Mytakeoneverything

Closing shop here!

2009-08-30T06:38:00.002+05:30

Hey lovely readers!! :)

I am finally closing shop at Blogger!! :)

that's because as you already know, with all the cries for help - I have moved to WP!!

New place: http://mytakeoneverything9.wordpress.com/

I am not sure about all the feeds, subscribe options... yet.
But, that's where I will be from now on! :)
Cheers!
Do keep coming by, all of you.

help!

2009-08-29T20:22:00.000+05:30

help!!

I need serious technical help!!

I shifted to Wordpress - yay! BUT, I AM SO UNABLE TO MIGRATE MY POSTS THERE or set up the pages... the widgets are not showing up *WAIL*

and also, have you see how bad the layout is??

sigh...

I will miss blogger.
Blogger gave me my friends... I will miss it.
but, its time to move on, if not for myself, for my blog posts and my friends.
All of you, ok, most of you have asked me to shift! ;)

But, I need help!

Please help...

thank you!

oh. new domain - www.mytakeoneverything9.wordpress.com

we are like this only!

2009-08-27T15:16:00.001+05:30

The lines imposed on the blogging world, blurs as we step beyond the invisible lines drawn to make friends in real life.
Though we blog under fictitious names, what we write except stories, aren't fiction.
They are our true feelings, honest and from the heart.
You get sympathy, support, advise from various faceless people around the world.
Whether we take the advice or not is secondary, but lovely people do come by to support you and your decisions.
When we do make that conscious effort to step out of the blog world confines of a friendship, we are not sugar coating our personalities.
The actual person, who we are is what is presented. Some friendships click and some don't. When the friendships do click, the pleasure derived in visiting the other person's blog doubles!You have childish games played, comments passed, legs pulled.
Mostly it looks like a huge party with lots of people just having a good time.
Are some of the comments written childish? Sure, they are!
I was discussing the same with Monu the other day and she agreed on that part.
We blog to destress, to talk about aspects of our lives,which we generally wouldn't. We share our feelings with the hope that there is someone else out there who has felt the same, who understands and one who passes on a virtual hug without asking why you need it!

We are here to have fun basically, and to make friends along the way.
Life's hard, to all of us. We all have hiccups, everyday at work is filled with some new challenge or we get burdened with the existing problems.
My blog, my friend's blogs are getaways for me.
So, yea, the comments do get a little childish, the conversation runs into lengths because we pull each other's legs quite a bit :)
Each comment is treasured and each new friend made is celebrated.
So, yea, we fight, we pull each other's legs, we talk random stuff and sometimes on purpose we deviate from the existing topic and talk nonsense! :)
Yea, it helps that we crib, fight and fall all over the blog world to be first!
It helps us laugh and it makes one feel wanted.
So, go right on and be childish and funny and smart, 'cause with all this laughter, we are making our world a happier place to live in! :)
And as Swaram aptly put it, its more about connecting with people than showing off writing skills and making politically correct statements!

Cheers to our wonderful blog samaj which is filled with love, unconditional support and friendship! :)

Anothe Day... another Tag! :)

2009-08-26T08:25:00.002+05:30

I got tagged by the ever lovely Deeps on this one!
Since I love doing Tags, here goes! :)
The rules are thus…
RULE 1: You can only say Guilty or Innocent.
RULE 2: You are not allowed to explain anything unless someone messages you and asks!
RULE 3: Copy and paste this into your notes , delete my answers, type in your answers and tag 20 of your friends to answer this.

Asked someone to marry you? Innocent
Ever kissed someone of the same sex? Guilty/Innocent
Danced on a table in a bar? Innocent
Ever told a lie? Guilty
Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have back? Guilty
Kissed a picture? Err...Other than Salman Khan's pic in 5th std, Innocent!!!
Slept in until 5 PM? Guilty
Fallen asleep at work/school? Guilty
Held a snake? Innocent. I do want to!! :)
Been suspended from school? Innocent
Worked at a fast food restaurant? Innocent
Stolen from a store? Innocent
Been fired from a job? Innocent
Done something you regret? Guilty
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Innocent
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Guilty
Kissed in the rain? Guilty
Sat on a roof top? Innocent
Kissed someone you shouldn't? Guilty
Sang in the shower? Guilty.
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent
Shaved your head? Innocent
Had a boxing membership? Innocent.
Made a girlfriend cry? Guilty.
Been in a band? guilty. (Does the school band count?!)
Shot a gun? Innocent. (Most folks are afraid to even just hand me a gun!!! sigh)
Donated Blood? Innocent
Eaten alligator meat? Innocent... *really? alligator as in another species of crocodile?!!*
Eaten cheesecake? Guilty! Oh yes! Guilty! :D
Still love someone you shouldn't? Innocent
Have/had a tattoo? Innocent.
Liked someone, but will never tell who? Innocent
Been too honest? Guilty
Ruined a surprise? Innocent.
Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn't walk afterwards? Guilty.
Erased someone in your friends list? Guilty
Dressed in a woman’s clothes (if you’re a guy) or man’s clothes (if you’re a girl)? Guilty.
Joined a pageant? Innocent
Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? Guilty
Had communication with your ex? Guilty
Got totally drunk on the night before exam? Innocent.
Got totally angry that you cried so hard? Guilty!

Deeps has gone ahead and tagged most people I know! So, I am not going to tag anyone on this.
But, if you feel like doing this, go ahead and take it up! It's fun! :)
2 people know WHY I don't Tag them anymore as well!! ;)
Cheers!

Ganesha Habba Celebrations!

2009-08-24T13:49:00.008+05:30

Sunday was Ganesh Chaturthi. This has been one of my favorite festivals since I can remember!This and Sankranthi. :)
This year though the Pooja, food were as usual good, all of us missed my sister.

I guess this will be true for all festivals from now on...

She will be missed and she will be teased mercilessly as well!! :D :D

Here are a few pics from yesterday's celebrations.

Please do not copy, save these images. They are personal property. Do not duplicate the images.

Goddess Gowri and Lord Ganesha -

Our Pooja room at home in Mysore -

Lunch! :) -

Also, I know I haven't responded to a LOT of comments for my previous 2 posts, I will do that by tomorrow. I haven't gotten around because of work load and its becoming increasing difficult to log in with managers walking by and discussing lots of irrelevant things!

Please don't mind my dears and please do keep commenting because I have read each comment, but replying suddenly becomes difficult! :)

Also, took one major decision at work today. Not sure how right or wrong I am about it. But, am happy with it. Not too sure what the consequences are going to be either.

Oh well.

Playground

2009-08-20T18:50:00.002+05:30

She eyed the little kids playing in the playground enviously.
How she wished she could play too! The swings were absolutely thrilling!!
Chotu had said he would push her swing high if she could get to play...
She started off with a spring in her step to play, but then her little heart skipped a beat.
She remembered the last time she had ventured into the playground and how when her mother had found her, she had been whipped.

A tear trickled down her muddy face, remembering the pain and how Chotu had applied the paste on her back to make it stop hurting.

She went back and sat on her box dejectedly, playing with her raggedly doll Simbal. She sat still for almost an hour, peeping out now and then to see the children play.

After a while she heard Chotu call her, she looked up with anticipation in her big brown eyes. Chotu pointed out to the place where her mother lay passed out because of the drugs she took.
She was happy, almost sang in happiness and thanked God for the drugs her mother took.
Now, she could play for as long as she wanted without her mother waking up!

She skipped out with a song in her heart and a tune on her lips to play on the swings and to rush down the slide!!!

Oops! I did it again!!

2009-08-18T21:41:00.002+05:30

Heh! Before your imagination runs away with you, hold on to your horses!

It's just that I have sent Swaram 2 sms which were meant for my husband!! :D
Again, hold on! Don't run away!!!

The first was something to do with a crow eating a rat!! That too early in the morning!! heh!
Second, again was today!
I sent the sms in which I was asking K about tonight's dinner.
Heh! Swaram replied she had no issues, but she wants it thru courier!! LOL!!

This is because, lately in my sms list of recently used numbers, her number is first. So without thinking or checking properly have sent her the sms!!
Will be a tad bit more careful in the future!!
This was just dinner and other regular stuff!! ;) ;)

One thing that irritated me to no end today at the vegetable market, a pregnant lady, she was almost 8 months pregnant was buying stuff and there was a long queue at the billing counter.
No one gave her way to get her stuff billed, you know?
All men, insensitive louts!
I gave her my place and when she was about to get her stuff billed, an elderly man tried to sneak in his purchases!
I asked him outright whether he has any shame or not!!
He had the audacity to say that its only 1 item!
I gave him back properly, asking him whether he has any shame, seeing a pregnant lady at the billing counter, no one gave her any place!
He came back and stood in line quietly after that!!!

How insensitive can people be?!! She was already a bit tired, you know, carrying the load, but that's her personal choice to come out for shopping. The least we can do is show some sensitivity. Right?

She was so pretty, that lady. :)

Tag-Raasa!!

2009-08-18T09:51:00.002+05:30

Pallu did this tag, and I found it interesting... I've done it some time back, can't remember or bother to dig thru the archives!! So, posting again.
The first few lines have been copy+paste from Pallu's place! :)
(The text in blue is directly from her post!)
Tag Rules:
It’s harder than it looks!(Mind It). Copy to your own note, erase my answers, enter yours, and tag your friends.
Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions.
They have to be real… nothing made up!
If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers.
You cannot use any word twice and you can’t use your name for the boy/girl name question. Have Fun!!

1. What is your name: Pixie (It's easier to do the tag with P!!)
2. A four Letter Word: Poke! Porn?!
3. A boy’s Name: Popye, Paapanna, Pyaremohan
4. A girl’s Name: Pankaja, Pavithra, Pavani..
5. An occupation: Police, paan-wala
6. A color: Pink
7. Something you wear: Err... ehem! Petticoat?!! LOL!!
8. A food: Paapad, Payasam
9. Something found in the bathroom: Perfume! (Whew!!)
10. A place: Pittsburgh
11. A reason for being late: panicky traffic?!! (If that's a word)
12. Something you shout: Plllrrr!!
13. A movie title: Pyar To Hona Hi Tha...
14. Something you drink: Pineapple juice! Pinapple Vodka!
15. A musical group: Police, Pink Floyd, Poison,
16. An animal: Pony, Puppies :) :)
17. A Street name: Panchamanthra road!
18. A type of car: Porsche
19. A song title: Pink
20. A verb: Poke

I tag Hitchu, Crafty, Monika, Masood, Smithus...I haven't tagged Grail or Wisegirl since both of you don't do them!! :P
Swaram is already tagged... so tagging her again here!!. hehehe!! :P :P

Yenjaay Maadi! :) :)

Awards!!

2009-08-11T16:39:00.006+05:30

Again, the extremely sweet Pallu has given me 2 more awards!!

She says that she loves my blog! :) :)

I am of course more than thrilled to accept them!

As most of you know, me back on track!

With my sister adjusting well in Williamsburg, I am also happy and kind of relived as well.

She is homesick of course but is getting over it and talking to her everyday thru emails helps. But the frustrating part is every call of hers is charged and I don't have access to gtalk from work.

So, I get to talk to her on weekends only till she gets her land line connection.

I have already done the 2 tags that came along with the awards long back and being extremely lazy, I haven't dug them up here now! :D

(Actually trying to beat Swaram's post length, loads of rambling done below!! :D :D :D)

So, this post has all the nonsense it needs to have in order to make sure length-wise its alright!!

You know, I'm sitting late in office today because a team mate of mine doesn't have good communication skills and we need to talk to the client lady who is of Russian origin. So I need to talk instead of him. I have no idea when he is going to improve though! Each time it's mentioned, they say he is improving and eventually he should be able to communicate!

I wonder when that "eventually" will actually happen!!

Go figure.

Trying to understand her accent is where the difficulty lies!!

Also, last week on my way home, I saw this beggar woman asking for money and she had a baby in her arms. She was holding up the baby, showing its private parts and begging for money!

Disgusting. I know.

The worst part was, the baby was in so much pain that it's cries had no voice!! Tears were rolling down its cheeks and it was in so much pain, no voice was coming out!!

Our bus driver, quite disgusted scolded her on hurting the baby.

Her reply was - "What's it to you?! Is it your baby? no right? If you want to give money, give. Else shut up!!"

She even tried to grab water bottles from a couple of kids in a car till the mother screamed and raised the glass!!

Oh, it was heart wrenching to see the baby in so much pain and knowing that the lady was causing it... She actually pinched the baby again, at the same place to make it cry once the signal was given!!

Even though you feel like helping, how to help such people?

For all you know, the baby might not be hers at all and she might just pocket that money or hand it over to who ever she is supposed to!

Ok, getting back to the awards and to pass them on. :)
I want to thank Pallu again for the awards!!

*dancing in chandler style with the head gear in place*

I pass it on to -

Wisegirl (of course! Missing you!!)

Swaram

Crafty

Hitchu

Monu

Don Solilo

Indy

Grail

Vimmu

Masood

EOG

Ray Ray

Galadriel

IHM

Lively!

Rakesh

Renu

Who else? Did I miss anyone? I don't think so..

You guys are all so special and so precious and so awesomely talented when it comes to writing!! :) :)

hugs!

Edited to add: Missed out a couple more names - Smitha and Varunavi!

Blog Break

2009-08-06T16:45:00.002+05:30

On a break for a couple of days.
Missing my sister. Need to get used to her not being physically around.
yes, I am happy for her. And generally happy with myself and life.
Just missing her and nothing interesting is happening.
Haven't been able to write comments as well...
Read all your posts - even the extra-long one from Swaram! :)
So, will go back to lurking for a few days... will be back soon. Promise.

Take care and be good.

Hugs!

Just for you, my little sister.

2009-08-01T16:19:00.006+05:30

We have 5.5 yrs difference. It seemed huge when we were studying in school.
We were always recognised as each other's sister.
In the corridors or with the teachers. Some told you not to become like me and some told me that I'm not like you!

How wrong they were! We are so similar, yet so different. You are and always will be my little sister. I am always the protector. Though you have done your share of watching over me, worrying for me...

As you fly away to your next great adventure, I wish you all the very best with all my heart. I was first afraid that things will be different from now. But, it's not going to be that way.
I will still think of shopping for you, still buy you junk that you definitely don't need but will always want just because I got it for you.

You used to come with me with your half-eaten lunch box... you were always a fussy eater and I always covered for you except about eating Curd Rice! I always got you into trouble for not eating it!!
You covered for me when it was most important. You helped me make the most important decision seem so easy.

I have always stood by the sidelines, never directly interfering with your growing up. I have watched you grow up into a beautiful woman, strong, determined and extremely head strong when it comes to wanting something.
I continue to stand in the sidelines, watching proudly, bragging to complete strangers even, about the full scholarship you have got, always ready to step up to take care of you.

As everyone worries about how you will settle down in your new surroundings, how you will adjust to the new studies, place and friends, I know perfectly well that you will be just fine.

I have assured ma, your brother-in-law that you are more than capable. the trust I have placed in you in so immense that it surprises me even sometimes!

All the best babe! I love you so much that it hurts to see you leave, but you have no idea how happy I am for you and so excited about the future you are shaping for yourself!

I am here, in the sidelines as usual. watching over you and wishing and praying for life's best!

Love you babe! :)

Happy Friendship's Day my dear Blog Samaj!

2009-07-31T16:23:00.004+05:30

Friendship is amazing isn't it?!

People I haven't actually met are my closest friends nowadays.

You guys have not only been kind, but also critical, supportive and always around for a hug.

I know that whatever be the problem, I can ring up anyone one of you and you will calmly listen and then explain in detail why you think I'm crazy!! :P

My closest friends list includes more blog friends than actual people I interact and meet.

You guys know me for who I am, like me for the person I am and are non-judgemental and accept the craziness without batting an eyelid!

You are of the few who come back to me even though I have phased out on many of you at various instances.

You know I phase out and take it for face value and wait patiently for me to come back to my usual self.
I can crib, rant to my heart's content, knowing that when I come back, there will be a warm hug, a pat on my back, or sometimes even a kick to bring me back to my senses or a simple hello to say/show that you listened.

Thank you for letting me into your lives, for bringing me so much of joy and happiness.

Thank you for letting me jump into conversations happening and let me know that my comment is valuable.

Thank you for asking about me in various comment spaces.

It shows you guys care and are actually wondering where I could have gone or why I haven't stopped by still... Some of you mail me and tell me that new post is up! :)

"A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway."~ Jerome Cummings

And the one which is so apt here,

"Can miles truly separate us from friends? If we want to be with someone we love, aren't we already there?"~ Richard Bach

Another Gem -

"To know someone here or there

with whom you can feel

there is understanding

in spite of distances or

thoughts expressed

That can make life a garden."~ Goethe

Another truth -

" I cannot even imagine where I would be today

were it not for that handful of friends

who have given me a heart full of joy.

Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun." ~ Charles R. Swindoll

So many of you and so very special in so many ways...

So many friendships had already been formed when I joined in on the fun. Each one of you made me feel welcome and cherished and special.

So many things are common that it's unbelievable, but true! :)

Thank you. For barging into my life, bringing in so much madness, laughter and love.

For making it so special that every post, every comment, every email and every sms is cherished and treasured forever.

I only hope that me being in your lives, however tiny it maybe, has made you a little more happier and when you think of me at random instances as you go thru your daily life, I make you smile just like how you guys make me smile! :)

Like, how puppies and Dill Leaves, a Tavera Car or a pic with Mountains, a long rambling post or a glass of wine, Crayons, or a cream coloured sofa, a Malayam accent or a Cheese sandwich remind me of you guys! How extraordinary it is that one of you guys have the same name as my best friend in school did!

How extraordinary it is that my best friends are someone whom I've only spoken to and still eagerly waiting to meet! :)

Happy Friendship's Day in advance my dear, precious friends :)

All the sayings, the pic - courtesy google

My friend has a Recipe blog!

2009-07-27T21:42:00.003+05:30

Hi!

One of my closest friends from college, has a South Indian Recipe Blog.

We became very good friends during graduation and till now we have remained good friends :)
We had common Interests like Back Street Boys and we both had been betrayed and hurt by our respective so-called best friend as well!! :) :)

But, we became and still are good friends, so please do go on over, visit and leave your precious footprints there as well!

If she has her mom's cooking genes, then I can assure you the dishes will not only be easy to make but extremely yummy as well!! :)
Her mom was a fantastic cook!

************************************************************************************

I have been busy with work, a bit low because of a couple of issues as well.
Though its not my fault or anything, it will be a pain and it needs to be resolved soon.

Also have a pretty bad headache as well. So, need all the hugs you can possibly give out! :P
I know, I haven't replied to so many comments as well. I will do that as well tomorrow, so please do excuse me for that as well.

That's it for now. Will be back tomorrow with a better post.
But, in the meantime, do visit my friend! :) :)

Tired out...

2009-07-21T21:22:00.003+05:30

Oh yes! I am!! Extremely tired out. I have had so much work to do and deliver that I've got work coming out of my ears!!!

I am not sure if it's a good thing or not - being asked specifically by the client for a new module development...
But, that's happened and its got strict deadlines, with very little flexibility.

This picture below gives you a fair idea as to how tired I am with work and the politics that surround it.

I know, I crib a lot about the politics, you say that it's there everywhere. I keep asking - Why can't we just work without all this crap...
Though, to be fair, it's much better here than my previous work place. (TOUCHWOOD! ANTI-JINX)
And, I am enjoying the work and I get along well with my managers, team and Client...
So, that's a good thing, I guess :)

Sigh... Wish me luck please. I need it to complete everything on time, for all the modules/projects I'm currently handling and/or working in....

Posting and commenting will be irregular, sadly... But, I will be around to say a quick hello and pass on a warm hug to you guys! :)

Muah!

Image Courtesy: Google of course

Anon? Me?

2009-07-18T10:39:00.003+05:30

How Anon am I, is the question. Lots of bloggers have debated on this. Some have maintained over the years their anon status, some have mentioned their names, the reasons for their disclosure on their blogs...
But, most of us have friends, friends who have moved on from being just blog friends to personal friends. Friends who know me, my family and most importantly are part of my life. I share my highs with most of them, lows with a close few. :)
Most of you know me. Most of you are on my friends list in Gtalk.
You know me in WP, especially since my mail id is my last name! :)

So, should I go ahead say my actual name here to those few (you can count the few who don't know me!) who don't know me?
Then, will you stop calling me Pixie?!! :)
Pixie has become so much part of me now and when friends on Gtalk say - "Pixie hi!"
It feels good, because they know my real name, but still call me Pixie! :D :D

I like being called Pixie by my friends who have become quite close because of this blog.
Friends in Real life, I prefer them to call me by my name and not Pixie except Jeez, since he was the first person to call me Pixie!
Kind of confusing? Not really.
But, folks who know me, know this isn't confusing or insulting or anything of that sort!! It makes perfect sense doesn't it?

Happy Weekend Folks! :)

My Daddy knows best!

2009-07-16T14:34:00.002+05:30

Oh yes he does!! :) :)
Now, I have had my ups and downs with my dad. He was super strict when we were growing up. I didn't understand him and he definitely didn't understand me!! :D
Sure, we have had our differences over the years, but this is not about that, this post is to share with you guys what my daddy taught me and what I have strived hard to learn, accept and follow and few things which I have mastered as well.

Work hard, keep your head low and raise it only when you have substantial proof to back your work up.
Be modest about your work.
Do your work honestly. If not today, honesty does pay off in the long run and it makes sure you sleep every night with a clear heart and a happy soul. I am a firm believer of this because I have examples in the form of my parents right in front of me!
Know your curse words! My dad taught us the bad words, anyway most of them! :D
When you have someone in front of you, especially a boss you don't like, keep your cool. As they start getting heated up, and they see you all calm and collected, it will irritate them more!
There is no point in adding word to word in an argument. Most times silence is the best argument you can give.
Wait and watch for your opportunity, this is very important, so that you don't make any false moves, which will make get you into trouble.

Most important one,

Once you know the other person is a pig, no point in fighting with them. For a pig enjoys the wrestle in mud. After a while, you realise that while you are getting dirty, the pig is enjoying the mud and the wrestle!!

There! Not all of them maybe the "right" way of tackling things, but it works! :D
Being bad or cunning helps sometimes, especially when you aren't being dishonest!!

Edited to add: I am not saying this will work, it just might. It has for me!
And, my dad's a great guy, honest, hardworking and loyal and dependable, so no jokes on dad pls! :)
The one comment that was there, I have removed for the same reasons.

It's Friday!

2009-07-10T13:21:00.004+05:30

Finally! The weekend will start in a couple of hours! :)

I remember, last week on this very day I was roaming around Mysore with my mom. Awesome day it was, I tell you! :) :)

Today, it's a different story, today am trying to work. I have to come up with 3 different PPTs, 1 document, and 2 reviews to complete before 5!

(OK, I'm stopping work related talk NOW!)

The thing that's really funny is, when ladies go to the restroom here in office, they leave behind their dupattas and mobiles on the sink counter!

I can understand slightly about the mobiles, but, why dupatta? How will it get wet?! ROTFL!!

You know, by randomly leaving behind mobiles in restrooms, one could actually lose it. My team mate lost hers yesterday.
If you are bringing it all the way to the restroom, you might as well carry it inside the cubicle! Or leave it in your purse or bag in your desk at your workstation!

Also, yesterday's training was fun! Did I learn anything - well, no. But, it was a full session and my entire team was there and some of them have wicked sense of humour!! :D

So, half the time we were laughing around and goofing off, sitting in the last row to pay any actual attention!!!

Also, I hiccuped while drinking tea twice! And Snorted out tea from my nose! :D
I now know that Swaram, Crafty and Hitchy were talking about me on Swaram's blog!

Major Hugs, you guys! :) :)

During the introduction, the person sitting next to you is supposed to gather information and then introduce you to the whole class. So, my friend, she asked me the basic details and then went on to list of friends. (We were asked to list at least 2 - 3 Best friends and a minimum of 15 good friends)

Best Friend: Grail. Now, I know few details about her, so it was easy to say she works in so and so place etc etc.
The hard part was explaining how I met her! Don't even ask the lie I told for that since I don't want anyone here at work to know I blog!

Good Friends: This list of 15 friends also included Hitchy, Swaram, Crafty, Solilo, Indy, Smithus, RayRay, Galadriel, Kima.

Now, the funny part came with their actual names!! I know a few of them. I don't know the rest, so I made up the names!!! :D :D

The worst was, since all of them are in different parts of the world, explaining how I actually meet them, when and where.

Let's just say, I have a very vivid imagination!!!

Now, just for Swaram and Crafty and a reluctant Hitchy, Tom & Jerry Cartoons! Shared here with loads of love and buckets full of popcorn!!!

TOM AND JERRY:

(I have to post this now!! but, blogger image loading is not working, I will post pics of popcorn and TnJ later?!)

Kindly Adjust maadi!!! :P :P :P :) :)

Edited to add: Cartoon pics have been added! :)

Image courtesy: Google! :)

Another non-post!

2009-07-08T16:13:00.003+05:30

I had a post all done in my head today morning. It was about our education system, you know, why I support it in some ways, why I think we have a pretty good foundation...

And of course, mugging up helps, because how else will you be able to remember all the testing data that one has setup, but which mysteriously has vanished and had to be dictated over the phone to onsite folks!!!
I am not saying mugging up and writing is a good idea, all I'm saying is all that mugging up I did sure panned out in some ways!!! :D :D

But, I can't remember the actual post now!! So, will compromise with another non-post filled with ramblings, none of which address any serious issues.

Also, I have taken to eating lunch alone. With a book for company. Surprisingly, I do this willingly. Now, all of you who read me and know me, know that I am not the sort who will willingly eat alone. But, I have been doing it because I don't want to discuss office politics during lunch! Everyone I know, will bitch about someone else or tell tales.
Ugh! I just can't take talking about the office all the time!!! There are so many other things also right? So, I eat alone peacefully with a story book for company! :)

The weather is glorious here in Bangalore! Its cloudy, rainy and its windy! :D
Perfect time for Bajjis or samosas with hot hot chai... in all probability will go now and eat something! :)

Bought my sister's new suitcases, this makes her going away even more final. *sigh*
She will be leaving in less than 30 days time. I am NOT going to count the days because it will just make me sad.
I am so proud of her, you know? And very happy for her, but can't help tearing up at the mere mention of her leaving...

I still have no clue how am NOT going to cry in the airport, because she has strictly told us NO CRYING in the Airport since she going for her MBA on a full scholarship is a happy and proud moment for us.

I have also made so many Blog Friends now! :)
I share personal details with them, listen to the stories that are sometimes too personal to be blogged about. It's like Pen Pals, but a modern version of it! :)
It's also weirdly similar to chatting in Chat rooms where you click with some and you go on and meet them and chat with them, and others, you just pass time with and forget about them after logging out of the chat room! :)

Also, I'm attending a training on Communications tomorrow, which is weirdly funny!
I write decently well right? right? (this is your cue to jump up and say -"Yes you do"! hehe)
And I know I speak good English!!

I will be off the blog and blog samaj and spamming comments tomorrow and chatting in the comments section of various precious blogs as well. *sniff*

Miss me ok?
Be kind as well, remember, I'm attending a training tomorrow!!!!

Cheers!! :) :)

Vacationing at home!

2009-07-04T19:22:00.003+05:30

Even though I love traveling, seeing new places and meeting new people, I still think coming home to Mysore is the BEST vacation one can take ever! :)

This trip has been fantastic... Emotional in many ways... A lot of memories re-surfaced and all of them good.

I remembered the trips I used to make with my mom to Sayyaji Rao Road and DD Urs Road. :)
I remembered the movies with my friends... and as always, I missed my friend V a lot.
The good thing was I chatted with him yesterday night! :)

I remembered the fun times I have had with my sister, her visits to the dentist, me picking her up from school and college...
I remembered fondly the times I have spent with my husband here when we were in college, when we were working together...

All pleasant memories which has made sure that my smile stays firmly in place!! :)

I still have 1 more day here, it's always less. The trips always leave me unsatisfied and wanting more time with my folks, in Mysore...

Monday morning, we return back to Bangalore. Back to our daily routine of office and domesticity...

It's been good this time and the 4 days have passed very quickly. But, office and the other world of politics, domesticity, unconnected friends await from Tuesday...
With times like this at home, it makes it easier to tackle things, to remember that nothing is as serious in nature as it seems...

And that troubles always vanish when we stand up and face it.

So, what is your favorite vacation spot? And you fondest memory of home?

My tribute to my favourite artist - Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T21:15:00.002+05:30

Michael Jackson passed away a couple of days ago.
The reaction from me was shock, disbelief and surprisingly grief.
Yes, I was sad that he died... by now, most of the messy stories about his plastic surgeries, his ex-nanny's quotes, the will etc have been out.
But, my post is more personal, its about MJ, The King of Pop and Me.
I first heard MJ in 1987, the first song was BAD. Thriller and the other older ones were heard later.BAD is also my all time favorite and it holds a special place in my heart. Here, I was all of 7 yrs old, uprooted from my school, grandpa, friends and placed in an alien land where no one understood me and I definitely didn't understand them!
My dad got me my first radio at this very juncture where I was lonely and missing home.
The first I recall vividly hearing on it is BAD.I could relate to him, I could dance in my room to his music!! :)'

He drove the loneliness away with his awesome songs...

I remember being glued to the radio when one of his concerts was aired live over the radio then.

I fit in because I loved Michael Jackson and his music.

After returning back to India, to again unfamiliar surroundings and weird prudish atmosphere in India the one thing I missed was listening to MJ frequently on the Radio.

English music, if I remember correctly was termed as "bad" and people who listened to it were "bad" as well!

Somehow the information leaked in class that I enjoyed listening to his music and also considered MJ to be "Sexy".

Now, "sexy" was a bad bad term to be used in 5th std apparently and suddenly because of jealous classmates, I was the class tramp! I was the class tramp for 2 yrs.
I struggled with loneliness, rumours, bad friends and bad grades. I had rumours spread about me by a teacher!!
I was miserable, truly unhappy and extremely insecure till I reached 7th.
With no MJ to keep me company, I was truly miserable!
In 7th, things changed, my best friend then, P gave me the confidence and the love I craved for from a friend.
We were inseparable till 10th. He boosted my morale, let me listen to MJ over and over again - he had cassettes, and then he had the VCR at home... :)
MJ was in my life again and the new album - Dangerous (I think) was out with the song "Leave Me Alone" (I think I'm right on the song title, not sure - need to cross check on this)
After 10th std, his songs also brought me joy, let me experiment on my dance moves.
He helped me learn the moon walk.Michael Jackson, with his music turned a miserable pre-teen into a happy teenager. Actually, I was "Cool" in college because I had all his songs! :)

My friend in Post-Graduate had his CDs. All of them! And I was so thrilled! Literally!!!
I remember bringing them all home and recording them. I remember dancing to his tunes with my mom.
The volume was so loud that the Speaker fell on the phone and the phone was damaged beyond repair!
LOL!

His music has been my companion thru out my growing up years. His music helped me pass thru the most difficult phases of my life. He made me happy when I was sad.
The tears were forgotten and the misery melted away when I danced to his tunes...

In the recent past, less has been spoken about his transcending music and more about his weird life.
Now again, in his death, his music has united people all over the world.
He is truly the King of Pop.

Rest In Peace MJ! You will be missed, for your music and your complete entertainment.

1.5 hrs in bus!

2009-06-24T21:55:00.002+05:30

That's how long I spent in Bangalore traffic today in the evening!
Bus left office at 7:15 and I reached home at 9!!!!

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I listened to bad Kannada songs to pass time!
There was an accident or something like that on one road and some sort of Rath yathra in another road!
I'm quite sure God hasn't told us to make sure everyone is inconvenienced while we try to do poojas for Him! He would be flipping out too if He was made to travel like how I did today!!!

OK, good night.

This is such a non-post, if you ask me!
Just a rant about Bangalore's traffic situation... *sigh*

This is the primary reason why I hate staying back. I prefer managing my time and skipping tea also, if required to make sure work gets completed on time. But, some meetings are like bad relatives, you can't avoid them. you just have to put up with them.

The 30-tag!

2009-06-24T13:39:00.003+05:30

Everyone is doing it and it's too much fun to pass up, so me too answered the 30-question tag!
Here goes:

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
Oh No! what to do with my hair?! Why is it so unmanageable?!!

2. How much cash do you have in your wallet right now?
Rs. 150 + Sodexho coupons worth Rs. 100

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR?
Crore!! :D :D

4. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
My frn who had visited from Pune!

5. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?
Its title song of Mungaru Male and Usher and Jim Morrison

6. What are you wearing right now?
greenish Blue salwar Kameez

7. Do you label yourself?
Heh! Nope! But, Kima called me Foxy and Alluring and Mischievous! :D :D

8. Name the brand of the shoes you currently own?
the one I'm wearing right now is Catwalk! :)

9. Bright or Dark Room?
Dark room while taking that luxurious nap in the afternoons on a weekend!

10. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
Crafty: She is a sweetheart. We bonded instantly and she is one of the sweetest and most generous souls I know.
Hitchy: He is a sweetheart. Witty, Sarcastic and JKG to the core! Writes very well and takes everything very sportively! He even doesn't mind being called Bhai over the Blog Samaj!!!!!!!!! :D :D
Monika: Awesome lady! :) I enjoy her blog and her travel blog as well :) Recently started reading her space I think she is a sweetheart! :)

11. What does your watch look like?
The one I'm wearing now is a Pulsar dad got for my 18th Birthday.

12. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Sleeping! :)

13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?
Have a good lunch honey - from my husband :)

14. What’s a word that you say a lot?
Eh?! LOL! Hugs! and of course WTF and F**&! ;)

15. Who told you he/she loved you last? (please exclude spouse , family, children)
Crafty! on her comments space for the same tag!! (Love u too!)

16. Last furry thing you touched?
Teddy on the TV!

17. Favourite age you have been so far?
All ages have been good after 15!

18. What was the last thing you said to someone?
Lets have lunch! (To a friend here at work)

19. The last song you listened to?
Right Now by Akon on Radio

20. Where did you live in 1987?
We were in Denver, Colorado.

21. Are you jealous of anyone?
Nopes. Actually, Anyone who can draw a straight line!!!!!!!

22. Is anyone jealous of you?
I think there are quite a few people! But, for the life of me, can't figure out why!
(I'm so modest, you see. :P)

23. Name three things that you have on you at all times?
This has ben written by keeping in mind that clothes are implictly worn at all times! ;) :P
Specs!
My radio/IPOD
A Book to read

24. What’s your favourite town/city?
Mysore, Denver and now, Bangalore.

25. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?
:( Can't remember that long back.
Me and my cousin we used to write to each other when we were in school!

26. Can you change the oil on a car?
Hee!! Nopes!

27. Your first love/big crush: what is the last thing you heard about him/her?
First Big Crush: He got recently engaged. And another one is in the Gulf now.

28. Does anything hurt on your body right now?
Nopes (Touch wood!)

29.What is your current desktop picture?
*sniff* Nothing. Client Logo. Can't display that here because of confidentiality

30. Have you been burnt by love?
Nopes! Donno what this means!

That was so much fun!! :)
Anyone who wants to take it up, can!

My 2 mins of fame! :)

2009-06-21T06:33:00.002+05:30

First of all, thank you everyone. The emails, the comments, the sweet things you guys said and meant - they are priceless and I am so glad that I am not THAT sad anymore!!

Now, that the gloom and doom is all gone (Whew! I really don't like me like that - all sad and mopey and feeling sorry for myself! Am glad that didn't last too long!), let's talk about my 2 minutes of fame shall we? :)

Friday, as we all know by now, I was completely gloomy and sad and feeling sorry for myself. I left work early and took the bus home and as usual was listening to the radio - Radio Indigo to be more precise and from 5 to 8 - its Cruise Control with Mr. Rohit Barker and we all know how much fun an RJ he is with his deep, sexy voice and he plays really good music. Anyway, the contest was on and since the answer to his question was damn easy - I sent it.

What happens next? You guessed it, I get a phone call from Mr. Barker himself!! And I was put on Air to answer the question!!! :D :D
Then, I get a phone call from the studio and they ask me to come down and pick up couple tickets to the stand-up comedy show - Aggy Uncle happening at Kyra!!!
Oh, the night was awesome... I laughed so hard that I was tired from laughing and it was like - OK, please stop. I need to stop laughing!!

The jokes, the one-liners, the whole attitude was amazing! It had been a long time since I had laughed that hard for so long!! It was 2 hrs of jokes on everything under the sun - relationships, sex, God, Religion, people from different cultures and from different parts of the world...
It was awesome! :)

Has anyone else been to Kyra? It's an awesome place really. We had first been there for Swarathma's concert and that was so much fun and they are such a talented group!
The prices are a bit expensive - they just serve Finger food and appetizers at the theatre and their Bar is pretty decent too...

We saw some really scary people there though. I just don't understand one thing, if you are rich and you have loads of money, why should you be so scarily dressed?
We saw some really scary looking women out there last night!
just because one hits forty, there's no need to panic and start dressing like a 20 yr old!!!
And this one lady was so prettily dressed up, her dress looked so so pretty, but she accessorised it with fake pearls! That was such a let-down, you know?!

And even when we had gone for Swarathma's concert, we saw some really shitty people. Just because you have money, that doesn't mean that's the qualification to be rude and obnoxious.

They are a talented group, they are our local boys who have dared to dream big and make it.
Their music has meaning and its base is from our very own rich culture of Classical and Folk. The lyrics are touching and they have an amazing connect with the audience.
What more would one want from a musician right? But, no, some people are such snobs they can't recognise talent that's right under their noses and keep comparing the group to an already established rock group like U2??!! or Metalica?? (These 2 are rock bands right?!!)
Get real and get a life!
You know, that's one lesson I learnt at a very young age - not to take oneself so seriously! it's like walking around wearing ill-fitting underwear! :D
You are irritable and grouchy and keep blaming the whole world for it when all you need to do is change what you are wearing!!!

You know, the stand-up comedy last night was awesome too!
My tummy still hurts from all that laughing and I have such a sore throat and now cough!! But, it was totally totally worth it!!

I loved a couple of things they said.
Like happiness - you can't always be happy, but when you are unhappy, you should know that once you have reached that depth of unhappiness, you can only raise to happiness and that feeling in itself is amazing.

They spoke about women being the more intelligent lot! they said how if a woman is cheating on her man, he would never come to know which is so true!!!
We are a cunning lot.
Women take revenge to higher levels and we are never straight forward about it.
Like, for example, if a man were to be mad at someone, he would walk up and punch him.
We on the other hand, will make sure he gets bumped over by an over speeding car and get away with it!!! :D :D
The stuff you see on TV is just an exaggeration of real life, if you ask me. Yes, of course there are women who scheme and plot and mess up things and get pleasure out of it.

Ok, I will stop now, this is such a mixed up post! It's got way too many things going on... and it's a long post!
Indy - is this post long enough?!!

*Runs away before Indy catches up!*

Just before hitting the publish button - Thanks again, you guys. really. Even being so sad was kind of worth it - it made me realise what a fantastic bunch of friends I have found because of this blog.

Love you guys! Muah!

Why would you bother?

2009-06-19T14:21:00.003+05:30

As I sit here, typing away and working away, for God knows what reasons, my heart is filled with gloom.
If I were to go away for a day or two, no one would know.
Who would come back and ask, what happened and are you alright? And even if you did, who would see the comment or message or email and feel glad? For, I would not be around to check or feel glad.
Even if something was wrong, how could that be told without logging in?
If I'm gone, from here for good, would I be missed? Would you come looking for me?
But, why would you look for me? Why would you spend so much time, to think and care for a faceless entity in this over crowded blog samaj?

If you do come looking, what brought you here, to the virtual doorstep of a stranger?
What drew you to me, to show some concern, which made you leave your work to bother enough to comment, a comment which might never be seen, for I might not be here to read it and feel glad.

We are not discussing cricket!

2009-06-15T21:11:00.002+05:30

Ok, we are not discussing cricket here.

And we will be supporting SA, WI from now on.

And we are not blaming Dhoni either for India's dismal performance...
Though as Hitchy has mentioned, Dhoni's honeymoon with the media is now over.

We need a good rest before we start playing again.

Also, trip to Mysore was awesome as usual! :)
Did a bit of shopping and bought a pair of really awesome sandals and a small table made of jute.
(Among other things!!)
It's still at home in Mysore since we couldn't bring it back with us by bus, but once we do get it here, will post the pic - it's too pretty for words! :)

Ok, nothing much to write now, except that I know I have the tags pending... Will post them soon, I promise!
Also, my frn from Pune is coming over on wednesday and staying with us till Sunday. How cool is that?! :)
Looking forward to her visit!

Also, finally got my system hard disk replaced today, but blogger is blocked and I am not able to post comments, though it's allowing me to read...

Say it with Calvin and Hobbes!

2009-06-12T09:24:00.006+05:30

So, its a Friday afternoon, my eyelids are almost closed, it's like there are iron chains attached to them and someone is dragging them down.

I also have a meeting from 6:30 to 7:30 which I will take from home! :)

But, after that I have to attend my gym session, because I'm scared of my instructor! No, really.

You should see him and see how he pushes you to do the impossible, which is my legs, arms are all singing different tunes right now! :) :)

So, without further delay, here's something which will make you laugh for sure and keep you awake!! :P

Some of my favorite CnH comic strips!!

Image Courtesy: All Google of course and the respective websites from which they were copied from! :)

Quick Update!

2009-06-09T19:58:00.003+05:30

Very quick update!

Been overloaded with work, so haven't been able to comment or read posts properly on all my favorite blogs :(
Like Mandy's post - it's hilarious and I have so many things to say there, but falling short of time!

Gym updates:
Joined the gym today to lose the extra 3+2 kilos (3 as per the doc and 2 more for me!)
So, there are 2 places close to my place. Let's call them Gym A and Gym B.
Gym A is cheaper. So, naturally I go there to pay the fees and to join up!

I walk in and ask for the instructor - this guy comes up, gives me a once over and points to the fee structure and says - "Ladies batch is from 10 to 11 in the morning"
I reply back saying I need to come in the evenings.
He again looks at me and says - "Are you sure, at this time only we guys are there here!"
I tell him politely to 'eff off' and ask again for the instructor.

Another equally oily looking guy walks up and stands really close and says -
"I'm the instructor! Just by looking at you, I can tell how many kilos you need to lose!"

By now, as you would have guessed, I was mighty pissed.
So, I raise my voice a bit and say
"Get out of my face before I hit you where it hurts the most!"

He is a bit shocked and asks "What did you say?"

I repeat the same, louder.

This time, I'm audible enough to bring down the aerobics instructor and she asks me -
"Is he annoying you?"
I say yes.
She says - "Punch him the face! He thinks he has his brains between his legs!"
By this time, I'm laughing real hard inside, the guy moves back, I call him a really bad word and walk out.

These guys are all educated, but, such huge assholes, I tell you!
UGH!
I went ahead and joined the more expensive place!

But, this behavior is so wrong on so many levels, isn't it?!
Not mine, theirs! :P

Why can't they respect us and behave decently like how an educated person behaves.

But, let me tell you one thing - I was almost ready to punch the guy today!

And Cricket -

Are you watching the match?!
Netherlands need exactly 151 runs to make it to the next level and to oust Pakistan!

Netherlands - 3 wickets down!

Will they be able to make it? or will they buckle down under pressure?!!

Also, I have 2 posts in draft - one for the awards - this post is kind of emotional and "Aww-worthy"!
So, taking time before I post it.. :)

Everyone's doing this tag, so I'm doing it too!

2009-06-06T22:20:00.007+05:30

OK, Everyone's done this tag - make your wish list of drool-worthy women if you were a man!

Some of them went wrong like Vimmu's or Dhiren's first attempt!! (see, no Bhai here! :P)

Since no one tagged me... :(
I'm doing this all by myself! Hmmmmph!!

1. Sushmita Sen: She's gorgeous, sexy and intelligent and slightly weird! :)
I was totally inspired by her when she went ahead and adopted her daughter... :)

2. Katrina Kaif: She's beautiful lady, graceful and dignified.

3. Penelope Cruz: No explanations here! She is smoking hot!!! :)

4. Sudha Chandran: I admire her. She went ahead with her dream and achieved it! A thing like no leg didn't deter her from dancing. She is one of the very few dancers who dances with a wooden leg and you wouldn't know that at all!

5. Suhasini: Brilliant Actress. Simple. Beautiful and Intelligent

6. Aishwarya Rai: She is a true beauty with brains. I admire the way she conducts herself, very dignified. Her business acumen is pretty fantastic as well.

7. Madhuri Dixit: She is a lovely lovely lady; a great dancer! :)

As you can see I cheated and listed 7 beauties with brains!!! :) :)

Image Courtesy: All Google. It's been put up here only for this tag, it's not an ad and all rights belong to the original owners! :)

Dhiren, These above lines have been inspired and slightly lifted off from your post. Hope you don't mind! Will change 'em, if you do mind though. Do tell me if you want me to change them. Found 'em quite appropriate, so used it....

WooHoo!!!

2009-06-06T22:00:00.002+05:30

Couldn't resist!!!

But, did you watch the Aus Vs WI T20 match?!!!

WooHoo!!! WI kicked Aus's butt!!!!!!!!!! :D

What a match!!!

I don't think I would be this thrilled with a Indian Victory as well!!!! :D :D

*dances off gleefully to watch the next match!*

150th!

2009-06-03T15:36:00.005+05:30

CONGRATULATIONS Pixie!!!
This is your 150th post, finally! :D

I wanted to make this post special you know, post pics, awards that I got from 2 extremely sweet people - IHM and Pallu...
But, swamped down with work and on top of all that, giving training to itty-bitty over zealous freshers! :D
I just can remember myself being equally over-anxious! Then, over years of experience, I have become the wise-one and know for sure that my "WTF and DKDC" attitude, doesn't help in making friends, but it sure keeps me smiling and helps me get thru a bad day!
DKDC - Don't know; Don't care! :D
I still have a long way to go today... 2 more meetings, 1 assessment to take care of and 1 bit of testing to complete!
Like I mentioned to a friend thru email, I lead a charming and exciting life like my recent book-hero, Dirk Pitt! (Clive Cussler is the author)
So, the picture post and the awards will have to wait...
But, go on, de-lurk and congratulate me! :D
150 is not too much, but, its a target I never thought I would achieve when I first started blogging...
It's all because of you guys, my dear readers, some who have become dear friends that it's been possible..
*love u guys! hugs*

EDITED TO ADD: Since most of you requested Champagne, here's a toast to all of you with the most expensive bottle! :)

Image Courtesy: Google of course! :)

yeh humaari pyaar ki aakhri nishaani hai!

2009-05-28T16:50:00.003+05:30

There! I knew that this title will grab your attention! :P

I was watching the serial - "Ballika Vadhu" (I know! waste of time, but just hang on, for a minute)
In that, the 15-16yr old widow actress is pregnant with her dead husband's child after a clandestine meeting in a Mela/fair of some sorts...
Now, people who do follow the serial know that at the time of death of the said-husband, they were still living separately and the said-husband gets killed when he is on his way to get his said bride...
No, I am not discussing the serial with you! Don't worry.. but, I am concerned with the whole, 15 yr old being pregnant thingy.
Why can't we be more practical about the whole thing? Is it truly possible to get pregnant as soon as you have sex for the first time?!!!
I am not sure, if I am making any sense here, but why should a 15 yr old be saddled with the burden of taking care of a baby and all this crap about it being "hamara pyaar ki aakhri nishaani"?? (our love's last sign!)
If you want the message about social conscience and safe sex to go out, make her give up the baby if its too late for an abortion...
How many of us are on talking, pally terms with the people we have had a crush on when we were 16?!
Or, if you did do it for the first time with someone else other than your respective spouse, are u in contact with them?!!
Mostly its NO, right?
How much emotional maturity will a 16 yr old have?!
I sometimes prefer the Western culture in this manner - an unwanted pregnancy is treated as what it should be - a mistake...
Do you live with all your mistakes?!! No, you make amends, fix it, learn your lesson and move on.
Why is the girl being saddled for something that is clearly not completely her fault?
Along with the poor girl's parents... They not only have to "look" after the daughter all their lives, but also her kid, because she won't have the education or the mind set to earn her living or move on with her life.
Why isn't she being allowed to move on from her mistake?
Now, don't give all kinds of crap like, its a part of you and all that - I know that.
But, how many women do you know who have absolutely no maternal instinct at all and they are mothers?
Or, how many women do you know, who have all the instincts in place, but no kids yet?
but, I digress...
We need to move on with our lives and treat our body and soul with respect and dignity.
How come the boy or his family isn't shown taking responsibility?
Why is it that the girl alone should "suffer"?
Why is sex considered so bad? Or sex-education a taboo during our growing up years?
If you want the message to go out, then make it revolutionary, show a change...don't show us a 16 yr old hysterically crying out - "this is my Love's last nishaani!!!" And keeping and struggling with a baby...
Don't show us some guy walking up and saying - "even though she is tainted and the baby isn't mine, I am willing to marry her" Ugh!
I would prefer a Juno any day...
And as parents, don't we want our daughters to move on with their lives with no regrest if they made such a mistake?
Why are we saddling them with a such a big responsibility or even burden?
We need to start changing our mind set and at least try to make a dent in the others' thinking as well if we want things to change for us women folk...

giggle

2009-05-26T14:08:00.002+05:30

*giggle*
We have a tool called WTF!
LOL!!

