Sundry Scribbles in Leisure

Gupta Ji back in town (Right,& He is not in Bangalore)

2011-09-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

Before the Southern India's tropical heat evaporates some more memory of Gupta Ji, I need to get back into action and jot down what was said.

Following the conversation of where they live, Gupta ji started some heavy weight discussion about various cities in India. He talked about may small and big cities from far and wide, north to south , from east to ....no, just couple of cities that he knew in the east to west spectrum of India.

Talking about the versatile ones, livable ones, the pass thru ones, the accommodating ones, the lazy ones, the beautiful ones, etc (not in any particular order) he talked about Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Pune, Baroda, Nasik, Gurgaon, Udaipur and of course Bangalore.

Bangalore hit the jack pot in his description and in his perception

Gupta Ji : "Bangalore is the WORST city in India, not good for anyone , no good for North Indians and no good for South Indians !!!"

(Disclaimer : All the words are here of Gupta Ji. And writer does not agree with him :) )

Gupta Ji : "All software people come to this city thinking that it is great. But once they are here, they know. They know they made the big mistake. They cannot live."

Mr AP seemed to be little confused with Gupta Ji's assessment. Agreed that Hyderabad is a well planned city and can be coined as Silicon Valley of India, but Bangalore is equally well established. It was where all the action first started.

Mr AP (with confused toned) : "Why do you say so?"

Gupta Ji : "Then what, how can you live somewhere where you get nothing to eat."

Mr AP was totally lost now (I was lost too). Bangalore is such city where food is never a problem for anyone.

Gupta Ji : "You don't understand. The food they have there, neither the south Indians can eat nor the North Indians can eat. Now see, I was staying there was one year. Tell me, how can we north Indians eat rice every day & roti-sambhar and chole with coconut every day . Also how can the South Indians have the sweet sambhar and bisibele bath everyday. People in Bangalore don't cook for anyone else. They just cook for themselves and sell it, force everyone to eat that"

Mr AP was sweet. He tried to tackle this accusation in a positive manner.

Mr AP : "May be one or two places where you ate in Bangalore were like that, but Bangalore itself provides so many variety. It is a place that doesn't fear to try new things, new cuisine."

Gupta Ji : "No no no no no. I lived there for one year, you know. I ate almost everywhere in Bangalore. All are same. They were all bad. Believe me, it is not good for you guys from South India and not good at all for we North Indians."

Mr AP just left it there. By now Gupta Ji might have drained almost 5 glasses on wine. :(

Investment Gains ( journey cont.)

2011-08-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

The conversation might have gone in stagnation. So time to rekindle the journey-friend relationship.

Gupta Ji : Btw I am from Kota. Kota, you know Kota , in Rajasthan.

Mr AP : Thats nice. So you are going to Kota from Bombay?

Gupta Ji : No Kota is only my native. But I live in Pune. I have just bought a home in Pune.

Mr AP : Thats very good. Congratulations.

Gupta Ji : Yes, even if you are living in big cities, buying property there is good. Esp cities with more IT people.

Mr AP : Yes, I think so.

Gupta Ji: Yes, I am planning to buy one more house sometime later to rent it to the IT guys.

Mr AP : Sounds like good investment.

Gupta Ji : Yes, the economy is very bad. But people need to stay somewhere. One can rent a two bedroom house in Pune for 11K-12K. In Hyderabad it should be more. I know how much, but definitely more than Pune. Do you have your own house in India.

Mr AP : We have a family home in Hyderabad.

Gupta Ji : Very good. But family home must be old. You should buy one new house and rent it. Easy money, you know. Hyderabad will never be short of IT guys.

Mr AP : I shall think about it.

Gupta Ji grins as he thinks he has bestowed Mr AP with a very valuable piece of information and advice.

Again, how I wish I had a direct view to Mr AP's face

We are a happy family !! (journey cont.)

2011-08-29T23:51:00.000-07:00

Mr AP was at a disadvantage due to his seat location. Gupta Ji just needed to turn around to talk to him, no escape.

Mr AP could not just close his eyes and sleep or pretend to sleep. He had to attend to his children quiet often. Mr AP was traveling with a three year old daughter , a five year old son and a middle aged lady. How do I know ??

Gupta Ji : Are you traveling with family? (It was so obvious as Mr AP was taking care of two kids)

Mr AP : Yes, this is my daughter and that is my son. How about you?

Gupta Ji : Very good. I am traveling alone this time. One daughter and one son. Very nice. How old are they?

Mr AP : Daughter is three years old and Son is five years old. Do you have children.

Gupta Ji, smiling : Not Yet. I just got married about a year ago. But will have children in future. The lady (pointing to her) she is your family too?

Mr AP : Yes, that is my mother in law.

Gupta Ji : Oh, you don't travel with your wife? (that is his english, alright)

Mr AP : My wife did not have many leave. She will join us in two weeks.

Gupta Ji : That is very good. Family should be together. Good for the children, you know. I can understand we have limitations on leave. We work too much these days. But that is needed. We need a better life and money.

Mr AP might have nodded . His expressions - so disappointed I am that I wasn't able to see him at that moment !

Chalo Bombay (& Journey has just begun)

2011-08-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

Self paid and unwillingly captivated for 11 hours in the 1.5 ft by 2ft space, we watched some inflight Television to kill time. "Delhi Chalo" was hilarious. My husband asked me, "Do you think we have come across such a character (character played by Vinay Pathak) in real life"? Well, The Greater Power answered the question by showing us one in the next connecting flight ! I have named him : Gupta Ji

Just before boarding the flight, Gupta Ji approached my husband and asked him about what immigration papers are required for boarding. Not realizing that he would sound very curt, my husband said, "Whatever paper they ask, just give it to them". Believe me, in hindsight, this answer was a blessing. Gupta Ji did not talk to us for the rest of the flight or ever after.

Then one would be wondering, where the similarity is with this Gupta Ji and the movie character, Manu Gupta Ji.

Oh there is..you will have to keep up with me.

It was the seating allocation in the flight that made the difference

XXX X(myHusband)(myChild)(Me) (GuptaJi)XX

XXX XX……………...X……….(Mr AP) XXX

PS : no access to scanner while we are traveling, so work with me here as I explain how we were seated. Gupta Ji was on the aisle seat on my right and Mr AP was seated right behind me.

The polite, soft spoken gentleman from Andhra Pradesh (Mr AP) was the weakest link among other passengers with whom Gupta Ji tired to converse with. I can only sympathize with Mr AP. In next 8 hours, I knew everything about Gupta Ji, Mr AP and the world from their view point.

I admit that I slept intermittently . But whenever I woke up Gupta Ji and Mr AP were on a fresh topic (still talking). And Gupta Ji had a loud clear voice. Passengers from 10 rows in the front and 10 in the back could hear him loud and clear. And as far as I kept my count Gupta ji had at least 6 glasses of wine.

They started off with the below note :

Gupta Ji : Hello,

Mr AP,with a warm smile : Hi (Biggest mistake).

Gupta Ji : Where are you coming from ?

Mr AP : Chicago. What about you?

Gupta Ji : Sweden. Are you going to Bombay or going to go somewhere from there?

