Children's Day!!!

It is Children’s day today and I am very excited – not just because I am a child at heart but also because I have a reunion with my childhood friends. Its been 27yrs since we have known each other. Its like they are my sisters from a different mother. We were barely babies when we met and today we have crossed childhood, teens and today women in our own right. We have gone through a lot of ups and downs together. God knows how many Dussheras, Diwalis and Christmas holidays we have spent together….we have had a gala time. We can sit, chat and while away the whole night and then sit together and not talk a word but still come away like we had a long fulfilling conversation.

 

From the silly fights we have had over trillion small things to the innumerable sorry notes we have exchanged. From the experiments we have done in the kitchen to the scientific experiment during Diwali…from beautifying ourselves for the first time to the burning of eyebrows, we have done it all.

 

Its been 11yrs since we got separated but the bond still definitely hold strong. Even after all our personal commitments, moving to different continents, and moving right back in – we fit in so well together!! I am sure we are going to talk about much more when we get together tomorrow with the missing link as well. Its been 8 proper years when all 4 of us were together.

 

It will be much better this time. Even though we met on & off for the last few years, it was never the same without the missing link – now it is a Full Circle and I am so looking forward.

 

I can bet my last penny that this will be the best Children’s day gift I have received just to have all my bestest buddies in the same room as me- added bonus? They are all at my house!! J

Beyond the Horizon!!

Well! I have been contemplating penning down this little piece here for about a month now!! While all the right words were there in my head, I was not able to string them into lines - something like a writer's block should I think??? :-)

Often in life, you think and dream of something... Not sure at all that it will be fulfilled or if there is something else that is totally the opposite in store for you...just waiting for the right time to reveal to you....

It is the same with people...in life, you meet so many interesting characters not knowing if they will be good or bad, whether they will bring out the best or worst in you, whether they will compliment your personality or just the opposite... Whether they will be a positive influence or not... The yin to your yang. Whether they will be a medley of interesting colors on your plain white palette or the sinister black that will eat away all other colors.
With some people, they come with much hoopla and fanfare, just to fizzle out the same way without leaving any mark to show they were there... But with others, they silently creep in to your life and when they go away whether permanently or just for a little while, they leave such an eternal etching it is very difficult to erase all those memories!!

To that handful of people, who have made that difference in my life- this goes out to you!!!!

Masala puri to Mojito- A Decade of my life!

C & I were talking just now- out of the blue, he blurts out- you were eating masala puri and I got you till mojito :-))! This got the wheels in my mind turning. Anyways it is soon going to be a decade of my wedded bliss! Have been mulling a lot over completing 10yrs with him:-)
Seriously, at times I think it has taken me eons to reach this place but sometimes I feel its passed by me in a jiffy..the best gift I got out of all this is C and my darling Neethi.
My mom sometimes says, I know you were looking out for someone like C, who will let you do what you want in & with your life :-D!!

There is a saying that goes...if you really like something or some one, let it free...if it comes back to you, it was meant to be otherwise, it was never yours to have!!
C has given me that freedom always to do as I please!
The journey from masala puri in 15A bus stop to Mojito in Skyye has indeed been truly memorable - I cherish every single memory attached to this journey...one more milestone to this trip next is a little nest to call my own!!

Mmmm..(a contented sigh)!!

The rainy days!!

The aroma emanating from the heated earth when the first raindrops kiss her flesh... I love that scent. I wish some perfume company would bottle it! They would definitely find an endorser in me! I have always found it refreshing and enchanting and with it comes innumerable memories of the rainy days...when the skies would open up just at 4pm when we were about to be let off for the day...we would curse the rain gods but in fact we really enjoyed it! RS, RN and me trying to rush home, while taking turns to push the bicycle with all our bags on it! Trying to watch the puddles and vehicles that conspired to splash us with muddy water. With our long raincoats covering us from head to toe...carrying an umbrella that's big enough for 2 of us to go till the bus stop to have corn on the cob and got gappas... Carrying the same umbrella 2 of them to go and drop RN to her house which was 3 roads away...going to eat the hot hot chilly bhajjis. The dancing on our terrace in the drizzle. The most classic of them all is, sitting in our balcony shielded from the downpour and watching the world go by in all their drenched glory

Busy weeks & Hectic Weekends!!

This time of the year is usually action packed at work as well as the home-front. We have a lot of events at work and life events as well. So, you never know how the 2nd qtr goes...:-)!!
We have 4 birthdays and 2 annivesaries during this time which ofcourse burns a huge hole in the pockets ;-)
On the professional front we have our yearly townhall in April followed by our team offsite in may with a couple of senior leadership visits thrown in for good measure.....and these 2 months being the holiday for schools, one trip atleast needs to be planned....it doesnt help at all that I am the one who needs to plan for this trip as well as the team offsite (I am one of the Spocs)
This time also, it is no different- both my parent's birthday, their anniversary as well as my birthday in march...one family dinner at the end of march on my father's birthday is a family tradition...
Then my birthday as well.

