An anniversary of sorts...

My blog turns two years old the day after tomorrow...24 months...31 posts...and I have kept coming back after quite a few short hiatus'(if that word can be used in the plural at all :))

I started the blog on a rather solemn note two years back, while I was struggling to give vent to and verbalise my thoughts,guilt and anger as I watched the events of the three days preceding and following the November 2008 blasts in Mumbai unfold on televison...

Since then "Slice of life" and I have come a long way...

Travel...music...movies...books...theatre...adventures...issues...
nostalgia...memories...joys...sorrows...dilemmas...tid bits of life's precious moments...slices of life...

Though the posts have really been few and far between as compared to regulars and veterans in blogosphere, nevertheless these are slices and moments of my life that I have chosen to share with you...and over the past two years, I have realized and have been encouraged by you, the readers to share more and more of my life experiences through my blog with a sense of liberty and freedom, I have never felt earlier...

Inspiration to write (which, unfortunately is not too often) comes in various forms and at the oddest of hours...initially when D was traveling a lot, I would be inspired to write whenever he was away ...needless to say, D wasn't really happy about the fact that my creativity found fodder and expression only when he was away :)....that was a transient phase though...the spurts of inspiration soon started showing up when I was driving to work... the long, rather arduous, hour long drive to work and back does come with it's share of benefits,after all, doesn't it !! ;))...sometimes I get inspired when I am in the lab, simulating some important experiment or am really busy at work...sometimes inspiration comes in the form of the most elementary of conversations I have with D and sometimes inspiration comes when I am in the loo...he he...hmmmm...wherever, whenever it may be , I feel this inherent need to immediately pen down my thoughts because before long and before I realize it, they invariably just fizzle out...but all's well as long as I continue to be inspired to write, I guess...which is in a weird kind of way, almost cathartic for me...

I feel an enormous sense of appreciation towards all of you who drop by and read...some of you are regulars, who visit my blog frequently...some of you drop by once in a while...some of you think what I write is trash....others keep coming back for more...some of you take the time share your thoughts and perspective with your comments, irrespective of whether you agree or disagree with me (thus adding value by keeping the interactive element of blogging alive) ...some of you read and are happy sharing an unspoken sense of camaraderie as you realize that the basic issues of life are things that all of us struggle with...it's just that some of us express them openly, others choose not to but either way we are not alone in dealing with them... I have made friends in blogosphere whom I would have never gotten to know otherwise...and I am really grateful for that...my thoughts and posts have been endorsed by many, which gives me strength and inspires me to continue writing...my thoughts and posts have also been refuted by many...and that too gives me the strength and inspiration to improve, think about issues from different view points and perspectives but still continue writing...so thank you all :)

I really do hope I will continue to have the courage to share slices of life experiences through this blog as I move forward ... and I hope this hobby doesn't fizzle out into thin air like a lot of my other hobbies have...fingers crossed about that...

So I leave you on that note for now...

Have a safe and beautiful holiday season folks !! :)

The paradox called life

Paradoxical as it may sound, despite being an essentially absent-minded personality, there is one thing I am a particularly keen observer of, and that is human behavior...

Now I do understand that there is probably a very thin line between just observing human behavior and judging...so let's just put it this way, defensive as it may sound, I love interacting with people from all walks of life ....human behavior fascinates me, and while I observe and try to figure out why a person behaves the way he /she does without letting any hearsay /preconceived notions bias my opinion, I don't judge,for the most part I give people the benefit of the doubt and prefer to just go with the flow and let relationships develop, if they are meant to ...all the while, trying to keep those human sensitivities, I have observed in folks over the years, in mind, while interacting...

Now there is a good side to this trait and a bad...the good side is that, not having fixed/inflexible notions of what is right and wrong, I have the capability to allow for all shades of grey in human beings, including myself of course :)...and learning not to be judgmental has helped me form some beautiful, warm friendships and relationships in life, that I'll cherish forever...the downside however, is that for each of those five fulfilling friendships and relationships, there are always a couple where over time, you realize you have been taken for granted / been taken for a royal ride and where there was perhaps only an illusion of warmth and affection...for in a lot of cases, the little and sometimes even big things and thoughts in life go unappreciated :))...

Oh well, that's life...and it' s paradoxical indeed...

Now coming back to the post...so what's paradoxical about life...some observations…

The fact that when people have a job, they wish they didn’t, they could just laze around and chill instead...and the fact that when people don't have a job, they wish they did...
The fact that when people have children, they wish they were just a couple...and when people don't have children, they wish they did...
The fact that when people are surrounded by folks who love and respect them, they take them for granted...and when they are gone, they crave their company...
The fact that when people are unhappy and sad, they give the illusion of perfection...
The fact that when people have all that they have ever wanted in life, they realize their search hasn't ended yet...
Essentially the feeling that the grass is invariably greener on the other side...when it isn't :)

Yes, the paradox called life…

For all our differences, and believe me there are many, for once D and I are on the same page at least on this one...live life in the moment and live it up...that helps us try to keep clear off these paradoxes for the most part...and I do hope it will remain that way in the years to come...but then you never know,do you... after all life is a paradox in itself and only time will tell what is in store for us...:)

Happy Friday folks!!

P.S. A couple of days back, a long lost friend of mine called from India to share a piece of good news...it was around 1:00a.m. in the morning when I received the call and despite not having had a chance to speak to her in the past 5 odd years and over the period of years, the email exchanges having become extremely rare, it took me less than a second to recognize the voice, after the initial,"Hello, is it Priyanka?" :)...the call made my day...and yes, there I was flooded with memories of all the times we had spent together ...a friend who has been very much an integral part of my life journey so far :)...so cheers to that!

Memories...the journey and the destination

Last Sunday, we went for this play called "Broken Images" performed by Shabana Azmi...I love theatre and fortunately for me, unlike in a lot of other activities, it hasn't taken much effort on my part to bring 'D' into the theatre watching fold :). Being an ardent Shabana Azmi fan, it wouldn't have taken much for me to get impressed anyways. But it was a stellar performance ,indeed, by the Indian theatre icon as she kept us on the edge of our seats , engrossed in the one act plot of Girish Karnad's psychological thriller for a full hour...Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to go for another wonderful play called 'the Blue Mug' starring cinema and theatre personalities, Konkana Sen Sharma, Ranbir Shenoy, Vinay Pathak and Rajat Kapoor, among others.

'The Blue Mug', which apparently falls into the experimental theatre genre explored the importance of memories in the lives of human beings...with each of the actors depicting real memories from their personal lives... 'Broken Images', a post modernist play, demonstrated the exploration of the subconscious mind and pysche of a renowned writer,trying to come to terms with her sudden rise to international fame, through her memories...