Mr AP : To Hyderabad. I couldn't get a direct flight to Hyderabad.

Gupta Ji : Yes , these days the airlines always want to make money. They lie about not having direct flights and make people travel more , spend more money on airlines. Where in Hyderabad?

Mr AP : Baghlingampally.

Gupta Ji : Achcha. Do you know Shivaji Nagar in Hyderabad?

Mr AP : No, Why?

Gupta Ji : My friend's neighbor used to live there 5 years back.... So who is going to come to pick up in Hyderabad?

Mr AP : My brother will come.

Gupta Ji : Good to have someone come to pick up when you return from abroad. The taxi walas bother too much. So Is this your first trip via Bombay?

Mr AP : Yes. I couldn't avoid. There were no other optimized route for this date.

Gupta Ji : No Problem. You have to go to Santa Cruz . Make sure you ask someone about how to reach from from International to domestic airport. Do you need my help?

Mr AP : Thanks, but no. I shall manage. I shall ask the ground staff.

Gupta Ji : So how long have you been in Chicago?

Mr AP : 10 years.

Gupta Ji : So do you have your green card now?

Mr AP hesitated to part with this personal info. He was feeling uncomfortable. But he lacked confidence to say something strong and cut off . And Gupta Ji wouldn't leave him.

Gupta Ji : So you are on Visa. Which visa ?

Mr AP(giving up) : I have green card.

Gupta Ji : That is very good. Now you don't have to go thru the issues of getting visa and stamping. Do you go to Hyderabad every year?

Mr AP : Not every year. Every 2-3 years or when there are some occasions.

Gupta Ji : Yes, Yes. Occasions are very important. We Indian people are very proud of our culture. Whatever you say, India is India. The facilities are not good, but still. You are living in chicago, but you don't get the feeling of home there. Thats the difference. You don't see your kind people much and feel lonely.

Mr AP : It is not like that. There are many places in US which have good concentration of Indians . One doesn't miss India. With media and communication today, the gaps between Indians and non Indians have also reduced so much. I feel very much at home in Chicago. (In his meek voice, this was a very poor attempt)

Gupta Ji : But still. No place can be like India. So much color, so many festivals, such variety of food. Even if it dirty, with power cuts, you enjoy once in India. If you want to drink road side tea or having yummy chat, can you do that anywhere in Chicago. When you come to India, everyone is so happy you have come from abroad. (Some weird english or some weird logic. By now, Mr AP gave up protesting)

This was just in the first half an hour. And the flight was yet to take off !!

[I need to break the dialogue into various post. I cannot do justice to Gupta Ji's character if I don't state his words, word by word. And there is at least 4-5 hours of conversation to tell ! ]

Once upon a time I was pregnant

2011-07-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

Followed by the media flashing the tiff between Madhur Bhandakar and Aishwarya Rai , the blogosphere is inundating with opinions and comments. I have been reading them for the past few days now.
On a closer look, though superficially they are discussing about Ash’s situation, many of them are talking about their own personal emotions and feelings and how they were hurt in such a situation in their life.

My take on the Bhandarkar-Rai issue is : The guidelines were missing, the expectations were vague and the consequences are unwarranted & very boisterous, if I may say that.

At some deeper level that seems to be the case with everyone who has expressed their personal frustration or disapproval. Pregnant women and their mental and physical state are very subjective. It is wrong on many levels to make standard assumptions that ALL pregnant women are weak, are whinny & need lot of attention , are unbalanced, an incapable of leading a capable life for 10 months. Hence is not justified to have a cookie cutter approach while dealing with them.

This article is dedicated the Unconventional Pregnant Woman

who has never been appraised as an individual with immense will power & a brain by the moms, mother in laws , aunts, grand moms and by that old lady at the grocery store who has nothing better to do in life.
who has a toddler clinging to her waist when the bun is kicking in the oven
who wears a roller skater instead of sensible shoes just in case she needs to shuttle between doctor, day care, home, office and grocery shopping.
who manages well her finances , her home, her college, her job, her family and of herself too
who in between the hormone spikes harmoniously takes care of the world(you read that right, My OBGYN was 4 months pregnant when I went in for my first pregnancy check up & she was with me until she left to deliver the baby)

I could go on the definition of the UPW… but then let us get to the ground rules faster.

When you encounter an Unconventional Pregnant Women (the moment you see her or hear her, you will immediately identify her by that aura of confidence and enthusiasm around her)

Don’t jump to help her right away – yes, she could use help, but ask her first. She is quiet clear about what she wants and she can articulate it well. Btw she will also tell you when you are overdoing it.
Don’t deny her a job – But talk to her about the guidelines, expectation and consequences before you hire her. You will be amazed to see how she excel at par with the other non pregnant employees. And if she is not up to it, she can make a decision and let you know at the time of hiring. Give her a fair chance.
Don’t sympathize with her situation – She is in the best of her health. And pregnancy is not a disease. Even though she had a nauseating first trimester and puked at the mere mention of paneer tikka masala, she is basically a very happy person and is in the happiest moment of her life.
Don’t underestimate her at work – She is the best manager and best worker bee you can ever find. Isn’t she handling the live belly project 24 by 7 all by herself?
Don’t shower her with advises – That’s what she is paying the doctor and the nurses for. She is well equipped with books, qualified pregnancy advisors and internet & media. She will ask you if she needs more of it. Plus you are not very close to her anyways.
& Don’t deplore her confidence and enthusiasm – She can bark at you and bite you (remember those fortified hormones working on her)

[For the curious ones out there
Ques : Anu, are you writing from your personal experiences ?
Anu : Some from personal experiences and some from first hand observations]

If only I had enough.....

2011-03-24T21:24:00.001-07:00

Yes, You heard it alright. You have all the time in this world and you have free money pouring in. what is that you would love to do most?

Person 1 : I shall just let the mind wander and do what I feel at the moment. If I want to get up in the morning I shall get up, if I want to go back to bed after breakfast will do that. I shall live the moment

Person 2 : I shall travel far and wide. Buy BMWs and all other luxury cars. Drive them.

Person 3 : I shall go into solitude. Now would be a good time to concentrate & meditate to find the inner peace and happiness.

Person 4 : I shall upgrade to a luxurious lifestyle. Keep upgrading it.

Person 5 : I will not be able to do anything. I will be worried all the time that I have done nothing to deserve this free money and time.

Person 6 : I shall pursue my dream, Sing – improve my singing, practice, perform.

Person 7 : I shall spend all the time with my kids and spend all the money on my kids, all the time.

And then, the clock struck 1:00.

The small group of people gathered for lunch came out the trance. They walked slowly back their tiny cubicles to stare at the dump terminals and helplessly pummel the keyboards, like the thousands of us do.

The Case of 10 lb Carrots

2011-03-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

The story goes like this : Wife hands over the grocery list to husband. Husband finishes shopping and comes home. While putting the veggies away, wife notices that there are ’10 lbs of Carrots’. They go back to the grocery list to verify. It says, ‘Some Carrots’ under the title ‘Things to buy from Costco’….Needless to say, practically all conversation(read as arguments) ends here.

