the safai and the homecoming!

Her Christmas started with a major "spring" cleaning operation in the middle of winter! The chaos around her was wanting to settle... she was wanting to bring in 'good karma'! And so she set about to do a major overhaul of her room! As Pinchester rightly put it "each time I come something drastic has happened here!!" :D

Her nooks and corners were cleaned off and it was a 'song sung blue' with a lot of the covers matching the flooring! (yes my home tweet om has blue flooring to resemble the ripples in a very blue pond!) Net Net.. she likes it all over again! The lots of tiny lamps all around make her find her peace...! :) She even hung a miniature wooden turtle coz she believes it brings good luck! Another friend (Mish) went on to say "ur room is like magic.. everywhere u sit there's sumthing to pick up and explore!" 

~ she took a bow!

The marathon cleaning up had left her and Mish tired and hungry! That's when Granpa decides to turn up and we go eat a nice, satifying continental meal.. It was the types that leaves you nice n warm n sleepy! :) Needless to say.. she slept like a log!

The day after that found her lazing around "working from home"! (ahem! ahem! and revelling in her new found karmic goodness) ;) And then she scooted with Mish in the evening to gallavant and enjoy sum coffee!! The two of them have come to the conclusion that "boy! can they eat.. or CAN THEY EAT!" :D a 1200 bucks bill at a barrista is sumthing!

Now the saturday had promised to be tough! So she decided to sleep through most of it waking up only at 4 in the evening! A couple of missed calls.. one of which was "her sister's boss's sister!" ~ sheesh! and she was invited for Dinner! Now for obvious reasons she couldn't say no and ended up drawing upon "ALL" of her social skills by buying flowers and spending 3 hours smiling and laughing politely at a conversation that shes terror-ible at having!!! (~phew!)

She made a couple of urgent phone calls to vent it all out and gain back her sanity and ran off to Mish's place! After a long rant about the evening and venting venting venting they drove off to the airport! Sadda Vadda Praa was coming back from Videsh! And he was so not expecting us to be at the airport at 1:30 in the night!! :D A beautiful drive and a cup of coffee later, the flight had landed and we were on our checkposts eyeing the door and every every every person coming out of it! Any cute firang was duly admired and gawked at but then we realized we needed to focus! :D To not take any risks one of us posted at the cab counters and the other eyeing the exit like a hawk! Intermittent calls "any luck?" "not yet" "ok bye"! :D And finally.. after 1 hour 15 mins of the flight having landed walks out Bhaaaaaaaiiiiiiieeeee with his hair curled as ever and the distinctive goofy smile on his face! Shell shocked to see us! Eventually the surprise registered as he walked out! :D

Tanking up on gas for the drive: 200 bucks!

The coffee while waiting: 150 bucks!

The look on Bhai's face when he saw us: Priceless!!! 

:D :D :D

The night was spent chattering away and seeing photos and getting to know New York in so much detail that both Mish n me can walk down the streets and know exactly where we are in New York now! We probably even know what gullies to take to reach where!!! (FYI: The Chrysler building has white bulbs and the Empire State glows red and yellow!) :D 

7 AM found the great Mish standing over our heads demanding to be dropped home since her maid was due to come! Ideal moment to catch some sleep! :) ~ she would wish! She was pleasantly surprised at 11 AM when Pinchester dropped by with sum beautifully wrapped truly yum plum cake! And then she decides to break on her the fact that "She's started cooking!!!!" (Now this is one babe who would not step into the kitchen to save her life even!!!) Thereon as hunger struck we got parathas packed, picked up some beer and gudangaram's (the vadda praa's first words during the welcome jhappi were "yayyy! I'm back in India jahan Gudangaram milti hai!") and headed to you guessed it.. Bhai's place! Bas fir kya tha.. full on matargashti! Thoda bahut sentiapaa also with Bhai going "chaahe jo bhi ho.. jitni bhi achchi scenery ho.. kitna bhi sundar ho.. vahan koi apna nahi tha... who do you share all of it with?" Biiiiig round of biiiiiiiiiiiiig super jumbo hugs! And he starts to sing "mere desh ki hawa! kahin kuch jale kahin kuch sade.. hai mere desh ki hawa!" :D

The evening found us cleaning Mish's Pad and saw a very tired bhai snoring away happily! He was slowly woken up as a feast of ande ki bhurji, dal makhani and phulka's arrived and was made to eat! Some playful banter later as they bade gnite they decided to eagerly wait for his one bag that had been left behind by the airlines in Frankfurt! (~that's the one with the chocolates in it!) :D

At 8 AM sharp an excited bhai calls... "Oyee!!! Mera bag aa gaya!!!" A very sleepy me goes "hunnnnnn... hum aa jayenge shaam ko office se!" :D And lo and behold as promised we are there.. gorging on the chocs, getting some new music and movies, seeing more photographs and eating Chinese!! 

:) Welcome Home Bhai! I missed you!

the transformation!

The workaholic is sitting in office and listening to songs as she types this post! :)

After months she's wearing a salwar kameez with dupatta full punju ishtyle and everyone stopped work to look up once and comment.. "what's with you?!" :) Her bachchas (aka testing team) decided they all want photos clicked with her in this "naya roop!" :D A brief conversation with boss also ends on the note "aaj vaise tumhe kya hua?" ;)

We crossed a major milestone yesterday and the mood is light and celeblatory! she plans to go out with friends for dinner on a weekday so it doesn't get better than this! It has been loooong!

