forgottogrowup

Moving to Wordpress

2011-03-24T21:36:00.003+05:30

Hi All,

From the comforts of blogspot which i have now being enjoying for close to two years, i am moving to wordpress. This blog would now be operating from forgottogrowup.wordpress.com

Keep visiting and marking your presence there too...:)

cheers
Deepti

Mafia Queens of Mumbai- A book review

2011-03-18T17:17:00.005+05:30

I just finished reading "Mafia Queens of Mumbai" - a book by S Hussain Zaidi and Jane Borges.
S Hussain Zaidi is a crime reporter who has been associated with newspapers like Indian Express, Mid-day and Mumbai Mirror and has also authored the book Black Friday- already made into a movie by Anurag Kashyap. Jane Borges is a senior sub editor with Asian Age-Mumbai.

The book as the name suggests talks about the little known, but highly influential females, who have directly or indirectly ruled the Mumbai underworld over a long a period of time. The men in underworld have been written about and immortalized in movies many a times; however, hardly any light has ever been thrown on the female brigade who have sometimes had an overpowering influence on the activities of the darker world.

The author has chosen 13 such females, from Jenabai -the godmother of the likes of Haji Mastan and Vardarajan Mudaliar; the reigning kings of Mumbai underworld in the 70s and 80s to women like Asha Gawli (w/0 Arun Gawli) and Sujata Nikhalje (w/0 Chota Rajan)..who handled not only the money earned by their husbands but also acted as their proxies at times to extend their empires....
The author has picked up the stories of these females and gone through the highlights and lowlights of their "careers" during their life span. The book has been written in a very methodical manner with a fact based approach. All the stories come across as very well researched, though some of them do not have the adequate amount of masaala one might expect while reading something on women in underworld; the good thing is that nowhere in the book one feels that the authors have added any events/ incidents deliberately to affect the glamor quotient of the book. The authors have done a great job in ensuring that the book does not come across as sensational piece of work on underworld. All the narrations are very simple, straight at the same time ensuring that one does not feel the urge to keep down the book to pick up something else.
The book talks about females like Jenabai Daaruwaala and Mahalakshmi Papamani who resorted to the world of crime as there was no other alternative to fight poverty and feed a family of 6-8. And at the same time it also tells stories of well educated women like Neeta Naik and Mrs Paul who opted for the easier way to power, fame and money.
Among all the stories the one which i found most interesting was the one of Sapna Didi alias Ashraf. Widow of an underworld ally, who is not aware of what her husband works as till the time she sees him being shot by Dawood's men at Mumbai Airport where she has gone to receive him. How she gets in touch with another Dawood enemy in whom she sees a trainer to train her on self defense and shooting, who falls for her madly and hence is unable to explain to her the dire consequences of her revengeful dream of killing Dawood by forming a small army of men from the Mumbai underworld. The story has a sad end when Sapna didi is brutally murdered by Dawood's men outside her home as he comes to know of her plan to kill him in a cricket stadium in Sharjah, where he is VVIP spectator every year during the Sharjah cup.

The book has a foreword by Vishal Bharadwaj, where he says that after reading the book its difficult for him to decide which plot should be picked up for making a movie. I would surely recommend Sapna Didi's story.

The book also has a chapter on Monica Bedi, which reveals some lesser known facts about the saga the bollywood starlet went through during the last decade.

Overall, a nice book, one can read on a Saturday afternoon...

Author: S Hussain Zaidi and Janes Borges
Price: INR 250 (INR 175 on flipkart)
Rating: 3/5

A film and book review!

2011-03-16T12:30:00.006+05:30

I watched 7 khoon maaf few days back. I went all the way to the theater to watch this movie. and i didn't like it. I don't know what prompted Vishal Bharadwaj to make this one.
Priyanka Chopra as Sussanne is on a killing spree. She is looking for true love; and she has the knack of attracting the most weird, horrible men in this world. Dissatisfied in a relationship; instead of leaving and moving on, her loyal servants led by her make it a point to keep on killing these husbands as soon as their saheb finds it impossible to continue the relationship.
Sussanne has been shown with a disturbed psychology from childhood; one who lives in extremes.

Anyways, i did not like anything about this movie except the "Darrrlingg...." song!!
Its dark, the story is too predictable, could not understand what is the purpose of the movie...its definitely not entertainment...
Naseeruddin Shah also plays one of the husbands; my face lit up when i saw him on the screen (such is the actor's aura); however, he has been totally wasted...anyone could have done that role. But i guess, saying no to VB is not that easy....
Another wasted actor in the movie is Konkana. A very passe role, anyone could have done.

I haven't read the book; though have heard that the book is much more captivating than the film.
Anyways....this much for the movie.

I read Preeti Shenoy's book "Life is what you make it" few days back.

I finished reading the book in one go, it does not happen to me often.

In one word..the book is Engrossing. It has a great pace, a very very detailed and good description of the events. A good story and has been told very well by Preeti.
This is the snapshot of the book from Flipkart...

"Ankita Sharma has the world at her feet. She is young, good-looking, smart and has tonnes of friends and boys swooning over her. College life is what every youngster dreams of and she also manages to get into a premier management school for her MBA. Six months later, she is a patient in a mental health hospital. How did Ankita get here? What were the events that led to this? Will she ever get back her life again?

Life has cruelly and coldly snatched that which meant the most to her and she must now fight to get it all back."

The author has done complete justice while describing the mental illness the main lead goes through. The transition of the protagonist from a cheerful college going girl with her high ambitions and her interesting love life....to a patient of bi-polar disorder is fantastic.
The description of a small town in Kerala is good enough to transport one back in time.
You feel like gobbling down the whole story in one go.

However, one part where i feel things could have been better, is the last 25% of the book where Ankita Sharma is recovering from her illness. I felt, that the fight of the main lead to get back her normal life could have been depicted in more detail and effectively...the initial 3/4th of the book is so strong in its content that this part where the girl is in hospital trying to recover....feels like falling a bit short of justifying the title of the book. The fight the girl puts to recover does not seem to be as strong as her alight into the illness....

Overall, a good, short book...worth the money..:)

Author: Preeti Shenoy
Price: INR 100 (INR 83 on flipkart)
Rating: 3/5

Ad Mad!

2011-03-09T23:04:00.003+05:30

Two ads have caught my eye lately.....
One is this USHA fans ka ad....:)

I had been to USHA corporate office once for placement purposes etc. The office look gave me a feeling that it may shut down any moment!!..Anyway that has nothing to do with this wonderfully written ad...:)

The first part of the ad, till that "One nation no discrimination" line, which brings down the awsumness value of the ad by few notches, is just super!!
Between the abundance of lays ke illogical ads, dar ke aage vishwajeet hai..etc etc..this ones a real well written, effective ad..nice way to welcome summers...:)

The other ad, which i think should be put off the air ASAP is the one for Pidilite steel grip. I am not being able to find its link on youtube. However, the ad shows a woman torturing a guy who has apparently used a non Pidilite steel grip. She is giving him electric shocks and is wearing tortourous expressions on her face when she says..."using a non pidilite..blah blah....Pagalpan Nahi to Aur Kya Hai??.."
The advertisement is simply GROSE. I very strongly feel that using a theme of declaring/ calling people pagal or display of such disturbing human conditions casually for advertising any product is bad work by the creative team. I remember another such objectionable ad..

I somehow do not appreciate this form of creativity where something which can be very serious if happens in reality is mocked at in order to make people buy it.

Hope we have saner ads in future!!

The Baai Tales!

2011-03-07T14:41:00.003+05:30

After marriage among many other things the one which i have realized big time during the last one year is...the importance of a house maid!
I have stayed away from home close to 10 years before getting married last year. Most of the time was spent in hostels, where we were hardly bothered who the kaam vaali baai is who comes to clean our room. Anyways, room cleaning at that time was of close to zero importance. Though i still remember that the baaaiis in Jhansi were too good. We had Biniya Ji, Raamkali Ji..and few other Ji's....very loving and caring, and thoroughly genuine people who made life a bit easier in the hostels there, where sometimes we were devoid of the bare minimum requirements of a decent life like electricity...for days altogether in the month of May-June...
Anyway, coming back to the topic...yes, i stayed in a PG for close to 2 years and then also stayed in a rented flat for a year and a half before i finally bid goodbye to the bachelorette pad and got married. We moved to this satellite town of Delhi, and as a welcoming gesture, our 2nd floor neighbor came forward and recommended her own housemaid to us.
More than happily we accepted the offer, and thus started our tryst with Shyaamoli or Saanwari...(not sure what her real name is as she responds to both)!!

So unlike the genuine maids i had seen in college, maid here is a different story altogether.
6:30 in the morning when she rings the bell, it feels that this is the last time our door bell is breathing ting tong...it wont be usable hereafter! After giving her directions on what to make for breakfast...i retire back to bed (to the utter disappointment of husband who thinks that i should stand there and supervise her work...:O) ..Anyway, then starts her favorite game...vessel banging!!....Initially i thought that she is upset with something...or may be with us..and thats the reason she is in all tod doongi phod doongi mode...Alas, we were very sadly and badly mistaken. This is her normal style of working. In her normal course of work she ensures that enough noise is made while washing utensils so that no poor soul around is spared of her/ his sleep....
Now, in the beginning i tokofied her...as my morning need is too dear to me and i would certainly not let any housemaid to ruin it...but then slowly i realized, that telling her to change/ modify her ways of working is of NO use...yes of ABSOLUTELY NO use.....and there are multiple reasons behind it....
The most apparent and one which we thought was most easy to tackle was that she has a hearing problem. Yes, our maid "ooncha sunti hai". So if you say something at 60 dB, decibel level of the normal human speech; its just some distant sound which her ears cannot even detect....
To add to that, since she is hard of hearing, so to compensate that, she speaks at a volume which is a couple of notches higher than the rest of us normal beings.....overall effect, highly impaired communication.
As if this was not enough, maid happens to be one of the most obstinate female i have ever come across in my life. She will just not listen to you. So if i offer my ideas on any particular dish ...ok, when i say ideas...things like..."XYZ sabzi mein tamatar mat daalna"...."tamatam nahi daalna hai????..:O..:O"..."NAHI, nahi daalna hai" (stressing each and every word like i am in some akshar gyaan classes for firang kids)....you sit down to eat and "tamatam" is all over...!!

The beauty of her behaviour is, that while she refuses to take any instructions when it comes to cooking, in every other areas you better give her instructions otherwise you are in a soup!!
Any and every edible thing kept within 1 metre radius of the sink is MEANT to be thrown away in the dustbin. Yes, so if you have kept a bowl full of fresh sabzi by mistake somewhere even close to the sink area, swoooo..sssh..it goes inside the kitchen bin. If you have kept some freshly soaked mehndi (with all your efforts of mixing, grinding and beating an egg into it)...and it happens to lie in the above said high alert area....within a blink, the mehndi vessel will be all clean and shining....."Achcha, vo fenkna nahi tha, aapne bola hi nahi"....hmm...yess..my mishtake truly!!

Her halo is such, that when MIL calls, after normal pleasantries exchange the first thing she inquires of is..."aur tumhari kaamvaali theek kaam kar rahi"...yes, my dear friends, we sometimes spend more time discussing Her Highness than anything else.
Infact, few days ago at a cousin's place i noticed their very well behaved servants. who were responding to normal human voice and there was no noise outside kitchen signaling their presence. I was lost for a few moments...started day dreaming if such a scenario would ever exist in our household!!

Now, after all this many of you must be thinking, why do we not then replace her with a better bai.
We cannot do that, zimple reason being.....this one never maaros any chutti. Yes, Touch Wood. No matter how much we long for sophisticated, smart baiis....we cannot afford to loose one, who is regular...:)
So for now, we choose to live with Shyamoli hoping that some day she will cease to be her abnormal self...and change for better..:)

Filminama!

2011-03-06T15:58:00.006+05:30

Yesterday i was watching repeat telecast of Filmfare awards 2010. Apart from other regular thing, the act which caught my fancy was a dance sequence by SRK and Madhuri Dixit almost towards the end of the show. During an ad break husband started browsing through news channels and we ended up finding Blockbusters on CNN-IBN. The star this week was Sridevi. Thankfully, Madhuri's act had ended on Filmfare and i could watch the half an hour documentary on Sridevi guilt free..:D

Watching the two divas in succession took me back in time to my growing up years when these two beauty queens were ruling Bollywood. Those were the times of no cable TV/ no DJ and no theater also (yes, i am talking about the pre 1994 era, when HAHK had not released and parents would never agree to take us to movies like "Lootere", "Dalaal" and "Khalanayak"..:D)
So all we could get of the dazzling dance performance by these actresses was through Chitrahaar and once in a while on VCRs. So each one of us had our favorite. Needless to say that while i loved Madhuri, i had friends who had their loyalties too inclined towards the southern actor. And the interesting part was that the bollywood rivalry (if or if not there was any) had been apparently taken too seriously by us girls and one who adored Mrs Nene, would dare not even praise or show a slightest sign of liking towards Sridevi. While today i find Sridevi a total delight to watch in movies like Lamhe and Chandni, those days i could never stand her accent. (actually i still don't like it) Also, i found her nose job a bit too unnatural. So enough reasons to not like her.,.:)
I simply adored MD for the Goddess she is...for her swift and smooth dance moves, her almost perfect portrayal of all her characters and her beautiful smile.

However, this favoritism never came into play when we were asked to show our dancing skills in any birthday party, sangeet ceremony etc etc. We were totally unbiased towards the wonderful songs these females have danced on. Till date i clearly remember how i replayed the audio cassette of Saajan again and again, just to perfect my steps on "Tu Shayar Hai.....Main teri Shaayari..." . Being able to copy her finger movement was like trophy winning for us...:)
Or, try creating our own steps on "Morni baaga maa bole"....

Yesterday, watching Madhuri Dixit paired with SRK in that medley brought back those wonderful memories, and just could not stop thinking how graceful and poised the two beautiful actors looked.
Have picked up some of the timeless songs of 80s and 90s which look as fresh today as they looked 20 years ago...

This song is one of the most beautiful classical based dance number of the recent times....i simply love the silver white dress adorned by Sridevi, the backdrop and her priceless expressions. Needless to say she looks divine! Every dance move is just perfect....

Another gem from the same movie, Sridevi at her best!!

Madhuri Dixit in the orange outfit looks picture perfect. She can carry any song with the same grace and poise.

Another song which i find equally tantalizing after so many years is this one from the movie HAHK. The sometimes coy, sometimes naughty expressions of MD make this one of the most
delightful songs to watch on screen...

And i do not think, anybody else in the film industry would have been able to carry off this song so gracefully. A scandalous song of its time, which created a thunder back in 93.....The baap of all item numbers...:)

Aah, and this song..sarees had never looked better on the silver screen than this!!....Hats off to the director too for selecting such a timeless collection and more than full marks to Sri for carrying them off sooooo..well.

One more dance sequance which i find mesmerizing is from DTPH.....its truly a wonderful sight watching Madhuri dance....:)

And then, those dhinchak dance numbers from Chalbaaz and Tezaab.....which could make every foot in this world tap

And this list would actually never end.....because every song looks better than the others when such talented actors become part of it....

I guess before i wind up...this one also needs to be put here.....one of the finest and most elegantly performed songs on screen....

and as i wind up..i discover this one from Aaaja nach le...

The more one says, the less it would be .....Hope we have more such actors around in the times to come ...!

Zoya Moya!!

2011-02-26T00:15:00.005+05:30

Ok, so this week had been a good one in terms of reading...:)
I had been thinking about ordering from flipkart for a long time now after hearing raving reviews from friends and family about how quick the delivery is and you can get some real good discounts. So one fine day this week, ordered not one, not two but three books in a row online. The books being:

1. Life is what you make it by Preeti Shenoy
2. Chanakya's Chant by Ashwin Sanghi and last but not the least
3. Urban Shots - a collection of urban tales which also includes a story by a dear friend Prateek..:)

Have already finished reading the first one and Prateek's story in Urban Shots.
Before this book ordering and gobbling them down in a single sitting ....i was reading A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. It is a THICK book and i had been wanting to read it for quite some time now. Finally when i started reading it, i realized that this is not the kind of book i would want to lay my hands on just before saying goodbye to yet another crazy hectic day...so the other day, i asked husband to take out some light read by any Indian author from our book box, taking advantage of the fact that he sleeps on the side of the bed which has books in its bed box; and hence has to dutifully abide by the rule of "ye tumhari side hai tum karoge..(switching off light, router, latching the room etc before sleeping fall in this category of chores....:D )"..:D

He came up with Advaita Kala's Almost Single, which i had already read and found really funny and interesting...
The next one which his hands collided with turned out to be "The Zoya Factor" by Anuja Chauhan. I quickly grabbed this one as i had read good reviews about it and had lately bought it from the Book Fair at Pragati Maidan.

The Zoya Factor is a WONDERFUL!! book...:)

It is a must read for anyone who enjoys fun, youthful reads by young Indian writers. A rom-com set in the backdrop of cricket world cup; the book is about this 27 years old girl Zoya who is born on 25th June 1983, the very moment India won its first and only world cup...:). The Indian cricket team realizes this as the "boys" win all the matches when this lucky charm breakfasts with them..and hence starts this roller coaster ride of Zoya who is taken along with the Indian cricket team to Australia so that India can bring home their next world cup in the captaincy of the oh so hot!!..Nikhil Khoda.

Yes, so it has cricket, a girl next door romancing the Indian skipper, the over the top and loud cricket crazy Karol Bagh family and not to mention a good peep into the world of advertising to which belongs the lucky lady.

How overnight The Zoya Factor becomes national news with all the Charu Sharmas and Harsh Bhogles dedicating a good part of their debates and commentaries around the lucky Indian factor, the ad agencies, her fraternity “well wishers” uksaoing her to do some Zoya Agarbatti ads..and last but not the least her proposed election tickets for a LS seat..:D

I loved the book for the sheer dosage of humor, crazily funny moments and yes the awsum off-on-off-on romance between Nikhil Khoda and Zoya Solanki..:) (it IS one of the best things in the book..;-))
The story maintains a perfect pace, I loved the character depiction of Zoya, a 27 years old with a heart of 17 years!!...an utterly confused, humble, funny young girl ….(the forgottogrowup types..;-)) The character makes you nod throughout..yeah..yeah..it does happen...it seems the author has actually looked inside the head of some ordinary, not that achiever, love lost girl to come out with the perfectly defined character Zoya..:)

Though I felt that the Indian skipper’s character has been depicted a bit too god to be believed kinds..but then it does it bit to add spice to the reading..:)

It’s a total paisa vasool, fun book, which I would strongly recommend to all the readers looking for something light hearted yet mature…:)

Price: INR 299

Overall Rating: 4/5

(Yes, from now on I will also end my book reviews (if this counts as one) with my rating of the book..;-)..(like those veteran bloggers) YAY!! It feels good..:))

"Healthy" New Year!

2011-01-26T18:30:00.004+05:30

hello to everyone...:)
Its been close to three months that i last posted, i have been thinking about making this place live for quite some time now; so what better time to get this blog back to life than the first month of the new year..:)
Like all other years i have made some resolutions this year too.....and needless to ask what is the progress on them..:P...Multiple thoughts and ideas in pieces and parts which are making rounds in my head...lemme start with this book which i read recently.."Dont loose your mind..loose your weight" by Rujuta Diwekar.

I had heard a lot about this book, but have always had my own reservations on books talking gyaan on health etc etc.
However, few days back a bhabhi mentioned about the book in one of our conversations and i laid my hands on the book while digging deep inside our book bed.

This is one of the best books i have read in the recent past. Not only because it tells us some great things about our stomach but more so because it tells you everything in the most direct, interesting and touching manner. Yes, this book touches your mind, in a way that if read with even the slightest of interest can actually make one think about one's eating habits and the most neglected organ of our body..our stomach.
Rujuta tells in her book, how NO..yes no food is bad food and any thing if eaten at the right time and in right quantity can align with your metabolism to do all good to your body.
I simply loved the way how the author has stated all gyaan about our food habits in the most simple terms at the same time ensuring that she touches the right chord with the readers and effectively communicates the crux.
She manages to add the novelty factor in her book, when she says things like: ".. "Heart Attack" is a very wrongly used term...our heart can never attack us, its we who attack our heart by doing all wrong things to it, by not letting go of our bad habits..."
At another place she sayas: "..The stomach is of the size of our two palms joined together to form a close. It can only take that much food at a time. That is why the Jain bhikshuks always asked for palm full of food for their meals. Respect the capacity of your stomach and feed it what it can consume.."
Few things which i simply found very useful and which I am trying to imbibe are:

1. Listen to and understand your stomach. Don't be harsh on it by starving for long hours and neglecting it when you are busy doing long hours in office.
2. EAT something as soon as you get up in the morning. (something can be a good paratha meal also).
3. Try to finish your two largest meals of the day before 11 AM. Our stomach's digesting ability keeps decreasing with the course of the day.
4. Eat small quantities every 2 hours. Don't skip your evening snacks because that would deter you from having a full dinner. Idea is to have a light dinner to keep the stomach fit.
5. Avoid eating cut fruits, and juices are a big NO. Fruits are meant to act as antioxidants in our body. By cutting them we are exposing their surface area, thus letting them oxidize before we can consume them. Hence, making them less healthy. Juices= fruits-fiber; again less healthy.

And yes, the book also emphasizes on working out. At least thrice a week....:)

So this was about the book.

I watched this movie Band Baaja Baaraat few days back. Sis told me its a nice watch, and i spent my new years day watching BBB.
wonderful is the word!
And now that the post has started, i realise that i have many more things to pen down. But as the clock strikes 12, and eyes start drooling, its time to wind up this first post of the year with a promise that post rate would be much more higher this year and the blog would not go into slumber even during the busiest times..:)

With Colors-2

2010-10-17T17:57:00.003+05:30

Sunday afternoon with colors....

With Colors!!

2010-10-16T19:31:00.005+05:30

Last to last weekend we went to CP, in the CWG mela, there was a stall of colors and canvasses....i bought a set of colors and canvas...:)
After some 15 good years i tried my hands at painting again....:)

"I"-Then and Now

2010-10-15T20:19:00.008+05:30

Shilpa of Just Speaking My Mind has done a wonderful post on how she has changed in the last 10 years and good part is she has converted that in to a tag for all of us to take....

So here i jot down the ways in which i have changed in the last 10 years....

1. From a girl who use to take life a bit too seriously, thinking that a good job is the only thing that would decide how successful life can be, i have changed for good ..to appreciate the various dimensions life has to offer and understand that its you and no one else who would describe how successful you life has been....

2. 10 years ago i has this huge misconception about myself...i use to think that i am the most fair, innocent, gracious and and nice person around and no living being on this earth can ever have a problem because of me. I use to think that none of my actions ever hurt anyone, and i always put other's interests ahead of mine.
Today i am thankful that i have slowly gained this maturity to understand that the above is not always true.....:). Today, i know when i am being any of the above, and i guess awareness is the first step towards any sort of rectification!!

3. When 19, i was conscious of even leaving my hair open, which was much much better than it is now..:(. I used to think that those spending time decorating their outer appearance are living in some fake world and would soon realize that they are on some wrong path, and start following my way of just concentrating on the inner beauty which matters the most. True, inner beauty does matter, but today i know that looking good, paying attention to oneself is no crime, rather is a reflection of your love for yourself and nothing else.

PS: I have also developed a weird theory here. I feel by making attempts to look good you are actually doing a kind of social service. People around you would have better groomed individuals to look at, which would be a treat to their eyes and may be a positive effect on their mood. So who knows, by dressing up well....you might be doing some kind of social service...and its actually our "Individual Social Responsibility" (ISR) to look good:D

4. When i joined college, my wardrobe was dominated by colors like gray, black, white and browns....Thanks to the positive souls like Serenity i learnt that wearing bright colors is no crime, and it just adds cheerfulness to our mundane surroundings. Today, my wardrobe reflects VIBGYOR....:D. When i visit shops now, i ask for happy colors...:)

5. Among many other things i was too under confident to voice my opinion on anything even very close to my heart. Not that i was any less opinionated than i am now, but to get across the point to the other party was always a problem. Result was, me filled to brim with my own thoughts which never had the right outlet. Not that i have become some jhnasi ki rani in all these years. But now, communicating my thoughts and opinions comes much more easier. I am much more comfortable now telling and convincing people how i feel and think about something. This one thing has made life much much more easier.

6. 10 years back, i never use to crave for home. When i joined hostel, i don't remember even once that i was counting days for vacations to rush back home. I was always happy in my hostel abode. Today, at 29 and being married, i feel the need to go back and spend time with my parents much more. I look forward to holidays, when i can just pack my bags and visit them.

7. I was never happy with this feature which sits prominently on my face, my nose. I always felt it was too out of shape and at one point in time, the only reason why i wanted to earn money was that i could get a nose job done..:). Any jokes about it were never taken in good spirit....But that was a decade ago....Today, i find its existence perfectly in peace with mine, and have no qualms about it not resembling Madhuri Dixit's in shape...:D.

Basically, a lot of self assurance has creeped in.....i have learnt to laugh on myself, to openly criticize when and where i am wrong, to rationally look for a way out and accept the things they are.

...this is all i can think of as of now...but i am sure there are many other changes which the me has seen over the past 10 years...and more that that there are many more which i envisage in the next 10 years.....

For the festive mood, this song for Navratri...:)

A Blog Post-7

2010-10-10T22:03:00.000+05:30

Another month has passed since i last posted something. The month of Librans has started....the month of festivities....of a changing weather...many birthdays....CWG games.....and much more.....just want to pen down the tit-bits of the gone by month and the thoughts hovering my mind these days....

