Happy Birthday Ganesha..

Happy Pillayar Chathurthi to everyone! Incidentally, it's Happy Birthday Chennai too! Yes, Madras/Chennai turns 370 years old today but I am not going to ramble about the city's statistics in this post. This post is just a synopsis of my festival-ridden vacation month here in Chennai. It never struck me when I was young that all these festivals occurred pretty close to one another or maybe I didn't care because of all the holidays we got starting with Varalakshmi Nombu, followed by Avani Avittam (which occurs in Aadi, by the way), Gokulashtami and culminated by Ganesh Chathurthi... It's only after growing up a bit (or maybe it has something to do with marriage) that I've realized that apparently Aadi (the tamil month corresponding to mid-July to mid-August and is probably called something else in each of your respective linguistics) is inauspicious for conducting any major "good" function like weddings or grahapraveshams or the likes of it. And because we Indians (read Tamilians if you will) are a well-renowned lot of foodies, Aadi got ridden with all these festivals during which the pious junta make all the goodies from kozhakkattais (modaks) to vadais to what not.. Ah yummy.. As they say, we only need an excuse to eat.. and devotion is as good as any other reason. If you can't go to weddings for a plateful of food, make it a festival to invoke your own devotion. Do the neiveidyam (the practice of offering the food to God first) during which you think you're pleasing the poor Gods (who obviously don't eat anything) and then feed yourself. Foodies rule! Happy Eating!

PS: This post is in jest and not meant to hurt anyone's religious sentiments.

The Friendship Ebb

Well, we've all heard about the "web of friendship" - that impenetrable fortress that forms around you and your precious friends circle. But have you experienced the "ebb" of friendship? No? Try getting busy for over a year, then consider getting married and then try contacting your friends. Suddenly there are gaps in conversation that were unthinkable back in the days you spoke for hours together even when you spent the entire day in one another's company. You don't share that common thread that held you together anymore. Of course a special few transcend this phase and stand the test of time. But not all make it. And it's not a walk in the park once you run into those people. Sure there's stuff to talk about but it's so not like before. The pauses are very obvious, as is the lack of common ground or the interest in the new pursuits of the people involved. If you are someone with a knack for small talk, then that works a bit. If not, both of you suffer through the ordeal counting the seconds to a decent interval at which you can make an excuse to get the hell out of the place. After one of these encounters I was a touch sad. I guess that's where the social networking sites like Facebook, Orkut help the others just keep aware of what's going on at the minimalist level and beyond, for the more snoopy ones. On the brighter side, it's the encounters like this that make you treasure the really close ones. And probably makes it worthwhile.

The lighter side of Swine Flu

Well... that's all that's hogged all the news headlines for the past few months - Swine flu. What??? You don't know what that is? You might as well read about it here. In India, there seems to be a late outbreak and well, people are panicking left, right n center. I do completely mourn the unnecessary loss of lives from not taking the necessary precautions. On the other hand, I find it utterly hilarious how people have been reacting in the name of "precautions". I guess the guideline would be to report any symptoms of flu - fever, nausea, throat infection, diarrhoea, running noses, watery eyes, blah to the doctor and get it ascertained that it is not H1N1. The people, however have taken it to a whole new dimension. They wear masks for no reason (though every bulletin clearly states that the infected people are the ones ought to be wearing it).. the schools are shut down for over a week to-be-safe, and here's the crowning thing - pigs are being hunted down and killed.

The other day, we were going to get my Paati checked by an ENT (Ear-Nose-Throat) specialist in our area. This was right after they'd announced that you'd rather avoid huge gatherings or very crowded public places, etc as a precaution to getting infected. Needless to say, at the doctor's office, no less an ENT at that, the crowds were ominous-looking and regarding each other with fear and suspicion over the face-masks that they'd donned (and no, it was not a clinic-enforced requirement), with their eyes darting furitively from one another trying to zero in on a possible swine-flu-infected candidate.. This doctor is very renowned and I have never seen under 15 people at any time in queue for an appointment. This day though, surprisingly there were under 10. Oh, did I mention that I have sinusitis? And that it manifests in me by making me sneeze in rapid bursts at random times? Well, I guess this was as good a time as any for my sinusitis to attack me... and there I was.. sneezing 3-4 times in quick succession(with a hanky) and I wasn't even the patient! In no time, the 5 people ahead of us had vanished and we were the next ones in! Bless sinus!

The other time this happened was at the Delhi airport. I suppose the cabin pressure had something to do with it or that stupid disinfectant airspray that Air India uses inside... Eitherways, I found myself with fits of sneezes and passengers looking dubiously concerned all around me. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one sneezing away... there were at least 3 more people.. and one temperature check later, I was cleared of being a Swine flu suspect.

I guess I respect the people for trying to be safe than sorry... However, instead of overcrowding the hospitals with unrelated symptoms, it would be better for people to be aware of what they need to look out for. And yes, this is as good an excuse as any to cultivate the people to wash their hands after they've been out. Be safe! On that note, get well soon, Paati (no, she isn't a swine flu patient either).

A typical weekday evening at home in Chennai

Mega-serials rule! :)

Honk honk!

Gosh.. what is it with the honking culture in India?? It's enough if you live a few days away from India to realize that people abroad don't honk without reason. And both in the US and Europe, honking is strictly restricted to bringing to notice offensive road behaviour - an unexpected sharp turn or an indecent pass and the likes of it earn angry honks from the cars being crossed over by dissed drivers and only briefly. In India, it's a whole different thing. The traffic is so frustratingly stagnated in most places, the heat is so unbearable, the cars so unruly that people honk for no reason at all except to vent out some of their own frustration or to pretend that they are helping to move things along by honking. The result is pure chaos and noise pollution and further more frustration for everyone in the sweltering traffic. Ah, it's a very poor vicious circle. And the concept of lanes hasn't taken off in Chennai (and probably never will). Cars, trucks, lorries, buses, cycles, pedestrians, cows, stray dogs and bikes all compete for the measly space to squeeze in their vehicles to keep ahead of the traffic and get to their destinations. Half the time when you reach your destination, you are so relieved not to have hit someone/something and made it in one piece even if you are semi-deaf from the blaring horns of the vehicles around you. Yesterday was the worst. We heard the sizzling horn of a lorry (the one that goes exactly like this - pambanpambanpam in that snakey tune) and Appa huddled over to a corner of the road fully expecting a heaving giant to pass by us only to see a measly motorcycle pass by. The guy had installed a lorry horn on his Hero honda. Jerk. Personally I think they should fine unnecessary honking in India too.. though how they would enlist the offenders is something I haven't come up with yet. Perhaps it should become like the Western countries where honking is restricted to offenses. Of course that requires a certain level of driving decorum which I unfortunately don't envision in the near future. Darn!