And her 1 year old tiny lil prince of a bhanja has fallen in love with the Miss India World and decides to express it by letting go of his chocolate and picking up the femina cover with her pic on it and showering her with his lil baby kisses!!! 

:D ~take the time out to be with yourself this long weekend and have a merry christmas!

chhoti si zindagi!

Tumultuous! and that's the only way to describe the way things have been! her life has pretty much been work driven as as you know who has gone on to say "apni life main testing ke alava kuch chhoda hai?" to which a very sheepish answer was "i need something to do now that you aren't here!" ;)

The kukkad makkhanwala (aka butter chicken) she made for her new found 'bachchas' was a superhit! Ok.. before you wonder more.. my bachchas are my testing team who work the way I do to achieve something we know is unachievable! But then.. "If at first you don't succeed call it version 1.0"! :D

Ok.. so she's had friends at her throat o give up work! she's listening.. she's taking a semi-break in jan! Mom's looking forward to her going home so much so that even before she could get up in the morning (or evening given her sleep cycle) dad had gone and booked them and sent her an email with the details! It's been quite sometime since she was back at "home". Things must have changed she's sure... 

Dada aka Barman aka the guy who she insists is wasted and so should get married is in town and so is the crush of her life! It was idle banter and lots of laughter as a bunch of 8 people (one of which was a Sardar and the other a Sardarni) decided "zindagi bahut chhoti si hoti hai"! And that resulted in them gobbling up 2 chicken platters first and then eventually 35 parathas! 

So the scene at the Delhi Dhaba went like this:

"ji paintees (35) paranthe.. 15 aaloo, 10 gobi, 10 mooli"

stares her down and then "makkhan ya dahi?"

"ji dono"

another stare.. "kaake pack kar jaldi..!" one more stare.. "paintee paranthe!"

(take a guess at who the Sardarni was..! and as the Barman put it.. 'an evening with Sardar and Sardarni!') ;)

Meanwhile a kitten has decided to jump up into the car through the window and in between shouts and screams the li'l thing for its surprised life is shooed out! (and she wonders.. how such things happen to her! whoever heard of a cat climbing into a car through an open window!)

and now she sits waiting for the sun to stream in through her windows so that she can get some sleep! (yep... jilted body cycle! or is it the parathas??! 3 hajmolas down!) :D 

this and that.. here and there!

Ok.. so while the parties have been battling it out at the elections and celebrating their "victories" while completely ignoring their combined failure very recently, an Indian court has asked for Google Earth to be banned! Apparently this was a tool in the hands of the terrorists that enabled the planning for 26/11 and so it should be "banned". How convenient! (to ban the tool and not the abusers of that tool!!) Perfect I say. At the same time ISRO is looking to create a "Google Earth Like" tool. 

So while we keep our blinders on and continue to not learn, Pakistan also treats India like a piece of shit and says no to handing us our most wanted. The siege in Mumbai lasted a few days... the siege of the nation shows no easy end!

On a lighter note.. I have to be in office at 10 AM tomorrow! Now I did that once last week and I spent the day in a sleepy trance accomplisihing no work whatsoever. On any normal day I open my eyes to the morning sun not before 1030! And to reach office at 10 means....! oh well! The weekend was fun where we travelled 400kms (round trip) just to have some biryani! I'm cooking butter chicken tomorrow morning for my testing team (and making it to office at 10 am! please pray for a miracle!) and I need to buy a birthday present tomorrow! I have a room whose dirt and chaos is slowly wrecking havoc inside me and I pretty much know what the coming weekend is like! ;) I'm dying to make me some spaghetti bolognaise and some mushroom and sausage pasta and am also waiting for January to happen! I also met the cutest dog yesterday who decided to guard my car all night for me!

The someone special in my life has been giving me several moments to hold close and he made me watch "office space"! A must watch for every traffic jam plagued cubicle dweller and I think I'm happy being motee hereby giving up all (whatever lil existed anyways!) attempts to lose weight!

~ Celebrate the weekday! Have some vanilla twist with coke! Cheers!

but it rained...

She tried... she tried to detach herself yet in vain. The last straw was when she read this:

Indian agencies knew that the attack would come from the sea, and by mid-November they knew that the Taj hotel would be targeted. And yet the attacks still happened. A blow-by-blow account of how the plan to attack Mumbai by sea was hatched and executed.

The Article is here: Mumbai Attacks Piecing together the story.

It's an impotent political system "leading" us! Leading us to a future of constant fear, of insecurity! The Mumbai blasts have laid bare wantonness of the skeleton we call the "leadership of the nation". And they have the audacity to belittle the attack! A world looks on in with mixed feelings of pity and mockery as the affected pick up strands and move on with their lives. 

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had said: "The children of a nation are a trust of the nation. What the future will be depends on how we discharge our trust". The only trust being discharged here is that of laxity, corruption and a weak-shaking-at-the-knees-save-your-backside-stance.

Lives have been lost.. the tears haven't stopped.. and "they" manage to smile and move on..

(have the lessons been learnt??)

Leaving you with this:

Wrapped in a polythene tucked away safe in my mind

A little goodbye maybe or just a passing smile

The birds fly away to the southern sky searching a home

A bunch of paper flowers or a little boy left all alone

Can somebody hear me I'm screaming from so far away

Morning who will calm you now, the evening is eclipsed again

Well does life get any better

More yesterday than today

How I thought the sun would shine tomorrow

But it rained . . .

They justified the cause for which Daddy might give up his life

It's been so long, so long a time, still I miss Daddy at night

The ache is long gone but the never keeps staring along

The waters in the seas are high

and all the sand castles have drowned

Well does life get any better

More yesterday than today

How I thought the sun would shine tomorrow

But it rained . . .

sometimes..