1. After showering its blessings in the form of water for 3 continuous months ...the mansoon Gods have finally shed their load and moved on...leaving us with shorter days and longer evenings....this is the best weather one can experience when in northern part of India...needless to say i am loving it....festival season..and the season of marriages is around.....the sun seems not not so harsh...and its dark by 6:30.....i get nostalgic at times and am reminded of school days..when the month of Oct was marked by halyearly exams....:).....in few days we'll have dussera and then diwali....the much awaited festivals and loads of holidays too.....:).....

2. CWG games started today and Delhi really seems to be in a celebration mood. We went to CP yesterday, the CWG celebrations could be seen in full swing there.....a mela sort of has been organised near state emporiums..where all states are displaying there art and craft...and food stalls from all over India....it was good to see people of all age roaming around with their families ..enjoying the various cuisines...just sitting and relaxing.....and appreciating the various cultural shows of diff states.....we had a great time experiencing the raunak there...:)
I also discovered an interesting fact yesterday while coming back to Ggn. We took the metro and i realised that the familiar voices in which the announcements inside metro have been recorded in Shammi Narang and Rini Khanna's voice...the yesteryear's newsreader's of Doordarshan..:)

3. I finished reading this book called Heartbreaks and Dreams by Parul Agarwal Mittal. This female is from IIT D and the book gives a girl's perspective of studying in a male dominated IIT. Everything about the book is good..as in the flow, narration, humor etc etc....but the one area where it lacks big time is connecting with the audience....reason being, the author makes the female lead sound too boisterous throughout..yes the thing that humans studying in IITs are a notch above us less mortal beings comes out a bit too well in the course of the book, and i guess this is where the author fails to connect to its audience the way her batchmate Mr. Bhagat did..:)
Other than that, its a fun book to read with a good dose of humor and a pretty believable plot....

4. I also read this another book "The Memory Keeper's Daughter". A wonderful book which would be reviewed in another post!

This post was written on 3rd of Oct. Draft kiya, aaj poori kar dete hain.......
We saw Do Dooni Chaar today. A very warm simple story of a middle class family in Delhi trying to graduate from a scooter to a car. The head of the family is a maths teacher in a private school who teaches in an IIT coaching center in the evening to meet the family expenses. The story revolves around how the different circumstances the family goes through in their stint to secure a four wheeler. Apart from the funny situations and the light note on which the film is made what i liked about the movie was its close to real life depiction. The film has actually been shot in some middle class colony of Delhi, and more than suitably captures the middle class mentality which our generation kids have seen in their growing years. The discussions around stagnant DAs and tuition fees of kids, monthly savings and call center jobs....the best part of the movie is Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor as screen couple, who have delivered a wonderful performance as a punjabi family of lajpat nagar....:).
A good time pass for a lazy saturday afternoon....

A very happy Navratri to all...May this festive season be full of happiness for one and all..:)

Wordless Wednesday-1!!

2010-10-06T21:27:00.005+05:30

Pictures clicked by a cousin of our hometown!!

अ ब्लॉग पोस्ट -६

2010-09-03T06:30:00.005+05:30

कुछ दिन पहले पति के साथ कुछ बात हो रही थी..और बातों बातों में इंजीनियरिंग के दिनों के viva का ज़िक्र आ गया.....इंजीनियरिंग कॉलेज में किये गए फर्जी कामों की लिस्ट में सेमेस्टर एंड में होने वाले vivas की १ अलग ही जगह है......पूरे सेमेस्टर labs में रोज़ अलग अलग लीलाएं होतीं थीं....और उनकी इतिश्री होती थी सेम एंड viva voce में.......हमारे 3rd सेमेस्टर में almost सभी subjects इलेक्ट्रोनिक्स/ इलेक्ट्रिकल के थे...और हमारे कॉलेज की इलेक्ट्रोनिक्स की faculty इस दुनिया के सबसे sadist लोगों को मिला के बनायीं गयी thi...१ से बढ़ कर १.....उनका जीवन में बस १ ही मकसद था...विद्यार्थियों की वाट लगा के रखना...हर दिन...हर क्लास में..हर viva में...और ofcourse ..हर exam में.....प्रक्टिकल क्लास्सेस में अक्सर इनका झुण्ड १ ही lab में आ जाता था....और हर हफ्ते किसी नयी तरह से हमारे तीन घन्टे बर्बाद किये जाते थे...खैर....उन labs में क्या नाटक होते थे..ये कभी और.....अभी ज़िक्र रहेगा इलेक्ट्रिकल measurements एंड measuring इंस्ट्रुमेंट्स....(EMMI) के प्रक्टिकल एक्साम का...theory एक्साम्स ख़तम होने के बाद practicals हुए...generally प्रक्टिकल एक्साम वाले दिन ही उसका viva भी हो जाया करता था....अगर external examiner न हुआ..तो उसके अगले दिन....पर उस बार...examiner की availaability थोड़ी मुश्किल हो गयी...EMMI और Network Analysis एंड Synthesis दो subjects के practicals हो गए और ये बताया गया की दोनों के ही viva २-३ दिन बाद होंगे.........एक्साम्स क्यूंकि ख़त्म हो चुके थे...और viva को हमने कभी इतना important समझा ही नहीं की उसकी चिंता की जाए...तो सभी लोग एक्साम्स ख़तम होने की ख़ुशी मानाने लगे.....हमारा सालाना जलसा.."उत्सव" भी आने वाला था..तो काफी जनता उसकी तैय्यारी में जुट गयी...प्रक्टिकल एक्साम के लगभग ३ दिन बाद खबर आई की भाई आज...EMMI का viva है...viva १ फोर्मलिटी भर हुआ करती थी ५० numbers का हिसाब देने की university को...तो १ साथ ५ छात्रों को कमरे में बुला लिया जाता था....और १५-२० मिनट तक छात्रों का ragging session चलता था...जिसमे external examiner समोसे और चाय पे ध्यान केन्द्रित रखता था.....और हमारी faculty अपने जन्म भर के frustrations का बेपरवाह छात्रों से बदला ले रही होती थी.....खैर.....रोल नंबर के हिसाब से ५-५ करके जनता अंदर जा रही थी......१ झुण्ड के बाहर आते ही सब उनपे लपक लेते थे..की भाई बताओ जो १- आध सवाल दागे गए हों अंदर syllabus से...उन्ही के answers रट लिए जाएँ.....examiner घर से कोई ८-10 सवालों की पोटली लाता था..और सभी १२-१५ batches से वही सवाल पूछे जाते थे.....
खैर इसी सरपट बाजी में...१ batch गया अंदर.....अंदर गए ५ लोगों में हमारे १ मित्र थे..श्री अनुपम जैन....जो की batch के कुछ .हंसमुख...easygoing ..लोगों में से थे...इनके चेहरे पे टेंशन शायद ही ४ साल में किसी ने देखी होगी...ये localite थे...और अपनी शान की सवारी..हीरो puch पे कॉलेज आया करते थे....3rd सेमेस्टर तक इनसे कोई विशेष दोस्ती तो नहीं हुई थी...पर इनके टेंशन फ्री attitude को जनता ने जान लिया था...खैर......पाँचों जन ने examiner और internal faculty के सामने अपनी अपनी सीटें ले लीं...और pseudo राग्गिंग चालू हो गयी....batch में १ और सज्जन गए थे ..जो की क्लास के सबसे हुर्ष्टपुष्ट और विशाल जीवों में से थे...पर स्वभाव से काफी गंभीर थे...उनसे examiner ने १ सवाल पूछा...जिसका उत्तर देने के लिए उन्होंने सोचना शुरू किया....(या शायद सोचने का नाटक शुरू किया)......खैर ...जब वहां से कोई उत्तर नहीं आया तो ..सवाल अगले छात्र पर carry फॉरवर्ड कर दिया गया.....सवाल टालने का ऐसा ही सिलसिला चल रहा था कि जैन साहब को अचानक हंसी आ गयी.....आपको सवाल का जवाब न आये..कोई बात नहीं....आप गर्दन झुका के बैठे रहे..कोई बात नहीं...पर अगर viva के उस concentration कैंप में.. आप हंस गए...किसी हंसी की बात पर भी...तो समझ लीजिये की आज आपका बड़ा दिन है.....जैन साहब को हँसता हुआ देख कर दोनों नरभक्षी जीवों ने उनकी ओर रुख किया...और उनसे जवाबदारी शुरू कर दी...उनकी हंसी पर २-४ लानतें फेंक कर ...उनसे कहा गया कि आप बताइये जवाब क्या होगा...... .अब सवाल जैन साहब के पाले में था...कहने की ज़रुरत नहीं है..उत्तर का तनिक भी आईडिया उन्हें नहीं था...और जितना उन्हें जाना है इतने समय में..उन्होंने शायद सवाल भी नहीं सुना था जब वो पहली बार उनके संगी से पुछा गया था.....जब जैन साहब के मुख से उत्तर का अवतरण नहीं हुआ तो ये तय हो गया कि आज की limelight के हकदार श्री जैन ही हैं....:) बाकी जनता राहत कि सांस ले रही थी कि अब बचे हुए समय में गुरु जन इन्ही की लंका लगायेंगे.....
जैन साहब को १ और मौका देते हुए एक्सामिनेर ने पूछा....कि चलिए कोई बात नहीं... आप ये ही बता दीजिये कि आपने प्रक्टिकल में कौन सा एक्सपेरिमेंट किया था...:)..ठंडी सांस लेते हुए...हमारे प्रिय मित्र ने अपने दिमाग पे जोर डाला...बहुत डाला....पर एक्साम्स ख़तम होने कि ख़ुशी शायद कुछ ज्यादा ही मन चुकी थी...दिमाग ने respond करने से मना कर दिया....और थोडा सकपकाते हुए अनुपम महाराज ने कहा.."सर वो तो अब याद नहीं.."...:D ......माहौल अब गरमा चुका था....दोनों गुरुजन स्तिथि का लुत्फ़ लेने के पूरे मूड में आ चुके थे.... इतने "कूल" छात्रों से सामना रोज़ रोज़ कहाँ हुआ करता है....मस्त हैं अपनी ही दुनिया में....खैर....एक्सामिनेर साहब का दिल थोडा पसीजा और उन्होंने सवाल को थोडा और आसान बनाते हुए और प्रक्टिकल में पूछे जाने वाले सवालों को १ अलग ही ऊँचाई पे ले जाते हुए पूछा....भाई..अच्छा आप ये ही बता दीजिये की आप कौनसे subject का viva देने आये हैं??.....:D ...अब भला ये भी कोई सवाल हुआ....माना प्रक्टिकल किये हुए ज्यादा दिन हो जाने के कारण हमें एक्सपेरिमेंट का नाम न याद हो....पर ये तो पता ही है की प्रक्टिकल किस subject का दिया था.....जैन साहब ने poore आत्मविश्वास के साथ इस सवाल को लपकते हुए झट से जवाब दिया....सर.... नेटवर्क सिंथेसिस एंड analysis ...:O .....इतना सुनना था कि सवाल पूछने वाले विद्वानों ने हार मान ली...और बाइज्ज़त श्री अनुपम जैन और बाकी छात्रों के झुण्ड को बाहर भेज दिया....:)...आज का उनका entertainment dose ज़रुरत से ज्यादा हो चुका था.....इतने की उन्हें आदत नहीं थी....:P ..

खैर..हमारे परम मित्र श्री अनुपम जैन प्रक्टिकल के उन बेमतलब क्लास्सेस से अब तक जीवन के कई milestones पार कर चुके हैं.....पिछले महीने की २१ तारिक को वे १ बेटे के पिता बने...:)...जीवन के इस सर्व्शेष्ठ्र achievement पर उन्हें बहुत बहुत बधाइयाँ....:)...
आज के Friday मूड के लिए ये गाना....

A ब्लॉग पोस्ट -५

2010-09-01T12:06:00.001+05:30

जो बरसे सपने बूँद बूँद...नैनो को मूँद मूँद..कैसे मैं चलूँ...देख सकूं......अनजाने रास्ते... गूंजा सा है कोई १ तारा १तारा....गूंजा सा है कोई १ तारा......

शुक्र है शुक्रवार है.....बड़े दिनों बाद आज Fri को relax सा फील हो रहा है....कल राहत फ़तेह अली खान का concert देखने जाना है.....:)...ऐसे अच्छे दिन आते रहें समय समय पर...और मन लगा रहे....:) आज बड़े दिनों बाद ऑफिस से वापस आके चाट खाई..:); किसी ठेले पर तो नहीं, १ काफी ठीक ठाक सी दुकान पर....ठेले पर खाने का मज़ा कुछ और ही होता है वैसे तो, पर आजकल "hygeine" reasons के कारण ऐसा करना ठीक नहीं बताया जाता..... मौसम का रहमो करम जारी है, आज भी पानी बरसा, और शाम तक मौसम सुहाना ही बना रहा.....बचपन में इस मौसम में हम अंगूर के पत्तों के पकोड़े खाया करते थे..:)....भुट्टे पे नींबू और नमक, आलू प्याज के पकोड़े....और चीला....ये बरसात के मौसम के पर्यायी हुआ करते थे, हो तो वैसे अभी भी सकते हैं, अगर कोई बना के दे दे तो..:)..अपने से रोज़ इतनी मेहनत मुश्किल लगती है थोड़ी .... वैसे इस बरसात में मैंने १ बात जानी....ये ही १ ऐसा मौसम है, जिसमे भारत के लघभग सभी मैदानी शहर १ जैसे लगते हैं, अच्छे...:)....बारिश चाहे चेन्नई में हो...या दिल्ली में....या हमारे झांसी में....बारिश के वो ३-४ घंटे हर शहर की हवा को इतना साफ़...ठंडा ..और सुकूनमय बना देते हैं कि शायद १ यही मौसम है जिसमे दिल्ली क्या..हैदराबाद क्या...कहीं भी बस जाने का मन करने लगेगा.. ...बारिश हो जाने पर ये सूखा धूल भरा गुडगाँव शहर भी रहने लायक लगने लगता है..(- traffic ofcourse) ..

ये पोस्ट लिखी थी कुछ १ महीना पहले.....लिखा तो इसके बाद और भी बहुत कुछ था...पर save नहीं किया ....तो ये पोस्ट इतनी ही रह गयी.....
उस दिन कुछ तस्वीरें लीं थीं..अपने कैमरे से.....अब पाईये नीचे.....

कुछ दिन पहले हम जयपुर गए थे ऑफिस की तरफ से.....बारिश के मौसम में ऐसा लग रहा था की हम राजस्थान में नहीं...बल्कि दक्षिण भारत के किसी हिल स्टेशन में हैं....:)॥बड़ा मन था रुक के आमेर फोर्ट घूम के आयें, पर कम समय के कारण बस बाहर से ही देख के मन भर लिया.....

ब्लॉग पोस्ट-४

2010-08-18T22:17:00.004+05:30

तेरे आने की जब खबर महके....तेरी खुशबू से सारा घर महके......
ये गाना चल रहा है background में.....
पिछली पोस्ट का डेट देखा तो एहसास हुआ की अगस्त के महीने में अब तक १ पोस्ट भी नहीं लिखी गयी है......इस वीकेंड मैं शादी के बाद पहली बार अपने घर गयी..."अपने"= मेरे mum पापा वाले घर...:)....Bangalore से गुडगाँव शिफ्ट हुए almost ४ महीने हो चुके हैं.....देश के इस हिस्से में बहुत खूबियाँ/ बुराइयां हैं...मैं गिनाने बैठूंगी तो बस बुराइयाँ निकलेंगी और ये पोस्ट कभी भी ख़तम नहीं होगी.....पर॥जैसे की मेरी अक्सर कोशिश रहती है......कम से कम इस जगह पर मैं crib करना avoid करती हूँ.....हाँ, तो अपने और सब traits के अलावा, इस जगह की खास बात ये है...की यहाँ हर समय १ अजीब सी भगदड़ रहती है....ऐसा नहीं है की मेरा ऑफिस घर से कोई दूर है और मुझे बहुत travel करना पड़ता है, या मेरे वोर्किंग hours इतने तकलीफदेह हैं की जीने मरने की नौबत आई रहती है......पर यहाँ कुछ ऐसा है की मानसिक सुकून नाम की चीज़ नदारद है.....इससे पहले भी मैं सो called "metros " में रही हूँ....पर जितनी आफत यहाँ लगती है॥उतनी कभी भी कहीं नहीं लगी......हर समय ऐसे लगता है जैसे कुछ करना बाकी रह गया आज के दिन भी....आने वाले दिन का कोई उत्साह ही नहीं लगता.....
खैर....इस सब के बाद, स्वतंत्र दिवस वाले वीकेंड पे हम निकल गए अपने घर की और....पहली बार ऐसा लगा..की यार बड़े होके कोई विशेष फायदा नहीं हो रहा है....:(
मैं पिछले दस सालों से घर से बाहर रह रही हूँ.....इन दस वर्षों में कॉलेज के दिनों के अलावा घर जाने का मौका बस ऐसे ही साल में १-२ बार मिलता था....हद से हद १० दिन के लिए १ बार में......जब तक वहां मन लगना शुरू होता था, वापस आने का समय पास आ जाता था....अक्सर सुबह ४ बजे की ट्रेन पकड़ के दिल्ली और वहां से अपने ठिकाने..चेन्नई या बंगलोरे......झाँसी जाने के लिए रात १२ बजे की ट्रेन पकड़ते थे.....जो अगले दिन १२ बजे झाँसी पहुंचाती थी...और मेरे अन्दर का आलसी जानवर.....दतिया तक सोता रहता था.....(दतिया झाँसी से ठीक पहला स्टेशन है जिसपे अगर आप नहीं उठे..तो स्टेशन छूटा समझो)...पर वापस हॉस्टल पहुँच कर १ नयी ही दुनिया शुरू हो जाती थी....और वहां ऐसे मन राम जाता था..की फिर जब तक अगली बार हॉस्टल खाली होता न दिखे मैं अपना सामन बांधती ही नहीं थी.....
चेन्नई और बंगलोरे में भी कुछ ऐसा ही हाल था....जब तक स्टुडेंट रहे.....हॉस्टल का कमरा ही घर लगता था, छुट्टियों से वापस आकर कमरा खोलते हुए लगता था...की बस, पहुँच गए अपनी जगह....चैन..राहत.....

पर पता नहीं दिल्ली (NCR) आके ऐसा कभी क्यूँ नहीं लगता......यही १ ऐसी जगह है...जहाँ वापस आके भी लगता है, की नहीं घर ही जाना है.....और ऐसा नहीं है की ये पहली बार है, अपने २००४ के १ साल के प्रवास के दौरान भी मैंने यही पाया, कि यहाँ से घर जाके..वापस आने का सचमुच मन नहीं करता.....और इस बार तो मन में ये तीव्र विचार उठा, कि ज़िन्दगी अगर कहीं है...तो हमारे छोटे शहरों में ही है.....दिन में सो जाओ..तो बस १ आवाज़ होती है background में...पंखे कि....:)....१ दम शान्ति, बचपन के दिन याद आ गए..जब स्कूल से आके मम्मी डांट के सुलाया करतीं थी...और हम तीनो भाई बहेन थोडा लड़ झगड़ के सो जाते थे...बीच में अगर उठे तो पैर भी धीरे धीरे रखने पड़ते थे कि कहीं मम्मी कि आँख न खुल जाए......और गढ़वाली में १- २ तीखे प्रहार न हो जाएँ...:D
घर से १ km के radius पर ज़रुरत की सब चीज़ें....बिना traffic में फंसने कि टेंशन के...तो अगर पापा कह के गए हैं कि "ज़रा यहीं" तक जा रहा हूँ..तो आप निश्चिन्त रहे...कि जगह सचमुच पास होगी....
पडोसी सिर्फ बाजू वाले घर में रहने वाले लोग नहीं, बल्कि ऐसे मित्र हैं जिनके चेहरे पे आपको देख के ऐसे ख़ुशी आ जायेगी..मानो उनके बच्चे ही घर आ गए हों..और आपके आने की खबर सुनकर, वो अपने आप ही मिलने चले आयेंगे......और आपके पति को अपने दामाद जितना ही मान देंगे..:)
डॉ को दिखने जायेंगे, तो उनको बस इतना कहना होगा की आप..ध्यानी जी की बिटिया हैं, बाकी वो अपने आप ही पूछ लेंगे....बेटे आपका भाई कैसा है, आप कहाँ रह रही हो..और दवाई के साथ यहन वहां २-४ बातें भी कर लेंगे.....अपने "कीमती" समय की फिक्र न करते हुए...खैर, बात का सार ये है कि सुकून से बढ़कर इस दुनिया में मुझे कुछ नहीं लगता, और इस जगह मुझे बस सुकून ही नहीं लगता.....

वापस आने का reservation छत्तीसगढ़ में था.....रात १२ बजे चलने वाली गाडी, जिसमे अपने इंजीनियरिंग के ४ साल मैंने बहुत सफ़र किया है....सुबह ४ बजे दिल्ली पहुंचा देती है....चढ़ने से पहले ही पता था..कि नींद तो पूरी होगी नहीं..१ अजीब सी बैचैनी थी मन में..."झुर्याट" कहते हैं जिसे गढ़वाली में...kisi चीज़ का मन न हो..और डर के बुझे मन से वो करना पड़े...वापस दिल्ली आने का १ अंश भी मन नहीं था.......ये झाँसी का सफ़र तो है नहीं..कि आज रात चढ़े..तो कल दिन में ही उठेंगे अब सीधे....आराम से..चैन से....शायद ट्रेन का ये छोटा हो गया सफ़र भी यही इशारा दे रहा था..कि इस सफ़र कि तरह..ज़िन्दगी से सुकून भी कम हो गया है.....manzil आ गयी है..जुट जाओ फिर काम पे.....और भागने लगो इस रेले के साथ.....

A Blog Post-3

2010-07-28T14:07:00.004+05:30

Just now discovered that i can compose posts from my office..:).What a great relief...Using mozilla, not only can i open my blog in view mode but can also compose and post new posts....But alas!!..this discovery came a bit too late, all these days i was totally jobless but did not know about this mozilla thing...and the day i discovered this...bang!! came the strart date of a new project...Anyways, this post is solely dedicated to the fact that now during free time i would be able to write a post or 2 from office...:)

Its sunny outside and no traces of clouds...This otherwise boring office gives an awsum view of outside on rainy days. The other day clicked this pic when it was pouring heavily..

And this is how Gurigram looks like from my office window on normal no rain days....

Chalo ji..time to wind up for the day..!! cheers...

+ve Diary: Day 4

2010-07-25T23:36:00.011+05:30

Ok..i will not start this post with explanation of why 3 pages of this diary are missing.....Todays good things...

1. Finally after many many days i managed to charge my camera...:)..i got it as a wedding gift frm dear sis, and am very happy that now i would be able to put pics also in my posts..:).... Clicked some pics using the same and felt wonderful, rather super wonderful..:).....(I have mispaced the data chord and hence could not chipkao the pics here...*cribs max*: to be ignored..:)))

2. I am learning classical dance these days; today i realized that all these days i was actually physically present in the dance class but could not avoid idhar udhar ki tensions hovering on my head and actually enjoy dancing...today however, i was too absorbed and involved in dancing and really enjoyed that 1 hour...:)....it was bliss, i have decided that from now i would ensure that none of these trivial or not so trivial things are carried to the dance class..:)
I had learned classical dance for a month long long time ago..when i was in class 3; i had a pair of ghungroo as well. This time again i bought a new set; and needless to say it feels great to own one..:)

3. The weather here is awsssumm today..i mean amazingly good...no need of AC and no humidity, Thank You God for this relieving weather change ..for these beautiful rains...:)...

4. Yess..and a very important thing..i managed to grab breakfast today..:)).....this is one thing which is very high in my to- do list ..but somehow every day passes with.."kal se pakka".......

