Sip-n-Snap

We fight most with people we care for most

2013-08-15T07:37:00.002-07:00

In the middle of a very stressful day at work, where I am attempting to multi task several things, I miss having lunch. I was hungry, but the deadline had to be met, so I skipped it.
The hubby calls - which is quite unusual during the working hours. Just to say 'Hi'.
I should feel happy, and spend a few minutes catching up, checking in if all is ok, and how come he is calling me. Instead, I blurt out "What is it? I am busy."

Actually, I am hungry, tired, and busy. But I do not stop to appreciate that someone I meet everyday called in just to say Hello, are you doing ok. I know you would be stressed out, so I just called up to help you calm down.

My tone says I am stressed, but I turn it into anger. "I am busy, I don't even have time for lunch. Tell me if there is anything you want from me, else I am hanging up".

What a way to treat the people who love you most. Who you love the most. People you care for. We take them for granted. Not sometimes, but most of the times. I know I do.

We fight most with the people we care for the most. And we should acknowledge that, and then change that.

Today..

2013-06-07T23:57:00.003-07:00

Today I feel the urge for some retail therapy! Not the kind where you hit a mall and pick up things that appeal to you. But rather the ebay/craigslist kind. A jaw-droppingly-awesome bargain! Thats what I am craving!
Yes, I said craving.

Its been a while since that happened. Ebay, here I come. Please don't disappoint me!

Knock Knock

2013-06-04T08:04:00.004-07:00

Knock Knock!
Hello!
Anybody there?
...
Anyone?

No one..hmm. I thought as much.
Ok, maybe someday this space would give me friends from far and wide. Until then, let this be my personal diary read by me alone.

So today I think I was able to put my finger on the 2 things that have been bothering me with respect to my job lately

Not really getting the learning I had hoped to. I am just going on like a worker bee, with not much to add by way of skill sets or knowledge.
A boss that doesn't want to budge from his pre-conceived notions. He has opinions that he believes are facts! Sorry boss, but what you think aint makin it a fact, buddy!

Thats all for today!

Screen time

2013-05-30T06:04:00.003-07:00

How do I put it? I wouldn't normally say anything like this. Let me start by saying I have tremendous respect for my in-laws. But when they do not respect my wishes when it comes to how my 2 year old should spend his time at home, and give him way more screen time than I would ever allow, it does start to agitate me.

After maintaining a tight discipline on how much time he spends on the Ipad or laptop, within 1 month of being "spoilt", he screams for the Ipad the moment he sees it! The laptop is meant for him, and the TV must play songs he likes. There cannot be any other way!

It saddens me, sometimes irritates me, but mostly I feel bad when his innocent face asks for "Wheels on the bus", and in a few seconds he is crying, with a face full of tears and all the drama that comes with it, when I refuse to give him the Ipad.

It will take some patience and many tears to "reform" him. But its got to be done.

I ♥ suede

2013-02-20T06:29:00.000-08:00

Oh suede! Rich and luxurious. In the form of a bag! Pure eye candy! ~~Beckoning~~... SCREAMING at me to be my arm candy! Just take a look at the bag below. I want it!

I saw this from the Hollywood housewife's latest post. It introduced me to yet another beautiful woman - Clare Vivier who is passionate about her and craft and produces, in her own words, a line of handbags and clutches that are as chic as they are utilitarian. Perfect! Just what a girl wants!

P.S - Not a sponsored post! No one would sponsor at a blog read by the blogger herself and her family :-p. Just wanted to share my find of the day!

Getting lucky

2013-02-10T03:49:00.000-08:00

Some people get lucky. When I think of getting lucky - I think of Frieda Pinto. That girl hit the jackpot!
And then she made good use of it too! Smart lady.

Closer home, quite literally, I think of Anushka Sharma.

Image courtesy- Anushka-Sharma.com

Not to undermine the hardwork both these girls have put in, but hey, so many people work hard! So many struggle. And so many fail!
Just another model getting a lead role in a Bollywood film by Yash Raj films opposite Shah Rukh Khan! That's the stuff dreams are made of.
Getting it all, all over again! And get directed by The Yash Chopra himself? That is a lot of happy stars up there somewhere showering their blessings on you.

I am happy for Anushka. She is an adorable, intelligent girl. I wish I can have all that luck too :-p

Madhuri Dixit

2013-02-06T07:12:00.002-08:00

Madhuri Dixit! It is so good to see you back in town!

Of course she moved back to Mumbai more than 2 years ago, but just seeing her out and about at various events and movie functions is so nice.
Like the Oral B event - her 1000W smile flashing all the while. Just looking at her reminds of my own school days when I was in love with her! Yes, I am a girl - but who didn't love Madhuri as the lovely Nisha in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. That movie, for me, was the quintessential Bollywood movie, and it made me fall in love with the movies. I wanted to be her!

No, I want to be her! Even today - nearly 2 decades after I saw that movie.

Image courtesy: Sulekha.com

It is another matter that today, when I see HAHK, I find it too..slow and filmy for my liking. Today I'd rather see Zindagi na milegi dobara, rather than Hum Aapke Hain Kaun.

