My first cake baking experience !

" So did you finalize on the recipe? " my hubby asked me 2 days before Christmas.I said "Every recipe here seems to me like I have never tried any of these ingredients even once before.But...wait except for this."I pointed at one of the ingredients in the list which said 'RUM'.He smiled and said " I guess you were Irish in your last life".

Finally,we decided on the recipe,bought all the necessary stuff that day.Next day I soaked all the nuts and cherries in rum till late evening and started making it around 10 in the night hoping to have it ready by 12am before we wished 'Merry Christmas'.

We were using the new Oven and we were making cake for the first time.What happened to the old Oven?????By the way,when we bought that one in Dec'05,the sales guy said we could heat anything and therefore we used it as a room heater for almost 2 winters but in vain.We also used it for drying our kitten after giving a bath.When we took it out,it had a new look.After it refused to work,we decided to pick a new and bigger one (as we have a biiiig dog now to dry ).

Let's get back to baking a cake.When we smelt something was burning,we opened the Oven door and found cake was ready and hot.It was creamier and had some black spots indicating over baked around some portions of it.We decided to remove that later and kept it for cooling till 12.When the clock struck 12,we ran into the kitchen and hurriedly picked a knife,wishing each other we cut the cake....!!!! Alas,it looked totally different.My hubby looked at me and said " Chells,what did you add to the mixture?". I said "...hmmm,Charcoal...!!!??"

We tried to get it right for couple of times but in vain.Then we took the mixture to my in-laws place and baked using their Oven to get it in proper form and finally we did.Now we are using our Oven to dry clothes and our dog.

What's your pick? Crazy or Not-So-crazy!!!

Just as this blog-friend of mine said,it's self tagged.Thought it was interesting to pick things that I have done.Just in case to remind myself of the crazy/not-so-crazy/not-crazy-at-all things that I have done so far :) and here it follows ;

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula !!!???
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone.
08. Said “I love you” and meant it.
09. Hugged a tree.
10. Bungee jumped.
11. Visited Paris.
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise.
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne (Never on champagne,can say Tequila/Vodka.)
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment.
27. Had a food fight.
28. Bet on a winning horse.
29. Asked out a stranger.
30. Had a snowball fight.
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can.
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day. - tried putting on a Mangalorean accent while speaking in local language.
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk. (It has helped me to switch roles later :))
42. Had amazing friends (Still have them:))
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign.
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe - I have packed my bags in Europe though. Does that count?? :o)
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love.
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them.(Doesn't matter whom you sit with when stomach is making a lot of noises,does it?)
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs - Cassettes actually.
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day.
60. Played touch football.
61. Gone scuba diving.
62. Kissed in the rain-(does shower or elevator count too?)
63. Played in the mud.
64. Played in the rain.
65. Gone to a drive.
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a .
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken (still in love,why would it break?)
69. Toured ancient cities.
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight ????
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party.
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a Tatto - a temporary one :-o
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason.
84. Performed on stage.
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music - @ home :)
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror.
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold.
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country.
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking with the windows open.
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you should’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart.
111. Helped an animal give birth.
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about.
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes ???
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care (medical care?It was a nightmare!)
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

I guess i have done very few of them so far.Aiming to do more of these kind :)

Two sides of the coin :)

My husband and I are the two sides of the same coin.Why? Know it yourself.

Flip Coin 1:

Me: " Chells,time to take shower".

Ed : " Sure hon,go ahead."

Me: " It's time for you to take shower."

Ed : " Do you like Deepika Padukone?"

Me: " What's that to do with you taking shower and no,I don't like her."

Ed : " I knew it.You both have different opinions as well."

Me : " Like you know her personally."

Ed: " You keep saying take shower/have bath blah blah blah and she says when you have bath it washes away the essential skin vitamins. See..?"

Me: " And she says what to use to avoid it if you are such a follower of her."

Ed: " Nah,my point is made."

Flip Coin 2:

Me: " Chells,do you like Shabana Azmi?"

Ed: " Who? Shabana Azmi?..." (ahem ahem)

Me : " I thought so.You are not cautioned yet."

Ed: " What ????"

Me: " I like her and she says 'Go Single....' "

Ed: " Helloooooooooo,I have seen that hoarding.The complete sentence is 'Go Single after 40' . "

Me: " Oh yes,I will go single when you turn 40.Point made." (Wink)

We are dynamic !

How dynamic are we? Our focus keeps shifting from one to another with the frame of time.Till the beginning of this week we watched,read,spoke about Mumbai Terrorist Attacks and today it's changed to Mumbai Politicians' Attack.All we keep hearing now is new CM of Mumbai and Rane accusing Ashok Chavan & Sonia Gandhi.Ever body's a** is on the fire but for different reasons and everybody has to watch their back carefully.Is this why we have democracy?

There happens a rally in Bangalore which jams traffic for nearly a day,ruling blames it on opposition and opposition blames it on impatience of urban residents.The question is not who wins in the argument but the question is,the insensitive people elected by us take no ownership of any such events.Is this why we have democracy?

