A Jungle Safari To Remember.......

There was no way we could let our blogs just sit and rot, while we blamed everyone but ourselves for not writing. Deciding to put an end to the hiatus on writing, me and Ishithaa have decided to write on every day of November on alternate days. Today if the post is on my page, tomorrow it will be on hers.....   

This happened a good year ago on a wild life safari in the jungles of Bandipur. The vehicle we had booked in, happened to be one of those closed jeeps. The seat we were allotted was right behind an obviously newly-married couple - didn't need much guessing what with her dressing and the way they were all over each other! Errrr we have done our share of PDA - but a jungle safari van was indeed a novelty!

As the safari was about to begin, I reminded them the fact that some lesser mortals were behind them not to take up the lion's share of the window space. Very reluctantly, they let us use a teeny-weeny window space through which Pravs could barely fit in his camera!

As the safari started, my ever-sharp ears picked up some gentle growls which were growing in intensity with time. A very excited us started looking around wide-eyed.... but alas! Our bubble burst soon when we realized that those gentle growls were emanating from our "honeymoon" couple who chose that moment to go away into snoozeland! Of course, who could blame them - sleeping in the lap of the jungle should be an experience in itself right!

This doesn't seem like a safari I will forget in a hurry huh . Here is one of the many clicks from that day that Pravs managed when he was roused out of our co-passengers siesta-induced stupor.
This doesn't seem like a safari I will forget in a hurry huh :-D. Here is one of the many clicks from that day that Pravs managed when he was roused out of our co-passengers siesta-induced stupor

A father's Gift

There was no way we could let our blogs just sit and rot, while we blamed everyone but ourselves for not writing. Deciding to put an end to the hiatus on writing, me and Ishithaa have decided to write on every day of November on alternate days. Today if the post is on my page, tomorrow it will be on hers.....   


I was bought up in a home where my parents were always "equals". There was no question of one leading the other - it was always a mutual give and take.

Yes, they have had their fights. Yes, they have raised their voices against each other! But the very idea of my mom giving up an argument just to soothe my dad's "Masculinity" is a thought that would make me fall on the ground and laugh! Maybe his "Masculinity" didn't wane away because he lost a argument with his wife.....

There was no task that was too "menial" for my dad - from helping out in the kitchen to polishing our shoes and even making our beds (oh we were a pampered lot!) to helping us with our homework - nothing was too big a task for his "Masculine" ego!

My mother was a working woman who has had an odd brush with "sexual harassment" at her workplace. We were teenage girls who have had a few "unpleasant incidents" traveling by public transport. Oh yes! we have also had our share of "Uncouth Boyfriends" (Well it’s a different matter that our father didn't think any man is good enough for his daughters). Every time, it seemed a very natural thing to discuss it out at home. No! I didn't see my dad flying into a rage - instead every time he would go and have a straight talk with the "offending party". And surprise! surprise! It seemed to work just fine! Maybe his "Masculinity" was more than about "boiling blood".....

We come from a family that's always been more on the "orthodox" side. But today when I am "old enough" to see the world - I realize we have had among our family-friends whom the "moral police" would term as "unsocial elements" - from unwed mothers to couples in "Live-in" relationships (remember that I am talking about a conservative Indian society two decades ago); but they were accepted without a blink of the eye. Maybe its that which has made us less judgmental today - maybe he was "masculine" enough to trust his family and not worry about "Unsavory influences"!

Maybe he was "Masculine" enough to realize that his "Masculinity" was beyond all this. And that truly is the best gift he has left behind for his daughters... When you have seen a gem of a role model in your dad, it gets very difficult to respect a man whose "Masculinity" is ruffled at the slightest of the pretext! May all men soon grow to be "Man enough" to accept strong Ladies.....

This post was influenced by yesterday's "SatyaMeva Jayate" episode on "Expression Of Masculinity"

Happiness is....

... seeing my little nephew have my husband wrapped tightly around his little fingers! The delight on hubbs face when that little fella slobbers all over his face is hilarious :-D. This from somebody who I haven't seen being v comfortable with infants :)

Tell me whats happiness for you?

