Life. Unordinary.

Mango Kulfi & A South Indian Spread

2012-05-22T23:27:00.000-04:00

Kulfi is an Indian ice cream, thicker and creamier than regular ice cream. This is one of the few desserts I've perfected, mostly because it's so easy to put together. Go talk to my sister if you want fancy double boils or caramelizations. My skill is mostly limited to opening cans.

I made this two weeks ago at P's potluck.

Ingredients

Method

Serve chilled. From my friend AW I learnt the trick of freezing individual portions in a muffin pan. And because there were kids involved I had to buy the colorful molds.

The potluck was South Indian themed with every dish made from scratch, including the idiaapam, as seen below.

SK was like Alice in Wonderland. I wish I could say I was the Queen of Hearts. That was all Pearl.

The Sad Song List - Because Every Girl Needs One

2012-05-20T23:22:00.000-04:00

I started compiling my list after watching this show two weeks ago. Actually, I updated an existing list. (I was obviously shaken AND stirred). Every girl needs to have a sad song playlist. The sad song list is for when you really want to wallow in your own misery. It's for those doom and gloom days. You need to savor the ache until it reaches a crescendo. And that only happens after the sad song has very thoroughly washed over you: 15-16 times over.

SK maintains leper distance from me when I'm in my sad zone. I think he even has standby "travel" plans just for those days. "I have an overnight trip to Charlotte tomorrow, I forgot to tell you about it.". Read "You are a sick and psychotic woman and I need to get the hell away from you."

Soooo, here is my new and updated list of top 5 SAD SONGS, in random order.

O Ri Chiraya - Swanand Kirkire

It was the newest addition from two weeks ago. For anyone who doesn't understand Hindi or whose Hindi, like mine, will not do your Mama proud, a decent translation can be found here. The sparrow is a metaphor for a young girl. The Internet is obviously my friend.

Annie's Song - John Denver

Often, mistakenly referred to as "You Fill up my Senses". Show me one girl who doesn't like this song and I'll show you 999 who do.

Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri

Morbid but nice. I'll take this haunting melody over anything the other "Perry" has to offer.

Lucille - Kenny Rogers

You wont know this song unless you're a Kenny Rogers fan. Which my Dad is. I've been listening to this for a while now.

O Paalanhare - Lata Mangeshkar (the one and only)

Heavy duty. I can't listen to this without a lump in my throat, tear in my eye and a bag full o sadness in my heart.

My list of power songs here.

Now back to work, tomorrow.

My Whiteboard Says .....

2012-05-14T23:17:00.001-04:00

The family is in town. Will be back in a week or two. G.

Feeling The Ripples 10,000 Miles Away

2012-05-09T22:45:00.000-04:00

I can't not blog about the show I saw yesterday. Satyamev Jayate. Is it sufficient to say it was phenomenal? Or is that an exaggeration? But I can't remember the last time I watched a TV show with tears in my eyes. For me, it wasn't an Indian thing, it was being a woman thing. I suppose this is what SK means when he says I have lived a sheltered life. Talk about rose tinted glasses. I mean yeah, you learn about infant mortality and female infanticide and what not as numbers in a textbook, but you don't think it includes an upper middle class family of Doctors in urban Delhi. At least, I didn't think.

SK was traveling yesterday and I saw the first 30 minutes right before he got in. Four hours later, at 1:30 am, I tiptoed to my laptop to see the rest of the show. When it was done, I turned off the light, closed the laptop and sat there in the darkness, in silence for a few minutes. #WhyWeLoveAamirKhan.

*******

On a lighter note, we had window-cleaning at our office last week. This happens once in six months or so. I suppose when he says goodbye every morning to his wife and kids, it has a whole other meaning *sad joke*

#JobIDon'tWant

(I am so blessed to work in one of the tallest buildings in Atlanta. This is 29 floors high. He waved at me when I took the picture:) )

My Week in Food!

2012-05-06T22:58:00.002-04:00

Last week was a blur of work and more work. It was a good thing that the husband was traveling because it meant that I could work late and didn't have to cook. Which is an odd sorta thing to say because he never really does ask me to cook. He's quite okay with a) getting take-out b) frozen trash c) whipping up some quick fix. But that doesn't mean that I don't feel this lingering guilt. I wish he'd just say "Woman, you gotta cook me a fresh meal everyday" because then we could have a good fight and all would be well with the world. Now, I just feel defensive when I'm not even being attacked.