"Not all who wander are lost!"

Been wandering... inside my head and outside my soul too! The hiatus is thus explained. Adding to it has been a stress injury to the right arm so been taking it easy as well!

kehte hain kabhi kabhi lafz nahi milte aur bas aankhen hi sab kuch bayaan kar deti hain... samajhiye ki is nacheez ke saath kuch aisa hi hua... the so called "work-life" balance had become extremely skewed (goes without saying in which direction) and a search for 'peace' is what she had embarked on. Well... lets just say when the people who matter most are there to support you, daanto you, pamper you and get you to figure your priorities... it's not a difficult battle at all. It's just that it's with yourself and your convoluted head has to learn to let go...!

Add to that sprinklings of mini getaways, thele wala chinese, kadak adrak wali chai and a bewda bar and it's all the more easier! ;)

aur fir in aankhon ki badmaashi aur muskurahat kab tak kho sakti hai?!

welcoming me back!! :)

venting

warning: true and complete ramble ahead!

she was wondering at the crimes against secularism... at how we wait for things to reach that last dangling bit and then take action... at how we call ourselves a free country when people are not free to follow their own religion... when Maharastra is only for the 'marathi manush'... when Kashmir which is the 'crown of India' (??) is in a state of unrest... when we publish 2 reports against the same man and vindicate him of a heinous crime... and of how we are not willing to give equal status to the men who don't bat an eyelid when it comes to their country... (the 6th pay commission)! how we are willing to hamper progress (the nano project)... and through this all, all that's important is the nuclear deal? important enough that the media writes about the different pens that will be used at the 'signing ceremony' ?? 

we write and we forget! i guess i will too.. i have just vented.. how long do you think this will irritate me?

~ and then it rained... she drove a while into the wild rain as various thoughts (some like those above.. some of more selfish origins) circled and settled... her inner whirlpool is eventually slowing down... it's a slow process.. she begins to look within and without... she quietens down.. slows her pace... takes a deep breath and wonders... wonders how even she reached the brink and had to let something called 'tendinitis' happen to her to slow down...

why? why don't we find an equilibrium that won't oscillate so near to the tipping point? 

(why can;t she play the drums again?) And why have why's always been so futile?!

she figures she needs some more rain... she figures the silence needs to hold her as its own now...

Karmic Rain!

The world has turned topsy turvy and life has gone from chaotic to crazy mad and yo yo driven! The aura's have started to feel wavy and jarred as well! It's looking like another weekend needed soon for her to run off and find her peace!

- working hours: 10 am to 4 am

- working weekends

- a project that is so red that its impossible to salvage? (sheer destruction! :) ) yet a try! (thus the working hours!)

- a car that is now brown and not black (for want of a wash and want of time given the work hours!) I figure now is about the tim it needs a sticker which goes "Do not wash! Undergoing Scientific Dirt Test"

- a maid that's disappeared for 4 days now! (a home that's undergoing a dirt test as well!)

- newspaper that has not come since the day the guy took the bill.

- electricity going off only at her place to be discovered at 2 AM coz that's the time she enters home! a night at a friend's and then running to the BESCOM on a working Sunday! It's a loose wire on the pole itself!

- talking work in her sleep!

- weird dreams! v e r r y y weird dreams!

- an ant attack!

- an empty fridge... :'(

- loss of a debit card (now successfully blocked)

- a car accident in between as well

She's alive! and it's time to go Hari Om! And she knows she needs it to rain now! (when it rains all of the chaos begins to settle.. its pretty much like the dust bits flying around and then rain on them settles em to the ground!) ~peace!

adieu...

A trip to Asia's Largest Monolith - Savandurga... a trek through the jungle to its top... being minusculed by nature's magnanimity...

Playful banter... packup in progress... birthdays... 'gifts'... hidden tears in the night...

78mm is shifting base to Saddi Dilli! It's been a tumultuous 4 months of having them around and being around them! The trip to Savandurga was the grand announcement of the next big step and thereon they were packed up! Saddi Gaddi managed to hold 7 people in it!! And here's a conversation that testifies:

Sanju: :D amazing the way that small little thing can hold so many ppl 

Ani: :D aint it!!! it held 1 more on the way back to their apartment 

Sanju: i counted at least 6 ppl coming outta of it 

Ani: jeet got into the dikki! yup 6 is rite... and then there were 7! 

Sanju: rotfl! its like first a couple got out...then a few.....and THEN A FEW MORE 

Ani: ~grins! 

Sanju: i ws like ~eyes popping out~

Ani: hee hee hee hee hee! :D coffeee?

The gaddi thereon managed to hold 12 bags and 1 table and dropped the adventurers to the station as they embarked on the next journey awaiting their dreams! 

~ she had no idea she would miss them (and him) so much already...! All the Bestest adventurers! Yours truly continues to hold fort here! ,':o)

The Happenings! :D

Lots has happened in her tiny lil world and she's barely had the time to let you all know!

It started with the parental visit! Her whole so to say tabbar landed up in namma Bengaluru! Alongwith it came her new car! A Car that in 10 days has had it's 1st service and done 3300 kms! :D


The parental visit came with more than the usual 'stress' of shaadi kar le syndrome! They almost found out about lucifer and it was tough to reclaim the situation! ~ close shave! It was followed by buy a bed syndrome.. to which the reaction in the end was a high pitched "NA BED CHAHIYE NA LADKA!!!" Shocked faces.. stunned silence...! Om.. ;) Respite was close at hand with the cutest most adorable bhanja ever! That smile and that naughty glint can win a gazillion hearts already!!

