My Space

To tip or not to tip?!?!?

2010-07-20T09:58:00.001-07:00

A bunch of us had gone to this Bistro over the weekend for dinner.
Friends were meeting friends, strangers were getting acquainted, relationships were being established! So it suffices to say that the ambiance and service needed to be impeccable enough for us not to worry too much about it right? Wrong!!
Here is what went wrong..

1. For starters, 8 of us (including a sweet little kid) were squeezed into a table that could only seat 5 comfortably.
2. We were left unattended for 30 minutes. So it was like we all met at the park and had forgotten to bring food to eat.
3. Service between meals -"sir would you like another round of what you're already having?" simple right? We weren't asked!
4. Change of waiters - one guy's shift ended in between waiting at our table, so another one came along and said the same thing 4 times to us - but never acted upon it.
He goes.." So I will be cleaning out the small plates and bringing in the dinner plates for you guys"
Ok...15 minutes go by and nothing!

The list goes on... but this fiasco triggered a very "touche' discussion at our table for a brief moment. I would kinda like to hover around that for a bit.
"All about tipping" How did this practice start? Is it legal? Is it frowned upon? Its kinda become a necessary evil of sorts.. if you don't tip, you are bound to get some "loogie"(YUCK!) in your food...

Yep all of the above is true. It has kinda become this necessary evil that we are forced to follow.
Many of us have fallen easy prey to this. I mean come on, do we have a choice? If we really like a place, we are going to go there and eat more than once. So why spoil things? We are spending so much on food.. Just a couple of more bucks - what is the big deal?
These are unanimous thoughts. These run within me too. But there is this other side of me..with some interesting and quite debatable thoughts too...

So here goes.. My take on this tip thingie...

1. Tipping originated in a very different form and has today come to mean something totally different.
TIP or To Insure Promptitude, can be thought of having a glass jar at the payment counter, where people can voluntarily drop in money in appreciation of the services rendered!
2. It is often closely linked with "gratuity" - a VOLUNTARY additional payment made for services rendered.
The word "Voluntary" has changed form and I guess we should inform webster or get a new meaning for gratuity - " a MANDATORY additional payment made for services rendered - whether the latter is good or bad"
3. Every time I visit a restaurant, I cant help but notice the body language and comfort zone of people waiting our table for that day. I have seen it all over the past couple of years - "Pleasant", "racist"," for the heck of it","couldnt care less", "genuinely passionate", "friendly". "just for the extra tip" and so on.
And for each of these types, our tip has always followed the limits and protocol...
SIGH!!! but why??!!! I asked once?

Why should I be forced to tip some A-hole who has done nothing special - but just his job, couldn't care less to find out if our glasses required a refill? or if we were enjoying our meal?
Why should I be forced to give extra moolah to the guy who threw racist sparks all over our table? All he did was to write down what we wanted to eat, go to the kitchen and bring it back to us! If at all anything, I should be tipping the cook for cooking such a fabulous meal and not the arrogant screwed up waiter right? Wrong!!!
But this voice unfortunately is a minority - I cannot beat em so I am forced to join em with a grudge..:(
SUXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Will there ever come a day when I can actually act on my thoughts and not tip for awful service? Will I be frowned upon? Will I get the loogie pasta primavera?
How else can we tell the waiter what an atrocious job he/she is doing? ( I tried giving feedback once, it doesnt work guys.. they dont seem to take it well or worse.. they just nod their head as though they are attending a lecture and saunter away to cater to the next table of guests!!

So as for our evening out with our friends, while we had a blast meeting up with people and truly cherishing good times, a even better thing happened like god send.
We advised the waiter to include the tip in the bill - and somehow something - some miracle waiting to make my wish and desire come true happened... the waiter (obviously) dint follow our orders and handed over the bill without including any tip!
Us folks - in the rush of leaving as it had become late assumed that the bill included the tip, signed it just like that and walked out!
Enough said!