(Obviously I've been doing some soul searching)

And so, this was my week in food.

Cereal for dinner is the best comfort food. EVER. I think I had a super sized bowl of cereal for dinner, 4 days last week. It's that cold milk at the bottom, steeped in leftover fruit-loop crumbs, that's really to die for.

Lunch was my frozen meals, as it usually is.

And then, because there's curry in my soul, I had to have my chicken curry-rice fix. Albeit frozen
:-|

I see normal adult food in my stars this week. Just when I was beginning to really enjoy cocoa-puff cereal twice a day.

When A Parent Retires

2012-04-29T22:45:00.000-04:00

I've been meaning to write this post for a while. My Mum retires this year, after over 20 years at St. Joseph's. And with it comes a whole host of emotions, for her and the rest of us. It's a HUGE deal for me because my Mum going to school each morning is one of those things that are supposed to go on forever; like the sun that comes out everyday or the milkman who rings the doorbell or the monsoons in Mumbai that will happen - like it or not. My Mum will go to school.

I have changed 3 jobs in the last seven years. All good decisions, lest it seem otherwise. In comparison, my Mum has been teaching Math & Science for the last 20 years, in the same ninth & tenth grade, with more or less the same curriculum. And she has loved it. That's not to say she hasn't had her bad days, sure she has. But for the most part, I know she has been happy. Talk about job satisfaction and employee retainment or whatever other fancy HR lingo there is.

Would it be weird if I said that it makes me feel old? I'll be thirty WHERE-DID-THE-YEARS-GO one this year. Isn't it bad enough that I clip coupons to the L'Oreal root-touch up hair color? Or that at the library I sometimes really want to go to the LARGE FONT section. Now my Mum has to go get herself a retirement. I mean seriously .....

Not surprisingly, she's already lining up activities for herself, post retirement. I know some part of it will be volunteer work. I stole the two pictures on this post from her Facebook page. In the picture below, sitting right by her is her old friend, one who taught me prose and poetry seventeen years ago. A wonderful English teacher at that. They both retire this year and in my mind it's the end of fabulous innings.

And there's no such thing as too much time on your hands, is there?

Ramekin Anyone?

2012-04-26T00:02:00.001-04:00

Our friend KRG was over for dinner today. It's funny, because in some circles that's how he's known - KRG, so not much of an alias there. Anyway, I tried the caramelized banana pudding recipe my friend Erica shared with me a few days ago.

When we were clearing up I was reminded of an elevator conversation a few weeks ago. There was a man in the elevator talking about the ramekins he bought the previous weekend. I had to interject. I turned to him and said "I bet my husband wont know that word". There were 2 other women in the elevator who immediately acquiesced.

I forgot about it until tonight. I was right.

There are some words that men are just not supposed to know.

Why I Like Ann

2012-04-22T22:38:00.000-04:00

We may have a new First Lady at the turn of this year and her name may be Ann Romney. And while she may never be able to rock a sleeveless shift dress like a certain Michelle O, I still think she’s quite fab.

A good marriage is where one's weakness is the other's strength and the other's weakness is one's strength. Ann Romney is a perfect foil for Mitt's stiff, cupboard-like appearance. Where he's smarmy, she's sweet. Where he's uptight, she's at ease. Where he demonstrates bad timing, she's quick on her feet. It's one thing for spouses to be different, it's quite another to use those differences to build a partnership. And that's what they have - a strong partnership.

I have watched her open almost every single speech for him on the campaign trail. She loosens up the crowd before he walks in. She's his opening act, and a good one at that.

That's why I like Ann. And there's the fact that she raised five sons (I'm sure there were nannies). But it must surely take a special kind of woman to raise five boys!

The next six months are going to be incredibly interesting. Perhaps the slight peeling of my Obama 2008 bumper stick is symbolic of things to come ! (I'm only half joking)

People of the Week

2012-04-19T21:47:00.001-04:00

I took this picture of my friend Erica this evening, simply because she looked so pretty in her little white jumpsuit and breezy, peachy top. Erica lives in a beautiful school building from the 1920s in a very artsy part of Atlanta where the classrooms have been converted to apartments and the hallways are school corridors. And that is why you see the big, black chalkboard behind her. Very eclectic.

And then there's SK, caught in a candid moment....Is it a bird, Is it a plane...

