Wednesday, November 26, 2008

d taste or d memories!!?...

Had cranberries for the first time ... & it tasted something like I had never expected it to!! Does the taste cranberries give a cocktail, come from this stuff??!!! :o// .. & now when I think back to what I expected it to taste like, I don't have any answer!!
When Iwas just about to pop one, Snig told me that it tasted like tamarind(Incidentally, we ate them a lil' before they were ripe ;)).. I ate my first carnberry with childhood memories of filling up sacks of tamarind in the estate... a helper would climb the tree to pluck them & I would happily contribute my share by picking the fallen ones while munching on a pod- with looks of glee & little shreiks when the tartness hit my taste buds...
I told myself that I would surely like the crans & wasn't disappointed... :) I sometimes wonder if it is the taste that I actually like or the memories that go with it...
I luv neem leaves too...When we eat neem & jaggery for Ugadi(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugadi), I always end up with more than the quantity one would need to have as per the custom... & yes, they are real bitter... but I still luv them...It brings back memories of granpa- me settled on his lap, out on the portico, telling me stories & making this bitter stuff go down my throat with ease!!.. Granpa passed away when I was at an age that didn't make me realise what 'passing away' really meant... many memories that left a mark... lots of stuff that trigger those memories.. Though I don't usually talk much about him, with every phase of life, I stop & say to myself- "Granpa would have been real hapy bout tis!!"..
Hmmn.. do I really luv the tartness of cranberries?... do I luv the bitterness of neem?... Or- is it the kindled memories that make me luv them?..

Monday, November 24, 2008

Want v/s Need ;)

Vishu was asking me if I'd like to get something from India since somebody was coming over... lotsa things came to my mind at once... I tried shortening the list and realized that there was nothing I really needed & all that had been listed were wants!!! So I ended up telling him that there was nothing I needed(If Pa,Ma & Poon could have been valid on the list, they would be right on top!! :D)
I've been
subconsciously using this for quite sometime if I've had to decide something... & it works!!!! :)
But then- Helllpppppp!!!! dunno why I'm blogging this!!! Hope I don't end up in self-realization classes!!! :o//

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Lil' bro's b'de cake... :)


This is the cake I baked for little bro's b'day... :) Wish I'd tried baking one for him when we were staying together!!!
Miss you Poon!!! You are the best bro ever!!!... Muuuuahhh!!! :)

My Snowtym Wishlist! ;)


Itz SNOWIN”!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D
I’ve waited for this forever & during this wait time, automatically made up a list of things I wanted to do when it snowed!
A few of tem I did & a few I couldn’t 'coz of the limited snow. But before winter ends, I’m gonna try to make sure that this list will no longer be labeled ‘to-do’… :)

Penning down most of them if not all!... :) So here goes-
- FEEL snow.. I mean hold and feel it & see how long it takes to melt on almost equally cold hands
- Eat it… err.. d snow I mean & not the hands! ;)
- Walk on a frozen lake
- Make snow balls n throw them with all my strength at any available breathing target (Slytherin ended up as the bait here)
- Stuff a breathing target with snow & watch the target shudder n scream (Snig was the target here but I must admit that I got back equally with a nail scratch as bonus!)
- Make a snowman, snowwoman & snow kid .. Hmmn.. guess I should have just used the word family!
- Gather snow, make it into a ball, poke a stick through to make it look like a lolly & add some fruity syrup on top n slurp slrup.. ;)
- Scoop some snow into a bowl, add some fruity syrup on top n then slurp again! Something like a snow cone?.. Dunno if thatz how it would be! Never had one! But wanna try this! :)
- Make a teeny weenie snowman and keep him in the freezer (Snow'man' intentional. I wouldn’t be able to torture anybody of the same gender ;) & anyways, since the female of the species is relatively ‘hot’, it wouldn’t stay frozen for long!)
- Write on snow fallen over my car and take pictures (the pictures part is still pending)
- Go for a walk when it is snowing
- Wade through knee deep snow
- Snow tube & ski which show up in the basic 'to-do-lists' of almost everybody!
- Skate with shoes.. as in just glide along like we would do in school corridors with our sports shoes
- Turn on the heater, curled up cozy and with a mug of coffee, read a novel with the blinds pulled open so that every time I look out of the window, I see the snow fall.
- Or just replace the novel above with good music! :) the novel gets brownie points, though!
- Would have loved to have a fireplace to set the Christmas mood- something that I’ve grown up believing in, but since this is not feasible, I can do without it! :D

Saturday, November 22, 2008

The warmth still remains...

It was a real foggy Monday morning... a perfect setting to match the gloomiest day of the week!
I was driving into oblivion.
Just got to the only mounting road on my way to office and the sun shone through- bright n warm, clearing the fog....
Made me smile :) A great start for the week. Itz snowing now... but the warmth still remains.... :)
Pik: Clicked by Vishu when we were out camping near the Grand Canyon.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Q time!


