What brings me joy!

Year after year, my resolution every year is keep the calendar as open as possible and just go with the flow. And then the weeks start rolling and kids events, our events and general planning nature kicks in and calendar starts filling up. And here goes the first resolution out the window!

But then there are some times, when we consciously keep the weekends free for "just in case trips" especially the long weekends. This time around, the strategy worked. Except I missed a dear friends birthday and I need to celebrate with her! We could make a short trip on the long weekend and really reminisce with our friends, get amazing parenting tid-bits from a couple I think have gotten it figured out this parenting thing. And of course we called friends who were en route the road trip to see if we could pop in to say Hi! It worked out beautifully for this short trip!

Whilst in Pitt a cozy afternoon, Our friend had volunteered to take the kids to D&B, till this point I am not sure if it was for him or for the kids. But thank him for that since his wife, Sumit and me spend a wonderful afternoon admiring the Warhol Museum and then just sitting in a coffee shop for over 2 hours! (Sans Kids!) Of course Sumit found this amazing board game made in 1970's and that provided the right fodder to just truly "be in the moment"

There was no farce, no judgement, no pretenses, just the three of us bonding over this game and enjoying ourselves immensely! We had no clue how the time flew. During a conversation we asked a friend just hitting her milestone birthday. What's important to her to 2020? She being a highly self aware individual said "Do more of this(referring to the afternoon in the coffee shop), simple things but things that bring me more Joy" and as we continued the conversations over dinner with the rest of the family what she said resonated in my mind!! "Do things that bring more Joy"

Do I know what those things are? Definitely Not yet! But I will learn from her and Sumit's wisdom and may be do things and figure it out along the way.  If I could predict, a lot of them will be around food! But I am excited to learn over the course of 2020 and start a new tag "Bring me Joy".

And before you think we had an epiphany moment over that coffee, no, we made enough jokes over the 'Mary Kondo' philosophical viewpoint as well!

So you think about it: What brings you joy?

Diwali Celebrations

Diwali, The festival of lights, the victory of good over evil. The favorite festival of our household.
A reason to dress up in Indian fanfare, eat delicious food, spruce up the house with candles, colorful rangoli's showcasing the kids creative side and above all meet friends and family and just be festive, happy and grateful.

This year, I was feeling a little lazy to get the process started> I asked the girls, can we skip the annual Diwali Party? And both of them responded right away saying "Absolutely Not". So that was that.
We planned and prepped, kids helped decorate the home, made diya mistletoe, friends RSVP'd, menu was thought through, appetizers were discussed and debated and above all, the highlight: the dances! They kept asking me, what song, how long, how many, solo, couple etc etc.
We landed on 5 this year :-D Since that's how we role. All in all, I am glad the kids now relate to Diwali and actually live and breathe it as we did growing up in India

A friend was reminiscing her Diwali in a school in Indian hill town and her story of saving to buy fireworks, overlooking the valley and seeing it all lit me made me nostalgic.
For me, it was the yearly "getting house ready". Polishing the silver, decorating the house with a "theme" having cousins and friends over for a big family dinner and pooja. Above all going to family friends house with treats and getting treats from them, greeting everyone and dressing up with everything feeling magical. Diwali was a big deal and I am hoping it will continue to be a big deal in the generation to follow.

Like all years, this year was special. The girls, oh the beautiful girls. As we got ready for our home pooja, the girls like clockwork knew how to set up the temple, the writing on new books, the asking of presents,  the discussion of us being grateful in the world and above all, greeting one and all "Happy Diwali"

May we continue our traditions and invent new ones as we go along this journey together.

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Diwali.

2018: Year in Review: The year of Self Revelations

Before I start with my year in review, I read the past few years summary and it makes me smile. It reminds me of how blessed I am, how life goes up and down but what counts is the good memories and the not so good ones which make me tougher and stronger.

To continue the tradition of Year in Review: 2018: The year of self revelations

The year started with a planned surgery. This kind of set the pace ahead for me. My mum kept her life on pause and came to help me. My gosh, she just picked it up and ran with it. She managed everything in the house and Sumit managed all the other stuff. I was pampered, well cared for and above all the path to recovery was so much simpler! A few friends went over and above (as always) and saved me from "cabin fever". Getting a surprise Paint the Town Read, the night before the surgery was awesome.

Over the years, I think i have improved at figuring out my relationships, some are social, some are true, some are simple and some are complicated. The year just past makes me feel more and more at ease. Sometimes I did feel petty, but then common sense trickles in and I breather a huge sigh!

We had an intense discussion among dear friends recently and the moral of the conversation was "Go Deep not Wide" Now mind out of the gutter: The point was, friendships will always get wider, we meet new people, develop new relationships etc. However the depth in the relationship is what matters.

The other big self revelation was: "It's fun to be silly and being silly is fun"
Over a college reunion this summer, I felt like no time had passed in our friendships. We pushed each other in pools, we chatted till wee hours, we bitched, we laughed and on and on. And there was no judgement. It was just so simple.
I was recapping this to my older daughter, Miss V later. She said "Mum you and your friends are so silly and so cute". This made me smile.

As I see pictures of the year gone by, my favorite ones are the "silly ones" and not those pretty perfect ones! The new family mantra is "It's fun to be silly and being silly is fun"

A very dear friend of mine and I were talking at how "unexpected" life can be. I remind her often (by yelling at her sometimes). The unexpected makes us tougher and there is always light at the end of the tunnel. We just need to be patient. This year has reminded me Again: Life happens, resilience is helpful. And it will be OK.