I know... I know :P
A bit cheesy, but seriously, imagine a conversation where the manager says "Pixie, what about WTF?! Did you run it?!!" LOL
You should see the looks I get from the weirdo who sits opposite to me!! :P
And every time, I can't help, but smile, and say - "WTF?! Yep done!! :P :P"

A Friend of mine is going thru a messy break-up, this after the engagement was announced, formal introductions done to friends, family. Parents were happy - you know, the whole drill was done and the only thing remaining was to get married.
He tells me they broke off a couple of weeks back. I still don't know for what reason,
but, I wish I was there for him...
With him being in a different country, with a super-hectic job, phone calls are the only way to stay in touch...
Anyways, V if you are reading this, Major hugs dude... I really hope things get better...
You know, I think late-twenties is a really awkward time to be involved in a messy breakup.
You don't get enough time to move on, Parental pressure is more to move on and settle down...
And if your rebound person becomes your life partner, then another saga of fights, sadness starts.
Ugh!
Relationships are weird, icky and awkward at times.
It only seems easy when its working, I guess.

Also, no one is talking about the IPL Finals... :D
Most people have silently agreed that it's because of great cricket by Deccan chargers, but, stupid batting by Bangalore, which made sure DC won! :D

Another thought - I have never ever worn saree to work.
Hmmm... I keep thinking that this should change and I should wear one at least once to work...
But, then technical problems like going to the restroom or crossing your legs on your chair while one sits and works come to mind, and the idea gets put off again.

My sister presented me with an ivory butterfly brooch, which in itself is so beautiful, that I quite don't know what to do it with!!! :P

I am so bored this week and the urge to go on a vacation is getting stronger by the minute.
Need to get away from work, mobile phones, and irritable colleagues. :P
Not too sure where to go though. Any ideas?
Me lives in Bangalore, so it has to be close by - can't tour North India and such because of no leaves... :(

How's your week been? Is monotony getting you too?!

Also, its another 2 more posts before I get the 150 mark, which in itself is quite pathetic because I think I have been blogging for a couple of years now. The frequency of posts has increased only in recent times though.
Thank you, kind readers, friends who keep coming back here to read all this and more! :)

This and that and some more...

2009-05-21T14:06:00.002+05:30

Get this -
Apparently, a new project is on the horizon and its a huge one which requires a lot of people have the same expertise as I do.
Now, I know that the project is in pipeline and my Managers know I have expressed an interest to work on it...
But, apparently, before I know, the whole world knows... there have been rumours going around that I would be working on it and it hasn't pleased a lot of people. But, I can feel the buzz, the looks people have been giving me has been priceless! I think that I'm much more important than I perceive myself to be!!! :P :P
**********************************************************************************
The Other Stuff -
Also, it really pisses me off when people ask me about babies... Arrgh!
I am 29. And no, I don't want babies now.
Does that mean I don't want them at all?NO!
I do want my own kid(s) - either by birth or by adoption... whichever is feasible at the time when we want to have them.
All throughout, I have never felt that motherhood is the identity of a woman. By giving birth to a child, doesn't necessarily make a woman "complete"!
What I mean is, marriage, mother-hood are NOT the only things a woman wants.
It's part of the entire package deal called life. It's what we want along with the other goodies. :)

I have heard people say - "poor guy" to my husband. Why, because he got stuck with a wife who is working, equally if not harder at times. Who manages both home and work pretty decently and because after 3 yrs of marriage, there is no sign of"good news".
(don't you just hate it when someone asks you that question?)

Really? I feel like whacking said people with a pipe.
We are willing to be parents as the time comes... there is no planned agenda as to have or not have babies.
Perhaps, the said people forget that the husband made the intelligent choice of marrying a working-intelligent lady.
I have had people ask either one of us directly - "is something wrong with u/your wife? I know a good doctor if you want."
It is so damn irritating to smile and tell these people in a very polite manner to 'eff off!

Another thing is, the husband doing chores at home. I refuse to call that helping.
Am I helping him when I cook for him? When I make sure his clothes are clean and neatly pressed? Is it helping him, if I clean up our home and dust and rearrange stuff?
No. These things are apparently my "duty".
When the husband does the same - he is"helping". WTF?!!
We both work long hours, we both go thru a gruelling day filled with meetings, stress and bad colleagues.
Why am I expected to come home, put on a smile and an apron and take care of house work with the same flourish while the husband is supposed to rest after a hard day's work???
Why am I blamed because there's dust on the TV? or leftovers in the fridge?
I wouldn't have done the said cleaning because, like all normal human beings, I would have been tired after a long day...
But then, women, in our society aren't supposed to be human or normal are they?
They are conditioned from a very early age to be super effecient, to hide their pain and sacrifice everything for a so-called harmonious family life.

Anway, coming back to what I was trying to say...

Don't give me horrible lines like - "men are conditioned to be dirty"
They are not. Some of the men I know including my husband are cleanliness freaks.
The Harpic toilet cleaner I use inside the toilet bowl was a suggestion from a male friend.

I like my husband in this manner, he doesn't "expect" his wife to do this or that.He knows how tired I would be after a hard day's work - he would prefer it if I relax first and then, after he gets home, we both start dinner...

I think and know and acknowledge us as equals. And I know for a fact that he does too...
The house, house work, the earnings and the expenditures are equally his as it is mine.
The decision to have or not have a baby today, is not just mine, it's his too.
The baby, when it comes, is his as well as mine.We are both parents, care-givers of the said child.
Gender stero-typing and role playing in everyday life is not happening in my family.
Of course, there are differences, these differences are because we are different individuals.
Please do not come to my door step and give me bull crap about me "being a woman, should be able to understand"
No, i don't understand certain things, I can relate to few things... because my wiring or conditioning is different.
Where there is no mutual respect, there is no place for such people in my life or home.
I am happy with the limited number of people we know in the real world and even happier with my blog friends...

Enough said.

Back...

2009-05-18T17:17:00.003+05:30

Been busy... way too busy with work! Weekend went away in a haze...
It went by too fast if you ask me!

I met my friend, an ex-colleague on Saturday. We had a great time!
Tried on clothes.... ate nicely, talked, gossiped, laughed :D
The feeling was mutual (I hope! :D)
The funny part was, it didn't feel like over 4-5 months since I last met her.
It was like picking up our conversation from one tea beak to another!

Sunday, went in relaxing at home and making extravagant dinner plans...
All of which were thrown right out the window because of heavy rains... :D

Sunday was also a friend's birthday, but, the poor guy received bad news from home, his aunt had passed away, so he had to fly to Mumbai immediately.
I hope he is doing better and his May his Aunt rest in Peace.

Lot of things are happening on the work front, few bad, few good.
I am hoping something good/great/awesome will come out of this busy schedule.

I am also working late for the rest of the week, including today.
I had also been to the passport office today. The service and the help were, quite surprisingly, efficient!

I have so many posts done up in my head, 1 in drafts, but they all need time to be
written out.

Happy about the Election Results?
I am! Not because I am a staunch Congress supporter (I am neither Pro-BJP!!), but because we just might have a stable govt with economic revival as the main agenda along with making sure religious tolerance prevails, Justice gets served quicker and the streets are made safer for everyone - not just Women and children.

Also, I have been thinking a lot about Gender bias, roles defined and the mental makeup of people... (yes, I know, its a beaten to death topic, but can't help!)
All that in a new post!

As of now, will get back to working.... *sigh*

Happy Monday everyone! :D

Another Friday afternoon post!

2009-05-08T15:22:00.001+05:30

Here's another Friday afternoon post -

I read this saying on another guy's screen saver -
"Life's like a clean toilet bowl, you spend all your time finding one and then cleaning it up so that someone else can use it!!"
It's good that our clients have pretty decent sense of humour or else this guy would have been sacked!!!

But, do you really think so?

And, when I asked him about it, this is what he has to say -
"Isn't it true? Do you wait in queue here in the ladies room or do you go in search of an empty, clean cubicle?"
I told him - "it depends, if I'm there chit chatting with a friend, I will wait, else, I will go down a floor for a clean and empty one."
So, he says - "there you go! Life's like that too... we go looking and make our opportunities, people who seldom wait outside a closed door, achieve anything significant.
The ones who see if the door can be pushed open are the achievers..."

I don't know what to say to all of this, but the comment space is all yours!
Do you agree?
Or do you think, like how I do, that the guy has his wiring slightly mixed up in his brain?!!!

2 tags and 2 awards! :)

2009-05-05T14:02:00.003+05:30

Warning - Long post - 2 tags!!! :)

The ever-charming Mandira tagged me long ago with this..
She has also passed on 2 awards
(I hope I didn't get the count wrong!or is it only 1?! Then, I've just "picked up" the other one as well!!!!)

The meme is all about writing whatever comes to your mind when you read those numbers.
Here's my list -

1 -> hours left for lunch
2 -> home made dosas I had for breakfast
3 -> more days for the weekend!
4 -> more hours of actual work remaining
5 -> yrs since I have been working
6 -> good friends I have made across companies I have worked for!
7 -> yrs ago, I changed myself for the good.
Esp in my thinking about a lot of things and people.
8 -> yrs ago I became frns with my husband!
9 -> is the number of my favorite dishes
10 -> yrs ago I was in my final yr of graduation and in May, had my exams...

There done!! :)

Another one is from from the lovely Rashmi.
It's to list out 9 most precious memories/moments of our lives.

-> Memories of my grandfather making me dosas - he had a special way - he used to
apply chutney inside the dosa and then add ghee - the lovely smell still reminds me of him and till date, I love eating dosas with the chutney applied inside!

-> My dad putting my sister to sleep when she was a baby. He used to carry her and walk around softly singing God's hymns. There is something very soothing with that memory.

-> 2 separate gangs of 4 girls - we used to have so much fun! The churmuri sessions
near Balal Circle, the late night gossips and study sessions... :D

-> The time I have spent with my husband, then-friend in Mysore.
Though, the Everyday memories I make with him are all so special and precious. :)

-> Visits to Chamudi Hills. Each time its special and the magic never ends.

-> First salary after joining a new company... the ecstasy of blowing off the entire amount is priceless!!

-> My honeymoon. Both of us couldn't believe we were out on our own with no parental
supervision of any sort! We were so happy, that we had ice creams for breakfast as well!!! :D

-> First time I went and shopped for books in Blossoms... for so less money, I had bought half the store!!!

-> Chat and gossip sessions with my mom, late into the night - I don't know how we
manage to have so much to talk about even though we speak a couple of times everyday!!!

-> My first visit to USA. We landed in Denver in the evening or night, I think.
I remember feeling lost and bewildered and excited all at the same time.

-> Shopping with my sister - each time is different and we end up having so much fun!

*ok, so the list is 11!! I had to cheat on such a lovely tag!! :)*

I tag and award - Grail, Rayshma, Galadriel, Dew Drop, Ersa, Indyeah, Smitha, Solilo, Swati.

Enjoy Ladies!! :)

Long-Overdue post...

2009-04-29T17:43:00.004+05:30

I came across this article in Rediff, very long ago (I think it's almost more than a year old article)

The discussion board there is much more interesting than the actual article itself.
Lots of guys have written and agreed with one another that its because of the girl
– since she is making good money in the IT sector that the Divorce rates are
higher.
They also go on to point that a girl in the IT sector should be the last
choice for getting married…
What kind of bullshit are we spreading here???
And we call these people educated...

Why are these statistics so misleading? Or are these frightening statistics really true?

The guys in my project are of the same mentality.
Now, I don't exactly consider any of them as men, but their feeling is the same.

There is also some weird trend here, guys, who have spent all their life, save their working years, growing up in a restricted, small-minded environment have all married girls who are fresh out of college!
Now, we all know how mature, career-oriented we were at the tender age of 20, right?!

All of them are married to girls, who are not ambitious.
Is it because they have such huge inferiority complex that they need to control their wives, either thru physical abuse or thru financial dependency??

Many of my friends in my age group - single and successful women are quite afraid to go in for arranged marriages, simply because the guys elder to them, would expect them to either toe the line somewhere or make huge compromises in terms of
career growth and money.

Most of them prefer being single or in an affair where they wouldn't have to make life-altering compromises.

Why is it that men find it increasingly difficult to adjust to wives earning more money or being in a higher position than them?

We women in the IT sector lead are more stressed out.
Balancing both work and home is difficult.
We are ambitious, much more than our counter-parts, more productive and definitely much more professional than the men.
But, we manage because we have awesome spouses behind us, egging us on, cheering us to do better.

My friend asked me how I manage, now I necessarily don't think I'm managing anything because my support system is rock-solid.
(TOUCHWOOD)
The only thing my dad says till date is - "do your best and be the best"
My mom says, waiting a year more to have a baby is ok - nothing is wrong with that - concentrate on your work now.
My husband - he is the one who criticises me, makes me cry over my work and helps me when I get stuck somewhere.
He is the one who keeps a hot meal ready when I go home late, who wakes me up with a cup of chai and packs my breakfast for me.
Do I feel guilty that he does so much? NO.
Why? Because I do the very same for him... I make sure he has cleanly pressed clothes to wear, hot food and all the criticism and encouragement he can possibly digest!!!

What gets my goat is that a woman is expected to do all this and when the man does the same for his wife - he is either "Joru Ka Gulam" or the lady is very "lucky"!!

Isn't it but natural for the husband to be equally, if not more supportive of his wife's career, life?

The inequality gets to me and the level of insecurities never fails to amaze me!

How long will we struggle like this?
I hope that as we struggle, that some change will come about. But, then, I have always been an optimist!

P.S: This was written a very long time ago, but hadn't published it for various reasons unknown!
So, putting it up now after toning down the post... :)

My husband blogs now!

2009-04-25T12:15:00.002+05:30

Girls, lovely ladies and handsome men who come here and read me, Thank you! :)
now, I need you lovely people to check out my husband's blog!

Please check out my husband's attempt (finally!) at blogging... He too has finally succumbed to the awesomeness of blogs!
His place -> Cool Dude...

Please encourage the man! :)
his sense of humour is pretty awesome... and I'm not saying this just because he is my Husband!! :P

Thank you, lovely people!! :)

this post has no title... it should though.

2009-04-24T22:00:00.003+05:30

I wanted to blog about my very first bloggers meet.

I was excited, just like those adorable babies I met today about my first ever bloggers meet! :)
And how fantastic it was put faces to the babies, moms... to know them, connect with a few of them...

But, then all the enthusiasm I had, disappeared with me watching today's episode of the Dance Reality show - Jhalak Dhikalaja.
Here, Baichung and Sonia showed Domestic Violence in their dance.
They made most of us cry... and then, the anchor Shwetha said that if you see any woman who is in this state, who is a victim of Domestic Violence, don't simply sit around - go and help.
this just made me feel helpless and sad and angry.
My friend is a victim of Domestic Violence... she was beaten and thrown out of the house when it was 6 degrees outside and she had nothing on but a night gown. And to add to it, she is pregnant.
She is still with him because her parents "decided" that she needs to listen to her husband and "adjust" to him.
She says and believes that her place and fate is with that animal she calls husband.

I cannot believe that a man can stoop so low enough to hit his wife, the woman who is supposed to be his partner in life, who is giving birth to their child...
A husband is supposed to be thoughtful and caring...more so, when his wife is pregnant.
My brain just can't register the fact that she is OK with getting beaten up, an educated woman, who knows its wrong, but has "accepted" this as her fate.

I will post again about the awesome feeling of meeting so many blog-mom's and their adorable little ones...
right now, my brain's all mushed up.

So....

2009-04-23T06:13:00.003+05:30

So, Do YOU plan on coming home at all or no?!!

IT'S BEEN A MONTH.

I have no idea how well we are going to cope after you leave for your MBA... sigh.

and yes, this is a direct public message to my sister - to tell her WE are pissed off with her!!! :P

**************************************************************************************

Also, on a totally different and unrelated note, to my dear trolls - 'EFF OFF... really. just because I'm being patient and decent and NOT putting up your immature comments up for the world to see doesn't mean I'm putting up with it. DO NOT mistake my silence and patience as weakness.

and since this blog is a decent place - the curse words are being held off - temporarily.

Holding Hands

2009-04-21T17:36:00.003+05:30

Now, Renu tagged me ages ago, about Holding Hands and what it meant to me.

I did what every other person do - I googled "Hold hands"
and there were numerous Quotes, links etc about the same.

Of the entire lot, this saying I liked:
"The ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but to hold hands.
~Quoted by Alexandra Penney"

and I also found a website which teaches a person "How to hold Hands"!! -

And, this picture from Google - I liked best:

Now, for me holding hands primarily means - security.
It is a sign of trust.
A baby trusting its parents, spouses trusting one another
The blind man trusting the person to help him cross the street.