In April, we have the townhall, one team offsite with the visits and Aptril has gone past me...
In May is the hubby's birthday, our anniversary,  a trip and with all this our team outing with a training.....before you can even say blink! It is over...

Another year gone by...

Another year has zipped past me!! So true they say- time & tide wait for none!! It feels like I just celebrated my last B'day. But another one came and went- interesting part was the special time coincided with M traveling for 2 weeks on work and Neethi finishing her last exam for the year on the very same day....I was all ready to party! A small problem, it was Thursday. I did not want to go to office on Friday, bleary eyed! (Wink wink)...
So, S, A, R, Ap, K and S & D- we decided will have a night on the town, live it up and party hard!!
We started the evening with slow music at  Skye and continued it with Bollywood night @ I bar, the Park then ended the night @ S's place...then we did a movie the next day.

The week went by and again yesterday we decided we will go out for Thai food and ended up at Benjarong. Had a lovely time with the kids as well. Hope the year goes by in the same tone..all about living it up!!  :-))

Reminiscence

In the wee hours of the morning, when you are restless and cant go back to sleeping. When you can feel it in pre-dawn air just when the sky is turning to a light share of golden orange, There is a flutter in your stomuch which is an indication that it is that time of the year again when you take a trip down the memory lane to almost 2 decades ago..wen you were studying for your final exam and you knew the holidays were just around the corner- The season for the king of fruits and unlimited supply of lemondes and soda to quench your thirst! It is that time of the year!! Yeah!!

We have a watsapp group with my school gang which has opened doors for 20+ yes worth of super memories...
Its fun to just think about school days...how much fun we had!
The best part of this fun is we are all together again, at least most of us.

Below is one of the messages from the group but it is so true...

"Missing school life"  pls must read 

Ek hi color ka dress pehen kar hum lagte they kitne achay,

School lagta tha poultry farm aur hum sab murghi k bachay,

Mujhko samaj na aya aj tak teacher ka ye funda,

Hume bana deti thi murgha or khud copy pe deti thi anda.
Jab bachpan tha ,
to jawani ek dream thi
Jab jawan huye ,
to bachpan ek jamaana tha.

jab ghar me rehte the,
aazadi achi lagti thi ..
aaj aazadi he ,fir bhi
ghar jaane ki jaldi rahti hai

kabhi hotel me jana ,
pizza, burger khana pasand tha ..
aaj ghar par aana aur maa
ke hath ka khana pasand hai

School me jinke saath 
zagadte the ,
aaj unko hi Internet pe
talashte hai..

khushi kisme hoti hai,
ye pata ab chala hai...
bachpan kya tha,
iska ehsas ab hua hai..

kash badal sakte hum
zindgi k kuch saal ..
kash ji sakte hum,
zindgi fir se ek baar..... fw to all ur friends all over world

Some more awesome stories in the next few  blogs coming up. Watch out!!

International Women's Day

We celebrated International Women's Day at work yesterday... I know it is a special day for women- but do women really need a special day? I believe every day is special to men out there whose life we touch! Whether as a mother- who gives them life after enduring so much pain! As a sister who shares her toys, her food, who as an older sister takes care of her brothers and dotes on them...the girl friend who thinks the world of you...the wife who leaves everything and everyone that she loves which is a sea change for her and starts afresh a new life for herself as well as you! Then finally the daughter who dotes on you, who thinks of you as a role model! Her father the hero!

We do all these and what do you give us??? Trying to kill us when we are infants? Or ridicule us every step of the path we take?? Why should woman be the one to make all these changes and adjust to all the shit you throw at her??

You are ignorant in your own little world??
Today's women are strong and resilient. She is gentle and caring. She has a firm head on her shoulders and knows what she ultimately wants out of life...

Kudos to such strong and versatile women that I know of- Happy Women's Day!!

Dark Hunter Review!!

The Dark Hunters- most enigmatic, majestic, powerful, mysterious and sexy as hell....I have only been reading about them and their fights against the ultimate evil to save the world and mankind. I started reading about them in August and I am here totally and madly in love with them after 6 months & 20 books. Starting with Kyrian & Talon to Zarek and Valerius to the Ultimate Harbinger of destruction, Acheron Parthenopeus to Vane, Fang, Fury to Sundown and then Time Untime with Ren- they are absolutely fabulous men of character and strength... It will take me a considerable amount of time before I pick up another book without the Dark Hunters in it! (a big heartfelt sigh!!!) It has the gods, demons, daimons, lycanthropes, demon-slayers, gaint men and their mean machines and women with strong character and a backbone. From Amanda & Sunshine to Astrid and Tabitha to Sooteria to Bride and Aimee to Abigail and Kateri Dark Hunters, Were hunters and Dream Hunters. It all starts 11000 years ago in Atlantis when Appolymi curses her whole clan for getting her son Acheron killed. The victory of good over ultimate evil, Yin for Yang, the True Balance between the two. And the way Acheron strives to save the very race his mother is trying to erase with her pack of daimons. All about a scheming goddess who is always trying to get Acheron to do her bidding for 11000 years!! Artemis is a total bitch....truly!! Simi the Charonte demon who matches her horns with color of her dresses and loves to shop on TSN with the plastics that Acheron has given her, his daughter and is always waiting with a bottle of barbeque sauce for him to give her permission to eat the bitch-goddess. Finally Nick - who was a human and Acheron's best friend. One small mistake takes everything and everyone he loves away from him and he turns dark hunter with the help of the bitch goddess.   He is now purely evil - The Malachai- Thank the gods I still have him to read for some time. Hats off to Sherrilyn Kenyon for a brilliant series!!!!!!!!