Now to the travel of the year!
We soaked in the sunshine in Tampa with my parents, cousins and the kids got to enjoy the Harry Potter World. The girls got pampered by their grand parents over summer. Their 2 months of summer were split in India and Africa with cousins, loads of laughter, ice creams and lots of TV. What an experience! We traveled to New York, South Korea, Canada, India and ended the year with another "unplanned planned" trip to California.

My girls are becoming mini adults with full blown emotions, tantrums and laughter. As the year draws to a close, I feel eternally grateful to my parents, i wish I am half as self-less as they are. My
brother and sister in law, who are just a phone call away (though I barely call). They always pick up and I can just be the little girl of the house again. The friendships which have soared, deepened and above the support system here gets stronger. Of course, the partner in crime who continues to be the rock solid support.

2018 A year, filled with ups and downs and surprises, some good some just like a bad dream. A year with loud fights and even rowdier laughter. A lot of game nights and even more biking on the lake.What a year it was!
Looking forward to 2019 with dreams, successful recoveries, more laughter, more travel, more gatherings with crazy laughter and above all more simpler times!

I fought the weather and Won!

It's middle of June in Chicago. We should be at the parks, chilling at the beaches, grilling, complaining its too sunny, drinking cool lemonades and really lathering the sun block on.

But no, here we are.... still complaining, wearing light jackets, being wet and being cold!

That's it, I've had enough. A few of us packed a picnic and decided last minute to go to a Strawberry farm close by on a rainy and cooler day! We messaged feverishly in early am, will it rain, will it be cold, will we survive... and then I said: "You know what, lets just go "

It was the perfect-berrilicious day!!!

We enjoyed the festival, admired beautiful flowers while snuggled in the sweaters, picked gorgeous strawberries under the umbrella.

At the festival, we challenged each other on the obstacle course, raced on the kiddie bikes, played soccer and got our asses kicked by the kiddos and then icing on cake: We played, Lagori or Pitthu or Sitolia or a game which we grew up playing in India in the building compound. We re-lived our childhood memories and passed on the love of this game to the next 'ABCD' generation.
Of course, my team won.

But that's not the point! Point is, the weather didn't relent and neither did we. We got wet, muddy, slushy and we had a blast! The tired and content smiles by the end of the day was the victory against the weather!





I am now using the 10 pounds of hand picked strawberries for new concoctions...
Strawberry Smoothie, A strawberry crumble!

When life gives you rain, you take an umbrella and skip in the water!!!

an·ni·ver·sa·ry

Oxford defines it as "the date on which an event took place in a previous year"

I define it as "the date that on which we celebrated the best decision with friends and family"

Don't ask me which how many years... I know its in double digits and its more than 10  years and less than 15 years.

For the rest of years, "Let's celebrate the day you gave up on finding anyone better than me" (Accompanied with counting our blessings)

Happy an·ni·ver·sa·ry Honey

You are my rock, my support, my confidante and above all my partner in crime.
You get my lack of sense of humor, you get my craziness and you sort of put up with my pulling the blanket!

It's been a ride filled with adventures, bumpy roads, smooth sailing and of course
lots of laughter (mainly your jokes and my laughter)
lots of food (mainly my cooking and your appreciation)
lots of travel (mainly my idea(s) and your perfect execution)
lots of drama (mainly my drama and your tolerance)
lots of kids (yes, 2 is lots!!)
lots of memories - all together honey!

 Happy Double Digits Anniversary!

I am feeling all better!

That's the mantra of my Little Lady, my almost 3 year old bundle of utter joy.

Chronicling a little of this little cute cheeks and her stories that enthrall her, make us laugh and forget of the world around us even for that little minute.

Story 1:
Any time her older sister, Miss Chatterbox V, has an ouchie or gets a band-aid. She needs one. Surprisingly Little Lady 'Pretends' to get hurt at the exact same place. She will do all the drama and ensure we give her bad-aid and it's quickly followed by 'I am feeling all better!'

It is adorable.

Story 2:
Halloween came and went and she was old enough to truly enjoy the same this year. Considering she is in a Montessori school, the whole make believe is not their philosophy aka, no Halloween in School.

So we made sure she enjoyed. My shy in public child went to every house, said 'Trick or Treat, her Thank You's and growled like a Tigger' I was so proud of her. Of course my sweet tooth would do anything for candy! I kid you not!

Story 3:
Little Lady goes back and forth for her favoritism with me and Sumit. Sometimes she is all about papa, and then for a small phase she will be 'Mummy do this and that'.
Current flavor of the season: Papa.
At pick up time she ran to Sumit instead of me and it broke my heart in a million pieces

Story 4:
Cake & Sweet Tooth.
I cant stress enough at how much my little one likes her sweets, it can be anything, candy, chocolates even sugar.
It was Sumit's birthday recently, and we pampered him. Sang Happy Birthday at every possible place, hugged him a lot and generally made him smile.
So every time we sang the 'Birthday Song' she asked us: Where is the cake?

It was adorable to see how association works for little minds. Birthday Song= Cake and yeah may be a hug!

My almost 3 year old bundle of joy, stay as sweet, melodious and unique as you are!
You make us smile and want to hug you all the time. You and your older sister make any worries go away with the adorable Good Morning's and I miss you Mummy :-)

Recovering...