Whoa...don't stop reading here... this blogpost is not supposed to be an elaborate review of the above two plays...I mention them only because they got me thinking about how important a role memories play in our lives ...the vacuum, that personally, my life would be without memories :)

For a moment, sit back and think about the following:

When you undertake a venture or for that matter do anything in life, be it personal or professional...what is most important to you....the 'journey' or the 'destination' ...the journey, as in, the relationships you build...the good times...the bad times...the falls...the learnings from failures...the small stepping stones...the love, affection and respect you make and take...

If the 'destination' and the 'end' is all that matters, then this post probably would not make much sense to you...you would be among those laughing your guts out, right now, about me making such a big deal about memories ...'cause for you, the excitement and thrill all lies in 'the end'...the 'destination' is all that matters...the 'journey' and hence memories have very little meaning...the end always justifies the means...good or bad, that's the way your life will probably always be...for the major part perhaps - devoid of any meaningful, valuable memories...

However if you are one of those for whom the journey is what matters rather than the destination, then you would understand why I am making such a big deal about memories:)...yes, memories that make you smile, memories that make you pick up the phone and make that long due call to a dear one, memories that make you reach out to your loved one and give him or her a warm hug,memories that make you laugh,memories that make you cry...good or bad,memories that make you 'YOU' !!

Today, as we celebrate,Diwali, the festival of lights in India, for all of you for whom the journey is as , if not more important than the destination...as you start a new year and make new beginnings in life, may your life be filled with beautiful memories that lead you to the destination you aspire to reach - whatever, whereever it may be :)

Happy Diwali folks!!

Joie di vivre...

We were exactly halfway through our European vacation, briskly walking around the cobbled streets of Rome, just outside Vatican city...D, the very efficient navigator throughout the whole trip, as usual with map in hand, while I, the directionally challenged of the two, was lost in thought...we were trying to find our way through the 'borgos' and 'vias' of Rome, searching for this local Italian gourmet eat out called 'Angeli', which was highly recommended by Daniel, the caretaker of our hotel...I abruptly stopped for a moment, turned towards D and said something to the effect of, "Wouldn't it be great to have a vocation that was a combination of Anthony Bourdain's and Samantha Brown's !":)...D, for a moment, was taken aback by the suddenness of the halt to our walk...but then he recovered, soon enough, just laughed out loud and said, 'But of course!':)...After all, who wouldn't want an opportunity to travel whole year round to big places and small, exotic and not so exotic locations...discovering tidbits about different cultures and experimenting with local cuisine, food and drinks...

So yes for two weeks, we did exactly what Anthony Bourdain and Samantha Brown and ‘n’ other travel enthusiasts probably do the whole year round...

It was a whirlwind Europe trip...a trip that took us through the liberal and resilient streets of Amsterdam...gave us a flavor of the continental urbanity and sophistication of Paris...provided us with a glimpse of the 2000 year old Roman civilization...charmed us with the beauty and laid back life of the French Riviera...provided a peek into the glitz and glamour of Monte Carlo and finally took us on a beautiful journey through the fairytale land of Swiss cities, villages, lush green meadows and of course the Alps...we did it all...from "Amsterdam's coffee shops", where coffee constituted the smallest section of the menu, to Moulin Rouge in Paris...from basking in the luxuries of five star lodging in the bigger cities to cozying up in local bed and breakfasts in the small Swiss villages, hosted by some very warm and affectionate locals...we did all...the touristy 'been there, done it’ kinda stuff as well as set out exploring locations and places that were off the beaten path...from hanging out over food and drinks with locals at gourmet eat outs to fine dining, from traveling by air to bus to tram to subway to train to boat...yes we did it all...mountains, beaches, snow, sunshine, lakes, rivers, meadows, villages, cities...and now we are back...back to the grind, trying to relive and share those two beautiful weeks through the memories we created , the photographs and videos, through which we tried to capture it all...yes that's 'joie di vivre', the joy of living !!

Our first stop was Amsterdam...the gorgeous, liberal, tolerant, freewheeling Dutch city...with beautiful canal lined neighborhoods and cobbled streets...the famous /infamous 'coffee shops' and cafes...and not to forget a huge red light district...The first day we were there, it was raining...but fortunately the weather got better soon enough for us to explore whole of the city in a relaxed manner...As far as the traditional Dutch food that we had, was concerned, the dishes were mainly based on dutch cheese, a lot of meat, potatoes and most dishes had a very distinct apple aftertaste in most gravies. In fact apple seemed to be a primary constituent in most Dutch desserts as well in addition to spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. As far as drinks were concerned, I stuck to wine...while D experimented with local Dutch beers:)...All in all, a fun city and good food...in fact among the bigger cities, I personally would keep Amsterdam high on my list if you were looking for a good balance of urbanity and coziness...

Next stop Paris...we took the Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris...so got a feel for what life at 350 kms an hour feels like :)...As far as the city itself is concerned, this is what Ernest Hemingway had to say about it,"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast"...and the three odd days we spent in the city were definitely enough for D and I to get a pulse of this beautiful place and bow down and say ‘amen’ to Hemingway’s words...Paris is undoubtedly a landmark of continental urbanity and sophistication, but has something in some corner of the city for everyone...the writer , the painter, the dancer, the singer,the romantic, the lover, the banker, the shopaholic, the foodie, the traveler, you and me...that's what makes this city so special and interesting...a lot of memories...a tour of all the historical monuments and museums...an evening river cruise on the Seine...a traditional French dinner across the river and across the gorgeous Notre Dame Cathedral...the vibrant Latin Quarters...the historic St.Marais quarter...a sweet language...very friendly and helpful locals (despite the language barrier, contradicting a lot of our preconceived notions)...lazing around, sitting by the road side cafes and people watching...patisseries, creperies, wines, truffes, creme brulees, tarte tatins, chocolate mousse, macaroon cookie tarts,exotic croissants ..and of course, Moulin Rouge,the origin of the cabaret and the French Can Can...After a really long day of walking around the streets of Paris, I had almost convinced D to just couch in the hotel instead of heading out for dinner and Moulin Rouge...but am I glad that D insisted and persisted that it would be a lovely evening...and that's eaxactly how it turned out...a perfect evening!! So that's a must do whenever you are in Paris next...

