid sit near our legs and asks him to puke away! I was disgusted!! I told the guy straight away to take his kid away from our legs and make sure he pukes properly away from the people around, because, well its an AC bus, puke stinks and I didn't want any on my legs!!!
The guy glared at me and told me that I was insensitive and I would know only when I have kids!!
I didn't retort back, but kept quiet (I keep thinking that I should have said something)
But, even when I have a kid, I am quite sure I won't make it puke on other people's legs!!
I know how much of an inconvenience travel sickness can be, I still suffer from it!!!
But, I remember that my mom was quite sensible about the whole thing and she always made sure I didn't eat stuff like chips, other oily snacks in the bus.. also she used to carry candy (you know, the sherbet lemon kind) in her purse and she used to make sure I was distracted enough so that I didn't think of Puke... also, when I was old enough I was always given the travel-sickness-preventing-tablets (I still take them when I'm travelling long distances)
And I still make sure I don't eat a heavy meal while travelling.
He called me insensitive, Did I really come across as that when I told him to make sure his kid doesn't puke on our legs and to either take him down or near the door, so the smell doesn't bother other people??
I was being sensible...
Also, I don't know why this is bothering me so much!!

WHY?

Every time, we try to tell some one - we have some "good news", they assume that we are having a baby...
Each time I try to tell an acquaintance we have "good news" to share, their eyes widen, mouths open in anticipation and ask me - "So, finally you are pregnant?"
Ummm.... what's with the word "Finally" here???
Also, is that the only "good news" a young, just married couple(OK, its been a year, but its still new for us!!!) can share with this world??
I don't want the moms to start blasting me off the face of this planet, but we are not yet in the process of thinking that we can have a baby, I mean, there's plenty of time and unlike a few who have predicted doom to me and my unborn, un-conceived child, I am quite sure all 3 of us (including the hubby here) will be healthy and happy...
We would love to have kids, but not because someone else says - "Get pregnant, you are already getting old" WTF?????
Seriously, why should I be pregnant now, at the drop of someone else's hat?? Isn't that OUR decision to make??
Some said, that I would put on oodles of weight - I would become so dark and ugly that our child will be so dark and ugly, if I don't get pregnant soon!!! (Is this some new fangled blessings people give???)
Sheeeesh!!! Sometimes, its fun to give it right back, but it gets very irritating after a while...
Usually, I just laugh it off saying we are not yet ready, then we get this - "what do you mean by not ready?? These things happen, besides you have known each other for so.. long..." here again, eyes will be wide open, mouth slighly open....
Ummm... yes, we have... but, back in college, we were friends and we actually and seriously didn't discuss making babies back then!!! We were too busy having a great time hanging out together, studying, fighting... all normal "friends" stuff and I really don't think 2 friends discuss about making babies in their free time!
Or has this changed?? *gasp*
Do friends discuss making babies now??? *gasp* *gasp*

Well, what our "good news"? - We bought an Apartment in Real Estate crazy Bangalore!
I think that's an achievement by itself!!!
We will get used to this luxury first and then think of the next one...

So, next time I say "good news" - please don't ask me if I'm pregnant... I could just throw my keyboard/monitor/CPU (anything heavy) at you!
Since we have been patient about bringing OUR baby into this world, you too be patient please...

(My grammar sucks sometimes, especially when I'm this pissed off)

The past couple of days...

The past couple of days have not been good...
It all started last Thursday evening at 5 PM.
Let me bore you with the details(heh! like that's something new!!)...
Last Thursday was the last working day of one of my team mate's and he insisted that he give a farewell party to everyone.
Great idea right?
So, Some voted for Coffee and Pastries and Ice Cream at Barista while few nincompoops voted for Pizza (At 5 in the evening!!)
So, the idiots all decided it would be Pizza (again, at 5 in the evening?!!!)
I love a good Pizza, please don't get me wrong, but it's not something I can or would eat at 5 in the evening.
So, everyone gathers around for Pizzas.
I, for one know that I would have an upset stomach, so I didn't order anything specific.
I did however, manage to eat a single Veg Roll, and a slice of garlic bread...
But, my team mates ordered a Pizza for us vegetarians and insisted that we finish a large Veg Pizza.
I took the smallest piece and bit into it and immediately realised that I had made THE biggest mistake EVER!!!
The Pizza didn't have any salt and wasn't baked properly...
So, after eating like 2 bites, I leave my slice untouched.
But, that was enough... I suffered from the worst Stomach flu ever!!!
I was so sick on Friday, I couldn't see straight and nothing I ate was in my tummy longer than 5 secs... YUCK!!!
I called my husband, completely panic-stricken and I had visions of me lying deathly pale on a hospital bed while my loved ones cried around me.... (Yes, I over reacted and panicked and scared the hell out of my husband who was at work a good 15 kms away from home !!!)
and he being the darling, rushed home and made sure I rested properly after taking all the tablets, Glucose, plain rice and dal...
But, I was sick till Tuesday!!!
Even though I was up and about on Saturday and Sunday(my parents came for a whirl-wind visit on Saturday and a friend stayed over on Sunday - another post perhaps?)
I was sick on Tuesday again with fever... Not a good week at all...
I'm hoping this weekend will be better because I'm going home to my parents! :)
It's going to be one and a half days of bliss (hopefully) in good old "Namma Mysooru"!(Our Mysore)

On the Pizza note: I'm off Pizzas for a good century now!!! May be in 3000 AD I will eat them again!!!
It's really sad, I love a good cheese pizza...But now, the thought of eating pizza makes me go "Yuck"!!!