We asked a friend who came over if she wanted some. She laughed at us and relieved us of like 5 carrots.

The week passes by and we had only consumed 8 more carrots.

Orange, Orange, Orange..By end of the week, we were Chrysophobic. Something had to be done !! and soon.

Gajjar ka Halwa – The perfect solution

So we started peeling and grating the carrots. Somewhere halfway thru we looked at the shredded quantity and wondered if we could handle that. Of course, we were not sure if we could. But we were sure of one thing. We didn’t have a huge vessel to cook that could contain all the shredded carrot, sugar, butter and milk. So we decided to do the task in two batches. After 5 hours of slow cooking and stirring, we had Batch One of scrumptious Gajjar ka Halwa.

The cooked quantity itself looked way too much for just the three of us. We could have had that for months and this was only the half of the whole thing. Thanks to the social networking sites(Face book), we had lots of friends come over to share the sweetness. Before we realized the first batch was over during that weekend itself.

Next weekend we processed the second batch and made door deliveries to those who really really wanted to help us by sharing the halwa but cannot make it to our home. At least we were able to meet folks whom we haven’t met in ages.

So what is the core lesson learnt : Non specific requirements can sometimes be sweet !

Thats The Gift for the Newlyweds !!!!

2011-03-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

As weird as it sounds, it is true that we have not bought any garbage bags in the past 7 years !!

Before you get nauseating notion that our house is reeking of trash, let us just say that we do throw the trash out regularly and set the garbage bins out every Thursday for the city trucks to that them away to where they belong to. It is just that we have not paid for the garbage bags even once.

It was few months after our marriage, when one of Rajesh’s friend and our only Indian neighbor in the community on that quaint island Alameda announced that he has decided to go back to India for good. We offered him any help he would need while he wraps up his affairs in US. He said he needs our favor in taking over some non perishable goods that he had purchased from wholesale market. He gave us three medium size cardboard boxes. Since he said non perishable, we did not check the contents until after few weeks of his departure from USA.

What do we find in it – Rolls and Rolls and Rolls and Rolls of garbage bags made of recycle material !!!

We have moved a few times since the boxes came into our possession. The boxes moved with us. After a point in time, these rolls of garbage bags became a mute point in life. They have served us well.

It is fair to ask then why so much interest in these garbage bags all of a sudden. With every change of new garbage bag, I am hit by the fact that I am taking it out from the last roll left. Soon (sometime after three months), I will have to add another item to our standard shopping list ‘Garbage Bags’.

We have not shared this interesting piece of incident with anyone until now. But when one has received such a thoughtful gift , isn’t it worth mentioning :)

Civilization in Toyland

2011-03-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

Toys are adorable, but they are the most unshapely things to organize I have ever come across. They come in all colors, sizes & shapes which makes them difficult to blend with the usual décor of the home.
And no matter what type of toy it is (puzzles, balls, dolls, trucks…..), they all seem to have legs to wander and voice to squeak all the time.

Getting to the business of taming thru some tips that I follow :

1) “Rotation & Donation” - I follow this very religiously at home. I overrule if the older kid (husband) wants to break the rule and tries to pull out toys that are in hibernation.

2) Once the kids outgrow the toys – Wave a big Good Bye to those toys. Just keep the most sentimental one for memory, but all the rest can go out of the house. Those with broken arm, lost wheel goes into trash, immediately. Rest can go to donation center. I sometimes give them to friends’ children who are younger. Check with your friends if they are ok with such gesture.

3) Share, Borrow & Exchange toys – Even if you buy almost everything from the toys store you can never satisfy the kids. They always like what other children have. I have a friend whose daughter is the same age as my son. We exchange toys for few weeks. Make sure that your friend and you have the same understanding that there is a possibility of the exchanged goods getting damaged a little or a lot .

4) For day to day usage, some the empty cardboard boxes are converted into toys bin. I let the kid handle the bin by himself when he wants to take the toys out or when we are cleaning up. I have covered these boxes with wrapping paper featuring Thomas or McQueen or airplanes. Once in a while, the wrapping sheet or the bin itself gets damaged and I have to change it. Sometimes they get a new pattern of wrapping. Then it looks like a new bin. Once more way to deceive the kid with ‘different’ set of toys and keep the attention to one bin at a time.

5) My son doesn’t play with the soft toys any more. Rather I should say if he gets hold of one, its end is near. So many of the soft toys have been cleaned now and they have permanent places to sit at home as decorative pieces. They are out of reach of my kid and hence intact yet.

6) For hibernating toys, I have Rubbermaid bins with lids, categorized , labels added and stacked in garage or storage.

7) Before putting one bin into storage and taking the other out, if you have older kids you can spend some time with them going over the toys, sort them there itself – for throwing away, donation, repair. This way saves a lot of frustration for both parents and kids when that bin comes out later. Imagine a tennis racket with broken strings gone into storage without fixing. Kids will want to play as soon as the bin is out again, but the broken string will spoil the fun.

8) Keep a small box of toys in the car (this is also subjected to rotation). This way your kid will always have something to play with when you visit some ones place. Many a times we have visited folks who do not have kids and obviously no toys. If visits to such friends place are frequent, you might want to check with them about leaving a small box (all tucked in) there. We are lucky to have friends who are ready to accommodate some toys of ours.

9) Designated area for playing – We do not allow my kid to spread his toys in the bedroom. Sometime we let him bring his favorite car or few blocks to play while we are there. But the toys go back to the usual daily storage area.

10) Clean up – Before going out and before going to bed (of course before someone visits), we play clean up game with my kid. We end up doing the grunt work , but kid gets the point.

11) This idea I am borrowing from a friend who has not yet started to give away the toys yet. But he has an excellent way to keep the outgrown toys in storage. For small toys, I think he is storing them in boxes, but for the huge ones including the buggy, activity center, exersaucer etc, he would wrap them with stretch wrap. Those toys will remain in storage/garage and will remain as is until the wrapping is opened.

The Reliable GPS

2010-12-17T03:28:00.000-08:00

On one morning while in Bombay this year, we had a marriage to attend. Rajesh wrote down the address from the Kankotri (marriage invitation) and gave it to me for checking the general location and directions using the ‘indispensable’ Google maps. When I eventually got connected to the internet , I waited up patiently for the map to load for that address.

Meanwhile Rajesh called up our usual cab service to reach that place. I heard him say to the cab owner, Gupta Ji that we need to go to Chembur around 10:00.

I spent another 40 minutes trying to figure out the right directions for the address “The Garden, Nirmal Vihar, Next to Redox Cinema Hall, M G Road, Chembur, Mumbai’. The Google map, reading the address backwards, upwards, downwards would rendered the map only till Chembur. Well, where exactly in Chembur was the question and how to reach there. Father in law insisted that we carry the telephone numbers of the relative who had invited us and suggested that we should leave the direction detection to Gupta Ji. Exasperated, I gave up the map search.

Gupta Ji arrived right on time. When we gave him the address, he said, “Saab, I don’t know the exact location in Chembur. We will go towards Chembur and figure out once there”. We were perplexed and very uncomfortable at the thought of going across the city without knowing where we were going. Again father in law assured us and said that we should trust Gupta Ji.