We the people of India,keep blame it on everybody else.So what resolutions have we made to change it and be stuck to it? How many of us have decided to ,

• Use the right of Voting
• Be vocal about what we want with right people
• Fight for right reasons
• Be the change we really want to see in others

We all know we are not a secular country.Just by living under the same geographical conditions no nation gets secular.We know the tolerance level for each other here.Small issues are made bigger,like;

• Mr.Bachchan opening a school in UP faces opposition in Maharashtra.
• Karnataka opposes Cauvery Water Release to TN.
• Abhinava bharath acts against other religions.

Thanks to the terrorists for making US and UK nationals their obvious targets for we have the biggest powers of the world pushing us to fight.I don't even want to imagine what would happen if they were not with us.We are neither democratic nor secular,we have never been one but definitely DYNAMIC.

Make hay when milkman comes ! - 2

Contd..........

The Milkman pulled over,turned back and started walking to us with his hand inside his pants(pocket).I asked my hubby " Ed,why does he have his hand inside,he's a milkman,rite?" ."Exactly and that's why..." my hubby answered.I looked at him and tried to whisper I was scared he might pull out a weapon and that was my actual question but by then milkman got close to us pulling out a cellphone.I exhaled and pulled the blanket over my head.

He looked at us and asked " are you guys terrorists? why are you following that man?" He pointed at an officer in navy uniform.We never knew we were following that officer,so I felt irritated while my hubby was happy that a common man was being cautious.I was more scared now at the mention of terrorists and of the media hype.In case of media,it's like smoke spreads even before the fire breaks.By the time the thought crossed my mind, I could hear someone saying "The milkman has alerted the city about the two terrorists who were following a navy officer....."

I realized the media had already gathered around the milkman.My hubby quickly pulled our blankets down and stood among them looking at the milkman.He looked confused by the questions media was asking him.Now he couldn't identify the two people whom he thought was terrorists.When he looked at us,I exhaled again and made my belly look bigger than the baby inside me.Looking at the expectant mother,media focused all the attention to get some emotional news.

Some of the questions they asked me were as below,

"So ma'am,did you happen to see anybody?"

" It must be really shocking to see them first thing in the morning for you,do you think it will harm the baby inside?"

"Is this your first time....I mean to witness a terrorist in real?"

"What do you think they were doing here?"

"Did they harm the Navy officer walking by?"

"Do you think the Govt. is responsible for the health of an expectant mother who is horrified by the sight of them?"

"Do you agree that our CM,dy CM and Home Minister should resign from the respective positions"

"Would you be able to make it for our candle protest this evening in front of Vidhanasoudha?"

..................................................................

And then I heard one of them saying,

"A brave expectant mother and her hubby along with the milkman spotted out two terrorists...."

The moment each one started posing before their cameras to send messages to the corresponding news channels we escaped from the hostage condition and didn't forget to pick our blankets before getting into a rickshaw to reach the place where we parked our pulsar.By the time we reached home and turned on the TV,there was another couple ,again an expectant mother and a man with her,being questioned by the media.Some of them were asking the milkman(who was still there) if found out anything unusual.

We switched off the TV and decided to use our cooking gas and butterfly Stove at the fireplace we might have when the baby came or use an Oven to say fireplace was advanced.

Make hay when Milkman comes ! -1

On thanksgiving it struck to me that Christmas was soon to come which was followed by the Santa Clause thought.I told my hubby that we needed to have a fire place in order for Santa to drop by.As we are going to have a baby soon,we need to materialize all the things we are going to tell her/him and therefore my hubby too agreed (which is a rare thing between us,because he never gets to choose).

Now the question was,how to set it up?and where to get the firewood and make a chimney.Me playing the genius told him to use hay instead of firewood thus by indianizing the fireplace and easy to avail.He agreed again and we were flooded with thoughts as to where to get it?After thinking for long hours(I was almost asleep and I could hear him snoring as well),he broke the silence and said " Sweets,let's check it out with our milkman.He should have piled up hay to feed his cows"(how thoughtful of him).We decided to follow our milkman next morning in disguise.

Next morning we woke up around 5:30 and kept a watch outside(that watch was stolen.I'm glad we didn't keep an eye as my huuby said).We were speaking for a while and then I heard a vehicle sound and woke up it was 8 in the morning and that was our milkman's TVS sound.It was highly unprofessional of the milkman to turn up so late,at 8am.I even told my hubby that he was late and we should talk to him about his punctuality.My hubby said he comes around the same time everyday but it goes without our notice because we wake up around 9am.I had nothing to say after that.

As my hubby reminded me of our mission,we left immediately on our pulsar in disguise (with a blanket on us) after him but we couldn't keep following.We were always ahead of him,then we thought for a moment.Parked the pulsar by the road side and started walking after his TVS to keep up with the pace.I'm sure he got suspicious even after successfully following him without hinting him......

to be Contd..........

That's when I'm due !