From a very delightful weekend. This weekend goes in one of those I call: "Memorable".
It ranges from lone time in rajai, a good book "Lunch In Paris" and warm tea to all the hooligan madness of Holi which I played after a decade and was V's first time as well. Good times. We met a lot of friends, enjoyed family brunches which took me back to India just like I was at my parents home, we stayed in bed and cuddled V and had V jump all over the bed with a monkey in her hand. We went for a movie Hop with V thanks to Allied Integrated Marketing (AIM) for offering preview tickets to my family just in time for Easter. It is a delightful movie for kids. Wait for April 1 and then definitely take the kiddos for it. We enjoyed a lovely Holi dinner with friends and smacked on the yummiest Pakoda Kadhi ever. Seriously Ever. It was fun seeing the kids just go round and round and sing 'I Like to Move it, move it" thanks to the Madagascar Show we went for.
Yes all in a weekend!
It was wonderful.
A city is not fun for the weather, the rents, and the tourist attractions. It is fun with the people that surround you and make the experience memorable. I am happy to report, as a family we are blessed with delightful friends and lots of shoulders to carry V around when she just wants a little extra 'hugs'.
As I always say: I heart Chicago

I am a movie snob!

There I said it!
I call it: "I have low tolerance for crappy Hindi movies" but.. I have been told (to some extent rightly) I am movie snob.
I can’t just pop any movie on DVD/ In Netflix or go in theaters and come out happy. I need to do my research, get feedback, possibly read Wiki about the said Hindi Movie and then say- Hmm.
Minus the cult classics and the ones I KNOW will have to be watched no matter what, I am a movie snob!
Sumit on the other hand is a movie addict. Any movie, he'll watch it. Sleep through it, wake up, rewind and watch it again. I think the only movie he willingly turned off in less than 30 minutes was Kites.
But back to the point- He is my movie list creator. He will watch a lot of movies and then shortlist the ones that I should/ must watch. Then he will watch it again with me and really be tensed through it- hoping, that I am enjoying the movie.
Now cut me some slack, I am not tyrannical- I won’t be cussing or shouting- "What the hell is this!" But he will know- The shudder, the eye roll, the quick yawn! And I feel bad for him, I really do. Poor fellow. Yes now you can sympathize with him.
So after all his hard work of creating my “Must Watch List that snobby Garima might enjoy”- I am happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed the following
- Atithi tum kab jaaoge
- LSD
- Band Baaja Baraat (Loved this one…. A lot! A refreshing change.)
(And please excuse that I am reporting not recent movies now.... my snobbery has resulted me in watching them now)
The next on my must watch list (prepared painstakingly by husband!) is
- Phus gaya re Obama
There are others which are under review and will be shortlisted for my viewing pleasure shortly.
Sumit, Thanks a million for being patient and finding that one real gem of a movie in the tens of movies you endure. I love you for supporting my 'movie snobbery'

Note 1: There are others that need notable mention like-
Rajneeti (minus the crappy ending- Imagine this ending: They show Katrina as the politico and giving the shrewd look, like take that, it was my master plan to begin with!)

Note 2: Cult classics to me are movies which I can watch anytime, over and over again- Sarkar, OSO, Golmaal, Kabhi Kabhi, Silsila, Andaaz Apna Apna, Yuva, Omkara, K2H2, DDLJ, the 70's 80's generation movies. I am sucker for those... aaah.> Dharam in his romantic roles- Chupke Chupke ANyone. Amitabh in any of his roles. ..> I even enjoyed Shahn Shah, Rishi in the amazing amazing amazing chocolate lover boy with a soul, and the music of his movies... D. Anand- older classics.. and nothing can beat those

Note 3: For new releases.... I might watch them; it is very 'on mood'. Recently a bunch of my girls were going for No One Killed Jessica... and I bailed out last minute. I really was in mood for a lighter movie instead! But now that it’s on Netflix, I did watch it after ample feedback!

Note 4: Yes, I am pampered! Any recommendations from you, promise I wont bite!

In anticipation of weekend-

For V’s birthday... Sumit got her a Mickey Mouse Baking set. A complete set with tray for twelve mini cup cakes, pre mixed frosting, cup cake mix, sprinkles, Spatula, measuring cup (all with Mickey art).. the whole deal! I have been wanting to use the set for a while... now that the Birthday celebrations have subsided, I am planning to use this Saturday afternoon with V, in putting the baking set to good use.
Yes, I was am way more excited about it than V currently is. The cup cake set even comes with liners of Mickey! I mean come on, what’s not to get excited about. I shared the plan with a dear friend, She awwed and said: "Mommy- Kiddo bonding time"
And I smiled and thought... hmm.. So true.