Chembur was about an hour and so from home. 40 minutes into the cab, we noticed Gupta Ji call someone from his mobile phone(hands free). He told over the phone that he was going to Chembur. For the next 2 minutes, we heard him say “Achcha (all right), Aisa kya (Is that right), kab (when), kahaan (Where) so many times. He ended the call saying that “I shall call Sreepadh when I near so & so place”. We asked him if everything was alright. He said that he had called his cabby friend ,Ashok to find out the traffic sense in an area that we would be crossing in next 10 minutes. Ashok apparently drove cab in that area which was in famous for congested roads and traffic jam. Ashok had warned Gupta Ji about an procession on certain streets and had advised him to avoid them en route. He had given further pointer, another cabby friend, Sreepadh who would be able to give Gupta Ji updates about the area to Chembur.

Nearing Chembur, Gupta Ji called Sreepadh. He only mentioned that he was driving passengers to Chembur. I guess, that is the code for asking “How is the road scenario and traffic sense?” . Sreepadh’s updates seemed to be short and appealing to Gupta Ji. Then Gupta Ji quickly read him the address we were headed to and asked Sreepadh about how to locate the exact place . Sreepadh told Gupta Ji that he was not aware of all of Chembur but he would get the answer in 5 minutes and disconnected the call.

Within next couple of minutes, somebody else (Sreepadh’s buddy local to Chembur) called Gupta Ji. He asked Gupta Ji to watch out for a certain landmark, Blue color tall TVS building and explained to him how to reach the marriage hall from there. Gupta Ji might have understood the accurate instructions very clearly because he drove us to the destination on time with utmost confidence and without any further route verification.

When we reached the marriage hall, we realized that there is no Redox Cinema Hall as stated in the address. It was demolished few decades ago but the locals still remember it and use it as part of formal postal address. Secondly there is no building called ‘Nirmal Vihar’. It was a colony with few hundred houses. And ‘The Garden’ was nothing but an open area in the centre of those houses, when enclosed cab be used for functions. No wonder the Google maps intelligence was challenged.

It was a remarkable display of credible Human Network, an excellent example of precise and well coordinated messaging system and proper usage of technology(mobile phone). There is no GPS in this world that can be as versatile and reliable as this Human GPS.

Photo by Business Rediff

Milestone Birthday Miles Away from Home

2010-12-11T02:11:00.000-08:00

For anyone to understand why I felt compelled to write about Rajesh's this year birthday, I would like to write about it in sections. It is a little long. I appreciate your patience to read till the end.

History:

We never celebrate mine or Rajesh's birthday. Celebrating Birthdays fall under the unspoken comfort clause which defines who we are. But things changed a little since last year when Rishi started getting excited on his birthdays, our birthdays, and well everyone else's birthdays. For this one also the inspiration for the celebration and idea came from my darling son, Rishi.

Idea Inception:

It started few days before the actual birthday. I was telling my son that Dad's birthday is coming up and this year we will be in an airplane or in a different country on his birthday. That got him excited. He started, "We will surprise Appa, Mommy. We will sing the happy birthday song in Airplane, Mommy."

I promised him that we will celebrate and the amusing part was I told my son to keep it a secret from his dad. I prepped him a lot that day. I told him this like a hundred times "Don’t say anything to Appa, Rishi. We will celebrate Appa's Birthday and it will be a surprise. Don’t tell him anything until mommy tells you".

The same night, it was pretty late when Rajesh came home and Rishi had already gone to bed. Rajesh went to see him sleeping in his room. Rishi got up due to the stir and the first thing he blurted out was,"Appa, Happy birthday". Then he went back to sleep. I brought Rajesh up to speed that I had told Rishi that Appa's birthday is coming. Rajesh was amused too. But I think, Rajesh left it at that. I was glad that Rishi didn’t tell him anything about the surprise.

I still had not thought about how I will make it a surprise!!

Actual Preparation:

There was hardly any time to think about the birthday. We had to close on so many things at office, at Rishi's school and at home before our travel and vacation.

Since we were travelling across continents during the holiday season, Rajesh kept repeating the safety mantra- “Anu, Lets carry only things that are absolutely necessary and let’s keep the hand baggage as light as possible. We don’t want to get into security hassles"

Well, I was not planning to surprise him with an elephant on his birthday anyways. So, I switched on the creativity button and started thinking about what can be done quickly (I hardly had 2 hours by the time I got to think about the surprises and birthday celebration and that too it was on the night before travel), materials that can be carried without feeling the pain of weight, and something that will not raise suspicions either by Rajesh or by the various airport security.

1) Location: There were few choices even in this case :

a) In the air, above Atlantic Ocean

b) At Frankfurt - airport terminal

c) Again in the air, above Europe.

Frankfurt Airport looked promising than the other two options. But the stopover was for hardly 3 hours. From the previous travel I knew that we will not get much time there between flights. We will stop for grub, so I had to plan something around that.

2) Cake: Although I checked the cafes and the confectionary stores available in the airport online, I was least worried about the cake. With the holiday season on, I was sure that there will be lot more options.

3) Decorations: This one was tricky. I knew that I shall not find anything birthday specific at the airport. And I wanted something that I could set up in less than 5 minutes, something that will not alert the officials or security and something that will remain as a surprise to Rajesh until it is done.

I created a custom banner. I folded a white use & throw party table cover for a banner and stapled all round. I wanted to keep it simple to reflect the way we see the birthdays for us. It said "Happy Birthday, Rajesh". Since we would be in Frankfurt, I added birthday wishes in German as well on the banner “Alles Gute zum Geburtstag”. I added the date and place, in case the banner survives the travel, it will be a memorabilia. Now I had a foldable/ rolled up light weight birthday banner. I hid it among Rishi’s change of clothes that I packed for my backpack.

Since this was a milestone birthday for Rajesh in the thirties (I am not going to reveal which birth day it is lest I should reveal my age too), I packed the single numbered candle '3' that we had used for Rishi's last birthday. And I packed the 'Happy Birthday' cake decoration placard from Rishi's birthday.

I also packed few balloons. I knew this was a stretch, but a birthday celebration without balloons will be hard one to sell to Rishi

4) Gift: I put Rajesh's Birthday Gift in an office envelope. It looked as if it contained some travel papers. What is the gift?.....Please stay with me until the end of this write up

All these things hid very nicely in my back pack until the reveal.

Party Time:

After we landed in Frankfurt and cleared one more round of security & screening, we were all set to eat something and board the next flight. Rajesh suggested that we go to the airplane lounge to get freshened up & eat something there itself. Well, I knew that the lounge would be full of people who like to sit & work on various electronics devices or who take quick naps or who expect calm surroundings. Kids and families are always outnumbered there by serious looking lonely business travelers. Party of three partying in the lounge did not paint a pretty picture in my mind.

Luckily we got a comfortable corner for ourselves in the crowded lounge. Once settled down there, Rajesh went to the front desk to check on some for our next flight seating arrangement. That was the opportunity we had been waiting for.

