Down... but not out!

Hello! I am alive - sorry to have disappeared - had promised a couple of people emails - which weren't sent... the reason being - I was very sick - in bed for like 10 days with very severe viral infection - fever, chills, bad throat...
The worst part being - the husband is out of town again! I asked my mom to come over on Thursday - i.e. on the 26th, as soon as I realised on Wednesday - that I can't go on like this...
Mom was here for more than a week - took awesome care of me... (Thanks mom!)
Now, am on my own again - I don't have fever, but I do have a lot of tiredness... which really isn't a good feeling... But, managing... and am back to work after 7 days of leave as well...
Have to read all my favorite blogs still... will catch up slowly...
Still around - may not post regularly till my health gets better...

Tags... AGAIN!

Mandira from churningthewordmill tagged me to reveal secrets!!
So here goes a couple of them since like she says - secrets are secrets for a reason!!

1. I love fruits and prefer having a fruit bowl for breakfast than anything else.
2. I don't like contact lens and I think it makes my face look smaller than it is, if i wear contacts...
3. I get very irritated sometimes, without warning, even when my mood is supposedly very fine...
4. I don't know how to suck up to people.
5. I love wearing shoes - you know the "sports shoes" kind and until my birthday I didn't have a pair.
6. I am a self confessed Foodie. I love food and I love to try out new stuff - all vegetarian.
7. I am always punctual - even 5 minutes early sometimes and that never did look good when I went out on a date with anyone else other than my husband before marriage.
8. Reading, Music and TV always help me relax.
9. A pair of jeans and a couple of kurtas - that's my comfort wear and my preference.
10. I can survive on Curd rice and mango pickle...

I am not going to tag anyone in particular since most of you guys seem to have done this tag, but anyone who is willing is more than welcome to take it up!!!

2 topics... rants and an observation

WARNING: Long post!

These 2 topics have been to death by all the bloggers I read... opinions have been expressed very clearly by some of my favorite bloggers: Mad Momma, Chandni....