It's time for me to recollect the feathers I shed over the past years while trying to fly all by myself.It's time to re-tell the stories I heard when I was a kid,sing the songs to which I opened my eyes everyday,learn the same game which kept me busy all day......yes,it's time for me to switch roles again (prev post Switching roles with Mom at http://gee-pos.blogspot.com/2008/04/switching-roles-with-mom.html) !


When sitting by the wall,reading a book or watching TV,there's this feeling of movement within and I know it's one of the miracles of nature,a life inside another life.Now I know for sure this is how close one can get to the life.I guess this is how the feeling of belongingness began to take shape.

Spring is the season which is believed to be the time for renewal and arrival of new lives.That's when the leaves turn green and first flowers begin to bloom.A pleasant change as the winter passes by and a soothing sight everywhere.....and that's when I'm due !

Life is larger than anything ???!!!

What's the difference between a war and a terrorist attack? Former happens at the border and latter doesn't have geographic limitations.

What's the similarity between the two?
In both,people are fighting to protect/promote some one else's ideas,ideals and thoughts.And in both the cases there's a huge loss of life.

I wonder how many people here amongst us worry about the geographical area of the nation and who belongs to which religion?How many people think it's the definition of patriotism to draw a border (LOC) to separate ourselves from the rest of the world to say it's mine.How does it help to remain humane in one's life? What do we all want? A family,a home,a few friends,a decent living and be let to live in peace.Isn't it same across globe? Then why do we separate ourseleves based on color,religion and culture ?

Why do people who fight for destructive purposes have more power than those who fight for the welfare of the people? Isn't it because of the degree of faith they have in their beliefs than those protecting us? Why can't we have a stronger positive energy?Is it because we keep fighting within ourseleves? We spend all our energy dividing people inside that it becomes diffiult to fight an invader all united ?

Today if we all are suffering,it's because,in any given part of the world,at any given time,there are a number of people who are getting prepared to fight to protect some one else's Brain work and this someone else is called a leader,be it political or religious.If only we knew to stand up for each other whether it comes to form a Govt. or pull it down,probably we would have been better people.Do we know what we actually want?

I get reminded of the saying "Life is larger than anything" ,so doesn't it mean it's larger than ones' beliefs,practices and religion.If destruction is what their perception of religion is,how far are we going to put up with those kind of propaganda ????

3 - D Angle

WIFE:

She reached home in late in the evening with splitting headache and plopped on the easy chair in the living room.Her husband was busy watching football match and didn't acknowledge her presence.She waited to see if he did anything different than continue being involved in the match but he was very indifferent.

She went inside her room in search of some comfort level and all she could think of was her new young client who showed that chivalry still existed in men.She recollected how he kept smiling throughout their interaction and used his humour to put her at ease.She wondered if infatuation existed among people in mid-thirties as well.

He:

He met his friends for couple of beers after office hours. He had a story to tell his friends how he charmed another woman and added to his records.Though it was an official interaction,he could sense all that woman needed was a bit of empathy and a lot of laughter which he did provide. His intentions behind this good act was to feel good about himself and to satisfy his ego which would eventually be bragged about before his friends with a touch of sexuality.

After all,his fellow men loved to hear things that happened between an old woman(probably married) and a young chap like him.

HUSBAND :

When he woke up it was around 3am and he realized he dozed off watching football match.Football was always his passion,it became even more special to him when he met his wife as his fan when he was one among the football players of county matches.After meeting with accident he was never able to play and consoled himself by watching them play.All he would forget was marriage did need time to nourish.

That evening when he was watching football he didn't take notice of his wife's arrival but when he realized it was late and she had gone to sleep.He stood by her and kissed her goodnight and resumed watching football.After falling asleep,he woke up at 3am,switched off the TV set and went inside to get some more sleep.

Wicked thoughts !

As I was taking interest in the stock trading I asked this friend of mine if he watched Sensex last week.He said(in his own words) " I love to watch Sensex only if all the Sen's are involved " and winked.That was not the only time,anytime anybody asked him anything he would try to make fun or irritate whoever asked.Don't get me wrong,this is a very good friend of mine and I like his sense of humour but I was waiting to make fun of him big time.

This friend of mine had been to his native on a vacation and when he got back he came to me and said "Geeths,look what I have got ? I have got cats,wanna look at them?".By the time he completed I bursted out laughing "I never knew you had a cat and you are asking me shamelessly if I want to look at your cat? So how many do you have?"at first he was confused and when he understood what I meant he flushed ,blushed and what not.He pushed me and walked away.

I,with all the good intentions,called everybody and told them about it.So whichever common friend of us he met they would ask him "Hey dude,heard you have got cats....would you like to showcase them?"

I hate..........(Tagged) !

I was tagged to write about the things I hate the most.What could be more exciting than this? Just imagine you were given a chance to omit all your frustration on a public blog,how revengefully satisfactory,rite? So here are the things/people I hate ....(list follows,please read till the end with patience).