Holding hands, also denotes - "I will show you the way."
For Parents to their child - it means they are guiding the way - showing them the path before they let go and watch you pave your own path thru life's journey.

It means security - emotional security.
It is also one visible way of showing love.

We hold hands, when we are unsure, scared and when we are happy!!

For me, holding hands with my husband, when we are walking simply denotes companionship.
If i'm holding my sister's hand - it means I'm protecting her, even if it ends up irritating her!!! heh!
If it's with my parents - it works both ways - I am seeking protection or I'm helping them cross the road in
Blore sometimes!! :)

What does holding hands mean to you?

Image courtesy: Google! :)

Friday Afternoon.

2009-04-17T15:04:00.005+05:30

It's a Friday afternoon... I have another 3.5 hrs to go before I wrap up for the day at work...
And, I have 2 meetings - calls that I need to take from home.

My Friday evening plans with a couple friends has been effectively shot down the drain...
The husband has been working late everyday which includes today as well.

I really wouldn't mind that chilled beer or a glass of chilled Red wine. right now.

I feel like this -

I want my weekend. Now.

Image: google! where else?! Duh!

100 more things about me!!

2009-04-15T13:25:00.005+05:30

Picked up this tag from Rayshma!

Since, it meant just talking some more about me! I thought - why not!! :P

LAST TIMES…
1. Last beverage: Tea
2. Last phone call: Spoke to my dad
3. Last text message: "Eat breakfast" - from my husband
4. Last song you listened to: Independent girl
5. Last time you cried: can't really remember - it's been some months. I think.

HAVE YOU EVER...
6. Dated someone twice: yea
7. Been cheated on? : by friends? plenty of times!
8. Kissed someone & regretted it? : yup! ;-)
9. Lost someone special? : yes.
10. Been depressed? : no.
11. Been drunk and threw up? : no.. i try not to reach that threshold!! ;-)

LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLORS:
12. Green
13. White
14. Black
15. Red

FIRSTS :
16. Made new friends: sure... I do it all the time, especially thru this blog!
17. Fallen out of love: yeah...
18. Laughed until you cried: no. But laughed till my cheeks ached and tears were rolling out my eyes.
19. Met someone who changed you: yes.
20. Found out who your true friends were: yes
21. Found out someone was talking about you: Oh yea! happened to be a so-called "good friend"!! and of course, how can one discount the relatives!! LOL

HAVE YOU:
22. Kissed anyone on your friend's list: yup!
23. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life: most of them...
24. How many kids do you want to have: it depends on my mood - sometimes 1, other times 2
25. Do you have any pets: no. but, i want 2 dogs!!
26. Do you want to change your name: No... i think Pixie suits me fine!! ;-)
27. What did you do for your last birthday: Was at home in Mysore - Ate cake, went to the temple and had dinner out with my folks
28.What time did you wake up today: early - 5:45 AM
29. What were you doing at midnight last night: sleeping.
30. Name something you CANNOT wait for : can't think of anything like that....
31. Last time you saw your father: During Ugadi - March 28th
32. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: I am changing quite a few things - including my weight! :P (just need to lose a tad bit more!!)
33. Most visited web page: google, gmail, blog, office web page

WHAT'S YOUR :
34. Name: Pixie :)
35. Nicknames: Pixie, on the blog... and quite a few short renditions on my actual name!!! :P
36. Zodiac sign: Pieces
37. Male or female or transgender : female
38. Elementary: done in Mysore
39. College: again, studied in Mysore
40. Hair color: it's deep brown/mahagony - though it's not very clear!! :P
41. Long or short: I have weird hair - usually it's shoulder length - now, its longer...
42. Height: not too tall.. I look good with what height i have!! :P
43. Do you have a crush on someone? : currently, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker from Fast and the Furious 4!!
44. Ever been in love? : Yep.. I continue to be in it!
45. Piercings? : ears.
46. Tattoos? : No.. i don't understand body art.
47. Righty or lefty: righty
48. First surgery: none. yet.
49. First piercing: not really sure when my folks got it done...
50. First best friend: Pallavi from Kindergatern and then Bobbie in Denver.
51. First sport you loved: Basketball
52. First pet : none yet! see answer to Q 25.
53. First vacation: Can't remember at all...
54. First concert: Was in Good Shepard Convent - Music Hall. I played Concerto No. 25 and then the March Rain.
Didn't I tell you - I played the Piano - Western classical - you know - Mozart and Bach and stuff like that!
I have the certificates from London School of Music. Had to stop, becuase reality caught up in the form of college and studies...
55. First crush: Can't remember - I think it was a guy from School when I was in the 4th!

RIGHT NOW:
56. Eating: Almonds
57. Drinking: Water
58. I'm about to: Catch up on work! :D
59. Listening to: nothing - except the pit-patting of key boards around me
60. Waiting for: the afternoon to pass

YOUR FUTURE
61. Want kids? : yup...
62. Want to get married? na! done that! once is enough!!
63. Careers in mind? : Dancer, Painist...

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?
64. Lips or eyes: both
65. Hugs or kisses: both
66. Shorter or taller: taller. definetly.
67. Older or Younger: Mature and Wise :P
68. Romantic or spontaneous: both. depends on the situation and my mood...
69. Nice stomach or nice arms: both
70. Sensitive or loud: sensitive
71. Hook-up or relationship: relationship.
72. Trouble maker or hesitant: neither, I think.

HAVE YOU EVER :
73. Kissed a stranger: heh! no... not yet! :P
74. Lost glasses/contacts: well, broken my glasses plenty of times. Does that count? :)
76. Broken some one's heart: Yea...
77. Had your own heart broken: Not really... I thought I had and then realised that I hadn't!!
78. Been arrested: nope!
79. Turned someone down: yes... 3 of them! (I'm modest, I've kept count!! :P)
80. Cried when someone died: yes.
81. Liked a friend that is a girl? I like most of my "girl friends", but now I have reached an age where I have learnt to pretend really well...

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
81. Yourself: totally. without a single doubt
82. Miracles: Yep. For sure
83. God: Yes.
84. Love at first sight: Hehe! no!
85. Heaven: yea - it's here - you experience heaven and hell here on Earth before passing on.
86. Santa Claus: YES! :D
87. Kiss on the first date? yes.
88. Angels: yes... all kinds
89. Devils: sure.. I mean, when you have worked with them, it's difficult not to believe in them!

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
*again, haven't lied till here!*
90. Is there one person you want to be with right now? : yes. husband is at work and my friend - he is out of the country...
91. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? : girlfriends yes. boyfriend... no.
92. Wanted to kill someone ever? : yea.. i have a list too... some people are off it now..
93. Among your blog mates, whom would you like to kiss? : eh?! no one... Hugs - yes!
94. Committed a blunder and regretted later? : Sure.. read the answer to Q# 22.
95. Wanted to steal your friend's boyfriend / girlfriend? : No...

ASSOCIATE WITH SOMETHING YOU WEAR :
96. White: kurthas
97. Black: shoes
98. Red: salwar
99. Pink: kurtha, shirt
100. Posting this as 100 Truths? : no! Just "100 more things about me!!" :P

There, done! I tag anyone and everyone who has the patience or the afternoon to do this tag!! :)

Just some thoughts...

2009-04-11T11:26:00.003+05:30

Yesterday, I attended a course on Leadership and People Management. I will not discuss the finer aspects of this course here. No, the purpose of writing this is to record few thoughts and phrases that were discussed.

Couple of things stood out, one of them being his definition of Masculinity and Feminism.

The lady next to me bristled with indignation when he used the word – Feminine Leader!

But, I found his explanation fascinating…

He said a Leader’s approach needs to be more Feminine than Masculine.

This, generally means, a Leader needs to be more tolerant, more open to ideas.

A Masculine approach would mean rigidity, being rough with your team, which might not work in all situations i.e. universally…

He further elaborated on the same saying that the general misguided notion of Feminism meant weakness…

But, Feminism is actually tolerance, openness to ideas, empathy to your employees and most importantly emotional strength and surety while dealing with problems.

I found his definition fascinating. Mainly because not many people have managed to explain something so complicated and debated upon topic, so easily.

When you think about it, all great leaders are feminists, mainly because of their ability and willingness to be tolerant and open minded and willing to experiment on new ideas and explore the unexplored.

Now, he also went on to say that Feminism and Masculinity have been beaten down by gender biasing which is really unfair because not all women are tolerant or open minded.

One important point that stood out was, toughness of mind was needed and not physical toughness… you need to defeat an opponent or argument with your mind

Quite a revelation, isn’t it?

The discussion spanned across various platforms, but, again, 1 important thing that stood out for me was
Lao Tzu’s quotes on Leadership. Here was a man, who wrote about leadership and its qualities approx 4000 yrs before the actual research started on the said subject!

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. A superior leader gets things done with very little motion, for he is a catalyst”

“Be the chief but never the lord.”

“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.”

Quite true isn’t it? When you think of great leaders, or closer home, your managers, bosses, the person one actually looked up to was the person in whom these qualities were present…

Now, I am not saying all this is very accurate research, but it makes perfect sense to me!

Final parting words from on how a leader should be – Charismatic, i.e. a combination of - Honesty, Inspiring, Forward Looking and Competent.

A Leader should be Empathetic, broad minded and Willing to experiment…

P.S: All quotes were picked up from google.
I do not comment on the authenticity of all this. These are my opinions and views. Nor am I trying to impose my views on anyone while condemning any other sort or type of view...

I don't understand...

2009-04-08T15:10:00.002+05:30

Even in this day and age, just because Suzzane Roshan (Hrithik Roshan's wife) is at her parents' place, they are saying she has split from her husband and that guy is having an affair...

Is that the only reason why a girl goes home to her parents??
Couldn't it 'Just because'?
Both husband and wife have spent considerable amount of their time and energy "explaining" her reasons!!
Really?
Is it necessary? It's her wish or their wish... isn't it?
why is going her own home being made into such an issue?
Don't we have better things to devote our time and energy to?

Just like how they have portrayed the "unmarried" lady in the Kannada serial "Muktha Muktha"
I do agree that even in this day and age, unmarried women face a lot of hassles and discrimination...
But, when the director says he is trying to show something different... couldn't he have at least portrayed someone who is happy about her single status?
Someone who is confident and strong emotionally, willing to fight her battles by herself, without moping around with truck loads of self-pity?!!
Let's see something different people... some change... something revolutionary which will make us sit back and say "how's that for a change?!!"

....

2009-04-03T14:35:00.002+05:30

Really not in the mood to do anything, you know?
Weekend is barely 3 hrs away - I mean the time I leave work!! :P
Also, in order to make sure boredom prevails (yes, I want to be bored, because that will prevent me from doing anything constructive! :P)

Here's a list of questions, which or what do you prefer?

1. Regular cake or Pastry cake for cutting on your Birthday?
2. Coffee or tea or a glass of milk in the mornings?
3. Indian Breakfast or Continental - like bread, toast, cereals
4. Chapathi or Rice for Dinner?
5. How many ear piercings do you prefer?
6. Pink or Blue or Green?
7. Adventure/Mystery novels or romance novels?
8. Driving to work or traveling b y public transport?
9. cheery on top or icing?
10. Cookies or Muffins?
11. Beach or Hill station?
12. cooking food at home or eating out?
13. Samosas and Jelibis or Coffee and croissants?

Go on... leave me your preferences. which Do you like better? :)
Please comment!! :D

Happy Weekend Folks!

My attempt at the 55 word thingy

2009-03-31T13:10:00.002+05:30

She had anyways lost her appetite when he fought with her...
He finished eating and got up, angrily, remarking, "Can't you ever finish eating on time?"
She sighed and bent her head so that he couldn't see her tears and remembered the time when he used to wait till she also finished before getting up.

*************************************************************************************
She walked into the room with a glass of milk in her hand...
He beamed proudly at his beautiful bride, dreaming about the future and looked forward to the passionate night ahead.
She waited till he fell asleep because of the drug in the milk before stepping out for her night of passion with Jim.

*************************************************************************************
She walked with sure steps, knowing that she was about to catch him off guard.
She heard voices behind the closed doors, quietly she opened the door and saw him in his favorite position with his boyfriend.
With a flourish she took out the gun, laughing, she shot them both and walked out into the sunlight.

*************************************************************************************

So, what do you think? Do I pass?!
Be kind and let me know what you think of all 3... :)

The weekend that was...

2009-03-30T08:55:00.003+05:30

Weekend was fun! :)

We had 3 days holidays, with Ugadi (New Year) on Friday, so we went home to Mysore...
3 days of pure bliss, of sleeping in late with no maid disturbances, of mom's cooking, of eating Watermelon with hands sitting outside on the porch... :-)
The festival was of course celebrated in due style, by pigging out nicely on delicious food... :D

We came back on Sunday morning, which was slightly a waste, because the broadband guy had told that he will be coming in to draw the line, but he of course was absconding... But, we realised that there was a leak in the gas cylinder and got that fixed...
The week started off well, with us finally succumbing and buying a Washing Machine.. I have till date remained a firm believer that hand washing of clothes is the best thing ever. But, with the maid asking more money and the laundry lady asking for more money - we decided to save somewhere and went ahead and splurged on a Washing Machine! :-D
So any good advice from all you readers/friends out there for me? I have absolutely no idea about how to manage the said washing machine!!!! Please go ahead and treat the comment space as your own and leave your pearls of wisdom behind.
The week has started off on a good note, because my mom is here!!! (Double YAY!)
She also came to Bangalore with my sister and is there at her place... So, today and tomorrow - I will be going to my sister's place, which is always fun! :)
Now, am off to finish up all the work, so that I can leave early and spend some more time with my mom... :D
Have a Happy Week People! :)

Edited to add: The advice has been amazing! Thank you - all of you. Will follow them and of course will read the manual completely. :-)
But, I was stuck in office yesterday till 9! :(
Today too, have a couple of meetings till 7. I really hope that I will be able to leave by at least 7 today...because mom is going back to Mysore tomorrow...
*Keeping my fingers crossed!*

Why I Blog...

2009-03-23T13:56:00.002+05:30

The Answer is very simple - because I Like to!
It's some sort of an outlet for all my thoughts - all that can be expressed is done here. I still don't talk about a lot of things here - stuff that I want to, but can't due to various other reasons. I also refrain because the "anon" status is slowly dissolving and more people I don't really like know about this place.
This is making me quite uncomfortable because I write as freely as I do, because of the pseudo-anon status that I enjoy and people who know me personally and who stop by here aren't the judgemental sorts and they all like me/love me for ME.
Last week, I spent time thinking maybe, I should shut down this place...
But, then I decided against it. I have made some really great friends all because of this blog and it's been my faithful companion during good times and bad ones. :)

But, for the record, I am repeating some of Rayshma's words:
:: vicious and rude anon comments will not be published
:: comments will be published at my discretion.
:: if you leave a comment and don't want it published, please state so, I shall not publish it.
The reason I brought comment moderation is also for this very reason.

Please do remember, that if you are new here - this is my blog, I choose to put up comments or not.
I write what I want to write about and I also write because I like to.
Again, it's a place where I write how I'm feeling, my likes, dislikes etc.
Some of the rude comments have been deleted for the very same reasons mentioned above.
I enjoy blogging, it's helped me learn and evolve as a person.
It's made sure I have great friends, people I have not met are my support system in so many ways...
I have chosen not to publish rude comments, only because this is one of MY HAPPY PLACES, where negativity is unwelcome.
This justification is again because I have CHOSEN to give it.

And, it's my birthday today!

2009-03-18T08:11:00.001+05:30

Yep, today is my Birthday... A day which is very special to me and my family, because of course I was born! :P

I had a different post in mind, with quotes etc... but, not really in the mood right now - because I'm sick - with an extremely bad throat infection, blocked nose and a bit of fever as well...
And, to top it all off, I'm working... :(
So, I will go now, try to complete as much work as possible and go home and sleep...
My sister is there - and she will make sure I get a bit of TLC and of course a hot cup of chai to chase the illness away! :-)
So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! :)

Happy Birthday, to my dear husband!

2009-03-16T14:30:00.001+05:30

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DEAREST! :)

I just want to take a moment and wish you a very Happy Birthday! May you achieve all that is rightly yours and the coming years be filled with Happiness, Love, Prosperity and Success.

You walked into my life as a friend, who, over the years went on to become my best friend. We were and still are inseparable.Marriage was the only solution which seemed so easy and the obvious next step.

On this special day of yours, I take this chance to say how proud of you I am, to have been a part of this special journey which turned you into a fine young man. It's been a pleasure to watch how confident and strong you have turned out to be. (I will of course take all the credit! :P)
The coming years will add to the challenge and I relish the thought that I will be around to be your support and your anchor in times of good and bad as you pass each milestone with ease and confidence.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DEAR HUSBAND!