In the background are my plants. Week 4. I was taking a picture of them when he stepped into the frame.

Week 1 here
Week 2 here
Week 3 here

5 Lessons from The Little Women

2012-04-16T23:21:00.000-04:00

Life's Lessons from the March Sisters (and if you don't know who those are then it sucks to be you. really.)

I had an amazing Sunday afternoon (especially if you ignore the stuffy nose and scratchy throat). Little Women was on TV and me, my cuppa green tea and the comforter had ourselves a party. The 1994 version of the movie includes Little Women and Good Wives, both of which I read in high school. Little Women was our 'rapid reader' in the 5th or 6th grade. The next two books in the sequel Little Men and Jo's Boys I've only half read. Somehow, the first one is always the best.

I wrote these down as I was watching the movie yesterday. 5 of Life Lessons from The Little Women -

You Can Have Little And Yet Be Happy

And there is something to be said about making Christmas baskets for the poor when there's little on your own table.

Sisterhood Is An Amazing Thing. Take It For Granted Sometimes. Not Always.

My all time favorite sister quote - "In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips". Better still, in the pizzas of life, sisters are the pepperoni. Cheesy. Pun intended!

Don't Ignore The Boy Next Door. He Has More Potential Than You Realize.

And if he's rich, then even more so.

(And this one is very personal) If You Like To Write, Then Pursue Your Dream.

Your manuscript may be just a publisher away.

You May Not Have The Best Gown Or Be The Best Looking. And That's Okay.

Let your personality shine through.

Tattoo Fonts

2012-04-11T23:05:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking of ideas for a second tattoo right after I got the first. Those before me warned that it would be addictive. Thanks to Pinterest, my new hobby is checking out cool tattoo fonts (and kitchens, the kind that are featured on the cover of Home & Garden.)

Last year, when I asked the husband if I could get a tattoo he replied with a shrug "It's your body". Now if you know him as well as I do, you know that could mean one of two things -

1." It's your body so do what you want". In which case, WHAT THE HELL. You are supposed to care about my body. What if I get bitten by a dog tomorrow, or something?

2. "No, I don't want you to get a tattoo but I'm not going to say so. I'll let you do it and THEN tell you I really didn't like it." In which case, our kids wont go to college because our savings will have to be invested in a really good laser removal treatment.

I took my chances and it turned out that he was really okay with it.

So for number two, I know I want a quote/script again. Here are some fabulous tattoos on Pinterest that have inspired me -

Now all I need is to figure out the WHERE and WHAT.

Eight Years Later

2012-04-08T23:14:00.000-04:00

In 2004, when I first got the car, it was probably the swankiest one on the block (and by block I mean that semi-Mexican, mostly-run down neighborhood that I lived in, along with my four roommates at that time). It was a practical choice and the right one. Now 8 years and 95,000 miles later it's what takes me to and fro from work, and not much else. The 2 doors which were the sexiest thing since Tom Cruise in Jerry McGuire is now a severe inconvenience. As the husband says, you have to perform a couple of yoga asanas to wedge yourself in the back seat. And once wedged in, unless the car is on fire, you really don't want to get out. Also, Fred Flintstone's "car with feet" has better pick-up than mine.

Well I promised myself then that the next car would have a touch of WHIMSICAL. I'm going to buy it because I think it looks good, not because it's so fuel efficient that it practically runs on air. I'm going to buy it because I FANCY it. And after 4 weeks of hunting, I think I struck just the right balance between practical and JUST BECAUSE.

(Yes, there was a spreadsheet involved and a ton of Math but that's only because SK and I have our lives on Excel. Who needs fancy financial planners? There's a reason Lehman Brothers went down)

***

Week 3 of my plant.

Week 3 - Almost Full Bloom

Week 2 here
Week 1 here

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday

2012-04-04T23:08:00.000-04:00

#WhyILoveTheHusband - because he's willing to do a 11:00pm run for ice-cream on a busy weekday night.

Talenti is a new brand of organic sorbet/gelato that we discovered at the grocery store a few weeks ago. The ingredients are made from 100% raw and natural products. Not that I'm an ice-cream snob or anything. But this one is really good. And by REALLY I mean that you have a mouth orgasm of sorts.

And while I'm using hashtags, here are my top picks from one of today's trending topics on Twitter -

#YouShouldNever

To the dude with the 'swim with sharks' remark - dude you are so CREEPY. Do you know that?