The first one is of course the dreaded "M" word or to put it blatantly - Your monthly periods...
I read the posts linked to MM's post (written so long ago by her!), there was her opinion stated very clearly, Chandni's anger (Can I take the liberty to say anger here?) and I also read Lavs post about how she supported the whole isolation thing...
Now, my 2 cents worth - let's just say - that we grew up with both acceptance and indignation over this weird practice...
My dad's family is pretty orthodox - which means lots of practices, "sitting separately" during periods - my granny used to say - u emit a bad aura during this time - so, because she had done some puja - she wouldn't be coming anywhere near someone having her periods!! Now, I actually don't know the whole story because I don't remember it and it had pissed me off so badly that I didn't listen to my mom repeating the story!! (read: repeating only! not advocating it!!)
When, we were in 6th - I remember my mom also used to practice this isolation for 3 days, though she hated it and it pissed her off big time - just because she didn't want to hurt my granny's sentiments (whatever!). But, as we grew up, i.e. it became more difficult for dad to manage with my half-hearted help and i wasn't following it, frankly because - we hadn't told anyone that I had started my periods at a very early age!
So, she stopped after a year or something, and my granny used to think that she practiced it even when she wasn't!!!
Dad agrees that it was/is totally ridiculous, but mom didn't go into the puja room during those 3 days - for hers and dad's sake... we sisters also didn't enter the Puja room during the 3 days as well - this is still followed without any fuss... but, I still pray to God during these 3 days, put my namaskaras as always... No one has said don't do that, don't touch this...
My grandparents, close family still don't approve that there we don't practice this isolation... all my cousins, cousins' wives, aunts all follow this practice...
But, no one dared broach this topic in front of my dad (they were basically scared of him and his decision was always the rule!!)... My dad never encouraged this practice, neither did he like it nor did he ever discuss it or let anyone else discuss it!! His reasoning has always been more scientific than religious for most matters. So, we grew up quite normally without "sitting" during period times!!!
But, I know plenty of women who follow this and I remember my dance class mate - R.
She actually thought she was "impure" and emitted "bad aura" during these times!!
Me and my friend Shasana - we used to listen open-mouthed to her words and me as always used to get enraged at her thinking and Shasana always used to tug my hand tell me to shut up and that its no point arguing about it! Because this thinking had been wired into R's brains!!!
Do I think its discrimination that women follow this - SURE... but not much can be done can it? ... why? its women who force other women to practice this!
First we as women need to stop discriminating ourselves, then we can ask the rest of the world to stop... the problem is at home first - fix it there and then talk about your work place, men, govt, world....
Stand up to your family first - that's the most difficult part. My mom always says - You know you are right in a difficult situation when you see that no one supports you outright!
Tell your MIL/FIL/SIL - that you don't practice it and if it hurts their sentiments so much - you wont visit them during these 3 days (I'm not saying this is any better, but its a step)
Make sure your husband supports you - that's in your hands how you learn to deal/manipulate/twist your husband!!!
You know, we had gone for a function at my aunt's place - now these people are very orthodox and all that... So, my sis-in-law has a son - this is how she reprimands him if she finds him playing with the broom - "put that down! you are not a girl"
See, this is the logic/thought she is feeding her 5 yr old son - now, don't tell me this doesn't matter!!!
When, sitting for lunch that day - I was hungry and my husband wasn't - so, he told me - you sit and eat, I will eat with your mom, sis in the next round... So, I got ready to eat - but, this sis-in-law of mine, stopped me and said - "what? you are eating before your husband?! don't be ridiculous! let him eat first" So, while I sat fuming silently and hungry, my poor husband was forced to eat when he wasn't hungry - he ended up feeling guilty that he was eating when I was hungry and with a bad tummy!!!!
So, could I have argued with her there - saying this is discrimination? Sure, but, what good would it have done?? I would have been the Witch there!!! I will avoid going to their place in future - that's about it... They will say - you are spoiling our daughter-in-law with your bad thoughts. Right. So, I will take my bad thoughts of equality and respect elsewhere.
These people believe that I had a horrible family because *gasp* I work and *gasp* *gasp* - my husband pampers me and listens to me!!!
But, there are others - my cousins - who have grown up in small towns, in difficulty - aiming for a life like ours - filled with independence and love... So, its nice to know that your influence on others is working - but, in small doses...
(the above real life incident doesn't have anything to do with Periods, but its been mentioned off-tangent as part of the discrimination thingy examples!)

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

The second is the whole "change your name after marriage thing"
Recently, a friend of mine, reformatted my resume saying that if I were to look for a job elsewhere, my resume needs to look better. Right, really appreciate the thought, but he changed my name to "Mrs. Pixe Husband-name"
Oh! This irritated me so.. much!! I asked him outright - what put you under the assumption that I have changed my name?
He asked me in an incredulous tone - you married, so your last name should be your husband's name! Why haven't you changed it??
I asked him - what the fuck are you talking about?? I am me! Before marriage/after marriage - I'm the same Pixie - my frigging name doesn't change and my husband is not my identity and I am my own individual!
He laughed and said "poor husband".
I told him - fuck off - my husband loves me and my name - he has not asked me to change it, he doesn't care about name changing and besides, that's MY decision - not anyone Else's...
He was surprised and said - no wonder you agreed to his proposal!

Why? Why does this small deed piss me off so much that I have used the F word on my blog!

