Unloading my think tank...

... key... well forget it. There will be thieves everywhere. "What can you do? Leave it."

Lately, the kind of people I seem to encounter are jerk-people. You know, the kind, who are narrow-minded, or are overtly-proud of themselves (not in a nice way) and mean. It bugs me no end to face these people every single day and if I didn't have my priorities right, I'd show them where they could all go.

I say "if I didn't have my priorities right", because I'm not going to jeopardise my future for a bunch of people who don't even figure in my future.

Yesterday, I went to get a solid case for my guitar. I took a bus which I thought would take that route. The bus conductor says this bus takes a diff route, you can get down at blah blah stop. I'm like okay. But I got down few stops earlier and went to opp side bus stop, thinking I can take a bus that back to where I wanted to. Not wanting to take the wrong one this time, I asked few people which bus to take. ALL, can you believe it, ALL replied, "I don't know!". So I took whatever bus I thought was right, and ended up getting down one stop before a bus stand thats close to my house! Well! Its so confusing with the names all written in Tamil, and conductor nodding his head when you ask before you board, only to be told while taking the tkt that this bus goes nowhere where you want to. So at the bus stand, I marched into the control room and asked which bus would take me to place A; my sentence spoken very very slowly, clearly, and supplemented with actions.

Finally! But guess what. The market was closed as it was a Sunday, which of course doesnt apply to "pattu" saree shops and "thanga maligai" shops. Silk sarees and gold jewellery. So I didn't alight from the bus (I could see the music instruments shop that I wanted to go to, was closed), instead went all the way upto a stop where I knew that crossing the road to opp. side bus stop would help me take the same bus back. Else, I would've got entangled in that whole "I don't know" and wrong buses and one ways again.

So this was one uneventful weekend.

Can't wait for Nov 11th, then Dec 14th, then Dec 26th, finally! :D

... so says my Today's Fortune on Orkut. Well then, lets start with a post!

I am back from a 6 day vacation! My cousin, the beautiful, talented, intelligent Kanch, got married and this was a perfect opportunity to meet few relatives I hadn't met in a long time, and wouldn't be able to do so for a long time either. Weddings are such a fun time. Dress up, tease the groom, eat good food, hugs, good wishes - ah!

Best part was meeting my neice. What a cute kid :) I want herrrrrrrrrrr she so pretty and thin and tall! She kept saying "Naaanni beku" ("I want my grandma" - she loves my mom!), "Aaaaaiiii aaai aai aai" (calling out to her mom), and loads of such cute things. During the reception, she saw my hubby and stretched her arms, a sign that she wants him to take her in his arms. :O She NEVER did that with me! Bataati hu use... no boyfriend tips, or supporting her when she wants to take up tatooing as her fulltime job!

I will get to meet few more ppl at Poo's engagement, dunno after that. The tickets are booked. Now is the time to dispose of the things at home we won't be needing.

I was watching America's Next Top Model, and my! Beauty is overrated isn't it. But I guess as long as you are willing to go the extra mile to look good, it shouldn't be anyone's concern. Its purely upto the individual.

Everytime I login to orkut, I look at my fortune and go into a deep, extra, too-much thinking mode (not that I need a trigger for that... ). I start wonderting if this is what it means, or what it doesn't mean, and begin relating things that happened recently, or I might do differently because of it. What crap. I need to snap out of it. Things will happen. Look at the past 2 months. Its all happening. Dekhte dekhte it'll be Dec last week. Life does throw challenges to us doesn't it? Or we dive head first into it. Who knows. Sab maaya hai. I got my passport in 2002, and the "Date of Issue" was same as "Place of Issue". I tried getting it corrected, but somehow it never happened. Then, in Feb 2007, 5 years after getting it, (which means half the validity period is over :)) ), the kind man at the Regional Passport Office corrects it. Without bribe, without us needing to stand in queue, without needing to fill any forms. He says its a "clerical mistake" and corrects in 5 seconds. Lo! So things happen. Will happen.

I'm currently reading Midnight's Children. Who's read it? Any thoughts?

Who's not seen the movie Transformers? Anyone? You? Pls, take the nearest newspaper and roll and whack yourself on your head with it! Its an amazing movie! Full AI and robotics. Fun, with a message and extremely enjoyable! I bet you wished you had a Bumble Bee to protect you :)

I have lots to write and now I'm going to do just that.

We have taken some important steps in our life, both work and personal, and those steps are huge. Hell, its not a step, its a leap!

It all started with a thought - how about if we... ? It seemed like a right thing to do, so we printed out the forms, filled them. After 2 attempts at me (alone) filing the application as independent candidate, we finally did it the 3rd time (for me), 1st time (for him) and applied together on same day. We got the results a month and 21 days later, again on the same day.

The tickets are booked too. Its all going to work out. It has to :)

I'm going to look at it as an opportunity to learn, grow and enjoy. Think of all the places I'll see, people I'll meet, cuisines I'll get to try, new friends I'll make! It's going to be a lot of fun!