The Quintessential White Picket Fence

2012-04-01T23:48:00.001-04:00

I learnt three things about Thai food this weekend:

1. You can't go wrong.
2. It gets better the next day.
3. It's totally worth it. Even if you have to drive around for an hour and a half, battling a broken GPS and crazy, heavy rain, the kind they probably get in the Amazon.

We had our own "Harold and Kumar go to Whitecastle" experience on Friday night. At the first restaurant, we actually had ourselves seated when I saw the menu wasn't Thai at all. There was a section on "Sandwiches and Fries" which can't be Thai by any stretch of the imagination. Not even if it's bathed in coconut milk. Obviously I made a mistake reading the website. And so we left. I told the hostess we had an "emergency at home".

The second place we drove to was too small, seemed like a take-out joint. And so we drove on, and on and on. When you gotta have pad thai, you gotta have pad thai. Somewhere along the way it started raining, a downpour so heavy that all that was visible was a thick white curtain of rain.

25 miles and 90 minutes later we found our Whitecastle, at the other end of town. It was so totally worth it.

**

For the last 3 years I have served on the "board" of our home owner's association. Board in quotes because it comprises of only a few self-appointed residents, the most active of whom is my neighbor. And because I spearhead the community newsletter they added me on to the "board". In a few weeks, we're finally having an official voting process. My neighbor called me this afternoon asking if I want to be added to the ballot.

Ballot!

Me!

What if no one votes for me? I'm in high school all over again.

I feel like I'm at a distinct disadvantage with a name like Guy-three/ Gay-ah-tri, Ray-O/ Row??? I mean compare that to a Sally Smith or something.

Who would you vote for?

Now I know what Barack Obama probably felt like, with that name. Anyway, I said YES, so we shall see.

I'll be sure to post the outcome of the election. (And if I don't it'll be because I lost)

**

For the first time today we actually bought fences at the store. The little fences are mostly for landscaping purposes, not to keep the sheep at bay or anything. I hadn't realized the choices that there are - iron, classic white, wrought, wooden, lattice and more. We settled for the quintessential white picket fence. I shall post pictures once the plants come up a little.

Until then, here's week 2 of the driveway plant.

Week 2 - Pretty leaves pointing to the Sun!

Week 1 here.

Oh! To Win A Lottery

2012-03-28T23:44:00.000-04:00

We bought a ticket to the mega million drawing last night. I kid you not, there were 5 people in the line ahead of me, vying for the same mega million. Were they there on a whim or did each of them actually harbor a sliver of hope that they’d wake up millionaires today morning? When we play poker, RG will buy a lottery ticket on a night she wins a big pot. It’s a funny business, this lottery thing – based on whim, fancy and a shitload of hope.

An old roommate (and one of my best friends) was an Auditor at Ernst & Young some years ago. One of her clients back then was Georgia Lottery. I never quite knew what she did but I suppose she audited the lottery tickets for discrepancies. She used to work onsite where the tickets were actually printed. I had the opportunity to see the place one time – it was filled with printing machines and reams and reams of lottery tickets. Imagine bales of cotton, but with tickets instead.

Obviously we won squat last night. Else I wouldn’t be here to tell the story. I’d be vacationing mah behind in some place fancy, maybe the French Riviera or something.

For the next 4 weeks I will be posting a picture of this plant as it grows along our driveway. I have been bemused, even mesmerized for the last 3 years by how, like clockwork, it peeps out every year at the onset of Spring and in 4 weeks it’s a full grown plant. If I were a National Geographic photographer I’d have some fancy videos to show.

For now, a weekly shot will capture this beautiful metamorphosis, from bud to full bloom.

Week 1 – Peeking through the fallen leaves. Hello Spring!

5 Cures for Sleeplessness

2012-03-26T22:43:00.000-04:00

If I ever land in a loony bin, this is the blog post that will do me in. She said of her own free will that she’s on meds. Goddamit. Lock her in. Innocent until you run your mouth on a blog post, I suppose. But seriously, last week while chatting with that wonderful person who does my eyebrows (and she truly is wonderful, I’d follow her to Afghanistan if she ever chose to move there) she told me that she doesn't fall asleep until 5 in the morning most days. And she isn’t the only one. I’ve had so many random conversations where I’ve realized that I’m not the only one having trouble getting some shut-eye.