Next up was the morning of 15th August through to the wee hours of the 17th... It was a reunion of the college Band brahmaz Mistake and a trip into the wild with 78mm.

It was a tumultuous week with all its trials and tribulations... with all its fun and jubilation..! It was the one moment that she can ideally describe as "Om Ashanti Ashanti"! :)

Inspired!

This really inspired her... and she's been reading and re-reading it for days now! So she shares it with you: "Some Thoughts on the Real World by One Who Glimpsed It and Fled!"

And as for the rest of her doing a disappearing act... she can be found "walking in the wild" out here these days! :) All in all, life's been eventful, she's found reasons's to celebrate with the one's she cares for and work's been keeping her tied up. She will write again soon... give her scattered brain time to settle down a wee lil bit! :)

A toast... to the happy couple!

And so she managed to get most of her to-do list in order and head to Raipur for the grand grand grand ceremony of 'Bhankur weds Yediii' :D

It started with a chaotic moment with her making it JIT to the station to catch her train from namma bengaluru to aamchi mumbai! The train journey.. hmm... interesting than most! Her jinx of the 'budhhe snoring uncle' was semi broken since he was accompanied by a 'jovial buddhi aunty' as well! :) And to say that she has done it all is an understatement! A kid (cute lukin one!) setting out to do an MBA was also part of the accompaniers and the 'single-serving' friends made for a happy, interesting conversation at least upto Pune! Beyond that is when she caught some sleeeeep!!! :D

Hail Kurla station.. the usual Bhasad and the search for a charging point as she waits for di to pick her up! Her super cute (understatement) bhanja and di manage to make it through mumbai traffic (such that there has never been in the city ever) and we camp out in Andheri at the Shoppers while waiting for it to be time for the next train to take her to Raipur! Well.. Mr. Cool Dude Bhanja was the centre of attention and we had a happy time! Time to get into the gaddi with the 'driver sahab' driving her back to Kurla station! TRAFFFICCC!!! accidents.. red lights.. traffic jams such that the driver sahab who has ben driving in mumbai for quite a few years now has never ever seen! Well.. 8:15 (20 odd mins before the train leaves aamchi mumbai - and the train starts from here!)and all they have moved is probably several inches in that life threatening jam! SOS call to Shekhar aka Mommy.. check for next morning flight tickets to Raipur.. budget 5k! Mommy is stunned but nevertheless is a sweetheart and does the needful. 8:40 (5 mins after scheduled time) - 'Driver sahab.. maan lijiye ki bilkul traffic na ho.. tab hum kitni duur hain?' A smile and a half later the reply she gets is 'tab bhi 15 mins to lagega!' She meekly says.. 'gaadi ghuma lijiye.. ghar chalte hain!' ~ And thus goes the story of how she missed her train!! Calls went to and fro to let the groom in waiting know of the disaster and he can only bellow into the phone! It takes some convincing and pacification as she explains she's still coming but now by flight! Reach di's place.. book flight tickets... leave wallet lying around! (now this is a detail that you will refer back to sooooon!) and then settle down with Jeeju for an evening of exotic drinks! (lets not get into the details here... she doesnt want you guys to know the tankers that they can be!) ;)

The night finds them tullee, having patkoed all weird harkatein and dozed off.. the morning finds her hungover and just going through the motions of daily life to catch her flight! (~hopefully!) Breakfast doesnt go in at all... water also goes in in piddly drops! And then she heads back to the gaddi with the driver sahab all hopeful of them catching the flight! Well.. little did he know the jinx that she can be and soon came to the conclusion that the TJ's he's been seeing since the other day are all her doing! :D ~ grins and takes a bow! Run lola Run through Teminal 1 A without showing ID proof and barely get thru the security check when they announce boarding... but she needs coffee... Run to the coffee shop and scream 1 cappuccino only to scream..'cancel the order.. cancel the order!' Why u ask?! Why??!! Read this carefully.. "She has forgotten her wallet at home!" (home which is at least 2 hours away... and has a mere 10 bucks in her pocket!) and now go back to..'booked tickets and left wallet lying around!' :D So yet again.. "Bhankurrrr.... u have to have to have to pick me up from the airport!!!" And by now he can break his head somewhere! ;)

A first person account:
Well.. lets just say I finally made it!! For some odd reason he took me via the picchwaade ka raasta! And then I was introduced to the family! :) Chacha's and chahchi's, Bua's, Masi, all the Sisters and all the Brothers! :) We took time opening up.. but once there I was family for them! And it felt sincerely amazingly warm!! From pestering me to dance.. to khilaoing the bachcha's khana... to actually dancing with me! :) I had the bestest time with my extended family!