This is my reasoning -
I am a separate individual and my identity comes from my parents - and not my husband.
We share a life and one day - share our love thru another human being - our child.
I am NOT part of my husband - we SHARE. We have come together and created a world of our own together.
He has not made this world/life for me. He is NOT MY LIFE. He is PART OF MY LIFE. A LIFE WHICH JUST GOT BETTER AND BETTER BECAUSE HE IS PART OF IT.
My friend laughed at me and told me there is no point in arguing with me.
Yes, we are not speaking to each other now.. I am too pissed to talk to him. I also canceled the dinner invitation I had extended to him...
Go on, call me childish if you want. But, I am like this only!
Another friend said - just because you change your name to your husband's doesn't change the person you are. I just couldn't explain to her how important my name is and how much part of my identity my name is... I am really unable to put my feelings into words about this - my name.
My cousin changed his wife's name to something to start with A because his name starts with A. I still call her - by her name -the one her parents kept. That pisses off everyone in her family! (yes, the same sister-in-law I was talking abt earlier in the post)
Gwad, I seem to have attached too much importance to people I don't even remotely like!
I'm gonna stop talking about them NOW.


Kannada speaking/understanding readers of my blog: Have you heard the songs from the movie - "Aramane"? Awesome songs!! :-)

That's signing off on a cheerful note after all the ranting!!!

Edited to add: My thoughts about the entire Periods isolation thing -I wrote what I saw and grew up with - I think its ridiculous to say that one's "impure" and u emit bad "aura" during your cycles...
I don't know - maybe I was off-tangent, but elders sentiments shouldn't be hurt - but, there is a limit as to what you need to deal with... and what works for your family doesn't necessarily work for others. So, forcing one to follow certain things - in the name of sentiment - that's emotional blackmail.
Alright, will stop here now! This topic has been beaten to death enough times!! :-)

What's in an AD?

People travelling on Hosur Road in Bangalore - have you seen the latest billboards put up as part of the advertising campaign for apartment developer?
The Ads read in bold "Bitch about your colleagues"
There's one more which says "Act like a Monkey" and written below "Enact your boss and keep your friends entertained" (something along those lines anyway)
My question is, is this good advertising? Is it good to actually and continuously "bitch" about one's colleagues? I know, we all do it - on some scale - we talk about them, make fun of them... But, isn't that bad practice? How can we work together in a team if we don't bother getting along with them?
Won't all the constant bitching create bad vibes and bring about a mental block about a certain person? Will it not become difficult to work with such people?
I'm not saying - I don't do this - but, I do try to keep it minimum and complain mostly on this blog or in front of family and not "entertain" my friends with stories about the boss!!
Is, such advertising encouraging the bad practice? Is it making sure team work becomes non-existent? What do you think?
go on and do leave comments! :-)

And the AWARD goes to.....

ME!


Grail just bestowed upon me the highly prestigious "Nice" award...
Thank you thank you *bowing*

Grail's right - Nice Matters and I'm nice :-)
It's official people! I'm NICE - Grails says it as well : -)


I pass it along to my very dear Sis, Rayshma and Galadriel
:-)

Just for you....

I thought I had loved before... I thought I knew what love meant and felt like;
But, you came along and showed me that love wasn't just roses; you said that the thorns must prick so that You can be given a chance to fix it;
You taught me that love is perseverance and permanence.
You said it was supposed to be strong and grow with each passing day;
I believed what you said and held your hand and crossed the road; You made sure our hands were held tight and that we crossed safely without any mishaps...
Our love has grown with each passing day and it's grown stronger;

We have held hands and crossed some of the most sensitive issues with aplomb;
I am glad I reached out when you asked me to and learnt to trust you...
I am glad that we have many more such roads to cross and that our love and commitment to each other will be tested...
I know that each test will be passed and each lesson learnt with nothing but love and trust and friendship...
I am glad that you are not only my husband, but also my best friend...

Stolen Tags!