My issue is mostly because I find myself so WIRED even late at night. I do fall asleep eventually but after I have planned out the next day in minute detail. It’s me, the sliver of light from outside, the mild humming from our heater/airconditioner depending on the season and my thoughts. We have ourselves a party.

And so, because I’m such a kind hearted person, I'm sharing with you my top 5 ways to get some decent sleep.

· Don’t POWER NAP late in the evening. Like when you get back from work and all you need is a quick 15 minutes of downtime. DON’T DO IT.

· SLEEP WHEN YOU’RE SLEEPY. (after dinner). No, I’m not contradicting myself. I have found that it’s not worth stalling sleep to watch a late night re-run of “Everybody Loves Raymond”. My window of opportunity to fall asleep is so small sometimes that if I miss it, I’VE MISSED IT.

· EXERCISE MAKES ME SLEEPY. It’s easier to fall asleep if I’ve worked out that evening.

· READ. An age old trick that still works. But be careful, a gripping, page-turner has just the reverse effect so be sure to pick out a light novel, a romance perhaps.

· And finally (obviously I was saving my little gem for the last). SOUNDS & MUSIC. The instrumental, soporific kind. I can recommend a few

o Rainwater – Try this one

You hear the steady downpour of rain, the background trickle on the rooftop and the sound of thunder. It is so relaxation.

o Zen Music - Try this one

o Tranquility – Meditation music with stunning sounds of nature.

The videos are all over 30 minutes in length and are incredibly peaceful.

I am so tempted to write a point 6. LUNESTA. But there are folks who don’t know a joke even if it hit them sqaure in the face, at 110 miles/hour. And so I’m not going to tell you to take prescription meds ;)

And if all else fails, there are sheep in the fields that not going to count themselves.

P.S. I have intentionally not referred to this as "Insomnia". That's a little more serious and you probably do need to see a doctor.

Of 1st Birthdays, Races and More

2012-03-21T23:31:00.001-04:00

Obviously not my day to come up with creative post titles.

There are so many things going on, little things that together amount to very hectic days. Which is probably why it's past 11:00pm and I'm only now sitting down to update my blog. I have a 5K race coming up this Saturday. To put distance in perspective, 5K (kilometer) = 3.2 Miles. It's not a whole lot, really, but for someone as out of shape as I am, it may as well be a full marathon (26 miles). For some more perspective, my boss ran a half marathon this weekend, 13 miles. I am inspired. The race is being being organized by the Atlanta Track Club, the same group that hosts the annual Peachtree Road Race.

I have realized that it's one thing to work out in a controlled environment like a gym and quite another to be out on the road. The same 3.2 miles on a treadmill is quite a different experience when you're running on the road, battling the elements - wind factor, pollen, heat, gravel, hilly terrain and more. So, I've been "trying to train" for the last 2 weeks, after work, with my friend Anora. I rarely use names but this calls for it. Anora has had two kids but you wouldn't guess it by her figure. She's one of those very active Moms who takes things in her stride, the kind you look at and go SUPERMOM.

I have another one coming up in April. That one with the husband. All this for good health. I am not athletic and will not pretend to be so. I don't enjoy running. But I do want us to be healthy.

This weekend and next we also celebrate two 1st birthdays. SK & I have about 6-7 babies/toddlers/little girls in our immediate circle now. And we're so incredibly fond of all of them. It is so interesting to see each of them develop their own little personalities. How can two children born at the same time be so different? Is it the choices you make as a parent? Does day care versus nanny make all the difference between personality A & B? Does stay-at-home Mom versus working Mom make the difference? And how do you know you're doing the right thing?

These are a different generation of kids. They will never know what it's like to buy a cassette and use a walkman. Or locate a spot on the atlas. (I read that recently). "Your kid will never know how to read an Atlas". YIKES. Does that mean that they wont know what the 'Tropic of Cancer' is? I'm not hung up on the atlas bit, really. I'm sure the GPS can locate the 'Tropic of Cancer' for you. But they do know how to slide their pudgy fingers across an iPhone and entertain themselves with APPS. And they'll be smarter than I am, for sure.

So HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY to the two little boys. I hope we're still friends when you'll are out on your first date.

No "Namaste" Please

2012-03-19T23:08:00.000-04:00

This is going to be one garbled post. I usually write my key points down and then start building but not today. So forgive me if I start talking about the husband and then tell you about the boob show I saw in Paris.