The Year That Was- 2013!!

Another year just whizzed past- surely time doesnt wait for anyone.
It feels just like yesterday wen we Welcomed 2013 with a core group on a close friend's terrace having barbequed food and bid dancing farewell to 2012...
And already half of the 1st month of the new year has gone by!

For some reason I have not written anything in 2013- hoping 2014 will work better for my love of writing.
There are a lot of things that happened last year

January: we welcomed the new year with much fervour.

In February, one of my best friends got married and I travelled for a weekend to Kundapura, near Mangalore. It was good trip except for the train journey which took us forever to reach  & the best part was R's wedding. We have known each other like forever now -23years!!! She is going to celebrate her 1st anniversary soon.

March: was birthdays galore- starting with my mum in the 2nd week, with mine, one of my best friend S's, then V's and ending with my Pa's....with my parent's anniversary thrown in for good measure

April: was for work and work related fun!
We had the usual annual workplace offsite- this is a 2day event where we have a team building on the first day and then totally unlimited, endless fun. Also, a colleague of mine was getting married in Chennai. 5 of us colleagues decided to do a Pondicherry & Mahabalipuram trip clubbed with the wedding and we took our kids along. We had a blast except for the peak summer cooking us.

May: is my wedding anniversary- completed 9 years! Hard to believe it feels like yesterday that we took our vows.
We had a very memorable trip to Tranquil with our friends and  the kids absolutely loved it!
We had the EA team training, offsite clubbed with the Townhall. We had a blast.

June: I went on a trip to Teerthahalli with my cousins gang just before the monsoons began and it was a very memorable trip.

July: not much I guess!

August: 1st august, I was off again on another trip to the Moyar Valley in TN with 2 of my girl friends from work. Deep into the jungle we went and it was serene & peaceful...
The remaining part of August and beginning of September went in a haze....there was so much trouble...but it righted.
Mid-August we made an auspicious start on our house, which is coming along really fine now

September: I remember absolutely nothing to put down. Zilch!!

October & November: were also very dull months except for end of November wen one of my friends delivered a cute little bundle in blue...

December: we were ready to bid farewell to 2013. We went on a good trip to Goa for Christmas with the kids and all of us loved it to the hilt. 3 full days of sun, sand and the surf. It helped that we were right on the beach. Anyways, I will continue on this trip in a separate blog.
We had quite new years eve at a friends and just 3 of us girls....
We made olive, cheese, pineapple,  Sangria, ordered chinese from outside. Watched movies back to back and slept at 3am on 1st.

Cute Conversations!

These days all my darling daughter talks about is having her own pink room with stuff inside. Will this pink fixation go away any time soon I ask!
Everyday for the past few days now, the conversation goeslike this....especially story time just before sleep.
Maa....I want pink walls and I am like hmm..ok but only 1 wall
In a few seconds again....maa, I need a big barbie picture on one wall
Then again, I need a big shelf to keep my toys
In a few heart beats, maa....where will my study table be? I want a lamp above it.
And then, maa in my bay window, there will be a bed no, I am like: yes! Then she says she wants lot of cushions to sit there and look at the stars and rain....
She also says she wants a overhead light in the bay window when she wants to sit and read...

I feel like I am going to have a jolly good time putting together her room alone and havent given a passing thought to how I want my room to look yet!!

Flash Back

My friend R has come down from Singapore. We met after 4 long years again....in this interval her baby has become a 6yr old and I saw the younger one for the first time after she was born. Last weekend we all met and stayed at S's house and we had loads of fun. We have all known each other for 25yrs now- you can imagine how we will have to catch up on. It is like watching a flash back of 25yrs of our life!! We are missing N- the last time the 4 of us met together was when my baby was just born and today she is 7yr old. There were the good old days when we had a ritual of meeting every evening- we had to do it come hell or high water....the evening meetings in our balcony, our walks around our area.....it has been 11 years now, since we stopped meeting regularly but we have to just meet for us to carry on from where we left off!! So, R showed me her wedding photos yesterday which set off a frenzied flashback I came back home and pulled out some old photos from the yesteryears and uploaded them on FB. Now, waiting for people to crawl out of their holes and say oh! U had this with u? Waiting for the fun to unravel!!!!!!n