Now, both these tags have been "stolen" and since an anon reader commented that all I do is talk about me - I'm just doing that!!! ;-)
Picked this up From Swati! 5 things I do as soon as I get home:
1. Open the door, remove shoes/sandals and drop my purse and dupatta (if I'm in a salwar) on the chair.
2. Wash my feet and face and drink water and bow in front of God for a couple of mins while my husband lights the lamps...
3. Get things like vegetables etc ready for dinner
4. Switch on TV/Laptop (for music/Internet)
5. Chat with my husband as he helps me get dinner ready.
*************************************************************************************
Now, the "What's-in-your-handbag" Tag from Chandni:
The bag I'm carrying today in specific is 4 yrs old and what's in it -
- 2 lipsticks
- Vaseline
- comb
- various receipts from credit card payments
- bills
- one SN
- hand purse - clutch-type
- Sodexho food coupons
- one photo of Raghavendra Swami and one Lord Krishna
- One cross with a chain
- Menthos - not mint - fruit flavoured
- Some weird chocolates I got as change
- one Nora Roberts Novel (I know! but, I was desperate for a diff read... sigh - its pretty bad)
- 2 pens
- Johnson & Johnson face cream
- one glitter pen
- a rubber band
- house keys
- A bindi packet
- some change
- a bracelet (I'm wondering how this bracelet got into this bag now!)
- a couple of very weird/scary passport size photos of me!
- A few recipe printouts - one for Aloo Methi and the other for Kesar ka Pulav


There! Doing this was nice :-)
Anyone who wants to pick it up is more than welcome! :-)

...?

I don't understand body-art... Extra ear piercings, nose piercings, permanent tattoos...
I don't get any of that. My friend has gotten her nose pierced, it looks good though - she is so excited about it... I wish I knew why.... *sigh*

Can't think of a title for this post...

So, I have a bone to pick with our Film Industry. See, I'm not specifying its Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood etc... Some of the salient points include:
This is very evident with our South Film Industry, but not absent from "bollywood" either!

-> The heroine HAS to be beautiful i.e.fair with straight hair even though the hero looks like a character straight out of the "Scary Movie" series!

-> The heroine's voice can't be normal or regular like our voices - she has to have a high pitched "girly", squeaky voice... while the hero can't even pronounce the simplest of words properly.

-> There has to be semi-nude dancers in the background with huge tree-like thighs dancing away like there is no tomorrow - dressed in half sarees when the lead couple are dancing in jeans!

-> The most important story-line - "Taming of the shrew" - the heroine has to be "taught" her place and she goes all demure and bows her head in reverence in front of the hero, grateful that she has now learnt the most important lesson in her life - "to serve the scary looking hero and his family" wearing either silk sarees or chiffon sarees with orange flowers in her suddenly long hair!

-> The most famous story-line: - Rich girl falling for the poor mechanic and leaving her family and living in his one-room house happily!
I mean, how can this happen? Can't we have slightly realistic movies? Would you fall in love with a greasy mechanic? No! Maybe the garage owner's cute son who drives a Mercedes, but not the mechanic who fixes up your 2-wheeler!!!

-> Also, what's the drift when you represent urban Indian youth in skimpy clothes and fast cars/bikes? Don't fully dressed people who take the bus to work represent the India of today? Are Fully clothed people not Urban??

-> Brands - now, that's a different story all together! Aren't people who don't wear branded clothes not urban or stylish?!
Now, don't pick the bone with me here - I love them brands too - they burn holes in pockets faster than a candle melting!
But, tell me - wouldn't you look equally good in an ensemble which doesn't have to be branded?! Which actually doesn't cost half your salary?!!

->And the affairs, why, don't people who live in Mumbai, Delhi not live monogamously anymore?

What picture are we painting here? What are we showing our children? That affairs are common, marriage isn't permanent and you need to wear skimpy/branded clothes to be popular, happy and stylish??!!

E-mail conversation - 1

I am not really sure how this thread of conversation started, but start it did and then both of us thought - what the heck - let me blog it!
All this started with the "good morning" mail that I received, which I forwarded to him.
Here goes,
Vicky: good morning! about people loving others for how they make them feel... it is true?
but after marriage I think who they are also starts mattering.... is it?