I hate ,

1.Casting couch - I pity Sonu Nigam a lot.
2.Reality Shows on any other channels except news channels.
3.Watching sanitary pad ads between Cricket or Wrestling.
4.Listening to Himesha Reshammiya's music/songs.
5.Watching Ranbir Kapoor in towel.
6.My huby's comment about my houseful wardrobe and still having an issue finding a suitable outfit
before an outing.
7.Being questioned unexpectedly in a long conference.
8.Being forced to wake up early to work out (Hope my hubby doesn't skip this line).
9.Running out of excuses to not to have a shower.
10.Being tagged to write stuff.........!
11...........

Wait...! did the friend of mine say 5 things(only) that I hate........anyways,I hate keeping a count of things I do (I was never good at mathematics).So I would like to stick to the rules and regulations of getting tagged.

So buddy(http://santozz.blogspot.com/2008/05/its-all-about-5-unlucky-people.html) ,are you happy now?

Cheeeeeeezy.......aren't these ??!!

Hey ,

I have put up couple of pick-up lines here,just in case if any of you want to use them ;)

It's a collection and I have formed some.Tell me if you if u like any and if you want me to add any to the list :)

P.S : The post/blog doesn't bear any responsibilities of the consequences after using any of these pick-up lines.

• Do you know anything about First Aid? I just fell on my knees !
• Do you have a map? I'm getting lost in your eyes.
• Fascinating. I've been looking at your eyes all night long, 'cause I've never seen such dark eyes with so much light in them.
• Is there an airport nearby or is that just my heart taking off?
• Are you an interior decorator? When i saw you the room became beautiful.
• I don't know to dance but I would love to hold you when You dance.
• Have you learnt martial arts,'coz you are really kicking !
• Excuse me, but I think I dropped something. MY JAW!
• If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I would be walking through my garden forever.
• I will stay with you forever if I am wrong, but haven't we met before?
• Did it hurt ??? when you fell from heaven?!!

So what's your favorite pick-line?

Wonderful people of my life - 1

It's true that some people will always be remembered in one's life for various reasons. Today I want to write about those few people who will always be a part of my memories that connect me with the past as well as make me feel good in the present.

The first found friend :
When I moved to hostel to pursue my bachelors' degree ,I was put up with 10 other girls in a dorm (freshers were always put up in a dorm).I reserved a cot along with a newly found friend and was waiting to see the rest of them. Once everybody started to occupy their cots,I saw a 'Laurel and Hardy' kind of a pair walking inside in a hurry to reserve the cots for them.A huge(she's actually not huge but looked like that to me who's not even 5 feet tall) tall girl with curly hair that looked a small nest on her head along with a tiny girl who looked like a baby and was quite hesitant to even speak. The duo talked among themself in a gush and reserved two cots for themselves before they left.They were quite amusing to me.

We started our dorm life and the days passed interacting with each other,knowing each other and making friends.The tall girl with the bush on the head was quite funny,in fact hilarious and had a funny voice,she didn't know what fashion was (just like me,that was the first common thing I noticed) and was very disorganized. We were in different branches,different was our study material and the way we moved around with people.Even the kind of friends one made were different from the other.

Lest did I know then ,she was the first most beautiful thing to happen to me at Hassan(the place where I graduated) and would remain with me forever.My opinion about her changed as I got to know her.She was hilarious and she could dare to laugh at herself.One of the good things I noticed about her was,she would make fun of herself instead of people around her.She was disorganized but 'what you see is what you get ' was true in her case,there was no manipulation.She had her head firmly on her shoulder.

Though our expressions were different our thoughts were similar ,hence we could connect to each other quickly and easily than any newly found friends of us.Later we became room mates when we moved out of the dorm. I owe a lot of things to her,especially the laughter she lent to me many a times and the warmth she spread when she was around.

Years later when she attended my wedding,I realized how beautiful she was.She had only changed her appearance and the rest remained the same.Though she's miles away from me, she makes me feel just as good by sending emails.

You are one of my assets Pali.

The second asset :
When I was in first year,as I said earlier I was in a dorm. There were 3 seniors who were staying next to our dorm,one of which was quite strange.She was short ,had a boy cut(not veg cut exactly),big eyes,strange way of walking and looked like she cared less about anything else.She even had an intolerable voice when she sang but as I said earlier,she cared less about such things.Most of the time,I would find her doing no nonsense except for that horrible singing.

I was on the stairs,looking for my way out on one of the evenings and that's when I saw her for the first time.This alien was walking up in her own world singing 'Aankhon hi aankhon me ishaara ho gaya ...'. I was in a hurry but I had to slow down as she came before me from nowhere.I tripped,looked at her balancing on my feet,so she did and we moved in our directions within a fraction of a second without fussing about it or exchanging stares.

There was one more warm person like Pali who was staying with this alienated girl.She got along with all our dorm mates easily and on one fine day ,in my absence,she chose me as another roomie for them as one of the 3 had completed graduation and was leaving.I had no complains, neither had anything to resist so I moved with them the next year.These two were my roommates for an year and once they left after their graduation Pali joined me for another 2 years later.