I was standing in a line to get lunch a few days ago when a person came up to me and did NAMASTE. Complete with hand-folding at 90 degree angles and head bowed. Really dude? REALLY? That is so NINETIES. And so annoying. It’s one thing that you want to chat me up, it’s quite another to use the oldest and saddest line in the book.

“Where you from?”

I really wanted to say Ratnagiri or something and thwart his next question. The chances of him saying something smart about Alphonso mangoes were slim to none. Because you know that once you say
“Bombay” there will be a follow up question, even if it’s just an “AHHHH Bombay”.

So I said nothing. I turned my back and bored holes into the overhead menu. I can be rude like that.

Gjn took me to a burlesque show is Paris. Lemme tell ya, I was not prepared for the bare boob display. It takes a lot to embarrass me, it really does. Somehow, just because the gentlemen are in bow ties and the women in dresses it makes it all okay – tasteful, even classy. But you take the same routine, plant a couple of poles on the stage and you have yourself a bawdy strip club. But it was Moulin Rouge and all very fancy. I enjoyed the experience, so memorable, even though I’m still recovering from all the breastices on display.

A few days ago I asked SK to pick up a greeting card from the store, for my Dad.

He returned with this.

Front

Inside

Granted that my Dad can appreciate funny cards or a good age joke here and there but SUPERHEROES?

I used to suspect that SK sabotages his own efforts in the guise of guilelessness so as to not be tasked with the same chore again.

Now I am convinced.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-03-14T23:38:00.001-04:00

"Wordless Wednesdays" are when your blog update on a Wednesday is just a picture, one that speaks a thousand words. I'm sharing two today.

L A D I E apostrophe S

What the F***? I mean, if you are going to invest in a big yellow banner, that looks like a giant life vest, at least get the darn spelling right.

First of January, 1980

I came back from vacation to find that hell had frozen over. My laptop at work had reset itself or something and emails weren't downloading.

Confucius says - At the end of a holiday lies a call with Tech Support.

And, NO JACKASS, I don't know the model number.

(Not very wordless. I'll try harder next week)

Where The Magic Happens

2012-03-12T23:46:00.001-04:00

Wherein I take you behind the scenes to the L’Oreal development center. Kinda. Sorta. It was one thing to hear about Gjn’s workplace, quite another to actually be there, in person. If I was impressed before, then I’m floored now.

The development center has a multitude of small buildings spread out over a wide acreage, somewhat on the outskirts of Paris. Each building houses a different L’Oreal product line or brand. “Here’s the Lancome building” she breezily pointed out. This is where they have the secret formulas to your everyday skincare products. The security is tight. The magic happens here, truly.

Do I seem like I’m bragging? I’m just a proud big sister so bear with me.

That was the last day of my trip and I suppose I’ll be writing more about it in posts to come.

On my flight out of Atlanta, I was stuck in the proverbial middle-seat. That dreaded seat where you’re close enough to rub more than just shoulders with both your neighbors, so close that you’re not sure if the garlic is your breath or theirs. So close that you barter your first born for one of them not showing up. But no such luck.

On my right was Lisbeth Salander (and if you don’t know who that is go FIND OUT NOW. BEFORE I MAKE YOU). For real, complete with eyebrow piercing, a coupla tattoos, skinny almost waif-like and hunched over an equally thin Mac something, that would make my HP laptop look antiquated.

On my left was Ms. France 1970, with more hair spray on her immaculate COIF (I finally get to use the word because believe you me, that bouffant was made just for the word COIF!) than half the Western hemisphere combined. She dunked 2 glasses of wine and was out like a light, coif and all!

In the middle was I. More to come. It's good to be back.

Taking a Break

2012-03-03T11:37:00.002-05:00

Look Before You "Leap"

2012-02-29T21:42:00.000-05:00

I can't not post an update today. Apart from having the February 29^th time stamp on my blog, there’s that other little matter of who knows if we’ll live to see another leap year. I mean the world is going to end and all, right? A month ago SK & I made our how-do-we-find-eachother plan for when the world ends and all lines of communication are down. And by SK & I, I mean that I thought of the plan, I told him the plan and I think he nodded, somewhere between Operation Repo on TruTV and random, stupid video on You Tube. BUT, BUT there is a plan.

(Closer to the date, I’ll be getting my evacuation suitcase ready. Yes, the wedding gold is going with me.)