Me: Sometimes it matters… but, you have married the person for better or worse – so u need to
keep communication lines pretty much open If that can’t be done – the last resort is to opt out of a marriage – again here, it matters how the other person makes u feel. If, she/he is always putting you down, humiliating you – then again – how you feel comes into the picture…

Vicky: yes, u are right...

Me: yeah, it is important to note that things might be better or worse and u need to stick
around...

Vicky: I guess it is love that keeps us going whatever may come...

Me: It’s also respect – for self and the other person.
Even if you love the person – and the other person doesn’t respect you –
you can’t stay in such a relationship – that’s humiliating

Vicky: yeah.... respect... When I met this gal who said 'my parents would not approve' .
I suddenly lost all respect even though everything else seemed perfect... from there
on it was downhill!!
Just yesterday this friend with whom I was supposed to meet up for dinner said
that her dad would completely go into psychopath mode if he found out it was
a guy she was with and so she had to go home before 9pm. She is 26.
She is not ready to softly talk to her parents about it.
I actually was OK with dropping her off too, safely...
but dropping off is the most dangerous thing with respect to the daddy... even I had to
face the same situation when my mom was here but after gathering a lot of courage
I talked about how i needed to stay in touch with people i liked...

Me: Yea… But, 26 is a bit too old to be staying at home also…
I’ve decided I’m kicking out my kids once they are done with their education –
even sooner if they get into college in far away cities!
They need a life/space of their own… I’m so glad my parents told me to get a job in
Bangalore and move out!!! Same for my sis!
It’s not that they don’t love having us home –
but, they love the fact that both of us are bright independent
women with a mind of our own!

Vicky: LOL!! True…

Me: Possessiveness is good, but it shouldn't’t be destructive...

Vicky: Exactly, real love is also about knowing when to let go...
beyond a point growth is not possible if you do not leave home...
It's the reason no.1 I left home... and Yeah I too will kick my kids out... LOL!

Vicky: Pixie, I realise some of our conversations are memorable but we forget it once we delete
our mail archives, which is why i feel we should blog some of them... we need to read
them many years later and feel good :)


There you go, Vicky! Blogged it - so that we won't forget the early morning gyaan we shared with each other thru e-mail with a cup of hot coffee beside us and deadlines gathering dust!

Again, its all about ME! :-)

Like this Blog isn't all about ME! heh!
Swati tagged me and she also said, I would take it up first! She is so right!So, here goes,
Last Movie You Saw In A Theater: Gaalipata (Kannada Movie)
What Book Are You Reading: The cell by Colin Forbes
Favorite Board Game: Monopoly
Favorite Magazine: Filmfare, Cine Blitz, Femina, Outlook, India Today, Cosmo...
Favorite Smells: Fresh Coffee, Perfume - Elizabeth Arden
Favorite Sound: TV! The instrument - Veena, the sound of Bharathanatyam anklets
Worst Feeling In The World: Inadequacy
What Is The First Thing You Think Of When You Wake? God, Gimme a good day again please
Favorite Fast Food Place: Chat Street in Mysore/ there's this really awesome Samosa/Jilebi place near my house - it doesn't have a name...
Future Child's Name: Aditi, Pallavi, Anirudh (the list is endless and sometimes keeps changing!)
Finish This Statement. "If I Had A Lot Of Money I'd...” Pay off the home loan?!
Do You Drive Fast? Yep! :-)
Do You Sleep With A Stuffed Animal? Nopes - used to as a kid!
Storms-Cool Or Scary? Scary!
What Was Your First Car? I'm thinking big - A Ferrari maybe? :-)
Favorite Drink: Water, Fruit juices... Wine
Finish This Statement, "If I Had The Time I Would .....” Continue my Dance lessons...
Do You Eat The Stems On Broccoli? No , I don’t eat Broccoli
If You Could Dye Your Hair Any Color, What Would Be Your Choice? Brown...
Name All The Different Cities/Towns You Have Lived In: Mysore, Denver, Bangalore
Favorite Sports To Watch: Cricket
One Nice Thing About The Person(s) Who Sent This To You: We agree on most things, I really like the way she thinks...
What's Under Your Bed? Nothing? Cockroaches sometimes *shudder*
Would You Like To Be Born As Yourself Again? Sure, but there are other people on that list as well! ;-)
Morning Person Or Night Owl? Depends really - on what day it is, my mood... you get the drift!
Over Easy Or Sunny Side Up? Sunny side up (this is how you like your eggs right? i don't eat eggs, but sunny side up sounds nice!)
Favorite Place To Relax: My Bed - with a good book
Favorite Pie: Apple!
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate
You pass this tag to -
Galadriel, Rayshma, Grail, Wisegirl, Cantaloupe's Amma
Of All The People You Tagged This To, Who's Most Likely To Respond First?
Galadriel, Rayshma, Grail, Wisegirl, Cantaloupe's Amma (See, I'm hopeful!) AND anyone else who wants to take it up! :-)