5. Spoke to a friend whos leaving for UK in a couple of days, asked her to get me a nice handbag from their....post which i started googling away to glory..:)....and here are some lovely handbags which i found...:)

Needless to say i was thrilled after this exercise, the very idea of shopping is enough to lift the mood up from any depths of this universe...:D

Unlike other fellow bloggers who by now must be done with this 7 day positivity experiment; i would take 3 more days to complete it..rather i think it can be adopted as a regular exercise....jot down all the things you feel good, grateful about despite of all the lousy, bad days you have....naaice..:)

+ve Diary: Day 2

2010-07-22T22:25:00.002+05:30

Good things that happenend today:
1. An encouraging thing @ office which made me feel quite good.
2. I got my office ID card after a good 2.5 mnths of shifting to Ggn office. Reason i did not have a passport size picture of mine. Though at the face of it did not seem much of a hassle collecting a temp card at the entrance everyday, but today when i got my ID card i realised that making an entry at the temp card register everyday was actually a cumbersome excercise and an unnecessary task every morning which the mind was taking as a burden, totally avoidable. Entering office with my own ID card made life quite simple...:). Now the day at office would not start with a futile exercise.
3. Spoke to few good friends during the day and needless to say it felt really good.
4. Slept after coming from office but still managed to finish some important household chores.
5. And the best thing happens as i write this post...chatting with sis and we end up discussing JWM and Kareena's character in it....lovely movie with super positive energy..perfect to go with the mood of this post...:)

My favourite-est scene is the one in train when she is convincing the TTE explaining him why Shahid is travelling without ticket... and says.."Bhaisahab aap convince ho gaye ki main aur bolun.."...:D....Here is a collection of some funny scenes from JWM...:)

+ve Diary: A tag by PS- Day 1

2010-07-21T23:56:00.009+05:30

Preeti from justamotheroftwo did a post today on how its is important and healthy to look at the positive things in life to keep onself sane and happy!!
As she has stated, all of us know this in theory, but have not seen many people following it religiously. I am among those who rarely follow it. So i decided to particpate in this excercise where we have to write a post on five good things that happen in a day for seven continuous days starting today. Considering the usefulness of the excercise and the fact that i have been too irregular in this space for quite some days now, me decided to take it up....so here comes the list of good things that happened today:

1. Sis came home to stay with me. Its always a delight to have siblings around, and her being around means that there would be good rounds of laughter and chitchats..:)..I guess the best part about siblings is that you share the same sense of humor and can easily laugh on the same things...:)...and what better way to spend an evening than with a funny, humorous younger sis....:)

2. I prepared rasam for the first time and it turned out well (my version). I poked sis endlessly and in various ways to admit the same....till she finally agreed and we became version compatible..:D

3. It was not very hot, rather manageable weather.

4. I maroed a night out yesterday, still i did not feel sleepy in office today; which in itself is a miracle...:D

5. I spoke to FIL after like 2 weeks and it felt really nice. (he is recovering from an accident)

Hmm...din bhar mein 5 achchi baatein dhoondna is also not very easy...anyways, time to bid good bye to this day now...:) and jaate jaate..ye gaana....which sis forced me to listen and i found it good..:)

A blog post-2

2010-07-21T23:07:00.009+05:30

Today during lunch break we were discussing who all have nick names…I do not have one. Both siblings have two names each and a third joint name!!..as in they are called “Ani” and “Manu” when addressed individually..but if one has to call them together/ or refer to them together…it becomes “Ani-Mani”..:D, so basically the twins share 5 names between them..:O. I always wanted that even I should have been given a nick name. I guess parents made up for their deed of not nick naming me by bestowing siblings with a set of 5 names..:D….anyways, I have always been known by this single name only. Infact if I look around, almost all my cousins have a nick name, even all my chachas/ maamas ..yess..ALL..and they would be somewhere close to 30 if I count all the cousins my dad has… have nicknames…..infact I still do not know the official names of many of them..:O…yess, it was never needed…..the only times when we ever came to know about the “actual” names of these chaachas / maamas was when we had to write their names on invitation cards..or we received the invites of their marriage..or we actually went to their place and saw it on the name plate… :D…I remember..bachpan mein if we actually needed to know any chachaas real name…we would ask dad..”papa Bombay vale pappu chacha ka naam kya hai???.....(Bombay vale was imp, because there is another pappu chaacha..Musoorie vale…whos actual name I still do not know..:D) Huge family you see….nick names also had to be repeated after a certain point…:D (Btw ..i have a Pappu mama also….:D)
I remember in Bombay vale pappu chaacha ka naam I came to know when I went to his place in Mumbai for the first time in 2006. I saw it on his nameplate at the reception of his building..and had “Dhyani” not been written next to it..i would have never been able to figure out which one was his flat..:). Thank God the sir name is not too common, otherwise the family would have had a tough time finding and identifying each other outside home..:) ..So many a times it happens that I come across people who ask me..are vo falaane Mr. XYZ Dhyani ko hum jaante hain, vo jo tumhaare chaacha hain…and we kids are clueless, as we only know our chaachas/ maamas as Nandan Chaacha/ Tinku chaacha etc..:)
The other day..FB was throwing suggestions for friends….a name called Sachin Nawani was appearing almost every day…..i thought lemme go and see ye kaun hain…clicked on the profile and discovered that it was “dabloo” mama’s profile…:D..my mum’s first cousin…
In school we use to have many kids whos names in school seemed as if they were their nick names only….there was a guy called Goldy…I always thought ki iski shaadi ke card pe ye naam kaisa lagega…:D..however, I guess Goldy read my mind..and later changed his name in class 10.
Then my mum had some students like..Silky Bagga…:O…matlab mum papa ne zyaada dimaag hi nahi lagaya naam rakhne se pehle….or may be…the naamkaran ceremony was bypassed and by the time parents reached the stage where the child’s name was to be registered in a school…they did not feel like straining there grey cells and let the “happy”, “silky”, “princy”, “bubbly” name prevail!!
Anyways, all said and done I always secretly wished for a nick name and wondered how kool it would have been to have one…
So I thought that when I have kids, they surely will have nick names..:)…until I met husband who is a staunch disbeliever of nick names…..and feels that nicknames tend to stay with people for too long and these grown up kids when called Shanky uncle and Simpi aunty…it kind of does not go very well with their graying hair…:D
And since I strongly believe in not imposing/ trying things on my kids which I could not do/ accomplish…I too have decided to go with his thoughts and it seems like nick names will be distant thing in family as of now….

and this song for all our babloos and dabloos...and Bhatt ji....jinke soujanya se ye gaana yahan chipak paaya...:)

Writing about nick names reminds me of the horoscope names which we people have. It is the name which a child has based on his/ her DoB, ToB etc..and which panditji tells during naamkaran..however the official name has to be different from the janampatri name and thank GOD for that....because in my case that name was such a big disaster that inspite of me being generally cmfrtable laughing at myself, i have never ever told anybody about my hor(ror)oscope name..:O..the peculiarity quotient of bthese names can be gauged by the fact that siblings horo names were Ghananand and Ghanaakshri....and i find these OK when compared to mine..:D

A blog post-1

2010-06-29T13:42:00.006+05:30

1. Its already 8 minutes past 12, and i am still awake...waiting for husband dear to come back. His flight has just landed and he should be home anytime. I have been feeling really sleepy all this while, but last time when i resigned to sleep God waiting for husband ..poor chap had to come inside the house through an open accessible window as multiple phone rings and door bells failed to wake me up! So better stay awake than make him go through that circus once again...:D
2. Gurgaon weather is awesome since last 2 days, feels like i am back in Bangaluru..:)..:)..:)....
3. I am sitting at the window seat in office today..the view from here is awesome…:)

Google पे "English to Hindi Translation " छापा....तो कोई site खुल गयी, जिसमे इंग्लिश में अगर कुछ लिखो तो उसके कोर्रेस्पोंडिंग वही वाक्य हिंदी में आ जाएगा; हिंदी भाषा में फिर गूगल पे दोबारा ढूंडा और पाया की मुझे जो चाहिए वो "translation " नहीं "transliteration " है मैं जो भी इंग्लिश में लिखूं वो वैसा ही देवनागरी लिपि में आ जाए जैसे अगर " View of the town from my seat is good" translate किया जाए हिंदी में तो वो बनेगा (using the translation tool).." मेरी सीट से शहर का दृश्य बहुत अच्छा है" और अगर मैं इसी को transliterate करूँ Google transliteration की मदद से तो सीधा देवनागरी लिपि में आएगा " व्यू ऑफ़ द टाउन फ्रॉम माय सीट इस गुड"
Interesting finding...:)

This post was written some 20 days ago. Could not post it then. Its been long since this blog has been updated and what better way to get rid of blog hiatus than a tag..:)

Saw this tag on a blog today and will waste no time in taking it..:)

1. What curse word do you use the most?
Dableww Tee Eff!!!

2. Do you own an iPod?
No, Husband does so I guess Yes, I do..:D

3. What person do you talk to on the phone the most?
Hmm….dont have the statistics handy...…but I mostly talk to Shweta, Rachana and my parents.

4. Do you still remember the first person you kissed?
Yes of course….i would be suffering from amnesia not to remember that..:D

5. Do you remember where you were on 11/9/01?
Yess!!..Jhansi…..on the terrace of Yashodhara Bhavan-our hostel, sitting idle with friends….when a friend came from the common room and enlightened us..”America pe terrorist attack ho gaya hai…aur hum yahan faaltu time pass kar rahe hain”…
6. What was the last movie you watched?

A movie on Mozart…name I don’t remember.....

*remembered the name during editing..Amadeus*

7. Has anyone ever called you lazy?

Never….people don’t call me lazy..they simply shout at me for being LAZY…!!

8. Do you ever take medication to help you fall asleep?
Once..I could not sleep for some 2 hrs after going to bed….so thought that I would need some outside help…..dint realize that 2 hrs delay in sleeping was resulting in 4 hrs delay in getting up too..:D

9. Has anyone told you a secret this week?

hmm….lemme think…No

10. What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?

Simplicity Quotient

11. What are you looking forward to?

A visit to parlor….

12. Do you own any band t-shirts?

Na ji

13. What will you be doing in one hour?

Cooking something

14. Is anyone in love with you?

Yes of course!

15. Last time you cried?

Don’t remember….

16. Are you on a desktop computer or a laptop?

Laptaap

17. Are you currently wanting any piercings or tattoos?

Ye..another piercing in ears..

18. Would you ever date anyone covered in tattoos?

Don’t know….but I have married one with a permanent tattoo..:D

19. What were you doing before this?

Reading the new thick Femina Edition

20. When is the last time you slept on the floor?

Last Friday!

21. How many hours of sleep do you need to function?

Embarrassed!!

22. Do you eat breakfast daily?
Why are there so many embarrassing questions???

Gurgaon and a Tag!

2010-05-22T15:54:00.003+05:30

I moved to Gurgaon last month. This place is very nice and interesting. I am delighted to be here, and wondering why i never thought about moving to this part of the world when it is so close to my hometown also. Anyways, now that I am here for good, would try to make the most of it...:)

This blog turned 1 year old on May 11...and i also turned one year "older" on the same day. No, i am not feeling any wiser or grown up, so the title of the blog can remain...:D

Blogging has been fun so far, writing your own blog, and more than that, reading the interesting stuff lying all around in blogsville is simply great. Blogging has been one thing after long time which has actually kept me interested all the 365 days i have been a part of it till now. Be it the half finished NaBloPoMo or long blogs in hindi for which i didnt mind staying up till 4 in the morning....:)....Thanks P or introducing me to this space.... I am loving it and i wish to successfully stay here for years to come..:)
Baaki aajkal naye ghar ka setting chal raha hai....P ne tag kiya hai..and it looks very interesting...lemme take it....

If I were a month, I’d be May

If I were a day of the week, I’d be Saturday

If I were a time of day, I’d be 8 PM.

If I were a season, I’d be spring.

If I were a planet, I’d be Pluto...:D

If I were a sea animal, I’d be a dolphin

If I were a direction, I’d be North

If I were a piece of furniture, I’d be a bed and nothing else...

If I were a liquid, I’d be water....plain simple water..

If I were a tree, I’d be a mango tree...

If I were a tool, I’d be a bottle opener..:D

If I were an element, I’d be iron....

If I were a gemstone, I’d be diamond

If I were a musical instrument, I’d be a tabla

If I were a color, i’d be pink and blue and yellow...:)

If I were a emotion, I’d be joy, happiness, euphoria..:)

If I were a fruit, I’d be grapes....green grapes..:)

If I were a sound, I’d be sound of rain

If I were a car, I’d be any small car which can be parked easily anywhere..:)

If I were food, I’d be aaloo tikki

If I were a taste, I’d be salty

If I were a scent, I’d be Aqua

If I were a pair of shoes, I’d be formal black flat office wear sandals

And if I were a bird, I’d be a peacock..

he he..:)....

बहारों फूल बरसाओ..:)

2010-04-28T01:13:00.004+05:30

सामान पैक हो रहा है, bags / cartons कम हैं और सामन ज्यादा...पर अब थक गए...कल करेंगे..:D ...हमेशा की तरह...:D ..
खैर आज ऑफिस से वापस आते समय किसी ऑटो में ये गाना बज रहा था....

बड़ा महत्त्वपूर्ण है ये गाना उत्तर भारत के लगभग सभी शादीशुदा दम्पत्तियों के जीवन में....फिल्म सूरज का ये गीत जो 1966 में आई थी; तब से मेरे ख़याल से हर दूल्हा दुल्हन के वरमाल के समय, जब दुल्हन हाथ में माल लिए stage की तरफ बढ़ रही होती है (१ दम artificially धीरे-धीरे चलते हुए) तब बजा दिया जाता है....
अपनी शादी को लेके सपने etc मैंने कभी ज्यादा नहीं देखे थे, पर...बस १ और १ दिली तमन्ना थी थी, की मेरी शादी में वरमाल के समय ये गाना न बजे. बहुत ही कम गाने हैं जो मुझे खराब लगते हैं..ये शायद लिस्ट टॉप करेगा..:D
खैर, मैंने इसका तोड़ भी ढून्ढ निकला था, १ बार कई साल पहले १ शादी में, दुल्हन की उस artificial walk के दौरान ये गाना बजाया orchestra वाले अंकल ने....(lyrics पे ध्यान दीजियेगा...:))

वह, और इस गाने ने मेरा मन मोह लिया...:)...उसी दिन मैंने सोच लिया, की शादी जब भी हो, जहाँ भी हो, जिससे भी हो...मेरी उस वरमाला वाली अप्राकृतिक धीमी यात्रा के दौरान ये ही गाना बजेगा...:)
खैर, शादी की भगदड़ में ये बात दिमाग में न जाने कब कहाँ पीछे चले गई....और जैसे ही मैं फूलों की चादर के नीचे, cousins, दोस्तों etc से घिरी बाहर निकली stage की तरफ जाने के लिए ...कानो में गाना गूंजा...."बहारों फूल बरसाओ...मेरा महबूब आया है.....मेरा..महबूब आया....है.."...उफ़....मन किया उसी समय भाग के जाऊं और orchestra पार्टी से कहूँ. भैय्या pls गाना change कर दो...:D ....पर ऐसा हो न सका...गाना बजता रहा...और मैं बढती रही धीरे धीरे stage की तारफ अपने वर को माला पहनाने के लिए...:)

कि तुमसे बेहतर कोई नहीं.....ये हर कली को बताऊंगा....

2010-04-25T01:25:00.015+05:30

किसी ने अपने ब्लॉग पे पुराने गानों को श्रद्दांजलि दी हुई थी, कुछ दिन पहले. पुराने गानों से मेरा मतलब ८०-९० के दशक के वो dhinchak गाने हैं, जिनकी छाया में हमारे बचपन और लड़कपन के दिन गुज़रे हैं....वो गाने जिनपे हमने मोहल्ले के हर भैय्या/ दीदी के ladies संगीत में नाचा है, जिनकी ऑडियो कैसेटे को इतने बार सुना है की रील ही चरमरा जाए, जिनमे हेरोइनो के steps कॉपी करने में हमने अपने कई दिन लगाए हैं, और फिर घंटो चर्चा की है की कौन ज्यादा सही छाप पाया है....ऑडियो casette और tape रेकॉर्डर के वो दिन, और उनपे घंटो बजते कुछ अनमोल नगीने....

१. ये गाना मेरा "बारात" गाना है. मुझे लगता था, की ये गाना सिर्फ बारात में बैंड वाले अंकल के गाने के लिए ही बनाया गया है. क्यूंकि इसके अलावा मैंने इसे कभी नहीं सुना था. गाने के बोल हैं.."मय से..मीना से..न साक़ी से......दिल बहलता है मेरा आपके आ जाने से.."...अब अक्सर बारातों में ये कुछ ऐसे गाया जाता था कि मैं सोचती थी कि "मैसेमीनासेनासाकिसे" ..ये कोई एक शब्द है..जिसका कुछ मतलब होता है..जो सिर्फ फिल्मों में ही इस्तेमाल होता है....जैसे साजन, मोहब्बत etc टाइप के कुछ और शब्द जो की असल ज़िन्दगी में तो कभी इस्तेमाल होते नहीं है.. ..:D ..काफी बड़े होने पे समझ में आया...कि गाने "मय".."मीना"..और "साक़ी" कि बात कर रहा है...:)..और गज़ब बात ये है.....कि बारात वाले गवैय्या, इसे बड़ी original singer सी आवाज़ में गाते थे. खैर, गाना मुझे बड़ा ही पसन्द है....१ दम धमाल beats हैं..और lyrics भी अच्छे हैं..:)

२. मैंने "मैंने प्यार किया" का ये गाना चित्रहार में देखा था पहली बार .....कभी कभी १ दम नयी फिल्मों के गाने भी आ जाया करते थे.....बड़ा ही मधुर गाना है..और गाया भी बड़ी खूबसूरती से गया है. इस गाने में १ लाइन है..."ये पगला है समझाने से समझे न..", अब इस गाने में ये गाते हुए..हिरोइन हीरो को pamper कर रही थी..और वो कुछ बच्चों जैसे हरकत कर रहा था....तो मेरे समझदार दिमाग में पहला ख़याल आया..कि फिल्म में लड़का mentally retarted होगा, और ये हिरोइन इसलिए ऐसा गा रही है...:D ....infact गाने में सभी लोग नौका विहार कर रहे हैं, तो मुझे लगा कि ऐसे ही retarted बच्चों को पिकनिक पे लाया गया है....ये भ्रम बहुत दिन बाद टूटा, जब मैंने फिल्म देखी और पाया कि ऐसा नहीं है..:)....खैर ये तब कि बात है जब मैं 3rd -4rth में हुआ करती थी..तो फिल्म वैसे भी कुछ विशेष समझ नहीं आई थी...:)

३. ये गाना था "ladies संगीत" गाना. कालोनी कि हर...मतलब बिला नागा हर शादी में, मुझे और मेरी प्रिय दोस्त अरुणा को बुलाया जाता था, और हम थोड़ी सी ना नुकुर करके, नहीं आंटी...मुझे नहीं आता types ड्रामा करके, platform संभाल लेते थे....कभी कभी तो २-३ लोग १ साथ...बिना किसी तारतम्य के, देखने वाले को समझ ही ना आये..कि किसका dance देखे.....पर हमें (यानी कि हम दोनों और हमारे जैसे कई और कालोनी के budding dancers को) लगता था कि श्रीदेवी और माधुरी में competetion है नंबर १ position के लिए, फिर अगर कोई डांसर है तो बस हम..:D ...:D..खैर, ये गाना १ ऐसा सदाबाहार गाना है कि आज भी हर ladies संगीत कि रौनक बढा सकता है....

४. फिर लम्हे का ये सुपर गाना, जो आज भी उतना ही बेहतरीन लगता है, जितना २० साल पहले लगता था. लम्हे हमारे घर आने वाली first few cassettes में से थी. मुझे याद है ऑडियो cassette में ये गाना abdrupty शुरू हो जाता था, यानी..play का button दबाते ही गाना शुरू, और पहली १-आध लाइन गायब....गाना चलाने के बाद कोई खाली आवाज़ आती ही नहीं थी...इस्पे बड़ी चर्चा हुई...कि cassette खराब आ गयी है..इसे बदल के लाना होगा....जो खैर कभी नहीं हुआ...:)...."मोरनी बागा माँ बोले" इस लाइन पर मेरी सभी सहेलियों के अलग स्टेप्स हुआ करते थे....जिसका स्टेप जितना unique और creative, वो उतना बढ़िया डांसर....:D ...और स्टेप कॉपी करने कि तो बिलकुल नहीं थी, वर्ना आपको बड़ी हेय दृष्टि से देखा जा सकता था...:D ..खैर..मेरा स्टेप कुछ घुटनों के बल बैठ के types होता था...जो काफी जगह घेर लेता था, डांस करते समय....और मुझे बड़ा फक्र था उसपे..:D

५. १९९३ में रंग फिल्म आई थी. उसका ये गाना मुझे बहुत पसंद है...:)..इस गाने को तो मैंने सुन सुन के ख़तम ही कर दिया था...:D ....मुझे याद है, ये film दिव्या भारती की death के बाद आई थी, she died in the first week of April 93 i guess, we were waiting our schools to reopen after the final exams in March and i saw the news in the DD afternoon news. खबर सुनते ही मैं सरपट दौड़ी अरुणा को बताने, क्यूंकि उनके घर में दिन में टीवी थोरा कम ही चला करता था. इस के बाद कई दिन, हमारी हर गोष्ठी में इस अकस्मात् निधन पे काफी गहरी चर्चा होती रही. Infact मेरे बच्चा मन को इस बात ने इतना affect किया था, की मुझे कब ही कभी सपने भी आते थे...की मैं दिव्या भारती की death का investigation kar rahi hun...:O. दिव्या भारती के कोई रिश्तेदार हमारे शहर में रहा करते थे, और १ बार वो किसी शादी में शामिल होने हमारे शहर आयीं थी. तो हमारी क्लास के कुछ बच्चों ने उस बारात को अपनी छत से देखा था, या उस शादी में शामिल हुए थे.....उनकी काफी पूछ रही क्लास में अगले कुछ दिनों तक...:D anyways , this song is melodious, typical kumar sanu-alka yagnik style..:)

६. बाकी, फूल और कांटे फिल्म के ये गीत which thrills me in the same away, even after so many years. I love the way the hero bindaas-ly declares his love to the whole world. सीधे कॉलेज में mice पे जाके announcement करके..:D ..जिसको जो उखाड़ना है उखाड़ ले....lol .प्यार करो तो ऐसे करो..वर्ना ना करो..:D ....गाने में बात है......१ दम dhinchak ..:))....इस फिल्म के बाद हीरो श्री अजय देवगन को संन्यास ले लेना चाहिए था, और हिरोइन को यहीं टिकना चाहिए था. पर वो बेचारी तो रोजा के बाद गायब हो गयी, और ये अंकल अब तक लहरा रहे हैं....

७. १ फिल्म आई थी, जान तेरे नाम....रोनित रॉय aka बजाज ... सास बहु वाले श्रीमान, और १ माधुरी दीक्षित के जैसे वाली दिखने वाली लड़की फरहीन की, उसका १ ये गाना मुझे बहुत पसंद था..:)..आशा भोंसले की आवाज़ में अति उत्तम लगता है..:)....infact इस फिल्म का १ और गाना बड़ा hit था.."first time dekha tumhe hum kho gaya...2nd time mein love ho gaya.."....simplified, time saving प्यार..नो झोल etc....:D.....ये cassette हमारे घर में, माशूक नाम की १ और "कब आई..कहाँ गयी" टाइप मूवी के साथ था...यानी १ cassette में २ फिल्में..जैसे आजकल, CDs में आती हैं फिल्में....

८. दिल फिल्म के दो गाने मुझे बड़े अच्छे लगते थे/ हैं.....ये वाला specially ....:)...साधना सरगम और जगजीत सिंह अपनी आवाज़ में गाली भी दें तो भी अच्छी लगेगी....:)
(इस गाने का JS से कोई लेना देना नहीं है though). उस समय फिल्में देखने तो बहुत मिलती नहीं थीं, इसलिए शायद ये फिल्म मैंने आज तक नहीं देखी है, पूरी that इस. बस इतना याद है की अन्ताक्षरी में अगर "ख" से गाना आ जाए...तो "खम्बे जैसी खड़ी है" कुछ गिने चुने गानों में से होता था, जो हमे आते थे.....:)

९. ये है एक रंगोली स्पेशल गाना.....मुझे याद है, ये गाना almost हर sunday ही रंगोली में आ जाया करता था, इसकी धुन मुझे बड़ी पसंद है..:)...कुछ गुमनाम सी फिमों के कुछ गाने बड़े ही ace types निकल जाते हैं. ये भी उन्ही में से १ था...
infact ऐसा ही १ उत्तम गाना है ये भी.....

आहा...१ ये गाना है; अत्यधिक मधुर...:)..... ऐसे ही १ गुमनाम फिल्म.."कल कि आवाज़" का....इसे apparently किसी पाकिस्तानी फिल्म से चोरा गया है, खैर क्या फरक पड़ता है.....

और १ और मेरा एवेर्ग्रीन favourite गाना..kishen kanhaiyya फिल्म का...:D ...इसकी ये लाइन मेरी by default गुनगुनाने वाली लाइन है.....
"हंसी बहारों में तुमको...फूलों से मैं मिलवाऊंगा..की तुमसे बेहतर कोई नहीं.....ये हर कली को बताऊंगा....फूलों से ज्यादा..क्या मैं हंसी हूँ...दिन में न ख्वाब..दिखाओ तुम"

अनिल कपूर क्या तो हीरो है.... an allrounder when it comes to acting, dance, comedy, screen presence.... १ दम सीटी बजाने types performance ..:)
ये भी उस समय बारातों में धमाल तरीके से बजा करता था....:)

This list can actually never end..:)..with every new song i put here...another one is ready to be tagged along...:)..so will give it rest here, till the time i again feel like enumerating some more jewels of yesteryears....:)

लपूझन्ना और Bangalore की बारिश

2010-04-18T19:00:00.015+05:30

Today is a special day. I am happy in a very different way, the way it use to be some 5-6 years back. rain God is showering blessings over Bangaluru, would soon be moving to Gurgaon, and it has finally struck me, that my abode for last three years is going to change soon. I am happy, excited and a bit apprehensive also.....all these days it was quite hot here, and the selfish me was in a way happy, that i would be moving from a not so pleasant Bangalore to Ggn and hence would not miss Bangalore weather too much...:D... But, all my wicked thoughts are being washed away every day with full showers in the evenings....so have changed my outlook, let me soak myself in the pleasant evenings of the city for a few more days....:)
Ok, so as i said today is special and hence should be marked with something very special...:)
Few days ago, N gave link of a new blog. lapoojhanna.blogspot.com. I have been a part of blogspace for past two years now. have read many interesting/ intelligent/ funny/ humorous blogs during this time. BUT, no blog like lappojhanna till now. Its unbelievably humorous and captivating. Or i would say addictive. I finished reading all the blog post series this weekend in two sittings.
मतलब कहना ऐसा रहेगा, की जिन अशोक पांडे नाम के सज्जन ने ये लिखा है, उन्होंने क्या तो पकड़ा है छोटे शहरों के middle क्लास एक्सपेरिएंस को. हर character को इतना clearly aur strongly define किया है पूरी सिरीस में, की आप दिमाग में १ पूरा नक्षा बना सकते हैं हर पात्र का, और शायद अगर असल जीवन में कभी मिल जाएँ तो पहचान भी सकते हैं..:) (ऐसा मुझे Shantaaram और Kite Runner पढ़के भी लगा था ) उत्तराँचल में रामनगर नाम के १ प्लेन्स के कसबे के कुछ पात्रों (mainly लफ्तू और पाण्डेय जी स्वयं) के बचपन के जीवन का कुछ ऐसा विवरण किया है लेखक ने, कि रामनगर की १ तस्वीर सी खिंच जाती है दिमाग में; और कुछ posts पढने के बाद, आप कहानी का हिस्सा ही बन जाते हैं। लेखक का ओब्सेर्वेशन अमेज़िंग है, इतना बारीकी से सन ७० के दशक में भारत के हज़ारों कस्बों में से किसी १ में रहने वाले बच्चों के मन, मस्तिष्क में उत्पन्न होने वाले विचारों और भावनाओं को कागज़ पे उतारा है, कि बस पढ़ने वाला वाह वाह ही कर उठे.... और सबसे खूबसूरत बात ये...कि सारी कहानी में हास्य का इतना गहरा और रोचक पुट है....कि हँसते हँसते आँखों से पानी आ जाए..पेट दर्द करने लगे...और आप सचमुच "रोलिंग ऑन the फ्लोर" हो जाएँ।

शब्दावाली के साथ ऐसा creative experiment कि हर पोस्ट में कम से कम १२-१५ हीरे तो आसानी से मिल जायेंगे...:)....परजोगसालासहायकार्धांगिनी (लैब assisstant की धरमपत्नी), सार्वजनिक मारपीटीकरण और अपमानीकरण.....उनमे से कुछ हीरे हैं...:)

तहे दिल से धन्यवाद लेखक का और N का, जिन्होंने इस ब्लोगाधिपति से परिचय करवाया...:)
बाकी आज शाम से कुछ मस्त गाने सुने जा रहे हैं, जो कि इस अच्छे मूड पे और चार चाँद लगा रहे हैं...:) ..