The art of "giving"

For as long as I've known, my dad's been great at the art of "bribing". Well, that's a misnomer in this case. Appa has a great knack in making people feel it's their duty to accept the money from him for whatever work that they've done for him. And he is very neutral in the way he distributes money for no reason among watchmen, housemaids, doormen and the likes of the working class. And that makes him an instant favourite with them for obvious reasons. Naturally our mail gets delivered first in the building... and our car is washed first and the gates are opened for us and well, you get the picture... Being his daughter, I have reaped the benefits over the years of getting heavy stuff carried upstairs for me and blah-blue.. But I have never adopted Appa's skill in being able to give money to all these people and not feel like I am doing something wrong. I always feel stupid mainly because I think being with Appa makes me feel younger than I am. And that makes it look like a kid is trying to give someone (who is much older than her by the way) money which she didn't necessarily earn. Appa tries to hand me some money and ask me to hand it over to them every once in a while and I am always uncomfortable and end up declining. I've figured there's more to just the knack in giving the money. The thin line between the obvious bribe and the obnoxious over-patronizing attitude. And while people like my father are born experts and can come across with the perfect attitude, my discomfort alone rules me out other than perhaps being a woman which isn't so appealing when giving someone money randomly for some good deed of the past or the ones to follow. You've got to be supremely confident of your abilities, of not being misunderstood, of being superior-yet-approachable at the same time, of being normal and of not being patronizingly pushy. My dad is the perfect eclectic mix and I haven't seen anyone be as at ease with the task at hand. I guess some things you learn and practice makes perfect... and some others, you just have to be born with it or it's never there. I know where I belong on this one.

Maple calling

So Appa n I were out shopping this evening... Suddenly there is cacophony. A millisecond later I realize that it's coming from Appa's pocket. It's his cell phone resounding a ridiculously high volume. He grabs it and hands it over to me (he can't read who's calling without his glasses). An instant before I pick it up I glance at the screen. It says "Maple calling". I double-check the screen looking at it dubiously as I prepare to answer the call. Who on earth was Maple? I had a friend who's last name was "Oak" but I couldn't imagine that Appa had a friend called Maple. I had absolutely no clue what to expect as I clicked the "Answer" button and muttered a very questioning "Hello" into the answer-piece. A brief crackle of static later, "Hello" comes the very familiar voice of my husband. I had to laugh. It wasn't Maple then. It was a very simplified spelling for Mappillai (meaning son-in-law in Tamil) or simple Map-le (to be pronounced as Map-lay). LOL moment.

French flaws

What happens when a country starts to grow on you? Embarrassment! I have been saying "Bonjour" instead of "hello" and "pardon" instead of "sorry" consistently over the past week. While the others think I am alien, I turn red from the heat/embarrassment or both and am found floundering for the right equivalents for words that the people can understand. So much for trying to embrace the French culture. Hmph.

BTW, Happy Friendship Day everyone! If you want to read rants from last year - here you go!

3 seconds later...

Want to know the value of 3 seconds? No no... I don't mean this in the way that a fraction-of-a-second can make a difference- so don't go asking the accident victim or the people with big regrets from big moments. I am really only talking about something on the lighter side... like temple queues. Being in the land of a thousand temples, Kanchipuram, it was imperative that I visit a few on my yearly visits here to my parents-in-laws' house. And so we temple-hopped today. While a couple of them were deeply, spiritually satisfying, one of them was one of those thoroughly commercialized affairs where you had to pay for everything from leaving your footwear outside to getting normal dharshan of the God/Goddess. Mind you, this wasn't even one of those temples like Tirupati where the monetary collections were part of maintaining some vague decorum or strata of luxury. There must've been about 30 of us in a queue today waiting to get a glimpse of the main deity. Yet, everyone was in a hurry. Why would one come to a temple if they were in a hurry? Beats me. And I am sure that they weren't exactly in a hurry... it was just the way they were used to being in temples. Want to know the value of 3 seconds? Ask the sweaty woman who makes it her business to drip all over you and push you with all her weight from behind while if she just waited instead, she could still glimpse the deity in like 3 seconds. Or the man who's twice your size trying to elbow you into a corner so he can squeeze past you in the single-line file and be ahead of one more person (or how-many-ever more he manages to elbow past). Oh and I hate groups that are trying to move in packs. My philosophy is if you get separated, deal with it (unless you have kids walking by themselves risking a stampede). The line's usually so narrow that you are unlikely to evaporate or get lost. Have a reunion at the clearing after the dharshan for God's sake instead of squeezing past in groups or worse, holding onto one another to keep together. Perhaps, it's a mental victory of sorts for all these people who do it... that they caught sight of the deity 3 seconds before the guy behind them or say 3 minutes before the end of the queue. No, that doesn't make sense, does it? Why not then move in an orderly fashion and behave decently rather than stifle the already stale air in the waiting queues by huffing over someone else, or worse dripping perspiration over them? We'll never know.

Unfamiliar land..

It seems that everytime I set foot in Chennai something has changed. And you unfortunate folk read about it each time... I bet a bunch of you must be like - here she goes again, out to crib... The change in the landscape of the place you call "home" is never something easy to digest. Remember I'd cribbed about it last time too? Here it is. Ever so often, there are new buildings... new stores... new protocols and new modes of transport. Sure, Chennai has seen a big improvement in the public transport sector and those who can afford it, one can now ride AC public buses on popular routes paying a tad extra for a pollution-free and necessity-chilled ride straining through trecherous traffic and loud everyday life. Indeed I was able to experience the tranquility of the experience on an AC Volvo bus to Kanchipuram, reaching here unruffled, unsweaty and non-distressed for a mere 75 rupees. Having lived at a stretch in Chennai for 14 long years I still seem to be unequipped with ways to deal with the changes in the last 5. There are of course more one-ways, more flyovers and more ways to get to a certain destination... all of which I am unaware of. My little cousin asked me the route to Mount Road from some place... Normally I'd be able to give it in a jiffy... but with the changes in the public transport system and road routes, I was rather clueless and had to transfer the responsibility of the right answer to my dad who's become more Chennai-ite than I ever thought it was possible for a former Mumbai-ite to become. Then again, you probably adapt to things as they happen around you.. and to take it all in one gulp every trip isn't exactly like having mango juice... It takes a while... it maybe be bitter even if it is for the better and by the time you adjust, you're leaving the place and have much more to contend with the next time that you're back on vacation. I guess they don't say for nothing that "change is the only constant thing in life". Time to take it all in.