From endless trips to the parlor to get the bride looking stunningly beautiful... (with the first trip i guess I became the bridesmaid! and in the bride's words... her stress buster!) So I was one of the groom's bestest buddies and the bridesmaid rolled into one! Ever rushed a bride up to the waiting room after she's all dressed up and then rushed back to dance in the baraat and then rushed back up to escort her to the stage to be with her knight in shining armour?! (I had the driver puzzled... I had the bride's mom wondering where I am.. I had the groom's mom wondering ye barat me kyon nahi hai?! and I had the bride telling me 'go ani go' and the groom calling me up 'tu kahan hai?!') I guess i figured out the reason for the pichhwaade ka raasta.. Each time the bride would dress up, the groom would have instructions to be at the back door.. all the lady cared about was..'will he like me like this? am i lokkin good enough for him?' and each time..he wud thaamo his dil and fall in love with her all over again!! (umm.. each time = 3 times = for the engagemnt, wedding and reception!) :D

And then:
As the ceremonies drew to a close she somehow was being looked for by both the groom's and the bride' family's for various things... :) She loved it! She was happy that she was around the bride's mom when the vidaai happened... (it's amazing how bride's find it in themselves to cry buckets! :D and it's even more amazing how the knight in shining armour stood by waiting for her to stop crying.. wanting to do just about anything to make it easier for her! :) The luv just sort of surrounded you!) She was happy to be a part of the families and of the wedding! She knows this is a moment she will treasure in her heart.. Maybe these relationships were silent... maybe she won't keep in touch... but the thread in her heart will stay! Forever.. !

And then again... Groom's mom as a parting note: 'Apni shaadi pe humko bulaogi na?!' She: 'Jab kabhi bhi karungi to pakka!' :D

तो इस महफिल का हम हिस्सा हुए... ये महफिल शाम बनकर कहीं खो सी जायेगी.. पर इसके नगमे.. इसके नगमो से हम हर शाम थोड़ा मुस्कुरालेंगे! :)

Helllllpppp!!!

do not look at the clock!! yes this was posted at a completely insane hour... and what if she told you she just took a break from work?!!

ahem! work has gotten hectic... it's totally Heck(ed) and Tick(ing) like a time bomb with the craziest deadlines/timelines/timezones!!!

her to do list has gone from and A4 sheet to a rolled parchment... and her her shopping list complements it too!! the only way she anticipates all of it will ever happen is if she makes it public property... so here goes:
1. get duplicate copy of telephone bill (the smart babe that she is, she submits the original for reimbursements... and now she needs one for her car loan!! Sam: Wagon R Duo! ;) ) and also carry all docs to Office!!
2. book tickets to the play on Sunday.. 330 show. Talk to Granpa, Nity and Ruchi before doing it!
3. meet up with Aba and KD for purposes which cannot be disclosed on this blog since the purpose is a surprise for someone who generally lands up here! (and no... its not a threesome! sheesh!!)
4. find out cost of something and report to folks sitting in the US to take a decision. (kinda related to 3)
5. eat head for the ultimate plan (related to 3 and 4... i know im getting too elusive here!! just eat my head with the numbers ok. and 3, 4 and 5 need to happen over the weekend at any cost!!!)
6. buy blue paint.. a painting stands incomplete for want of it.
7. buy earrings, a decent lip color (or if everything fails pick up one from di;s cupboard at the stopover in mumbai.. :D )... for a wedding!! (i'm terrible at buying the jangly stuff!!!!)
8. get something for this Bhanja of mine! :))) the problem is to be able to choose what!
9. bhidao head for what to get for the Bhanja's dad as well!!!
10. get the travel charger for the ipod!
11. read through a 250 page document and figure out EVERY word of it!
12. get something for Jaanemann! (and Jaanemann is my girlfriend.. go figure!)
13. follow the work wali to do to the last lil bit!!
14. tell the gym instructor u wont make it till 10th of the July!!!
15. get hair color done.. and get rid of all the other things that come along with being a woman that she needs to get rid of!
16. take print outs of the tickets
17. breathe - eat - drink lotsa water
18. book gas so that it comes by the time im back in town!
19. go to blossoms and find good stuff to do timepass in the train with.
20. transfer all perishables to mishtha's fridge!
21. pack
22. work work and then some more work!
23. learn to wear bengali sari.

so kindly do the needful and bug the life out of me!!!!!!!!

home....

and in a tough spot of your life you turn to mom and dad.. no matter what the differences.. no matter what the shaadi k naatak... you just know that u need dad's hugs and mom's parathas!

Dialling Dad: Hi Doll! How are you?
Me: :) good (hiding everything...). u sound busy..
Dad: yaa.. i'll call back sweetheart?
Me: sure. luv u Dad. bye!

Dialling Mom: Hi! I see a lot of patients lining up.. I'll call back?
Me: :) cool.

Dialling Di: Hiii!! I'm verry busy right now.. I'll call u?
Me: kya hai ye? mumma busy, papa busy, aap bhi busy!
Di: ~laughs! bye!
Me: bye!

First one to call back Mom: Hi doll! kya chal raha hai?!
Me: :) work from home!
Mom: long day yesterday...
Me: yuppp.... (without going into the details!)
~ general chit chat about how things are.. about the car I'm planning to buy... all of that...
Mom: kuch khaya? (she never really asks me that... i guess she figures somehow that I'm not really ok and have been eating junk food)
Me: ~sheepishly.. maggi, bread jam... doodh bhi piya!
Mom: eat sumthin green.. make urself a nice dinner ok!
Me: ~ missing her bad! yup.. will. bye take care!

Next up Di calls and in the background I hear the happy sounds of my 8 months old Nephew!!!! :)) Makes my day always!
Di: so wassup?
Me: PMS-ing!!!
Di: oh no!!!
Me: ho hum!
Di: howz Jeet? (Jeet is Mr Knight in shining armour or as probably he would prefer it... demon in blood curdling darkness!)
Me: lets not even talk about the men in my life and their withdrawal symptoms!!!
Di: shit! all snapping at each other?!
Me: worse!
and my darling Pinky Singh urf Shauya Veer lets out another few happy screams!! :)
General chit chat again about work et al..
Di: u have to come for my bachchu's bday!
Me: 5th Nov! u bet i'm there! see he gets a guitar on his 2nd bday.. what shud he get on his first??
Di: Mom's givin him a cycle!
Me: Drum set! :D
Di: Thanks! (as sarcastically as possible!)
Both: :D laughing!!!!