Here's wishing you many more years of Happiness, Love and Prosperity filled with moments of Fun! :)

Image Courtesy: Google

Break

2009-03-13T21:13:00.003+05:30

The Blogging break wasn't meant to be... it just happened, you know?

(Did anyone actually notice I was gone for more than a week?? *gasp* No?!! *sniff*)
Well, I'm back now... with a terribly bad cold and a seriously messed up throat...

But, there has been so much happening in the past few days, that I don't have the words to write it all up and sometimes, the post will be all there in my head and when I sit down to write it, I go blank... you know?

I was in Mysore for a day on Thursday - it was my FIL's first year Shraadh or Death Anniversary Pooja... So quickly a year has gone by and surprisingly, the day went on well without any major hiccups...
Was back in office today... had loads of work which I did mange to complete...

I hope everyone enjoyed Holi without any ugly incidents...

I still have 2 tags left to do! I remember... I have them drafted out... will post them during the weekend!

Have you noticed how even with the severest of colds, one can't refuse ice cream?!
Or hot Jeliebis for that matter or Pani Puri...?

Have you noticed how glorious the weather has turned out to be in the last couple of days in Namma Bengaluru?
It's awesome, with gentle breeze, rain, a bit of humidity... but, generally it's been pretty great!

There was this exhibition cum sale going on near my office, so me and a couple of friends thought we will check it out, it turned out to be really weird, with everything over priced and lots of defective clothing being sold... don't know why people would wanna buy something from such a place...

I have such a bad, blocked up nose... *sigh*
My ear's all blocked too...

This post is just rambling, in case you're looking for a point or something like that...
OK, I need to stop now...

Happy Weekend Everyone... :)

Can't think of an actual title for this post...

2009-03-03T08:49:00.002+05:30

For my 3rd anniversary, I went ahead and did the unthinkable! I got my hair coloured...
(Yes, its no big deal, but to me it was anyway!)
It's not like I got it coloured into something drastic... no, I went ahead and got it coloured brown! :D
It's not any different and you have to look real hard to see the actual colour change, but, it's a step ahead and I know that next time, I will try out something else!
But, getting to the parlour and actually getting the colouring done itself was a major task! I have thought of this before, but have chickened out at least 3 times before! heh! But, this time went ahead and got it done... I love my hair now and I know I could have gone for a lighter shade of brown too... :)

Another important thing that is worth a mention is, we went to watch the movie - Delhi 6. (Loved the movie!)
After the movie, I was in the restroom waiting for my turn when a girl walks out of the cubicle without wiping off the period stain on the toilet seat! Gross!
So, I did what any self-respecting, no nonsense individual would do, told her to wipe it off! She looks at me straight in the eye and says it isn't hers!! :D
So, I tell her that the stain is new and she used the cubicle, so she must have the decency to wipe it off... she glares at me, goes back inside, closes the door, cleans it up, comes out and calls me a bitch! :D
I smiled at her and said thank you... Another lady admonished the girl as well as she walked away...
I don't get it, how can anyone be so yucky... and she was dressed in total designer wear and looking all chic, but with no personal hygiene or manners...

Now, Delhi 6 - I enjoyed the movie... it was simple.
The movie is driven by its characters and most importantly, Abhishek Bachhan is easy on the eye and he doesn't over act and I feel he is a natural and his dialogue delivery isn't heavy. I seem to be liking him more than Hritik Roshan as well! Sonam Kapoor is beautiful and also very simple... her acting is pretty good and I feel that she has a lot of potential... Waheeda Rehman, Rishi Kapoor and a couple of character artistes whose names I don't know have done an awesome job...
Sunday was peaceful and very special... We now step into the 4th yr of married life and life seems to be going along just fine. (touchwood!)
Let's see what this year holds for us as a couple and as individuals too... :)

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-02-28T23:37:00.003+05:30

It's been 3 yrs since we have been married! Man, and what a ride!! :D
I can't believe that 3 yrs have gone by since we got married... it feels like yesterday that we went thru the whole summer wedding!

We started our relationship on mutual respect and from that grew trust and love...
I just want to tell you that even though there's been ups and downs, fights and tears... the memories have always been the happier moments... we have braved all odds at so many instances, that it has helped us grow stronger and closer... It has helped strengthen our marriage.

Thank you for always being right there for me... For every time, I turn back for reassurance, you have been there for me, urging me to go forward, to take those new steps in life...

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!

Hope that we get many more such awesome years, filled with love, laughter and success... :)

Image Courtesy: 123 greetings.com

Rewind...

2009-02-27T09:18:00.002+05:30

Have you ever felt like rewinding your life? Maybe a couple of hours, days??

I had this urge yesterday, when I forgot to drink my morning tea which my husband had prepared... I thought that I had finished drinking it, but I left it on the kitchen counter and left home!

Thank you all for the support for my previous post... I feel all better now after blogging about it! :)

So, have you felt like rewinding your life? Go on and comment about it! :)

A complaint or a rant?... ugh!

2009-02-25T11:18:00.003+05:30

I want to write about a lot of things...
Including the fact that I actually don't harbour the feeling called "jealousy" in me...
I want to talk about how badly my cousin's wedding went for us... how we were excluded, spoken to rudely and ignored.
How my cousins and relatives have spread the rumour that we are jealous of them and that I could have had an abortion in the last couple of months!
Yes, people are saying that it's going to go horribly wrong for my dad and my sis, because he is "letting" her go to USA for her MBA.
All this negativity really pulls me down... yes, I know we shouldn't let such things matter too much.
Yes, it's like giving too much importance to unimportant people. But, still even thru all this good common sense thoughts, one feels let down by the amount of negativity one witnesses...
My cousin is going to Paris and Switzerland for her honeymoon because, apparently all her friends have been there and she is the only one left out!
Now, she was flaunting this in my face that she is going for 10 days on her honeymoon to "phoren" lands!
I remained unimpressed and impassive, well that's give rise to the whole"I am jealous of her" conversation...

It's not like we can't go or that we don't want to visit all those lovely places...
But, right now - our priorities are slightly different and let's face it , I want to visit all those lovely places because WE want to and not because someone else did it first or will be doing it soon!

*I have no clue why I'm justifying my actions here, Do you also think this post is immature?! As I'm reading what I've written, I feel that I'm complaining... but I need to get this off my chest, *

She didn't acknowledge our wishes or the gift I gave her!

The only gits that were acknowledged were the expensive ones given by her friends and another aunt of mine.

Now, this other aunt deserves a special mention here, she gifts the cousin of mine with Champagne glasses and when we are all looking at the gift, she turns to me and says -

"Do you know what they are?!!"

I was so shocked that someone would actually ask another person this question!

What are we - Neanderthals living in dark caves, who eat green leaves and beat our chests and say "oonga boonga?!!"

Also, we were invited to the dinner party at the very last moment, as an after thought. This party was arranged much in advance and my aunt had told my mom how "expensive" it's going to be! So, we were asked to the party only on Saturday evening after it was finalised at some club, because another aunt is a member there.
Now, my question here is, if you wanted to actually invite us, wouldn't you have done it irrespective of the place?
When the venue changed, wouldn't you have told us on the day the club was booked where the party was?
My cousion says - you guys need to come, or else the food will get wasted!!!
(Now, you tell me how one should react to this?!)

They all just hate the fact that we are content, happy and successful in our lives and we don't need to advertise the fact or shout from roof tops to say all this...I think more than anything else, its the contentment with which we lead our lives which hits them. (Major Anti-Jinx here! TOUCHWOOD)
I think it's they who are jealous and insecure! (Should I be even saying this?)

But, how can grown adults with education, loads of life experience, lots of travel actually behave like this?!!

*Feeling all better now!*

But, I will not stoop to their levels at any point of time in my life!
I will maintian the dignity that is expected of me in such instances and I will also learn harder to keep my temper in check. It pisses me off big time when people point false fingers at my family... I need to learn not to say anything at that moment. I managed it this time, but a couple of times, I failed my expectations.

25 things about me!

2009-02-17T21:08:00.003+05:30

IHM tagged me to talk some more about myself! so, here goes...

As all tags go, here are the rules -

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

I cook very well for someone who has been cooking for exactly 3 yrs. most of my cooking will be non-spicy, but very tasty! :P
My favorite animal has always been the tiger first and then the elephant. I remember not talking to my parents for a couple of days because they said I couldn't have a tiger as a pet! :P
I can eat curd rice and pickle at any time. I used to eat it in the morning at 7 before going off to lab in college.
I hate creating politics in office and I don't suck up to my seniors/managers, which is why even though I have the intelligence and the knowledge, I still haven't climbed up the corporate ladder as quickly as some of my classmates/friends.
I love my work... I really can't sit at home for a very long time and the longest break I took which I enjoyed was the 2.5 months from Sept till Nov.
I am a compulsive shopper... My family feels that it's one the main reasons why I should never quit my job!!!
Till I joined my post grad course, I actually thought I was not pretty or good looking... (I still think that sometimes...)
I still have more guy friends than girls and my best friend till date is my friend V (other than the husband)
I hated my middle school days and high school was decent enough because P was my best friend.
I hated college with all my heart because I went to an ultra-conservative, all-girls college.
I can never remember the lyrics of a song... the tune will stick but most of the time I make up my own lyrics which irritates my husband to no end!
I have watched FRIENDS so many times that I have lost count!
I am scared of the dark.
I believe Ghosts exist.
I also believe that GOD exists and all my conversations with HIM/HER have been in English.
Discrimination of any sort will piss me off... and most times exercising restraint is very difficult.
I believe a marriage is for keeps and nothing justifies cheating on your spouse...
I love blogging and my friends from the blog world are so much more real and true than some of the actual so-called friends that I have.
I love dancing and am pretty good at it too!
I feel absolutely no guilt when my husband takes care of me - cooking, cleaning or any other domestic task done by him when I'm relaxing will not put me in a guilt-frenzy mode.
I am a control freak in so many ways... but, not always.
I am still not confident about the way I wear the saree... so, I have never worn it to work because I am not sure if I can manage it the entire day.
I love doing these tags which lets me talk about myself all the time! :P
I am a very truthful person and only the most extreme cases would make me tell a lie... I approach all my relationships - be it with friends, husband, family, work with honesty.
I always rehearse before bringing up any topic of issue with my managers... all my emails before being sent will be read thru exactly 3 times!

There! Done :)

But, of course I enjoyed myself... :)
I would love to tag everyone who reads my space!

Enjoy!!

I have one more song tag to take up from Nimi, which I will do soon :)

Motichur 'ka' laddu!!

2009-02-13T11:06:00.005+05:30

Steps to be followed to get a laddu

Befriend the girl who is quitting the company, either a day before or on the day she is quitting
Congratulate her on her wise decision to leave and join her husband where ever he is.
Lament the fact that you still have to sit here and work while she has fun.
Walk by her desk a 100 times, if not more, as soon as she opens the sweet box.
On the pretext of talking to her cubicle mate, walk by and make inane conversation.
Smile at her and ask if all relieving formalities are done.
By this time, she would have realised that you are eyeing the laddus and nothing else!
She will smile and offer the laddu to u... refuse as gracefully as possible.. Since she is also an expert in such acts, she will persist... pick up one laddu as delicately as possible and murmur a thank you!
Remember to Walk away without skipping! Skipping in office after collecting sweets doesn't create a very good impression!

Mission Accomplished! :))

Edited to add: Title has been changed after Dew Drop told me it's motichur 'ka' laddu! :)

The Magic Figure-6!

2009-02-06T22:06:00.004+05:30

Mandira tagged me! :)
And this time it's different because it's a photo tag!

The rules are:

Pick the 6th picture of your 6th photo folder.
Tell a story around it.
Pass it on to six other people you like.

So, the 6th folder in the "All Pics" folder is - "New Year's Eve - 2008" and the 6th photo in that folder is this -

So, that's another tiny peek into my home :-)
That's our over crowded TV stand and as you can see, its filled with dolls and candles and Lord Ganesha idol and Laughing Buddha Idols :)
(I think the Laughing Buddha has been cut out of the pic...)

I tag anyone and everyone who want to take this up... :)

Note: Please do not "flick" this pic as its private and personal and please do not use it without prior permission...

Morning Sights...

2009-02-03T09:21:00.004+05:30

I have grown to love the 15 mins walk I take each morning to catch my bus. Everyday, I get to see people start a new day, and make a new beginning.
Here are a few of the things I get to see daily without fail...

Shop keepers opening their stores, sweeping the front of the store... They generally stand in front of their shops with the brooms in one hand, tea/coffee glass in the other and talk to one another...
People rushing to catch their cabs/buses!
Couples out for their morning walk! The elderly people are generally more relaxed, they enjoy their walk, the quiet... The younger lot walk like there is no tomorrow! Like they are trying to lose all that weight/fat during this one walk!
Cute boys jogging back home after a work out in the gym!! ;-)
Kids standing in bus stops waiting for school buses while chatting or studying!
The tender-coconut vendor uncle who always gives me a smile as I pass him. :-)
Women/maids washing the front of their homes and drawing rangoli... there is something so re-assuring looking at ladies do that....
It reminds me of home in Mysore. Where, on festival days, my maid draws out these huge, awesome rangolis in front of our gate.
I see men cleaning out their yards, washing of their cars
In this one house - he sits on the swing drinking coffee and reads out the headlines to his wife who is generally putting the rangoli or drinking coffee with him ... :-)
Dogs having a go at one another...
This one guy, sits on the steps of this huge departmental store and feeds the street dogs... They sit patiently in front of him as he reads the paper sitting on the steps!!!

Peaceful really...
The walk is just right for me to get my morning exercise and to wake me up completely before I get onto the bus! It also gives me time to listen to devotional songs/classical songs being played on the radio... :-)

Another post..

2009-01-30T10:06:00.002+05:30

And so, we have all raised a hue and cry about the Mangalore Incident...
People and bloggers all over India have protested.. there has been quite a few very interesting and brilliant posts regarding the same.

But, the bottom line is the same - just like the Mumbai Terror attacks, this too will die down and the perpetrators will get away yet again...

There is the Interview with the "Sri Ram Sena chief" - Prasad Attavar in Rediff..
Where, he says that "This is a small incident which has been blown out of proportion"...
Really?!
He also says in the same breath that they are protecting Indian Culture and they will NOT allow Girls to wear skimpy clothes and drink booze and if they wish to do so, then the parents must register the girls' names with the police!

Why are men so insecure when it comes to Successful and powerful women?

This dirty mind set that, women must be controlled...
Are we the animals here or these men who are behaving in such a manner, animals?
It is these men who should be "controlled" and "tamed" to respect their fellow human beings...
In Times of India, there is another article in which they say their agenda is to "prevent Fashion shows"!!!

The most frequently asked question is,
Why have the people of Mangalore kept quiet? Why aren't the civilians not objecting to such behavior?
We don't see any Dharna or protest or violence happening against these perpetrators of crime!!! Why is that?
The answer to this is very simple isn't it - people are very scared...

You know, my colleague was stating that these men too should be chased by a mob and their clothes pulled down... then,only they will know what kind of trauma they have put these innocent girls thru... he was very agitated...But, our agitation isn't helping is it?

Deve Gowda has blamed the CM in this article -
He is right in many ways, but can we just focus on bringing about some justice without the whole thing turning political?
And, even if it does turn into a mud-slinging, verbal shout match between 2 political parties, can we still go ahead and hope that such things will be prevented?

My sister has written that our country is a beautiful and young country, filled with diversities...

I hope that it isn't too much to ask for when we say - let there Be NO diversity when it comes to condemning acts like this.
Let there Be No difference of opinion when we say that, in the name of "Indian Culture" we are letting hooliganism rule...

There are also a couple of posts where some of the bloggers have expressed relief that they don't live in India anymore... It's so totally understandable isn't it?
It's not that they are "bad" Indians with "no patriotism"... it's just that at the end of the day - they would prefer to be safe and at peace in their homes, where they don't have to worry about their children getting beaten up or molested because of the clothes they wear or the drink they drink or the company they keep...

Isn't that what we are all striving at? Peace of mind, safety and assurance as we go about our business just like the millions of people all across the globe...

Am I asking for too much?

On a different note,

GoofyMumma asked me if she could link me up in view of the "Say no to Criminals" campaign while she writes to a couple of newspapers,
" I am planning to mail a couple of newpapers about our 'Say No To Criminals in Politics' campaign. Please let me know if I you mind my linking you up too."