The India experience

Know how you've had a million transits through various countries and you haven't felt a thing? Have you ever transitted through India? I did.. just this time... through our fabulous capital, Delhi. Here's the thing - when you transit through some city in any country as the port of entry, you have to do the customs there. Not a big deal... except for the pain of actually claiming the baggage and re-checking it after the customs. And it's not a big deal in any other country. Not here in India though. A 3 hour transit was just about enough. For what? Claim the bags... go through the non-specific customs... and then starts the "fun". So, I was told that there was a "regular" shuttle service between the international and domestic terminals of the airport. First, by "regular" in the normal sense in itself they meant once in 20 minutes. Well, having gotten used to international customs, I thought it was not-too-conveniently paced. But I figured it wouldn't be so bad if it was indeed 20 minutes with no additional "IST" clauses. But who was I kidding? The next thing I learned was that the ride took 30 minutes on an average. Why would this whole thing be called "transit"? I was frustrated... I can't imagine what the whole experience translated to, to the foreigners, especially the ones visiting the fantasy land of India for the first time. And the people at the airline counters weren't equipped to answer in English too well either. Half the time, people like me were chatting to the people in charge in Hindi and translating for the language-challenged folks. That done, the waiting "lounge" was excruciatingly small with the overflowing passengers and further overflowing luggage. After over 40 minutes of waiting, the first "shuttle", a complete run-down school bus variety vehicle pulled up to a curb of overly eager passengers (I don't blame them - each one had a flight to catch) who stuffed their luggages and themselves into the bus and within the blink of the eye, it was full. I decided to wait for the next one, having marginally more time than the people who'd jumped ahead of me. Another 40 anxious minutes later, no buses, more useless banter with the guys at the counter, more eager passengers and the news of one broken-down bus and one in accident. The guy at the counter finally suggests that it may be better for me to get a prepaid taxi. While I mutter curses under my breath and make my way halfway across the stupid lounge, the other one yells that the bus is here. To their credit for having bantered with me for so long, they helped my suitcase into the bus first and then assured me that I would make my flight. I chattered with everyone in sight and made a few short friends out there while the bus paced painfully within the airport making it's way to the domestic terminal from the backyard of the international terminal. 40 minutes later we are dropped off at what is obviously the destination. Only to learn that the terminal for the Air India flights was a level lower and we couldn't get there unless a smaller "golf-cart" took us. I was very nearly at the end of my tether and there was under 20 minutes for my next flight and I still had luggage to check in. The stupid surprise wasn't going as per plan in this leg at all. With 10 minutes to go, I reach the Air India counter only to be misinformed that the flight has departed... and then told that that it was cancelled and then finally told that I needed a proper printout to let me board. I was exasperated beyond measure and a few choice words started exiting my mouth. Realizing my utter frustration at the system, one helpful dude finally thrust a printout into my hands, guided me to a counter and told me that the flight was late by 10 minutes and that meant I could make it. A rush of adrenaline... a checkin.. a boarding pass... a delayed flight and 2.5 hours later, I was finally in Chennai, ready to carry on with the surprise.

We'd want our country to project the best we have to offer... we should be willing to make that effort to expose the advancement in the country. The unhelpful (and under-informed) staff, the complicated procedures, the run-down airport vehicles, the delayed flights... none of this have the vestige of giving anyone the experience of landing in Incredible India. Let's really hope that a good change is in the horizon... and soon. If only we could all individually help.

Surprise surprise!

Finally I did it... I've always wanted to surprise my family by just showing up at the doorstep. I've never had the heart to do it because a big part of the "going to India" thing was to celebrate with everyone at home and countdown to the day, and hour even. but this time, encouraged by S, aided by his parents, we kept it all under wraps... till S made that phone call to my dad while I waited under the balcony in eager anticipation of catching sight of that first face and that first reaction of anyone from the family. It was my dad who stepped out to look out at which VIP had come to see them but didn't know the way up (that's what S told them when he called to say someone was waiting downstairs). And I clearly caught the reaction as I yelled out "Appa... surprise!". It was pure shock bordering on hallucination as he ambled out the door announcing the grand news that I was here to the rest of the family. More disbelief, shock and shouts later, I was assured in... with chidings... with reconfirmations of all the lies that I had to say to lead up to the day... and with utter, total disbelief. It was all worth it to see the jaw-dropped looks from all the faces - my mom and my grandmas. I felt like a celebrity. And my long-term wish was fulfilled. I wanted to do this surprise thing this once. And it was worth every lie I said. For me and for them. All thank to S. Happy holidays!

The empty house

"Empty" house: a house that has been left behind by people who'd made it home for a reasonable period of time, thus making them regular fixtures in the grand scheme of the house.

I think it's been a while since I felt an "empty" house. For a while now, I have been the one travelling and hence leaving behind "empty" houses... That explains why I can feel the very obvious emptiness around me now that S' parents have left for Chennai. I suppose it's a very noticeable difference in our teeny house when half the members have left... add to that 4 suitcases leaving too.. that means an unsettling amount of space.

For the past month we've enjoyed mom-made food, dad-cut fruits, a clean home and other basic comforts that we were once used to receiving and now used to providing. It felt good to be pampered all over again by the doting parents... and it was an all-new experience of living with the in-laws... all just for a month and now, it's back to just the both of us. We'll get used to it of course, as with anything. But here's wishing Amma-Appa a Bon voyage and a safe couple of flights!

The perfect lie

Know how some people can't lie? Like their lips lie but their faces and especially their eyes give them away? Well I used to be one of them... But now you know the second category? The liars-on-fire type? Where it's second skin for them to roll out the lies off their tongues and it's just as good as the truth being told, except that it's not? Now here's the third kind. Those who've gotten so good at lying that they start to believe that it's the truth. It is true... once you keep repeating something over and over again, even though it is not true, it starts sounding true. You soon lose sight of what is real and what is not. I am caught in limbo somewhere. To be continued...

Fair play

India is one of those countries with an obsession for "fair" skin... From matrimonial ads to face creams, the emphasis is on "fair" skin. For some weird reason, everyone wants to be "fair" or so the beauty markets assume. Which explains the large variety of fairness creams for sale in the market. If it's not enough that this vanity was associated just with the women in the past, these days it has extended to the men as well. I just saw an ad for Nivea men's fairness cream endorsed by the likes of Dhoni... and fortuitously, right after that I read this article on BBC, where Ms Authentica is crowned based on her natural skin and all contestants are verified by the organizers to have untreated and natural skin. Immediately, I wished that this concept took off in India too... we have a large spectrum of people occupying all the shades of colour possible and we have to be proud of what we're born with. Trying to change what is naturally ours, to blend in with what the world's view is, is not the solution to anything. Not in terms of skin colour, and not in terms of personality, not for anything. Instead, the world would be a better place if we embraced what was ours and made the most of it. Unfortunately in India, people are made to believe that having fairer skin is superior. Period. It's the age-old race war... where white trumps black. It's as simple as that. I applaud stars like Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan who have made conscious efforts not to endorse any of these "fairness" creams in an effort to globalize all skin tones and colours. And the fairness cream ads totally piss me off too - have you noticed how they show the quality of skin to dramatically improve as well when someone uses their product? And what's with the doors opening for their careers with "white" skin? It's all such BS and what's worse - people buy into it. I mean there are people with glowing skin with whatever colour. We don't have to go far to prove that dusky beauty is very real - look at Nanditha Das or Bipasha Basu for instance. And to think that we've transcended into the modern era... where one would've thought it was relatively easy to be who you are and get what you want with your charm/persona and not having to rely on something as fickle as fair skin. Embrace yourself.. that's what makes you glow from within... not any of these beauty propagandas or the likes of it. The rest of it is not fair.