-G

Behind the name

2010-07-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

Scene: POS (point of sale) at Macy's. Hubby and I waiting to pay the bill for that much desired dress I have been eying for ages. Finally mine. whoop!!
We wait our turn to get to the cashier. Within minutes we are in front of her.
Cashier scans the item. Its time to pay. " Take the credit card out hun" I say.
Not that I couldn't pay, but I was
a) lazy
b) wanting to bask in the bliss of hubby buying yet another coveted item for me";)

So hubby takes out wallet, and hands over the card to the cashier. Its a credit card.
Cashier: "Can I see your ID sir"?
Hubby: "Sure, here you go" and hands over Id to cashier.

And there it begins - a literal journey of sorts.. Cashier looks at card, then looks at id, again and again and again.
She then blinks, looks up at us with this exasperated look and says..."umm your first name and last name are pretty much the same!!:O
"Just do your job lady" we think aloud...in our heads.
(PS: hubby has a first name that is about 10+ characters long and last name which is 12+!!, mine isnt any better...anyways...) So I guess she was expecting names like "apple", victory, rose, Jim, "john" whatever weird short names that people have nowadays!!
She asks us how to pronounce the name? Really?? Lady ? Are you really trying to bond?
and there begins another battle.. We try to say it , she tries, we try to correct her, but in vain.. She finally gives up and says..."ok thanks" and returns the card. The name is too long and too complicated to even try pronouncing.

haha and thats just another day.

Being first borns, ( Sound like a vampire!) I think my husband and I werent spared the travesty of owning such longwinding complex names. And people around the place that I live are so used to hearing and saying things in tunes. They are very comfortable and quickly catch on if there is a tune to them. Sadly we dont qualify.. forget the tune, try spelling it. its that hard.

To make things easier for them and for us and to avoid those typical mundane" oh your name is so long and it sthe same as your last name" drama, we are actually forced to shorted them..

So Indian names like "Palanivel" ( terrible example I know!!) becomes "pal" and "Santhanamoorthy" becomes Santa!

Lesson learnt: Short, sweet names that have a tune to them are easier to work with. But where can one find options? Variety? I guess instead of trying to shorted long names, might as well name kids "Santa", and "Pal".. Makes life easier for a hella lot of peeps!!

- G

What (not) to wear.

2010-07-15T12:01:00.001-07:00

I am very excited! I am going to embark upon a uber controversial topic. If people view my blog and have the patience to read through my articles, and have that teensy extended bit of patience to leave a comment, then I am very excited to see what they have to say.

So lets get started.. My blog title reads what (not) to wear.. and the protagonist of our discussion is the "mangal sutra" or "thaali" as they call it in some cultures.
The wikipedia blurb reads....
"A Mangalsutra (mangala sutra, mangalasutra or thali) is a symbol of Hindu and Syrian Christian marriage union in India. It is a sacred thread of love and goodwill worn by women as a symbol of their marriage. Every Indian woman considers the mangalsutra the most revered token of love and respect offered to her during the marriage ceremony" According to Hindu cultural ethos, mangalsutra symbolizes the inseparable bond between a husband and a wife.During the wedding ceremony, the bridegroom ties the mangalsutra to the neck of the bride uttering- “May you live long by wearing this sacred Mangalsutra, the reason of my life”. Married women are entitled to wear Mangalsutra throughout their life as it is believed that the practice enhances the well being of her husband and family. It is also considered that the mangalsutra protects the marriage from any evil. A Hindu marriage is incomplete without the mangalsutra. Three knots symbolize three different aspects of a married woman- the first knot represents her obedience to the husband, the second to parents and the third represents her respect for God".

Sounds divine even reading through it right? I respect hindu mythology to a very great extent. A lot of things that were done in the ancient past - come to think of it has some scientific explanation to it. When this combination exists, I am floored! really.

According to ancient history, wearing the mangal sutra is supposed to have a strong significance.. as you read in the blurb above. Fast forward >> in todays day and age..do people still hold regard for things like this? Have things like comfort, style, what others might think, looks taken precedence over the ancient beliefs and myths of some sort?
How many out there wear their thaali on a daily basis? Is it ok not to wear it? Is it really true that by not wearing it, we are falling easy prey to evil and disrespecting our culture?
There have been many talk shows (mostly in the southern part of the world and asian countries) that have been discussed this topic.