I again reminded Rishi that today was Appa's Birthday and we will celebrate now. And he got to help me and keep it down until Appa comes. Well, he got excited again, "Mommy I will say SURPRISE when Appa comes." He was such a cute good boy.

We laid out the banner on the floor. I had cello tape with me in case I could put it on the wall. I could have done that in the lounge, but I did not have enough time with a hyper kid jumping all around. I blew few balloons with just enough air and scattered them around the banner. I couldn’t take the risk of balloon bursting (guns shots simulator). They had pumpkin cake slices there, which was good enough. We had the candle (couldn’t light it though) and Happy Birthday placard set on the plate with the cake and waited for Rajesh to come.

Rajesh was utmost surprised by this small set up and celebration. Rishi couldn’t stop saying ‘SURPRISE’ ‘SURPRISE’, ‘SURPRISE’, 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY', ‘SURPRISE’. Everyone who noticed us in our little celebration corner, gave a smiling nod.

We gave Rajesh the gift. He said that that was the best gift he had ever received. His words, 'This will be treasured forever". As a gift, we gave him a deck of cards made out of colorful stock cards - Each card saying why we love him or what about him we love. The number of cards also had significance. We had put together as many cards as we have Rajesh in our lives - For Rishi, it is three years and for me, it is thirteen.

PS : Due to lack of time, we could not decorate each card. We plan to do that together once we are home.

Here is what the cards say :

Rishi's cards : ( I had asked Rishi why he loved Appa before I wrote it. These are absolutely his words)

I love you Appa, because you are my Best Friend.
I love you Appa, when you go Vroom Vroom in the vroom vroom car & Take me too.
I love you, Appa, When you play Trains, Tracks and Choo-Choo with me.

Anu's cards:

Every time I think I know everything about you, you do or come up with something totally different and interesting. I am always amazed.
I don’t like that you don’t share everything that you have on your mind. But I love that you always share things that matter to us.
I hate your physics lectures (I shall learn about Bernoulli's Principle someday if I have to, Grrr). But I love how practical you are.
You complain that I talk too much. I appreciate your listening. You can’t complain if you aren’t listening.
I am amused when you ask for curd rice at the end of a long day. I Love your simplicity.
I get annoyed many times when you claim to be a person of habits. Yet I love all the adventures we had together[Crazy drive to Niagara, Overconfident road trip from Sydney to Melbourne, Back roads in Alaska, and more].
You always say that you love only the tea and Rotis that I make. I love your consistency.
I am upset that you don’t surprise(shower) me with gifts often. You don’t want me to get upset if you got it wrong. Don’t worry; we are lucky that our choices always match (hint hint here).
I dislike that you always challenge me. But I love how you bring the best out of me.
I don’t like the way how I dump all the grocery shopping & errands on you. But I love the way you appreciate all that I do at home :). We complement each other. Great team.
I get confused at times when you don’t intervene. But I love the way you trust me to handle things.
I love to watch the twinkle in your eyes when you talk about cars, apple-mac series, sports, physics,....Rishi & me.
I love you because you are you.

Happy Birthday, Dear Rajesh.

Two Birds with one Arrow

2010-03-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

I think by now all who know me also knows that I am not a “cook”. I have a time limit of one hour every night in the kitchen to prep, cook, clean and close the kitchen. More or less I stick to my commitment of one hour. Every next minute in the kitchen past an hour pushes me towards inane craziness.

I strongly believe in practical cooking. “Practical” is a again a very controversial word here. For some, making pasta from scratch is more practical than buying Barilla pasta from Safeway. I know of a friend who spends her time in Ranch Market looking at all the Chinese stuff trying to come up with Indo-Chinese fusion recipe. She brings them home and makes some too. We get to taste her new dishes, thats the part I like. My definition of practical cooking resonates with smart cooking. I am always on the lookout for tips, recipes, appliances that can help me cook healthy food and which I can make with least effort . (Tasty food? I candidly admit that I meet the taste criteria successfully only 65-70% of the time; I am improving. But for now, let’s just categorize my general cooking as being healthy and fast.)

Given my interest in cooking, my husband finds it uncanny and hard to understand when I glue myself to the Food TV. Although I don’t like cooking, I love to watch the shows. Mainly because I like how clean the kitchen looks in the show while they are cooking and how they cook very effortlessly, and fast (half an hour show). Well I try not to think about the Man-with-scissors who edited the best shots and all other people who helped them on the set.

The reason I mentioned about the Food TV here is I started liking the Quick fix Meals with Robin Miller show. This is the show where she preps once a week and makes about two-three completely different dishes off the same base material. I didn’t believe that it was possible with Indian food. But a little experimentation proved me wrong, The below recipe is one such case where I reused the same recipe for two different type of dishes.

Picture by Kyagr

The birds shot with one arrow are Gobhi Parantha and Gobhi ki Daal.

Recipes:

For Gobhi Parantha,

I follow Manjula’s recipe line by line. If you can follow her instruction and method, you are guaranteed yummy Gobhi Paranthas .

For Gobhi ki Daal,

Ingredients:
1 Cup Masoor Daal (Pink Daal) (You can also use Tuvar Daal and Moong Daal)
2 Chopped Green Chillies (depending on taste and for spicy daal)
1 pinch Turmeric
1 tablespoon Lime Juice
1 Cup Gobhi Filling (Same shredded Gobhi filling that was used in the gobhi parantha recipe)
1 teaspoon Jeera
1 pinch Hing
1 tablespoon Cooking Oil.
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Pressure cook the daal and keep it aside.
2. Set the pan on the stove and add oil in the pan and maintain the heat at medium.
3. When oil is hot enough, add Jeera and Hing.
4. When the Jeera are little roasted, add the Gobhi filling.
5. Add Turmeric.
6. Saute the filling for couple of minutes in oil.
7. Add extra chopped chilles, as per your taste
8. Add the already pressured cooked Daal to the pan.
9. Add water to make daal with desired consistency.
10. Mix it well and let it boil once.
11. Add salt per taste.
12. Add the lime juice and take off the pan for the stove.

Gobhi daal is ready. As a matter of fact, it is yummy too.

I did not cook anything fancy out here. Even the basic recipe for filling is not my creation. But incorporating a small change in the regular Daal with the ingredient already made for another recipe makes life on weekday a little easy and little more time for the family. It definitely doesn’t make cooking look like an ordeal.

Memories Forever

2010-03-08T16:20:00.000-08:00

After a gap of 6 years we visited India this winter. Myself and Rajesh were not quite sure how it would be and how we would feel about the changes in India. But in fact we took it very well. To keep it short we weren’t surprised or shocked by the way India has transpired into. One main reason I think is because of the advanced media, networking and connectivity that we have these days. Not even one day in the past six years we had ever felt cut out from the mainland, India. Living in California and being able to talk (phone), see(videos, pictures and webcams), and exchange stuff(global freights carriers) with everyone back home had always made us feel that family and friends are actually staying quiet close by. With the travel industry maturing, we even had the immediate and extended family & friends visiting us here year after year. India was always within our reach. Our only concern was Rishi’s health during this trip. We were very anxious. Rishi also did very well too. But the poor kid could not take the sound pollution. On the next day we landed in Bombay, we made Rishi walk with us to our relative’s places who stayed within 500 meters, next building in the same colony. In those 500 mt, Rishi was subjected to at least 3 autorikshaws honking so close to him and whooshing by along with couple of scooters and few dogs. It was a shock for the boy. After that episode he refused to walk anywhere in India. He would not leave home unless assured that he will travel in a car or a closed/secured vehicle. Over all he had such a fun time there.India or anywhere, it is all about having fun and good time with family and friends. We had loads of fun attending the marriages, meeting relatives & friends, having tons of sumptuous food during our peaceful & healthy stay in India. It is all that matters. It is what will remain in our memory for years to come.