*Enjoy Maadi!*

Ten things I wish I could tell people right now

1. I love you and see my life with you - let's take it forward and not stagnate.

2. Your friendship means a lot to me...

3. You are an asshat, I wish I had never laid eyes on you - let alone meet you. You are the lowest scum in this Universe and the next

4. Children are important, but only when you want them and not at the cost of a marriage.

5. We shared an amazing friendship and I regret to see how much that has changed over the years, I wish we had never lost touch. It's not possible to make up for all the yrs gone by

6. You rock! I will miss you when you leave next yr for your MBA

7. You guys are the best set of parents a girl can have. Thank you for your support

8. You suck! I hate you and your voice and your tone and the fact that you think that I can't handle responsibility better

9. Go home. Sitting late only flattens your ass! and does nothing good for your health

10. I am being bad today, but I really wish you would grow up and see that this is for our good.

11. You are an amazing friend and I really hope you meet the guy who loves you for who you are.

*OK, so its 11 things!*

Just like that...

Picked this up from Galadriel:
I AM: A nutcase in more than one way!
I WANT: to lose 5 kilos
I HAVE: to make sure my inbox has NO unread mails at any given point of time
I WISH: for a better job
I HATE: hypocrites and cockroaches
I FEAR: losing my loved ones...
I SEARCH: on Google. (couldn't think of anything else!)
I WONDER: How I will be in another 10 yrs down the line
I REGRET: having quit learning Bharathanatyam
I LOVE: raindrops, ice creams, coffee, curd rice and mango pickle
I ALWAYS: get hurt easily
I AM NOT: ugly, or stupid or dumb or...
I DANCE: well and when I'm happy
I SING: badly and off-key!
I CRY: often! Even rain can make me cry sometimes!
I WRITE: because I love writing!
I WON: plenty of dance competitions in College
I AM CONFUSED: about a lot of things...
I NEED: a cup of good coffee when I'm stressed out.
I SHOULD: probably quit this job, get another
THE LAST THOUGHT I GO TO SLEEP WITH IS: thank you God for the day that was and the
maid will come at 6! Damn!!

It's 3:15 AM

What makes u care for a person?
Why does it tug your heart strings so much when they are unhappy...
Why do you feel guilty that the person is unhappy and you keep thinking at the back of your mind that you are also a cause for the same...
Why do feelings so successfully kept hidden surface to cause so much turmoil within oneself?
why do people to whom you have said good-bye come back and say that the good-bye was never meant to be?
Why is it so easy to care for that one person, who should have always been a friend only?

And How does all this make you sure that the one person in your life now - is the only person who should be there?
Why is that when you close your eyes, you see the only person who has always been by your side, the one you recognise as your husband?
Does this make one's relationship stronger?
Whatever be the issue - when I close my eyes today - I see You, my dear husband... I see your smile, feel your breath and and feel your hug
Why is it that I feel, that it was always meant to be like this only and nothing else??