My take on this..Cat on the wall.. I really don't know. I no longer wear mine..(oops!!) and thats mainly because

- its too heavy
- its too bling ( I hate gold unless it has some emerald and ruby to it - yeah expensive taste)
- it makes this clinky sound and causes an allergy near my chest..(sux)
- It doesnt go with all types of clothes..
- It attracts many unwanted questions from strangers which you may be obliged to answer
- Its too bling and heavy - ohh I have mentioned that

So there! thats why I dont wear it... I dont know if I am doing anything wrong by not wearing it.
Ofcourse when I visit a temple, or go to any traditional gathering that is bound to have nosey gossipers, that blingy thing will be hanging around my neck...

I personally believe that the good will and nice thoughts for your husband's well being should exist in your heart and you should pray for it from deep within and sincerely want it. And most importantly - practice it! You can still wear your thaali, act all pious and then go off on a tangent! How many such stories have we heard.
I believe that the power of prayer and sincerity in action can make many wishes and desires come true.
I guess this is one of the biggest reasons that I consider it ok to not wear it and not feel gulity about it.
I know I may be attracting a lot of controversy and people judging me. I may not make everyone happy.. but at the end of the day, I am happy and at peace with my self and my belief. I dont want to do something because it has to be done ( unless I am literally forced to and if the life of a loved one depended on it).

- G

Lost!

2010-07-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

I was going through my blog from scratch.. From when I started to write very passionately to the time when I started losing the touch and skill (if you will) for it. Even to me, it was quite evident. I really enjoyed reading my initial posts and I can see that it kinda lost focus as time went by.
I can somehow justify this. There was a time in my life I was going through a huge emotional turmoil ( yeah too harsh a word, but I like to think of it that way). I really got to touch base with my inner "soul" and got to learn a lot about myself. Faced the hard facts of life, turned a new leaf and a whole deal more!
At that point, it was very easy for me to put words together and construct a sentence.
It was very easy for me to write beautifully what I was feeling and my perspective and take on certain things.

Fast forward >> to present day.. Over the past two years... I have been at peace with myself. I relish the feeling and love being in that state... I lost the self doubt, my self confidence reached a new high ( to a state of normalcy..lol) and I stopped questioning things.
At this point, I guess I was lost in that halo of peace and just "being" in a state.. I must have lost the skill to write somewhere along this time..

Another thing that I noticed is that my blog doesn't really have a theme to it. Its very random. If you see, most blogs have some sort of theme to them - reviews based, beauty based, art work, cooking, advice and so on. Mine seems to be a mix.. a blend... its like a spice rack. It has a little bit of everything..and then some...

For a very long time I wondered if I should just streamline it and make my blog about "something"..what that something was...I dint know...
But you know what.. I think I am ok about it being a potpourri.. it has a little bit of everything and I like it that way....:)
When someone visits my page, then can (hopefully) find variety and thats pretty much what I am aiming for.. I guess... For my blog page to be a spice rack... A little sweet, a little sour, a little spicy... a little of "everything"....

Time to change

2010-06-04T22:42:00.000-07:00

"Change is never constant"....I say this after being the victim, the believer and the preacher of this phrase over the past years.

We all go through change at every stage of our lives. From an infant to a toddler to a teenager to an adult..change affects us and impacts us in various forms and magnitudes. The only difference is that when were small, we hardly felt the impact of this "monster" as much as we do when we are adults...

Is it good to be flexible and adjust to change gracefully when she shows up on our doorsteps? Should we all live us to those small white lies we tell on our resume.. that we are very flexible to change? Is it time? Or should we just hold our ground on our thoughts, no matter what others think of us and stand firm with our believes and opinions?

It really depends...on what and when to let go.. There are times when you really need to floor it and say...we are doing this my way..come what may...one usually says this when one is absolutely sure about what he is doing and the pros and cons of the event.

There are other times,,when we aren't really sure...and during these times, ego plays havoc and you are stuck...and your ego kind of forces you to behave in a particular way and say no/yes...even when the situation demands otherwise.

The sensible thing to do will be to just go with the flow...sometimes this may require you to be a hypocrite and some other times, it may make you the hero... The bottom line is that you cannot always win over change..... More often than not....it will win over you...or win you over....and more often than not..make you a better person...

So bite the bullet, be a hypocrite ...and face the change...be like an iceberg, if you must...gracefully moving along on the surface..with all the other emotions that lead to that move happening under waters..