Read this article 'Don't take pleasure in bankers' pain' in the Telegraph. While I'm no expert in finance/banking/investments, and I speak here as a layman, that this kind of fallacy has been brought upon them by themselves. Banks issue credit to subprime customers (fraudulent customers too), leading to subprime crisis. nd they, as investment bankers, initiate or follow (push) M&A. Much to the chagrin of the co. getting bought I'd say. Since they are bound to lose jobs. And now, its happened to them. Who'da thunk that Lehmann Brothers, that withstood crisis in all times (Great Depression, 1930s etc) would one day file for bankruptcy? I shudder thinking about the employees and their future now. I hope the top brass of other cos. learn a good lesson from this.

I feel that now-a-days, its all about hype. In everything we do. Buying a house, going on a holiday, sponsoring a honeymoon for your beloved son/daughter, education in that top institute - all circumstances wherein the party gets immensely tensed, works out finance charts for the next 20 years, brings out investment plans, savings chart, how to apply for that loan, get it, and then slog/worry to reply it over the years. There should be better means to do it. Simpler, non-bait. I'm wary of taking loans for anything unless and until I know I'll be able to repay it. Its not a case of 'if I take loan, I might be able to repay it' - that doesn't work for me.

As for my current job, words fail me in description of how pathetic it is. It is very much so in terms of quality of work, quantity of work, environment to work in, people to work with - you name it. Its like I'm a stone, and I've gathered a humoungous amount of moss, since I'm not rolling. Stagnant. Statue-esque.

Though it does help me save for a rainy day, I have plans.

Is there a de-addiction/rehab for addiction to Hajmola pills? I've taken to those tiny tangy tablets like fish to water, and thats not good. But they are so chatpatey and tangy and tasty! I'm craving for one (or ten) right now!

I have something to confess. I went to watch Asia Cup match last year here where this incident took place. It was at the stadium; entry is free for all. I guess its a move to popularise the sport, and I could see that for every match, the stadium was jam-packed. This one was during the finals - India vs Korea. Me, Paro and her 2 friends went to see the match. We sat on those cement benches. We'd taken the Indian flag along with us and also made some pickets to encourage our team. Also, this was sometime after the bomb blasts at Hyderabad. So, there we are enjoying the match and having a good time. Suddenly, I hear cries of "Allah hu Akbar"! A bunch of guys sitting behind us were shouting it repeatedly. At once, (and I'm ashamed of myself) alarm bells rang in my head! OM MY GOD! What if they want to blow up this place?! What if ... ? Unthinkable questions came into my mind and I couldn't concentrate on cheering our team. The other girls were busy doing it, but my heart was pounding. I whispered my fears into Paro's ears and immediately, she said, we should to the VIP area of the stadium. We had passes, but we chose to sit on the benches cuz we were in a hurry. The queue for VIP area was long, and everyone was being frisked. Whereas to go to the common area, people were just let in. Anyways, she said we should move ASAP to the VIP area and we did. Nothing happened. Match proceeded smoothly, and we won by 7 goals to 2.

I felt really bad about myself. Ashamed. Guilty. Since when did I start thinking that a Muslim praising Allah is a terrorist waiting to blow up the place? Why did I think like that? Does it mean that I'm one of those narrow minded people, who decide whether to befriend a person or not by judging him/her by his/her last name? Or religion? No. A big resounding NO. I'm a person who thinks religion is only a way to have faith in a super power above, the Almighty. It maybe Krishna, Allah, Moses, Jesus - all. And I don't bias anyone on anything. People have a reason to behave the way they do, and the only way is to understand them, not simply judge them. But for that day, I can't seem to forgive myself. Muslims in our country have been wronged. But their methods are not right. Bloodshed is not the answer for anything. But, just because one of them is bad, doesn't mean all end up as terrorists! I have a couple of Muslim friends who love India, and are extremely peace-loving. Recently, all Imams came together and said that what Islamic terrorists are doing is not jihad, its fasad. And fasad is prohibited according to Quran. If today some are fanatics, don't you think that something/someone has rubbed them the wrong way? Who would willingly, for no reason, want to kill people? Who would want to blow themselves up in a hospital, killing sick people and doctors?

The Kashmiris are facing insurgency since 61 years now! 61 years of bloodshed, tension, no peace. They don't enjoy that; they want to get out of it and live in peace. The Islamic Rage Boy hasn't become angry in one day.

For people who've brought in such rich culture and a strong dynasty to our country, least we can do is accept them.

I'm sorry for thinking like that on that day... I have lots and lots to write on this... but this is too long already.

Another thing, do you vote? If you are an Indian and are above 18, please take part in the poll you see on right side of this page. I strongly believe we can bring about change by way of elections, but I've done so only once in twice Lok Sabha that were held (since I turned 18). Do you think too that elections help? India's current Air Force chief says he hasn't cast vote in 10 years! Thats because he's always been on duty during . I was shocked to hear most of my friends haven't voted even once, neither has my hubby. And many even think that its a sham. I wanted to know your opinion.

PS: I've labelled this post as "being Indian" because I strongly believe in एकता में बल है , that Muslims are our brothers and that all Indians do not hate Muslims or judge them.