Awarded!

2010-04-13T22:34:00.009+05:30

Just before when my dearie Blogu is about to turn an year old, dear friend P has awarded it "Cherry on the Top" award...:). This is my first award in blog world. I am heppy...very heppy..:)

So here are the rules to recieve this award:
1. Thank the person that gave this to you
Thank you so much Prats for this wonderful award, as i said above i am heppy...:)); I knew that if at all i get any of these blogowards; it would and can only come through you..:D.

2. Copy the award and put it on your blog-Aalready dones..:)
3. List 3 things you love about yourself -abhi likhte hain...
4. Post a picture you love (e.g a person you adore etc.)..wokies
5. Tag 5 people you wish to pass this award on to ...theek hai..

Now me need to put three things i love about myself..."he he he"..(animated..:D)...teen se mera kya hoga...:D, so here are three of the many things i love about myself...
1. I love the fact that i can get along with most people quite well, i generally start with a positive opinion about ppl, until proved otherwise.
2. I can easily put my opinions/ thoughts across in a very honest manner whenever needed, it helps me keep my head and heart light, and also helps in building bonds, mostly.
3. I can sleep for real long hours..:D. I love this thing about me, touch wood, but i have seen me loosing apetite, hair, and what not due to tensions and problems ...but never sleep. And i like it...:). Khuda meherbaan rahe!

Now i have to put a favourite pic of mine here. Ok, though there are many, but one which is coming to my mind right now is this one...

My mum dad, at a chai ki dukaan in Badrinath. We went there last year, and it was after a long time i went with my parents on a short but wonderful vacation. I simply love the smiles and happiness in this pic. It reflects the warmth, love and companionship from their long years of togetherness...:)...touchwood!

And i give this award to these five people...
1. Bangaloremom
2. Tushti (likho bhai..kuch to likho...)
3. Mayank the great..:) (ab to naukri ki tension bhi nahi, blog hi update kar le)

..aur aap log award accept karen, tag na bhi karen to chalega...:)
4. Neeraj Sir
5. Dr. Anurag
Aaj Bangalore mein baarish hui, badi raahat mili tapti dhoop se....achche mausam ke liye ek achcha gaana....:)
are wah...kya picturization hai..:)
Aur isse aur bhi achcha...ye gaana...:)

दिन पुराने..

2010-04-04T00:56:00.004+05:30

I finished reading MIHYAP today. Shri greatbong ne badi achchi kitaab likhi hai. The DD generation kids are going to like it for sure. Now when i look back, the trasition appears so clear, from the almost restrictied economy and one channel days to the sudden changes in 92-93, with economic liberalization and with that the deluge of new avenues opening to the Indian youth.
The scenario then chnaged very fast..and suddenly our good old Doordarshan also became a thing of past.....the book touches some sublte and some prominent facets of those times....the times of much limited opportunities, resources and of course entertainment..:)

किताब पढके कुछ अपने बचपन के दूरदर्शन दिन याद आ गए....:D

१. वो दूरदर्शन के दिन भी क्या ही दिन थे....:)......१ दम unique experience, मुझे याद है अक्सर टीवी देखते समय कभी कभी स्क्रीन धुंधली होने लगती थी, या मच्छर types आने लगते थे....तो दिमाग में पहली बत्ती जलती थी, की ज़रूर antennae में कुछ गड़बड़ होगी तो दौड़ के हम तीनों (भाई बहनों) में से कोई छत पे जाता था, और वहीँ पर रखे १ लम्बे बांस से antennae को ठीक करने (घुमाने/ मारने) की कोशिश करने लगता "ठीक हुआ"..."अब ठीक है"...."और घुमाओ"...."मनु, जैसे कल किया था वैसे ही करो"...जैसे कई निर्देशों के आदान प्रदान के बाद.....अमूमन २-१५ मिनट की कोशिश के बाद अक्सर टीवी महाराज ठीक हो ही जाया करते थे.....ये सिलसिला शायद ९५ में बंद हुआ होगा, जब घर में cable लग गया ..:)

२. Bollywood के फैन तो हम बचपन से ही थे, उस समय नयी फिल्मों के गानों की १ झलक देखने के लिए, Wed या Friday को चित्रहार का इंतज़ार करना पड़ता था उसमे भी कोई gaurantee नहीं की भाई latest गाने आ ही जायेंगे तो, अखबार के "आज के कार्यक्रम" हिस्से में पढ़ के पता चला, की DD 2, यानी DD Metro नाम का १ DD1 का भाई चैनल है, जिसपे Sat या Sun को रात को कोई Superhit Muqabla नाम का show आता है , जिसमे कि सप्ताह के सबसे popular गाने दिखाए जाते हैं Baba the Great Sehgal ने इसका title song गाया था..:). अब DD2 तो हमारे यहाँ आता नहीं था, वो तो सिर्फ metros में आता था....तो क्या किया जाए, हमें कहीं से पता चला..कि दिल्ली के आस पास वाले शहरों में metro आता है...हमारा शहर दिल्ली से ठीक 299 km दूर है..:)..और आप कितनी भी कोशिश कर लें channels बदल बदल के TV पे ज़ुल्म ढाने की, आप "superhit" तो क्या, कोई flop मुकाबला भी नहीं देख पाएंगे, पर जैसा की मैंने जीवन के कुछ ३०-..:D सावन/ भादों/बसंत/ बहार के बाद जाना है, की मैं बचपन से ही बड़ी जुझारू प्रकृति की हूँ....ऐसे ही सुनी सुनाई बातों पे विश्वास करना...वो भी उन अनमोल गानों के लिए.....मुझे बिलकुल भी मंज़ूर नहीं था........तो बस फिर शुरू हुआ channels adjust करने का सिलसिला, anteannae कि दिशा बदलने का कार्यक्रम, और भी न जाने क्या क्या....बहुत कोशिशों बाद किसी १ channel पे metro आता महसूस सा हुआ....बस इतना..की आप पता ही कर पाए..की ये DD1 के अलावा कोई और चैनल है.....यानी मेट्रो है...:)..:)..:)...पर....."Sehgal" जी की सुरीली आवाज़ में शुरू होने वाला वो मुकाबला हम और हमारे जैसे कई फिल्मों के दीवानों की किस्मत में नहीं था....बहुत कोशिशों के बावजूद ये पाया गया..की "reception" बहुत ही खराब है...और अगर इसी तरह इस TV के कान खींचते/ मरोड़ते रहे तो कुछ और हो न हो..पिताजी अपनी इस मेहनत की कमाई से ऐसा दुराचार कतई बर्दाश्त नहीं करेंगे, और किसी दिन हमारे ही कान खींचे हुए पाए जायेंगे...तो हम..यानी की मैं और मेरी प्रिय सहेली अरुणा, जो की इस और इस जैसे कई और सर्कसों में मेरी साथी हुआ करती थी.... ने अंततः हार मान ली..और वापस रुख किया..रंगोली और चित्रहार की ओर.:)

DD से जुडी बड़ी सारी बातें हैं जो याद हैं, और किताब में बड़े ही रोचक तरीके से ८० और ९० के दशक में सर्वव्यापी prcatices का विवरण किया है...:)...फिर वो चाहे दूरदर्शन हो, या advent of internet या बॉलीवुड का असर.....Greatbong ने लोहा और गुंडा फिमों का भी अनोखा विवरण किया है..:)...दोनों ही फिल्मों पर इतनी गूढ़ दृष्टि डालने के लिए उनका बहुत बहुत शुक्रिया...:)

खैर, दूरदर्शन पे १ चिटठा कुछ भी नहीं है...:).....

बहुत देर से youtube से कुछ पुराने अच्छे धारावाहिकों के title songs download करने की कोशिश कर रही हूँ ताकि वो यहाँ चेपे जा सकें और माहौल को और रूचिपूर्ण किया जा सके, पर लगातार असफलता ही हाथ लग रही है, १२:०० से ऊपर समय हो चूका है, और ये पोस्ट कल पर टालने का मन नहीं है......तो मैं ऐसे ही याद कर लेती हूँ DD 1 के कुछ पुराने serials जो मुझे विशेष प्रिय थे..:)

सुरभि.....और उसका वो "प्रभादेवी, मुंबई" वाला address...:)

मालगुडी days ...आहा...:)

दाने अनार के....एवं मुंगेरी लाल के हसीन सपने...दोनों में ही रघुवीर यादव थे....पता चला है की आजकल वो missing हैं..:O

कशिश- मालविका तिवारी और सुदेश बेरी के amazing romance की कहानी..:)

तस्वीर- ये Sun को ११ बजे के आसपास आया करता था, बड़ी मुश्किल से इसे देखने की इजाज़त मिली थी, शायद exams से कुछ दिन पहले ही शुरू हुआ था.

.तलाश- किसी उपन्यास पर आधारित, विजयेन्द्र घाटके और नीलिमा अज़ीम (अपने शहीद कपूर की मम्मी..:)) और इसका title song पुरानी फिल्म तलाश से ही था...

होनी अनहोनी- ये Thursday को आता था...अजीब पर अच्छा

Stone Boy- aha....a story about the kids of an Indian family in Mauritius, the young boy meets a stone boy (who was once a stone or something)...and the adventures that follow....i wish i could get this series from somewhere..btw the kid who played the stone boy -Ankur Jhaveri also played Arjun jr in Mahabharat,...

Flop Show,..he he..naam hi kaafi hai..:D

नीम का पेड़, हम लोग, किले का रहस्य.. रंगोली.. the Sat/ Sun movies..... one post as i said is nothing to revisit the DD memory lane...:)

Chirraiyya..

2010-03-12T19:46:00.005+05:30

One of my best friends got married in Feb 2007. I came to Delhi from Chennai to attend her wedding…like most brides she was a bit scared a bit apprehensive…basically pre-nuptial jitters had taken the better of her. But the thing which was worrying her the most was, “shaadi vale din main kaise dikhungi”. Bhai baat sahi bhi hai, so many people would come to attend the wedding, the bride-groom would be on an elevated platform and many cameras and at least one video vale uncle would be constantly focusing on you….”kaise dikhne” ka darr banta bhi hai…..She went to one of the best parlours in Delhi, and it would be unfair to her if I say she was not looking pretty…:)
I, being her best friend was given the responsibility of being with her all the time during and before the wedding…..me being the constant source of “baatein-gyaan bhari”..:D…was joking on one or the other thing constantly..and she was requesting/ asking/ shouting at me to pls be quiet so that she is not forced to laugh and her make up stays tucked….
For a long time I very clearly remembered how worried a girl can get about “how she looks” on her big day……
Then came my turn on the 6th day of February this year and i realised that my memory had failed me big time....
Before my wedding, I zeroed down on a parlor, based on same good reviews and a aankhon dekhi bride…a friend told..shes good…aunty thora pakati hain, किसी की सुनती नहीं हैं पर ठीक हैं चलो भाई..सही है, इन्ही के पास चले जाते हैं...वैसे भी I always felt, that सारी दुल्हन १ जैसे ही दिखती हैं, red कपडे, same makeup….और शादी में दुल्हन को कौन देखता है....:D -yes, I use to think that…:O…sab khane peene naachne gaane mein mast/ vyast hote hain…..I completely missed the fact, that शादी में कोई और देखे न देखे, शादी की एल्बम जीवन भर साथ रहती है, aur re-create nahi ki jaa sakti...:(

What followed was a sequence of events which would soon result in the images in my Shaadi ki Album...:)

शादी वाले दिन हम पहुंचे पार्लर वाली आंटी के यहाँ उन्होंने अपनी जादुई chair पे बैठाया....और कहा चलो बेटे, आँखें बंद कर लो....ढीट बच्चों की तरह कहना न मानते हुए मैं हर आधे मिनट में आँखें खोल के देखने लगी, इस बीच पाया ये गया, की आंटी ने foundation, concealer, dunno what1.....foundation, concealer...dunno what2...foundation..concealer....dunno what3.... के न जाने कितने layers से मेरे otherwise ok दिखने वाले चेहरे को "सज़ा" दिया...:( ...खैर....इसके बाद आंख्ने खोल के मैंने जैसे ही अपना चेहरा शीशे में देखा ढंग से....."आंटी ये तो बहुत ज्यादा हो गया है" ..x-(....
" अरे हाँ, ऐसे ही होता है bridal makeup, ये सब अभी थोरी देर में "seep in" कर जायेगा..."..आप चुप चाप आंख्ने बंद करके बैठे रहो..."..:O
मेरी प्रिय सहेली जो मेरे साथ गयी थी.." तू चुप चाप बैठे रह...ये अभी सब skin absorb लेगी..."....सब light हो जायेगा..."
अच्छा जी....चलो, अपनी दोस्त पे मुझे फिर भी थोडा भरोसा था....
उसके बाद १ और round आँखें बंद करने का हुआ, और इस बार शिकार पे थीं मेरी आँखें ....जब आंख्ने खोल के देखीं, तो beyond repair damage हो चुका था...."सीता माता की जय हो" बस यही शब्द गूँज रहे थे मन में.....
Parlor में मौजूद अपनी बहेन, अपनी cousin, अपनी १ और परम मित्र की और देखा, की शायद मेरी ही आँखें धोखा खा रही हों...और सच्चाई शायद थोरी फरक हो.....पर होनी को तो आज कुछ और ही मंज़ूर था....उनके चेहरों पे जो scorecard दिखा अपने इस "bridal" रूप का....मेरी रूह थरथराने की चरम सीमा पार कर गयी....
खैर, इसके बाद कुछ और painting हुई, आसपास की जनता तैयार हो रही थी, और बीच बीच में सांत्वना भरी नज़रों से मुझे देख रही थी...
अब तक मैंने मन को समझा लिया था, की जो है सही है...जाने दो...
इस सारे circuis के अंत तक मुझ पे me-the bride हावी होने लगी थी, और उस जादुई कुर्सी से उतरने के बाद जब मैंने खुद को शीशे में देखा, तो लगने लगा, की "अरे ठीक ही लग रही हूँ यार मैं.."...ये मेरे अंदर की bride बोल रही थी; मैं पूरे शादी mode में आ चुकी थी....
Parlor वाली आंटी को goodbye बोल के निकल पड़े "wedding hall" की ओर...
अब शुरू हुआ...१ नया सिलसिला....जो थोड़े बहुत doubts थे मन में अपनी इस रंगों से सजे चेहरे को लेके वो सब दूर हो गए....
सभी मौसी, मामी, चाची, ताई, बुआ-ओं ने देखते ही अपना फ़र्ज़ भरपूर तरीके से निभाना शुरू किया..."अरे बेटा..कितनी सुंदर लग रही है....."
"बहुत ही सुंदर बेटा...बहुत प्यारी लग रही है..."
वाह वाह ..मन मयूर नाच उठा....मतलब मैं १ दम सही सोच रही हूँ....."मैं अच्छी लग रही हूँ..."...YAY!!
खैर.....इसके बाद १ के बाद १ शादी के कार्यक्रम होने लगे.....और दिमाग चेहरे से हट गया.....जब तक मैंने शादी के फोटो नहीं देखे और उन्हें अपने मित्रजनो को नहीं दिखाया....:D
जब मित्रों को कुछ "अच्छी" तस्वीरें भेजीं....तो वार्तालाप कुछ ऐसे हुआ...
me: bhej din pics...
friend: okies..lemme check
*after a good 2 minutes*
me:??
milin??
friend: abe tu to 1 dum diff lag rahi hai...
me: :)
*another 2 minutes*
me: diff as in???....
friend: hmm.....
me:????
*again 2 min*
friend: u are looking very diff....lag hi nahi raha ki tu hai...
me: phew!!!..ok, to jo main lag rahi hun.."vo" kaise hai??
friend: :)).....tu 1 dum bride lag rahi hai....:)
me: :O.....
met a dear cousin in Hyd after marriage...he had seen the made up me at the wedding...
cousin: abe tera chehra to bahut glow kar raha hai.....shaadi ka make up abhi tak bach rakha hai kya face pe...:D..:D
I couldnt help but laugh....:D
Sent the pics to a friend who apparently wanted to se me in lehnga and make up etc....she never replied after seeing the pics...:)
Anyways, sis has already decided that shes not going to the same "parlor vaali aunty", on her big day!!
I am still waiting for the official album, hoping that the photoshoped pics would be somewhat better...:D
The only silver lining in all this make up circuis was that husband dear found it perfectly fine and thought that the bride me was looking good....:))
Am listning to this song after a long time, and as usual..loving it..:)
PS: Post on shaadi is still not complete, will post it soon...:))

Title of this post is a word from one of the folk songs which were being sung at my sasuraal when i reached there..:)..i loved that song and specially this word. It has nothing to do with the post otherwise..:)

Yippie...Yidli!!

2010-03-11T22:23:00.004+05:30

Maza aa gaya aaj....:)...idly banayi for the first time and they turned out so well...:)
Now that i would be leaving Bangalore in few days, me went to market to collect mementos ...:D...idly mould se achcha aur kya ho sakta tha...so picked up 2, one for moi and one for mum...
Used the mould for carving idlys for dinner and "maza aa gaya"..:D

Tag ke saath vapsi..:)

2010-03-09T20:08:00.008+05:30

Nobody tagged me for this one!!...But me took it from Monika's blog....:)

So here are the rules
1. On your blog, provide a link to the Great Bong’s page, May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss. Embedding the above picture in your blog would be nice but not needed.
The May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss contest
2. Then write down your top 10 Hindi movie lines or top 10 English movie lines (You can do both if you want. Only one set is required for the contest). If you cannot think of top 10, make it top 5. Cannot think of even 5? Make it top 3. No problem. Only restriction: no two lines from same movie. This done to make it fair for other movies so that they dont get swamped by Gunda or Loha or Sholay.
3. Tag five friends to do the same.
4. Come over to the comment-space of this post and post your blog’s link so I can go and read it.
Remember: Before starting the tag, paste points 1 and 4 on your blog so that the rules are available to anyone who wishes to pick the tag up from your blog.

So here come my fav lines....:))

1. "Khote sikke ne kya baat boli hai...boli hai to aise boli hai jaise bandook ki goli hai"....-dialogue ho to aisa ho...varna na ho...:D Prabhuji ke bhakton ki jai..jinhone is movie se parichay karvaaya...:D

2. "Sun 2000 ka rule hai, jo jisse pyaar karega uski shaadi usise hogi..." ..:)-frm RHTDM. Madhavan's friend tells him when hes sharing his feelings for Diya with him. I use to change the year and tell this to all my friends whenever needed...:)

3. FS: Yaar tum dono mujhe mat ghaseeto apni in bachchon vaali harkaton mein. RV: Janab....ladkiyon ka peecha karna bachchon vaali nahi...naujawaanon vaali harkat hai..:D; a dialogue between Faaruq Sheikh and Ravi Vasvaani in Chashmebadoor....i simple love the way Ravi Vasvaani replies...:)

4. "Ander aa gayi hun main, ab haath chod sakte ho mera, itni bhi sunder nahi hun main"....-loved Kareena in JWM, "Bhaisaab, aap convince ho gaye ki main aur bolun..."...Kareena to the TTE...this one had me in splits...:D

5. "Baahar tumhari aunty bahut saare uncles ke saath tumhara intezaar kar rahi hain"....Big B to Helen..after the super "ye mera dil..pyaar ka deewaana..."...hes referring to the police outside..:)..I have seen this movie back to back for 3 days in hostel...:)..LOVE it!!! Big B is killer as Don!!!

6. "Main koi bhagwaan nahi hun"....."Amit, tune 1 baar devta ban ke Shobha ka haath thama tha, 1 baar aadmi insaan se devtaa ban jaaye, to fir chaahe bhi to insaan nahi ban sakta". This one is from Silsila when AB wants to get back to Rekha, after having marrying Jaya, his bro's fiance' to save her from disgrace as his brother whose child Jaya is carrying dies. I love the profoundness of this dialogue...Its so very and true, one cannot act Godly at one occassion and then again switch back to the lowly mortal actions at one's own will. Once acted generous and kind, one becomes bound to live upto it.

7. "Itni shiddat se maine tujhe paane ki koshish ki hai...ki saari qaayenaat ne mujhe tujh se milaane ki saajish ki hai"- aha!!! SRK in OSO

8. "Meri cycle ka tyre puncture ho gaya tha" ..."han han...varna to tum awwal aate"... :D...Asraani to Aamir in JJWS....i loved that "tunna" dialogue too..:))

9. "aaye haaye...hansi badi mehngi ho rakhi hai aajkal"....All dialogues in Omkara were awsum....this ones classic..:)

10. "Kya hua..koi mar gaya kya.."...Aamir in DCH...kamaal ke dialogues...

Fun tag it was...:)

Moi status changed frm Miss to Mrs. on the sixth day of the second month of this year....location would also be changing in coming weeks...:)...Have written a post on saadi..:D..will post it soon....

PS: Header ki photu haldi haath ke baad ki hai....:))...bade khush the log ladki ke byo mein...:D

Tagging these ppl:

1. Prateek

2. Neeraj Sir

3. Tushti

4. Ajay

5. Mayank

Can hear the bells ringing now!!

2010-01-19T00:08:00.006+05:30

I saw my wedding card today....:)

The first reaction was, man..its really happening now...:D. Honestly speaking, there was a 30 sec high when i saw the shaadi chalked out in print...:))

Its just 17 days now, and i really want to be home, to sit with mum dad and discuss everything at length, see my mum's enthusaiasm, and just be a part of all the excitement.....and yeah...help dad in writing names and addresses on the invitation cards..:)

Alas!!...am here rite now.. in Bangaluru doing a balancing act between two projects and waiting for them to get over....

That reminds of me my second chacha's marriage in Dec '93. I was in class 6, and was very proud of my cursive handwriting...:D

Dad asked me to write names and addresses on all the wedding cards which were to be posted.

What began as an exciting affair, a chance to show off my beautiful handwriting, soon became a torturesome task....Dad- who himself writes quite illegibly and hence had chosen me is kaam ko anjaam dene ke liye, found it too twisted, and made me switch from my higher end version of "handwriting" to some distant, simple, straight letters, saying "bete, ye itna aadha tircha post office vaalon ko samajh nahi aayega..tum zara seedha seedha likho.."..:O

Anyways, it was the first and the last time, that i wrote addresses on alomost 500 cards...and man!!....i was done with my share of chapoing invitations for this lifetime at least...:)

Its been almost 15 years...My Chacha, is distributing cards for my wedding now...:)

PS: Picture Courtesy: Google ... Its not my wedding card..;-)

Limca पियोगे?

2010-01-18T00:05:00.005+05:30

हमारे जीवन में Limca - the cold drink का बड़ा महत्व रहा है. बचपन से ही हमें काफी कम पानी पीने की आदत थी. पिताजी को हमारी कई और आदतों के साथ ये भी कुछ विशेष प्रिय नहीं थी. घर में तो वो इस पर कुछ विशेष ध्यान नहीं दे पाते थे, पर जब भी हम कहीं travel कर रहे होते थे, invariably सफ़र में औसतन ५-६ बार वे अवश्य पूछते थे, "बेटे, गर्मी है, तुम्हे प्यास लग रही होगी...Limca पियोगे" ....अब मुझे आज तक, ये समझ नहीं आया, की why only Limca??...:D. मुझे बचपन से लेकर आज तक पिताजी के साथ लिया हुआ कोई भी सफ़र याद नहीं है, जिसमे उन्होंने Limca के अलावा किसी और ठन्डे पेय का नाम लिया हो...:). मुझे याद नहीं पड़ता की कभी मैंने Limca के प्रति अपना कोई विशेष प्रेम या liking दिखाई हो, या कभी जिद करके ही Limca पीनी चाही हो.
वैसे और अवसरों पे ( घर पे मेहमान आने पर... इत्यादि) पापा हमेशा कहते थे/ हैं की भाई ठंडा ले आओ कुछ....पर, सफ़र में सिर्फ Limca...:)
ख़ैर, फिर जब हम बड़े होने लगे तो हमने अपनी पसंद बतानी शुरू कर दी, कि पापा coke पीयेंगे...:D, to which of course he agreed instantly, but the preference for Limca especially while travelling is still a mystery to me...:)
PS: This is one of the many interesting... incidents/facts I can recount about dad....:)....

A friend sent this song yesterday, and I can't stop listening to it since then...:)

Justice calling!!

2010-01-17T20:04:00.005+05:30

Ruchika Girhotra case is off media these days.

A 14 year old girl gets molested and commits suicide after 3 years. Reason being, her family is tortured by the molestor to such an extent that the father and brother have to sell all their property, leave job and migrate to the outskirts of a nearby hill station and make living by filling earth...