Wonder Years

2010-03-24T11:51:00.001-07:00

It is funny how I am totally receptive and sensitive to how people change over time (Well I am quite sensitive by nature) so much so that these observations changes affect me. They actually upset me.
I have grown up a lot over the last 2 years. My thoughts now days are more on these lines…
Why have so many reservations and hiccups? Just mix with people, have fun and move on.
I have always wanted to embrace this philosophy and I must admit that it has taken me all of quarter century to get here.
Thinking back, had I embraced this though 10 years ago, a lot of things would have been different. I wouldn’t have lost out on a lot of my friends, in a nut shell; life would have been really different.
I do regret it… I admit it, I do miss them, that phase of my life…
Being a small part of people’s life, finding out what is going on in theirs and sharing what is going on in mine… I love that. But I guess due to my own reservations and qualities, I have missed out on this to a very great extent. (Yes I am uber critical and my best and worst critic too..: P
We all have regrets right? In life? Well these are mine… I really wish I could go back in time and change these things so that I would still be in touch with all those people whom I really wanted to be in touch with.
Is it too late? Can I still be that way? Can relationships which have come a long way after being broken still be mended? I don’t think so… But moving on and further in life, I think I will deal with such situations a whole lot differently and mucho betterJ
Wishing me luck.. ;)
Mysteeque

Make up addiction...what??how?? which one?? and more...

2010-01-20T13:04:00.000-08:00

My makeup stash is increasing by the day...I keep browsing websites to see where the best deals are and what to buy where! So you can say I am pretty well informed. V says ... dont keep looking at make up da..you will go mad one day!! hahaha!! That day is far far away...

Any hoooo, my take on make up is that if you invest in the right products and use them the right way, they can really make that aha! difference!. Some may say..natural beauty is the best blah blah..but we dont go without shaving our arm pits or waxing our legs do we? So the same way, these have become an essential addition to my daily routine. After a hella trials and trials and more trials, I have sort of mastered the art of minimalistic make up to make that difference.

I just wanted to ramble about it and share my thoughts.. see if you can pick up a pointer or two!!

So a basic makeup kit should essentially consist of the following:

- A concealer ( try drugstore brands like maybelline, neutrogena, my favs are amazing cosmetics, and MAC - they do wonders!). All you honestly need is a concealer to hide all those blemishes and small scars.. Top this off with powder and voila!! you are done!! All you have to ensure is to choose the right shade. Rule of the thumb is to go for a warm tone concealer in the same shade as your skin to cover blemishes and scars and go for a pink tone one in a shade or two lighter for your under eye...remember peeps covering your under eye bags is uber important, especially if you are working or heading out.. you dont want to end up looking like a raccoon now do you?

- A powder foundation or a liquid foundation. I would steer clear of liquid if you have oily skin as they tend to oxidize on your skin making you look dull and dark. Best is a powder based foundation. ( Try revlon, maybelline for drugstore brands and MAC, Benefit for more expensive ones)

- A kaajal pencil for your waterline. ( best out there is the Urban Decay 24/7 pencil. MAC's feline kohl is good too)

- A liquid eyeliner in black or dark brown. South asian skin tones love these shades. ( Lancome is the best pricey one out there, there are cheaper ones like maybelline, revlon, prestige etc)

- A muted eyeshadow in a peach, taupe, copper tone for that extra pop!

- A nice brownish pink blush.

The entire routine takes me about 5 minutes a day and it really gives me a feel good factor :)

Just make sure you use a nice make up remover to take off all your make up before going to bed.

So all I am trying to say is if you use makeup appropriately and the right way, they can actually go to enhancing your looks and making you look naturally gorgeous!!:-)

New girl in the city...:)

2010-01-18T00:27:00.000-08:00

Hmm so its been a gazillion years since I even wrote something down... Its been a hectic period that has gone by, my laptop died..:( and a million other things happening..