P.S: Not sure if I'm making any sense with this... But, I miss my husband, which is ridiculous because he is in Mysore for a day and it's 3:15 AM and I'm not sleepy at all... and if I manage to stay awake for another 4 hrs, my maid will come!!

So far March has been eventful - with me falling sick/taking leaves...
If I look at my personal calendar at work - you will see that almost half of March is coloured with leaves...
The say bad news always comes in sets of 3 - well, we got our 3rd - sad news on Sunday afternoon - My father-in-law passed away...
He hadn't been all that well, but he didn't die because of his illness and other complications. He passed away after eating an apple - just like that - closed his eyes and he was gone...
The 15 days rituals are going on now and my husband is back in Mysore at his place with his family. I came back because of work issues and because we had left the house as it is and there were bills to pay. I was told to go and return back on Sunday for the 8th day. So, again I will be off for a week and will be back at work from April 9th.
May his Soul Rest in Peace...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! TO.... Me!!

Right, today's my birthday!! I am officially 28 yrs old today!!
I feel so mature (see, right usage of words - we don't say old - we say mature!!)
Gifts are accepted - please do feel free to send in those Dollars, Pounds, Rupees! Cash, Cheques and Travellers Cheques are also accepted... We are not very particular as to how we receive the money!!! ;-)
I feel good... Except on the work front, everything else is going on fine... (TOUCHWOOD!)
My health is on the mend (details will be posted in the next post please... :-) )
So, all you sweet people who keep coming back to read my blog and all you lurkers, who read, shake your head and move on - go ahead and wish me!! (See, I am not being too particular!!)
We all know, how good it feels to be wished on our birthdays right?!! So, go on... don't feel shy! *hehehe*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

On a Sabbatical...

Well, I will be off for a week - going home to Mysore - so Internet access will be only at the Internet cafe which is down the road...
Reasons for going home - I am stressed out and exhausted... I seriously need a break to contemplate and decide on what I would be doing next - whether to change careers or just jobs or maybe something simple like project change in my present company.
I have also been suffering from very severe upper back pain and this has completely freaked me out because the pain hasn't come down for anything - no ointments/pills/hot water bottle/massages - nothing is working.
I went to the doctor last Wednesday and got freaked out because of the tests he prescribed! Got scans done for the very first time in my life - that was another experience by itself!!!
The only good thing was both doctors were good, reassuring and the doc who did the scans had a wacky sense of humour!! I saw my insides for the first time and I now know why the good Lord didn't have "doctor" as my destiny!!!
Have you seen how your liver/spleen/uterus looks from the inside?!!! (OK, don't answer that!)
The scans were all good - no issues in any part of my anatomy - no fluids in my back, lungs/uterus/kidney/spleen/liver etc are all fine... So, the next step is x-rays, for which I need to go back when I have my cycles because they can't take x-rays of either my lungs or my back when I'm ovulating... So, I am going home for the much needed rest and the x-rays...
Be good all of you and take care of your health. Most importantly, miss me! :-)
God Bless and see you in a week and if I do get the chance (i.e. if I drag my lazy ass all the way down the street to the Internet cafe!) I will blog or at least catch up on the posts. :-)

Crazy 8's!

Grail tagged with the "crazy 8's" so, here goes!

Crazy 8's
8 Things I am passionate about
-> My family
-> My marriage
-> Reading
-> Coffee
-> Sensitivity
-> My Work
-> Friends
-> Blogging!!

8 Things I want to do before I die
-> Travel around the world
-> Do some good/proper charity work
-> Write a book
-> Complete my Piano and Dance lessons
-> Forgive some people - which is turning out to be a very difficult thing to do
-> Let go of resentments and anger directed towards some folks
-> change professions
-> Teach in a non-profit organisation

8 Things I say often
-> Fuck
-> Uh huh
-> seriously!
-> Damn
-> honey
-> Alright
-> kothi (that's monkey in kannada)
-> Why?

