The trave planning........ the grind?

& all the lows that must accompany my highs......

I'm just noting this down, so that I always remember this phase. The disbelirf, that my vacation is actually going to happen.... The going to Mahindra Group of holidays... The sweet talks while signing up. & then after payment, the first reality check, you can book hotels only after 45 days of signing in... Which leaves us what, 15 days to book flights & visa? & then the follow up begins..... & continuing as of now.... we pressurizing for early booking..... they letting us know processing delays. Even spontaniety should be planned, & that's a very sad realization.

Some dreams coming true....

I have always been one of those people eager to travel. I have always been one of those people who have never travelled. Okay, so I do make a pleasure trip to some hill station once a yr, & go home about thrice a yr, but that's not travel to me. For the restless soul in me, always wants to go far.. never sure, what that would achieve, but still wanting it. & finally the husband got the hint.. The hardworking husband who would rather sit at home. The one who truly detests any travel, to the point, he does not feel need to go anywhere, & is much content, everywhere!! So for this birthday, he's taking me to UK... :-) 8 days only.. won't take more than a week's leave :-( But what the heck? & the real fun is in the anticipation.. For the seasoned traveller may make discoveries galore.. But the excitement of the first time is unmatched yet!

2011: Thoughts during a cold cold January!

I'm cold to my bones, having not a single warm bone in my body,
all apparently are located in my heart!
& this is the tale every winter,
as sometimes even higher evolved mammals called homosapiens are cold blooded living beings,
example in this case being me!
But why me?
Every shivering moment I think: Why me?
In plain Hindi: Itna sardi kyon hain Bhai?

As I grow older, I realize how easy it is to lose the folks most special to us.
You move states, your family represents numbers on your mobile.
You move houses, your friends represent more numbers on your mobile.
You change lifestyles or jobs, your acquaintances represent more numbers to be deleted from your mobile.
Maybe the contact list is too long, & the contact too brief!

& if indeed we're the sumtotal of all our thougts & experiences,
then boy, does life let us know the truth of the words:
We come alone, & we go alone.

Despite such deep thoughts,
wishing myself a happy new year! :-)

The Dec 2010 post!

I can see myself looking back on my online diary a few yrs hence & thinking that I must have been a busy girl...
otherwise why would I post once a month?
Unless the less flattering alternative reason is true,
I don't even have meaningless stuff to write on...

So I narrowly missed losing my phone for the second time in sixty days...
& the only reason I found it was,
I told the wedding organizers:
"Please find my phone... I don't want to live with this reputation"
(Pss... there goes the phone dropper, she can't drop names you see...)

The little A can now get off a see-saw by herself,
but cannot pull up a pair of pants the moment she sees me...
I guess she knows my aura to be that of a bonded labourer.
& I do everything to convince her I'm not one.
Scenario:
Me: A, pick up your toys/books/ whatever...
A: Seriously puzzled look at me
Me: (taking the logical route), who spread them out? Kissne phailya?
A: Maine.. I
Me: So who'll pick them?
A: Tum.. You..
Me: Grr.. If you don't pick I'll cancel your outing/birthday day/ kinderjoy/ what ever
A: (Still pondering...) Okay I'll pick, you help
Me: (Feeling pacified..) start A, I'll help
A: (Employing factory rebellion tactics also called go slow tactics..) Shall I pick this or that or........
Me: (Taking the fastest route), A hold the packet, I'm picking
A: All smiles roughly translated: Smirk smirk... See my personal slave? See?

However there are days when I'm feeling foul & A picks & packs all her scattered eartly possessions ...
After all when the slave rebels.. empires fall!

So another year has come to an end...
nearly there..
& I hope to write a sensible line before the curtains fall on 2010.
On that "to be continued note............"

The conquerer: I; The conquered: Roti!

Okay, so having grown up in a hostel, away from home, I developed a hearty taste for food...
Really quality food, not quantity.

I have loved & eaten: Gujrati, Marwari, south Indian, Goan cuisine prepared in the
homes of people who are Gujratis, Marwaris...........
You get the flow!

But never once I felt compelled to cook, replicate any of those stuff.
At hostel we sat before what was offered us,
what we liked we ate,
what we did not like, we didn't eat!

At home for holidays......
I ate, ate, ate, ate, ate, ate...
What did cooking have to do with any of it anyways?
Wasn't some one in the kitchen slaving for the little child home for holidays?

But then I married,
& sob! sigh!
That person slaving in the kitchen was me.
Me who ate Gujrati, Marwari, blah, blah, blah cuisine..
Me who did not cook any cuisine, spell with C or K.

But my love for quality food drove me to cook delicasies,
(note: all food cooked with my delicate hands are: delicasies.),
& I conquered all but that hateful Roti.
Still no problem,
surely a maid when well paid, will simply fall at my gas stove & make rotis?
No?
No.
No.
& again No.

It took me 4.5 yrs of married life to understand,
I might as well fall over that gas stove,
for the maid who'll make my rotis,
will also attempt to take my cell phone,
all quitely ofcourse..
& the honest maid could not care less.

So I can eat maggi,
feed my 3 yr old daughter maggi,
feed my ailing visitors maggi,
or I can make rotis.

Today 30th sept 2010, I made rotis.
If you can make those stuff good for you.
If you can't & are single living off elders.. very good for you. (I have lived that life, I know).
But should you be dependant on that elusive maid service...
not good for you.
I say not good at all.

The new laptop that's not happening...........

Okay, I'm not a technical freak, that I cannot live without the internet!
Also, I'm not the inspired face book commentator, who's bursting with fresh quotes!
& like loads of folks I Know, I'd rather know Shahrukh's preferred toothpaste than discuss mine... yeah I'm pretty coomon even by my standards!!

But I still want a laptop, because I like to live with the laptop,
I do like reading inspired quotes & blogs..
& ofcourse who knows what Shahrukh Khan may twit about......

So question is why do I not have the laptop?
One, I intend to pay for it myself.
Two, I love to budget & I'm not working.
Three, I have budgeted, as in when I get back my tax money.. you get the picture.
But guess what?
Our govt does not feel any obligation to return money to us poor mortals.
Money which should not have gone to the govt in the first place, as I was not even in the taxable income bracket.

I'm definetely not feeling good about this,
so I'm thinking, now what?
Do I chip into my savings, & but that notebook anyways,
or do I wait till my country decides that it definetely cannot get rich with my meagre amount...
Tough man.