My list...

I did want to talk about what I like the most or even love... Here's my list in random order...

1. Cake. I have this thing about cake... I can't eat it all the time, but once in a while I have this craving for cake, and it will be satisfied only by the greasy sticky stuff one gets at the local bakery!

2. The silence of a Sunday morning. I always wake up 15 mins before my maid arrives and my husband will still be fast asleep. I sit on the floor/bean bag in the living room and read the paper quietly... This unknown to me has become a habit which I have grown to love

3. Cooking for my family. I love it when my parents tell me they loved the food, since both of them are awesome cooks

4. Shopping with my sis.

5. Eating Ice cream in the rain with my best friend V - he used to call me crazy but never stopped indulging me!

6. Climbing the steps of Chamundi Hills

7. My morning mug of tea/coffee/milk with my husband.

8. Bike Rides!

9. Gossiping about everything under the sun late into the night with mom and my sis.

10. Drinking coffee and reading a book sitting at a quiet table in Cafe Coffee Day

11. A walk along Kukkarahalli lake in Mysore

12. Holding hands and going for a walk with my husband - it doesn't matter where we are - it always makes me feel loved, special and peaceful.

13. Stepping out of the house after it has rained... I love the freshness in the air...

14. The satisfied feeling when everything goes well during a production install at work.

15. The smell of basmati rice being cooked...

16. Hot hot Gulab Jamoons! (Yummy!)

17. The silence in a Temple, its peaceful and calming...

18. Writing/blogging -it makes me think and it helps me connect...

Here's my list of a few things I have grown to like/love over the years. Do you have a list too?

Here's wishing all you dear bloggers and your families a very Happy Deepavali! :-)

I'm off to Mysore (yay!) tomorrow and will be back next week!
Take care and keep safe during the festivities :-)






(source: Google images)

Today is KarvaChauth

Apparently, today is KarvaChauth...
I didn't know. I did read a couple of posts here and here....

Now, I have nothing against festivals in general - I love dressing up, the food, sweets, the ambiance at home...

Now, Karva Chauth is one festival which I don't approve of. This whole fasting thing to pray for your husband's long life is something I don't get...

I googled the festival and came across some interesting insights - here are some snippets

" Karva Chauth is a fast undertaken by married Hindu women who offer prayers seeking the welfare, prosperity, well-being, and longevity of their husbands. Karva Chauth falls about nine days before diwali on the Kartik ki Chauth some time in October or November. It is the most important fast observed by the women of North India. A woman keeps such a fast for the well-being of her husband, who becomes her protector after she leaves her parents home. Her husband provides her with food, shelter, clothing, respectability, comfort and happiness.

This is indeed a very tough fast to observe as it starts before sunrise and ends after worshipping the moon, which usually rises at about 8.45 p.m. No food or water is to be taken after 4 a.m. or after sunrise. Nowadays, this fast is kept even in modern educated homes, becoming a symbol of the sentiment that a woman has for her husband. "

My objections to this festival are numerous:
- why should the wife only fast and pray for her husband's long life?
(I know lots of men fast along with their wives, but that's not my point here!)

- Why should WE suffer in order to keep the husbands happy?
(You know, staying hungry all day...)

- Why isn't there a festival for men to fast for their wives' long life and happiness?

- I don't understand the willingness to suffer for another person's well being
I mean, when you are sad/unhappy/hungry/cranky, how could the husband be happy??

The stories behind the origin of this festival are interesting and they vary from website to website ;-)
This particular website: http://festivalsofindia.in/KarvaChauth/Katha.asp
has a lot of interesting details about the festival and about other festivals as well if you are curious.

Wikipedia also has an interesting write-up about the same.

I know lots of women who celebrate this festival and some of them are dear friends and I don't interfere or tell them how I feel about the whole deal... I respect their belief and leave it at that...

But, this space is my own and here, I do want to tell that I don't approve of this festival at all

And most importantly, I will not disagree to any argument made pro-Karva Chauth because I personally can't relate to this festival...

But, all this said - I admire people who actually can fast thru the entire day without eating or drinking anything...