So, back to the post. Because I don’t really have anything exciting to write about today I’m going to do a Haiku poem about my day. A Haiku poem is a Japanese form of poetry that has seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five.

Here goes –

I made some Chi-li

for my won-der-ful hub-by

We ate mer-ri-ly

I never said it has to be clever. Brevity is not my strength.

And how unsurprising is it that the best part of my day was mealtime. Happy 29^th All.

Stand Up and Protest

2012-02-27T21:24:00.001-05:00

I am so horrified and disturbed by the story I have to tell. I don’t think this received a ton of coverage in the national media outlets in India. Maybe I’m wrong but all the more reason to tell the tale. I first read about the incident 2 weeks ago on a friend’s Facebook page. She and I can both be feminists sometimes – we’d stop using razors on our legs if it meant we could protest against men not having to do so, except, hairy anything on me is really scary.

The story is about the 10 month old baby girl who was sodomized by her neighbor, a laborer, a full grown man. Yes, 10 months. TEN MONTHS. BABY GIRL. SODOMIZED. My next line is very graphic but the visualization has been haunting me ever since I read about it. A 10 month old baby’s butt hole is no bigger than the eye of a needle. How can a full grown man’s full grown thing fit into it? I am filled with so much rage when I think of it.

The story goes on to tell you how the magnanimous Mumbai High Court reduced his sentence. I’ve been digging up on the story for the last 2 weeks and many bloggers have expressed outrage at Mumbai High Court. I don’t know enough about the hearing and the law of the land to comment. I do know that with any old constitution some laws are archaic and grandfathered in and it’s difficult to go against the grain.

I am by no means condoning the court. My focus is on that MAN. That beast. I feel so much sadness for the baby. I feel worse for the Mother.

The full story is here.

There are several online petitions. I haven’t signed any because I believe it’s going to take more than just a few signatures. If you’re not as disillusioned as I am, then one strong petition can be found here

I have just started reading 'The Girl Who Played With Fire'. The prologue is 4 pages worth of bondage and torture.

Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through this. It's no wonder they say ignorance is bliss.

Something Different

2012-02-23T22:56:00.000-05:00

When you see something nice, you gotta share it, spread the love almost. So I'm recommending three different things today, all of which I have enjoyed in the past 2 weeks and are off the beaten path, my path, that is.

1. Non Chain Store Coffee

Sometimes it’s nice to have coffee that’s not out of a Styrofoam cup. It’s nice to have coffee, steaming hot, in a mug, with real milk instead of creamer from a sachet, with a shiny stainless steel spoon instead of a plastic stirrer. In a brick walled café where the little cakes are made right there, from scratch each day. Maybe I’m just being whimsical and over-glorifying a cup of coffee. But it was really nice y’all.

Octane in downtown Atlanta is just that. If you want to get away from the chain store experience, give your local bakery/ café a chance. You’ll be surprised.

2. A TV Show like None Other

Downton Abbey is a British TV series that is showing on PBS. Downton Abbey is the home of the Earl of Grantham, his wife and three lovely daughters. The series begins with the Earl losing a distant cousin, also his heir, who was sailing on the Titanic and then takes you through love and heartbreak, World War I, socio-political upheaval in Britain in the 1900s and more. The series is well cast, as if each actor were handcrafted for the role he is playing; from the elegant Lady Grantham to the oh! so debonair Mr. Crawley.

My girlfriends had been talking about the show for a while and I’d been obviously telling the husband how much it sucked that Downton Abbey wasn’t available for FREE on PBS anymore. He gifted me the series on Valentine’s Day. Sometimes the boy does pay attention.

3. Headbands

Or hairbands? I have finally warmed up to them and bought myself 3 this weekend. I’m referring to the fashion hairbands, slim with a piece of jeweled something or a flower perched on the corner. They can ether make you look incredibly feminine or a wannabe Kate Middleton. I’m still not sure which one I am. But I am giving them a try.

Say A Little Prayer

2012-02-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

I entered work today to some heartbreaking news. A coworker's husband was killed in combat during the weekend. He was with the U.S. Air Force. I feel so incredibly sad. I didn't really know her until three weeks ago when we started working on the same account. She was to travel with me to a client site tomorrow. I know not what to say except WHY?

How do you prepare for a moment like that? That call or that knock on the door. One moment life is perfect and you're working on Saturday morning chores and the next .....

If you do read this post, do say a prayer for my friend. And be appreciative of all you have.