One good thing about moving with them was,I had less of visitors in my room to disturb me.Hehehehehe,it was all because of that alienated girl that my friends were scared of.I got along with the warm person too soon and we would even travel together to Bangalore.She was my unofficial god mother.As the two were in final year(5th year Architecture),they were busy with their final projects and the one I got close to ,would spend more time In Bangalore to complete her project than the other one.That's how I had to spend more time with the other one and our story began to form.

I don't remember when the barriers fell and we got along very well and she was the other good thing to happen to me at Hassan.We would speak about anything on the earth and soon we realized that both were not biased about anything which let us speak our mind out without any hesitation.Being the two different individuals we were,we would accept the other without any restrictions or conditions.Strangely,this one was Pali's favorite as well.

After couple of years,we moved to a rented house where both of us stayed while working until each one of us got married and moved out with the respective spouses. We are still the same good friends and would love to have couple of drinks whenever we find time.

I have couple of other friends but not all at once !

Walking across memory lane !

On a second thought I felt there's nothing silly here.Whatever I do may look silly to my older generation just as it looks to me when the next generation does something.The same pranks I played when I was a teen now look silly to me. Whoa ! am I growing old ? Let's keep that aside as I don't want to make that as the topic of discussion here .

Those girls in teen, who boarded the bus today, put me in thoughts. It reminded me of my 4 golden years at Engineering college and my stay at hostel.Meeting new people,managing life all by self,new experiences and new lessons were the take aways.

I remember the way we used to manage our monthly finances.Re.1 Khara bun,0.50 paise Banana were multiplied by 30 when preparing the monthly budget for evening snacks.The money saved was effectively used for celebrating b'days,buying gifts,treating friends and for outing.It was so effective that my balances of mess bills increased drastically.To clear all the bills at the end of the term,I told my dad that there was a certain amount of money fixed as donation to the institute and with the donations he made I sincerely cleared all the bills. Just as they said 'Charity begins at home' ,eh !

Those crank calls made to the hostel and how we never let go off even one call without answering.Actually,as there was no cell phones in abundance like now, we couldn't afford to miss calls to return later so we promptly answered all the calls including our hostel mates' boyfriends' calls even at 3 or 4 in the morning without complaining.We became workaholic types and our hostel management was so impressed they even offered the post of receptionists as a part-time job.Those midnight gossips which were seldom targeted at girls who returned to the hostel promptly but mostly at those girls who never returned until next sunrise,feeling jealous about those daring ones who put the rest of us thinking what could they have done the whole night.

Planning for college fests,what to wear,how to impress boys(these men now were boys then).How to make them say those 3 words and who would get to whom.Once all done,we would come back and those who lost would talk 100 things about those who succeeded in their plans and those who won wouldn't talk anything as they would be lost in a different world.

Those starry nights,all girls' night outs.Even when the heart is all set to pop-out,trying to pose like a superhero by showing off to the rest of them that drinking and smoking is no big deal, while looking at every corner to make sure we were not caught doing it.Talking of a past relationship which never happened in real and how easy was it to handle boys.

I'm in touch with most of them with whom I wanted to keep contacts.When we all get-together there's no better thing than recollecting these to cherish the moments.

Another (Black)magical movie !

This movie was so slippery it just slipped my mind but it's an amazing movie.It's amazing because I couldn't really make out the intentions of the film maker even after watching the complete movie. I'm sure you want to know the name of the movie and even I want to tell you the name of the movie which I cannot recollect now. Give me sometime and I bet I would be successful.

So,I watched this movie alone as my clever hubby made an excuse of playing cricket and left home early in the morning.No silly,I didn't watch that movie early morning,I watched it when I was waiting for him to return the same afternoon and I was,indeed trying to entertain myself.

I must admit that the director's focus never deviated through out the movie and he maintained the same color till the end of the movie.The clothes,the boat,the building,the trees,the roads,the bridge,the walls,etc were always shown in one color only.I'm sure he's not a color blind and he had a purpose behind doing so which I never understood.

When we(my friends and myself) were discussing about towelaria i.e lead characters shown in towels always looked hot or not. Many agreed(most of my males friends did) so I want to recommend this movie to all of them as they might enjoy watching towel mania unless they are straight (male friends). Female friends will also like it unless they are not straight (and this ONE time I wouldn't mind saying I'm not straight).Now I remember the name of the movie,yes it's Saawariya.No,it's not Ranbir Kapoor in towel who reminded me of the name.Is it true that men with muscle have no muscle upstairs? In fact,I got to witness some strong evidences about this when I happened to watch Mr.India contest while switching channels.

There are these two people in lead who look like just out of film school and as everybody says they are following 70% learning while on the job.Good going guys.There's this offline information that this supposed-to-be cute athletic Sonam might be casted in Terminator-N as a I'm-so-shy robo.After learning her Hollywood debut our Indian film makers are alarmed so there's also this news that they might drop Aishwarya and cast this one in Rajnikanth's next movie named 'Robot' as a lead robo opposite Rajni.One advantage being,she doesn't have to try and act as a robot.Oh what a relief to audience. Thanks to all the brainy guys in the film making world.