Next stops Monte Carlo and Nice...that's exactly what we needed after 5 days of walking through the streets of Paris and Amsterdam...the charm and laid back life of the French Riviera :)...We spent a couple of days lying around on the beaches of Monte Carlo and exploring the small hill town as well as old town Nice...Though fascinated by the glitz and glamour of Monte Carlo, the playground of the rich and the famous in Europe, I was more in awe of the scenic beauty and charm of this beautiful , cozy , small little town perched on a hill...The beaches were pretty but were pebbled beaches, which made it slightly painful to go into the water...I personally prefer the sand beaches of St'Johns in the US Virgin Islands any day over pebbled beaches...but the beauty of the landscape of the French Riviera with those huge cliffs plunging into the ocean and the lush green hills dotted with small homes, lining the beach landscape, is absolutely breathtaking...was two days of complete relaxation…

Next stop Rome...what do I say about a 2000 year old civilization, that has the old and the new, the ancient and the current so perfectly juxtaposed next to each other...it was pretty overwhelming walking around this city in person...it also put of a lot of things in perspective as far as how this ancient civilization has had an influence on lot of newer cities in the world as far as architecture and culture is concerned...as far as people were concerned, I got a vibe that was very similar to India...and no it's not just full of thugs, like people make it out to be....again despite the language barrier, people were very helpful and warm...I guess that’s very characteristic of Rome and parts of Italy south of Rome...I wouldn’t say the same of Venice and Milan though, which we visited few years back...it's just that like in all big cities, you need to be aware and alert of your surroundings...that's all...

And then finally we started the last leg of our journey... a four and half day trip through fairy tale land...Switzerland...Geneva, Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken, Gstaad, Spiez, Gilwis, Brienz...a small , but breathtakingly beautiful country...While maintaining bases in Geneva, Interlaken and Lucerne, we would just hop on to a train and randomly get off at a destination of our choice , spend a few hours there and then move on....cities, small towns, villages, lush green meadows dotted with beautiful chalets,lakes, mountains, glaciers...essentially unsurpassed scenic beauty...I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, as and when I put them up...but the doze of the train trip through the mountains, valleys and villages of rural Switzerland topped with swiss chocolates, fondues and Roschti...was a lovely, relaxing way to end to the European vacation...

We travelled by train from one place to another, across countries....though it's slightly more expensive than air travel, for people like me who hate being cooped up for hours in airports and planes when on a vacation, personally I feel it's the best way to see Europe...specially if you are on a short trip (less than three weeks), spanning multiple countries...it takes at least half a day to get your bearings in a new city and country, so getting used to a language and traffic signs could become strenuous if one opts to drive around instead...but train travel provides a very good feel of how the topology and demographics change as we cross regions, cities and countries and more importantly, it gives one the opportunity to interact with the locals...and believe it or not funnily enough, you find ways of communicating, interacting and getting a vibe of the culture despite all perceivable language barriers...that's what travelling is all about , aint't it !

But yes, now we are back...back to the grind...it feels good to be back home...to familiar surroundings and one's own bed...though we terribly miss the excitement and pulse of the life we led the past two weeks :)...and while I hope that some day I will have a vocation that's a combination of Samantha Brown's and Anthony Bourdain's...for now, I am happy just to dream and work towards the next stop...whereever, whenever it may be...yes, that's 'joie di vivre', the joy of living !!

Sowing and reaping…

I remember , as a child, my grandfather used to read out these inspirational bed time stories emphasising the philosophy of reaping what you sow...of doing unto others what you would want others to do to you...and all of us, who have heard those stories as a child, am sure have tried to live by that principle for the major part...

But sometimes, it makes me wonder if times have changed to the extent where this philosphy no longer applies...are all of us who believe in the philosophy living in a utopian world or could it be that the principle only applies to people who believe in it :)...it makes me wonder, for all my abilities of seeing the glass as half full rather than half empty,if what goes around really come around in today's world...

Giving off positive vibes, thinking positive, smiling no matter what, treating others as you want to be treated...is that how life should be led...or have we reached a stage in life and the universe where being selfish is considered ok and reaps long term happiness...I wonder...

Is being empathetic towards and treating people with the kind of respect and value that you would like to be treated deemed foolish in today's world...I wonder...

Being always unsure about my thoughts and views on such issues, I generally pose such questions to friends in terms of scenarios...in this particular case, while two of my friends were endorsing the "the as you sow,so shall you reap " philosophy wholeheartedly...this third friend of mine almost wanted to shake me out of what she thought was a utopian reverie, as she said that in the modern era, she believes and observes a lot of selfish "a**holes" who seem happy:)...it was both funny and scary the way she said what she said and all of a sudden, for all my resilience and abilities to look at the glass as being half full, I was overwhelmed by a bout of cynicism :-(

So what do you think...does what go around really come around...in the modern era, does one really reap what one sows !!

Musings...

Yesterday night, after we got back from a friend's birthday party and were getting set to go to bed, D came and gave me a big, warm hug and said..."Jaan you are such a simpleton "...

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have known whether to get offended (considering it a slap on my intelligence) or take that as a compliment:)...but the warmth of the hug and "I love you for that" that accompanied the statement left little doubt about what the the intent of the statement was...that aside, I still haven't gotten an answer as to what triggerred the statement...hopefully a bit of probing in the evening will lead me to that...am hoping I didn't end up doing anything really, really silly and foolish, though :)

But that's besides the point...the point is, being the die hard romantic that I am, these are life's little(a lot of people would say silly) moments and spontaneous expressions of love that I live for...and so D says he is lucky because I am apparently very easy to keep happy and contented :)...and hopefully it will remain that way in the years to come!

That aside, nothing much is really happening other than work on weekdays and chilled out weekends...we are getting set for a two week European vacation, which both of us are really excited about, and D's birthday is coming up...and this time for some weird reason, I feel a bit of pressure as far as my cooking skills are concerned...for all those who don't yet know about my tryst with cooking, here's the post on my love hate relationship with the art of cooking ...so wish me luck :)

Fitting in , Standing out, Masking and Unmasking

Back to blogosphere after a break with a rather instrospective topic :)

People fascinate me...and among 'n' not so desirable qualities which both D and I may have, there is one quality I am really proud of, that enriches our lives and makes it really worthwhile...and that's our love for people and diversity...

I have been fortunate enough to have lived in different parts of India as a child, lived dormitory life as a student and then of course have had the opportunity to interact with different kinds of people from all over India and the world, from different social and economic backgrounds, in the professional and social environment...essentially I have had opportunities galore to learn a whole lot of things about people and cultures that have added enriched perspectives to different facets of my life...I would be lying if I said I love every aspect of every person I meet, I wouldn't really be human if that were the case:)...what I am trying to say is that being open minded about people, in general, has helped me learn important things from a lot of people I have come in contact with...that has enriched my life...I am grateful for that...and that sense of gratitude adds to whatever little sense of tolerance I have...