Bonne vacances!

After days of dreaming about it, days of cribbing about the busy-ness, here it is finally -the start of the vacation. And so we celebrated with pizza, with cake and with well-wishing emails and what not.. vacations are a big deal in France and this vacation has been embraced with open arms by everyone including me. Not that this is going to make me jobless in any manner, mind you. Upcoming in these few short 4 weeks are a couple of out-of-town trips, S' parents departure, moving apartments and what not... it promises to be busy and I promise to keep you posted. until then, bonne vacances, as we would say in France.

One ticket please...

I had an interesting discussion with a friend just about 30 seconds ago which is what sparked this post in the first place. So, she expressed a desire to see the new HP movie. And the reason she hadn't seen it yet was because she didn't have any company. I suggested she go alone and well, she dismissed the idea, opting instead to die. :D. But this is just an opening line for a very interesting discussion. Are you one of those people who can't eat/go to a movie/shop alone?

I am not. Sure, I'd prefer to go to a movie with someone, but I can name a handful of movies that I've been to by myself... mainly because I have a unlimited movie pass (for which I pay monthly) and partially because no one was available to accompany me at a time that suited me best. But I have done it nonetheless. Similarly I have actually lunched alone a few times, mostly in college when my lunchtimes don't match anyone else's. But I've done it all the same. And with no pretenses. I have never used books/notes/ipods to be a pretend companion with me. I just enjoy looking at people around me and eating. Sure, some probably thought I was a loser. But here's where my don't-care attitude benefits me. For everyone who thought I was a loser, there might've been someone else who thought it was cool that I was secure enough to eat by myself with no props. At least with eating alone, I can understand the discomfort. Perhaps it is a little unsettling. You do feel like an invisible spotlight is around you. Everyone knows you are alone and wonders why you have no friends. That's what you think. But here's the thing - very few people give a damn... and that actually works out to your advantage! But as far as a movie is concerned, I am very comfortable going all by myself. After all it is dark and no one is looking at you... everyone is there only for one reason - to see a movie, during which even if you went with a companion and discussed in loud whispers, the only extra thing you get is dirty looks. Sure it's totally great going with a friend or a group of them, but it's hardly that horrible to go alone. In fact here are some tips to surviving a movie alone (all totally dumb) -
1. Go there just in time - Well obviously if you don't want to be thought of as being alone, you can just get into the cinema hall at the last minute when everyone's gushing in and no one knows if you're joining someone or not.
2. Skip the snacks - Well, people tend to notice you only if you are loudly cracking on pop-corn or guzzling down pepsi. If you don't want to be noticed, the easiest way is to not give anyone a reason to.
3. Sit between groups of people - When people are in loud groups, they don't care who's with them or not. Ergo, they don't care about you.

Well, that concludes my simplistic guide to lone movie-watching. I hope the friend is reading. Just coz no one else joins you, doesn't mean you can't have a good time alone. And well, if you miss a friend to "discuss" the movie with, that's what cell phones and free nights n weekends are for. Go girl!

Appearances matter?

Ah.. why are we so fickle when it comes to deciding upon something that is neither in our hands nor matters too much? For example when you are apartment-hunting (like we are), is it important for the building to look nice or for your particular apartment to look nice? Ideally, both of course. But what if you had to choose one? Logic says that it only matters what the apartment looks like on the inside. Why then does it bother you when the building is a little old or a little unkempt? Because impressions matter. Remember how you walk past a beautiful building and wish you could live there? You have no idea how it looks on the inside...if it is practical... if it will be large enough... if it will fulfill your everyday requirements... if it is well-designed, etc. It just goes with the territory in your head that a beautifully designed building on the outside can't go wrong on the inside. If only that logic were infallible. Buildings like people come with no guarantees or promises to match the outside with the inside. Even while we preach that the "inner" beauty is all that matters, we are haughty when it comes to "lesser" significant things like rental apartments. We want that our building look imposing and majestic... Practically, how much time do you spend looking at your building anyways? But it is hardly a question of practicality as it is of status. For some reason it matters. I haven't come across anyone who's disregarded the outside completely giving credit to the inside alone. Are we this judgmental when it comes to people too? I certainly hope not, for that would be truly sad.

The woes of apartment-hunting

We’ve all been through this at some point of time or the other… be it while hunting for shared accommodation as students, collocation as colleagues/friends or your happy home with the husband, we’ve all dealt with the woes of apartment-hunting. Barely 24 hours after having compulsorily decided to switch apartments, I am fed up already… sometimes with the lack of choice and sometimes with the abundance. However, most of my complaints this time around are to have embarked on this search during the long weekend – the consequence being that no one answers the damn phone! Oh and add to that that S n I work at 2 ends of the spectra leaving either or both of us to travel eons between home n work. But I guess my biggest issue is the inertia itself (look at the post below) and the fact that we are so in love with our locality. So that severely restricts our choice because add to the whole rent situation the fact that we want a decent-sized kitchen, preferably larger accommodations, with maybe a balcony and perhaps a cellar… it brings our choices down to very very few. Sigh! Oh and did I mention I hate moving? No, I am not helping myself. I hope fate does.

Inertia of life

Remember when they taught us about inertia in middle school Physics? I don’t know why I thought it was a hard concept back then. It wouldn’t have been so, had they even remotely associated it to the million examples from life. Take us for instance. We live in a gorgeous suburb close to the heart of Paris… the rent is astronomical… the markets are exorbitant in price… but the place is so likeable. There is a certain warmth to the streets, a lot of gaiety in life, not to mention that it is extremely well-connected by public transport. Common sense says that if the cost of living is too high, we’ve got to move to more affordable places. Not that the other factors outweigh this very important one, but we’ve been reluctant as hell to move. It’s just the inertia. We’re so used to living here… people know us here (no neighbours or friends or any of that – just the store clerks, the bus-mates and other people who change with the tapestry of the place we reside in. We just haven’t gotten around to seriously looking at apartment rentals. The fact that we have a lousy gas (read hot plate) in here at home, something that never struck as vital when it was just cooking for the 2 of us was put to serious test when S’ parents came and the people doubled. (I’ve cooked for a dozen people while hosting them at home – but I used to spend close to half a day making the food while it took all of 10 minutes for it to vanish – true physics of life). And so we have another big fat reason to move. All of this propelled mainly by the gas and that fact that we could save a neat 200€ a month has finally forced us to at least consider the apartment listings on the various websites. This is the force that was required to move our asses off the inertia. And this is just one simple example of physics in everyday life. And with inertia, there are plenty examples up for the grabs.