Then it was Sallu's turn to complicate things.He appeared for no reason and so did he disappear.I couldn't understand his motto but I could relate to it with his life's motto.There are these ladies whom he gets linked up starting from Somi ali till the recent one who appear with him in public and disappear quickly but I'm sure they have better reasons to disappear .I'm glad they are not directed by Mr.Bhansali.

Rani was also there for the same reason as Sallu i.e,for no reason.I guess the female actors have a feeling that a role as a 'call girl' will make them versatile and more talented.I don't know when will the male actors realize this secret of their profession.Anyway,I guess Mr.Bhansali should stop trying to persuade Ms.Merchant on screen and take up a off screen script to do so.I hope he succeeds in conveying the message to her effectively.

Most of the time,I got more and more confused as everybody looked like painted in the same color.I couldn't separate them with anything around them and it looked like an entirety.Anyway,don't ask me about the story.I have no clue and I hope at least Mr.Bhansali has some clues about it.

On my hubby's return,I told him I watched a movie and I couldn't understand anything neither did I remember anyhting.I also told him I could only see blue color all over the screen.He was amused and asked me quickly with a mischievous smile "Tell me the truth what kind of a movie did u watch?"

Seasonal Wedding.

When was the last time you attended a wedding and what did you go through before attending it?Mine was very recent, so recent that it looks like yesterday to me every time I recollect it.

It was actually for the wedding reception at 7pm we were invited to.It was an arranged marriage which was arranged by the bride and the groom.As per the information from our insiders,groom's parents didn't like to go for it so they were not attending the wedding and bride's parents were ready to take an advantage(??!!!) so they readily agreed after groom's continuous pleading.


After my hubby came back from cricket we were in our parents' place till 4 when he received a call from the groom asking us to be there by 5pm as there was some ritual which was supposed to be conducted from groom's brother and SIL. As there were no relatives of his were attending the wedding except his friends and colleagues he thought we best suited the role (actually,it was last minute arrangement as his another friend-couple ,who were already booked for this didn't turn up).

Since both of us had to be formally (I wanted to avoid the word decently) dressed and we didn't have our clothes and accessories there,we managed with whatever we got from them.My hubby is known for punctuality,his punctuality is a birth right as he was born right in time.So we reached the hotel (Royal Archid) when the clock struck at 5 to find nobody.

I checked with my hubby if that was the venue,before he could answer he got a call from the groom.Once he was done answering the phone call,he told me that the groom was not yet reached as he was supposed to reach after 'Rahu Kala'. It was a very exciting thing to wait for the host sitting in the lounge counting how many arrived and how many left.Trust me,they even offered a supervisor role to me as I kept an eye on everybody walking around but I declined stating it was not on my IDP (Individual Development Plan).

The groom was scheduled to be arrived after an hour and by then he had called up his bride ,whose folks were already there,to receive us. Once the lady introduced us as Groom's 'Boss' and 'Boss's Wife' they all looked at us in disbelief looking at a huge monsterly figure (my hubby) and a small sparrow like figure (me ),they all sighed once and forced a smile one their faces.I told Eddie that we should have brought our wedding certificate.

I was actually very sympathetic towards the groom as there was no relative of his was present.Actually that's not the only reason,the fact that he was being dragged around and made to sit and stand at the bride's father's and brother's left finger(!!???) which was glorified by the Pandit's victimization in favor of bride's parents. It was then I realized why did he reach late.I'm sure he wanted to squeeze in more time for himself to relax and prepare for all these things.

After all the rituals,it was time for the couple to fall on the feet to check the heat.Her folks asked them to touch our feet first.Oh my,just imagine a 6 feet guy is falling at a feet of not even 5 feet lady who is readily mistaken for her husband's child all the time.Anyway,we didn't want to stay over for the reception too,so we wished them and returned home.Her folks wanted us to have food and I was almost dead by hunger but my hubby didn't want to stay back as he was petrified that might also be another planned ritual,so he dragged me away from the dinner table.We ran for our life ,didn't stop till we reached our parents' house.We only stopped by to change and more importantly to hog food.

All of them were looking at us whether the wedding we went didn't include a dinner or not.Like we care !!!!!

Anti-Societic(??!!) Elements !

When was the last time you were thrilled,happy,excited,skipped a heart beat and forgot to breath till you realized you couldn't keep your eyes open,etc at the same time??!!! I can take an easy guess...you want me to tell you now? Of course,it has happened very recently when ,for the very first time India won the series against Australia,a victory in the grounds of Sydney after 27 long years,so long that we had even forgotten we longed for it.

Do you remember what you spoke when you were watching the match or whom you spoke to? Did you care how you behaved while enjoying it? 'No' is the answer and I can bet anything.All you remember now is,the facts and the numbers of the match.Even if you are weak at multiplication (I meant,mathematics only),surprisingly you calculated how many overs/players were remaining and how many runs were required at a blink.It was such an anxious situation that someone diabetic forgot something and he had to discard it in a huge quantity at a stretch the very next moment after the match.(No offense meant to diabetic people,I'm sure you all are sweeter than rest of us).