Yesterday I caught up with a friend of mine over coffee and had a very interesting and refreshing discussion...the discussion among other things involved the notion of "fitting in and sometimes living with the illusion of being liked and loved vs standing out for who you are and being genuinely liked and loved, if loved at all"..my friend had some rather interesting incidents to narrate...I will not dwell on those further...

But yes, the general observation was that a lot of people try to fit themselves into stereotypes...aka "the intellectual", "the cool dude/dudette", "the goody two shoes","the connoisseur","the spiritualist"...doing things not because they are passionate about it or love it or believe in it but because they feel that's the "cool" or " in" or "right" thing to do, given the circumstances...perhaps it emerges from their inherent human need to be accepted into certain cliques... you see certain facets of their personality emerge with a specific set of people and a completely different facet of the same personality trait emerge in front of another set of people or another situation...it's scary, but true ..not just that, they often keep you guessing most of the time about who they are and in most cases, as these people keep wearing one mask above the other and trying to fit into different cliques, they often adopt a condescending attitude towards people who would much rather stand out in the crowd for who they are and still love and be loved/hated rather than fit in for reasons they don't necessarrily believe in...another observation was that we rarely see such people having too many constants in their life...they always seem to be in a perennial, never ending search for something more!!

While both my friend and I love debates, on this issue ,we were unfortunately on the same side of the discussion :)...so there was not much of a debate...both of us felt that the kind of people we are, we would much rather stand out in the crowd for who we are and be loved/hated for that while we learn and assimilate perspective from people coming from different backgrounds, while making and keeping them a part of our lives...but then of course we had this feeling that perhaps we were missing some important point here, that was biasing us towards our viewpoint...so I just thought, it would be a good idea to throw this topic out for debate on the blog...

So what do you think, in today's world, what constitutes happiness, contentment and success... "Fitting into preset notions and cliques and having a sense of belonging there" or " Standing out for who you while being flexible and learning from diverse people and life experiences and assimilating everyone's experiences into your lives"....my friend and I feel it's the latter...but then more often than not, I definitely am wrong:)...so do share your perspective if the issue strikes a chord…

So is "fitting in" synonymous to living life on someone else's terms while "standing out" in the above context synonymous to living life on your own terms...or have I got it all wrong ? And if it is, is one or the other the right way of living life !?

A revelation...

(Update: 9th September, 2011

Added blog post entry for inclusion in Sulekkha's(http://sulekkha.blogspot.com/2011/09/lets-make-collage-of-articles.html)collage of articles on "Soul Mates".Feel this entry echoes my thoughts on a soulmate most accurately...so here's a toast to times shared with a person , who you think is your soulmate, of course while the relationship and feeling lasts :) )

It's not any special day today...just an ordinary day when I started my long drive to work relatively early by my standards (early as in , 7:30 am in the morning...yes, for all those who know me well and my love for sleeping...that's really,really early :-) )...but that's besides the point...the point is that, amidst the ordinariness of the day in general, while listening to my regular dose of music during my drive to work, I had an extraordinary revelation of sorts :-)

A month or so back, a few of us friends went for a trip to a state park... at night as all us sat together, revelling in nostalgia and some great music, buzzed as usual with just the right amount of alcohol, conversations got interesting, as they generally do at such outings …amidst a couple of pointed questions, this friend of mine asked me a question, an answer to which funnily enough, after all these years of being together with D, I could not articulate effectively…the gist of his question was , given how different D and I are in a lot of ways, as in likes /dislikes etc., what is it that made us click initially and have helped us stay together so far, despite quite a few ups and downs in the relationship…after all, to start with , we were polar opposites…he was the “naughty dude…the bad boy”….I was “miss goody two shoes”…he was a “back bencher”…I was a “front bencher”…he was “funny”…I lacked a “sense of humor”…at least then I did…not anymore though…he he…I “loved books and reading” …books and conversations were then my primary source of information and knowledge …his “attention span was limited to seconds” as far as reading is concerned… life experiences and people interactions and conversations were his primary source of information and knowledge ...and the list goes on and on…

Now even today, I have a lot of reasons that could motivate me to kick D’s a** and leave him thristy and stranded in the middle of the desert tomorrow :-(... he loves golf, football, basketball, tennis , ‘n’ other sports and his car more than me...he picks on me, gangs up against me and makes fun of me at the slightest provocation, more often than not in public...he insists he is a better cook than I am and not just that, he sits on the couch while I slog it out in the kitchen, shouting out 'fundaes' about the fundamentals of cooking ( this , after knowing how hard I have worked to develop whatever few cooking skills I have)...he doesn’t quit smoking despite my repeated pleas to him to do so...he promises to come early from golf and get grocery done for a party we are hosting, but ends up coming a couple of hours late and stressing me out of my wits...and the list goes on and on...

But now, let me mention the revelation I had...just one simple reason that would stop me from leaving D thirsty and stranded in the middle of the desert tomorrow:)...D is absolutely comfortable in his own skin...with him, you really don’t have to keep guessing “what’s really going on?”...what you see is what you get...and what that means for me is that it helps me feel comfortable in my own skin ...helps me just be myself everywhere anytime...and it means being completely stress free, even when I have the illusion of being stressed, if you know what I mean :-)...well that’s the ‘early morning’ revelation I was talking about...nothing mushy, mushy or cheesy but a revelation nevertheless...though I agree you would say ,after three decades of life, 4 and half years of marriage and 16 years of knowing each other...it’s perhaps a late revelation on a rather ordinary day...but an important revelation for me,nevertheless...:)

Tid Bits !!

I go out for a 'girls night out' with my friends...I come back home...and I am a complete chatterbox...I invariably have a deluge of things to talk about...ok girls, now don't get me wrong...I do follow the ‘girl code’ and not divulge any secrets that shouldn't be divulged...those are the ones sealed in blood and buried forever ...you know you can trust me on that...at least I haven’t let you down on that so far :-)...but the point I am trying to make is, I always do have more things to talk about and share than not!!

D, who in general loves talking and giving his opinion and fundaes on everything under the sun, goes out for a 'boys night out'...he comes back home...he is quiet...ok folks, don't let your perverted minds take over and scare me as well...now I do trust D enough to tell me if he is out on some adventurous night out, painting the town red ...so am really not worried about that bit :)!! Either way, coming back to the point...

I ask, "What did you boys do"...His answer, “Just hung out over drinks and a game of poker"...

I ask, "What did you guys talk"...His answer, "Nothing"...