One of my most vivid memories from childhood is cake bakes I did with my mom, the icing I fought with my brother to lick for and above all placing the "Gems", Tutti Fruity, Mixing colors in icing, using cake pens, and trying to make the cake look all pretty.
Growing up, for all our birthdays, mummy and her best friend K Aunty (My fav. Aunt), would get into planning mode and Eggless cake had to be made. Two... one for adults to pretty up and other for the kids- My brother and I to 'pretty up'. Mum had a collection of heart shape, round, teddy bear and numerous other baking pans. They mixed and matched different pans to make different shapes; I remember a teddy bear cake made with three different cakes, a butterfly cake, a three level cake, a boat cake and so on. They are creative!
The day of the baking was the most fun. We, the kids were given the task of mixing the flour with the condensed milk and the other stuff. In those days, electric beaters, whippers were not so common. I remember stirring and stirring and competing with my brother, my batter was smoother. Then, mum would give us the icing to mix. She and K. aunty would put all the ingredients together and we mixed. We licked a lot in the middle, loved the smell off the Vanilla Essence and countless other things. Yes, we got scolded for not washing hands between licks, for dropping the spoon, for not leaving enough icing to go on cake. But they smiled, and Mum and K. Aunty involved me completely in the cake bake process.
Bhaia and I were just happy licking/ mixing the icing. Mum and K. aunty would put the cake in baking. The mixing bowl was for us to lick! And we waited! Patiently, I must add.
They decorated the main cake. The second cake- was all for kids to decorate. I loved it. I remember one heart shape cake, K. aunty gave my brother and I one side each, so we don’t fight. We competed to get the 'our' own side prettier!
I know, this time when I go to India, I must dig for those cake pictures.

As I wait now, for Saturday to roll around and get to my first baking expedition with V where life is way simpler: I will rely on pre-mixed stuff, the oven will not conk off in the middle, the cake will not go bad! The electric beater will do the smoothness, the bake spray will ensure no stickiness, the sprinkles will flow freely through the containers. I know there will be a mess, licking of the mixing bowl, falling of batter and so on. But hopefully fond memories that V and I will create together over an afternoon of 'cake bake'!

SD thanks for a wonderful gift for V.. and for me.
Mum, K. Aunty...I will miss you both a lot this Sunday as I try to recreate history, this time with your granddaughter!

Nice Nice Nice

Lazy Lazy Lazy...

The words above truly describe my New Years...Nice & Lazy. It was perfect. I was in no mood to figure out what to wear, where to go, whom to have over, what to eat etc... It was simple... friends, family, ordered in Chinese and lots of laughs and walk down memory lane. Perfect.

I am a believer of what you do on 1st January, you will do all year around.
So the excited prick in me, still went on the patio and screamed 'Wohoo'. We spent a lot of time with family and enjoyed dinners with friends, some retail therapy and gossip sessions and laughter. Perfect.
Icing on the cake was we gave V her 'New Years' present- A 'Tigger'. She was super excited, jumping all over and since then, it’s been Tigger says, "I am hungry, I am sleepy, I want M&M" It’s been laughter, comical scenes and relaxed time with family and friends. Perfect.

So here is hoping that our coming year is as balanced as the New Year's Day was!

Mid-Week breaks...

I really could get used to these! A few months ago, a girl friend of mine decided to meet mid-week.. hmm.. why, just like that- everyone needs a mid-week break we thought. A simple dinner one evening after V was asleep, we girls headed off to a neighborhood bistro, had a blast and swore to do it once a month.
It’s been fun ever since. We meet more often..And before the current mid-week break is over, we are already planning for the next one. We told more girl friends about this crazy mid-week break idea and they got hooked on. And we all know it will be a late night and we all know it’s a working day the next day! So now, it’s no longer where, what, who, why.. it’s just more of when. We know the remainder is logistics. As long as we know when, the rest will get worked out easily.
When we do meet as couples, as families, us girls would still be laughing at that stupid joke or the yummy food or that crazy server or how we were literally thrown of the restaurant since it was way past the closing time! Good Times. :-D
It’s not fancy, it’s just what a break is suppose to be. We have had dinners, pot dinners, eat what’s left over, eat what needs minimum intervention, snacking dinners, order-in dinners. Bottom line, anything and everything works provided we have the company and loads and loads of conversations and loads of giggles and some heartfelt conversations.
So the boys I think said- enough! Now, they are trying to meet up weekly, sit over there glasses and discuss business, play poker whatever. May be I will call it- Boys night! Now, we have some kick ass girl poker players. The mid-week break is now extended, its just a mid-week break for everyone! We try to meet up as often as possible, either set up the poker table, have good-bye parties for little pets, meet up to gossip, offer expert relationship advices, tease the funny accents, or even just plain old bitch!
Aaaah... such fun!

Here is to more mid-week breaks!

Note: Yes, I know next day is a working day, but the week goes by so quickly now with the mid-week break. Yes, V still sleeps 'almost' on her regular sleep times... 30-45 minutes later than normal is okay! Yes, friends accommodate by reducing volumes for a bit until V is snooze land! and Yes, thank god for coffee for me the next morning.

Being cut off

Not literally.... but being cut off from the world... or more rightly cut off from the 'grid'. The grid of social network, media, news, emails, phones and anything else that keeps you 'connected'.
Recently on our annual family vacation... that’s exactly what we did. The data network on the blackberries was switched off. The laptops were stowed away. And minus a few phone calls back home or coordinating a few excursions. We all were literally cut off.
And it felt great. Amazing. Free.
Before we left, I had put in a couple of pre-scheduled posts. I had responded to my work obligations and above all activated my Out Of Office and then lived to the text: "I will have no email connectivity."
I know there is no obligation to check emails every two minutes, see FB, read the news, check if the weather changed from noon to two pm or even just surf the network. But we all still do it. Guilty as charged and we don’t realize what we are missing out on.
During our vacation, we were up and about from 6:30 in the morning and would be bone tired by 8. We’d sleep early to refresh ourselves and then the next day began the minute we saw the sun shining outside. No TV, no catching up, nothing.
My book and the sun block were my company while my daughter snoozed on the sun kissed beaches. Our TV conversations were taken over by discussing the warmth and the colors of the flowers. We noticed the tiny red bird on the tree just because we were gazing up the tree instead of our 'smart' phones. And I am very happy to say that I rejuvenated myself and SD and I explored a lot more than we had researched on the net. Just talking to locals and learning the ways was way more information than any Google search ever gave us.
Now that we are back, we are re-adjusted. Connected. But still refreshed. Consciously or not, the TV is not on as much anymore. I realized I didn’t miss it as much. The post dinner time has been taken up by a fun game of bananagrams or finishing books sooner or just relaxing or calling up friends and catching up instead of 'fb-ing' them.
I know by no means, I am saying good bye to my living in the fast lane anytime soon. But every once in a while, staying offline made me enjoy my life more. Way more.