Leonardo's lion

Here's a look at yet another creation conceived by the Master. Ode to Da Vinci.

Return to “innocence”

Yesterday I was out shopping all by myself with a mission to get gifts/souvenirs for S’ parents to give back in India… One of the people on the list was a little girl of 5. And I thought I was fully qualified to deal with what to get her, considering I had been there.. done that and all that. What I wasn’t prepared for was the variety and utility of things available, even for little girls in today’s world. The store I went into was a giant eyesore of pink. Don’t get me wrong.. I am a fan of pink myself.. but think of this as a largely overdone Legally Blonde store. Yeah, not so girl-invoking anymore, right? Anyhow, the crowd there was unbelievable. This store must’ve been all of 300 sqft and every breathable inch was filled with moms and daughters or young giggly teenagers trying on ridiculous wigs or people like me – lost in an ocean of one another with not a clue of what we were looking for. As I scanned the store for something I thought was appropriate for a 5 year old, I caught glimpses of what was considered appropriate in this day and age – makeup (not-so-faux anymore), elaborate hairdo-creating bands (remember the good old days of love-in-tokyos?), actual purses kiddified only by adding cartoon characters on top.

As always, this post isn’t what it was made out to be. My mind wandered into our days of simpler schooling where our textbooks were our bibles. And where we could get the teacher to change our marks/grades, simply by showing proof of the print on the textbook to back up our claims on the answer papers. Fast forward to today. Where the kids are all internet-savvy, not just with Facebook or Myspace but with the whole googling experience as well. Now the evidence to backup any of their claims stretched to astronomical limits. I don’t know how it works in school with this development. But it would make a solid argument to claim that something was true and that one had read it off Wikipedia. That puts an enormous strain on the poor teachers who now had the world wide web to contend with and had to be abreast of all the facts that were and not just the ones mentioned in the now seriously-restricted textbooks. Does anyone have a clue how this works now? Please enlighten me if you do. I would imagine it would be terribly competitive with each person trying to show up the other, particularly if it was a subject they liked. And all of this thought manifested itself while I was in that horribly-crowded store, fishing out a coloring book and jumping the queue to pay for it and get the hell out of there. I only wish I didn’t move in slow-motion further strangling the crowd and the air in that place. Don’t have a clue. However, Good luck teachers.

Paris visits

Here's some of the scenes we've captured while taking S' parents around Paris. The beautiful Sacre-Coeur church in Montmarte. Gorgeous, isn't it?
Tip: Click on the photo for a higher-resolution image.

Happy Birthday RER E

Isn't it cute when people celebrate birthdays of trains? I think it is.. So it was my favourite train's birthday apparently one of the days last week. And the entire train was festooned with balloons and stickers saying "Bon Anniversaire" and all that. Not just that, they gave all of the travellers that day a free juice box and a madeline. Cute, huh?

Je suis bizee

Dear Readers,

I sincerely apologize for not having been able to update this space for about a week now. Sounds less to you? Feels like eternity to me!! Having been pretty regular with MindBlogging, I find it oddly unsettling that my thought-flow has been arrested enroute to making it on the blog due to unforeseen busy-ness. With the vacation fast approaching and work remaining to be completed and S's parents here, there's just enough time to breathe and exist. Once the vacations start, you can be assured that I will be back in full swing.
Until then, please hang in there.
Cheers!
J

5 shades darker

Don't you hate summer? All that skin colour that you slowly and steadily accumulated all through the torturous winters using moisturizers and what not, all gone within the flick of an eye-lid? It's like 4 days into hardcore summer with sweltering temperatures of 32°C (sorry, Parisian 32°C are nearly unbearable) and I have bronzed rather evenly. Gone are the days of fairness I say. I support Aiswarya Rai in her claim that all skin tones are beautiful. And if I have bronzed, so be it. Bronze is beautiful.

From my android

Yoohoo... now I can blog on the go thanks to the husbands android. cheers.

The days of slog...

Ever since starting my PhD, I've been unconvinced about my conviction in the whole thing. I took it up as an interim thing to do in a new country where I required some orientation. And the PhD just fell into place and was interestingly in my field of interest and everything, so I had no reason not to take it up. And all along it's haunted me that I haven't done justice to it. And then came along S's parents for a long visit. With my MIL taking over the kitchen, this is finally my chance to bask in the days of being a PhD candidate - finally I can work on something for however long I like without having to be concerned about going home and whipping up dinner. The days of slog are here and I welcome them with outstretched arms (only because the vacations are in the horizon and I know this phase won't last). Every slog has a holiday lining.

Identity call

Identity: The individual characteristics by which a thing or person is recognized or known.

There is some innate desire by people to be able to identify with someone/something at all times. Ever noticed how the minute you meet someone new and have the slightest information about them, you are trying to associate something or the other with them? Common people from the same school/college/university/work place? Once this is established, it changes nothing unless the middle person is a close friend of the both of you in which case you would have heard about one another in any case. Otherwise, you just speak about this common person for a few short minutes fueling the conversation and that’s about it. What is it then that makes us seek out this connection? You just feel closer, more connected to this new acquaintance for however long you’re going to see them. It’s totally weird and yet totally true. And it's almost always one of the first things to be discussed in context. It probably gives one a sense of familiarity and increases the appeal of the person to be associated with someone we like. On the other hand, we are wary of those associated with people we don't like. It acts as a mental filter of sorts and lets us set our guard at the level we deem appropriate.

Bafflingly though, it's easier perhaps to form an association with someone you have absolutely no one or nothing in common with. This helps you to finally be able to judge them as they are for what they are worth with your own standards with no inputs from any past experiences. And it gives everyone a fresh slate to start with. And almost everyone deserves that. And if they didn't, it's bound to show up soon. Like Ron (Harry Potter character) sagely says, poisonous toodstools don't change their spots.

Fixations

This is a scientific fact and there is evidence to back it up - if you fixate upon something, it is likely to amplify. Like you know how you think that you are hearing some noise and for some reason no one else can hear it but you are sure as hell that there is something and it's as loud as cathedral bells to your ears? That's not a figment of your imagination. Your brain really does amplify those sounds in your ear so that you can hear them clearly. It thinks it's trying to help you out. Here's the news item.

On the other hand, here's how everything manifests itself in our day-to-day lives. Anything and everything we fixate upon is likely to give us more agony than if we didn't. Some unforeseen symptoms... unresolved issues...unreceived calls and even the simplest things are bound to cause us unnecessary anguish. They don't say for nothing that a watched pot seldom boils. The key to giving yourself some peace is to stop over-analyzing things and give it a rest at least for sometime. And not seeking desperate measures for closure - like calling someone for the 20th time incapable of waiting for them to return the call they said that they would, or popping multiple pills for a seemingly simple headache. This compounds the issues rather than resolving the problem. While time especially crawls when you are watching the clock, it goes by much faster when you're occupied even with the most mundane chores of everyday life. They don't say for nothing that time will heal. This too shall pass. Wait it out.