I ask again, "How can you guys not talk about anything specific and just hang out...tell me na what did you guys talk"...His answer, "I don't remember"...

I become more assertive thereafter, "You don't tell me anything...why don't you tell me anything?!"...

His response “I have a ‘boy code’ to adhere to...don't ask me questions I shouldn't be answering or about things that don't involve me“...Now, apparently the ‘boy code’ has absolutely no scope for letting out filtered excerpts of 'boys night out' conversations...Whatever!! And then he continues, “Plus guys don't bond over constant chatter about random topics like you girls...we may be glued to our blackberries, drinking beer and watching a game ...without feeling the need to utter a word to each other and still bonding"...

I go into a thoughtful mode, "Really...how boring is that!! Life without unstreamlined, spontaneous conversations on random and often irrelevant
topics with girlfriends! Thank God I am not a guy :-)!”

Is it just me or do I have company here?!

Tagged...

Garima tagged me to get my take on the 5ives :-)...and provided the much needed momentum to revive the blog after more than a months' hiatus...so thanks girl...

So here you go...

5 pathetically horrible movies you’ve seen:

1. Bruno : Crude,gross and offensive...not having watched Borat, was driven to the theatre out of sheer curiosity to check out what all the fuss was about...5 mins into the movie and I realized , I could never be a fan of the Baron "disgusting" Cohen kind of humor.

2. My Name is Khan : The ardent Shah Rukh Khan fan that I am, I generally pull D and whoever else is around and ready to be lured to one of the first shows of all his movies...this one was such a torture...the only
saving grace being the fact that we were with 10 other friends who felt equally, if not more tortured ;-), and just that fact and the laughs that we've had about the movie thereafter just made the movie watching ordeal so much more bearable :-)

3. Karzzzz : Yes , 'the Himes' bhai starrer with 4 zs...an absolute shitty remake of the Rishi Kapoor starrer that I love...now, don't ask me why I even ventured to watch the Karzzz with 4 zs :-)...I guess I was just dead bored and had nothing better to do...

4. All about Steve : An absolutely cheerless and unfunny rom-com...D refuses to hit the theatre with me for any supposed "rom coms" after this experience ...poor me !!

5. Saawariyaan : I can't have anything more to add than what the GreatBong already says in his review :-)...Movie was pathetic essentially...


5 places where you don't want to be seen dead at :

1. In my own kitchen, with a bowl of cooked Maggi noodles next to me :-)...I love Maggi...D believes Maggi is unhealthy, though he keeps hogging on a fair share of it himself, all the while trying to stop me from cooking and eating Maggi...I would hate to have him live with the nagging thought that I died of a Maggi overdose, though:-)

2. Any place which has one or more cats in the vicinity...Urggh ...the thought of dying among cats freaks me out!

3. In the middle of a golf course or even a driving range, while trying to learn golf...that would be embarrasing even in death, having so vehemently expressed my dislike for the game in an earlier post :-)

4. A shady club :-)...Decided to borrow this from Garima ...like she says, I don't really need to spell it out in words for folks to understand...what kind of club I am talking about...I really don't want adsense to start popping up family unfriendly ads on a family friendly blog :-)

5. On a more serious note, any place where I am alone...and not surrounded by people!!


5 accessories you can create out of food :

1. Strawberry earrings :
Split a strawberry in half and it could give you a pair of earrings perfect to go with a spring/summer dress :-)

2. Green peas and red thai chilli combo necklace :
Alternate green peas and thai red chillies could be stringed together to make a necklace...

3. Onion, Tomato,Lemon bangles :
Slice them up horizontally , scoop out the center pulp where applicable and you could end up with set of a churiyaans/bangles with the ingredients for a healthy sandwich/salad...I am not to be blamed for any form of breakage and foul smells:-)

4. Almond jewellery set :
Almonds when stringed together could make a good necklace/bracelet and even dangling earrings

5. Pumpkin decorations :
Carved and painted pumpkins make good decorative accessories :-).Since the tag says just accessories, I just decided to deviate slightly and move on to decorative accessories from dress accessories.


5 People you’d love to hit, anytime, anywhere :

1. MCPs of course ...anytime, anywhere ...my heels are ready to beat up one of those!!

2. Cowards...people who can't stand up for friends, family and near/dear ones when needed and chicken out...they frustrate me to the point where I could easily be agitated enough to use my heels on them :-)

3. Judgmental people...people who form an opinion about another the first time they meet /talk and refuse to give the person the benefit of the doubt, no matter what happens over time !

4. Nosey people who care about and poke their heads into everyone else’s lives other than their own!

5. On a lighter note, my little brother...for all the karate and taekwondo kicks he practised on me when we were young...these would be friendly pats though...definitely not with my heels :-)


5 things you’d do to scare anybody :

Do I really need to think of 5 things in this category…I can think of just one as of now...

I, by myself, with loads of makeup...bloody red lipstick...tons of eyeliner and kajal...face covered with a pack...head covered in henna...emerging from behind a door under dim/candle light...that would be enough to scare anyone off...have already tried this one on D and he can vouch for the scary part of it...if only I can find the photograph he had taken and put it up here...that would compensate for my lack of creativity in coming up with the rest of the four I guess :-)

Update:15th April...Initially forgot the most important part of tagging fellow blogger friends :-(

Am gonna tag Rims and Rush ...others please feel free to pick up the tag, when you drop by the blog and read :-)

All in the name of women empowerment...

If you ask me, what I think about the women's reservation bill passed in the Indian parliament today...three simple words describe my state of mind..."I feel insulted"...period...

Oh yeah...you are most welcome to shout out abuses at me for not supporting the cause of women in India...but the fact remains, I feel insulted...

Blame it all on having being born into a privileged family, where I have never been discriminated against because of my gender...a life in which, I have been taught to value and cherish education and the power of choice...I agree that I may just be missing the point...I may just be ignorant of how 'reservations' for different sections has helped the Indian society progress in the past...maybe some of you could throw more light on that...perhaps the bill is really a beacon all set to light the path for empowering Indian women in politics and other arenas...I really haven't bothered to understand the nitty /gritty details of the bill...and I absolutely realize that my opinion is clouded by my relatively privileged upbringing...but the fact remains that as a woman, I feel insulted...not empowered, now that it's been offcially stamped that women are the weaker sex in the country of my birth...

Personally I feel the need for reservations for any section of the society, gender based or otherwise, spells the failure of a system and the society, at large to faciliate the progress and development of that specific section of people...rarely, if at all, does it empower the system and its people...