Yeah, it sounds like a hindi film story, but this is what happened to Ruchika Girhotra some 19 years ago, and the culprit is not only moving free shamelessly; but despite of the case being escalated to the Home Ministry, no firm action has been taken as yet.

This case has left me pondering over many things...

We all know that we are not living in a corruption free country. There is red tapism, bureucracy, bribery all around us. People commit gruesome crimes and roam freely all their lives.

And this is also a similar story, nothing new. But i don't know, for some reason this particular case has left me astounded and scared and worried.

A 14 years old girl goes to tennis court everyday after school to practice. An Inspector General of Police who also happens to be the head of Haryana Lawn Tennis association, calls the girl to his office on one such practice day and molests her. The girl and her friend save themselves that day and run back home. They do not tell their parents out of sheer fear. The next day the IG calls them again. This time they refuse, and tell their parents, and a police compalint is lodged against the IG.

Thats the crime i guess the minor girl committed.

This incident changed the life of Girhotra family. What happened to the family and Ruchika after that can be read through the link above.

Today after 19 years since the incident happened, the case has been transferred to CBI once again...The CBI inquiry is on, and hopefully the family will get "justice".

I don't know what kind of justice would it be. For a family who has lost their daughter, spent a good 19 years of their lives in harrassment, uprooted from their own city, their job, struggling all these years to fight the Indian Judicial system...what justice can they be promised now??

This case has scared me, has made me feel even more insecure in these surroundings. A common man's life in this nation of ours is so very insignificant. The dirty nexus of powerful men at the top can screw whosoever they want to. Its like total gundaraj. It seems money and powerful is the mightiest of all. Common man can only fight and fight for justice...which if comes, would be after a lifetime of struggle and not sure if its severity would match that of the crime the victim has been subjected to!!

This particular incident happened to the educated middle class family, who are aware of their rights, of the law proceedings and can afford to fight a case for so long. The plight of other such incidents which happen to the poor in the remote areas of the country, can be well imagined.

Given the fact that the case has recieved immense limelight, and has reached the highs of Home Minister as well; one can expect positive result in the near future. But my question is: Would any kind of punishment, less than a death sentence, be close to enough to give some relief to the traumatised Girhotra family? Justice has already been denied to them for so long. Anything less than that, would be an insult to the whole case. In the name of justice, it would be nothing but justice denied in the true sense of the word.

Thanks to the media power and Aradhana Prakash, the other young girl who was with Ruchika on that dreadful day of Aug 11, 1990 who is fighting the battle for the past 19 years now. Hats off to a true friend and a responsible citizen.

This case reached the home ministry and now CBI is looking at it again. It would be major dissapointment if Rathore- the main culprit is given any punishment less than a death sentence for the gruesome series of crimes he has commited in this case.

[Abha Rathore - SPS Rathore's wife, who is a lawyer, is supporting her husband and is defending him in the court. Some day I want to do a research on the physcology of such "females" who defend their spouses in cases of molestation and rape]

दिन भर...

2010-01-15T23:13:00.007+05:30

आज बड़े दिनों बाद पटूरी (चीला) बनायीं. दही, ketchup और मिर्च के अचार के साथ खाया....:) और बड़े दिनों बाद ketchup और दही १ साथ खाए....bliss!! is the word....:) fotu खींची जो की काफी थकी हुई सी आई, but चिपका देते हैं...:)

बाकी ketchup से मुझे kissan tomato ketchup का ad याद आया...:D. मुझे ये ad बड़ा पसंद है...:) I simply love the presentation of this ad..:)

A primetime serial ended on star plus today, ended as in the story was taken to a logical..hmm..dunno..but ye to a conclusion....-A miracle indeed!! ..:D
21 days to go now for the d-day....:) आज १ मित्र ने पूछा...."गुड गुड होने लग गयी है??"....मैंने कहा जी अभी तो नहीं, but knowing myself soon ही होने लगेगी...:))

I saw the Mumbai Marathon ad recently. The background music of " हम होंगे कामयाब" sounds so awsum ....took me back to the school days, we use to have this as a special song as part of the morning prayer, like twice every month ...just before the national anthem...:)

Life etcetra....

2010-01-14T23:55:00.002+05:30

आज बड़े दिन बाद, ऐसे ही बातों बातों में....अपने इंजीनियरिंग preperation के दिन याद आ गए.....चेहरे पे मुस्कराहट आ गयी १ बड़ी से और मन एकाएक ताज़ा सा हो गया...:)... और उस समय की मनःस्थिति भी याद आ गयी....आज जब पीछे मुडके उस समय के जीवन पे नज़र डालती हूँ...तो i feel that there was something about that time that made life appear quite simple and good ...and i wonder why??...there was so much of anxiety, uncertainity.....tension... कि पता नहीं exams clear कर भी पाएंगे या नहीं..... but still....there was something about that period that makes it so memorable....i guess that is because...
ज़िन्दगी में इतना focus किसी उद्देश्य को पूरा करने का उसके बाद शायद कभी नहीं आया...... tension थी, load था, और थोडा डर भी था but साथ ही साथ काफी peace भी था. ये पता था की क्या चाहिए, और ये भी की अगर दिल से मेहनत की और अपना काम पूरा कर लिया, तो फिर चाहे सफलता मिले न मिले, मन को शान्ति रहेगी की इससे अच्छा नहीं कर सकते थे. पढाई की तरफ १ अलग ही रुझान था. 1 disciplined सा नियमित जीवन था, जो more or less entrance exam clear करने के ओर ही घूमता है. (ये बात और है की तब ये discipline/ dedication इतना appreciate नहीं किया जाता था, because it was overridden by the anxiety to pass in it.). A little more drilled attempt at thinking and i feel the main reason was that, during that phase 80% control over the things was in our own hands. Result use to be directly proportional to the amount of hardwork/ commitment you put in. Since this equation was fairly applicable to most of the situations then, so somewhere we had this hope that correct amount of hardwork and dedication would certainly lead to good results. In other words, situation ke variables are in your hands, you have to play with them to maximize the results....:)

And then when I compare life after all these entrance exams and college to my life now; i realise why it is called "real" world..:)
Everything else is same, the hard work, sincerity, commitment, will to succeed....the only thing which has changed is...the equation...which has now become an in-equation...:)....the control of all the variables in this real world is no more in our hands solely. There are external factors which are totally outside our control, which determine the result of our actions- more or less depending on the situation....
And this situation might be anything.....your promotion in this current job, your fight to get a new one, a hearbtreak...anything for that matter...:)
Thats why, life in those student days seems so simple and joyful now...:))
An arguement against this can be, that as we grow, as our horizons expand, everytime we might not be the best judge of what is right for us, hence eventually, all the internal/ external variables work together, to result in what is best "for us" in that situation.
But then, when a part of such situations in life, its not very easy to understand the above theory...:)...

Anyways, hope the best happens to each one of us...and we all soon learn to live with these in-equations...:)
And my engg prep days remind me of my organic chem teacher, sardaarji we use to call him; a super gentle person, who had the habit of using plural for everything. १ बार उन्होंने १ student को बोला....."आप कल अपने "fathers" को बुला के लाइये".... होनहार बालक बोला...." sir कौनसे ??..सिविल lines वाले या neeti nagar वाले" ...:D

ये post लिखते हुए कोई गाना नहीं सुना...फिर भी ये गीत चिपकाने का मन है यहाँ....:)

The Surf "Excel" Kid...

2010-01-12T20:58:00.005+05:30

Ah..:)....was generally surfing thorugh youtube and found an uncut version of one of my favourite ads on air these days....:)

I simply adore this ad, i love the idea, the execution, the super cute kid, the setting, Rosy Miss..:)...everything about this one and a half minute video...:).

But what I like the most is the naughty kid...:) I love the way the kid has been shown as a super naughty, mischiveous, fun loving, carefree child when with friends, in class in a happy atmosphere. He is part of all the hubaloo....shouts in the class, immitates others ..basically is the carefree kinds, whos parents are the most worried ones in the parents' teachers' meeting....:)

In the very next setting, in a situation which demands seriousness, the kid has been shown as the more sensitive kinds, one who feels for others, who would not say it in so many words but would make it up by his actions...:) would act like a pet to make his teacher smile....:)

The kid has acted the whole situation out so well....i love the tone he shouts in..."Aaj Rosy Miss kyun naai aayi?"....and his jumping around while walking on the road...and then the cute, worried expression on reaching Rosy Miss' house...:)....
Would love to have a kid like that....;-)

Sachchi..:)

2010-01-11T12:30:00.004+05:30

I saw this tag on someone's blog. It can be good filler post ..:D..(among the other filler posts that is...:D)...
I am suppose to write 10 honest things about myself. Ok, not very sure if I would be able to reach the # 10 but let me still give it a try..:)

1. Lets start with music itself...:).
- I have a varied taste in music and that includes all the pan ki dukaan types gaane fom the 80s and 90s...:).
- I have acted crazy enough to miss my stop, just to listen to the amazing song playing in the bus (ofcourse in the times when accessibility to net was zero.)
- While coming back from office, if i have to take a taxi, i make it a point to ask the driver "bhaiyya gaane chalenge"...a no means, next taxi...:) [I can't do it in the morning becuz of time constraint.:( ]
- I can listen to the same song back to back for days. My philosopy is if you like a song, get enough of it...so that after some time you get bored and move on to the next song...:)
(there are many others, but lets move to the next honest (weird) thing now..:D)

2. Till a couple of years back, i use to suffer from this compulsive disorder of straightning out inverted footwear whenever/ wherever i saw them. And that includes hostel corridor (imagine me standing outside ppl's rooms to straighten out a bundle of inverted chappals and joote...:D, home, outside temples, even roads...:)

3. I love shopping alone. I enjoy it like anything...:)

4.I hate "post" things...like postpaid mobile, postpaid data card..even credit card. I make minimal use of credit card. (the simple reason behind all this, i HATE paying bills)

5. I love talking and i do not remember even a single incident in my life when i had ended a conversation. (other than the ones ofcourse where the other party was either boring beyond tolerance or had very low hearing/ listning thresholds..:D)

6. I have an awful choice in shoes/ footwear for myself. 9 out of 10 times i am out of appropriate footwear for my dresses.

7. I cook decently fast (taste ki koi gaurantee nahi..:D). And i suck at making tea. Most of the times i find it taste like "Kilchoni" (a word for a random mix of many liquids in garhwali...:D)

8. I can sleep for real long hours. The maximum i have slept at one stretch is 18 hours in 1994..:). My father had to wake me up by saying that 18 hrs se zyada sone se heart collapse kar jaata hai...:D

9. I love summers and everything about the season. I HATE winters and more than that i hate wearing sweaters or for that matter any woollens.

10. Hmm..what else...i am listning to this song right now..:)

Baaki, i love the picture on my blog's homepage...:). Blog kholte hi bada achcha sa feel hota hai...:)

Kanfuzan!

2010-01-10T22:41:00.005+05:30

A thought has been doing rounds of mind since yesterday. How helpful/ good is this blog marathon for me??
The idea behind participating was that it would improve my writing, bring discipline in to my blog and get me into this habit of writing regulary.
I don't know, but 10 days into it and i am a bit confused!!. As in, i am writing everyday, but many a times i write just to maintain the continuity. I am not too sure if this kind of participation will actually help "improve" my writing. Yes, habit and regularity will come in for sure; but I also feel, that one should write a piece/ post or for that matter anything when one actually feels like doing it; then only would the best comes out of the pen...:). Honestly, I do not feel like writing everyday...:)

Anyways, since i am in a dilemma, and i am still not even half way through, i feel that i should keep this going. At the end of the day, भई discipline तो आ ही रहा है....कोई विशेष नुक्सान नहीं है हर रोज़ लिखते रहने में...बाकी कुछ seasoned bloggers ke विचार जान लेने से शायद कुछ और clarity मिले...

Patjhad...

2010-01-09T20:06:00.006+05:30

This is my current state...:(
Any remedies, suggestions, tips to control the fall of my beloved hair is most welcome!
Picture Courtesy Google.

Up above the world so High..;-)

2010-01-08T17:56:00.007+05:30

१ दिन ऐसे ही बैठे बैठे मुझे ख़याल आया....की ऐसे कौन सी चीज़ें हैं which give me a high almost equivalent to alcohol...;-)
Actually, this idea dawned on me last year when i had not slept for 3 days contibuosly... (not slept as in slept only for like 4-5 hrs per day..:D)...i realised that by the evening of the third day...i wasn't feeling sleepy, rather i was hyperactive...and happy...and laughing on the smallest and weirdest of things......:D....brain had become numb-er and all the issues bothering me those days were lost somewhere, i was just in the present, talking more than i usually do..:O....i realised lack of sleep induces a high in me, which is as good as having 2-3 shots of Vodka...its fun....:)

Another such thing which takes me to a "higher" level altogether is good music...:)
Yes, music- any language, any kind, if melodious gives me a totally different kind of a high...:). It was also the biggest stress burster for me till few days back apart from shopping, now of course blogging has been added to this list...
अच्छे मधुर गीत दिमाग (और दिल को भी...;-)) किसी और ही दुनिया में ले जाते हैं, उन ५-६ मिनटों के लिए ऐसा लगता है की बस यथार्थ से इतना ही दूर रहें....इन गीतों की लय तान में कहीं खोये हुए.....
Love and madness for music would need a complete post in itself though...:), but yes, music does the trick...:)

Now this one is a bit weird...:/ .....I noticed some time back, that reading old chat scripts of some friends also gives me a high..:O....
And thats specially true when the chats are funny....:D..reading old funny chats, where some hilarious jokes have been cracked or some bone tickling stuff has been said....creates the magic...:)
I sometimes read my old chats, (yes I am that velli...:D)...and it feels good....:)

This song for the nice Fri evening...:)

Job Blues!!

2010-01-07T00:39:00.003+05:30

My office expense policy sucks....big time!!!...
I came back from an office tour last to last week. Raised my bills and today got a mail from Finance saying:
"In the above-mentioned ER, you have claimed laundry expenses which is not in line with the expnse policy. As per policy, employees travelling for a period exceeding 5 continuous days would be reimbursed laundry expenses for the number of days exceeding five only."
Apparently i had given my clothes for laundry on the 4th day of my stay itself.....and point to be noted is that i stayed there for some 20 days altogether.
I hate such policies. You travel for office work, travel like some 60 kms per day to and fro to the client's place and then at the end of the day also keep a tab on the number of days when you become eligible for giving laundry.....a day here and there and these cost cutting morons start sending you such e-mails. Not that i am against rules, but thing is, amidst so much work..who would remember ki abhi 5 din hue hain ki nahi.......isn't that totally Insane!!!....
Added to this, you are also suppose to submit your boarding passes while claiming your taxi expenses to airport...:O. This is, when the tickets are booked by the firm itself!!. But who knows, you might call the airlines and get your destination changed..., take a vacation....and come back to claim all expenses...:D....all this...without your manager knowing anything and at the "huge" risk of loosing your job??.....
life sometimes sucks..and that is an understatement!!!

NaBoPloMo, Maths and Me

2010-01-06T01:56:00.000+05:30

Its been 4 days since I am a part of NaBloPoMo. The other day P called up at 9:30 PM..and after exchanging general pleasantries, said..I just called up to ask..9:30 ho gaye hain…NaBloPoMo bas 2 din ka tha kya…:D. Aah!! and here I was with ready with my reply…are check my latest post, I posted it yesterday night itself. Jaise hi ghadi ne 12 bajaaye raat ke, I posted my post for the next day…:D Of course he was surprised, this kind of active behavior is generally not expected out of me. But the fact is that this one post each day is not that simple as it sounds. I mean after office hours, traveling etc, you are practically left with very little time to think of something interesting to write before the clock strikes 12. Anyways, as P said, it’s more to bring discipline and regularity into your blog. True.

Point is, that this one day timeline creates a certain kind of anxiety in me. If you ask me right now, I feel like writing posts together for the coming 2 days, and just post them at the strike of 12 everyday. :O…[I know its kiddish but its true]. This reminds me of the times when I was in school. I was dead scared of Mathematics as a subject till class 8. So before any exam/ test of this subject I use to become extremely anxious. (I wont say nervous, but gud-gud types hone lagti thi tummy mein..:)). Anyways, this kept happening for close to seven-eight years, before I scored my first century in maths and became much more confident in the subject..:D However, after that whenever I am in any kind of anxious situation, (it can be any….ranging from some crucial match of India till few years back...or any major event happening in life when things are not in favor)…the feeling is always like…yaar ek dum aise lag raha hai jaise maths ke exam ke pehle lagta tha…:D

I am listening to this beautiful song right now...:)..and posting the NaBoPloMo post for Jan 6th...:)

Ding dong....:)

2010-01-05T00:47:00.001+05:30

I had written this post few months back, posted it, then deleted it.....no clue whatsoever why....
Again posting it here..:)
I shall start this post without any introduction. Just jotting down the kind of life I had always envisaged after marriage….:)I have always been a very lazy person, and by standards of girls, a bit too lazy. A person driven by sheer convenience when it comes to household chores. Not at all a cleanliness freak. Bas manage ho jana chahiye. Ten years of stay away from home has played a strong role in shaping this behavior. Ok, to add to it, I am careless also, and have perfected the art of loosing things in the past twenty something years. Hence people around me feel that I should get married to someone who is very organized and careful. And should not at all be lazy. So that we “compliment” each other and the "jeevan ki naiyya" sails smoothly. But somehow I feel that it would be great fun to get married to someone lazier than me. (and believe me, I have this strong feeling that I will get married to someone like that only). I have my own good set of reasons for believing so. Lets have a look: 1. I will never be shouted at for oversleeping. (the moment he says..babe u sleep too much….i will have a quick retort….less than u man….so better stay chill..:D)
2. I don’t like getting up in the morning to find the place next to me empty. At home when I sleep with my mum/ sis (for that matter any one), I always open my eyes in the morning to a vacant bed next to me, since all of them get up earlier than me. I am then surrounded by a deep feeling of sheer despair and melancholy …how lazy I am, and man, every one else around me is so active…:(.Now, imagine..opening your eyes in the morning and discovering that the person next to you is still asleep, you are filled with the sheer joy of coming first in the race of waking up early..:D., and with the inexplicable feeling of satisfaction that there exist souls lazier than you on this earth. And leave apart all that, the very fact that now you can begin you day by establishing your superiority over this lazy ass, shouting at him and hence feeling responsible, that you are a perfect wife who ensures that her husband leaves for office on time…:D..:D (this is considered given that yours truly would get up at least few seconds before the line of time of control…:P)
3. All my life till now I have been taunted for being the lazy self who I am. From my parents, to friends in hostel, to flat mates….I have been the target of every group of human beings around and have been reprimanded always for oversleeping, re-sleeping, just lying around doing nothing and finishing every imp work at the eleventh hour. Now imagine, when I have someone around all through out life, to take revenge of all what I have gone through all these years…..YAY!!!!....
4. Another important thing which has bothered me all these years, is the fact that I have always been the last one to take bath at home…especially if it’s a weekend. My wing mates in hostel never had a problem because of me, as this was an unspoken code set, that “Deepti last mein nahane jaayegi”…:)..everybody loved me for this. Even though there were high chances that in the drought ridden HOT places I have done my college from, where water supply was too limited, the tap would stop being kind after 8:30 AM; I was never never in a hurry to take bath, even if in the end I had to fetch water from the mess most of the times…:). “Pehle Aap”, had always been my mantra when it came to bathing.Now imagine, if Mr. Husband happens to be somebody who has been holding the same respectable position in the Boys’ Hostel and believes in a similar theory, how thrilling life would become…:). Weekends mornings would be so much fun…:).

Now the underlying fact in all the above reasons quoted is only one: I get to play the PERFECT wife, one who always finishes first…:)

:))...Reality however, is quite different....:) From little bit of what i have discovered in past couple of months, would be husband happens to be quite opposite of what i had envisaged...:).....More on this after a couple of months....;)

Silk Silk all over....

2010-01-04T18:06:00.003+05:30

Last year December I was in Chennai. For the D-day which is now just a month away, I started getting phone calls from all aunts, cousins for getting some silk for them from Chennai.
I have lived in Chennai for 2 years, and had been to T Nagar (shopper's paradise for Chennaites), but had never explored the silk shops there properly....
I had been to Nalli Silks in bangalore too, so i thought of exploring Sri Kumaran Silks, another silk saree shop just few metres from Nalli.
Appalled I was the moment I entered the silk house. HUGE is not the word.....its huger than huge....:). The shop is like some set of old hindi movie film ...a huge bunglow of some millionaire.
A big round antique wall clock hung on the first floor wall must be some 50 years old. The complete atmosphere inside the shop gives you the feeling that in what high regards silk or say silk sarees are being treated. Its a paradise for saree lovers, with 4 floors spanning over an area of 60,000 square feet. You name a variety of southern silk, they have it. From traditional to fancy to all experimental designs ..this place has all. And the best part is that the sales men are more than interested in telling you the whole history of kancheepuram silk sarees, how it takes 30 days to weave one, and how gold/ silver zari is used in all kancheepuram sarees.

The best part about the shop which i liked from a customer's point of view was that the shop owners have not labeled the buying areas according to the price range of the sarees available there. (unlike some other shops in that area). I found it a very nice thing as the shop owners did not seem to be telling the buyers, which segment to visit or rather which segment would suit there pockets. You come in to the shop, explore the area you happen to visit first and then ofcourse they have salesmen all over to direct you personally to the counter of your choice of silk and price range.

So all in all, it was a super experience being in Sri Kumaran Silks, I thoroughly loved the sarees, the experience and the feel of the place.
cheers

Fungsuk Wangdu

2010-01-03T00:18:00.002+05:30

आज शाम को ऑटो से घर आये, जैसे ही ऑटो वाले को देने के लिए पैसे निकाले...वो बोला..."मैडम १ बात पूछें आप से" (बड़ी ठहरी और गंभीर आवाज़ में..और eastern UP की tone में) मैंने बोला, हाँजी बोलिए...."आप सारिका को जानती हैं?".....( i got a bit scared, by the way he asked....in a baritone)..."फिल्म स्टार सारिका".....मैं अभी कुछ बोलने ही लगी थी....की ऑटो वाले सज्जन बोले...."मैडम आप उनकी बेटी हैं क्या??"..... LOL....and i started laughing....."आप १ दम उनके जैसे ही दिखती हैं...हमने सोचा वो तो हों नहीं सकती...उनकी बेटी होंगी"...मैंने कहा, अरे भैय्याजी नहीं...ऐसा कुछ नहीं है....:D...I could not stop laughing loudly after that....
Many ppl have told me that i resemble Sarika, but auto vaale bhaiyya ji ka observation kaafi sahi tha...kaafi kam time mein hi shakal mila li....:)
PS: I have a strange dislike towards the film actress for a very interesting/ funny reason.....

Title of the post is JLT....:)

NaBloPoMo

2010-01-02T13:27:00.003+05:30

Monika has started NaBloPoMo again this new year....:). I intend to be a part of it, lets see how far can i sustain...
NaBloPoMo is the National Blog Posting Month, where all the partcipants have to post continuously every day for a period of one month.
few promises i have made to myself this year..
1. Drink more water...
2. Try to speak slowly...:)
3. Try to reduce the number of hrs i sleep... :D (have failed miserably on this one till now...got up at 1 pm tdy..:O)
4. Read at least 30 books this year...
....will surely have to add few more to this in the coming months..:)
Welcome 2010!!
cheers..:)

Three idiots!!

2010-01-01T22:44:00.006+05:30

I saw 3 Idiots last week on X-Mas day. An amazingly entertaining movie which will keep you laughing out loudly, throughout. Theatre mein taali baja baja ke hanse hum.... A great plot, super direction and applaudable performances by the whole cast makes the film watchable at least twice. The director has been quite successful in keeping the tempo of the movie consistent throughout the movie. Highs and lows have been so well timed that it surely could not have been better than this. So, basically a super movie to end 2009 with...:)

Kind of movie, jiski DVD khareed ke rakh lo, aur revise karte raho samay samay per...:)

Anyways, i would have dedicated this whole post to the movie itself, had i not seen Mr. Chopra, the producer of the movie, shouting like mad at media some time back on national television. Watching him mis conduct himself forced me to think....ki ye kya hai bhaiyya...kuch bhi...kab tak bevkoof banaoge public ko.....

3 Idiots is based on 5. Some 1 (A super hit book by Chetan Bhagat released in 2004).

Anyone who has read the book can easily say that the storyline of the movie is 70% 5. sum 1. The basic plot is same, the message has been kept intact, 70% of the situations have been copied wihtout any changes, basically the soul of the movie resonates the soul of the book.

But apparently the makers of the movie including Mr. Aamir Khan think otherwise. It was shocking to see the star defending the producer and director by saying that the movie is just 3-5% based on 5. sum 1...:O

I am amazed by the fact how blind and unethical can people become when given some money and power....It was a disgrace seeing the producer of the movie shouting at the media when questioned about the storyline. The producer went to the extent of saying that CB is using Aamir's name to get publicity!!!

Someone please go and tell these people that the youth of India is intelligent enough to exercise their own judgement in deciding who is copying what. I seriously doubt if a person like CB even needs Aamir Khan to get publicity. Dear Mr. Aamir and Mr. Chopra, Kindly open your eyes and realise that your audience is not foolish and there is a huge world of Blogs/ internet/ print media out there which people resort to more often than your movies and hence are aware enough to to understand whos copying whom.

The three idiots (Raju Hirani, Vinod Chopra and Aamir Khan) should be sent flowers saying "get well soon" and at least be true to the profession which earns you bread and butter.

Chetan Bhagat may not be a legendary writer, but then what is his is his. You can't just take credit of his work and then slam him publicly in media. Thats just not done.

Anyways, this is just a not so harmful version of how unethical people at the top can get.

Ruchika Girhotra's case is another case which makes me sit down and think...for how long are we going to be The Helpless citizens in our own country?? Where actually are we headed to, as a society...as a nation??