But its impact remains. The legacy remains.

Therapy..

2013-01-11T20:30:00.001-08:00

Wish anyone reading this blog a very happy new year!
Here is a post I came upon from one of my favourite food bloggers, that completely resonates with me right now!
Let me know what you think.
Fork Spoon Knife: Therapy...

My munchkin's kiss

2012-10-24T07:36:00.002-07:00

I ask my munchkin - 'Baby, come give mama a kiss'.
He comes close to my face...
....
I wait for my peck...
...and he says 'kiss', and goes back!

Haha
He thought giving a kiss means come close and say 'Kiss'!

Ok, go give daddy a kiss.
He runs to daddy, brings his face close to daddy's and says 'Kiss'
lol!

Pat-a-cake

2012-10-14T06:48:00.001-07:00

You know you have been tending to your baby too long when the only song going on in your mind for nearly a week is

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man.

Bake me a cake as fast as you can;

Can't blame if the video is so adorable and cute! Have a lookie yourself and tell me if you dont end up humming it yourself after some hours :)

You can have it all..

2012-10-09T08:29:00.002-07:00

...just, not all at the same time!

While it seems to some people that I am a successful "career woman" (whatever that means!), I am struggling to juggle the duties - as a mom, and as an employee.

I should either be thick skinned, and not let every small negative feedback from the boss affect me, or I should work like there's no tomorrow, and not give as much attention to my son.

Not very difficult to pick my choice!

But not very easy to implement!

Being a soft-spoken, protected kid all my life, it is hard to just turn a deaf ear to all that I am told!

We shall see..

My lunch!

2012-10-07T04:48:00.000-07:00

Sun dried tomatoes, mozarrela and basil pesto sandwich.
It sounded nice.
It tasted nice.
But then..

I puked twice.

One place less to try for lunch now.

10 years!

2012-10-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

Gosh! It has been 10 years since I left college and started working.

On this day, a decade ago, I joined my first job. A job that I held for 9.5 years! Only recently, I quit and joined a new one.
And I already want to retire :-p

Our parents have been in jobs for nearly 4 decades! I have a new respect for them and for their patience each passing day!
But that's a story for another day.
Here's a toast to my first decade!

Bollywood's boutique actor

2012-09-30T00:36:00.001-07:00

Which celebrity do you follow on Twitter? Who's tweets do you particularly enjoy reading?

For me, the 'boutique Bollywood actor" Rahul Khanna is it! His tweets are so witty and such a treat to read. Not to mention, the pictures of himself that he posts sometimes. Delish ;-) (Don't judge me. Yes, I am a happily married mother of 1, but hey, everyone loves some eye candy!)

Photo courtesy|Twitter

Some of my favorite tweets from him are -

"I hate waking up with the dull regret of a bad decision. What was I thinking last night? Why did I skip dessert"

"Upon whoever dinged my car door while I was parked at the gym, I wish the worst curse I can think of: A lifetime of low flow shower heads."

"How can you tell you've had one Bloody Mary too many at brunday Sunch?"

Barfi gets an Oscar nomination!

2012-09-28T23:40:00.001-07:00

First, apologies on 2 accounts

- This space is fast becoming a bollywood movie talk

- If you follow Bollywood news, you'd be yawning - this is old news already!

Ok, so Barfi got an Oscar nomination! Isn't that wonderful! I know everyone who has seen the movie has been raving about it - about its story, its performances, its positivity!

Image courtesy| Business Today

Nothing much to add here - I am very happy for this movie getting an international audience now - it deserves to be seen by the world!

And good going for Priyanka Chopra - an international album, and now recognition by way of this movie. Congratulations PC!

It was a bummer

2012-09-28T20:58:00.003-07:00

If there is anyone other than myself reading this blog, here is an update on the presentation on Friday that I was so scared about.

It was a bummer.

I prepared my presentation, shared it with the boss on Thursday morning. He called me in the evening and said that I need to include a lot more material. And cover more topics. So I kind of panicked. Called up my husband to pick up the kid from day care and go home so I could stay late at work and finish off the presentation.

I did that - was up till 1 am. Woke up at 7 the next morning, and pictured myself presenting, made a few modifications and I was all set. Nervous, but prepared.

I sent out the presentation to the boss, and left for work. 15 minutes before the presentation, the boss sent me a presentation - containing the same material I had covered. But this one was prepared by him. I asked him what it was.

He said since he didn't receive the updated presentation from me till midnight, he woke up at 5 and prepared it himself. Since this was a big decisive meeting, he didn't want to take chances and wait for the last minute for my presentation. What if it was not up to the mark?

Hmm..

Valid concerns from a manager's point of view.

So he presented instead of me..

I spoke for 5 minutes. That's all.

I was sort of bummed. Lesson learnt - Keep your boss updated at every step. Think from his point of view as well sometimes.

Ah, well..

Wish me luck!

2012-09-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

No, nothing very major, no announcement or anything, but I need some luck.

These past few months have been 'challenging' to say the least. Mostly due to work related stress etc.
This Friday, I can either make it or break it!