So far, in life, whatever major decisions I have taken, are the outcomes of choices that I have made...what I want to study, where I want to live, whom I want to marry, what I want to do with life in general...and whatever I have achieved or not achieved, in life, is because of my merits and demerits and the choices that I have made...not because of favors and disfavors that have been meted out to me...what makes me feel empowered is being given those life choices and being held accountable for them...

What Indian women need is the power that comes with education , the opportunity of making educated choices and being given the respect for a choice that's been consciously made...'respect for a choice that's been consciously made' is particularly important here...

Given the choice between pursuing extraordinary career options and being a housewife, if a woman chooses the latter...She should be respected for it, not stereotyped...

Given a choice between pursuing extraordinary career options and being a housewife, if a woman chooses the former...She should be respected for it, not reprimanded for being over ambitious...

Given a choice between studying the arts and sciences, if a woman chooses the latter...She should be respected for it and allowed to do so on her merit...

Given a choice between studying the arts and sciences, if a woman chooses the former...She should be respected for it and not looked down upon based on some preconceived, stereotypical notion of lack of merit...

Given a choice between bearing and rearing a child out of wedlock and letting go, if a woman chooses the former...she should be respected for her courage to singlehandedly bring up a child, not accused of irresponsibilty without being given a chance to prove otherwise...

Any self respecting person, be it a man or a woman, will tell you that there is no greater inspiration, motivation and feeling of euphoria than that which is achieved based on one's merit, intelligence, smartness and hardwork...that's an indisputable fact...any person who has reached the pinnacle of success in an arena of work or society, and has been favored by some form of reservation to do so, can never feel or be equal to someone who has done so solely on merit...be it a man or a woman...there is nothing more to it...so where does the illusion of 'empowerment' really come from ??!!! I don't have an answer...perhaps you do?

I have to confess today to having had a short fling with ...

the game of cricket long, long ago ...

My infatuation with the game was triggered by one very close India-Australia match in the Reliance Cricket World Cup ...it was the match in which India needed two runs to win off the last two balls of the game...we were down to the last wicket...Maninder Singh was batting...Kiran More was at the non-striker's end...Steve Waugh was the bowler, if I remember correct...we were all at home, our eyes glued to the TV set, all of us being our absolute 'cricket' superstitious selves...mom, who had absolutley no idea about cricket was forced to sit with us and watch the game, whole day long, just because her being around the tv had brought India luck in one of the earlier games, or so we liked to believe :-)...you know how crazy Indians tend to become when talking and watching cricket...the 5th ball of the last over of the match was bowled by Waugh...the ball briskly spun over the pitch knocking the bails off the wickets...Singh was back to the pavilion...India lost the match by one run with one ball to spare...but at the end of it all, I was hooked to cricket...

Thereafter I passionately followed every one day international and test match played across the globe...cheered and celebrated India's wins...mourned India's losses...and was absolutely in love with the game,or so I thought...but perhaps it was just an illusion, after all...cause my infatuation with cricket ended just as abruptly, as it had started ...

It was the Wills Trophy final between India and Pakistan in Sharjah...Aaquib Javed's hatrick...Sachin Tendulkar sent back to the pavilion for a golden duck...Pakistan going on to win the trophy...I was absolutely devastated...so much so that it spelled the beginning of the end of my love for the game ...of course, not to deny being further disillusioned by all the controversies and charges surrounding some of the players I had hero worshipped , Azhar and Cronje to name a few, in the years that followed...

That was then, more than a decade back...since then there have been a lot of players who have entered and left the cricketing arena...some have left in glory...some in shame...records have been set and broken...one day internationals have given way to the more exciting and adrenaline pumping 20-20 form of the game and to add to it is the almost inexplicable IPL frenzy...honestly speaking. I haven't really put an effort to keep myself up to date with what's happening in this sport, that I once loved... all that I have been keeping myself updated with is silly gossip that keeps doing the media rounds...who the new handsome hunks in the game are...which cricketer is dating whom...which cricketer has ditched whom and all such BS...sad and shameful, but true nevertheles...

Today though, as I read the headlines about Sachin Tendulkar's record setting double century in Gwalior and subsequently watched the highlights of the game, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of euphoria,hope,admiration, inspiration and pride...22 years of life dedicated to a sport and through all the ups and downs, still going strong ,more or less untainted by major controversies...a historical moment in world cricket...a moment of glory for the Indian sports world...a moment that managed to momentarily rekindle a small flame of the love and passion for the game of cricket that I had once nurtured...a moment that made me bow down in respect and admiration for the Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar...the messiah of the only 'true' religion in the country of my birth !!! Here's a toast to 22 years of his glorious cricketing career ...

Random musings...

My posts have become few and far between in the past months...it's not for the dearth of things to write about though... it's just that words don't seem to come very easily to me anymore...so here I am, trying to get back into the groove of writing again :-)

It's been a cold, cold winter for all of us living in the Washington, DC region...snow, snow and more snow :-)...total snow accumulation in the two and half months of winter we've seen so far is supposed to be more than 60 odd inches...apparently more than what upstate New York and Boston put together have seen this season...and to think of it, winter hasn't ended yet...As I looked out of the window this morning , I was elated to see the sun shining down in the area after a really long, long time...this, after I have proclaimed my undying love for snow many a time earlier :-)!!!

The first flurries and showers of snow every winter always give me a big , big ‘rush’ ;-)…the white snow covered grounds, rooftops and the flora glistening in the moonlight add a fairy tailish zing to life and it’s that time of the year when I can just spend hours staring out of the window ,feeling completely in sync with William Henry Davies eloquent words on life...”What is this world , if not full of care…we have no time to stand and stare”...

It’s the aftermath of a snow storm that is difficult to deal with and tends to make me weary...specially with all the “cares” of the real world notoriously glaring down at us...shoveling the driveway, uncanny fears of the roof caving in or the deck collapsing under the weight of pounds of snow transformed to ice, hazards of driving to work and ‘n’ other , often unnecessary ,worries (not that I need any specific reason to get stressed about :-))...and when you have two back to back huge snow storms in an area , not used to being pounded by extensive snow storms, it just makes dealing with the aftermath all the more worse...

Thanks to some lovely friends and neighbors, D and I spent both snow storms, snowed in but partying in the company of some lovely people...