Linking this to Thursday Challenge -"Happy"  and WT Write fest Day 6. The task for the day is "Ask a question".

X-Mas Eve.....

It was last X-Mas - my niece was home for her hols. At the last min, the little missy decides she wants to do up a Christmas crib. We did a quick dash to the local market with absolutely no luck! So literally on Christmas eve, we went about scouring a crib from the itty-bitties at home......

An empty oil box from the shop next door became the base for the Crib

Jesus, Mary, Joseph!

A few hours later, here's her cute little crib... ....

Did you like our little crib? Linking this to AtoZ challenge - X is for X-Mas

The Thinker!

That's Munch(My 3 month old Nephew) in action :-D.

Linking this to AtoZ challenge - T is for Thinker (This title is courtesy The museum Piece .... Despite that brooding look of his blog n FB DP, I assure you he has a fun side to him :-D)

A Plate Of...

See what's been on our menu over past few weeks!  I assure they tasted as yummy as they look here... Now if you need details on the recipe, pls do feel free to reach out to my resident-chef Pheno :-D (errr blame him for this food-porn too)

Golgappas with  a difference anybody - That dash of Vodka makes a difference Indeed :-D

Savory Tarts :-D

Now for this finger-licking good Pork Rib came from Cory :-D

Linking this to AtoZ challenge - P is for Panipuri\Pie\PorkRibs :-D

11 Things Every Woman Should Write Down.....

There's no better way to celebrate the rich, full life you've lived so far—and the big, bright future ahead—than telling your story!

The ever diligent Shilpa (Yo that's the word I associate with you, Shilpa) has tagged me in her post to complete this very interesting list complied by Oprah  -  11 Things Every Woman Should Write Down Before the Year Ends!

Go on, read my story so far...

1. What Younger You Would Like About Present You

For having a 'life' .. a life beyond the every day rut of living. A life revolving around books, friends, blogging - how these simple things make a huge difference to the quality of life!  Another facet I am truly proud of is the fact that I am somebody many would think twice before picking a squabble with!

2. The Watched/Read It List

Courtesy Goodreads, today I have the complete  list of books I have read through the year and a even bigger list of "to-read" books. Go on, visit my page to see what's on my bookshelf this year! Though I have managed to read only 34 of the 50 books I signed up for, it was a beautiful journey of books this year!

As for movies, I already have a list of movies I am hoping to watch the coming year !

3. The Mistake You Never Want to Make 

A mistake I was very close to making, but then as usual the fate had the last laugh! To bring a child to the world for sake of society and not cause you want to bring a child into the world. I see many couples popping out a child within a year or so of marriage - its almost as if producing a child is the one and only obligation in marriage! No child really deserves it.....

The irony though is that today I am more than ready to welcome a child into our life but we have been having no luck in conceiving one :-/

4. Your Ideal Outfit

Am sitting at home writing this post in my comfy PJs ... indeed my ideal outfit ;). But on a serious note, I would love to have more of western formal attire in my wardrobe - well blame my 'personal shoppers' (read my sis n Sabs) for the lack of it :-P

5. A Deep, Dark—Shhh—Secret

Let it remain that way huh ;)

6. The Most Unexpected Compliment You Ever Got

This must be somewhere in grade eight or so. Nobody until then had ever complimented me for my "looks" - instead in their foolishness had made me an awkward and conscious teenager. So it was a pleasant surprise when my class teacher signed my autograph book complimenting me on my radiant smile . I still remember the exact words she wrote! Haa the difference a simple compliment makes to a teenagers psyche

7. That One Quote

When life hands you a lemon make lemonade (or better still get some tequila!).

8. The Best Surprise You've Ever Had

Must be indeed the peter pan of my life - my husband. He truly lives up to the adage "Like father, Like Husband" ;). What more can a daddy's gal want... especially considering I  married him a couple of months after I lost my daddy!

9. Your True Happiness 

Lies in the small things in life....