Write It Down

2009-09-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

Few days back I had to write a short letter. On a piece of paper!! I was shocked at my handwriting. It looked as if the sentences were sprawling in the most chaotic manner one can ever imagine. It occurred to me that I had not written even a single page using a pen/pencil and paper for a long long time. The to-do lists, phone number and address scribbles, notes to husband, writing checks etc doesn’t count here. Only people like Adrian Monk would spend more than 30 seconds to get these trivial and superficial things in perfect order. The handwritten meaningful passages, letters, love notes or cards have become obsolete now. I get emails now. They practically go into some folder on computer if at all I want to keep them. Almost all of them are never to be read again. I get ecards. The links and urls of which expire after few months. The kind gesture of the sender stays only in memory which will fade away with time.

I still remember those school days when good handwriting was an integral part of education. Undecipherable handwritings were despised. I used to get homework about writing a page daily to improve handwriting. I have seen one of my friends parents use handwriting practice as one of the creative punishment given to her.

With such a haste in life, I do not miss writing on paper daily. I don’t even notice it slipping away. But once in a while, like this time, the thought of seeing this art vanish makes me sad. It is distressing to see that the technology had gobbled away an beautiful and ancient art. Handwriting has so much history to it. And it has helped in unraveling a lot of about the ancient history of many civilizations.

It is not just the art of handwriting is getting extinct. With it is also bygone are the emotions and thoughts that we as human put in trying to connect with the other.

Picture in this post by Prashant

Versatile Car Drivers

2009-09-22T12:34:00.001-07:00

Every day I see a special category of people who exhibit enthusiasm and vitality at 7:45 am in the morning, that it makes me happy about being on the road at that time. For that matter, anyone who sees them will admire their zest.

I am not talking about the teens or college students. One will seldom find them in their best during this hour of the morning. I am not talking about the people who have seen more than 4 decades of seasons cycle pass by. Such folks are happy and relaxed , not happy and energetic. I not talking about the folks who drive ultra sleek sports cars and fancy coupes. Such folks are happy, but lack exuberance in the morning.

Wondering whom am I talking about . Everyone has seen them, some of us ARE them. OK.. this is how you can spot them.

Every day, mainly during mornings and sometime during evenings, look out for the crossovers, sedans, SUVS, and of course the minivans on the road or on traffic lights. On an average 75% of the drivers of these cars will be super active with 100% of hyper active lip movements. If you watch them closely, they will also display the best dance one could perform while being seated. This is amazing as they have full control of the car with one foot on brake-accelerator , with one hand trying to steer and yet presenting a gingerly rhythmic wriggling. They will be throwing their hands up in the air, roll them to and fro & sway them everywhere. Their heads will be turning in all directions , more like a head on a spring. You will find them perfectly capable of turning their heads 180 degree back and front in split second. At times, they are seeing trying to catch the objects flying inside the car. Amidst all this, they are also seen creatively juggling & playing pass the things – fruits, balls, books, napkins, juices, etc with the special co-passenger(s) in the back.

I guess by now you would have got the drift of it. They are the PARENTS whose kids are still in the car seat. They are indeed Versatile Drivers.

Below is the picture of Rishi playing toss-the-hat.

Bon Appétit!

2009-08-12T13:19:00.001-07:00

I heard Julia Child for the first time two years back. I am neither an enthusiastic cook nor a Gourmand. I never used to talk about or read anything related to recipe or cooking techniques, intricacies related to food types, their origin etc. For that matter I still can’t do this to a larger extent. But I would watch the food network channel sometimes.

One day while flipping the channels, I got transfixed by this unusual voice on the food network. It was not Rachael Ray’s loud and boisterous voice, nor Emeril Lagasse’s BAMs nor Paula Dean’s strong southern accent. It was Julia’s chirpy warbly voice. I watched almost all the episodes of that series after that (mostly by recording them and watching them later when time permitted). I confess that I do not remember any recipe from her cooking series. Also most of her recipes were non-vegetarian recipes which I would not make. I watched the series to hear Julie and watch her cook. But it also developed an interest in me about the food, its origin, practices techniques. I felt Julia made cooking look easy and natural.

Last week I came across the description of this book Julie and Julie by Julie Powel in Costco Connection. I searched the web for the book review and found that it has got decent reviews. But many folks have suggested that one can enjoy it better if they have used the book by Julia Child: “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”! Using Julia’s book for cooking is out of question for me, but I have requested this one from the library for reference . As soon as I get hold of it, I am going in for “Julie and Julia”. Keep watching for my review once I have read it.

Julia's Picture is taken from Wikipedia.

Friends On Asphalt

2009-07-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

Quaint it may seem, but we develop friendship with some total strangers while we are on road. We never talk to them. We don’t know who they are or where they are going to. We don’t even reckon them again in the same day. Yet we need to see them every day. We want them to be there, with us on the road, at the same time, same place, every day.

I have few such friends.

There is a Cheerful Father who goes on a walk with his three sons, one still in stroller. I see them every day at noon when I step out of office to get my lunch. I have never missed them except for some rainy days.

There is this Coke Lady who always crosses the road with a coke mug in her hand. Almost daily I stop my vehicle for her to cross. Some days she would have crossed the road before I reach the spot, but I still see her walking past.

There is this White BMW with the number plate as ‘MA to CA’. I have never seen the driver. Car is my friend here. Daily morning I move to a particular lane around 8:30 to take a right turn for my office. This car will be there in that lane either just ahead of me or few cars ahead. I see it almost all the 5 days I go to office.

There is this Athletic Mom whom I see running near my office when I leave for home. She would have her baby in the jogging stroller. I don’t see them daily, but every other day.

I had such friends all my life. I think about them only for few moments I see them every day. Subconsciously I have taken them for granted and I except them to be there daily. If they don’t show even for one day, I start wondering about them. Did they leave town? Are they OK? Did they change their job? Or are they merely late. I long to see them again next day.

They all communicate with me in a surreal language. They tell me a lot of things – “Hang in there, buddy” ; “We are with you” ; “ We are just like you” ; “ Don’t hesitate, just get dressed & show up”; “Take it easy”.
And this is the best of all – “Slow Down & Take a moment to think of someone who doesn’t remind you of where you are rushing to, how much work is pending. Slow Down.”