I saw Mickey Mouse!!!!!!!!!

I was away on a vacation.. and hence no posts, no comments, no facebooking, limited emails and even limited phone! Wow! I love vacations.
This one was super special for me. I went to Disney World!!!! Yeah! And once more.. I Saw Mickey Mouse!!! Yeah!
Call it childish, cute, immature, just funny.. Whatever.. I don’t care! Since I saw Mickey.. and i held my dad's hands through it! The trip was a recapture of my first US trip with my parents and brother in early '90s. I could remember a lot of details before we got there- like you need to take the boat to go to Magic Kingdom or that Space Mountain is the best ride ever.. and Mickey is the cutest mouse ever! ;-)
SD had booked a huge vacation home for us with a pool and Jacuzzi, we always had some place to recoup from the hours of walking and standing in line before hitting the bed. My mum had carried enough food to feed a mini country. Well at the end, the five adults ate it all! My dad would keep saying: Where is Baby.. and instead of V, I'd show up! (I know he was looking for V... but hey, until two years ago, I was the baby of the house!) My brother would keep playing with V, keep her engaged, take her to all the rides and just be a little kid with her. SD would hook on the Twenty20 on the TV and we'd all just chill over lemonade and V screaming Nice Shot! Even at 11 in the night and chilly 55F out, SD would swim; he would soak up the sun during the day! It was adorable!
The trip turned out to be not we had thought it to be! SD had read "Unofficial guide to Disney World" Found the tricks to reducing the wait time at lines, and figured out a lot of park details. But guess what! With the two year old, the best thing about the trip- The ability to Re-plan! We did 3 days= 4 parks, Visit to family friends and eating pakoras in Florida Rains overlooking a fabulous golf community, NASA and watching life-off's, taking the air boat for watching the alligators, sitting by the beach eating yummy fries and oh yes: Shopping!
The ten days went by fast! Faster than you can imagine. We got to spend a lot of time with my parents. It had been two years! For V, she always had her "Nana" or her "Mama" or her "Naani" to run if we enforced any thing on her. She got her unlimited splurge of M&M's. She got to see Mickey, hug Winnie the Pooh, give a Hi-Five to Goofy, Sit on Dinosaurs, Get spooked by Bugs-3D show. See Lions, Giraffes, the parades, the fireworks, and oh yes Mickey Mouse and Mini Mouse! She woke up every morning in her crib and said "I saw Mickey Mouse" ;-) She slept holding Minnie's hand (Her stuff toy)!

Overall- I want more!! I want more!!!

It’s been three days- come on!

What are you serious.. you haven't checked facebook in three days! What!
Yes.. all sarcasm, ooh's, and cheekiness included!

But that’s what I experienced a couple of evenings ago. Life has been busier with impending deadline at work! So stress aside, i was really enjoying any moment away from the computer! Which also turned up implying... no facebook? Besides going on FB from my blackberry during the elevator in between meetings or nature calls! I just did not have the time!
At home, my limited evenings were spent with V and daily stuff and then I wanted to be the farthest away from a thing called: Computer/Laptop/Netbook/iPad and all variations of technology. TV is fine, thank you very much!

The fourth day... however, I wanted to relax, read a few of favorite blogs, comment, check up the latest shoes, stories and the like! And oh yes, by all means check FB! But to get a computer at home, meant engaging two grown up men in the war of "Give me the laptop! You have been on it for XXX" With two laptops and three adults active on the lovely machine, well.. besides snatching it away.. there is little you could do! As I put forth all lame arguments to the “machine hoggers”...every thing fell on deaf ears.. and then I used the 'bhramastra'..or the magic words: "I haven’t checked FB in THREE days, come on!"
A fit of laughter ensued, a couple of disapproving head nods, and the looks exchange between the boys! And I was red faced! These two guys- mind you.. are not FB people! One is on FB but barely logging on.....and other refuses to acknowledge its existence!
But with this, I finally got the machine! Super excited, since I thought I would be on it for at least a couple of hours! It's been 3 days, come on!
But... all my checking, replying to my wall, updating others.. and re-connecting and seeing tagged pictures and albums.. and ensuring "All Izz Well" was done.. I was done in 15 minutes! Here goes my couple of hours plan. I thought!
Of course, I was in no mood to return the laptop to the machine hogs.. so I wrote this blog! ;-) In the process, I made a realization.
If I did have the time during the week- I would have been on FB everyday say, for 15 minutes... So for four days = 60 minutes. But I got the same stuff accomplished in 15 minutes. Implies in one fourth the time!
Now, Only IF I could use a similar formula to make my work for impending deadline get accomplished in 1/4th of the time and effort~

Anyways, I said to myself.. let go a little! Let me cure myself of this addiction - the FB kind of addiction! And 'Live a little'. All the self assurances lasted one full day- 24 hours!
I just got my own swanky machine (Yippiee!)... so now we have three adults, three machines and well no more arguing over whose task is more important. Last night, as I on my new superfast machine, checked news, and other stuff.. I kept trying not to type 'www.facebook.com' But alas, my fingers were not listening to my mind! It was really not my fault, before I knew it, I was back on it! Damn... so now I ask for help.. "FB anonymous" anyone? Hello......... Any takers??