 The simple pleasures of reading a good book, watching a good movie, of traveling, of rustling up a good meal together and of good times! By no standards do we lead a fancy life - I dream of traveling around the world, of a better home, of a decent bank balance and a complete family. But as my peter pan says "It's the journey, not the destination, that really matters"!

10. Your Favorite Failure

For having ditched the damn software engineer job. Funnily I was good at it, but always knew at the back of my mind that it's not what I want to do! Today my job doesn't pay me half as much as a programming job would have -  but  I know, I have made a change for good! Though honestly there are times I regret it -  for the extra penny it would have paid along with the foreign assignments!I Am still optimistic that time will erase this teeny-weeny regret a day soon!

11. An Amendment to the Bucket List

Ho the slacker in me would love to slash out a few items in my bucket list - to read and write Malayalam(my mother tongue), to give driving another shot among other things - but lets leave the list as is for now - shall we?

An interesting questionnaire rt. I will tag Cory who originally shared this list with us.... I am sure she will have a v interesting story to share with all of us!

With this, I bid 2013 a warm adios and welcome 2014 which am hoping is a more happier and fruitful year......

Grateful.....

...A prayer on my lips, I send up a prayer of thanks to the forces up above for preventing a disaster from happening! I cant even begin to think what would have happened if the battery had exploded when the phone was in his hands or close to the ears! Thank You is all I can say.......

Shared Below is Hubbs FB status today - this incident happened just a couple of hours back....

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ATTENTION Samsung S4 USERS - I had a very narrow escape today . I felt my Samsung S4 grow very hot and immediately opened the mobile and put the battery on the table. It exploded right in front of my eyes and started spewing smoke resulting in a fire alarm in my office building. The room could not be entered for a while due to the toxic fumes. I am really lucky to have escaped otherwise the results could have been catastrophic. These phones are dangerous....... Look at the state of the battery....... Had I not taken the battery out even the phone would have melted and burnt me.

When You Love.....

Mia couldn't help smiling at herself as she served Manas his dinner. Her mind went back to her university days....

A v vocal feminist those days(not that she's changed much), Mia found it v hypocritical that her mom - a strong feminist herself who gave long sermons on gender equality through the day  -  always put her dad's needs-wishes before hers! Right from making morning tea just the way he liked to laying out his office wear to serving him hot phulkas straight from the stove! Her mom's indulgent smile every time she threw a tantrum over this only infuriated her more.....

Today two years into her marriage, she realised what her mom has always been telling her "When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve."

This post is written for Hemingway this Wednesday at Write Tribe

  I chose the quote “When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve.”   (A Farewell to Arms) 

PS: As a friend mentioned - "The difference is when someone thinks he / she is entitled to something and when things are done out of love"

 

Free Write - Amms in Bangalore!

"Free Write" was the  prompt for the week at WT.

What is a free write? It is essentially writing without conscious thought.
Most free writes go like this: You write down whatever comes into your mind for 15 straight minutes either as a word purge (no topic at all) or on a prompt. You could read more about it here

Now writing without a prompt would have been disastrous for somebody as fickle-minded as me! So while I was clear I would be writing about my niece, I let the words flow. Here is the final draft with not much of editing. Tell me how you liked it!

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 Last week was dedicated to my little niece who was here on a short vacation. Through her, I lived my dream of  a complete family - “Ma, Pa N the little One”! Just drove home the fact that am more than ready to start a family ~~ Hoping it’s a day soon!

Another facet that her visit reaffirmed is my love fo weaving stories and I couldn’t have asked for a better audience than the little one. We spent a day each at Thar Desert, Ooty and even experienced the bitter Chicago winters. We woke up to morn yoga on Goa beaches, had a nice continental breakfast, sunbathed with Mr & Mrs. Adam before flying down to London to meet the queen ;).  And when all this traveling was getting to us, we had a career makeover and became a fisherman and farmer in turns :-D. Her incessant question of “So where\What are we today” even when she wakes up in the middle of the night is all the ego boost I needed :-D.

A Day in Thar!