So absolutely no time to write or blog or anything..
I finally managed to find sometime to pen my thoughts down and here it something that I would like to share...Happy reading..:)

New girl in the city
Gosh!! This probably sounds like the dialogue that has been snatched away from the Hindi flick “wake up Sid”.. For those of you who haven’t watched it yet, please go and see it. It is worth a watch, despite its slow pace.
For those of you who have seen it, you guys may probably be able to relate…I am in some way pretty much in the same situation as Konkona in the movie… She moved from Calcutta to aamchi Mumbai in search of the perfect independent life.
Mumbai is to India in pretty much the same way as how SFO is to California.
I for one have always been independent through my life. My parents have given me that degree of freedom that only most girls will dream of. My mom and I are more like friends… I can talk just about anything with her and she will relate to it and listen!! So I wouldn’t really relate to that part of her.
But I can see a lot of similarities between me and Konkona, in several other areas.
Ever since I moved to the CA after marriage, it has been a haunting desires or rather an urge to get a job! I probably felt this way because I have been working all my life… and I have enjoyed the feeling. It is not something that I force myself to do.
Everywhere I go, that thought would be sitting in one corner of my head. I used to hate it ( I still do) when people ask “ohh what do you do after your husband goes to work? Wont you feel bored?” or other questions like “have you become a house wife”…aaargggh… first off, the term house wife according to me is derogatory. I mean I don’t even think there is a term like that. We poor women, changed that to home maker, just so it sounds better..the things that we do!!
Anyways, so yeah like I was saying, I used to hate it when I hear things like this. In a way, it only used to increase my crazy fire to get a frigging job.. And so the hunt and the search and the passionate wandering began.
After many prayers, and demands, and begging and what not, one fine day, my chance came.
Today as I walk toward my office, in the center of the hottest financial district of the Silicon Valley, I feel proud, blessed, fortunate and good – all at once.
This is my time – time dedicated to get back to my favorite place away from home – WORK, to prove my mettle, to make that difference to my employer organization, and above all, make my family, my husband feel proud that they don’t have a home maker in the making, but a passionate all rounder who is willing to juggle it all( with a little support of course), and live life to the fullest…:)

-Mysteeque.

C'est Moi

2008-11-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have constantly tried to find out if I have managed to discover more about me over the years..
And so I thought I'd make a list.. So here goes.. This should probably give an idea.. if it doesn't, it only means am still evolving...

- I love my life.
- I have successfully found answers to a ton of questions that I have been asking all my life.
- I love cosmetics.
- I love shopping.
- I love movies.
- I love Surya.
- I hate working out.. but I have to..
- I don't like getting up early in the morning.. but I have to.
- I love rain
- I wanna see snow.
- I love driving.
- I hate walking.
- Sometimes, I'd like to think of myself as laziness personified.
- I have started appreciating nature... and I love it.
- I can shop for an entire day and not get tired.
- I love cooking - & I think I cook pretty well
- I am very impatient.
- I am stubborn.
- I do what I want, and end up getting what I want eventually.
- I don't know how to say no!
- I have this compulsive need to please people.
- I love to have people around.
- I love to laugh.
- I enjoy slapstick comedy.
- I love to do up the house and keep things in order.
- I hate a mess.
- I like chicken.
- I love Chocolate.
- I love icecream and brownies.
- I don't like Starbucks, but I end up getting coffee from there most of the times!
- I love basset hounds.
- I miss Rudo.
- I don't like cats.
- I like helping people.
- I like fighting.
- I love intelligent people.
- I want to start a boutique of my own someday.
- I would like to do something.. that I never could have imagined myself doing, and feel proud about it.
- I want to colour my hair.
- I need a mani/pedi and a haircut ( talk about being unkempt)!!
- I scrub the floor with a brush before using a vaccum!!
- I can sleep for an entire day and wake up without a headache..(Achievement of its own kind).
- I actually wanted to write these in a specific order.. but lost patience
- I feared that I'd disclose too much.. but I just realised its too late to do anything about it..

- G

Only melancholy prevails

2008-11-28T22:47:00.000-08:00

Whilst the rest of the world carries on with life, terror and tragedy still loom over one of the most affluent cities of India..
A thousand tears shed, hoards of discussions and questions about why all this is happening and what is being done to resolve this never ending terrorist threat..

But...what about all those innocent victims? What will happen to their families? Was it any of their fault to meet with death in this brutal manner? All this for what? no fault of theirs? ...
nothing.. dead.. they are dead..that's it!