PS: It just might be a good business proposition as well... VC's any one wants to invest in 'FB Anonymous" ?

After effects bliss!!!

It was a super charged, super active and super emotional day for me.
We celebrated V's second birthday. I can only imagine how hard it would have been to sacrifice the play off's for a kiddie party! I am sure waking up for a brunch on a cold Sunday morning can be hard. But they came. Kids enter a whole another domain on the cake-sugar high.. but was amazing to see them play together. Friends and family under one roof.. with cute party hats.. and even funnier blow me outs. No better way to celebrate V’s two! V was sleepy at first.. and was back to being her old jumpy self as the day progressed!
As i was making my round of introductions to friends with each other; I realized often saying- Oh we went to high school together. Oh, them; we went to undergrad, masters together. We know them for so long. We have met recently but seems like we know each other forever. We are meeting after so long, but seems like not a day has passed. We may not meet as often as we’d like, but we always compensate for lost time… And so on.
As i did all this, i looked around the room and realized everyone was gelling, making new acquaintances, catching up with old friends, playing with V and over all having a good time. SD and I were missing the rest of our families, our friends back home and our friends spread around the country, friends who could not make it........ at the same time, we were very happy to be surrounded with friends and family for V's special day.
I often consider myself lucky to have been definitely blessed with such good people around us. They showered V with love, affection and blessings. They helped us lay the party together, wind it off.. and make it fun. With my brother here now, V was jumping from mama to one uncle-maasi then to another and then back to mama! She was fully pampered, rightly so!
Yes, I am knocking on wood as i type each word! I have said this many times on my blog... parenting gets a whole of fun with such wonderful people around us! V makes it simple for us.. and then the remainder we have the help of family, mama, maasi's and uncles for. Oh yes.. and definitely the cool aunt(s) she has!
Thank you guys.
SD and I were overwhelmed for once.. and are proud to say it as well!

What a movie will do to you... or wont!!!

And yes, this post is not about 3 Idiots or Avataar..the latest talk of the town! It’s about a lazy evening being transformed into either a super nice evening or a super boring one by the choice of a movie, Confused? Ok.. let me explain.
Our re-sleep training with V is going on pretty well now. This means, after dinners, her sleep time, next day preparations and winding down for the day…. we have our late evenings back to us! V sleeps and we enjoy our weeknight laziness. Its a win-win situation!
After the holiday cheer died out, parties ended and work began as usual, all SD and I wanted was to curl up on the couch and watch a movie. And nothing better than a good movie or a good book!
So, come Monday night, I get a DVD from a friend who said movie is so-so but amazing graphics for an Indian film. So, we said lets give it a shot, needless to say, within 30 minutes, after 4 useless songs, some repeated action scenes.. and oh yes, bikini blazing babes.. yes its an Indian movie.. Nothing had happened! 1.5 hours into the movie.. the story has not moved an inch. So I gave up; I just couldn't take it any more.
For me a bad movie, is one of the things which makes me cranky.. yes in addition to hunger, lack of sleep and mess!
So i call it a night.. too irritated to even stop the movie and watch something else or read!
Tuesday night, this time SD recommends a movie. It’s again a Hindi one but about a more realistic one about match fixing etc. Ok, sounds good. Let’s try. It was pretty much a repeat of the night before. The only difference being, SD thought i was liking the movie, so he kept watching it. And i was thinking, he might like it, so i will watch it. Midway, SD and i burst out laughing realizing that we both hated the movie equally. Once more i crash early.
Third night... SD had to work late, while he was on the computer working away, i decided to go for a HBO on demand!! A Chick Flick! Finally! Third time's the charm... I kept giggling and oohing and aahing in the movie. I would catch SD shaking his head vehemently at the cheesiness.. the chick flicki-ness of it all!!! But i could tell he was sorta enjoying it as well. I was happy watching a decent movie with SD. Only catch; SD was busy working.. while i was enjoying my late night coffee with a girly movie!
Only thing missing was a couple of my girl friends and nail paint to call it a perfect "girls night!" ;-)
I finally slept peacefully, and was not annoyed by the directors, the movie guys or the audience at making crappy movies.

And oh yeah, happier at reaping the benefits of V's sleep schedule! Come on; I deserve some slack!! ;-)

Twenty Ten.... Here we come!!