Today after she’s left, I miss the daily thirty mins late night session in the park – just her and me swinging gently, weaving these stories and getting lost in far far away lands … bliss!!

Now for all that she enjoys this story telling sessions, I wonder why she hasn’t yet taken to reading - this when her house is filled with Amar Chitra Kathas and many others. Is it cause nobody has taken the pain to read it to her? Maybe she should have started with something simpler – something she enjoys and then slowly upgraded the reading standards! Her frustration when I insisted that she reads “Charlie and Chocolate Factory was obvious – does she feel reading is a chore and so doesn’t really enjoy it?

Amms, I miss you darling… muah!

If only you were here...

They start their life together a few decades ago - young, clueless, stars-in-eyes! Life seemed a bed of roses until well “life” happened – they toiled to build a family together, to make ends meet facing the everyday challenges! But for them, this struggle – this journey was worth all the trouble simply because they had each other….

But today in the twilight of his life, despite the relaxed routine without the ensuing daily struggles and company of doting grandchildren, he was filled with a sense of incompleteness. The only thought constantly looping in his mind is “if only you were here”…

This piece is in response to Write-tribe 100 Words on Saturday of  "If only you were here"

Today my mother lost one of her best friends to cancer, a few months ago she lost he fav BIL to heat-attack! Death is a sad reality that snatches away our loved at the most unexpected of the times. The pain of the one being left behind...

Here is hoping that we get the chance to drive to the sunset of our lives with our better halves for company - Amen!

Lost Treasure!

Meethi was babysitting her next door toddler. She picked up few curios from around the house to entertain him. After play time, Meethi indulgently lets the boy carry one of them home.

But all hell broke lose when Meethi’s husband returned back home and saw it missing. He declared that it wasn’t just a curio -  he had jealously safeguarded it all his life! He demanded that she goes pronto to neighbours house and bring back his “lost treasure”!

Meethi rolled her eyes as she presented her husband’s “lost treasure” back to him – a toy car from his school days!!!.

This is NON FICTIOUS piece written in repsonse to 100 Words on Saturday prompt of "Lost Treasure" At Writetribe. No prizes for guessing who the character Meethi is sketched after! Here is one of hubbs many "treasures" that he refuses to part with!

The Valentines Day Gift!

It was their first Valentine's day together. Chandan had already picked a designer watch for Payal - it didn't need much of a thought considering she has been sporting a humble HMT watch for the few months he has known her.

They were engaged to be married in few months - a typical arranged marriage they stepped about awkwardly around each other . Chandan considered Payal a bit too 'rustic' for his taste - but she had a gusto for life that never failed to charm him. Just last weekend, he had whisked her away to his apartment for a impromptu date - he rustled up the only dish he could fix with some aplomb - pancake doused with his favourite Hershey's sauce.  But the way her eyes danced with glee as she took her first ever bite of pancakes was a delight to watch - Haa the small joys of life that he relived through her.....

Valentines day happened to fall in midst of a busy work day for Chandan - as he hopped from one meeting to another, he received a call from the reception desk informing him about a parcel. He was excited to see that it was from Payal - thou was a wee bit disappointed when he unpacked it and saw a bottle of Hershey's chocolate sauce along with the regular mushy mushy Archies card. Never a ardent fan of mushy mushy things, Chandan skimmed through the card - but his eyes slowly popped out as he read the last line in the card - "I can think of much more delectable places than pancake to douse the chocolate sauce with.... Let your imagination soar ;)". He was blushing so much that he had cover his face with his hands as he lifted the phone to call her....

Picture Credit: MorgueFile (http://mrg.bz/LsH3I1)

This part-fiction was written as this week’s prompt at Write Tribe.

Thankful.....

... Is how I felt at the end of the day yesterday!

Yesterday(Apr 22) was my B'day (That's ur cue to go ahead n wish me :-P). The day started on a ominous note with the news of Husbands 85 year old grand mom being hospitalized! This coming close on the heels of uncles death made my mind go into a overdrive n  jump into worst of conclusions :-/. Everytime the phone rings, I would literally have butterflies in my stomach. Goes without saying that my Bday was the last thing on my mind...