The snow storm over the Super bowl weekend was particularly memorable, less for the havoc it created and more for the fun all of us had...the initial plan was to have an informal get together at home on Super bowl Sunday, watching the game with some friends...but then with the weather forecast turning very gloomy for the weekend, with heavy snow fall predicted on both Friday and Saturday, D decided to turn the weekend into an impromptu ‘Super bowl shoveling’ party...so all weekend we were ten of us at home, making merry ,chit chatting, drinking , eating delicious home cooked food (everyone was an expert on one form of cuisine or another...so we had these whole variety of dishes laid out over the weekend), playing poker and board games, reveling in good music ,hogging on hookah and of course shoveling( we sure had to stick to the theme of the weekend party :-))...so now gambling, in the form of poker, has been added to my ever growing list of vices...nothing to be proud about, I agree...but I believe in living life to the fullest, while I still can:)...anyways, the Super bowl weekend ended on a high note with my team, the New Orleans Saints winning ...not that all of a sudden I love football any more than I used to (all of you have heard me cribbing enough about how neglected I feel due to D’s overwhelming love for the sport :-)), but in the spirit of the Superbowl party and the beautiful town of New Orleans, I was supporting the underdog...and so was happy seeing the Saints win!

Speaking of poker, after winning my first big hand this past weekend, I think I am just getting more addicted to it...it was funny how the guys would hold back on betting each time one of us, girls, bet aggressively...apparently girls are known to be conservative gamblers...and hence whenever they bet aggressively, it’s supposed to indicate they have really, really good cards in hand...talk about
stereotyping:-)!! Folks better be prepared for a fair share of surprises from us girls, on the poker table, in the months to come...

What else...watched "My Name is Khan"...movie totally sucked...Karan Johar should definitely stop trying to be different...and inspite of all my love for SRK, I was left totally disappointed...I had somehow managed to garner enough support to lure folks to the theatre for “Kurbaan”...most of my friends hated the movie...folks were lured in for ‘MNIK’ again, fortunately I was not the initiator of the plan this time...and folks hated ‘MNIK’ more than ‘Kurbaan’...this means I surely have to come up with some innovative bait to lure people to the theatre for the next Hindi flick I want to watch...so called four/five star reviews by Times of India and Rediff will definitely not do the trick next time around :-)

Some gloomy news as well...talks of more friends moving out of the area, taking cue from some dear friends who already moved out last year to make new beginnings in new places...that’s always depressing...it’s so difficult to find people with whom wavelengths match...and when you do find some, you really don’t want to let go...but then that’s what life is about, I guess...it’s never stagnant...people move on...you make new beginnings and life goes on, as one continues strengthening bonds and making memories with old friends and new...

The good news is that my brother is moving to New York City in a couple of weeks...so am really excited about that...I really have missed having family nearby...

So that’s about it really...no life changing events in the past month...just some memorable, snowy times...yes times and memories that make me sit back and smile, whenever life is not too full of ‘care’ and I have the time to stand and stare...

Back to the grind...

Just got back to Northern Virginia on Monday evening from a wonderful vacation back home in India, more specifically, in the beautiful state of Assam in India...this time around we also managed to squeeze in a short trip to the awe invoking Golden City of Jaisalmer, in Rajasthan...more about that in a bit...

The India trip didn’t start off on a very good note for me...I missed my connecting flight from Brussels to Delhi and subsequently from Delhi to Guwahati , resulting in a 24 hour delay in reaching home...did finally manage to reach Guwahati in one piece…D had flown in a day earlier and so he got to spend an extra day in Guwahati...grrrr...:-)

As I chit chatted with my parents in the car on my way home from the airport, at the first red traffic light we stopped, D pointed out one of the rolling advertisement hoardings by the side of the traffic crossing . An image of Lord Ganesha flashed on the screen and the following text rolled by:

‘Lord Ganesha says, “Save your head…not everyone is fortunate like me to get a replacement...wear a helmet, when on a two wheeler”...’

As D read out the rolling text on the hoarding aloud, both of us smiled and D said to me, “Welcome to India, babe!!”...In a weird kind of way, those rolling words on the hoarding by the side of the road, reflected the essence of the people and the current state of the country of my birth...it was a simple, intelligent, witty attempt to bring order into the chaos, that was and still defines a major part of India, by gently and subtly nudging the inherent spiritual sentiments and superstitious instinct of the common Indian man...as is always the case in such situations, apparently there had been a lot of objections initially to putting up such a message, considering it a denigration of Lord Ganesha...whatever...but I, for one, am sure Lord Ganesha would have absolutely no objection to having his image and name used to protect and save lives :-)

Anyways that’s that and I’ll come back to it later...

So what was the India trip like...short, hectic, fun-filled and beautiful...catching up with family, friends, loved ones, festivities ,getting royally pampered, fun, food, frolic, shopping, travel...great times essentially...

My dear mother and mom-in-law made sure they prepared all of D and my favorite dishes...Ma fed me with loads of ’Tenga jhool’(an assamese fish delicacy), ’Til pitha’ (an assamese sweet), ’Dahi wada’, ’Chocolate cake’, ’Narikolor barfi’ (Coconut sweet), ‘Bora saolor bake’(Another assamese delicacy with a specific kind of rice and jaggary that only my mom can make !!), ‘Prawn curry’, ’Dhania Aloo’ ,’Masor Jola’(Another fish dish)...Ahhh...she had got a special ‘razai’ (quilt) made for me because I love quilts and sleeping curled up in one, in the misty Guwahati winter, is my absolute favorite pass time :-)...we lazed around in the terrace garden at home, chit chatting and basking in the warmth and glory of the early afternoon sunshine...we drove around all our old favorite joints in the city and checked out all the new hot spots with friends and family...visited D’s high school...met up with a couple of our junior college professors...after a long, long time the whole family spent New Year’s eve together, partying in Guwahati...had ‘Uruka bhoj’ (a special dinner around a bonfire on the eve of the Assamese harvest festival of Bihu) at my aunt’s, and a grand Bihu lunch at Aita’s ( my grandmom)...watched ‘3 Idiots’ in a packed cinema hall with 12 other family members...caught up with some old school friends, most of whom I was meeting after more than a decade...thanks to a dear friend ,'P', for getting everyone together...had a lovely time...some are now married...others are not...some of them have kids...others don’t...some of them have changed...others haven’t...but everyone’s grown up to become such beautiful, amazing ladies in their own right...it was absolutely lovely meeting everyone after such a long, long time...then of course D and I hogged on street food...paani poories, bhel poories, allo tikkis, tandoori chicken, indo chinese food, momos, kebabs...you name it and we’ve had it, I am sure...