I am irritated and angry and upset and a thousand other emotions all at the same time..Sometimes I think and wonder.. Does God really exist?? I dunno..

All I know.. is that there are a whole lot of people who are dead..at the end of the day.. and all this for no fault of theirs...

May their souls rest in peace..

-G

Chocolate H(e)aven..mmmmm.....

2008-11-23T19:45:00.000-08:00

What I am about to write about .. is already giving me the goosebumps..I cannot begin to imagine what it might do to you... Read on...:)

I love baking.. I love baking anything with chocolate in it... to be more precise. It all started when my sister and I started "experimenting" with the oven at home when we were about 13 or something.. I still remember.. that we used to so love baking that chocolate cake from amma's cookbook. It used to be so much fun.. we used to split the activities equally between ourselves.. like Ill melt the cocoa, sift the flour and she would mix butter and powdered sugar and beat the egg whites...:) the point is that my passion for the dessert devil - aka chocolate started so far back in time...

To me dessert = equals chocolate.. Vanilla, chocolate, brownie and chocolate fudge with chocolate chips for additional company is H-E-A-V-E-N!!!! Though I don't have much of a sweet tooth ( i can hear all those smirks people!!), there are two things that I just cannot resist.. Chocolate cake and ice cream.... but of course I cannot keep devouring it all the time right? So to make myself feel better, I watch these recipe videos on you tube...(pathetic right?? but atleast it helps me stay off them for sometime...hehe)

Ok why am I telling you all this..??? Well, as I was browsing through the recipe archives, I saw this particular video of a recipe using chocolate. Its by Nigella Lawson. am not too sure all people know her, but she cooks really well.. and by "well", I mean she makes rich yummy desserts.. So there is this recipe of hers... triple choc brownies and then old fashioned chocolate cake and then dark chocolate chip cookies... ooooooohhh!!! yummy yummy yummy!! I have seen the videos some 100 times and I just don't get tired....

So guys.. if this is not haven?? what is??????
See and enjoy!!:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-GROUFa9u8

To Daddy with love...!! ( A Travesty)

2008-11-16T13:15:00.000-08:00

Vaaranam aiyiram.. This was one Surya Gowtham Menon combo movie that I was looking forward to seeing..and with bated breath.. I mean why not?? Surya's six pack abs, a promising star cast, a nice intriguing title, good songs...and of course the Surya - Gowtham team by itself..together again.. after "Kaaka Kaaka". I searched hard to find a single word that can summarize the movie..
Aha!! "TRAVESTY" and this is an understatement! Dismal screen play, awful handling of the camera, meaningless songs that have been fitted into the movie, just for the heck of it...really got to me and am sure, the audience too...
Despite, all of this, something made me sit through the movie.. yeap.. Surya who else?? This one is an out and out Surya dominated movie.. both literally and otherwise.. As a father, and a son, Surya does prove that he can act very very well... There are certain scenes, that are certainly worth a second watch..But, to be honest, we all know that don't we? he has proved himself a lotta times in that arena. He should know by now, that the audience's expectations are far more than this..
The gist of the movie is about the relationship between a father and his son!! How the son draws inspiration from his dad, though the latter does not really do much to be an inspiration..I mean, smoking like a chimney, unfit, his life fraught with financial difficulties.. and of course gulping down alcohol by the second.. Is that inspiration?? really??
Daddy dear is very fond of his darling son who means the world to him. So he encourages him to live life by his own terms.. So failing in college, no job, no money etc is still ok in the family ( which by the way speaks mostly in English through out the movie.!!!)
The icing to the cake is that daddy dear keeps a constant tab on his son's love life and constantly encourages him to pursue his love interest with all seriousness..BAH!!! so much so, that he allows him to pay a ton of money (ignore the fact about zilch money in the family)and go all the way to California, where his girlfriend to be goes to college...
Surya's sister does not even look like she is interested in being a part of the movie. She makes a half baked appearance in a few scenes and blabbers a few words and disappears.
Simran, as Sury'a mom is completely overshadowed. She has no say in her own family, that is completely male dominated... Sad to see a good actor who, once used to rule the roost of Tamil Cinema, being reduced to such a shabby role in a movie.
Sameera Reddy has given an even performance. She can be called the saving grace...of course,other than Surya.
Divya Spandana, as the second heroine, too is quite watchable. She plays a nice girl next door and has thankfully covered her pudgy frame with slimming clothes ( nice work Divya!!)
Prithvi Raj as the hindi speaking gangster/child kidnapper/rogue is just about ok.. He just does not come across as a villian..in this movie..Too "classy"for that!
On a serious note, though, this movie is the director's tribute to his father, who passed away a year or so ago. Understandable and I do empathize... I mean we all do.. But why should this feeling, be converted into an excruciatingly slow paced movie, (about 3.15 minutes, including the break).. and delivered in such a shabby manner?? Clearly it deserves more... a lot more.. especially when it is being based on such sensitive theme??
I expected a whole lot more from Gowtham.. and this movie.. which should ideally be renamed "DADDY"; just goes out to show, that the director has a long way to go to salvage his reputation that seems to be going down the drain...
Vaaranam Aayiram/Daddy - Abyssmal!!!