8 Books I've read recently
-> Playing for Pizza - John Grisham
-> The Firm (again!)
-> Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix (again!!)
-> Archie Comics (does this qualify as a book?!!)
-> Wizard of Oz
-> Famous Five - Five run away together (well, in my defense - I have them downloaded at work!!)
-> The Cell - Colin Forbes
-> Agatha Christie - Black Coffee

8 songs I could listen to over and over
-> Neele Neele Amber (kishore Kumar)
-> Mungaaru Male - all the songs from this movie (kannada song)
-> 10000 Promises - Backstreet Boys (i like this song a lot!)
-> Careless Whisper
-> Nothing else matters - Metallica
-> Songs from the movie - Amruthavarshini (another Kannada movie)
-> Jagjith Singh's gazals from the movie sarfarosh

8 Things that attract me to my best friends
-> They are always there for me
-> Sense of humour
-> Shared Past
-> We can talk about anything under the sun and the gossip is always awesome!!
-> Loyalty
-> Same kind of ideas
-> Coffee - my best friend loves coffee as much as I do!
-> good food

I am not sure if I know 8 bloggers who haven't taken this up - but, here goes
-> Rayshma
-> Galadriel
-> Swati
-> Jayashri
-> Dotmom
-> Pizzadude
-> Timepass
-> Vicky
enjoy people!! :-)

nice...

I got this as an e-mail fwd and it was so nice, felt like sharing it...

I'm really not sure about the origin or details about the picture and saying...

Tags - part 2!

Yes, I am feeling better... :-)
All your comments and support has helped a lot. Thank you so much for being so supportive... :-)

And, since we feeling better, we have gone on with the tags! Rayshma, here's one more!!!

The 20 questions Tag:

1. Name Three Most Valuable Assets?
- My specs - Can't see without 'em!!
- My ability to laugh - at most things - at others, myself and sometimes at life too! (Sorry Raysh! Picked this from u - can't help it! we seem to have a lot in common)
- optimism and positiveness.

2. If you have the chance, what would you probably say to your beloved one?
- Love you so much more than I actually thought I could...

3. If you were to be stranded on a deserted island, who are the 3 blog buddies you would take with you?
*only 3?*

- My sister
- Grail
- Rayshma
- Galadreil
- Swati

(ok, so I cheated! So?)


4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?
Venice

5. If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be?
Pay off the house loan?! ;-)

6. Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most?
no regrets! Learnt from every single mistake of mine - big or small - they happen everyday!

7. What are you afraid to lose the most?
My specs?!! , my family and my love for cooking

8. What would you do if you found a briefcase full of money?
Briefcase full of money! Sigh - that's the dream come true part! isn't it?!!

9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
Can't love anyone else - it's being used up all on the hubby!

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you...
Haven't met Rayshma, but -
- Her sense of Humour
- Her intelligence
- The way she writes...

11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
Big list, some of the fulfilled ones are:
- Sense of humour
- Sensitive
- Understanding, Caring, Very Supportive
- intelligence
- romantic

12. Which type of person do you hate the most?
in one word - hypocrites

13. What is your ambition?
To be happy and to see that my family, friends around me are happy as well...

14. What is the thing that will make you think someone is a bad person?
insensitivity to your surroundings


15. What is the one thing you would change about yourself?
To be a bit more patient.

16. Are you a shopaholic or no?
YES!

17. What is your stress buster?
Cup of coffee, relaxing while reading a book, sleeping it off...

18. What should be done to people who make such long tags..
Nothing! Keep them coming!!! :-D

19. Do you think God actually exists?
Yes.

*replaced question*
20. What is your one great weakness?
My family...


Rules: Remove 1 question from the tag and add your personal question. Make it a total of 20 questions, then tag people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them that he/she has been tagged.

I tag: Grail, Timepass, Swati, Cantaloupe's Amma, Jayashri, Vicky

and anyone else who hasn't taken it up yet!!! :-)