At the stroke of midnight... new year begins.. with that will begin new decade.. new hopes.. new pretty much every thing.. The year will be 2010 (Easiest said: Twenty Ten!)
I am exicted about the new year.. as i was the last year, and the year before. The stroke of midnight has its charms.. the sky lights up in fireworks, everyone is screaming in joy, huggling in delight and welcoming the new year! Its simply wonderful.
I try to beleive in "What you do on 1st of Jan, you do for the rest of the year!" Like always, i will definitely make sure we are chilling this day, will eat, will drink, will be merry and be surrounded with SD, V and our friends. And yes, i will make sure to step out at stroke of midnight to grab the fresh freezing air outside! Its a tradition what can i say!
I remember during school, i would open a book and study (Yes, geeky!), In college, i would always try on my pretty outfit (yes.. cheeky) and yes, all these years, i always do hit the gym on jan 1st.. even if for 15 minutes ;-) The one thing which i know i would avoid on this day is "chores"... Hehe!
Like always, i look back at this passing year. 2009 was a year of firsts... a lot of them! With a toddler in tow, its expected as well. Cliche'd as it may sound, the year went by really quickly.
For the coming year, I have newer resolutions which i know i will break. I will once again promise to do X, Y, Z and turn up doing A,B and C. And like all years, at the end of it... i will look back and reminice about the year which went by.
And like always, it will be filled with wonderful memories, some crazy times, some happy, some sad moments... but overall.. perfect!

Wishing you all a Very Happy Twenty Ten... Create Happy Memories!

Turnign 50!

Hell no.. i am not... of course not.. there is a long long long time for that... but my sweet blog is turning 50... 50 posts old.... with this post!

You know i believe in the words: "It's a start"!!! as much as I do in "Life is Good!". Its the name of my blog for crying it loud. And I chose this name after I kept drawing a blank on what to call it..or how to start writing. I admit I had been wanting to this for a while... and every time would come at choosing a name.. I’d draw a blank. I wanted it to be catchy, to relatable, to be intelligent.. and yes to be cute, peppy , cheerful, funny and all other possible adjectives. But i couldn’t figure it out. I landed on: It's a start.. Thinking could procrastinate as long as i wanted to... i knew.. Without starting I’d actually never start. Hence the justifications of the lovely name of the blog roll!!!
And may be i was right.. since here 50 posts later... It's a start!
I write.. more correctly blog.. because i enjoy it. I can count the handful of friends who read this space. And yes, I pretty much do bully my family in reading and commenting on the same. Come on, who doesn't like waking up one morning.. and seeing more than one comment on the blog! Hehe. I have met wonderful people through the blogosphere, connected and re-connected with friends. Learned new aspects of people, shared common ideologies, argued a bit and yes I have learned a few new things about myself as well!
For me- It’s a start still stands true. Its a start- to what i dont know.. but just to something that i enjoy doing. This blog is more generic.. more of whatever comes to my mind... more of me, my thoughts and my observations (Gawd.. i am self obsessive!) ;-)
Hopefully the few people who do read it (After enough arm twisting) enjoy it as well.... if not all of the posts.. just some!
And yes, i am one of those who would shamelessly bring the blog up in conversations,.. just to peck friends curiosity in reading it. I would FB about blogging... and then poor SD.. ask him 5 minutes after i post: "Have you read it yet!"
Of course, my other blog is more specific and its about my experiences and transition from being a carefree (borderline careless), relaxed (borderline lazy) and chilled out person to a mother... Yes.. i am still all of the above.. but the other blog describes my transition into a mom!
But this blog.. remains my starting point. I know.. some day it will take its form and become purposeful and be directed... But for now, i am content at letting this blog be as it is! ;-)
And i am happy at turning 50 posts old!!! Come on that's half century... and coming from the land where cricket is worshipped.... at half century..... you'd be cheering and jumping up and down by now!
I am content by just grinning cheek to cheek!

Here are my eights's

So here it is..... I got tagged by Lakshmi.. and here is my take on my 8’s!!!

8 TV shows I like to watch:
1. Entourage
2. Sex and the City
3. Friends
4. Two and a half men
5. Everybody loves raymod
6. According to Jim
7. Curb your enthusiam
8. Southpark (Yes even though I flinch more in this.. its amazing to see SD being an excited kid through this show!)


8 favorite places to eat
1. Ghar ka khana..
2. Any chaat house/ road side bhel puri walah in Mumbai
3. McDonalds of India ONLY
4. Opera
5. Big Bowl
6. Yummy mom and pop’s joints (veggie!)
7. Hot Wok, Cold Sushi
8. Any place with yummy desserts ;-) Trust me list is endless!

8 things I look forward to
1. Smile on V’s face when I pick her up every evening
2. SD’s contented sigh after good food ;-)
3. Any chutti, any day!
4. Our planned and unplanned trips.
5. Having friends over for dinners and fun!
6. My walk back home from work.
7. My evening chai with inlaws which is waiting for me when I get home!
8. Hopefully run a 5K next year: Vision Walk!

8 things that happened yesterday
1. V’s drop off was lovely and tearless! Phew!
2. Had a long phone call with mum, brother and sister in law. Always good.
3. Work- Some very successfule meetings.
4. First flurries of the season! Yeah! ;-)
5. Had friends over for evenign cuppa chai and snacks.
6. V’s play date evening filled with toys, excited screams and dinner with her friends.
7. Took a nap while putting V to sleep. Any guesses on who went to sleep first, V or me??
8. SD coming back just before midnight and us chit chatting away for hours after that! Wow. And yes yawn now!!!

8 things I love about winter
1. Christmas!! Lovely lights, snow, cheerful mood, carols, red and green colors!
2. Getting my jackets out.. and mixing and matching with my stoles!
3. Being indoors and relaxing with friends and family
4. Wii time! Poker time! Board games time!
5. Looking out of my window in groggy morning eyes.. hoping there is snow ;-)
6. Office pot lunches, Christmas parties and Secret Santa :-)
7. SD, me and V cribbing at how cold it is and we are in all the time! To some extent its cute.
8. Knowing that winter will end and the summer will come!