The above photo is taken from Public Domain Pictures

Search & Thou Shall See

2009-07-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

Craigslist is my all time favorite site for classified ads. I had been using this site extensively for the past 7 years. There are lot of cool features that I have seen people use day in and day out. Like services, job search, housing, discussion forums, sale. I am a great fan of the "For Sale" feature on craigslist. In numerous ways and at multiple times craigslist has helped me to de-clutter my home and has helped me buy exactly what I need at that point of time. Over these seven years, I have bought and sold items ranging from $400 to items that are priced less than a dollar. It is a great experience and fun to search the ads and to make successful transactions using craigslist.

There are some interesting plug-ins for craigslist that are available online which makes the search a lot more easier. One of them is the picture preview. It is a plug-in that works with browsers like Internet Explorer and Firefox. This allows to preview the image embedded in the postings without opening the posting one by one. 90% of the time I look for ads that have pictures in them. My decision to pursue the ad or not depends on the picture I see in the post. Trust me, this sneak preview saves a lot of my search time !! Check out the below picture to see how convenient this is. The small image appears below the posting. When mouse is moved over the image a large image can be viewed on the right hand top side of the web page.

Until sometime back this plug-in(or app as they call it) was free to all. But not anymore. You can still download, use the trial version for some days to check out if it really makes a difference to you. And if you find it cool and worth your time, you can purchase it. You can find more information about this plug-in on the site of "Craigslist Tool Box". Explore the FAQ section, it gives you all the details.

Art of Elimination

2009-06-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

I am not a minimalist, but I hate to accumulate things that will not be used in a long long time. I think it has partly to do with my upbringing as well. My parents moved a lot and with every move, we were asked to clean out our stuff that’s not required – Sell, Donate, Trash. We are a family of three now and I am amazed how much we collect every month. Now I have two days marked every three months to do an overhaul of every bit of the home. I have donated and sold a lot of stuff in the past few years to stay on the top of the phrase – “Say No to Stockpile”.

There was an article in Readers Digest few months back about “THE HOARDERS”. I have deliberately put the word in caps to emphasize that this is not a fancy but a health hazard. After reading this I feel everyone should follow the rule of Think(Think twice, Think thrice, Think many times) before you buy.

I want to share few interesting methods that I have come across to eliminate and avoid hoarding .

I have a friend whose father was in armed services. They moved to different army bases every three years. My friend was given a fixed number of boxes. His stuff has to fit in those boxes. Hence the boy was forced to sort and clean up. Not only did his parents made my friend do the unpleasant task of cleaning and sorting, but also let him decide what he would want and what he wouldn’t. They made sure that they are not to be blamed later on for donated stuff.

One of my friend before her last move realized that they have way too many things for a micro family as theirs. The husband and wife came up with a tangible solution. Months before they moved, they started marking the things that they absolutely need and those that they can part with. There was a huge list of things about which they were not sure of. They made an agreement that if the particular item is not used in the next X number of months that they have marked on it, they will give it away. There are still few things that are waiting for all the four seasons to pass by before they can decide, but still this method certainly has helped them to eliminate stuff without any conflict of interests.

There is one aunt of mine who is a people person and has lots of friends. I used to wonder why she is always lending things to and borrowing things from her friends. One day I asked her about it. She told me that this helps her not to buy things that she doesn’t need. She said if the item is damaged whoever borrows replaces with new. At the same time if the item is costly, sentimental and rare to find they don’t lend/borrow. I am not sure if I will ever follow this method to the extent my aunt and her friends were doing, but I found that she is quiet right about the part which helped her not to accumulate things.

Infectious Friends and their Infectious Laughter

2009-06-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

The picture says it all.

The one in yellow dress is Krinjal & the one in pink is Pragati - my dearest friends whom I have known for more than 20 years. There was a time in our lives (I think we were in our early teens) when we used to spend the whole day together. I am talking about 13-14 hours a day assuming we slept for 8 hours in night. From the time we started from home for school in the morning till we go to bed, we would be together. We drove the bike to school together, sat in the class room next to each other, were together in the same activities and events in school. After school, instead of going back to our homes we would just hang around at one of our houses until we were forcefully called back for dinner. Looking back, those were the days when we had invested a huge amount of our energy (and of course, time) in figuring out new methods for wasting time, giggling for almost everything & for nothing and idling around doing nada.

I haven’t met them in the last 7 years. We talk over phone and email, sometimes fight, mostly catch up or sometimes just listen to the other. Once I remember when we were all in different cities, we tried to have a three way conversation. It was pathetic then and hilarious in hindsight. The whole time we were on the phone we were just saying the same thing - what did you say? What did you say? I can’t hear you. And we went on like this for almost 10 minutes before one of us slammed the phone down. How can we hear each other? We were so excited that we were talking at the same time, giving no chance to the other to say anything. And everyone knows that we do not have modest decibel levels to start with.

A titillating photo like this stops the clock and takes me back to those good old days of Memory Lane.

I hope to meet them (at least) this year.

Missing you, girls !!

Checkered Flag, Here I Come

2009-06-21T00:31:00.000-07:00

I was browsing few days ago and stumbled upon a nice blog about Finishing Things . As I was reading that and the many responses that it got, it started thinking about my own projects. I haven’t finished a lot of them. I have never finished quite a few of them. I am sure if I ask my mom today, she will be more than willing to elaborate some of my projects that I had started when I was in high school and are still lying unfinished in the old trunk marked as “Anu’s Box of Creativity”. She calls it “Anu’s Box of Abandoned Projects”.

I do finish some projects, occasionally. But I take so much time that the importance is diluted and exuberance is reduced. Mainly because by the time I finish a project, scores of new unfinished projects would have popped up.

The other night I sat down and listed down my unfinished projects - the big ones, the small ones, the important ones, not-so-important ones, the ones that I don’t know why and when I started. I then created a spreadsheet version of Microsoft Project. I entered the time my weekly routine activities take, set aside my family time and exclusive kid time. I calculated how much time I will get for myself everyday (undisturbed) to complete my projects. Then I prioritized my projects based on these three factors : urgency, time in hand & intensity. Now that I have done my capacity planning, all I have to do is to stick to it. Sounds simple and doable, isn’t it. Only time will tell.

I had a good time planning this. Just now when I am proofreading this blog piece, I realize that sorting out the unfinished projects and prioritizing them itself was a new project which I completed on time !!. But no more new projects, if I can help. Right now all my focus is on the number one item on the unfinished projects priority list - Organizing Photos and Videos.

Hear your heart. Heart your health.

2009-06-15T22:43:00.000-07:00

At the onset of this year, I made some practical resolutions. Focus on health is one of them. Now that half the year is over, it is the right time for midyear evaluation of this resolution and time to make amends to do it correctly.

I have definitely scored a brownie just by not breaking the resolution.

I had started with walking a mile every alternate day. This itself is a huge step for me. I, for one, have not worked out or exercised in long long time. Even if I had taken exercise seriously in the past, esp. when I was pregnant with Rishi, it was never regular. I am past all that now. My focus is build up my stamina and I am on track attaining that. I am more or less regular on my walks and recently I have included swimming also in my schedule.

As an essential step I changed my eating habits. I have made a lot of changes in this area. I have fixed times for my meals and snacks now. The portion of snack or meal that I take is enough to keep me going without making me want to munch something in between. I have adopted back the early dinner. I was doing this couple of years back - Eat dinner by 6:00 pm. But with Rishi in life and other dynamics, I had started eating as late as 9:00 pm which it too close to the bedtime. However, now my main course dinner is over by 6:00 pm and am ready to go to bed early with a light tummy.