(By now you would have guessed that food constitutes a major part of all our travel plans and hence my blog posts...thank god both D and I are foodies:-) )

But one of the biggest highlights of the trip was a surprise visit to Guwahati by my dear brother, Ashish...Since D and my India trip was kind of a last minute plan(like it generally is for all our travel), Ash and I hadn’t been able to make our vacation days from work coincide...having had only recently got back from Guwahati to Bangalore after a 10 day break in early December, Ash had kept giving all of us the impression that he wouldn’t be able to make it to Guwahati while D and I were visiting...though I was upset, I had got reconciled to that fact...but on the afternoon of the 1st of January, while my parents and I were taking an afternoon nap, I felt a few gentle taps on my head...once, twice, thrice...and then as I opened my eyes and turned around to find the source of the irritant...lo and behold...there he was...yes my bratty, rock star brother :-)...he had flown into Guwahati to spend the weekend with us...and had absolutely made my day!!

Then there were of course these other teeny, weeny moments and gestures of warmth and affection that absolutely touched my heart and that I’ll cherish forever...like our 85 year old grand moms (both D and mine) entering the cold kitchen and with shaky hands trying to help cook some of our favorite childhood dishes...an aunt who put in all the effort to hand knit a cap for me , not knowing what else to gift me...'M', a lady who has been with our family helping with household chores ever since my brother’s birth, deciding to forgo a scheduled trip to visit her family in the village during the two day Bihu holiday, and instead deciding to spend that time at home with our family, cooking, chit chatting and taking care of me because she felt she hadn’t been able to pamper me enough, owing to a full time job at a cottage industry ma had just gotten her into...yes, life’s little moments that tug your heart and leave indelible impressions!

Then of course, D and I squeezed in a three day trip to Jaisalmer, a small town on the westernmost part of the state of Rajasthan on the border with Pakistan...we travelled to Jaisalmer via train from Old Delhi station...and returned to Delhi on one of those teeny, weeny turboprop flights from Jodhpur...that, in itself, as you can imagine, was an experience:-)...Jaisalmer is famous for the Golden Fort , that proudly stands amidst the golden stretches of the great Thar Desert and is the only residential fort in the world...We had made arrangements to stay at a haveli in the fort that had been converted to a boutique hotel...beautiful,royal architecture and interiors, a terrace restaurant, awe inspiring views of Jaisalmer city, delicious Rajasthani thalis (constituting yummy dal baati, churma, gatte ki sabzi, kair sangria, sukhi pooris among other Rajasthani delicacies) and extremely hospitable staff were the highlights of this small boutique hotel with a rather non Rajasthani name “Vitoria” ;-)…We went out on a camel safari to the Khuri sand dunes of the Thar Desert and reveled in the marvelty of enriching Rajasthani folk dance and music in one of the desert camps, around a bon fire, under the star filled skies over the Thar…Some of D and my closest friends are from Rajasthan...hence we have been at the receiving end of some overwhelming Rajasthani hospitality many a time before and I am glad this trip was no exception ;-)

Spent a couple of days in Delhi as well...some of the the changes in Delhi and it’s suburbs were revelations in themselves...six lane roads, posh malls and restaurants, high rise techno savvy offices, chic residential complexes, fancy cars, rich kids swerving their 'Mercs' and 'Bimmers' to a halt in shady nooks outside Priya cinema hall (apparently in the lookout for pimps and dope, I was told)...this ,juxtaposed against the ‘thela walas’, ‘rickshaw walas’, ‘cycle walas’ ,’auto walas’,'taxi walas' trying to make a living, working 18 hours a day and 7 days a week... a family of four on a two wheeler trying to squeeze in a mall shopping experience on one of the foggiest and coldest of Delhi nights...yes, I mention this at the cost of sounding like a ‘phirang’ tourist...It’s just that Guwahati is a much smaller city compared to Delhi, has a more laid back life and is not a commercial hub or melting pot like Delhi is and hence, I guess, the economic changes and progress India has made in the last few years, though evident in Guwahati as well, they haven't really led to as wide socio economic gaps in my hometown as in the capital of India...but that's that...plus, of course there's the matter of where I observed issues from...I guess after spending a few years outside India and given the rate of economic changes in the country in the past few years, any form of socio economic gap just seems starker, darker and just a whole lot more unfair...

So what did we do in Delhi...yes, got our visas stamped at the American consulate, right next to the Canadian consulate outside which all that was visible was a sea of people and their colorful turbans:-)...shopping in Janpath (finally got a hookah ;-)...so everyone’s welcome to the next hookah party at our place...he he ) and Delhi Haat...checked out a couple of live music hangouts in Connaught Place and Gurgaon...they absolutely rocked...checked out some restaurants /lounges recommeded by Delhiite friends...“ Bukhaara”, “Punjabi by Nature” and ”Smoke House grill” to name a few...and yes, needless to say, hogged on Delhi street food, which was just as delicious, if not more:-)...

All in all, it was a whirlwind India trip that was a whole lot of fun...it always is when you visit India for just a few weeks...but then when I think about it more , putting aside the surreal nature of a short vacation and of getting into the habit of splurging in rupees while earning in dollars, I am not sure yet what it would be like to get into the regular Indian bandwagon of working and living there...will know for sure when we move back some day...but as of now, day-to-day life for the common man, in general, seems tough...definitely tougher than what is for us here...having said that though, a lot of the people I met and spoke to seem completely content and happy with the lives they are leading...and therefore my perspective is perhaps skewed by my personal definition of a ‘tough day-to-day life’...hence I’ll just refrain from commenting on this further...let’s just say this, after three weeks of vacation, while I was engulfed with sadness and choked in tears , at the thought of yet again leaving behind loved ones and my childhood home in Assam, subconsciously perhaps I was ready to be back to the grind...to office work, cooking, cleaning, driving, doing the grocery, fighting with D about household chores, paying the mortgage :-) and generally getting back to real life...yes, before it was too late...before getting spoilt beyond redemption in India and being forced to unequivocably judge where life is better :-)

So yes I am back to the grind...I just got back from 'home' to 'home', if that makes any sense at all...from Assam to Northern Virginia...paradoxical yet true...have at least one other blogger friend who seems to feel the same ;-)

On our way to the airport to catch my return flight to the US, ma sighted an elephant bang in the middle of the streets of Guwahati, and she told me that it’s her belief that sighting an elephant(a personification of Lord Ganesha) anywhere outside the animal’s natural abode is a sign of good luck...and though logic defied it, I involuntarily joined my hands in a namaskar and bowed my head down in respect of Lord Ganesha as I looked back at the elephant and prayed for love, luck, health and happiness for all my dear ones, in the year to come...yes you guessed right, it is my 'inherent Indian spiritual sentiment and superstitious instinct', that I mentioned earlier in the post, that makes me defy logic , time and again, many a time...

Am sure in all of this, my confusion is apparent...it's meant to be :-) !!

Happy New Year folks!! Will share some pics of the trip soon...