8 things on my wish list
1. Bring a smile to all around. (Gawd, it sounds like a beauty pageant answer!)
2. Travel the world! Travel to known and unknown places
3. Take a interior décor class, be able to execute my vision for home improvements without fear!
4. Find a cure/ solution for diabetic retinopathy.
5. Loose the extra pounds (Without making an effort for it!) : Come on I can wish for it.
6. Have family closer to me.
7. SD for his wishes coming true.
8. More shoes, more purses, more clothes… and yes, more space to store them! Haha!!

8 things I am passionate about
1. V and ensuring she gets a well rounded upbringing.
2. Of course SD! ;-)
3. Friends and all the fun we have
4. Travelling
5. Desserts, yes all food as well, but desserts in specific
6. Being optimistic. There is light at the end of tunnel, always!
7. Life is good!
8. Family: I might be shy and coy (HAHAHA). But for me, family comes first and I can go to great extents to make sure all of the above 7 are well balanced!

8 words or phrases I use often
1. V and all her pet names
2. bubu
3. Love you
4. Listen naah!
5. Acha, lekin (Ok, but!)
6. Sorry
7. It’s like
8. Thank you

8 things I learnt from the past
1. Whatever happens, happens for a reason. Buckle up, chin up and smile!
2. Choose your words carefully, you never know when they can come to bite you in the a**
3. Count to ten if you are really mad.
4. Never let a fight/ argument continue past sunset. Begin each day afresh.
5. Smile.. you can get most done.
6. If you are down and beat up, dress well. The colors, the process will cheer you up.
7. Keep in touch with friends.
8. Saying sorry doesn’t make you small. Saying thank you doesn’t make you bigger.

8 places I would love to go, visit or see
1. Europe- Cruise, road trip and relaxation
2. Australia/ NZ
3. Any cruise!
4. Leh, Ladakh
5. Kerela/ Back waters
6. Machu Pichu
7. Alaska only in summers
8. The whole world- its charms, its wonders, its people! (I know again Beauty pageantish!)

8 things I currently need or want
Hahahah… Man man man.. 8 is too less a number!
1. New laptop with built in everything
2. SD’s new phone… and may be mine in the deal as well ;-)
3. Always need more shoes, more purses, more clothes! (I know I have said that before)
4. Definitely want parents and family to come visit us and V SOON.
5. V’s play area to be bigger
6. A bi-weekly maid service
7. A self pampering day with my girl friends.
8. World Peace!


And of course, you saw this coming.... here are people whom i am tagging [Yes, this is followed by a heeping grin and an evil laughter!!!!!]
Bhaia,
Tasha,
Subz,
Priyanka
Tine, i know you are no longer blogging... hence you forgiven this time ;-)

Lakhsmi.... This post took me the longest to write. Its so easy to write about general things, other people and observations. So hard to write about ourselves!

Happy Anniversary to us!!!!

Clichéd yes.. But its true.. Feels like yesterday, that we took the vow of spending the rest of our lives together! To cherish each other, to stand by the other in times of sickness and health, in times of pain and in times of happiness and be with each other no matter what.
And yes, may be i am a convert to a hopeless romantic- I don’t believe i am said that out loud!

It is our wedding anniversary and i reminisce. We have come a long way from long phone conversations, long emails and even longer chat sessions, from frequent flight to cross country drives, to blissful married life!
Here is why i cherish this day, and why it is so special to me. Besides it being the day i got married!
Like most girls, growing up, i dreamed of my knight in shining armor on a white horse to come and whisk me off my feet and take me away. Luckily for me, it literally did happen like that.
I remember the evening we got married. He was dressed in beautiful gold, silver, slight pink slight blue shervani with glittering jewels all over and riding a white horse. (Its customary in my part of the country that the groom comes on a horse!) He was walking down the aisle covered in red roses, while i walked in from the the other side, the demure bride in gold, silver and deep pink gorgeous attire. I had the funny knot in my stomach. The minute i looked up, the moment was much more than what i had imagined it to be. For us, the world stood still, our family, our friends were besides us experiencing this moment with us.
It was just perfect.

We are building our lives together. Each day is special, each glance is cute, each argument is well taken, each gesture is thoughtful! Every minute is well spent. Our daughter V is a heaven sent gift. She makes us into kids one minute and adults in the next and then kids once again. Needless to say i am enjoying our role reversals very much. There are times, when i would see SD read V's books with much intent. He would see me playing with V's stuff toys.. and of course V would be with our blackberry's and laptops! You see 'role reversal'.

On our anniversary, i confess, on this day, there is always the same funny knot in my stomach. I can go on and on.. But i wont. All i can say is Thank You: To support me when i fall, to encourage me when i am down, to appreciate me when i achieve, to listen when i am angry, to lecture me when i am wrong, to love with my flaws.
SD..... Thanks for being who you are; a wonderful husband, a doting father, a caring friend, a naughty kid, a dutiful son, a family man, a comforting cushion, an ally, a spy, .. and above all.. being my 'bubu'!

Its a wonderful adventure.. and i am sure it will continue to be one. Yes the path, is hilly, its up and down, its curvy and its stable. But hand in hand, i know, we know... It will be perfect.
Here's wishing us a very Happy Anniversary!