I though long and hard and surprisingly, I requested her not to link me up!
Cowardly, up to a point? Yes... But, I'm scared... blogging anon is giving me a certain amount of freedom... and I use this freedom to rant and rave and I'm happy with the attention, however little it maybe, that I get.
I am afraid of the newspapers... I still feel it might give me negative publicity and unwanted attention...
It might not be that bad... but, we live in times where money and political power rules and there is not much of a chance for us ordinary folks to actually be heard in a just manner without getting negative publicity.

I apologise GM and I hope that with time, I will have enough courage to say yes to you or anyone else to use my post for a newspaper write-up.And yes, Thank you for thinking that my post is worthy enough to be linked up! :-)

new template?`

2009-01-24T13:42:00.001+05:30

So, how's the new template?

Do leave your honest comments about it...
Please do de-lurk and let me know if this is any better or if you are generous enough to help me with a brand new template, then please do! :P

And, again...

2009-01-23T21:16:00.007+05:30

With so many posts on Domestic Violence, the surname-change issue and of course, the cherry on top - Manyata's remarks... One would feel the whole topic has been done to death...
We watch the Serial 'Ballika Vadhu" on TV with mounting indignation...
We also try to calm ourselves with a false sense of hope, saying this doesn't happen HERE... How wrong we are!
It happens here, in the educated world... the person sitting next to you could be a perpetrator of crime.
My team mate says that the "Control" of his wife is in his hands and his parents.
He says that she should toe the line to what they say...
He says very nonchalantly that he will "give her one slap" if she doesn't listen! That should bring her to her tracks...

My close friend (another friend) is in an abusive marriage. She is pregnant and scared out of her wits...
Her mind is so screwed up that she though that having a baby around will make him stop hitting her!
Her parents are the sort who say that - What are you doing that is displeasing you husband? Can't you behave properly? They got her married off to man they know nothing about.
His only credentials were - he is pretty decent looking and he is in the USA.

I told her to get out of the marriage. I repeated the words of so many bloggers.
She is coming to India in March, I told her not to go back... Divorce the B&&^#$%
But, how much is she willing to live differently?
She says that she doesn't want to deprive her child of a father's love.
She says he is a good man who has anger issues. The man beats her if she has a difference in opinion!
If she cries or is sick or doesn't do house work - she gets beaten!

Do you see how fucked up the entire situation is?

She is scared, knows what's happening is wrong... she wants to come out to this, but is very very scared to do so, because she has NO support system outside.
The only support would be friends... but, how much can WE do?

My sister, rightly pointed out - what will you do, if she doesn't want to do anything?
Why is she still there? Why hasn't she done something by now?

What will happens if she accuses me of ruining her life?

People who are unwilling to take stock of their lives, its difficult to help them...

From all the reading and research I've been doing these days, it's difficult to come out of such a relationship. We women are taboo... divorce and legal procedure are lengthy processes and most families "don't want to live with such a shamed daughter"

It's a deadlock situation I feel...
I have told my friend that I will help her, but the decision is hers...
I hope she realises what a horrible life she is leading and takes the bold step of getting out of this..
Else like my ma said - you can pray everyday that he doesn't kill her.

I slept in tears last night... knowing that I'm so safe in my extremely patient husband's arms and she has none of that...
I didn't think it would move me so much.. because as I pause to think of her, I get goosebumps and I get scared...

I want to help her, but the important question is - how?
I am talking to her, have made her realise that we are there for her as moral support...
convincing her that her decision to leave him is the right one...
But, is that enough? how else can I help?
Or better still, how can I help her realise that her life is just going to get messier... I mean, a man who doesn't hesitate to hit his pregnant wife will not stop from hitting her after the baby is born!
And, we all know how vulnerable we are at that time... both emotionally and physically we will be much more vulnerable.

The real world sucks sometimes and again to quote my ma - we live life on the fringe, even a toe inside the circle will
show us how scary reality is... *sigh*

Edited to add:
Sorry folks... I have deleted the chat transcript and I will pretend this episode never happened...
it's nice to blog of women empowerment, to talk and argue about bring about change.. the optimism is so false really...
but, the truth, there are not enough people actually bringing about the change...

As predicted and as feared, she is giving her marriage another chance since he is a "good guy" who just didn't want to "understand" her...
he apparently found out she is trying to get help from outside and came home and promised her not to hit abuse her anymore.... and she wants to give him another chance...

WTF News!?

2009-01-20T13:41:00.003+05:30

I generally keep away from such News, But, this, I had to talk about!
It's seriously categorised into WTF news!

Here, Mr. Dutt talks about his wife being THE Mrs.Dutt and how he "forgives his sister" and

he goes onto make the statement - "no sister gets along with her brother's wife".. really?!!

Isn't that taking the whole relationship to a weird and distorted level?
Possessiveness is different from hatred.. and I'm quite sure that all sisters/brothers would like to see their siblings well settled, protected and successful in life...
He says that all girls should take their husband's name after marriage else its disrespectful!
He says that if Manyatha had retained her father's name after marriage , he would've been offended!
What a truck load of garbage he speaks!!
I heard that her name isn't Manyatha in the first place and its sure that whatever name she did have before marriage, it didn't have her "Father's surname" attached to it!
What century is he living in?

Its kind of difficult to even say anything about the whole topic without going "ARRRGH"!
Do we really need or want another politician like this?! Don't we have enough?!!
Aren't we trying to do something different now-a-days?!

The tone in which he speaks, of his sisters, and of women in particular seems highly disrespectful.
And from all the info I gathered, apparently, it was his sister Priya Dutt who stood by his side when he was accused of all his various crimes, helped him with rehab and stood by the family when their father died... And, he goes on print by making such a comment on his sister....
I didn't know Mr. Dutt would speak in such a garish manner and as I read in MadMomma's Blog, he is where is he is because of his father and she goes on to say that he neither has the looks nor the talent, to which one has to agree...
This so-called interview of his in all leading papers is definitely WTF news?!!

A totally different tag!

2009-01-17T19:48:00.003+05:30

Yea, being the sucker I am for tags, I picked this one up from Renu... :)

Here goes the description, and I'm typing it straight out of Renu's post!
(I just copied your words... I hope you don't mind!)

This is very special tag and an effort in looking below the iceberg.....
The questions are there and as Renu says,
write the answers in the comment and delight me or even annoy, but be truthful, no diplomacy here... :)
Here are the questions:

1. Who are you?
2. Are we friends?
3. Something I have and YOU want?
4. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
5. Describe me in one word.
6. What was your first impression of me?
7. Do you still think that way about me now?
8. What reminds you of me?
9. If you could give me anything what would it be?
10. How well do you know me?
11. How do you see me in the future?
12. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't
13. Are you going to post this in your blog and see what I say about you?

Go on, De-lurk and post your answers in the comments space! :)

Domestic Violence...

2009-01-09T11:03:00.004+05:30

MM in her usual clear way talks about Domestic Violence and she says very correctly, that the Victim is to be blamed equally, because she kept quiet and let the violence recur without taking a stand...
A friend of mine is a victim of domestic violence... the whole thing is disgusting.
She has been beaten, humiliated, almost killed in a road accident by her drunk husband all in the name of dowry.
I haven't spoken to her in 5 yrs and all this information was given by another friend. The first thing, I wanted to do was call her and talk to her, offer any kind of support.
But, the next few lines my friend spoke, stopped me. Here's what she said:
My friend T is apparently "ashamed" of this whole fiasco and she doesn't want people to know she is a victim of domestic violence and she is getting a divorce.
Her parents told her to "adjust" and even gave more money to the B&*#$%$%$# when he harassed their daughter! They said she is "dark-skinned" and a "Woman's place is at her husband's"
She has put up with the violence, the humiliation for more than 2 yrs. She only walked out recently because he almost killed her! He was drunk, made her sit behind him on his bike, and had an accident on the Shimoga-Bhadravathi highway!!!
Her parents used to send her back to him, knowing that he will beat her again and again...
(I have a big grouse against her parents... what kind of people are they? How could they let their baby get hurt again and again? How could they keep quiet when they knew about how much pain and humiliation their daughter was going thru?)
The shameless B&*&^%^ even brought home other women in her presence!
I was speechless! How could she have stayed with him for 2 yrs?!!
Why didn't she tell her friends? It was only after my friend D scolded her and told her to cough up what the problem was, did she tell the details...
When D told her to call the police or better still, tell her husband and get the pig beaten up, T stopped her and now she has filed for divorce and for compensation (Which she isn't getting)

I just haven't been able to digest the whole thing. Her father had made a derogatory remark during the wedding of another friend and we had stopped talking because of that. My friend told me that "things were not right" because they are giving him a lot of money to marry their daughter simply because she is "dark-skinned"...
T feels on some level, she is the reason behind the violence!

My friend told me, "Keep out of this, you don't need this complication in your life, simply because she will not listen and her parents never did approve of your friendship because you were 'too modern and liberal thinking'. "

So, it's hard... I know someone who is going thru a difficult time because she has been humiliated so much, but I can do nothing... there is no way to reach out to her and even if I call her, she won't listen to what I have to say. Worse, she won't tell me what's happening...

But, I still don't know why she kept quiet and why she didn't do anything about the whole thing?
How could she keep on getting hurt like this without using her brains to get back at the guy or to walk out??

Another Award!

2009-01-05T13:41:00.005+05:30

Renu gave me another award! The "Butterfly Award"! :-)

So, now my blog is also a "Cool Blog"! :-) (How cool is that?! LOL!)
And so, picking up the rules from her place:
1. Put the logo on your blog
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate 10 other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

So, without any further delay, I pass on this award to:
1. Grail -> Who has NOT yet picked up any of the awards passed on to her! If you are reading this, pick them all up!!

2. My sis - > Blog... its been too long!

3. Rayshma

4. Galadriel

5. Mandira

6. Sachin

7. Swati

Please do pick up your awards! :)

And once again, thank you Renu for this awesome award! :)

WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY 2009!

2008-12-31T09:06:00.011+05:30

Hope the New Year brings you joy and prosperity...

That whatever be the difficulty, you will have moments of laughter

and the strength to get thru the tough times...

I also pray and hope that the new year brings peace and tolerance...

(Image courtesy: Google)

Happy New Year to all my faithful and wonderful readers...

Wishing you and your families a joyous and peaceful year ahead.

(Image courtesy: received it by e-mail, not really sure about the actual source)

(Go on, de-lurk and leave a message behind! :-)!!)

The year that was...

2008-12-29T15:33:00.004+05:30

I had written last year , as to how unhappy and unsure I felt about 2008 approaching...
I was so right!
I remember writing about unfair people at work and as I read that post, I remember how unhappy I was at that time...
I also tried to fight... to make my point heard...
But, you know - it's a good thing to quit sometimes too...it's good to let go.
It was good for me - personally and professionally to let go, sit back and relax a bit.
I learnt a valuable lesson - somethings can't be changed. Some people are fuckwits and there's nothing you do or say that will change this all important facts.
2008 has been a pretty OK year.
It had a lot more tears than smiles...
It was also a good year because my husband had another chance before recession hit, to work at client side and me quitting my job.
Quitting my job helped me regaining my mental peace, my health and my sense of humour.
2008 saw my husband losing his father and me falling sick with spondylitis and falling sick with advanced case of fibrosis for my back (upper back) which meant a lot of physiotherapy, diet and exercises.
Spondylitis has been cured, but my back problem is probably a permanent one.
I have been advised - not to gain extra weight, to stay warm, to walk and to continue with my back exercises. I am 100% fine now which is again a good thing.
2008 also saw me getting a better job, a pretty stable one for now (TOUCH WOOD!), it saw my husband wondering about job options before he was told that he won't be removed or scaled down!(YaY!)
2008 made me realise that sometimes, just sometimes it's not really your fault when something bad happens.
2008 also saw me blogging more, reading more and making more friends...
Some blogging friends have become very close friends now and I wonder how I ever managed before I met them!
I look forward to the New Year with hope and a lot more faith than what I had for 2008.
I hope that both of us and all our friends keep their jobs and their homes during these difficult times.
I also pray and hope for more tolerant times... lesser corruption, inequality, and discrimination.
I pray that new parents have healthy kids and their kids learn to respect one another.

How was 2008 for you?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-24T18:57:00.013+05:30

I received not one, but 2 awards from the very sweet IHM and its Christmas! :-)
So, here they are:

And,

I want to pass on these 2 awards to all my readers, all of you -
My sis, Grail, Rayshma, Galadriel, Swati, Vicky, Illusionaire, NM, Cantaloupe's Amma, Mandira, Sachin - you guys have been great... reading almost all my posts and commenting on them too...
the support and love has been great!

I also want to give it to Ritu, IHM (Yea, back to u!), Renu, Pallavi - my new readers and new friends!

All you guys have been so inspirational and I have learnt so many things and you guys have given me the courage to stand up straight for the truth... you have helped me change my views about so many issues and have given me clarity for my thoughts...

Thank you guys... for all the support and love.

Here's the friendship band which I picked up from IHM also, for all you wonderful people out there!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Image courtesy: Google

The other side of the fence

2008-12-24T10:02:00.002+05:30

It's official people!
The grass IS greener on the other side of the fence!
I always used to wonder, you know, before, when I looked over to the other side - where you see people lying around in the shades of huge trees, on lush grass or having picnics or simply sitting about smoking expensive cigars!
Now, that I have jumped over the fence to the other side, it really IS Good!!
Wondering what I'm talking about right? Right, I'm talking about my promotion... which puts me in the league of the so-called leads and managers!
Heh!
I have 3 guys in my team, who think that by impressing me, they will get good appraisals! LOL!!!
I attended a training last week, and there too I was amongst the elite!
I mean, there were people with 8-10 yrs of experience and they carried 2 mobile phones! (I think carrying 2 mobiles is impressive!)
I thought I was very ill-prepared for the training because I didn't even "Google" what the course was about before attending.
BUT, I actually knew stuff!I had the experience to talk about the terms used!
I gave useful information and had pretty good examples, info to share with the class!
I totally ROCKED!!!
AND.. AND ... (Hold on to your breath!) The guy who took the training was mighty impressed!! He said that we should get together and talk about some of the ideas I had and see if anything concrete comes out of it which might help the organization!!How cool is that?!! (I still love my new job! TOUCHWOOD!) (We have a meeting set up for that in January!)
On another note, I walk about 1.3 kms everyday to board my bus and I leave home really early - 6:45 AM.. the bus is at 7 and I need around 13 minutes to walk the distance.
I have really grown to love these morning walks.
The time's ideal, its good exercise and I get to see the world waking up to another chaotic day in Bangalore!
I have no complaints about the walk or the journey to my new work place... I like my work now even more than before and I like my team...
(I want to do another post about stereotypes and about this girl in my team who has come to Bangalore from Mumbai for the very first time)

On another note, my husband's team is being ramped down almost 60% because of the recession and his clients don't want to risk their profit margins...
So, its been a wait and watch to see if he will be moved out or not.
He does have a couple of projects lined up with different clients in case he needs to move out and I'm glad that he has very good friends and managers who have helped him out.(TOUCHWOOD)

His manager doesn't want to lose him in his current project and is trying to see what best he can do...
At times like these, its good to see such people, especially managers who are worried about their team...
So, praying that things work out for him, either in his current project or elsewhere as well.

So, I really do believe that THE GRASS IS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE! YAY!!

Don't have a title for this post...

2008-12-17T13:53:00.002+05:30

While growing up, for both of us, our marks in Maths mattered more than house-work.
My parents always said, studying is THE only way out...
My mom sealed the whole deal on "studying is more important than anything else", by saying we will be rich, making pot-loads of money if and only if we studied!
So, we studied...
The discriminations, the boundaries were applied only by visiting relatives and one set of grand parents...
It still got me. I am not too sure about my sister, but being the eldest had its problems.
I remember, when I was 12, my granny telling my mom that I should stop wearing skirts, because good girls from good families don't show off their legs!
My mom made sure I didn't wear skirts when we visited them in the village during vacations.
I realised because of these small incidents, (many more - but, that's new-post material) I gradually disliked going to my native for vacations, family functions...
All these so-called family functions were missed most of the time because of exams, work, tests - very convenient and always supported by my parents!

I loved draping the saree on me when I was young...
I always dreamt that after I completed studying and started working, I would drape myself elegantly in beautiful sarees and go to work and my colleagues and friends would notice how I bought 3 new sarees every month!
Then, as I grew up, and people around me started insisting that I was all "grown up", I resented the saree, for it represented a house wife, someone docile and traditional, who stayed with her dominating in-laws... (Don't ask from where these ideas were got from!!! however, ludicrous they maybe, it was true!)
So, I unlearnt how to wear and love the saree and didn't bother with it till recently.