So when something like this was going on,it was something similar at home with us (not the diabetic ones).Eddie (my hubby) and I were so involved watching this historic thing happening,we didn't remember what was bestowed on us.After the match when we came out of the house to hog something (obviously,neither of us were interested in cooking during the match and definitely were not in a mood to cook after the match),our neighbours looked at us as we were some obnoxious elements of the colony. At first we never understood neither did we care,the victory was still lingering in our hearts,ears,eyes,mind and all over.

After couple of days,I realized all of a sudden what we spoke(shouted) while watching the match,though that could not be the reason for the kind of looks we got ,just want a second opinion from you guys so some of lines what we spoke during the match are quoted below .

"Oh no,oh no..c'mon...yes!"
"There it is.You got it baby" --------(Looking at the player).
"I can't see the ball,let me move closer." (I was referring to the TV when I wanted to move closer due to my eye sight issues).
"What a catch. Ohh ,that's awesome."
"How many balls remaining now?........ oh, look at that, just missed."
"Sooooooooo beautiful,yes baby you can do better.C'mon".

and the best thing was, "Great,what a shot !!!!!!!!! "

We haven't spoken anything non-societic,have we? So I just confirmed by recollecting what we spoke. This is what I could recollect,I'm sure we haven't troubled our neighbours to get that look.It was only some periodic screams but we made sure our TV volume was low.Even Thunder was quiet,after all he was also watching the match !

So what has cricket done to you?

My analysis and derivation !

On a serious note, my hubby actually made me think why I liked Phantom.

So here's my analysis;

1. Whenever I was listening to the stories told to me in childhood,my world of imagination would come alive and I could effortlessly relate the hero of the story to a figure like Phantom as it was unique and easy to remember.Just like how you always try to relate to a figure even today if you hear about a person you haven't seen.


2. He was portrayed as not only a brave but someone who was intelligent enough to break any kind of riddle.He didn't wait for a miracle to happen and there was no supernatural power involved. It was him,though he was projected as the 'Ghost that walks'.He was in flesh and blood.


3. The climax of his stories ended really well. Truth and right things made way,like 'Sathyameva Jayathe'.It had a very positive effect and for someone who grew up listening to this would definitely have a positive frame of mind.


4. Most importantly,he always went back to his family at the end of every episode.He was more people oriented than process.He had a family which was always important to him and hence he went back to them always.

Now,after the analysis I want to remember these points and will include these if I ever try to write stories for Children.

1. Something very easy to associate ,either the name or the appearance.


2. Resolve using brains and be brave.Do not wait for miracles to happen but be one.


3. Positive ending.


4. Return to family.

If I have a baby girl,I wouldn't want to tell her stories about the cursed princess who was rescued by a prince instead, I will tell her what did a princess do to save herself than waiting for an unknown angel who might have not even existed.

Thanks Eddie,Now I know what I liked when I read Phantom.

My childhood Hero

As a kid,if you have admired a character from the books you have read they form the base of your idols,ideals and interests.Close your eyes for a while and try to recollect who was your favorite character/hero during your childhood days (it's very natural,if you are at work,to think of the deadlines,coffee/smoke breaks,performance ,etc when you close your eyes).

I told my hubby that Phantom was my favorite hero during my childhood days and he still is.To which his response was "Is it because he wears it outside?" . His naughty smile encouraged me to speak more so I said " As long as he has one on,it doesn't make any difference to women".

He continued " I guess Phantom was a model those days..."
I asked happily : " Why? Because he had a great physique?"
He winked and said : " No he could wear different brands and show off easily . I don't think he even needed a green room."
I retorted : "Like anyone needs it now.It's even become a fashion under the name of wardrobe malfunction."
He was not the one to stop : "So Geeths,tell me what would he do during emergencies....you know as in...."
I cut him off : " Why would you care?,if allowed you guys will have a BPI project done and make a presentation as well."

My hubby knew he was getting on my nerves so he wanted to calm me down,he said " No sweets,not like that.I know you are not liking this. It's alright baby,we won't make any presentation" and turned the TV on only to find "The Phantom" on HBO at which both of us laughed.

A movie that is so magical !

"Ooops I(he) did it again....." He reminded me of those 'M' letters again;Magical,Marvelous and Mesmerizing.This man is a magician and his each magic trick clicks on the screen.Wondering whom am I talking about? It's none other than Mr.Ashuthosh Gowarikar and the recent magic I was talking about is,yes you all guessed it rite, it's "Jodhaa Akbar".

I care a damn if Akbar's wife was Jodhaa or not.I don't think it could have done any less magic if her name was 'Stella Mary" or "Big Momma". Thank God I'm not in school and I don't have to write my social study papers again.I have no clue why people want to make a silly thing a big issue and why it never occurred to them when this was taught through the text books.Akbar having 100s of harems is not a matter of controversy but him having a wife whose name is misquoted is an issue. But I like these people who make a big issue out of nothing because these genius people give me a complex....a Superiority Complex.