The forgotten girl

The big problem in having many guy friends is that in due time they forget that you are a girl. Especially if your personality is anything like mine... where you don't cringe at the first bad word or the first cheap slander (rather you might join in and take a potshot yourself), when your wavelengths are perfectly meshed, blah. Wow.. sounds like a whole lot of physics mumbo-jumbo. And almost always, we girls are the tomboys of the gang and are seldom associated with any dainty behaviour typical of girls, which we also ridicule sometimes alongside the boys. So big surprise then, that the girlfriends that these guys end up with are a bit wary of us at least till they know that as far as their 'guys' are concerned, we are just other guys masquerading as girls. We are the genre of forgotten girls.

That being said, somehow when we are with "the guy", we suddenly develop all the feminity that ever was and want to be treated as any girl should be treated. And the fact that we have so many guy friends is not a bargaining chip for being treated any lesser as a girl, especially by our significant other. As long as that doesn't happen, being the forgotten girl may not be as bad as it sounds.

Animal love unleashed

Tribute: May Michael Jackson rest in peace. The King of Pop truly defined western music in our hearts.

Note: This post may sound absurd to most of you.

Seen a dog on leash? What am I talking about, of course you have. Most dogs as pets are on leashes when they're taken out for walks or basically when they're taken out. Normally this hasn't affected me much. I mean the dogs I've normally seen are the frisky playful varieties who pretty much control their leashes and totter along happily with their owners at their heels or vice versa. Yesterday I saw an older dog. He was leashed to a dustbin outside a bank, presumably to wait while the owner finished some business on the inside. And the dog might have had no complaint for he sat there, spine straight and impassive, patiently waiting. But I did. I felt unreasonably disturbed, and got very irked with the insensitive owner. No, the garbage wasn't full and the place wasn't stinking. Yes, it was open air and the leash was reasonably long. I couldn't place what was troubling me. Till I could. It was about the visible and invisible shackles. It was about that leash. I knew I'd have had lesser trouble with a pet dog just waiting by himself on the outside than one that was forcibly chained to a dustbin. But here was the thing. That owner inside probably took good care of his dog... fed him, entertained him, took him to the vet, kept him happy and all of that. But it was the whole concept of the leash. How we as the thinking animal have assumed superiority over every other species and condemned them to a life of captivity (or domestication) to get what we wanted from them, be it company or food. No, I don't know what dogs would do if we didn't "domesticate" them and keep them as pets. I know they don't live in the "wild". As a matter of fact, I don't know what I want to be done with them. I bet you're saying to yourself - I don't know why she wrote this post anyways. But I guess my point is, when humans were put on leashes (Abu Ghraib torture), it created mass upheavals of protests as it should but it's perfectly okay for animals. And isn't around the neck a pretty cruel place to put a leash (I know the leash is cruel indeed, but the belly might hurt lesser albeit be less controllable)? And it's mostly just the poor dogs. The rest of the animals seem to get away with it (cats, rabbits, etc are gingerly carried around in cages - which is not so comfy either but it's just during transportation). While pet owners truly care for the welfare of their animals, I don't know where the cut-off is between providing food and shelter for an animal and then subjecting it to a leash. For all I know, the animal isn't bothered so much about the leash as I am. Like I said in the beginning, this post may sound absurd to most of you.

The virtuous life

PS: This post is in good humour. I would rather that everyone lead happy and 'virtuous' lives.

Remember those college days? Or even in the University? When everyone was single and life's main concerns were if you were seeing a movie that night or going bowling with friends? Oh and of course all those night stays where you could dissect every little detail of some conversations with some special someone, bitch about the others and generally think you were in the best phase of life? Fast forward a few years later when you are married and have a trickle of single friends remaining... none of whom is doing anything remotely unconventional... if they're dating, they're hoping for marriage and if they're not, they're still hoping for marriage, all in good time. Doesn't it suck when everyone's leading virtuous lives? It leaves nothing to talk about.

The truth about your Thesis

Courtesy: Some forwarded mail.

Scene: It's a fine sunny day in the forest, and a rabbit is sitting outside his burrow, tippy-tapping on his typewriter. Along comes a fox, out for a walk.

Fox: What are you working on?
Rabbit: My thesis.
Fox: Hmmm. What's it about?
Rabbit: Oh, I'm writing about how rabbits eat foxes. (incredulous pause)
Fox: That's ridiculous! Any fool knows that rabbits don't eat foxes.
Rabbit: Sure they do, and I can prove it. Come with me.

They both disappear into the rabbit's burrow. After a few minutes, the rabbit returns, alone, to his typewriter and resumes typing. Soon, a wolf comes along and stops to watch the hardworking rabbit.

Wolf: What's that you're writing?
Rabbit: I'm doing a thesis on how rabbits eat wolves (loud guffaws)
Wolf: You don't expect to get such rubbish published, do you?
Rabbit: No problem. Do you want to see why?

The rabbit and the wolf go into the burrow, and again the rabbit returns by himself, after a few minutes, and goes back to typing.

Scene inside the rabbit's burrow: In one corner, there is a pile of fox bones. In another corner, a pile of wolf bones. On the other side of the room, a huge lion is belching and picking his teeth.

Moral: It doesn't matter what you choose for a thesis subject. It doesn't matter what you use for data. What does matter is who you have for a thesis advisor.

Hail Professors!

Stereotypically yours...

Stereotype: A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image; a person who is regarded as embodying or conforming to a set image or type.

Stereotypical: Banal, commonplace and clichéd because of overuse.
Courtesy: Wictionary.

After over an year of marriage, a few 100 male friends, I think I know enough to safely say that men don't analyze/think about something 10% as much as women do. Now, that's a classic example of stereotyping. But this post isn't about who/what we brand stereotypical for a whole variety of reasons. It's more to do with the kinds of stereotyping - some that we love to hate and some others that we accept graciously. Now, let's examine the old-fashioned domestic household scheme - man's the breadwinner, woman's the homemaker... both such important roles, yet the man's as the "breadwinner" has taken the pedestal on this one for eons. Of course we women hate this stereotype, which in this day n age make no sense whatsoever. We contribute to the household income too and yet, we are left with plenty to do at home as well. That said, the increasing contribution in domestic chores by the modern man stands truly appreciated. It's always, "I help her clean... I help her take care of the baby", blah, like it's a share of someone else's primary responsibility, you know what I mean.