My mother hated the shirts, big and out of shape ones which I wore. I loved them, because, funnily, it made me look unattractive!
When I was doing my graduation, I wore them a lot, along with loose-fitting clothes, saying that they are comfortable.
The real reason being, it made me look unattractive. Boys, marriage proposals wouldn't bother an unattractive girl in jeans and huge specs!
And I would be left alone to pursue my studies so that I could get a job!
It was only after I started my post-grad that I stopped wearing loose fitting clothes, because all my relatives didn't like the fact that I was studying and not making babies!
And gradually, they stopped bothering my parents as well...
So, now, I don't wear loose fitting clothes, I know how to drape a saree and look nice.
I love wearing all colours and not just "light shades" because I am "dark skinned"!
I am what I am and I hate putting on appearances just to please others (Read, relatives!)
I still put on appearances sometimes while visiting my grandfather...
I still fight with my mother to wear bangles while visiting the said relatives...
I still thank my parents for shaping me and for influencing me to be the person I am today.
I still love my sis and my husband with the same passion in different ways after all these years...(I think I started to love my sis when I was 10 or 12, till then she was this annoying little twit in my life!!!)
I still love ice cream and rain and the cold weather...
A hot cup of coffee, a good book, a warm hug always make me happy!
A few good friends, dignity, respect, happiness, good job, decent bank balance, a husband to go home to and a family to love and respect is what I have always wanted...

Still searching for a cause to support for its sake and not for tax rebate...
I still feel just as strongly as I did when I was 12, about discriminations, harassment, inequality, gender bias...
The difference now is, knowing when to shut up and when to raise my voice!

Awarded!

2008-12-16T14:04:00.002+05:30

Yay! Got another award! This one is from Madira -

Thank you my dear...I'm truly touched and honored...

These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this text into the body of their award.

I would like to pass on this award to:

Thanks again Mandira, for making me soooo happy! :-)

TAgged!

2008-12-15T13:45:00.025+05:30

The ever Charming Renu tagged me with this really different tag!
The rules are simple:
Answer the questions below and do a Google image search on your answer,pick a picture from the results on the first page, with minimal explanation

1. The age you will be in your next birthday: 29

I have no idea why this image got pulled up! But, it looks good!!!

2. A place you’d like to travel to: Vienna

3. Your Favorite place: Mysore!

4. Your favorite food/drink: Akki Roti/Watermelon juice/wine

5. Your Favorite pet: Not really, but if I had to choose, it would be a Golden Retriever!

6. Your favorite color combination:

7. Your favorite piece of clothing: Jeans and Kurta (Couldn't get a decent enough pic of both together)

8. Your all time favorite song: Careless Whisper by George Michael, Mungaaru Male Title song (Hindi -can't think of any at the moment!

9. Your favorite TV show: FRIENDS!

10. Full name of your significant other: I didn't get anything for his full name, but found pics which come close!

11.The town in which you live in: Bangalore/Bengaluru

12. Your screen name/nickname: Pixie

13. Your First job: I taught in a computer training school for pocket money while doing my post-grad!

14. Your Dream job: Bharatanatyam Dancer!!

15. Bad Habit you have: I bite my nails...

16. Your worst fear: losing my specs and not having a spare pair!
(Couldn't find a decent pic to represent this either!!)

17. The one thing you’ll like to do before you die: Travel around the world!

18. The first thing you’ll buy if you get $1,000,000: The latest fantasy would be to buy a castle in France!

I tag, Rayshma, Galadriel, Grail, Cantaloupe's Amma, Mandira, Swati....
and of course anyone else who wants to take it up!! Enjoy Maadi!!! :-)

Edited to tag: My sis as well since she was complaining in the comments section ! (Happy?!)

Another story...

2008-12-12T08:46:00.002+05:30

OK, I'm trying my hand in writing really short stories... And, here's one such piece... Tell me what you think! :-)

She walked slowly, each step faltering as she inched closer towards her apartment building. She sighed, deep and long and walked into the compound with a false and cheerful smile fixed on her face.
The watchman of the building was delighted to see her and wished her saying that he and the others had missed her during the last one week she was out of town.
She smiled at him and thought of her blissful 1 week freedom, away from her family, especially away from her husband.
She knew that he would be waiting inside for her, to reclaim his possession and to remind her not so gently that she belonged to him.
She opened the door with her keys and let herself in. She could hear the TV and knew that he would come looking for her into her room.
She would be ready this time, she promised herself. She walked into her room and threw her suitcases on the floor, each falling on the ground with a resounding thud.
Then, she heard him, get up from his place, turn on the volume of the TV so that it would block out all other sounds.
She waited patiently behind the door, her hand holding the very bat he beat her with everyday. She could hear him search for the bat and then, she heard him grab his belt from his closet and walk into her room. This time, she was ready, she swung the bat as hard as she could and hit his face.
She stood over him, satisfied, watching him whither in pain and lose consciousness. Then, she stepped over his unconscious body, picked up her empty suitcases and walked out and into the taxi where Sameer was waiting for her.

Take your time and read and do comment!

2008-12-03T11:32:00.002+05:30

I have always been excited about new places, meeting new people and experiencing different things.
But, this time I was vary of the new company I was joining and a bit hesitant to be friendly as well.
Again, I was pleasantly surprised... I've met a few interesting people and what I've learnt so far about my work, seems to be challenging enough.
Right now, I don't have too much to do... just reading up on the project and getting into trainings and knowledge sharing sessions.

We have all been witnessing the terrible things happening in our country for the past 1 week... the terrorist attack, politicians resigning, making statements.
We see the fury, feel the remorse and with some share the pain of the loss of a loved one.
I read a lot of blogs, links which condoned the attack...
Some pointed out rightly - what about the people killed/injured in CST? Why are they not being shown?
(Hop over to Mad Momma where she shares this link - for better clarity)
I have a friend, whose aunt is the head nurse in one of the hospitals in Mumbai where these injured were treated...
Apparently, the numbers are greater than the ones released by the govt/police...
Also, apparently some of the hospital authorities were so incensed by the attacks and the neglect shown towards the people hurt/killed in the attacks on CST and on the roads, they demanded money from the rich who were injured in Taj and Trident!!

(Now, I don't KNOW how true these stories are... I couldn't find anything to support these statements on the Internet. If you find anything, please do leave a link and if this is incorrect information, please do go ahead and leave a comment)

I have a couple of questions though...

-> Did it take an attack on the rich and powerful for our govt to wake up to terrorism?

-> Why was POTA removed? Its replacement was the United Progressive Alliance. How helpful has this been? The reasons I found for POTA's removal didn't seem to be very convincing. If you have anything else, please do share the information.

-> The families of the top officers who laid down their lives were offered compensation which was turned down...
But, what about the 18 odd constables who died and some 30 or so still fighting for their lives?

-> What about the cooks, waiters who were killed without a second thought, after serving food to the terrorists?
Why hasn't any News Channel/reporter spoken about them?

-> Where were all the celebrities who spoke up AFTER the attack got over until then?
What are they doing to help the "common folk" who were injured/killed?
When the whole issue of Raj Thackery happened, a lot of them were officially quoted saying "This is my city, my Mumbai" etc etc...
What are they doing to help now?

-> My biggest question - where was our PM?
Why were there no re-assurances from him?
My sister commented that, not all great administrators are eloquent speakers, to which I do agree, but, wasn't it even more necessary for the PM to make a slightly more impressive speech, stressing on the importance of justice, peace and harmony during difficult times like this?

Makes you think doesn't it?

I also had a couple of arguments with the new friends about Islam as a religion and Muslims in general...
I mean, you can't blame the religion or the entire community for what has happened right? We have bad eggs and extremism in all the religions.
Fanatics exist everywhere... and more importantly these so-called leaders of these various extremist groups know who has to be brain-washed and where exactly to hit, so that it hurts the most.
This is not just true with the Muslim fundamentalists it's true with the other religions' extreme groups as well...
But, here again, when one says “Muslim fundamentalist”, what it would mean is “a person who strictly adheres to the principles of Islam”.
The same would apply to a Hindu/Christian or anyone else for that matter. But in today’s terms, the term has been twisted out of shape, which is pretty sad!

Don't show animosity towards a person based on their religion...
This is the time for unity and a small effort on our part to be a bit more open-minded.
This is the time for us to vote more cleanly and sensibly...
(However ideal it may sound and slightly impossible in many ways!)
It's the time for togetherness and to send out a message that we won't bow to Terrorism either from the terrorists or from our "Esteemed" politicians!!

Sending out a prayer for all those injured/killed in all those attacks we as a country have faced in the recent past...

PS: These are my views along with some of the stories found on the Internet... Again, I stress the fact that if your views are different, go ahead and voice them, but be polite and open the door for arguments and not fights.

6 Random Things about me

2008-11-26T07:50:00.003+05:30

Galadriel tagged me to write 6 Random things about myself...

So, here goes...

- I like wearing Green Nail polish on my toes... I think that whatever I maybe wearing, the nail polish always matches my outfit. I wore it for a wedding, dressed in a silk saree, and it matched.

- I don't like mint flavored mouth-fresheners like Polo, Menthos, Gum... it makes me blow cold air out of my nose and that feels weird.

- I think my husband prepares upma better than me...

- I enjoy browsing the Internet and watching TV simultaneously. It's an art I have managed to perfect these last 2 months...

- I have watched all 10 seasons of Friends and all the seasons of Seinfeld and I still watch it everyday as if I'm watching the episodes for the very first time.

- I can read a book I really really liked (you get the drift right?) any number times with the same interest and seriousness I had when I read the book for the first time. My sister says she admires me for this!!!

Stopping now with great difficulty! I was on a roll there!!
6 random things about me!

If you haven't done the tag, go ahead and take it up!!!

Back to work...

2008-11-24T07:37:00.003+05:30

So, I finally decided on getting back to work... Just a few more days of blissful freedom, before I start leaving home at 7 AM again!!
Sigh...

The days of lounging around in jammies all day, watching Grey's Anatomy reruns, Friends, Seinfeld in the mornings, drinking the second cup of coffee standing in the balcony and watching the neighbour's kid scream the place down, all are over for now...

I am looking forward to this new job, because even with all the recession and the job cuts, I managed a salary hike and a promotion!! (TOUCHWOOD!)
The people I have spoken to, so far, have all been very professional and friendly. Apparently, its also a good place to work. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hopefully will get into a great job with a pretty decent team...

But, these 2 months have been great... I enjoyed every minute of it... :-)

Now, I look forward to making a new beginning at a new place with a new team, hoping to meet interesting people which might form some unforgettable friendships! I do know, that I have moved on, grown wiser and will deal with things in a much better manner...

Here's Cheers to me for my new adventures, which start soon!

Go on and wish me luck and leave your pearls of wisdom as well!!!

Dostana...

2008-11-20T22:48:00.003+05:30

So, did you guys watch the movie? Did you like it?
I LOVED the movie!!!
No, I didn't find it offensive or OTT... I didn't think that it was an insensitive movie trying to stereotype the Gay Community...
It was pure, unadulterated fun!!! No KJo-last-15-minutes hamming... no drama-baazi...
Priyanka Chopra is awesome looking in the movie!!! And they have shown her having some sort of career as well!!!
John Abraham is HOT!! absolutely dreamy with a great body... :-)
Abhishek Bachan is awesome!!! A delight to watch him act so well with no inhibitions...

Go watch the movie if you want to have a few good laughs!!!
Don't go looking for meaning... Just go and see how well those 3 have acted...

Edited to add:
I mean no offense to anyone here, especially the LGBT community... If you are looking for a fight/argument, please, don't do it here...
All I'm saying is, the movie was funny and everyone's done a great job...
Its nice to see our "Heroes" do such a great job playing "pretend-gay-men"

Quiz Results!!!

2008-11-13T22:44:00.004+05:30

What Kind of Wife Are You?
	You are a(n) Good Wife. You are an absolutely good wife! You're not so perfect that you look fake and you don't nag so much that you'll end up in divorce court! Your marriage has ups and downs but you and your man love and respect each other. You are supportive and expect the same from him. You are right where you want to be and couldn't imagine your life differently.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Heh!!! I am a Good Wife!

Heh!! Apparently, I am Hagrid!!! :-) Which Character are you??

Which Harry Potter Character Are You?
	You are Hagrid. You're an outcast with a heart of gold. Despite your own problems, you always find time to help those in need.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi....

2008-11-10T12:35:00.002+05:30

Roughly translated, it means - "A marriage like this also"

Now, this post isn't a review because I haven't watched the movie...
But, I read the story line and it seems the story goes along these lines -
Hero and Heroine fall in love, and the heroine's dad dies leaving her with the responsibility of taking care of her siblings... so, the hero chooses to wait since she can't take her siblings to her "in-laws" place... So, he waits for 12 long years while the heroine struggles to make ends meet...

During the era of path breaking movies being made, I just wish Rajshree Productions had done something decent.
I mean, since the hero is rich, couldn't he have helped out(as mentioned in Rediff reviews)?
My question, Why can't a girl marry and still take care of HER family?

Aren't we all fighting for equal rights? We have feminism written out in bold...
When we are trying harder and harder to voice out our opinion and to make a mark in a chauvinistic society, it would have been nicer to see a stronger script attempting to mix the traditional Indian Family with a contemporary and more realistic approach to marriage and responsibility...
During times where change is the necessity and since still a large a large section of our society gets influenced by movies, couldn't they have shown something different for a change?
I have enjoyed all their movies till date, grew up watching them multiple times, but the story of this movie kind of put me off...

Will I watch the movie? I don't know... Did You watch it? and more importantly, did you like the movie?
I still wish, the story had been more in lines with the title given...

What's right in your life?

2008-11-06T07:49:00.000+05:30

My sister wrote about this and I wanted to write about it too, because as she has rightly said, by looking at all the right things it makes sure we stay happy and positive.
I have a fantastic husband, who is not only a great spouse, but also my best friend, support system and my best critic.
My parents are awesome folks, very supportive, liberal, open-minded, and I can always count on them for anything and everything.
My sister, who is very dependable and fun to be with.
My friends who are a fantastic lot and have been there for me.

I also feel things are "just right" for me because of ME as well! :-)
I am at a phase where I am at peace mentally, I don't get stressed out and I am now able to block unwanted things from bothering me, if not completely, at least 80% of the time.
Things are just right because even though I am now sitting at home without working and I am not worrying about my next job, next company and with nothing on hand, I was able to reject offers because it didn't hold too much appeal.
I have turned out exactly how I wanted to be... You know, when you are 16 and wondering how you will be in your 20's - I am how I pictured myself to be!
Financial independence gives you confidence and stability (I may be wrong here, but this is my experience). This my mom drilled into our heads from a very young age and this made sure we studied hard, worked harder and learnt to enjoy the freedom a job/salary gives you.
The fact that I can provide for my family, for their well-being... the fact that my sis still takes money from me for auto or because she didn't have enough cash on her, etc etc, even though she is working and she has a good job/salary is somehow an extremely satisfying feeling!!
Minor insecurities which seem so inconsequential now have vanished leaving behind a strong (emotionally), confident, happy (Touchwood), woman who is so ready to rock the 30's in a couple of years!!
Yep, things are just right, right now! :-)

A wedding - a Celebration

2008-11-05T07:32:00.002+05:30

I had gone to Udupi over the weekend to attend my close friends' wedding... We worked together in my previous company and I was her "mentor" when she joined as a fresher...
She had invited the entire gang for her wedding, but only I actually made it with my husband...

Here's why this wedding was so special even to us, invitees -
Her hospitality was impeccable. She even called me on the previous day to make sure we reached Udupi and whether the accommodation she had arranged was alright...
The wedding was on 2nd, but there was a small get-together the previous evening, of just family and we had the privilege of being invited to that as well! The best part was, it was like an ice-breaker. There was lots of dancing, singing, teasing the new couple-to-be... Basically, it made sure that both families got together and spent time doing something fun so that there wouldn't be any awkwardness the next day.
The actual wedding was another revelation! It was a celebration! A joyous occasion which united 2 families together as well! There was dancing, a lot of laughter and teasing going on and in the midst of it all, the traditional ceremony took place and the 2 kids were married!

Now, when we talk about weddings, it usually all boils down to the food, which, I must say was delicious!!
On both days, the food was finger-licking good!

The best part was, there was no tension, no glaring animosity, no unhappy/serious faces. It was a wedding which symbolized love, laughter, celebration of life and most importantly, their folks made sure that the couple started off their happy life with some pretty awesome memories of their first leg of the long journey ahead!!! :-)

My list...

2008-10-22T19:03:00.005+05:30

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

2008-10-17T14:12:00.003+05:30

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?

2008-10-16T13:16:00.005+05:30

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

2008-10-16T12:59:00.004+05:30

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....

2008-10-12T17:57:00.003+05:30

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!