2010 is here, i just hope, wish and pray that the coming year brings justice to all, is more peaceful and happier for all the suffering souls around....

cheers..

फुर्सत

2009-12-16T21:08:00.006+05:30

आज ऑफिस में १ कांफेरेंस कॉल थी, शाम ७:३० बजे पूरी तैय्यारी के साथ कॉल का वेट किया, लॉग इन भी किया, लेकिन सामने वाली पार्टी को यू एस ऑफ़ ए में किसी अनियोजित कार्य ने घेर लिया शायद और कॉल कैंसल...:) १ दम ऐसे लगा जैसे की बचपन में बारिश वाले दिन पानी से भरी सड़कों से जूझते हुए स्कूल गए हों...और "Rainy day" घोषित हो गया हो....:)...अलौकिक आनंद की अनुभूति....:)
इसी ख़ुशी के अवसर पे ये मधुर गीत.....

वैसे इस "जैसे" के बाद कई उपमाएं लग सकती हैं.....
-जैसे ....इंजीनियरिंग में सेमेस्टर रिजल्ट आने की खबर, अफवाह साबित हो गयी हो....:D
-जैसे....CAT का इम्तिहान जो अभी अभी आप बर्बाद करके घर आये हैं वो रद्द हो गया हो....:)
-जैसे....सुबह आधा घंटा पहले आँख खुल जाए...और फिर मन प्रफुल्लित हो उठे की वाह! थोडा और सो सकते हैं....:)
-जैसे ...आपको printouts के लिए pages चाहिए हों रात के २ बजे, और कोई भला मानुस अपने A4 शीट्स लैब में ही भूल गया हो...:)
जैसे ...न जाने क्या क्या.....:)

१ मित्र ने आज अपनी पहली नौकरी से इस्तीफ़ा दिया...और उन्होंने इस "resigning" अनुभव का विवरण कुछ इस प्रकार किया ...."ऐसा लग रहा है जैसे कि किसी giant wheel में बैठ के नीचे आते समय लगता है."...:)....नई नौकरी कि आपको ढेरों बधाइयाँ... !!
खैर....ऐसा thrilling अनुभव हमें भी जल्द ही हो ...तब तक हम ऐसे "call cancel" types अनुभवों में ही खुश रहते हैं...:)

Thank You!

2009-11-30T19:10:00.022+05:30

Like many others I was introduced to the concept of Thanksgiving through FRIENDS!

I say thank you quite a few number of times in a day. And after coming to the southern part of the country i have started using this word even more. I take this opportunity to thank all the people who have been around to provide a helping hand at that moment of stress, who have made my day at more than one occassion by that one simple smile, who have unknowingly made a mark on my memory by a sweet, touching gesture.....whom i never got/ get a chance to say thanks....

1. Though I say thanks to the autowallah when i get down (with a smile when he charges by meter/ takes only 10 Rs more than meter reading); i still want to THANK all the autowallahs around, who are honest enough to go by meter, no matter even if they have to take a 2KM long U Turn after dropping me; hence saving my day from a bad start...:)

2. I want to THANK my roomie, for her amazing house keeping abilities...:)

3. I want to THANK all my tech savvy friends for always being there to answer all my stupid technology related questions..:) (Bhatt ji and Prateek need a special mention here)

4. I want to THANK Biniya ji and Raamkali ji (the two maids in Yashodhara Bhavan -my engg hostel), for doing all errands for me, ensuring that i get lunch/ dinner even after the mess is closed, cleaning my cooler at the begining of summers...and filling it n number of times during a hot summer day....making life so simple and easy....and these wnderful women never asked for any money/ anything in kind for doing all this....

5. I want to THANK "Aunty" -our house maid who is the support system of our kitchen back home, who is helping my mum since past 20 odd years, and is genuinly concerned about my mother's health...who makes it a point to work overtime, and even comes at odd hours to ensure if she is fine, on her bad back days.....

6. I want to THANK all those uncles/ aunties whom i request to look after my luggage at various railway stations of the country, while travelling alone...when i have to leave the waiting room/ bench for some imp work....

7. I want to THANK my tailor (for past 10 years)....back home who stitches my clothes (salwaar kameez to be precise) exactly to the given measurements....without making me go back to him for any alterations....[getting a dress stitched nicely gives a diff kind of relief and satisfaction altogether....and all girls wud surely agree to that...:)]

8. I want to THANK all the people on my gtalk list who are night owls like me..:)...to keep me company at those odd hours...:)

9. I want to THANK the driver of an airport bound Volvo, who was kind enough to hand over my baggage at the JB Nagar bus stop office, when i left it in the bus and got down at my stop! (the bag had my wedding related shopping....i was busy talking to a friend over phone, when i forgot to take my bag...)

As i write this post, i realise that i have many many more people to thank, and this one post if surely not enough for it.......

I would soon write another thanks giving post to thank all the people around who have made life better, easier, happier for me...:)

Ok, one name just struck me....and i cant wait for another post for thanking him....i want to THANK Hrishikesh Mukherji for making all the amazing, hilarious movies in the 70's and 80's, which now form a part of my DVD collection...:)

My 10 tana tan from Bhattu's pen..:)

2009-11-20T14:43:00.006+05:30

Bhattu commented on my last post....i could not resist posting it here...:)

1. The diamond part was such a show off!! but glad u will have smthing forever :P
2. the number of spectacles she broke/lost during the course of her MBA
3. the number of times she would normally fall asleep in a strategy class
4. the number of original members of the ANDV :P
5. the number of languages she enjoyed watching movies in (in order of priority-dnt know which of the last 2 she understood....viz. garhwali, hindi, english, tamil and telugu!!!)
6. the average number of times she would laugh during a normal conversation with me...(no misunderstandings here folks!! my conversations with her were generally out of the ordinary humorous....generally my part of the conversation)
7. my favourite number...and the minimum number of times she would listen to a garhwali song!

8. the average time she would enter in the class! Just missing being disallowed from attending the class!
9. the number of lives a cat has...and the number of personalitites this girl has!! depending on what assignment is to be submitted the next day!
10. the min. no. of hours of sleep required by her to keep her systems functioning in the way they are designed to...

PS: Don't go by the facts stated above; the tag has been posted here in the sheer spirit of humor and friendship...:)

AND_V was a group formed by four of us in MBA..it started with the idea to revolutionize the complete education system and ONLY think out of the box...:)...The initial goals could ofcourse not be achieved, but it did become an enriching experience in the lives of the four of us...

10 tana tan...:)

2009-11-19T12:48:00.006+05:30

Offlate i saw many bloggers mentoning the term.."writer's block"...when u cannot come up with anything to write..reason can be any...rather many....
I was going through my posts of the last few months and noticed that even i am suffering from this so called block....there are some vague ideas here and there but finding it difficult to come up with a post which I can read again after posting....:)
In such a situation, tags are something which act as a saviour...:); they at least provide a skeleton to fit your thoughts into....
I saw this tag on P's blog. Found it interesting; s to take it up this fine morning..:)
I have to assign something of importance from figure 1 to 10...lets see how much i can pull...

1-is the number of diamonds i have rite now..:)
2-is the number of siblings i have...and also my favorite number. In school, in coaching classes i always preferred sitting on the 2nd bench, standing 2nd in class somehow gave me more thrill than coming first..:D....Ok and it also happens to be the birth date of the guy i would be tying the knot with coming February..:) (again 2nd month of the year…a Piscean wedding ours would be..lol) ....(Yes, I have finally found the one to spend my rest of the life with...:). Am actually waiting for this so called “block” to get over to write a nice post on this important development in my life..:))
3-is the number of organizations i have worked for till now (including my current one)
4-is the number of people in the family i would be moving into...:)
5-is the number of months I have been to Salsa class…(isse behter kuch chamka nahi dimaag mein..)
6-is the number of Indian cities I have lived in so far
7-is the number associated with my family name. (Apparently our huge family on my father’s side is descendants of seven brothers who migrated from southern part of India to Garhwal long long time ago...)
8-It was in class 8th that i saw my first movie in theatre, hosh sambhalne ke baad that is (1942-A love Story and HAHK)..lol...
9-was the standard i was in when i got 100 marks in mathematics for the first time...(i was dead scared of maths till then..:D)
10-is the total number of years I have been staying away from my parents...

baaki everythings decent, apart from the fact that this client has made me sit in a room which is a glass box without blinds....:(...it gives me a feeling as if i am in some show case..:O

A Wednesday!

2009-11-11T15:18:00.007+05:30

Another not so great day....I am at a client at Peenya Industrial Area....some place in a remote corner of Bangalore, its is the farthest i have travelled within Bangalore from my home, i guess in past two and a half years..!!. I have to be here by 8:30 tommorrow..:O..i am tormented at the thought of leaving home by 7:15....insane hr to start work.... The assignment is a regular one; but before coming here I was having some apprehensions regarding the scope of work, people i'll have to work with and the size of the organization. All those got washed away once i entered the building. Client is a apparel tag manufacturer, the office setup is quite small...with single washrooms on every floor. Very humble settings and simple helpful people.

I remember visiting a client with similar infrastructure in Dec 2007, small office....the kind that looks as if a residential complex has been converted into an office. Small dining area, comparitively lower roofs, and yeah not to mention a terrace where you can go for evening coffee to enjoy Bangalore weather..:)

I have noticed, that such homely set up creates a very conducive environment for me to work, and gives some kind of mental comfort....(ok, some of you who know me would say, that han tujhe lagta hoga ki are ye to ghar types hai....to din mein post lunch so jayenge aaraam se..:D ..hmm...soch ke aisa lag to nahi raha..but ho bhi sakta hai..lol)...i somehow feel that i am more productive work wise, and i kinda feel that things are in good and in favor when i am working for such small set up (only in terms of infrastructure) clients...days appear longer...:)..i guess the homely environment gives a protected kinds feeling than the huge insane jazzy corporate setup...

What else...yeah one good thing which i noticed at one of the most crowded metro stations in Delhi; that people were standing in queues while waiting for the metro to come...:)....Queues at public places in Delhi are a treat to eyes...:). here is what it looked like...but still its better than no queue at all...

Though the moment train arrived there was again hauch pauch at the train door...but still, at least its a good begining....:)

One of my best friends wedding got fixed after a series of long drawn efforts..:))...I am super happy for you babes...:)..Congrats once again...:)...

Kuch Nahi!

2009-11-08T14:23:00.007+05:30

Giaanis (an icecream parlour) at CP metro station in Delhi serves "kuch nahi"....:)
And not to miss, the sardarji and his help at the outlet were so enthu about their innovation being captured..
"Madam yahan se le lo foto, achchi aayegi"...:)

After a hiatus...

2009-10-27T00:11:00.006+05:30

Moment of the Day.....

Was exchanging tweets with fellow tweeple today...and this kid who calls himslf Softykid..:)...said this in reply to ...hows life?

softykid 2 min ago
@deeptidhyani my life is exceptionally beautiful and having fun to the core :) howz day coming along and are u working in bangalore ?
from web in reply to deeptidhyani

I zimply loved the positivity his statement reflected....i mean what an awsum reply....my face lit up with a smile and for few seconds i was taken off all my worries. I cherished the moment and openend my blog to pen it down ...:))....
I guess this radiant pic which i captured sitting inside a beach side cafe at Kovalam Beach in Trivandrum would compliment this wonderful moment!!

Tagged!

2009-09-18T19:33:00.011+05:30

I am having a BAD day at office….a super Bad day I must say….Opened my blog and found this tagged post in Preeti’s blog. Though I have not been tagged on this….but this one looks interesting so would go ahead and try it out!! It’s the tag of 8’s.

8 TV shows I like to watch

I am not much of a TV show person, more in to music channels mainly MTV and Zoom….so I’ll list down all the TV shows I would want to follow, if I could remember at what time they are aired and if I am home at that time…

1. Ye Rishta Kya Kehlata hai!!..:D
2. Lux Perfect Bride..LOL…total TP
3. Kiran ki Kachaheri..:)..Dnt even ask WHY???

Ok, among the saner ones…
4. Walk the Talk with Shekhar Gupta
5. We The People and The Big Fight
6. Tere Mere Beech Mein
7. Coffee with Karan
8. And any of those singing competitions on Star and Zee

8 Favorite Places to Eat

1. Mum’s Kitchen
2. My own kitchen is also Ok types..:P
3. Sis’s kitchen for all kind of junk!!
4. Murugan Idly in Chennai
5. One of my maternal aunt’s kitchen- great cook she is
6. Mess food of IIT M was pretty decent…:D
7. There was one tiffin vaale uncle who use to deliver khana at our place when I was in Noida, awsum ghar ka khana it was..:)
8. Last but not the least..almost any roadside stall in North India

8 Things I look forward to

1. Saturdays
2. My Dinner
3. Opportunity to use any new stuff I have bought
4. Aarti in Sai Baba mandir at 6:30 in the evening (Most of them are in Marathi and sung very well)
5. Meeting my friends in Delhi whenever I visit home
6. My birthday..:)
7. And nothing else is coming to my mind rite now…!!

8 Things that happened yesterday

Thank God its not Today…:)
Hmm…
1. I had dinner twice
2. I slept early
3. I did not open my laptop after reaching home
4. Went to Sai Baba mandir, but missed the Aarti
5. Cleaned the water purifying thing at home..am not getting the proper noun we use for it…:O
6. Spent the second half in office, solving some petty work related issue
7. Ok..also got an auto back home frm office pretty easily…:)..i guess this was the most happening thing..:D
8. Spoke to Bro on phone and laughed hysterically on sum funny ideas..
On re-reading..boredom re- defined is what life looks like....:O

8 Things I love about Winter

I’ll tweak this a bit…I HATE winters….so I’ll put down the 8 things I love about non winters..summers to be precise :D

1. Days are longer, so you can come back home and still have time to yourself
2. During school days, you could sleep in the afternoon also..:)
3. You don’t have to wear Kgs of woolens to protect yourself from sardi; No rajaai, no scolding frm dad to wear one more sweater….
4. Khana plate mein daalte hi thanda nahi hota…
5. Han, and all the half yearly/ final exams use to fall during the mnths from Dec to March..man I so much hated winters for that…..and summer was all chill relax time!!
6. And yeah in North India its summer vacations ..long 1.5 mnths holidays….
7. You get to wear all fancy clothes during summers..:)
8. My Birthday ..:)
Basically….i LOVE everything about summers and hate almost everything about winters…!!

8 things on my Wishlist

1. A trip to Venice
2. Opening a dance school somewhere down the line
3. Report one of the Cricket World Cup matches from Durban for one of the better news channels, when SA hosts WC
4. A trek to Valley of Flowers
5. Host a Filmfare award function
6. Learn to make stuffed parathas (I always mess them up…stuffing collects on one side and all the aata on other)
7. Being able to carry water filled containers (made out of bronze, and hence are quite heavy), on my head from the nearest water source (called dhara) to my granny’s place (which seems a distant dream with the kind of back I keep..:( )
And last but not the least….
8. Getting out of the trouble I am in @work..ASAP

8 words or Phrases I use often

1. Are yaar!!
2. Han kya!
3. WTF!!
4. 1 baat bata yaar…
5. Namaste ji!!
6. Sahi hai bhai…
7. LOL..(yes I say that ..:D)
8. Jee nahi…..

8 places I would love to go, visit or see

1. Afghanistan
2. Pakistan
3. Venice
4. Seychelles
5. Mauritius
6. Kashmir
7. Valley of Flowers
8. Rajasthan
Strictly in that order..:)

This post is the only good thing happened during the day tdy...:)

राह पे रहते हैं...

2009-08-22T16:24:00.009+05:30

एक अनमनी सी दोपहर...खिड़की के पास बैठे हुए, कोशिश की कि थोड़ा सा आसमान, थोड़े से हर घड़ी रंग बदलते बादल, थोड़े से पेड़,..कहीं कुछ दिखाई दें....बहुत कोशिशों के बाद भी सामने बस एक बड़ी सी पीले रंग की दीवार, कुछ खड़ी गाड़ियों के अलावा कुछ न दिखा....तो बाहर से आती ठंडी हवा को ही अपने हिस्से की प्रकृति मान लिया....और फिर वापस उसी खिड़की की ओर रुख़ किया जो शायद अब हमारा इकलौता झंरोखा है इस दुनिया को देखने का....
गुलज़ार साहब के शब्दों को बड़ी खूबसूरती से पंचम दा ने गीत में पिरोया है....और आप हम जैसे किसी प्रशंसक ने कुछ उम्दा तस्वीरें डाल के ये सुंदर विडियो बना दिया है ...

A beautiful song with some amazing locales reminding of the nature's bliss, we are far away from......

Jaideep Malik pe Nibandh Bhag-1(especially for DoMS 2K7 Junta!!)

2009-08-19T01:54:00.009+05:30

Jaideep Malik: Subject of this essay- A friend from IITM, a careLESS Libran and a ?? investment banker!!

Below depicted are few of his traits through some situations/ anecdotes.

A telephonic conversation with Jdp
In the past two years since we have come to Bangalore invariably, without fail every conversation with Jdp has had the same beginning. He is ISO 9001 certified when it comes to phone conversations.
Me: Hello
Jdp: Hello..(in a surprised tone..since according to him these days nobody except his Mom and Credit card people call him)
Me: Hello, main bol rahi hun Katrina Kaif (KK is replaced by a new name every time depending on my mood, followed by my trademark laugh)
Jdp: achcha han bolo… (recognizing my voice)
Me: Kahan hai? (sensing some background noise, ladka shayad ghar pe nahi hai)
Jdp: Main ..hmm….main na abhi office mein hun..I’ll call you back in 20 min (CALL BACK: this word does not exist in my dictionary…:))
After 1-1.5 hr:
Me: Hello
Jdp: Oh..Hi
Me: Tu ghar pahunch gaya? (agitated)
Jdp: han ….bas abhi pahuncha hun
Me: Tune call kyun nahi kiya (totally sad ke)
Jdp: he he (no he is not laughing, he says “he he”), main..hmm….hmmm…
Me: Useless
Jdp: Aur bata..kya nayi gossip….

Whether you are trying to reach him in an SOS situation or just to share the latest gossip, the conversation WILL always start like this only. It is IMPOSSIBLE to reach him in the first call.

The words No/ Nahin do not exist in Jdp’s universe
May 2007. We all are at home before our joinings in June beginning/ mid. One fine day towards end of this break, I am chatting with Jdp
Me: Teri joining kab hai?
Jdp: June 4th, teri?
Me: Meri bhi, tune tickets kara liye?
Jdp: No, karani hai
Me: Hmm, I might get my joining delayed, but tu karane se pehle bata diyo..
Jdp: Theek hai, done. I’ll call you..:) (the assurance in that "Done" is to be noticed!!)

After few days my Dad asks “ Tumne Blore jaane ke tickets kara liye”, “Nahi Papa”.
Papa: “tum akele jaoge Bangalore?”
Me: “Nahi papa, mera dost hai Jdp, uski bhi joining 4th ko hai, to usne bola hai vo mujhe bata dega tickets karane se pehle”....”vaise knowing him, i doubt use batana yaad rahega, vo mujh se bhi zyada lazy hai”
Papa: “Oh achcha, to tum un doston ki tarah ho” and he narrates the following incident which has me in splits...:D
दो दोस्त होते हैं; काफी आलसी १ दोस्त १ बार दूसरे को १ चिट्ठी देता है पोस्ट करने के लिए १ महीने बाद, वो उससे जाके पूछता है, की भाई तुमने मेरी चिट्ठी पोस्ट कर दी थी? तो दूसरा बोलता है, बड़ी शान से....यार अगर तुम्हे इतनी ही जल्दी है, तो खुद कर लो पोस्ट ..:D

Needless to say, Jdp never called, to ask for the flight booking. The next i heard from him was after a month of coming to Bangalore. (I had to call aunty in Delhi to get his Blore number, which i had by chance saved some time.)

Going a bit down memory lane…MBA 1st quarter….We all are just a couple of weeks old friends and are totally unaware of each others laziness and carelessness quotient!! Its our 1st quarter 1st term papers:
Me: tere paas XYZ notes hain?
Jdp: (In a typical animated gesture of thinking)…Yesss!!
Me: theek hai, shaam ko xerox kara ke le aayega mere liye?
Jdp: Done (very assuringly)
Me: 5 baje?? (very relaxed, Yess!!, kitne actrive dost banaye hain MBA mein aake….)
Jdp: Theek hai (even more assuringly this time)
Me is very happy…shaam dhal ke raat hone ko aayi!!, Chennai mein baarish, the whole class has same subsidized Vodafone connection; due to rains no network!!, so Jdp’s phone not reachable….
At around 10 in the night, soul savior Baba is seen strolling outside Sharav (with another guy- who could be Karan, commander, KC..options are many!!).
Me: Jdp kahan hai?
Baba: Tune usko notes kahe they Xerox karane ko?? (in his trademark “know all” smile)
Me: Han, hai kahan vo gadha…x-( (in a totally irritated tone)
Baba: Ha ha ha (laughs hysterically)
Me: offo hans kyun rahe ho…batao na.. (agitated max)
Baba: ye le notes (hands over notes to me), Jdp ke bhi humi ne karaye hain….vo kahin soya pada hoga hostel mein….
Me: :O (baffled)
Baba: Hume pata tha usne 1-2 ko promise kiya hoga, ye extra kara liye the humne isilye…..
Me: :O..:O..:O

PS: Baba and Jdp have studied together in school..:); hence Baba has the “early knowing” advantage here..:P

to be continued....

TV se, Theatre se!

2009-08-17T23:45:00.008+05:30

Today I slept after coming from office, at around 6. Got up at 9:49 . Cooked something, ate while watching Satte pe Satta on TV and retired to my room. Missed "Ye Rishta Kya Kehlaata Hai" (YRKKH) on Star, a "fooper" irritating serial otherwise; which i have been following very religiously offlate. It spans around an arranged marriage..before, through and after. Most of the characters are sugary sweet and far from reality. The female lead is overtly coy and docile, and the guy is even more irritating. The other bhaiyya, bhabhis and all add to the "Yuck" quotient of the show...BUT i still watch it...have been following it for past 3 months now i guess..:).

Some shows are outstanding, so well made that you watch them for the sheer joy of brilliance they exude!!. and some shows are just 1/.....YRKKH is one of them... when i started watching it i found it so non watchable that i was like...WTF man!!..kya crap hai...kuch bhi bana diya hai...but then..i guess some shows are so bad that u want to watch them, to see that how can something be so yuck!!...I watch it everyday, from Mon to Thurs, just to see ki audience ke patience ka serial makers kitna test le sakte hain...:O (might sound weird..but then these are just Wonderful thoughts of the Weird Me..lol)

I saw Kameeney this weekend, Vishal Bharadwaj ne bade itmenaan se Mumbai ki baarish mein 1 movie banayi hai...no need to say its yet another outstanding work by him!!...Movie dekh ke aisa laga ki the director has actually made the movie for himself, jo achcha laga, jaise best laga..bana diya....ab agar aap similar taste rakhte hain to most welcome..aaiye..dekhiye aur tareef kijiye....varna ghar baith ke YRKKH types serials dekhiye..:D (thank God VB has an awsum taste and sense of movie making; needless to say max junta would admire it!!)

Shahid as Charlie is AWFUM!!!... hats off to him for making that speech defect sound so SEXY and natural!! I loved the last seen where he is standing on the terrace of some building with that God forbidden guitar and says "ye duniya faali H********** hai aur tum faale k***** fab Kameeney"!!. The dialogue has been delivered in such an amazing manner..1 dum single screen 40 rs vaale theatre mein seeti bajane types ..:))

Piggy Chopps is another attraction in the movie, kya to acting kari hai ladki ne...her expressions, dialogue delivery is just next to perfection!!. I zimply loved her in these two scenes....

1. When she is coaxing Shahid to marry her.....i guess every girl can see some bit of herself in Sweety in that particular scene, how we use that as the last weopon sometimes, to get a favor ..when we know ki saamne vaala maan hi nahi raha ab to..:))..All of us must have used this coaxing with our parents, siblings, friends at some point or the other....:)

2. And second is the award winning expression after she has delivered twins!!...APT is the word...that one expression summarizes all the pain, trauma, torture one would go through while delivering a baby; no amount of words can match it!!

Baaki, needless to say, the movie has awsum music. Mr VB roxx!!...I read somewhere that he has played cricket for UP in the under 19 category!!....bade medhaavi jaan padte hain ye sajjan!!..1 mitra ne inki nayi aane vaali movie Ishqiya ka trailor bheja, looks quite promising!!

Khair this was Kameeney, and with this now i have kind of mastered the art of watching a movie alone...:)...badi independent si feeling hoti hai...:)...

Doordarshan completes 50 glorious years in 2009. This weekend would try putting down some memories of our journey with DD till 1994. (Since 1995 jab se cable laga hai ghar pe, DD dekhne ka mauka laga nahi hai).

PS: Is post ko likhte samay yah geet youtube be bajaya jaa raha tha....:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7kKAkRWCjE

cheers..:)

The z axis and irrational happiness..