Late eve, slowly things turned around with the news that grandmother was in no mortal danger! Haa the sigh of relief when I heard her voice on phone.

What made the day complete thou are  friends n family who took the effort to go the extra mile to ensure that  my frown is not upside down! From a friend who on knowing that I hv no plans for dinner took the effort to whip up a spl chicken curry for yours truly to another one who managed to sneak in a small cake right under my nose - simply cause they knew that bday is incomplete for me without the mandatory cake cutting n a grand dinner! Not to forget the friend who was my agony-aunt thru the day - haa the pleasure of having somebody who will hear u out n reassure u that things will tide over. Of course there was the gift galore - From books to dresses to 2 wrist watches  (Each meeting my specs of Big dial to the 'T'). 

The best thou was reserved for the last - my 8 year old niece who's still not got over the death of the man in her life - calls me almost post 10 in the night n literally whispers her b'day msg into my ear! Must be the best B'day wish I received this year :)

Definitely a day to be thankful for - To God, to friends, to Family, to destiny for making my day :)

Linking this to A2Z Challenge - T is for Thankful!

Life.....

Pic Courtesy Hubbs!

Life... 

 The biggest temptress of all,

Lulls you into a false comfort zone with promises of a happier tomorrow,

before jerking you wide awake with the rudest of the shocks...

Linking this to A2Z Challenge - P is for Pic of the week.

Fantasies of life !!

Whenever I visit a new place, I always indulge in few mins of "what if I were living in this place" fantasy. N this fantasy has ranged from

• Being a bohemian in goa who hangs out in beach with a glass of beer
• To running a coffee estate cum homestay in coorg with hubbs the resident chef ;)
• To being a professor teaching in a quaint hill station in srilanka
• To a laidback life back in Kerala complete with daily walk of a fictitious dog on beach n visit to the temple in the evenings

 For now many of these look jus that ... Fantasies!!! But dont these fantasies take us away from daily rut of life for a litt while ;)

 Linking this to AtoZ challenge.

Heights of Embarrassment!!!

Now without any nonchalance I will tell u that I don't have even a tweeny creative bone in me.Drawing even a straight line was n still is a huge challenge for yours truly.

One day pretty soon after marriage (with lota encouragement from hubbs) I decided that its time I set this wrong right. So with all the gutso, I go pick up watercolors, paint books n all other paraphernalia needed. The very same eve without losing any time, I set to work.The trooper that I am, I dint loose the heart despite the initial disastrous efforts at painting.

Well well, everything was hunky dory until a ten year old neighbor decided to pay us a visit n flip thru my paint book. With the trademark innocence that only a kid can possess turns around n asks hubbs with a straight face "Bhaiya, who is the kindergarten kid in the house who's scribbling away in this paint book"!! @#$%&#$@$

Linking this to AtoZchallenge - E for embarrassment :-/

Sky is the darkest now....

Almost a fortnight for the year to end, but its a year that I will thru this life remember as one where the most precious of the gifts was handed to me only to be taken back before I had a chance to even relish it!

They say the sky is darkest before the dawn... but will the dawn be here soon enuf?

30 on 30!

*** LONG POST ALERT***

This post was originally written on April 15, a good week before i was supposed to hit 30 n has been sitting in drafts since then. But huh a 6 months post is a good time as any to post it rt :)
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Sigh! Am hitting 30 in less than a week(sob sob sob!) :(. Now I would hv hit this milestone happily only if I had become a mother by then :(. Yea I know age is no bar(K upto some point at least) when it comes to having a baby but well this is more of a personal goal that I would hv been happy to have a tick mark against! Now there is no point in crying over spilt milk. So here's a list of 30 things(in the order they pop up on my mind - that am Happy, unhappy, proud, not-so-proud,of in the 30 years(eeesh! Sounds like a LONG time) of my planet on planet earth