Mom calls again... by now I'm sure she's figured I need her...
Mom: Medical rep jus gave me tea tree face wipes!
Me: :) smilin as much as I can... those are goood!
Mom: :) Im keepin them for u!
Me: :) cool!
Mom: eat sumthing ok? (100% she knows!)
Me: yup... luv u!

Dad's call came waiting while talkin to Mom...
I call back: Hiii!
Dad: :) Hi!! kaisi hai? (he's always overjoyed to hear me!)
Me: mast hoon...
Dad: u got the invoice right?
Me: yup.. will find out about the loan and stuff tomorrow
Dad: yaa.. once u send me the draft it takes me 3 weeks to process it!
Me: hmmm... so car by august looks like?
Dad: yup.. plan it like that! so u'll book my return flight tickets right? (and grinning!)
Me: :D yuppp.. once u come here we shall seee!!! since I;m the one who's booking them! (dead give away.... now he also knows!)
Dad: mera bachcha! bed liya? (standing argument between us... i likethe mattress on the floor.. no i want you to have a bed... coffee toffee coffee)
Me: car le rahi hoon... bed ved k paise nahi hain!
Dad: i have 3 complaints.. na bed liya.. na apni foto bheji aur na ladka pasand kiya!!
Me: Dad buying a car now! no money for the bed! I'm not fotogenic and I'm buying a car now! I dont need a ladka!!!
Dad: Anshuuuuu!!!! ur mom married me and not a car!!!
Me: ~both laughing now! You and mom were different dad!
Dad: Anshuuu!!!!!
Me: ~still grinning.. bye dad!!!!!

sometimes it just gets lonely... u miss the banter... u miss hurling pillows at each other... following mom around the house just to talk to her... pataoing dad to make you "omlette bread chips"... fighting with di for chindi things like 'u'll wear my tshirt and make it loose!'... sometimes... u just miss them... jus so so much!

and presenting to you ladies and gentlemen... the dude who can make any damn one smile! Pinky Singh urf Shaurya Veer:

oh rhymes and nick names!

Ani: yellos! :)
nut~who: yello yellow...dirty fellow ...
hehehe
Ani: blue blue polish my shoe!
nut~who: red red ???
Ani: susu in the bed! :D
and green green kachrateen!
nut~who: lolz...well i really dint think of susu...hehehehe
Ani: :D hee hee
nut~who: pink pink ???
Ani: u stink!
nut~who: hahaha...i knew it was coming....and now when did u sniff ??
Ani: :D i not a dog mister!
nut~who: ok...let it be...lemme not get inot all that...
kaise hain aap ???
Ani: :D mast ekdum
aap sunao
ki haal chaal?
vohi haddi n vohi khaal?
nut~who: haan...thodi charbi aa gayee hain in dino ...
Ani: :D fat man and robin?
how much more prosperity do u wanna prove to the world?
nut~who: lolz...
laziness...and not prosperity...anyways my doc is happy...bcoz she says i am underwt and shud put on another 7 more kgs...hehehe
Ani: hmm... 'she'.. interesting!!!
nut~who: haha...how predicatable...n cliched...aneesha gulati...
Ani: somethings dont change now do they! this is one of those!!!
n wow!! its been ages since someone used my full name!!!!
its gone down to motee / ani
aneesha is slowly becoming too long for the office folks as well!
nut~who: why moti ??
Ani: oh that's like a "proper noun" as a friend says..
i may lose how much ever weight i want but i will ALWAYS be MOTEE!
nut~who: moti as in pearl ??
Ani: and its motEE and not moti the dog ok?!!
nut~who: lolz
Ani: ~ now if u put it as a pearl.. :D
hmm...!
but nah! stil motEE!!
nut~who: see ...u read me wrong.....aneesha...:-((
Ani: ~ sheesh! stop using my full name! its freaking me out man!
n i luv u old man!
nut~who: ani sounds more like an angrez poodle...(Ani cringes at that one and lets it pass knowing that its a futile argument with the old man!)
so wot do u want...ani, moti, motee...aneesha ?
or gudiya?
Ani: watever happened to 'gudiya' ??
:D u read my mind!
nut~who: i try read ur mind...but kya kare...i run out of words...hehehehe
Ani: wow!! itna golmaal hai??!!!! (and then i know of people who call me 'epitome of complexity!')
nut~who: naah not complex...its jus that one really cant read blank pages...jus stare at them...hehhehe...kora kagaz
hehehehe
Ani: aaj subah se main hi mili kya??!!! :'(
nut~who: haan yaar...coming to think of it...i have been kinda busy since morning...got up on the wrong side on my bed...and my bed is along the wall...then was late to work...rushed to a stupid presentation with the bankers...after that some interviews...EOD reached the gym to realise i dint bring my shorts...reached home pissed , emptyed my gym bag to see my shorts neatly tucked at the bottm...hehehehehe...its been one hellava day...
Ani: :D hey! dont gimme competition in being jinxed ok?!!!
nut~who: its not jinx...mera bad luck hee kharab tha aaj ...
hehehe
Ani: ~ wicked grin!

In coversation with the quintessential Dada

Ani: ram ram! :)

Dada: haan.. how u

Ani: kya kar rahe ho? apun mast

Dada: bas 8:30 ko call hai uska wait kar rah hoon(the travails of an IT industry employee with a US client.. work begins in the evening). Aaj promottion list nikla. chk kar rah tha!