On the other hand, some of the stereotypes that women continue to appreciate are how the men are expected to be the forward ones - whether it's in a romantic overture or in coming up with an investment plan. And these stereotypes like everything else has been nurtured in us from when we're very little. All the movies, the books and anything and everything we've had the opportunity to associate with will tell you the one common thing - the man proposes to the woman, for instance. No wonder then, even with the woman equaling the man stride for stride in this day, most women still want that sparkling fairytale romance where the man goes down on one knee. Weirdly, the men just don't get that. Associating the modern woman's strength of character and her individuality with a sort of breezy independence, most men seem to take it for granted to do away with all of the textbook romance. And no, that's not ok. No, women don't want flowers for everything... but that doesn't mean you don't give her flowers for anything. See what I mean? Another set of grey areas in the entire relationship game. Another one where the man spends a tonne of time figuring out exactly what the woman wants. And I don't blame them much... the women don't want some stereotypes, yet love to be a part of some others. Good luck, men.

Tofu burji (scrambled tofu)

Of course you knew I had some tofu lying around after making them skewers… So I wanted to try something a bit common yet different and so I ended up scrambling them, much like scrambled eggs/paneer. Turns out, it came out great!

The normally bland tofu really took on the spices and tasted refreshingly different from it’s normal rubbery self. I’m not going to give a recipe here coz it’s just too darned simple. I’ve used 1 large onion, 1 mid-sized capsicum, green chilli and tomato each, 1 whole garlic and 3/4 slab of tofu sautéed in 1 spoon of grapeseed oil for the dish, spiced with salt a hint of garam masala and coloured with turmeric. And I garnished it with a dash of spring onion greens.
We had it by itself as a simple meal, served with a glass of red Chateâu Rochebelle ‘89. Perfect. What's more it's a wholesome protein powerhouse and with the least oil going into it makes for a light, filling and healthy dinner.


Bon Appétit!

Parisian fashion faux pas

Not that I am some fashion diva or something, but there are certain things that you notice on people and you just know that that’s not the way it should be. Even in one of the fashion capitals of the world, Paris, people sometimes commit the ultimate crime – fashion faux pas.

Here’s my list of not-so-hot witnessed on the everyday Parisian fashion scene (for the list of very hot read this post):

1. Skinny jeans and bulky shoes: Skinny jeans are very in out here.. And I assumed one of the main reasons was that so many people, men and women alike, are so slender. And it looks great on them. Just not when they mess it up and pair it with oversized sneakers. It looks very unsightly and is particularly effective in grabbing the wrong kind of attention.

2. Goop-up: Remember how we talked about how most women here were to choose one eye-makeup essential, it’d be mascara ? Rightly applied, it can be a major boost to those skimpy lashes. But maybe it’s a fashion key I am missing out on, but so many people here put oodles of the stuff on their lashes so much that it forms tiny globules at the tips. Not appealing at all.

3. Legally wrong: So a gorgeous woman’s walking towards you. Tall, slender and what’s she wearing? A long shirt and… oh, wait a minute, that’s it! I think this one started out when truly some woman forgot to wear pants/skirt before stepping out of her house. And she was probably bold enough to pretend that that was exactly what she wanted. And it became a fashion statement. But without sheer stockings at the least or leggings, this outfit looks vastly unsettling. Many women pair up a long shirt with tall heels. A very handy way to show off long legs, not that any men are complaining. It’s sexy in a very bedroom way. Maybe a tad weird for the conventional me. And seriously, it’s one of those things that you can barely contain an incredulous reaction from. Go figure!

4. Boot-strapped: Ah them boots again… they look great with most things… slim pants, short skirts, dresses and the like. But just coz you have a pair or two doesn’t mean you wear them with everything whether it goes or not! Bulky jeans stuffed into tapering boots isn’t a sight to behold.. and even full-length skirts look strange with boots. At least this one is not so bad.

5. Pierced: This is not even the women I’m talking about. Almost no woman I’ve seen has any weird piercings in places visible to the eye. But it’s some of the men. And no, I have no issues with eyebrow piercings or anything of the sort. But on the nose? For a man? That’s hard for any Indian girl to digest. Eeks!

Aah there are so many more things I’d love to say.. but I didn’t wanna be overly bitchy. And given that I am no Jeniffer Aniston, I thought I’d stop short of sounding like a fashionista with a job at Dior.

Until later…….

Chatpata veggie skewers (kababs)

Well, the word kabab doesn’t really mean much to a Vegetarian. So the word skewer is probably more appropriate in this case. For the uninitiated, a skewer is just a bamboo stick into which one can thread meat/veggies to be roasted/grilled or barbecued. So this is just a simple appetizer for those unhurried days which doubles up as a viable option for those barbecue picnics when all we can do is watch the meat-eaters otherwise. Here’s a glimpse.

Intrigued? It’s really a very simple thing that the seasoned chefs wouldn’t even bother blogging but amateurs like me take pleasure in filling the gaps. So, if you’re interested…
What you need:
Veggies: Anything that you can find. I’ve used – cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, spring onions, capsicum and tofu blocks.
For the marinade:

Curd	1 cup
Water	1 cup
Turmeric, red chilli powder, dhaniya-jeera powder, asfoetida and salt	1 pinch each
Garlic	5-6 pods finely chopped/crushed
Ginger	1/4 inch piece chopped
Fresh coriander leaves	1/2 sprig finely chopped

Marinate: For the marinade, mix all the ingredients well. Soak the veggies in the marinade for at least a half hour before grilling them.
Tip: Use a skewer to bore holes into each of your veggies so that the marinade really gets deep into them.
Next, thread them on the skewers, alternating by color for prettier appearance :D

Here’s one more look..

Then, just grill 'em! At 350°F (166°C) for 20 minutes. Preferably, turn the veggies after half the time to grill them evenly on all sides. Serve piping hot with a sprinkle of fresh lemon juice (and some chaat masala if you're into it).


Don't let the sparkly fresh exterior fool you. After 20 minutes, they were well-done and had absorbed the marinade wonderfully. Yumm yumm. I served it as an appetizer to a predominantly Chinese pasta (if you want to know what that is, drop me a line). Dinner is served.

Bon Appétit!

The big list of wedding don'ts...

Note: The scenarios discussed here are probably more in tune with Indian weddings rather than Western ones.

Having witnessed quite a few weddings over the past couple of years, I've made a mental note of all the things that should best be avoided on your big day. And now, I've decided to make that knowledge public. Here's a list of things you'd rather stay away from when planning the biggest night (or in our case 3 days) of your life.

Match game
Avoid: It's totally 1970s Bollywood song style to wear matching clothes with your fiancé(e). Complementing one another is one thing. But matching in color exactly is entirely different and is a rather big test on one's gag reflex. I think the worst I've seen is a theme wedding where the decorations were in blue and beige. And the bride and groom wore blue and beige clothes. While you're at it, please make sure your cake isn't designed as per theme as well! No, it's not cute or cool.. it's just gag-worthy.
Instead: Do it in style. The groom wearing a tie the exact color of the bride's sari/dress is very classic and subtle. Take a hint or two from Katie Holmes who dresses Tom Cruise to match her in the most of tasteful of ways. One time his tie matched her eye shadow. That subtle.