2009-08-08T01:20:00.039+05:30

आज शुक्रवार की शाम है.....ऑफिस में विशेष काम था नहीं, तो हमारे दिमाग में भांति भांति के विचार आने लगे; जब से नौकरी करना शुरू किये हैं, शुक्रवार नामक इस दिवस ने ज़िन्दगी में एक अलग ही स्थान प्राप्त कर लिया है; शुक्रवार की शाम आते ही मन प्रफुल्लित हो उठता है, आगे दो दिन की छुट्टी है....ऐसे लगता है मानो बस इन्ही दो दिन का इंतज़ार था..अब हम विश्व विजय कर लेंगे....वो सारे काम, जिनका चिटठा लिए हम हफ्तों से घूम रहे हैं; इसी सप्ताहंत में सभी का निर्वाह करके, आनंद और कर्त्तव्य परायणता की चरम सीमा को छू लेंगे...:) अगर पिछले दो सालों पर नज़र डालें तो विरले ही ऐसे सप्ताहंत रहे हैं जहाँ हमने खुद से किये गए कुछ वायेदों को निभाया है; अमूमन शनिवार और रविवार घर पे ही आराम फरमाते हुए, बचे हुए कुछ कामों को थोडा सा अंजाम के और करीब पहुंचाते हुए निकल जाते हैं; किन्तु शुक्रवार की शाम को जो मन मयूर में माहौल होता है..उसमे कोई विशेष अंतर नहीं आया है ..:)...आज ऐसे ही मन में विचार आ रहा था...कि क्या शुक्रवार सचमुच इतना मत्वपूर्ण होता है??? ....सांख्यिकी को अगर ध्यान में रखा जाए तो ९०% लोग ऐसे होंगे जो सप्ताह में इतना काम करते हैं, जिसे की सामान्य ऊर्जा स्तर से इति की ओर पहुँचाया जा सकता है ..और जिसके बाद २ दिन के अविघ्नकारी अवकाश की आवश्यकता नहीं होती....किन्तु हमारा मन मस्तिष्क इस तरह से यंत्रस्थ किया जा चुका है कि अगर ऊपर से निर्देश आ गए की इस शनिवार/ रविवार आपको ऑफिस आना पड़ सकता है, तो हम मानसिक रूप से ही इतने थक जाते हैं कि काम क्या ही हो पाता है....

Ok, as I write this post i realise, that I have lost all my grip over Hindi..:(...framing one sentence is taking more than 2 minutes, which by all standards is too too much, needless to mention the help from some random site and kind souls like N. I remember, there use to be a time when I was more of a Hindi person. Writing in our mother tongue came all very naturally. In addition to scoring highest marks in Hindi literature and grammar ..I use to be an active member of Hindi debate and writing club..:( .English was something which needed efforts, I still remember my first essay in English in class IV....I was disqualified from participating in a district level essay competetion as I committed some gross mistakes in my writing on "The Gulf War"-1991 (mistakes are too embarrassing to be mentioned here..:))....the remainder of this post has to be in Hindi...no matter how much time it takes.... "Shukra hai Shukravaar hai" can take a back seat...I guess I am more tempted to go down the "Hindi" memory lane :)

हमारी पीढी के अधिकाँश उत्तर भारतीय बच्चों की तरह हमारे घर में भी हिंदी का ही वर्चस्व था; हमारी मातृभाषा गढ़वाली है, और अक्सर माँ एवं पिताजी गढ़वाली में वार्तालाप करते पाए जाते हैं; किन्तु रोजमर्रह कि ज़िन्दगी में, और आसपास के वातावरण में भी हिंदी ही सबसे प्राभाव पूर्ण भाषा थी; हमारी माताजी संस्कृत/ हिंदी कि अध्यापिका हैं, दोनों ही भाषाओं में निपुण हैं, एवं पिताजी अलाहबाद विश्वविद्यालय से स्नातक तो हिंदी या यूँ कहिये काफी शुद्ध हिंदी में घर में वार्तालाप हो जाया करता था... मुझे याद आता है जब मेरे भाई बहिन का कक्षा १० का परिणाम आया...और वो अपेक्षा के अनुसार नहीं था; हमेशा की भाँती दोनों समझदार बच्चे सो गए...:) सोये रहेंगे तो पिताजी के प्रवचन कम सुनने मिलेंगे.....पिताजी ने शुध्ध हिंदी में कटाक्ष किया....
" ये पलायनवादी दृष्टिकोण कोई विशेष मदद नहीं करता है जीवन में"..:D
उनके मुह से ऐसे वाक्य अक्सर सुनने मिल जाया करते थे...

" दीप्ति, तुम में व्यवहारिक ज्ञान और विवेक कि कमी है "......
" मेरी बातें तुम्हे अभी कटु लगेंगी, पर बेटा, सत्य यही है कि देर से उठने वाले जीवन में बहुत आगे नहीं जाया करते"
"समय समय पे आत्म विश्लेषण अति आवश्यक है"
ऊपर लिखीं बातों को हमने जीवन में कितना अपनाया, इस पे तो टिपण्णी नहीं करुँगी ....पर घर में शुध्ध हिंदी कोई बहुत दूर कि चीज़ नहीं थी....माताजी अक्सर हमारे गलत उच्चारण को सही कर देतीं थीं.....फूल (phool) ओर फूल (fool) में अंतर करना उन्होने ही सिखाया.....मौसियों और चाचियों ने जब अपने बच्चों के कठिन नामों (जैसे: कनिष्क) को गलत हिंदी में लिखा तो माताजी ने आगे बढ़के "श" और "ष" में अंतर बताया...कक्षा ६ से १० तक, नवीन भारती, पराग, स्वाति (हमारी हिंदी पुस्तकें) के सभी गद्य और कविताओं का भावार्थ, प्रसंग और भी न जाने क्या क्या, को अत्यंत भावपूर्ण तरीके से लिखवाने में माताजी ने कोई कसर न रख छोड़ी ; हमने भी हिंदी में उच्चतम अंक पाके, उनको गौरवान्वित किया....और १ हिंदी अध्यापिका कि सुपुत्री होने का कर्त्तव्य पूर्ण रूप से निभाया..:) खैर, कहने का तात्पर्य ये है कि आसपास अच्छी हिंदी का माहौल था.....कक्षा ११ तक हम हिंदी वाद विवाद प्रतियोगिताओं में न केवल भाग लिया करते थे..बल्कि प्रथम या द्वितीय स्थान प्राप्त करके विद्यालय के गौरव को बढाते थे... (इन प्रतियोगिताओं में शीर्षक कुछ ऐसे होते थे: भारतीय राजनीति में धर्मं का हस्तक्षेप-कितना उचित/ अनुचित) ऐसे विषयों का ६विन कक्षा में न तो सिर समझ आता था न पैर ..:) ८-१० पन्नों का १ झुंड हमें पकडा दिया जाता था......"बेटा, ये बोलना है...."...हम ख़ुशी ख़ुशी कर्तव्यपरायणता से उसे याद कर लेते थे....और किसी भी प्रतियोगिता में जाके.....मंडल/ जिले के हिंदी विद्वानों के सामने पूरे आत्मविश्वास एवं भावनाओं के साथ उगल दिया करते थे.....(Dias के पीछे hearbeats कितनी तीव्र गति से दौड़ रही होती थीं; इसका अनुमान शुक्र है किसी को कभी नहीं हुआ:) )

आज जब पीछे देखती हूँ तो याद पड़ता है...घर में १ रामायण हुआ करती थी....किसी हिंदी गाइड कि तरह दिखने वाली वो पुस्तक, २-३ भागों में थी.....हमने कक्षा २-३ में....पूरी रामायण (उत्तर रामायण सहित) ऐसे ही यहाँ वहां डोलते हुए पढ़ डाली थी (कहने कि आवश्यकता नहीं है..कि पुस्तक अत्यंत सरल हिंदी में थी)..... थोडा और बड़े हुए तो घर में रखे सभी शिवानी के उपन्यास (शिवानी हिंदी कि १ बहुचर्चित लेखिका हैं- उनकी सुपुत्री मृणाल पाण्डेय कुछ समय पहले तक हिंदी समाचार वाचिका थीं) पढ़ डाले; रुचि का १ कारण ये भी था कि सभी कहानियां/ उपन्यास गढ़वाल/ कुमाऊं का बड़ा ही रोचक वर्णन करते थे;

जब तक हम कक्षा १० में थे, घर में हिंदी अखबार नवभारत टाईम्स आया करता था; अखबार के मुख्य उपभोग्कता हमारे पिताजी थे, जो कि किसी भी दिन हिंदी भाषा से ज्यादा प्रेम/ तालुक रखते थे; स्कूल से आते ही, हम बिना change किये पहले पूरा अखबार पढ़ते....लोकल से ले कर विदेशी ख़बरों तक में सामान रुचि हुआ करती थी....फिर कक्षा ११विन में ये अहसास हुआ, कि reading an English newspaper would any day be more beneficial:))..तो घर में टाईम्स ऑफ़ इंडिया भी आने लगा.....उसमे भी हमारी रुचि बस सन्डे टाईम्स में ही रहती थी....बाकी का अखबार अक्सर खाना खाते हुए बिछाने के काम आता था या अपनी अलमारी में किताबों के नीचे बिछाने के..:) इसी बीच हमने कहीं Readers' Digest और CSR देख लीं..:)..तो घर में वो भी आने लगीं.....ये दोनों ही बड़े मन से पढ़े जाते थे.... (Readers' Digest deserves a complete post in itself-its one of the most captivating reads I have ever come across).
खैर, हिंदी भाषा से ताल्लुक शायद वहीँ तक था; इधर हम घर से बाहर निकले जीवन में कुछ कर दिखाने के लिए..:P...उधर मातृभाषा से तार टूटने से लगे....इंजीनियरिंग कॉलेज में आके पहले दो साल तो "कुछ भी नहीं पढ़ा"..:D..उसके बाद जब लगा कि अब आगे क्या.......तो MBA रुपी जीव सामने दिखाई पड़ा........बस....तब से जो अंग्रेजी भाषा से नाता जुडा है..आज आलम ये है कि......इस पोस्ट को लिखने में इस साईट से लेके श्री N का सहारा लेना पड़ा......फाइनल इयर में The Hindu , आसपास पायी जाने वालीं सभी अंग्रेजी magazines पढ़ी जाने लगीं.....हर वो लेख जो कि कठिन हो, जिसका सिर, पैर ना समझ आ रहा हो....उसपे शोध होने लगा... TOI का एडिटोरिअल जो मैं पूरे होशो हवास में मुश्किल ही पढ़ती हूँ कभी, पूरी शिद्दत एवं तल्लीन्त्ता से रुचि लेके पढ़ा जाने लगा...

जीवन तो इन सब में पता नहीं कितना सुधरा है....पर इतना ज़रूर है कि....हिंदी से कहीं नाता टूट गया लगता है इस बार घर गए, तो प्रेमचंद की गोदान रखी मिली १ शेल्फ में पूरे जोश से उसे तुंरत बैग में डाला. ..ये पढ़नी है....आज ६ महीने हो गए हैं किताब लाये हुए घर से......मुश्किल से ५० पन्ने पढ़ पाए हैं...:( रुचि पूरी है...पर पढने की गति इतनी चरमरा गयी है कि अब उठाने का मन ही नहीं करता....:( भाषा कोई भी हो..अपने आप में बहुत आदरणीय होती है .....किन्तु मातृभाषा में जब लिखने/ पढने में कठिनाई होने लगे तो कहीं ये बात दिल को अखरती ज़रूर है;
PS:
१. Thanks to N, for being the शब्द kosh for writing this post :)
२. गोदान शीघ्रातिशीघ्र ख़तम कर ली जायेगी.....कितना भी समय क्यूँ न लगे...:)
३. शीर्षक का लेख से कोई सम्बन्ध नहीं है....शीर्षक twitter से उठाये गए कुछ वार्तालापों का मिश्रण है:)
४. पूरे लेख में पूर्णविराम की जगह ";" लगाना पड़ा है...:( ब्लॉग पूर्णविराम दिखा नहीं रहा है पोस्ट :(

ये लेख लिखते हुए सुबह के ४:३० हो गए.....निम्न वर्णित गीत ने काफी साथ दिया tempo बनाये रखने में.....इसे अवश्य सुने.....:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJJv83-5EyQ
cheers :)

Over lunch!

2009-07-28T13:38:00.004+05:30

Just had lunch with few office friends…..a few :) and :( excerpts from todays lunch..:)

We recently got out passport size photos clicked in office; in a standard format. Today the department secy sent each one of us our individual pics. Did not get a chance to see many of them; but this is how a friend described hers: “Aiyyo, I look like a deranged fellow. The clients will say what a nice and charitable firm ours is; we give chance to mentally challenged people to be a part of our organization.” ..:D
That reminds me, another friend of mine has a collection of passport size pics of all her friends with her. The other day she was showing them to me and needless to say we were ROFLing for some good half an hr. She insisted that all her friends give her a passport size pic of theirs; a hilarious remembrance which can make her laugh every time she sees them..:)

Ok, on the downside, why do some people make noise while eating…:(, and do not hesitate taking food from your plate with their hands/ spoon without even considering that it may not be received very well on the other side…:( I mean I do not mind sharing food. I have shared lunch boxes/ thaalis/ glasses/ spoons all through my life with my pals in school and hostel (sharing stuff in hostel can make a complete post in itself…:)); but then I still feel that unless we are very good friends and are well aware of each other’s dining habits; we should consider someone’s food plate as a very personal territory and should only venture into it after seeking due permission.

सोना

2009-07-26T01:27:00.007+05:30

अभी कुछ दिन पहले हमारी माताजी का फोन आया किन्ही सज्जन का हमारे लिए रिश्ता आया था, और माताजी हमे बता रही थीं..." बेटा उसकी मौसी से बात हुई थी वो कह रहीं थीं -" हमारू नौनु सोनौ च" (हमारा लड़का सोने का है) ".." मैंने कहा अच्छा, मम्मी आपको बोलना था.." हमारी नौनी भी सोने च"...कभी भी..कहीं भी...किसी भी समय सुला लो....:)....एक दम खरे "सोने" की है...:)

Yun hi...

2009-07-25T02:03:00.011+05:30

I have many things to write about, topics I can discuss for hours, topics which have been bothering me for quite sometime now and hence can fill pages with…but I guess I have thought through them so many times, that now I have no patience to jot them down to make a nice readable post. Nothing major is happening in life as such. Things are going pretty much at the same pace. It has been almost 20 days since I shifted to this new house. Things are faring decently till now..:). Few thoughts here and there.....

1.Bangalore Weather: What is wrong with it?? I mean we call it pleasant when its neither too hot nor too cold; we are not tweeting/ filling FB walls telling the whole world about the torturesum state we are in because of it; our phone conversations do not essentially revolve around it!!. But what do we call it when you don’t see sun for some 1 month all together, not a single drop of rain, breezy almost all the time with those filmy Saiyen Sayein sound!!, ....I can make my friends in HOTland Dilli hear those sounds on phone…:O. Its weird!!, irritating..and requires immediate attention by the Sun and Rain Gods. Ok, I agree I hate weather of India north of Tropic of Cancer, and I tell all placement consultants that “Anywhere in India” in my naukri.com profile actually means anywhere except NCR; but this pleasantness of Bangaluru weather is now making me crave for Dilli ki sardi and garmi…:(. I seriously want this weather to show some signs of change now!!

2.Twitter: I am active on this social super networking site since past two months now I guess. It was Orkut, then FB and now its Twitter. So these days I am addicted to it. Gmail has been replaced by Twitter as the first page which I open when I enter the virtual world. I tweet, RT (Re-Tweet), read others tweets, laugh many times a day courtesy some humorous/ hardworking fellows I am following who make it a point to search internet right, left and centre to post funny one liners every minute to keep the laughing ball rolling. (When do these guys work???..i mean I can count few who tweet like some five times every minute). I seriously want to learn this multitasking ability or be recruited by their organization. The addiction and sincerity towards tweeting is commendable!! Some of my friends have stopped chatting with me, tweet karo bas…:O kaise halchal/ wossup/ kahan ho..sirf tweets ke through poocho!!
Not that I am against tweeting but i seriously wonder how cun some people tweet ALL the time..!!
One interesting thing I discovered after entering this tweet world is that I am not very quick at gelling with unknown online junta. In twitter you follow people you know, you also follow many who you don’t….now these unknown fellas are mostly the ones recommended to you by your friends; then you start interacting and become a part of the numerous # ed topics…. It took me I guess a good one nd a half month to become familiar with few of those unknown handles I follow on twitter who are supposedly hyperactive on it. Anyways, all is good till it lasts, lets see for how long we all keep tweeting…!!

3.Moment of the Day: The other day, a good friend in office, rather my best friend in office came and sat next to me post lunch, he had to change his seat for some reason. I looked at him, and for a moment was thrilled (I grinned and said..”tu yahan baith raha hai”); just like the way I remember I use to feel super YaY when till class 8th, the teacher use to allow us to sit with our friends on rare occasions. (other wise we were made to sit with some random classmates; and people like me with specs had their fixed seats in the second row with some other chashmadharis; the rest of the junta use to follow a seat rotation, we were however spared from that since humen peeche vaali seats se dikhayi nahi deta tha..:D). I loved that 10 seconds excitement; when I told him this we had a good 2 minutes laugh…:D…it was the moment of the day!!

4.:) I also discovered a new thing about myself; my laughing threshold is very low. I mean I knew that I laugh more as compared to other souls around, but recently I noted that its very easy to make me laugh. Also, I can re-laugh on the same thing many a times. At times there have been incidents when I could not narrate a particular incident to junta, because I was laughing so much myself while telling it that we had to postponed the narration to some later point. I have often heard people around me saying “itni hanse vaali baat to nahi thi” and giving me confused looks, wondering if they have missed the humor; but don’t worry folks, it has nothing to do with your sense of humor….:). Ye, and on this smiley note, I want to mention here….last Friday night I discovered a nice blog. Here is the link. I was ROFL reading it. I am sure you too would like it.

PS: I have conviniently replaced "poor sense of humor" with "low laughing threhold" ..:) thora better sound karta hai..:D

5.We had a mehndi eve yesterday at a friend’s place…:). In N India there is a festival called Teej, women folk put mehndi, wear new clothes and bangles etc and celebrate. We all gathered at this friend’s place and had a girls’ eve out. Fun it was.

6.I won a card..:) Yahan jaake dekhiye..:)

Bas abhi itna hi yaad aa raha hai..:)

From the kitchen....

2009-07-12T21:48:00.010+05:30

I learnt this recipe few days back from an aunt of mine; and since then it has been the lunch/ brunch/ dinner of my innumerable lazy evenings and afternoons. Steamed egg is what she calls it; but i guess it can be re-christened and upgraded to a better name...:)

I have beta tested this recipe on my siblings quite a few number of times...:); results and feedbacks were pretty decent. After showing the pics to N and T; i also got the assurance that it looks pretty tempting. So, i thought why not put a post on it, and save this Sunday from being another "did nothing" day..:)

To prepare it for one person, all you would need is:
2 table spoons of cooking oil
Onion-1
Tomato-1
Any of the following vegetables: Capsicum (red/green/yellow), Baby Corn, Cabbage, Mushroom. (These are the only ones i have tried; you can happily try others).
Eggs-2-3
Cheese (Slice or grated)
Green Chillies-1-2
2 slices of Brown Bread

Put 2 table spoon of oil in a pan (kadhaai to be precise). Add chopped oinions(cut into medium size pieces. Fry the onions till they start turning brown. Add other vegetables and green chillies (finely chopped) and fry on low flame for some 5-6 minutes. Now add chopped tomatoes, and masalas (salt, garam masala (thora sa) and kitchen king (1 table spoon)). Fry all the ingredients in the pan for another 3-4 minutes till you feel the vegetables have started loosing their rawness. (You can also add bread crumps, this would make it more filling and can easily suffice for a complete meal)

Break eggs on the top this mixture and sprinkle some jeera powder/ pepper powder on it. Cover the pan without mixing any further. Let the stuff steam for say 7-8 minutes on low flame, till the eggs get cooked. Take a slice of cheese..and spread it over the almost cooked egg. Cover the pan for few more minutes till the cheese starts melting. Switch off the gas; and the steamed egg (a dinner invite to whoever comes up with a better name..:P) is ready to be served....:)

This can be served with Bread Toast/ Chapaati...or can be had without any of these..:)

Before eating today i clicked a pic and this is how it looks...:)

Addicted!!

2009-07-09T23:41:00.009+05:30

I discovered two new addictions of mine today…..one: I have developed an addiction for tags, I am simply loving this whole tagging business; and have dedicated i guess last three of my posts to it and two: I am addicted to visit the Sai Baba temple near my house, which I have been going to almost everyday for past one year. Now since I have shifted to this new place and mandir is a bit far away from here; i find it difficult to go everyday. When today late evening; I felt this sudden craving of going to the temple immediately….I realized that this is my second addiction…:)
So, I would be honoring both my new born addictions in this post one by one.
I was introduced to this world of blogs by P; and hence like a newbie here I invariably share all my crazy thoughts with him when it comes to blogs….he encouraged me to blog; is guiding me through it…he’s my Blogfather..:)). So when I told him about this whole tag thing..he generously directed me to the umpteen number of tags he has taken…for me to follow suit. Thanks dude!!
So here I pick up one of the interesting ones from there….

100 things about me
1. Last beverage? sweet lime juice..does it fall under the beverage category?
2. Last phone call? Papa se baat ki..2 min I guess an hr back or so
3. Last text message? I am too lazy at chaapoing msgs…so kaafi din pehle kiya hoga....dnt remember...last message got was Hellos Wossup…frm AB..
4. Last song you listened to? Aaja Sanam Madhur Chaandni Mein hum Tum milen….
5. Last time you cried? le…today only…not cried exactly..but had tears in my eyes…kuch serious discussion with a dear friend…

HAVE YOU EVER:
1. Dated someone twice ? Nopez
2. Been cheated on? ? Yes
3. Kissed someone & regretted it? ? No
4. Lost someone special? ? Yes
5. Been depressed?? Many a times…
6. Been drunk and threw up? ? No

HAVE YOU:
1. Made new friends ? Thankfuly many…and every time I thank God for blessing me with such wonderful people…
2. Fallen out of love ? Yes
3. Laughed until you cried ? Yeah man….and it feels like heaven..:)
4. Met someone who changed you ? Hmm….not like completely….but yeah..people did make a difference….
5. Found out who your true friends were ? Yes
6. Found out someone was talking about you ? Yes
7. Kissed anyone on your friend’s list ? No..
8. Made the first Move? Yes, since I dint want to regret at a later point in time..but alas it never wrked out…..
10. Do you have any pets ? No
11. Do you want to change your name ? vaise No…but at times Yes…I think my name is too common….and after stating in Chennai for 2 years I feel its bloody the most common name down south ..every other girl in the Hostel was DeeptHi…this spelling makes it more scary..as if I “was” (“thi”)…..But then i guess i still love it…..
12. What did you do for your last birthday ? had an amazing lunch with my good friends in office…had a nice dinner party with few of my MBA friends….happily attended all phone calls..and yes..cut a cake too in office….
13. What time did you wake up today – 10:30 AM….:)
14. What were you doing at midnight last night? Hmm…..reading some random blog….
15. Name something you CANNOT wait for? Too many to list here...given the impatient person i am..
16. Last time you saw your father ? Last Month
17. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life?...Hmm..rite now..i wish I were born one year later..:)
18. Most visited webpage ? Gmail..but I guess twitter these days..

ABOUT U:
1. What’s your name? Deepti
2. Nicknames? Deepu..and only Rach calls me that…Dipi..my aunts call me that …baaki junta Deepti hi bulati hai…
4. Zodiac sign? Tauras
5. Male or female or transgendered? Female
6. Elementary? AMS Sre
7. Schools? AMS Sre
8. Colleges ? BIET-Jhansi, IIT M
10. Hair color ? Brown
11. Long or short ? Shoulder length
16. Height? 5’3
17. Do you have a crush on someone?? Nopez
18: Ever been in love? Yep
19. Piercings? My Ears…
20. Tattoos ? Never tried
21. Righty or lefty ? Righty

FIRSTS :
1. First piercing? I was in class 6 I guess..when I got my ears pierced…no no..it was 8th class I think…
2. First best friends?..hmm…A girl called Vibha..when I was preparing for engg…Prior to that Aruna…friend since class 2nd..and now one of the best friends..:)
3. First sport you joined? joined the gali ka group and played "staapu" if it counts as sport..:P
4. First pet? Never had a pet
5. First vacation? Pauri Garhwal…it has been my only vacation destination for the first fourteen years of my life..:)
6. First concert? Parikrama
7. First crush ? Way back in class 10th
8. Eating? Not very fond of..but ye have started cooking alrite since past few years..
9. Drinking? its all juices now….:)
10. I’m about to? Post this tag
11. Listening to? “Is Des Na Aana Laado” ke dialogues..roomie watching the serial in anther room…

YOUR FUTURE :
1. Want kids?? Yess!!!.very much...
2. Want to get married ? ? Yes
3. Careers in mind??...Confused rite now..
4. Lips or eyes ? Eyes
5. Hugs or kisses ? Both..:P
6. Shorter or taller ? Taller than me..:P
7. Older or Younger ? Younger
8. Romantic or spontaneous ? Spontaneous I guess….or romantic...dunno..
9. Nice stomach or nice arms ? Both..:)
10. Sensitive or loud ? Sensitive
11. Hook-up or relationship ? Relationship
12. Trouble maker or hesitant ? hesitant

HAVE YOU EVER :
1. Kissed a stranger ? Nope
2. Lost glasses/contacts ? Yess…
3. Sex on first date ? Nope
4. Broken someone’s heart ? Hmm..cant call it that..
5. Had your own heart broken ? Yes
6. Been arrested ? Nahs…
7. Turned someone down ? Yes
8. Cried when someone died ? Yess…
9. Liked a friend that is a girl/boy? ? Yes..:)

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
1. Yourself ? Yes
2. Miracles ? I seriously want one to happen soon….
3. Love at first sight?...Nopez..
4. Heaven?...is where I would like God to answer all my queries if they don’t get answered in this lifetime...
5. Santa Clause?..Yes
6. Peace in this lifetime?..Not that difficult to find.
7. Kissing on the first date??..depends who the date is..
8. Angels?..yes…
9. Is there one person you want to be with right now??..No is a suitable ans I guess…
10. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time in the past? ? Nah
11. You will die young?..hmm..yeah .before this body stops supporting me…
12. You will end with the one you love and learn to love the one you are with - learn to love the one I am with and hopefully succeed..:)

Phew!!!..that was some Tag!!!....