Ani: :) sahiiiiiiiii! aap kahan pahunch gaya?

Dada: kahi nahi (the travails of a BA in the IT industry.. or should I borrow a phrase from a friend and say the travails of a 'general category male candidate working with the IT Industry')

Ani: :))) arrey aap tension kyon leta hai?!

Dada: maine aaj tak tension liya hai

Ani: ye to point hai. jis din aapko tension hoega us din to tsunami earthquake volcano sab saath me aayega

Dada: aur batao

listen

Ani: listenao

Dada: one of these weekneds make some plan for konkan coast i can come from pune overnight

Ani: apun 3rd to 10th raipur ja rela hai

Dada: july na

Ani: konkan coast is not a 2 day trip

Dada: abhi kuch plan banao

Ani: its 3 days minimum inclusive of travel time

Dada: arre ek jagah jao

yehi to problem hai

Ani: haan ek hi jagah eg: Karwar

Dada: see

select one nice place

udhar jao

dont go for sight seeing

bakwaas hai woh sab

ek chaadi daalo

aur beer lelo

beach pe soo jao

2 days

dont u see how these firngs spend time

in one place

thts the best holiday

click snaps

come back show it to friends

try n make them feel jealous

yehi hai apna holiday ka funda

need to change that

Ani: coming weekend to i am working anyways (so its not just the male candidates here now!).. next weekend ka kuch karte hain

Dada: abhi karna hi aaisa nahi

start thinking

something might happen

Ani: :) ji salute!

Dada: u bar mite me

ddt (a name that took away all the syllables!) will come from mumbai

Ani: jeet jagrit rathore shekhar

Dada: yes

see

now u r talking

Ani: anant sweekar nity ruchi

Dada: now u r shouting

Ani: :D hee hee hee

Dada: scream kaha gaya

Ani: abhi aur kaun?? baakii ka shaadi ho gaya hai

Dada: i now

shaadi ho gaya

Ani: :D hee hee

Dada: kaisa halat hoga unka

(n i im sooooo... dead after this!)

Chaos as it reigns

An incomplete painting stares at her... an inspiration tends to grip...

An obsessive compulsive cooking disorder..... and a desperate attempt to lose some weight beckons!

Confusion abounds: Wagon R New vs 2nd Hand Jeep... vs even a cycle u know!!

Another tattoo she's been wishing for!

A wish list that extends from microwave safe baking dishes to plants she wants to grow!!!

Scattered, cluttered.... Grinning at her own mess!!

stocked up fridge... canvases she can paint on... t-shirts she can mess with... wires... some cardboard... a swiss knife restored ;) .... a few crazy ideas in her head... a ladder she wants to get... a few pots to grow some stuff.. a lot of her willing to burst out and express itself in myriad ways...!

10 - Ode To Scooby...

Paheli... !

Over the past few days this is what life has been like and the songs been a constant hum in the head! :)



Work's been crazy.. home's been a haven... friends have been the joy.. he has been the peace and there have been moments of quiescence.. :)

Escaped!

And she ran away for the weekend to a tiny li'l place to find herself! She's come back refreshed and with a new lease on life...!

These pictures tell her story like words could probably never! : The Album

And the song in her head can be found here: Indian Ocean - Boll Weevil

I let my thoughts run amok.. I let the world stand and stare... I let my spirit flow free and passionate.. I do whatever comes to my whimsy... I wield a brush if that's where my peace is... I wield a pen and let the feelings flow... I even wield a knife and invent in the kitchen... and when my spirit dictates it.. I dance!

I don't feign my freedom... I am free!

Soulflower

She wonders if you've wondered about the image of the soulflower on the blog...

Well... what does it means to her? It's an incomplete bud... it's surrounded by protrusions (thorns maybe?!) It's her soul... always searching... always feeling... sometimes ensconced... always free... sometimes silent... othertimes chaotic... sometimes dreaming... always observing... sometimes smiling... sometimes still..!

And this soulflower has become a part of her... it's a tattoo now! Loads o thanks to 'Russell', the person who did the tattoo! Russell's studio has an aura all it's own. located in a silent sleepy part of Bengaluru called Kamanahalli, the studio is a artfully placed a few steps from a coconut tree in the centre of the road! With a Tibetan shawl as a curtain and a wall with an angel fairy rising from the flames... it mesmerized you the minute you walk in! The walls are his 'guestbook' with scrawls from all happy customers! You don't have a choice.. you will be happy once you go to him!! A tattoo is yes not painless.. but definitely (agreeing with a wall scrawl here) less painful than getting eyebrow threaded! (n you have to be a girl or totally kinky to know that pain!) :D

A lighting engineer for the concerts like Whitney Houston's.. Russell turned to tattooing jus coz he was bored with life! Got himself a motor, and other tools and built himself a tattoo drill! Lo and behold! Has 15 tattoos of which several have been a self tattoo... and 1 is in progress... the description of the in progress.. 'a dragon... another dragon below it.. and castle in ruins... flames.. darkness...the entire landscape!' He knows his stuff so well that there's jus one word to describe him: "Brilliant!" (Thanks Russ! :) )

Here's the work of Art! :)

And Russell can be contacted at: 9845588748 :)

Well.. the thereafter found her helping the Barwala move and setup house! It's a lovely place on the rooftop and for theirs to use for barbecues, beer and Floyd nights! :) She figures she was too much help coz by the end of it the market at the new place and the landlord all thought she was his 'wife!' (a voice inside her went meep.. double meep... meep meep and more meep!!!) :D

Home tweet Home!