Q: In the movie... ‘The Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor' in almost the last scenes...the daughter sees her dad (who is awakened from the dead) for the first time..
But she still doesn’t talk to him.. Any idea why?.. ;)
hmmmn... herez Y!! :)
When the daughter first saw her dad- she din’t know how to address him- papa/MUMMY.. :D :D

Thursday, September 25, 2008

The RIMS Travelogue

A fun filled weekend with my first project team... Hmmmn.. the best team ever!!! :)...
Wake up calls by Chetan and Sharath at 5:15 a.m. – not something that we wanted on a Saturday morning!!! After debates on amusement parks, nearby picnic spots et al, we had zeroed on Jog falls and Kemmangundi (a hill station).
We started off in a Tempo Traveler with a driver who could give Formula1 serious competition! Sonal and Renjith’s first ever project outing!
We reached the majestic Jog and were welcomed with glimpses of the falls with a major part covered with mist. Returning back from lunch, the mist had cleared and the view was awesome. The earlier decision of not tumbling down the slippery path to reach the bottom of the 829ft falls was forgotten. We reached the bottom fighting the rain, a stop here, a ‘wow’ there. The mist, the sound of rushing water and amazing feel of just being there! Dripping from head to toe, we headed back, after spending considerable time clicking away! Heading back- a climb that made Gayatri & me go on just with the comfort of losing those extra kilos! :)

Going downhill, gobbling snacks all the way and finishing it off with the much awaited steaming cup of coffee, we got ready for hop shopping. The soggy shoes had left us with no option but to buy some footwear. We ended up hopping from shop to shop wanting to get a similar pair for everyone – and we did succeed! :) The RIMS souvenir of a memorable trip.
We spent the night at Sharath’s place (with Anuj choosing to catch on some sleep and the others chit chatting for a loooong time). We were treated to a hearty breakfast by his mom the next day.
From there we headed towards Kemmangundi, a hill station. Trekking along K.R. hills was made more adventurous by the leeches. Armed by our newly acquired slippers and a combination of coconut oil and salt as leech repellents, we headed towards Shanthi falls.
The picturesque view urged us to make it to the top. The breathtaking view and the ghastly force of the wind- a deadly combination which made us explore more!
This was where we shot Devi’s debut album (sans heroine ;)) and Murali’s (RIMS very own Rajni) action video J With cautions to the leaner ones to fill their jackets with stones so that they wouldn’t be gone with the wind ;), we started our 'slipper'-y climb down.
It had begun to rain again. By now, everyone had decided that there was no point stopping for shelter- we would just end up being hangouts for leeches.
Post lunch, we reached Kallathgiri falls. An unexplored waterfall at the top of a hill which flows a long distance and forms a smaller fall. A beautiful temple has been carved from the rocks here.
We started on our way back after a snack. The greenery on either sides of the road was whizzing past.
Our racer was nursing his ego, trying to catch up with a vehicle that overtook us. By now, Sutejas had decided that shifting from the front seat would save him from nightmares. We reached Mysore with a treasure of fun filled memories set against a postcard backdrop.

When does Ant become Ravan?...


Ant finds a place for rent, so he becomes a tenant(ten-ant).
Ten ants mean ten heads. Ravan has ten heads. Voila!!!Ant~Ravan ;o)

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Eureka! I can cook!!! :)

(Not going home on weeknds) + (the stove's vessel support becoming defective) -->> can be injurious to health… :o///
Proof attached.. poor me... :o(


The pik might look like some crazy husband has injured his wife for dowry.. ;o) but everytime I see the mark on my hand, it reminds me of the day I discovered that I could cook some edible stuff. I got so carried away with the discovery of my hidden talent that I prepared breakfast, lunch & dinner. My roommates, real sweethearts that they were, not only managed to gulp it down but showered me with compliments too!!! Miss u gals!!! :)
Took the pik ASAP so that I could show it to mom & get some extra attention.. ;o) Just love the way she fusses over these things.. Missing all that now...

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Chamundi- the unconventional way

Had a weekend with nothing much to do & so a few friends(Gotty,Cheeks,Amit,Prem), my bro & me had our very own little adventure...
We started from home at around 5:30AM.. had a cup of tea at the corner T-shop on KD road & we were ready to go. We parked our bikes at the foot of Chamundi hills and in sometime took the flight of stairs that led to the temple atop the hill.Well, it was kinda tiring, yes- but the thought of losing some fat kept me going ;) Climbing up is not something one would call adventerous… its more of an exercise & the scenery is a great motivator! :)
Reached the temple sooner than we expected... saw a monkey trying to ride a bike while we waited for the temple gates to open.. had some tasty prasad after the pooja and found a spot to have the breakfast that we had carried along(ahem... I'd prepared Aloo paratas.. ;) ;) )...got compliments for my cooking.. :) :) guess that was coz the guys did not expect much! :D
None of us wanted to take the conventional way back- down the stairs…Well..we just scouted around for a way down the hill without a route.. groping about some huge rocks and sliding down some more...
Most of our way was filled with thorny shrubs and amazing flowering plants. We found two really cool caves. We had been warned about some wild 'CATS' prowling around the hill. But that made it all the more exciting. We found a cave with a little pool by the side, covered with flowers fallen from a nearby tree! a puuurfct movie setting..- we named it the 'Pool of U-th'. Never realised that there was something so serene waiting to be discovered! Probably the King used it during his days!! ;) ;)
Many scratches, slides along slippery rocks n lotsa yells(followed by hushes) later.. we reached a fence..the general conclusion was that the fence was put up to keep the villagers away from wild, curious animals..hmmmn.. dunno if tatz the real reason! :) We had to climb over the fence & make sure that we weren't caught by lurking officials while doin so..
Over the fence & back to civilization for lunch with memories of a path less travelled- a half Saturday well spent :)