Right or Wrong?

right or wrong?

- To marry the man you had an affair with when you were still married to your Ex-husband?

- To tell your friend you love her/him even though he/she is married.

- The desire to see a person suffer just as much as you did, because that person was the cause of your sufferings?

- To be strong enough to tell a person they are not invited home because you know that if they do step into your home, they will ruin it.

- To say, you don't want to visit a dying relative because you prefer their healthy image in your mind to the sick one you might see...

- To break up a couple just so that you could be with her, because you love her so much?

- To break a person's heart after you promised them marriage just because he/she is from a different community and your parents said no?

What do you think?


Edited to add: Thank you for all your views... :-)
I received a couple of emails from friends asking me if anything was wrong..
No, nothing's wrong :-)
I was talking to friends and these topics came up, so posted them to know what you guys think about it.. and the responses though quite similar have varied and has been interesting as well!

Keep posting your views though! :-)

T20: the tag

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

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

Rayshma tagged me ages ago, so here goes!

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
I agree with Rayshma - the Don Corleone Method of taking out works for me!!!

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be?
Travel around the world...

3. Whose butt would you like to kick?
O! I have a long list!! Do I put them all up?!!!
But, the first person would be my friend K - he is in Bangalore today and
he isn't coming home till evening

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
Pay off the home loan, re-locate to a hill-station, keep the rest well-invested for good returns so that I don't have to work!!

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
Yep, been there and done that!! ;-)
(I married him too!!)

6. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone?
Being loved.. *sigh* and yea.. *I am so selfish sometimes!!*

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you love?
Again, to repeat Rayshma's words - I only have to wait till he gets home for some of the love to *ehem* be shown!

8. If the person you secretly like is attached, what will you do?
Umm.. keep my mouth shut?!!

9. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?
Better Sexual awareness - if that's a social cause...

10. What takes you down the fastest?
A cruel comment from my family and very close friends

11. what resurrects you the fastest?
Again, a big warm hug from my dearest husband

12. What’s your fear?
That I wake up one day and find my specs gone... (Yes, I am paranoid about losing my specs)

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
Fun-loving, bright, talented, intelligent... I would love to meet her one day!

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?
Single and Rich?? I need the money!!!


15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
hug my husband and open the door to let the maid in!

16. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously who will you pick?
I don't see myself falling in love with 2 people ever! UGH!!!

17. Would you give all in a relationship?
Yes.. But, again as Rayshma states - my individuality, self-esteem, dignity, personal space... these things stay with me

18. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing he has done?
No grudges... But, no - I am not the forgetting types... forgive - maybe... but i don't forget.

19. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
Both. A healthy mix of both is great.

20. tag 6 people.
I don't know if I have 6 people reading this post right now to tag them!!
But, if you ARE reading this and you want to take up the tag - then go ahead by all means!

PS: I haven't changed any of the questions either!

Updates....

Still very much here and yes, still very much at home too...
This whole period has been very relaxing and rejuvenating... It has helped my concentration levels, patience and on the whole I have been very peaceful with no turmoils as such on my mind...
The only thing I need to think about is - what to cook for dinner/lunch/breakfast!
I do have a couple of offers and I still have a few interviews lined up... But, this time I have promised myself that I will not hurry and make a decision... Though, you never know, the new company and project might end up being equally bad!
As a promise made to myself when I quit my job, I have been doing things which satisfy ME and help ME become a better person.

-> I have started going to dance classes again - bharathanatyam classes. My friend is teaching me and helping me remember. I am proud to say that I still dance well and my technique is still very good :)
The only thing I need to improve is my stamina and facial expressions...

-> I have started taking daily walks.

-> I meditate for 10 minutes everyday now. Its helping me concentrate and its really helping my back. This is also helping me get rid of all the negative feelings and bad vibes that I carried back with me from my previous job. I do hope to increase the time though...

We also went to Kodaikanal for 3 days and it was awesome!! We had a great guide and he took us to some awesome places... we did a lot of trekking! :-)

I do plan on putting up pics in my next post!