My food includes more of fruits, raw/ steamed vegetables, fresh juices and less caffeine. Does it mean that I have given up the regular food. No, not at all, I have only switched to lesser portion of my regular food in order to include these additions. I have replaced white rice with brown rice. (Another example of going green. I will talk about this more when I write about going green). Once in a while I do binge on the stuff labeled as evil doers in the Food Empire. Instead of throwing me out of sync, this liberty helps me bounce back with greater elasticity and practically, with no impact.

I am already seeing the positive results from this change in lifestyle. I have become more energetic now. I see an increase in my stamina. This change is refreshing to body as well as the mind. I have a more disciplined life and control of my daily activities, Now I am able to find time and have excellent mood for so many things that had taken a back seat since sometime. This is helping me to get where people always talk about – a better work life balance.

As I give closure to this review, I am looking forward to keep up the zest of this lifestyle and have a healthy life for years to come.

A Cup of Tea

2009-05-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

Everyone at my home loves tea !! We can have tea anytime of the day and any time of the year. Tea had always been an integral part of my growing up. Morning and evening tea times were like rituals at my home. And they still are. Tea is not just a caffeinated drink. It is true that it gives the kick when the eyes are droopy , the body sluggish and the mind nearly balmy. But I also look at it as a medium to bring people together. Remember those phrases, “why don’t we talk about it over a cup of tea?”,”Want to join me for a nice cup of tea?” . Whether it is a group study, a movie night, an evening chat or just a mid-day ladies gossip gathering, a good tea smoothly blends in & brings everyone together.

When I talk about tea, it is the classic Indian Masala Tea and not the dip tea bags in hot water. I had been making tea since I was 11 years old. Now when I make tea, I can even check the temperament, personalities, wellness of the people going to have the tea and can design my tea making process around it. Making a good cup of tea is an art and I think I am close to mastering it. It takes patience, perseverance and practice to make a nice cup of tea. Why am I quoting it like this? That’s because everyone makes tea in a different way. And there is no right or wrong way to make one. The basic steps are same. And making tea is not hard. It is the technique, timing and the amount & combination of spices that makes the difference.

My friends and my family love the tea that I make. So I thought why not share it here

This is what you would need before you start

The recipe is for two cups of tea (It is always a pleasure to have tea with someone)

1) A saucepan- Good enough to hold 4 cups of liquid.

2) Tea Leaves- 1 table spoon

3) Sugar- As per taste, I would add ¾ table spoon

4) Water- 1 Cup

5) Milk- 1.5 cups

6) Spices- This is tricky since you can mix/match according to your taste. But still here is a the fool proof combination

a) Grated Fresh Ginger - 3/4 table spoon

b) Freshly ground cardamom – 3/4 tsp

c) Freshly ground black pepper - 1/4 tsp

Other spices that can be added are mint, aniseed, cinnamon, cloves, fennel. One will have to try different amounts and combination to come up with the likable flavor.

7) Tea Strainer

8) Stirrer/ Spoon

9) Of course, Tea Cups (and/or Saucers)

Here is my method to make the tea

1) Heat the saucepan with water in it.

2) When small air bubbles starts forming at the bottom of the saucepan, add all the spices.

3) Allow it to boil for about 3 minutes and the water to reduce to 1/2 cup. By now the spiciness from the spices would have fused into the water forming a concoction.

4) Add tea leaves and sugar.

5) Immediately add the milk, stir the mixture and bring it to a boil - just once.

6) Make sure that you are not boiling the tea again and again. By doing so, too much tannin will be extracted from the tea leaves. It makes the tea bitter and unhealthy to drink.

7) Using the strainer, strain the tea into the tea cups

And now, it’s time for a nice cup of tea !!

If you are using this recipe to make tea, please drop in an line to tell me how it was. If you have improvised over this recipe, I would love to hear about it and try it out myself.

Murder of the Mysteries

2009-03-03T14:24:00.000-08:00

During December-January this year, we visited Uma Athai and Siva Athimber in Sydney. That family reads a lot and enjoys discussing books at home. I was amazed by their book collection. The last time I saw such a huge collection of books at somebody's house was at Saras Periamma's place. Now coming to the mystery point !! I don't know why and how (mystery begins), I found myself having a conversation with Siva Athimber and Mythili about Agatha Christie's work, esp.. the "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd". This was the very first Agatha Christie that Siva Athimber had given to Mythili to read. She was so excited and talked about how she love the book. She even made a statement that this is the best Agatha Christie she had ever read. She went about how the doctor did this & did that, how housekeeper was wary, how the adopted son was a suspect. Siva Athimber also added his oohs-aahs about the plot of the novel. What was I doing all this while? Good question. I was trying to recall the story myself. I have read many of Christie's work during the past decade. I know I have read this particular book, as the characters seemed familiar and since I remembered the plot vaguely. But the partial recollection was not enough to contribute to the discussion.

Later Siva Athimber searched out the book for me. I declared that I would complete this book before I go back to USA. Well, this is a huge declaration considering that I had not got time to read since Rishi was born. My average time to complete a book has been 6 months or so since the past two years. No sooner than I would sit down to read, interruptions and child induced emergencies would line up knocking my book down. Also I would need the first five minutes to find out were I was on the book, because my dear child would have vanquished & vanished the bookmark during his skirmish with my book.

I was able to enjoy the Murder of Roger Ackroyd, from page one to page end, in 10 days. It felt real good. I could remember the entire story when I had read a little over half the book. But I finished it all the same. It was such a pleasure to read this different type of narration, chapter by chapter, where the mystery is created, outlined and disclosed by not by a second person or the third person, but by the murderer, the first person himself. I shall spare the review of the book here.

I felt so perked up about the book (and with the fact I was able to finish one relatively fast), that I have decided to read/re-read all the works of Agatha this year. It has been only 45 days since I completed the Ackroyd. I have already completed two more (The Man in the Brown Suit; The Secret Adversary) and am gearing up on the next(Murder on the Links). There are more than 80 books by Agatha and at this rate I will not be able to complete all of them this year. But hey, look at my reading history of the past two years. This is going to be a good and fun exercise(self motivation here!)

I know how I am and I am cognizant of the fact that too much mystery & too many murders will choke me up sooner or later. To balance it out I have some non mystery works lined up (they are on the shelf for a long long time) and I wouldn't mind dusting them up once in a while to brush up.

But for now I am all for, Whodunit????

Ephemeral Notions

2009-02-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

Didn't just, a thought crossed my mind?
Like million others that had traversed before.
Many interesting ones, many intriguing too,
And some utterly fascinating to the core.

Some precious, so rare and cherished.
They linger within, forever, needless to say
But them fleeting effervescent, euphoric ones,
I worry, if not held, will fade away.

To embrace, to keep them close to my heart;
To give these Ephemeral Notions a humble abode.
I scrabble, I scribble with words, more words,
Many a riveting prose, many a delicate ode.

Written By
Anu