Anyway,coming to this wonderful movie,it did fulfil my expectations as well as the money I paid.What more can I ask for ? I don't know if Akbar and Jodhaa had romanced like this then but I enjoyed watching a clean movie with sensible screenplay.At some point of time I did feel that Rani(Mukherjee) would have been a better choice nevertheless it's a nice feeling.

Now-a-days,the meaning of romance is completely changed.I ,by mistake happened to watch "Mumbai Salsa" and got so frustrated by the time I was done watching the movie.The moral of the story was "Or***m is like a lucky draw.Everybody sneezes but not every one who sneezes is lucky to get it." The great people of India don't like to oppose such movies but a clean movie like Jodhaa Akbar becomes an issue. Did these guy think Asoka was a more realistic movie with Kareena dancing in less than half clothes?

None of the Indian movies have won Oscars. If the people of the nation here don't believe in the kind of movies made here which guy with a different skin would appreciate it outside?Common sense is not common among us,I wish there was a school to teach such things for these differently abled group of people and those who don't need these teachings,please watch Jodhaa Akbar,if you like it or not is purely personal as long as it's not an issue for you.

A lost teacher.

It's not now that I thought of writing about this great personality, I have been wanting to do this since 3 to 4 months and today I just let the cat out. I was never so fond of this man and I didn't think he was my role model or could be anybody else's. No negative thoughts but just that he wasn't that impressive till I took up reading about him.

He was a lawyer by profession but he took teaching over arguing, I bet it was more difficult for him than playing devil’s advocate! I said that because the kind of pupil he chose to teach were not innocent, meaning not kids but ignorant. You know how difficult it is, don’t you?

• Let me quote some of the things that he had said and done around 60 or 70 years ago;
  His view about religion – Morality is the basis of all religion and truth is the substance of morality.He was not here to spread religion. Around 60 or 70 years ago in India I don’t really think people had tolerance for other religions especially when it was close to the movement of independence and it was spoken around then.
• When he was punished by the White Govt., all he said was “I’m only sorry for their ignorance and their narrowness.”This is something we believe Jesus Christ said and Goutham Buddha said. My point is not who said it first but he was one among those great souls. It’s not easy for one to say something like that when self is experiencing that kind of treatment.
• When he was a student, his regard remained the same for his teacher though he came to know many failures of that teacher.This is something which doesn’t exist now at all. Especially those teens who try to judge every person they come across have lost the values for individuals. If you cannot correct somebody you shouldn’t be negative as well.
• Today in our schools, the teaching starts with slant lines, straight lines, inclined lines and so on. This style of teaching is absorbed from west and is implemented now. This man had already penned down his thoughts about them long ago. He said “Children should be first taught the art of drawing before learning anything else to improve the hand writing”.
• He was also against corporal punishments.

These are a very superficial examples but this lawyer turned teacher has done a lot to the country that we have failed to recognize as our view and opinions are totally different. Tell me, who would want to leave the fame, wealth, and good contacts behind earned in a foreign country like South Africa and return to the motherland when it was a slave? Except for The Gautham Buddha and The Ashoka ,I don’t really think someone else could do it.

We may say a lot of things today that how differently we could have got independence but had we done even half of what he did to save the country probably we could get the eligibility to talk. He drove the entire nation which amazes me today to learn that he had such great powers. In a team of 13 to 15,how many can we get to listen to us to commit to work and perform? There was a leader in him.

He was a Baniya whose kids were never so famous and we have another Baniya whose reliant kids are spending crores to buy cricket players today which means his motto was improving people of the country and not accumulating wealth.It could have been a different scene but why can’t we appreciate whatever is worth doing.

I salute to this teacher Mr. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and it was a good learning to read “My Experiments with the Truth.”

Another Male in my life !

Not often we believe things that we hear until we experience it.This is one of those things that I never believed to happen ....to me until it really happened which is, 'Love At First Sight'. I'm not quoting the title of any romantic novel,trust me it's something I experienced at this phase of my life.

This happened last Saturday.My hubby and I kept on planning to meet him but could not make it earlier as my hubby's friend was too busy to take us there.I was very anxious to meet someone I had been listening about.I guess I was destined to meet him this Saturday.

When we went to this place to see him,he took me by my heart at first sight itself. I was lost looking at him.I couldn't resist myself so I touched him gently and that was the first time he looked at me and I felt something changed in me.First,he felt my finger tips then he slowly took out his tongue to lick my hand while his eyes were fixed at me. I was on cloud 9.I made another move,kissed him. That was it,he started licking my face all over and I knew he was the one I was waiting for and I didn't know I would do something like that after 2 years of marriage as I never wanted to do it anytime before.

When we left from there I was longing to take him with me.Same day,in the evening we went to attend a wedding reception.I somehow couldn't stop thinking of him. He had filled even the smallest corner of my heart and I could see nothing but him.Even when I was pretending to be normal I knew I wasn't. I couldn't get over thinking a zillionth time how he felt me.You know women generally fall for how they are felt by their loved ones.

I didn't want to delay so I told my hubby about my decision,to my surprise,he agreed.Today,we have a 2 months old Boxer puppy at home and we have named him Thunder. Pics??????sometime later :)