I've been trying hard to pass time; I have so much idle time I really don't know what to do with it all. And then sometimes there's so much to do, that I hardly have time to breathe. But mostly, its the former. At work, I really do nothing. I add if-else statement in 2-3 events and test them. That's a "project" mind you. I'm sick of it all I can't wait to run away from all this.

So to pass time, I'm trying out various new dishes in the kitchen, the results of which are on my food blog for all and sundry to see. I haven't written some of the recipes that I tried (and were really good), I promise to do that soon. Meanwhile, its caramel custard and washing clothes tonight on the schedule once I reach the house. All I do at work is nothing. I'm so bored of it all. Now that SB has quit, it makes it all the more yawn-inducing. Others in the team ask me, "so you feeling alone?", "you missing her?", "your cubicle seems quiet" - hell ya I miss her! We gossiped and chatted away till 6 PM, and then left for our houses together. It was fun yeah. Now, its all quiet. And though I go to lunch with a group, the same problem persists - TAMIL BOLNA NAHI AATA! I've given up. I'm so through with these girls that I assume that I'm eating alone. Really, its that bad.

Forget it. I had a good time in Bangalore the weekend before last when we went to attend RK's wedding reception. Poor thing had a fever of 102. Then when they were given garlands, they put it around their own neck rather than their partner's, saying its too embarrassing to do in front of a crowd, and on the stage. Hehehehe. Food (the main thing why I went) was yummy - I love the Karnataka cuisine. And when I'm having authentic dishes after months, you can't really say that I hardly eat. I guess I subconsciously starve before a Kannada wedding hahahahahaha.

Then the tuesday following that, we went to watch Singh is Kinng. A small incident before I give my verdict on the movie. Once me and hubby were relaxing and we recalled an incident in which something happened (details unimportant) to which hubby said, "bakwaas tha ekdum". I said, it was not just "bakwaas"... like bakwaas ki hadd paar kar di types. So I coined a new word for that - KABWAAS! Effect can be felt when you said it loud, with emphasis on the "WA", and also, stretch the "WAAS" a little more. That's when you put across your point of that stuff/incident/whatever being over bakwaas limit, hence KABWAAAS! So coming back to my point, this movie was KABWAAAAAS! Comedy? Comedy ke naam pe Great Indian Laughter Challenge ka current season chal raha tha. That bad. But Akshay Kumar was good, as usual. Katrina Kaif looked gorgeous. How can someone look this pretty?! :-)

Then last weekend, long weekend in India due to Aug 15 being our Independence day - began real quick for me. From wednesday! I called in sick cuz I wanted to pack my bags and also the mehendi waali was supposed to come to my place. She came at 5, for her appointment at 2 (very good) and I got henna only on my palms - both hands. No time for back of the palms :-( Anyway, we went to Hubli and had so much fun! The weather over there was breezy, cool, and a temp of 25 deg C max kept us cool. KK looked radiant (it was her engagement ceremony) and we really had so much fun! I met most of them after my wedding - which means close to 2 years! :O Anyway, my niece has gotten cuter and as usual, is playful and never cries. If I ever decide to have a baby, I want a girl - exactly like her :-) And it turns out that this gawky, nerdy, geek is no more a simple belle. I'm talking about me. I've become good at applying make up. Credit goes to all my sister-in-laws - pure Punjabi girls. Before my marriage, I used to pull up my jeans and tee, brush my hair, spray deo and walk out of the house. Now, I take care of how I look - and I enjoy that. Kabhi kabhi aate hai occasions, to subtle make up lagaana chahiye. So all cousins were like "whats this, what have you applied here, let me too, do you have that blush/eyeliner/gloss/bindi with you now? Can you apply make up on my face" - So I had a line of girls waiting, including the bride-to-be. I happily obliged. Made me so happy to see them line up. And yes, I kept it minimal, as I'd done for mine. Sab khush.

After the ceremony, we went to stay over at Poo's house for the rest of our trip. Sukanya moushi is total fun and so is Poo. Poo's getting engaged this Nov, and she was gushing about her groom-to-be, who is a hi-fi aerospace engineer working in Atlanta. Her mom made awesome jowar-bhakri for lunch - traditional North Karnataka fare! Man I couldn't get enough of those! And she packed some of that gurolpudi chutney for me :-) yummy!

What else? We returned to this sad city on sunday afternoon and aur kya. WORSHT place this is. Can you guys guess where I live in India?

I miss mom. She'll back this month-end from US and I can't wait to see what she's got for me :D Bas, nothing else to write. I'm waiting for time to pass by quickly. Lot of things waiting to happen :-) I hope its all what I wished for :-)

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the
prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

Whoa! I didn't even know that Snapdragon was the name of a flower! If someone told me that I'm a Snapdragon, I'd snap, bring on my dragon avtaar, and say to them - "hey you watch what you saying before you are sorry!" :D

Say, does the snapdragon flower smell sweet? Cuz I was recently given Salvatore Ferragamo's Incanto (as a gift) and also use Burberry London. Just curious....