My List of Books...

My sister asked me to list out my favorite books - at least 10.
I wondered whether I actually had 10 books that I really liked and started to make the list.It turned out to be more!!
I don't read the "heavy stuff" like philosophy, Salman Rushdie, Arundathi Nag, Jhumpa Lahiri etc etc..
Now, please don't get me wrong, but I really can't read such stuff - they are all brilliant writers and story tellers.
I prefer action, adventure, a touch of romance maybe and a happy ending... :-)
So, when I started out to make my list:

1. Harry Potter series
2. Oliver Twist
3. Pride and Prejudice
4. Heidi
5. One night at a Call Center
6. The Client
7. The Godfather
8. The Alchemist
9. Erich Segal's Books
10. Agatha Christie Series
11. If Tomorrow Comes

Oh and I Love reading Enid Blyton! (Stop that laughing!! I love the way she writes for kids and how her stories are filled kids with a very strong sense of what's right and wrong!)
I have also read thru the series of Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Three Investigators as a Pre-Teen and also enjoyed Robert Ludlum, Robin Cook in high school.
I still enjoy Sherlock Holmes!
I really haven't tried too many new authors lately, so if you know of any good books, please do drop in the names!

A Borrowed Tag...

I was reading Sachin's blog and found this really interesting Tag in his Archives and saw that he mentions at the very end - "All others who happen to read this are welcome to take this up."
I really enjoyed reading what he had written and knew I would enjoy writing it, so here it is:

I am thinking about: How on earth will I finish the work I have today and yet manage to leave early and take leave tomorrow!

I want to: Take a vacation to Goa with my husband.

I wish: For more quality time with Hubby.

I hear: OK. And right now, I hear the "khat khat" noise of keyboards as people actually go about with their work!

I wonder: Why some of my friends took me for granted, used me and ditched me and said it was my fault.

I regret: Nothing! Except maybe, stopping my Dance classes - Bharathanatyam.

I am: Emotional, Weird, Nutty, hardworking, Honest...

I dance: Well, gracefully (I learnt classical Bharatanatyam for 15 yrs)

I sing: Very very very.. BADLY!!!

I cry: A lot!!! A good post, movie, book, hurt feelings - mine or anyone close to me - brings tears in my eyes...

I make with my hands: I'm not really Artistic, but I am a good cook!

I write: For myself... to put across my thoughts and feelings...

I confuse: Friendship most of the times!!
(I've been a champion at making bad friends over the years!!!)

I need: A lot of private space and time of my own, my husband.

And finally: I want to do a lot of things, achieve a lot, see the world with my husband, share a lot more precious, sad, happy moments with him...

I actually did enjoy doing this and pass on the tag to anyone who wants to do it too!!
But, specifically I tag Vicky!

Lunch Conversation...

Today's lunch turned out be very eventful - more so than usual.
We were(hubby and I) having our lunch peacefully when another couple sat down at our table...They were speaking quite loudly, so we were able to hear the conversation clearly...It went something like this -
She: So, she (some other girl) finally got married!
He: Hmmm... Really?? Good that she married before she became old!

By now, I'm very curious, so I'm eating a bit slowly to see what turn this conversation takes!
(Yes, I am the "slightly curious" sort and in my defense, they were loud!)

She: Yea, she married a Christian! hers is a "love" marriage (In a derogatory tone) She is a proper Gowda!! (What does that mean??) And now she has gone and converted!!!
He: Tsk! Tsk! Very sad... She has just ruined her life! If she has a daughter, who will marry her???
I'm so wonder-struck and I just couldn't help it - looked up and looked at them!
My thoughts were along this line -
How or why should it matter to these 2 what some other girl went and did...
So, what if she married a Christian?
Last time I looked it up - Christians also belong to the same species - Homosapiens!!!
And what does a "Proper Gowda" mean??
Hello - Life is all about love, hope, sharing and more love...As long as these 2 people loved each other, how did it matter to what religion, caste, creed,colour group they belonged to?
And who are these 2 to judge about what happens to their children??
I can understand if a lady/man who doesn't have the right exposure, education speak like this, but these 2 were educated and they are working and this is their mindset...
I looked at my husband, and he knows the signs and said "Don't look at me!!"
I was like - "C'mon, for the sake of an argument..." and he goes "Blog it!!"
So, that's what I have done...

Tell me, does it matter to what religion you belong to when you love and respect your life partner?

I spoke to my mom about this and she had a different view about things and this is what she said:
Different religions have different customs and we as Indians, whether we accept it or not, we are very particular about all this...
She said that as the years go by and the lust, love has all but disappeared, we tend to fall back on the familiar and some may go into depression or resent later on in life that they were made to abandon their particular religion/caste...
However much we progress and call ourselves broad-minded, that regret will arise.
So, if you want to marry someone from a different religion/caste, don't convert yourself,but do learn to respect, follow the other religion/caste as well...

I thought that was wise....

But, its again very circumstantial isn't it?? Some in-laws expect their DIL of a different religion/caste to convert, so she has to for the sake of her marriage/love etc etc... Or the scare that the guy will abandon her.... Sometimes, women are quite low on self-esteem and tend to think that their life starts and ends with their husband.....

What do you think?