Accessories
Avoid: I think the worst I've seen is the groom in a smart dress jacket... accompanied by sports shoes. I don't think anything could've stuck out more like a sore toe. It's completely taboo.
Instead: Go all the way. If you've picked out the clothes you want to wear, how hard can it be to accessorize appropriately without looking like a cave person (or an athlete for the case-in-point)? And women, the "less is more" concept totally sells. If your sari is pretty heavy on the zari or the embroidery, it won't be so bad to keep the jewelry light and tasteful rather than go all out and look like a Prince jewelry advertisement. Both looks may work for you. Get the advise of trusted friends on what goes best. One last piece of advise: Don't wear ridiculous jewelry... no matter how much others tell you it "suits" you.

Environment friendly
Avoid: Plastic cups on the podium. No I don't mean when you're standing on the reception dias and stealing a few sips of pineapple juice from a disposable cup between well-wishers from the long snaking queue waiting to wish you and then rush to the dining hall. I mean when you're toasting your day as it has become common these days. For crying out loud, do not "toast" your wedding cheers with plastic cups.
Instead: Please please invest in crystal or atleast good old glass for the occasion. This isn't the place to scrimp.

Camera-check
Avoid: Heavy make-up and very heavy jewelry especially in sweaty Chennai. Not many things can be worse than sweating out your makeup on your brand-new clothes under the sweltering spotlight. And many people end up looking extra-powdered to perhaps combat the oncoming heat.
Instead: Most people are very concerned on how they look in their pictures. After all, that's what lasts to keep the memories fresh forever. Fortunately in this day and age, it's very simple to rid that concern. Get a friend to click a few pictures of you once you're ready on a digicam. It's a fool-proof way of telling if you're overly madeup or if you've missed some important detail overall.

And finally, remember to smile and express all that happiness that you're feeling inside. Everyone's on your side and everyone wants to make you feel just as special as you do on your big day. Leave the inhibitions behind and enjoy the day(s) for what they truly mean - one of the most precious events in your life.

PS: If you're a wedding invitee, your only concern should be not to dress down the bride. As tempting as it maybe to wear your own fabulous reception sari (if you're already married), make sure to find out if the bride is going to be wearing something more stunning. Nothing irks a bride than being showed down on her big day. ;)

F(l)avorites..

When it comes to clothes and accessories, I am more a quantity trumps quality person. I know that this might make me sound trashy.. but honestly I'd rather have a large variety of things to wear rather than one good branded thing. So back in the US, my clothes shopping was all Charlotte Russe and Sears. To me, it makes perfect sense. To others, it may seem a tad stingy. But it works for me... after all it tends to revitalize my wardrobe ever so often. However the point of this post wasn't about that. It was about those select few clothes that made it to the favorite list. For most stages in my wardrobe life cycle, I've had one pair of perfect jeans. The length, the fit, the flare... everything came together on one piece of garment and it becomes my signature jeans for the time it lasts. In UC it was this pair that PT used to love on me.. she used to call them 'woh-wala' (those) jeans. Every time I pondered on what to wear, she would suggest the 'woh-wala' pair. Of course each of these pairs wore out leading to me seek alternate replacements appropriately. Just recently while scouring through my entire wardrobe, I realized not only had I run out of a favorite pair, I'd run out of everything wearable with respect to jeans. Either they were too loose or too drab or just too worn, and you get the point. Here's one instance where it didn't help - all that quantity and no quality to speak of. Time to shop! This time I should probably get some quality to go along with the quantity. Sounds grownup? It does to me.

Hip hop safety information

How many of us are thoroughly bored by the good old flight safety instructions on the plane when you board. Here's a nice little twist - the hip-hopping flight attendant. He rocks!

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/video/default-ap.aspx?cp-documentid=7598987a-2602-4262-a596-c6e56409305b

I bet you can't resist rapping along :D

Arachnoid experiences

The occurrence- I was innocently watching reruns of Grey’s Anatomy sitting on my sofa while my peripheral vision detected some movement at the exterior. A quick scan confirmed my fears. A medium-sized spider had wandered into the middle of the hall.

Me– Holy crap! What was I supposed to do? I hurriedly called the husband never taking my eyes off of the 8-legged uninvited ‘guest’. He asked me to remain calm – “It’s just a spider. Watch where it goes.. I’ll be there soon and get rid of it”. Just a spider? I made a mental note to remember that when the situation demanded it. But for now, it made sense right? Watch where it went and tell on it as soon as S got home. I left the sofa to stand in one of the corners giving me and the spider about 3 feet of clearance – enough I assumed for me to bolt if required. For about an eternity the spider that hurriedly scampered out from nowhere didn’t move. It must’ve been a minute when it made a sudden lunge for under the dining table. Oh no.. not the kitchen! I hurried right behind it to try and close the kitchen door. The spider hurried faster. I managed to shut the door. As I hurried over, I realized that was not where the spider was headed at all. It darted under the dining table. I stood there dancing on my toes (what if it sprang on to me with some unforeseen prowess?) trying to keep my eyes on it’s whereabouts. I spotted it scampering beneath the table to beneath the sofa. I figured that that was it. The dark recess under the sofa would be where the spider sought solace. Wrong again. In a few seconds I saw it run along the corner towards the TV. Basically it was running around the perimeter of the room. Unsure of what to do next, I kept hovering expecting the spider to run out all over again. To my horror, I realized that the bedroom door was open. I couldn’t deal with a spider when I was awake.. how was I ever going to sleep if it got into the bedroom? Fear forgotten for half a second, I darted to shut the door. My sudden movement jolted the spider who headed straight for me. I hopped, skipped and jumped with squeals and successfully avoided it while it finally made it’s way to the kitchen. Damn! Nothing I could do now. I grabbed my keys and left the house.

The repercussions for the spider- Oops… If only I’d known that that vent was into the bathroom of a house and not to the outside! Ok, now I am in the middle of some room and there’s a HUGE creature that’s dancing around, obviously to kill me. Got to find a way out! Lemme run around the room looking for an exit. That table place seems about right to start. No.. nothing… Under the sofa? Nope not there either… near the TV? Holy crap.. the creature is closing in on me! Now what? Let me shock it by running into it. Ok here goes… Runnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn… and I made it! Ah there’s a vent in the kitchen. Go for it. Whoosh, I’m out of the house.

What transpired next – I keep glancing back behind my shoulder sulking all over for the next 3 hours jumping at every shadow… suspecting every movement to be an 8-legged thing. I am finally convinced that a spider that couldn’t sit still for 2 minutes when I spotted it could barely lurk around for 3 hours and not show itself. It must’ve gone.

Talk about irrational fears, especially when it comes to creepy-crawlies.