I have been asked to share my knowledge with an audience full of very senior people, who know a lot about the subject already. I am not sure if it is to brush up their knowledge, or to check how much our team is capable (before taking certain harsh decisions). At the end of the day, I need to prove myself, whatever their reason for asking for this session is!

I am nervous.
I am scared.
Hell, I am shit scared!

I could do with some luck!
Needless to say, I'll be reading my horoscope!

Heroine is a flop

2012-09-23T08:58:00.003-07:00

After a lot of hype, including a photo call at last year's Cannes film festival, the film "Heroine" finally released this past Friday.

Aishwarya Rai was to do the film earlier, but opted out due to her pregnancy, to be replaced by Kareena Kapoor. I haven't seen the movie yet, (and going by the reviews, I do not intend to watch it any time soon!), but I was wondering what goes through the minds and hearts of the cast and crew of a film that they believed so much in, when they read words words like 'unbelievably trashy', 'fraud', 'don't bother', and other such 'what-were-they-thinking' comments.

Photo courtesy - NDTV

Apparently, the director, Madhur Bhandarkar waited many years to launch his magnum opus - it was his dream project!

Hmm..

I think I will watch the movie to know what was it that made Madhur believe so much in it, and then, also to see what is it that is trashy and boring. Actually, I don't want to know the boring and trashy part - there are way too many Akshay Kumar movies that I have attempted to watch in the hope that this one would be different!

They aren't .

Tod's and Tucci

2012-09-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend we did a lot of window shopping at the designer stores here on Orchard Road. There are 3 Louis Vuitton stores within 5 minutes walking distance of each other. And, of course, there is Hermès, Miu Miu, Tod's and all the others.

While returning home in the cab, I just happened to mention the word "Tod's" in my sentence. And my 16 month kiddo - who is the at height of copying whatever he hears, went about saying - Todge, Todge, Todge!
Then I mentioned "Gucci", and he "repeated". Tucci.

The next 5 minutes were spent hearing Todge, Tucci, Todge, Tucci...

Love listening to my bunny :)

Prada Baroque Sunglasses

2012-09-16T06:57:00.000-07:00

Much has been said, written and loved about the gorgeous Prada Baroque Sunglasses
I am here to say some more - of the same. How gorgeous are these beauties!

They have been on my lust list - and each time I see someone wear it, I sigh!

Image courtesy - Saks Fifth Avenue

Do you believe in horoscopes?

2012-09-16T04:18:00.001-07:00

Do you read horoscopes? Do you believe in them?

Whenever there is a low period in my life, I turn to horoscopes. And whether I believe in them or not, one thing that I certainly learn from them is the positivity that I usually derive from them.
In a normal case, I would probably do something in the spur of the moment, which would not always be the best thing, but if I have read my horoscope, I always pause for a bit before making any decisive move, think for a bit, weigh my options, and generally err on the side of caution.

Now some would say, "But you aren't living life to the full", "You are limiting yourself" etc. But like I said, I think I only do that when I am going through a low phase - when I need some support, some handholding.

What is your take on horoscopes? How do you tide through your low days?

Let it out!

2012-09-06T23:51:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, I think I am walking with a halo around my head.
I have come to realise something that I have always read, have always been told, but only when you actually do it, you get that awakening - "Yes, they were right!"

Let it out! If there is something that is eating you up inside, something that is bothering you, has frustrated you, making you angry - do not leave it inside you. Speak it out!
If you can't - like I could not - being new in the job, trying to create an impression etc, I was finding myself getting depressed with some of things I was being subjected to.
And then, I wrote it out. I let out my frustration. Better still, I visualised a punching bag with her face on it..haha!

I think I can conquer the world now.

Not a nice day!

2012-09-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

I work my arse off on weekdays. Trying to not leave anything outstanding that may come to hit me later, and leave me looking for excuses as to why a task was not completed.

And then comes a mail.
One mail from a moody customer who not only does a wonderful job of wiping off all the hard work you have been doing, but also manages to completely ruin your day!

If only I had a punching bag at the moment!
With her face on it! Haha.

Dinner tonight

2012-09-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

Mine and my 16 month old son's dinner tonight?

Haagen Dazs Belgian Chocolate ice-cream!

Hmm..

Coming from a mom who swears by healthy eating habbits. Well, what should a mom do when the toddler scoffs at her lovingly prepared dinner?

She gets irritated, and joins him for dinner of a tub of chocolate ice-cream.

If you can't beat'em, join'em! Healthy dinner be damned!

I want to be in a handbag heaven!

2011-10-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

I want..no..I NEED a new handbag!!

Went handbag shopping, but all the visions of the Prada and Louis Vuittons were blurring my vision! If only I was Carrie Bradshow and roam around in Maybachs and all..

One of my favourite bags that I owned was a Marco Polo thick brown leather bag. It was much loved and cared for..I used it every day for nearly a year, and apart from some random stuff, it would lug my copy of Shantaram, and a boring heavy hardbound book on finance fundamentals..of course I don't remember the name(and also its contents!).

Here is the bag in its current glory..I don't use it anymore, but I do love it still..
Excuse the randomly taken picture - this was taken by me as opposed to my husband who usually takes stunning pictures for the blog!