1. I absolutely look up to ladies who hv gone places with their own steam n hv a strong persona! As year tickle by, the person who seems to be right there at the top seems to be my mom(I hv my mouth definitely wide open at this revelation... yea its been a revelation to even urs truly)
2. Delirious that I was always a daddy's gal
3. A great regret of life is that there are mistakes I hv done as far as he's concerned, tht I never got a chance to correct
4. Happy that I hv a hubbs who will unflinchingly be a partner-in-crime
5. I should learn a thing or two from my litt sis - from being happy with what she has(as long as she has her share of dresses that is :-P) N being generous(too much for her own good) n jus having a loving heart!
6. Proud that I hv a in-laws I can be proud of!
7. Not-so-proud of not having made them grandparents yet!
8. Never eva knew that there was a feminist(too strong a word thou) hidden in me - its no more a surp to me that I go ballistic or at least put a token of protest the moment I see anybody being smartie pants!
9. Glad that I discovered that the hobby I enjoy most is reading n devouring books! A good book can ensure tht u don hv a boring moment!
10. Not-so-glad that music, dance, painting don't show up in ma hobbies list!
11. Proud to have gone para sailing .
12. Not-so-Proud that I cannot drive! Restricts my freedom-of-movement like nobodys business!
13. One thing I wouldn't regret having a wee bit more in life is to rake in a litt bit more moolah!
14. Not-so-proud tht I still hv trouble in keeping frnds! One would assume tht 30 odd years was good enuf time to correct this folly
15. I definitely love good things in life ~~ but hubbs has taught me the art of looking at silver lining in even the not-so-goos-things!
16. I should thank this certain friend - sabina (ha yes yes shes shown up here!) for inculcating some dress-sense into me!
17. My biggest insecurities - of growing old alone, of aliments n financial insecurities!
18. I am still a foodies foodie thou I realize my palette aint good enuf to distinguish not-so-good from good!
19. Surprise! Who would hv thot tht theres this (thou tweenie-meanie it is) tiny bone in me that loves homely homes!
20. I wish as a child I wasnt this sad-geeky creature n learnt to shake a leg!
21. Love travelling - N I can truly get into the spirit of the place am travelling - from eating the local food to scourging the local market - yeaaa to me n hubbs for it!
22. Not-So-Happy that I have not got to travel around the world with hubbs n hey a peter-pan time u grew up :-P
23. Wish things came to me a litt easier - ho yes they do work out k at the end of the day but should I pin n crave for it everytime before the apple is dropped into my lap(now wht kind of a similey is tht huh)
24. I betta learn to concentrate on the task-at-hand esp when its not I enjoy! Jus hoping that the hour will pass or tht it will get done magically jus doesn't work.. does it!
25. When you do your homework pretty well, the worst-scenarios never even play out. But huh, dare to do a shabby job then Dilberts principle of "What can go wrong, will go wrong" plays out to perfection
26. To always hv a belief to hold onto - U can cal it god or whatever!
27. When u do something - from work to cooking to home - do it with a intention of doing a good job n not make it a race to finish!
28. Speaking good English isnt really a trademark for well anything(should be commonsense rt - but man! I still hv hangups if the other person cant speak decent english! Phew!)
29. Take each day as it comes! Give things a chance to fall in place, they usually do.
30. Jus be happy :-)

I wish someone told me...

.... that topping your class doesn't exactly qualify you for a free-ticket to a better job(read high-paying job!).

Should be common sense rt? Esp after being in the corporate scene for close to 7 years, one would have thot that this basic sense would hv creeped into this head of mine!

Am I glad I joined my current work place which is literally a ocean!! So U will hv a Diploma-pass rubbing shoulders with a IIM grad provide ofcourse he\she proves his\her mettle! This to a large enxtent has broken my bubble, but the damn creature of habit keeps raising its head once in a  while!!!

You think theres still some hope for me?

One lesson that I never miss passing onto the younger lot is to not to unduly really worry about their grades..... Nothing really depends on it!

Linking this to Write Over the Weekend Initaive by Blog Adda.. So what if am a week late :-/