Okies..now..for my second addiction....here is one of my fav Saibaba bhajan....i listen to it quite often...One soothing song..hope you like it..:)

Cheers..:)

Changing Nest!!

2009-06-30T02:55:00.001+05:30

Tomorrow i am shifting to a new place. I would now be sharing a flat with an office coalleague of mine. I have stayed in this PG for almost 2 years now, I came here on June 19, 2007...:). I am neck deep in office work for past few days; and hence had no time to actually ponder on the 2 long years spent at this place.....but if if someone asks me the one thing i have learnt here..that would be how to manage staying ALONE; ek dum akele types...cook for your own, share the room with some one you only know the name/ company of, and have phone/ net as the only means to talk with human beings after office hrs and on weekends....and what i feel today is that its not that bad always....(given that you know its temporary...:)). But i can clearly remember many lonely enjoyable moments in this PG. Come back from office, play your favourite music...cook a full meal..(like four times a week and an elaborate meal on Saturadays)..and retire to bed by 11 with a book (omni-presence in virtual world need not be mentioned...:P)...On holidays and some weekends...just lie down on bed un disturbed to finish some good book..or watch a nice movie....and make plans for evening..:).....Make pakodas for self on a rainy evening...and invite friends over...:)...now that i have started writing i find that this post needs more time to be inclusive of all the thoughts going on in my mind.....and since its already half past 3 in the mrning....i guess...high time i sleep....I'll miss this place for sure but....!!

Fir se Tagged..:)

2009-06-28T00:24:00.001+05:30

I wrote a tagged post yesterday…enjoyed it thoroughly…:)
Have had an awful day at work…yes..i went to office on a Sat also, had to sit on a really uncomfortable chair and survive on dip-tea (that sounds like Deepti..he he he..:)). Came back home to discover that the milk which I had thought would be one half of my dinner today was spoilt (despite of being kept in refrigerator); so made steamed egg (a yumm new dish I have learnt to prepare few days ago) and had the first meal of my day at 10 pm…:(. I decided that the moment I finish my dinner, I’ll be off to bed (I have to go to office tomm as well…this weekend is one really happy and happening one…:))!!..anyways..han to the point was …that I am suppose to sleep on time today, tomm is one anther hectic day for me. So I was following the normal routine of browsing through all the basic sites (read gmail, orkut, FB, Twitter, IBN Live and yeah My Blog). But after a screwed day at office I decide to write something. A long awaited post on “Meri Badrinath Yaatra” is pending…but it will have to wait…for some better day!!. I found this tag on Prats blog. Tags are fun, so I’ll end my day in a fun way..:). I love my blog….where else can I write all this in coherent crap..and still ask people to read and comment also…:)

So heres the tagged me.....
Kissed any of your friends on social networking groups? No
Been arrested? Nahi Bhai..
Kissed someone you didn’t like? No..
Slept until 5 PM? Aha..yes..a number of times…(it sucks though)
Fallen asleep at work/school? In School ..Yes…
Held a snake? Nopez
Ran a red light? Nopez
Been suspended from school? Uff..No Man!!..i was a very good student till school…”Till” is to be noticed
Totaled your car/motorbike in an accident? Hmm..Nah…thankfully..
Totaled a friend’s car/motorbike in an accident? Vo bhi nahi kiya….
Been fired from a job? No
Sang karaoke? Yes (And here I am lying ..just to feel good)
Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t? Lo..kar lo baat…I do that always..
Laughed until something you were drinking came out of your nose? Yes…
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Nah….
Kissed in the rain? :(..Nah….So many Nozzzz….
Sang in the shower? Aha..yes…I do that quite often….:)
Sat on a rooftop? Hola…many a times….alone..with friends…:)..its fun..:)
Been pushed in a pool with all your clothes? Thankfully no…..
Broken a bone? Kiski..apni..Hmm..nahi….baaki i am a peaceful person..to kisi aur ki bhi nahi..:)
Shaved your head? Mom says 3 times ….she says my hair was like jute ki rassi….so my head had to be shaved 3 times when I was a kid; till she felt the texture of my hair was some where near normal…:)
Blacked out from drinking? No
Played a prank on someone? Yes…though I am not much of a prankster…
Felt like killing someone? Almost every week……:)
Made your girlfriend/boyfriend cry? I don’t make people cry….:)
Had Mexican Jumping Beans for pets? No
Been in a band? Ha ha…No
Shot a gun? No
Donated blood? No….At times I feel I need though..
Eaten alligator meat? No
Eaten cheesecake? Yes
Still love someone you shouldn’t? Not now…
Believe in love? Hmm…..i guess yes….Ok.Yess..:)
Sleep on a certain side of the bed? Yes…
Believe in fate? Hmm..Dunno…
Believe that things “happen for a reason”? People say so…I seldom find any….
Held a grudge longer than a year? In certain cases….
Hid a secret for a long period of time? Yes..and its so painful…:(
Miss someone on your facebook list of friends? No
Changed the oil in your vehicle? No
Threw up after riding a rollar coaster? Yes
Bought a gift for someone and kept it for yourself? Happens at times….thats because I forget to gift….
Bought something and returned it worn? No
Tripped on LSD? No
Have any tattoos? No
Seen a ghost? Yes..
Done body shots? No
Peed in the pool? No
Have body piercings below the neck? No
Think about the future? Yes…only think…hardly do anything….:)

So, finally a gudunitus....junta has started changing colors on gtalk...more than half of them ve turned orange as i finish this post.....means i will have to wait till tomm..to force them to read this ..:)..koi na....chalega..:)...

Tagged!!

2009-06-26T22:31:00.001+05:30

I saw this tag on Preeti’s Blog, and the on Prat’s blog. I started taking it, but was too lazy to finish it in one go. I have office tomorrow and also need to make a 2 min presentation on some random topic. I am feeling too lazy and too too sleepy (as I normally do whenever the going gets tuff). Anyways…here goes the tagging bit….:)
1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
Ye face itna dull kyun hai..:(

2. How much cash do you have in your wallet right now?
Gin ke 50 rupay

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR?
Bore, boar, soar, core, soar, hoar, more

4. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
Piyush

5. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone?
As of now November Rain

6. What are you wearing right now?
hot pants (which dear sis got from Delhi) and an ages old T
7. Do you label yourself?
As in??

8. Name the brand of the shoes you’re currently own?A brand new pair of footwear from Soles
My basic black sandals from Catwalk
Pair of formal black footwear by Senorita I guess
Sports shoes ..hmm..Reebok
A golden color footware..Metro
And a rack full of footwear from the streets of Mumbai and Bangalore..:)
Yeah and my Chappals- Osho Chappals from Koregaon Park Pune in bright pink color which I really love
9. Bright or Dark Room?
Bright room…in a dark room I wud never get up from sleep…

10. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?

Prateek: I wish I were even half as pragmatic as he is
11. What does your watch look like?
Very Sexy..:)..its my C510 Sony Cybershot..:)

12. What were you doing at midnight last night?

feeling gloomy and depressed…and chatting wid a gud old friend
13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?

Deepti aapka Backache theek hai..?..By Chhavi..a sweetheart..:)
14. What’s a word that you say a lot?

OK, sry ya, awsum man, han kya, namaskara, wtf..

15. Who told you he/she loved you last?(please exclude spouse , family, children)
Life Sucks…Rach must ve told….’cuz I dnt remember now…

16. Last furry thing you touched?

The teddy on my bed…:)

17. Favourite age you have been so far?
Hmm..i guess from 15 to 25 it was all awsum….and I guess I wud say the same for this current age few years dwn the line..:)

18. What was the last thing you said to someone?
E-gov ke projects mein location would always be some interior part of India.
19.The last song you listened to?
Hai Junoon..from Newyork..i am loving it!!
20. Where did you live in 1987?

Saharanpur – My Home

21. Are you jealous of anyone?
Yes….i can count few…

22. Is anyone jealous of you?
Yeah..i know of some…:)

23. Name three things that you have on you at all times?
My two rings, my glasses, and yeah nailpaint these days..:)
24. What’s your favorite town/city?
Pauri Garhwal, Mumbai, and Bangalore...yeah not to miss Chennai…:)

25. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it?
Hmm…sometime in 2001 I guess..to my Mom…from engg College…

26. Can you change the oil on a car?
NO

27. Your first love/big crush: what is the last thing you heard about him/her?
A guy in class 10, Don’t remember the last thing heard….

28. Does anything hurt on your body right now?
My Back..:(…and very badly that too….
29. What is your current desktop picture?
My Company’s 7 Values..:O (company ka laptop hai)

30. Have you been burnt by love?
Don’t even ask….

One Fine Day...

2009-06-18T20:39:00.002+05:30

One fine day in December 2008, I decided to watch Dostana. I generally use to go for movies on weekends, pay 200-250 bucks even if I get the uncomfortable front row to sit. I use to think ki theek hai yaar…500 bucks a month for movies is not too much..:). Though I had at times even heard some friends of mine…(and that includes few who are considered to have “royal” habits amongst us), saying, that weekend tickets are too expensive; its better to go either on weekdays or Sat/ Sun morning show…I however, never paid any attention to that. But this time I decided that I’ll save money; and go for Sat morning 10 AM show. “Dostana” was a new release and I had not yet seen it. No friends were ready to give company as most of them had already seen it or were busy somewhere else. So I decided to watch the movie alone, for the first time in my life. The thrill factor associated with the whole situation had increased considerably, as I was going to watch it alone (that makes me so self dependent, Yo!!, I don’t need anybody for watching a movie now..i can go all alone…:); and I’ll be paying half of what I pay usually (aha..100 bucks saved…:). After having taken the super bold decision of watching a movie on a “weekend morning”; one fine Friday evening; I checked the tickets online…almost whole theatre was empty; kool (why get tickets booked in advance then..i’ll buy in the theatre itself…:)..so my brain did some teeny weenie time calculation; I shall get up at quarter to 9; considering that theatre is just 15 min by auto…..will leave from home at 9 and watch the morning show..:))…all set!!. Subah 9 baje uthe…tickets check kiye..and discovered that 0 tickets are available….koi na..i said to myself..at least I managed to wake up at time..that means the plan is executable…still Sunday is there..i’ll go tomorrow…is what I decided..and went to sleep again.
Saturday evening I got the tickets booked for Sun morning. One milestone achieved; now at least I have tickets..:) But honi ko kuch aur hi manzoor that…Sat night I was awake till 5 in the morning finishing some office work; Morning at 9’ clock I tried my best to wake up; but found it impossible to even surgically remove myself from bed….its just a matter of 100 bucks…jaane de yaar….next weekend…:)
Now the thrill of watching Dostana at half of what I usually pay was gone; thrill factor reduced to ½. But the tempo to watch a movie alone was still there..:).
So the next weekend, planning was a bit more advance and thought after. I booked tickets on Saturday evening for two shows on Monday (Dostana and another more fortunate movie on which I had decided to spend full 200 Rs..:D; this one was to be watched with a friend and hence carried “0” thrill quotient..:P). Dostana was booked 10 Am show and afternoon show for the other one. After learning from my last week’s experience I even slept on time (that’s like 2 AM..:P). Now, the proud me wakes up at sharp 9 on a Sunday morning all set to rock INOX with her benign presence!!. Got all dressed up and reached INOX on time….happy and gay I reached the top floor of the mall….and stood in the queue for collecting the tickets of this Karan Johar production which had managed to beat the lazy devil inside me!!
5 minutes in the queue and my turn comes to collect the tickets; I happily tell the reference number saved in my mobile to the guy standing on the other side of the window. Around 30 seconds of his searching for my ticket and I see signs of un surety on his face..:O. Then he picked out one ticket and smilingly told me..”Madam, this ticket is of Wednesday 10 AM show”..:). Ahem Ahem…Ok..i said…”Give me one ticket for today’s show” was my next sentence. I collected my ticket, came out of the queue and just stood there for a moment smiling …:). The thrill had actually become an adventure..i had paid 300 bucks for a movie I wanted to watch for 100 bucks…:)…Koi na…the other half was still intact..i was still watching the movie alone..:D..

Aise hi

2009-06-11T00:41:00.003+05:30

I mite have to put a nite out today for office work..:(. I am shikaar of Project Mismanagement by my seniors in office. I am dying to write a post on my Badrinath trip, but this crazy schedule is taking the better off me...

But now that I have started writing, will put down few arbit lines..:)

I would be attending a friend's wedding in Chennai this weekend, a Tamil wedding..:). After 2 long years i would be visiting Chennai, and campus too!. A dear friend S called up from Chennai today, laughed a good 20 minutes on phone and made all plans for the two days..:). Looking forward to a fun filled trip..!!.

Cheers to Chennai!!

Aah and missed a very imp thing...June 10, 2009, exactly 1 year ago, last year, my hand bag was snatched in front of my house..:(. My hand was on sling for a good one month, and I was at home for four weeks, though a bit painful, it was a four weeks paid holiday at home..:). Ah, might sound weird but i really enjoyed that "Doing Nothing" phase. Read books, utilized you tube, ate like crazy, and slept...:). ....

Ab gudnite rahega..will take a shrt nap and then wake up again, to finish wrk..

Down the Bollywood Lane..:)

2009-05-25T04:11:00.003+05:30

Its quarter to 3 in the night. Have office tomorrow, IPL has just ended, with DC taking away the trophy this time. I am just getting over with a half an hr crush over Adam Gilchrist…J, Cute he is!!
Just discovered a good site for listening to online radio, got the link from some blog. The radio is playing one of my fav songs..”mere khwabon mein jo aaye”…J from the movie DDLJ, which was released on Oct 20, 1995. I got the golden opportunity to watch this evergreen romantic flick on December 08, 1995 immediately after my half yearly exams ended. My aunt had come over from Ahmadabad with her kids, who are half gujju, owing to the fact that they have spent almost all of their lives in the state of Mr. Modi. Well, this blog is by no ways about my semi gujju cousins, or the fast rate of industrial development in the state of Gujrat. Its about some more interesting stuff…J.
I have always been a movie buff. And since time immemorial (that is like 1990..:P), since the time I actually started making some sense out of the bollywood movies, I have kind of followed them very well. And as it happens, today when I look back I can associate a particular passage of time in my life with the songs I use to listen to during those days. Today also when I listen to these songs I am invariably transported to those good old times. Here I would mention those few songs/ movies which I have associated with my different phases of growing up..:)
Chandni/ Lamhe/ Saajan: Aha, this was 1989-92, I was in the final years of my primary education. Dancing to the tunes of “mere haathon mein 9-9 choodiyan” and “ Morni bagaa maa bole” was the in thing for us kids. I don’t remember to have missed even a single bhaiyya/ didi ki shaadi in the colony where we (me and a dear friend A), did not lighten up the ladies sangeet function with our performances. All their wedding cassettes still have the dancing us in their videos…J
Rang: I loved all the songs of this movie. I was in class seven when it released. I use to listen to its songs back to back innumerable times…J. This was Divya Bharti’s last released movie I guess. The cassette over had her smiling face against a black background. I strongly associate this movie with the end of my summer holidays in 93. We were coming back from Pauri (my grandma’s place), and en route SRE, we stayed in Kotdwar for 2 days, with my uncle. I got hold of this cassette there. “Tujhe na dekhun” was my fav track from the album.
Ek ladki ko dekha: I was in class 8 when this movie, along with Mohra (yeah, “tu cheez badi hai mast mast”) was released.. Another song which was very popular that time was “Ole Ole: from the movie “Ye Dillagi”. "Ek ladki ko dekha” was an awsum composition and all of us use to appreciate the melody of the song during the lunch break. All my friends were in awe of the melody and lyrics of the song. I never then had the courage to admit the fact that I love the other two numbers “Ole Ole” and “Tu cheez badi hai mast” much much more than this sophisticated lyrics oriented melody..:D. Anyways, today I appreciate both genres for their distinct charm..:). And yeah, 94 was also the year when HAHK was released. I remember the kid me pestering my dad for taking us to this movie. One fine day he said “ beta kal chalenge, dead sure”, and I got even more upset. “Dead Sure”, its a “dead” sure, means not sure ki kal bhi challenge ki nahi..:D (poor me and my angreji).
DDLJ: Aha now this was 1995, as I have already mentioned above the date when this movie was released and when I saw it..:). The first movie whose making was shown on television, which was the talk of the town for days to come. I guess we friends spent the entire second half of that year discussing this movie. Not a single scene, a single dialogue was left un-operated. Rage it was!!. From getting those tunics stitched to aping Kajol’s hairstyle..crazy it was. I vividly remember how I use to tell my dad to call me from my study room whenever the trailer of DDLJ comes (that was the initial teaser which showed “tujhe dekha ..” for like some 10 seconds). My dear dad use to dutifully call me so that their studious, hardworking daughter gets a well deserved break…;-). And yeah, the other super movie which was released this year was Rangeela..:)), one of my all time favorites. This was the year when we had first got cable connection in our home. Come back from school, and get glued to the idiot box, to watch the same trailers again and again and again..:)
As I write this post, I realize that I have not even reached half way and its already 4 am…:(, boss I have to be at client’s place tomm on time, I shall finish my bollywood journey in the second half of this post. Till then gudunitu..:)

Fun!

2009-05-21T00:11:00.001+05:30

P was doing this tag few days back, and i was more than tempted to take it; which female celebrities you would have a crush on if you were a guy!!...some names popped up in my mind...and i shared them with him..."he he..you are not thinking like a guy"...was his reaction. I saved the post for some other day, and decided to take the tag after sharpening my "guy like" thinking ability..:P...i dont think there has been any improvement...but here are few females i guess i would have a crush on ..had i been a guy..:)

1. Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) for the wonderfully weird female she is!. She is my fav charachter in Friends, i simply adore the way she speaks her mind, heart all the time..:).

2. Katrina Kaif for the pretty and innocent looks the damsel has..:)

3. Ayesha Takia: for her nice long hair and the cute smile....

4. Madhuri Dixit: for the perfect lad she is....

5. Priyanka Gandhi: for the graceful way she carries herself....

Ok..enuff of crushy mushy stuff; i changed my abode few days back..and yesterday only gave my room some basic decore'....clicked a pic of my fav corner of my room where i spend 90% of my time when at home....:)

5 Powerful Phrases

2009-05-19T00:05:00.002+05:30

Already written one post today, but since its already past 12, and just now P has tagged me on this, so here comes my first tagged post..:)

1. You've changed my life: Many people in many ways have affected and moulded my life in more than one ways...

Dr. R S Zaidi, Ms Prabha Gupta: My English and Maths teachers in school, thanks for inculcating all the confidence and showing faith in me, grooming me into what i am today..:)

Vivek: Thanks for telling me that a smile does not cost anything...:), it changed a lot in me...:)

Tushti and Raksha: For making it evident that life is all about attitude..:)

Prateek: For trying your best to change my life for better...:)..but stubborn taurus in me has to learn the hard way...:(

2. I need you: Rachana and Shweta. Rach..for always being the patient listener you are, love you babes ...cant really do without you..:) Shweta: My counsellor, my guide always..:)

3. I love you: Mum, Dad, Mausi, Nani, Ani and Manu

4. I am here for you: Manu, Piyush, Rachana, Shweta

5. You are a gem: Anupam, Piyush, Shweta, Rachana, Neha, Prateek, Tushti, Manu, Aruna, Joshi Ji, Raksha and Jaideep.

Thanks guys for being there, you all are amazing in one or the other way..:) Lucky to have you around..:).

To all the Happy Souls around!!

2009-05-18T17:12:00.001+05:30

Now this one is for all the happy souls around me....:). One thing i have realised in the past few years is that the one great quality i admire in people above all other things is their happiness quotient. (apart from their e-value..:P). Happiness, though a very relative term, can still be sensed with quite an ease in the very first few meetings with a person. During all these years i have come across very few people whom i can consider Happy!. We all have our own set of frustrations, insecurities and complexities; and all of us have some defined/not so very well defined "to be" state. But still, there are few of us, looking at whom the first thing which comes to mind is....peace..happiness...:). They may not be the most phodu/ successful or happening people around, but they reflect certain kind of goodness, simplicity and satisfaction with life, that there mere presence around makes you feel good. They may not be your bestest friends, but are surely the first few people you look for the moment you enter office/ class/ come online/ or may be reach home..:).

Luckily I am also blessed with certain such individuals, and hence am jotting down here, a line or two about each..:)

Chhavi: A coalleague of mine,one of the happiest people i see around, every sentence ends with Bindasssss...masssst.....ecstatic she becomes, if the cab we hire for office has its music system working. No suit materails are bought, only readymade..."Deepti ab silwaane ka patience kiske paas hai, mujhe to next day hi pehnna rehta hai har naya dress"..:). Some people just enlighten the surroundings, this babe is one of them....keep smiling sweety..:)

Aadi: One of the most peaceful souls i have met. Another office coalleague cum friend, life may not be perfect, but can be made simple....:).Unpurturbed/ nonchalant most of the times, has the genuinnest advices and views on things/ situations. A decent sense of humor coupled with a harmless nature,one of the most feel good factors around!!...

Raksha: Now she is the latest addition to the list of my friends.Met this female in Mumbai, and boy!!....ball we had for those three weeks we spent together. Some people exuberate laughter!!!..she is one of them. An amazing narration style, one can easily be seen rotfl most of the times in her company. The best part is that this fun factor is accompanied by a lot of gravity in terms of thought process. Again one of those people who glow with happiness and positivity. I dont remember to have met a female as radiant as her!!...way to go babe..:)

Rimpy: This female happens to be a flatmate, with whom my only interactions have been restricted to chitchats when we are watching TV together, or cooking together. But then, i cannot recall even a single incident when i had seen her low/down/ dull. Always smiling, happy, giggling, finding pleasure in the weekly get tgethers with other such happy souls from Punjab....:))..another one of those FGCs..:)

Shubhadeep: Funniest people in my friends list. There was a time when i use to be literally falling of my chair chattin wid him, but PwC has taken the better of him now..:). A super human, with an amazingly positive attitude twrds life....

Gaurav Shah: A dear friend, whos always high on life...:). Have rarely seen him worried/ down, mastam sense of humor and a zeal to live life to its fullest..:), keep rocking dude..:)

Then there are few other happy souls who need a mention here...

AB (a feel good friend;thanks for being nice), Manu (bro dear), Jdp, Sony Anthony, Namrata...

Cheers to all you guys..:))..i really look forward to meet you and talk to you...keep rocking and spreading joy...:))

PS: All my other friends,if your name does not figure above, that does not mean that your presence in life is undermined!!. I love you all, and you all know it..;-).

Blossoms!

2009-05-17T18:52:00.002+05:30

Last week, after a boring day at office, i decided to take a stroll down MG Rd, one place i really like in Bangalore. Though, many people find it too crowded...but there is something about the whole set of streets in that areas which make me like it a lot, and that includes the fancy English names the streets there have..:). Many a times i go there alone in the evenings, buy some nice books from this book shop "Blossoms", buy some "seengdana" (salted nuts) to munch and just njoi the hustle bustlevof the market. So this fine wednesday also, i left office on time, dumped my lappy at homeon my way and reached MGR, i guess after some 3-4 mnths. After buying Mothers' day gift for my Mom (a pretty raw silk saree from Nalli), i straight away went to Blossoms, my fav place on Church Street.

Generally when i go to Blossoms, i already have a set ofbooksin my mind, which i have to buy. (or else its very difficult to explore that place). But this time i had nthing in mind. Just went inside and called P for some assistance, but poor chap was driving back home after a long days work i guess, hence noinputs from there.

So, i randomly started going through the stacks of books kept at the entrance itself, and picked up a good 7 books fromthe lot. All the books are from Indian writers, and i guess should not takemore than 20 days to finish. Its such a great feeling when you spend your hard earned money on books...:).

The books i bought were:

1. Hes just not that into you

2. Twilight in Delhi

3. Lahore- a sentimental journey

4. 1984

5. What would you do to save the world

6. Book of Humor by Ruskin Bond

7. Ofcourse I Love U, till i find someone better

Have already finished reading the first one and found it an amazingly apt read..:))

Would soon write a separate post on that. Have started two books simultaneously after that Lahore: the book has not been written in a great manner, but is interesting enough if you have even the slightest of taste in reading/knowing about the ancient cities of undivided India.

What would you do to save the world: I read some 25 pages of this book, in some book store in Mumbai some 3 years back. I always wanted to read the wholebook, as at that time i had foundit quite humorous. But alas! the book is no more captivating now....:(..seems my Sense of Humor has improved in these years....:)..

Happy Bday..:)

2009-05-14T01:07:00.002+05:30

11th May, 2009, My bday....:) and from now on birthday of my blog as well. Last year the idea of starting a blog hit my mind around this time only, but life was going through such horrendous patches, that my draft posts all revolved around only one thing ...... However, yesterday was having a regular discussion with P, and suddenly the question popped up..why do I want to blog....becuz i want people to cum and read my posts and leave comments, because i want to share stuff with strangers....or simply because i want to speak with myself. I guess last one is the right reason why i am here.It happens to be my bday today, the most imp day of my life till now. Love this day for all the good wishes and warmth i recieve from all my friends around...:). Though the age number is growing now...and being on the wrong side of 25, doesnt feel that great at times...but then, sometimes ..rather most of the times i feel, that i kind of forgot to grow up..."badi hona bhool gayi main"....the way i am giggling today at every bday phone call, feeling like a princess as if its my 16th bday or sumthing...really makes me wonder!!!Friends and family are calling....though since bday falls on a Monday tdy....hence not many ppl called up at 12 in the night...but then came mrning..and everbdy who mattered started calling...happy happy!! Lunch was with nice office friends....and hopefully dinner plan would also succeeed....till now day has been good....Every now and then i realise the importance of having good people around. Thank You GOD, for showering me with the bestest of friends, i sumtimes wnder..is it that I am good in judging people..or just that God is kind..:)..i guess the latter is true.....ok..would soon write a separate post on friends!!cheers to all the good people around me!! and happy bday :))