And so she shifted! :D With her mushtandas in tow helpin her out with the stuff that they say is definitly more than what a family also needs! And has had her vadda praa complaining that ur house needs cupboards first and then anythin else!! Through the narrowest of stairs, her stuff was carried by the mushtandas who were the left huffing and puffing (literally...! :D) She knows she would go pretty darned insane without the jing-bang around! (ahem! yes she is insane... jus not pretty darned yet!) :D

Shifted into this tiny lil 1bhk (1 hk actually!) which is one of those extra rooms that you have on the roof ! :) The rest of the terrace is hers to call her own! She finds herself sitting at the door most evenings and jus looking up to the sky to find the moon peeping from behind the palm trees!

She wakes up each morning to sunlight filtering through the curtains... she knows she's slept well... she can laze around for hours on end! She can read, she can paint... she can explore, feel and create!

"Sittin' on my own
Chewin' on a bone
A thousand million
Miles from home
When Something hit me
Somewhere right between the eyes"

(it was Me!)

The week this week!

And as they celebrated the Barwala's birthday with Scotch, Sutta and (no 3rd S now!) a Zippo it was a lovely day! :) It's been a roller coaster week and weekend.... with a Monday off where the week went none of them knew... and then the weekend was this huge party of sorts this time!! After the weekend most of them were sleep deprived!!!!!

She's moving house... biiig step in her life is the feeling! And the experience is teaching her lots with no mum and dad around to pamper her and put everything in place for her... from finding the place to packing this up to setting the new one up.... the fridge, the address transfers, the household stuff... the financials!!!! She knows she;s growing up! And some experience this is!

She figures that's why she's sleepless! All she can think of is the big move! :)

(This one's a ramble of what's going on in her life.... next post from new home probably!) :)

Luv ya all!

ethereal...!

a bike ride! (on the beast of em all!)

a secluded beach!

the ocean floor

darkness

sand ripples


rocks

shells

a walk to remember!

mangroves


a moment... shhh!

sun tan

dreams (nightmares?!).. shared

dhaabe di chef! :D

a river dry

a dam still standing!

a village


meandering

wandering souls! ('a lost young petal wandering souls.. i see the dream you seek!')

hands

creating

dirt and grime

nature's own!

constipation?! :D

"she!"


connections...

nostalgia

music

apparitions

foooooo..d!

fuzzy

kebab and the haddi! :D

luchi aaloo

hideaways!

78mm

travelogues

stories

lives less ordinary

mumbai


taxi (aey hip hopper!) :D

girl talk

the 32nd floor


soul searching

the fire in his eyes!

rut

roll

slow

get to know! :)

pink... (pink floyd.. pinky singh and pink walls!)

her paintings on his walls...

random ramblings (as usual nay?!)

scribble

cafe universal


tulleho


tanker

fight club

notes to remember

a code of conduct

fallouts

a new freedom

sparkle in her eyes

song in her head

dance in her step

a big warm hug!

and then....

Picture perfect!

:) Om Happiness Namah!

Friday night: Friends, playful banter, beer, laughter! :)

Extended Friday night: 2 hours sleep, a will to complete the painting.. :) mission successful!

Saturday: Girlliiieeee! :))) Mish n Motee! Soulmates bond!

Extended Saturday: Mommy, Mish, Motee! Johnny Gaddar... gupshup! :)

Sunday: The kitchen of heaven! Happy cooking! Happy eaters! :) A vintage furniture shop... visions of a dream home! Friends, coffee and music! :)

An exploration of sorts...

And she finished reading Shantaram...

When she had picked it up for the first time it was the monsoons in Bangalore and she had started exploring this new city! She related to the book on most every page... her immediate reaction, 'i wish i had written this book!'

As she let the last pages of the book slip between her thoughts and fingers she realized that this was infact an extreme version of all our stories.. life takes us various ways... how we deal with them, how we get weak, how we come out strong, how we sail and how we float, how we dream and how we give up... how belief finds us.. how we change... how life encompasses us and how we find in it the answers to our various questions...!

She just has this to say, "I’ve never been so lost...so confused.... so ambitious.... so restless.... so volatile.... so weak.... so fat...so juvenile...so smug.... so full of joy.... so wanderlust.... so bewildered.... so detached...so lazy....so stoned........" - attributed to Motuu.

:) mood is yes pondering and thoughtful.. but anyways... work has changed a whole lot and dealing with it is taking its toll... meanwhile there's a painting waiting to be completed and a few incompletes also begging to have their way found..! plan to get around to those this week!

What was special was finding a new friend and getting closer to an old one... :) A walk together and a few crazy conversations... with her singing a range of songs from 'oasis' to 'aasamaan me... laakhon taare!'

Have a nice week people! :)

moksha?!

She thinks she'll pick up her paintbrush again today... she's revamping her playlists and her cupboard's a mess!!!! She's feelin lazy as heck and refuses to even crawl out of bed... so she tugs at the curtain and lets the sunlight touch her face as she dozes back to sleep again...!

Afternoon sets to early evening and she makes herself a cup of creamy coffee... for after all.. "there are only two refuges from the miseries of life... coffee and music!" :)

:D saturday!

seashell stories!

inspired

copy

profane

insane

dance

moonlight

pearl drop

drizzle

guitar strings & drum sticks

coffee??

waving to an airplane

shine on (no crazy diamonds here!)

talk

listen vs hear

mindless rant

bottled.. (water? emotions?)

'floppy' the duck

lilies

om shanti shanti