Friday, August 29, 2008

Bein' optimistic.. ;)



If you luv someone...

Set it free...

If it comes back to u...

Its urs...

Else-

U deserve better!! ;) ;)

y r STRANGErs called so?...


For a gal who never makes it to any destination without getting into weird situations, one of the successfully independent things I did was to travel to the US alone when I had to leave for my onsite assignment.
Bangalore to Columbus via Dubai-NY.... doing most of the things on my own for the 1st time… After bitter goodbyes to my family n friends who’d come to see me off at the airport n me still thinking ‘do I really have to go?’.. I made it through customs still crying terribly.
An officer (Angel in disguise No.1) asked me if something was wrong & I told him that I would be away from my family. He said that he’d trade places with me anytime(thinking back- I’m not sure if it was the being away from family part or the going abroad part that made him feel so ;)). When he got to know that I’d be away for a year & a half, he nodded sympathetically which brought forth fresh tears. A few more words of worldly wisdom and I was at the gate waiting for my flight.. n yes.. still crying.. :) ;) - silent non-stop tears that never seemed to stop- kinda funny when I think back. A couple (Angels in disguise No.2) headed to Africa, seated next to me, were my God sent messengers. Their lively chatter stopped my tears & I had begun to believe that this would be one of the best learning experiences for me.
This was to be my first flight. Safely tucked and cozy, I was looking forward to the experience only to awaken and realize that I had slept through my 1st take off. Hmmn.. never mind I said to myself. I’d make sure to stay awake when my connecting flight would take off.
(Ate .. slept.. n watched movies)*n till I reached Dubai.. & everything went smoothly (something very unusual 4 me!) ..n then we ended up an hour late coz of the fog.. I literally ran through to catch my next flight..i did bump into some people… and finally made it to my connecting flight.
N yeah, this time I pinched myself & stayed awake when we took off. Loved it! :)
New York- 13 looong hrs later.. n well.. guess LOST is the word. I had to run again(.. I REALLY RAN!!) - through mazes of terminals & gates & ‘sorry’s & ‘thank you’s I made it just in time (after hassles with my baggage- one of them turned up just after I had registered a complaint).. My next flight was to Columbus.. I had to wait for ages before it took off. We were delayed for 2 hours & I had no change to make any calls.. :(
Something that happened in NY occupied my thoughts during the wait. I was not able to locate an airline counter & so asked somebody standing close by for directions. He pointed out the place to me but with no results.. n he was like- 'do u wan me to lift you so that you can see?’ :O !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I jus stared at him for sometime before I burst out laughing'! It was really nice of him to come all the way (Angel in disguise No.3) to show me d place & when I said -'thnx a ton'.. he was like- 'I love uuuuu.. mmuuaaaaaaah'.. Weird- but made me smile.. :)
Anyways, made it to Columbus @ 12PM (around 25hrs in all!!) n called up my project mates from a co-passenger’s (Angel in disguise No.4) cell.. Since I had not yet met my project mates, I told them that they could identify me by my luggage- 2 big bags, one red and the other black and a red cabin bag.
I had just heaved a sigh when I realized that I had lost both my checked in bags.. J Funny that losing my bags dint put me off the track.. My client is GAP & I lose my bags… wouldn’t it be great if the client offered to help? ;)
Registered a complaint & called up my project mates. I told them that it was easier to spot me now. I was the only person with the least luggage. A single red cabin bag. :)
I reached the apartment with my laptop, a pair of spare clothes, sans thermals. Nice roomie.. :) she'd even prepared dinner for me.. To cut things short, I got my bags after 4days. Now they feel like family (the missing and the wait developed those feelings I guess! ;) )...
I lost the contact info of the lovely couple who made me laugh, but their presence will stay forever. I still miss my folks a lot but I can’t deny that being here is interesting in its own way. I don’t really feel that
I would have felt the same if I had not met all those people during my journey. Strange that people I’d just met made my trip memorable. Probably thatz why they are called STRANGErs.. ;)

The flowers were just beginning to bloom.. Spring was here!!!
By the way, I can now dodge people, counters & luggage through the terminals really well when I run along dragging my cabin luggage.. dunno if can walk through that well, though.. :D never got a chance to walk through till date... :)