Up(2)date !

2008-11-03T15:18:00.000-08:00

Yeap.. ve been into deep hibernation.. away from blogging from quite some time... and feel bad about it.. I actually have 2 of them in draft..but somehow never had the time to complete them.. The thing is.. I wanted to publish them when the event occurred... and I was steaming and seething.. ( you could've guessed by now that they bring forth BAD news!!)
However, the event passed, and my patience dead.. So am back to where I started... with nothing to publish..:P

Been ultra buried into my books.. (not Vogue, In style, People..etc..) though I wish I were.. They are so much more relaxing to read than what I currently am.. GMAT!! yea folks.. me taking, walking and everything the GMAT.. The d-day is nearing and I am shaking in my boots..(p.s. hint that I got a new pair.. in fact my first pair ever....ankle length boots.. yay!!! )That song I shall sing in a different blog soon to be published okie?

Its so tough to get back to books after a gazillion years.. but once I got familiar the flow was good and trust me I am enjoying my study period...With the awesomeness that is that surrounds the economy now and jobs jobs everywhere ( Sarcasm shouldn't be spelt out), I thought, why not I go back to school and make it all worth it..

So here I am about to foray into a world (again) that I ventured ages back.. (not very well at that)...
So this time, its my turn .. to do well, to enjoy and to really really pursue my passion .. which has also been in hibernation along with me for a very long time...

What is it.. what becomes of it, we will know in a bit...
Wish me luck.....!!!

Driver License.. An Achievement??!!! Lets see

2008-08-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

..........Grimacing through a long and winding queue of people, air full of sweat and the scorching heat making your face look like tar!! pay a 100 here another 500 there.. fail in the so called written test.. and still making it to the final desk to shell out yet another 300 or more .. and then finally making it to the podium ( hehe where your pic is taken). Despite looking like a mess, I give my best smile out and click!! my license for a four wheeler in India is done.. Yep I remember every detail of that, when I had to go there without an appoitment at 10:00 am. Thanks to my dad's contacts there, I was able to skip a desk or two ( no no, I still had to shell out the cash, but all collectively to one single desk)..got roasted in the sun's heat, failed in the written ( there isnt any guide from where you can read or anything, you just have to know the rules.. but if you are able to cough up the money or better still, pull strings, then yeah, you will make it my friend to the podium!!) drove wonderfully and got my license. I was about 22 then and damn excited.. This truly was an achievement for me to get a car license at that age and being able to drive my mom's car around the city and sometimes sneakily to work too!! Ah STATUS!!
That was a good experience.

Fast Forward...5 years... Me in Uncle Sam's land..California..:) all excited and thrilled. One look at the road, you will see cars and cars and more cars.. no bikes, no bi cyles, no auto( huh??!! whats that>??) or richskaws...
So commuting to a place or between places is sub zero if you dont have transport. Public transport does exist, but you will have to do your bit of walking and a lotta research to know what bus takes you where or which train goes where...
So obviously and evidently shocked, my first "GOAL" was to get my license. ( Sigh.. my India license was valid, but only for a year .. and I needed the license here for identity more than anything else).
So there I was all prepped and motivated to achieve my goal.
(Yes folks.. its a goal, an achievement here...the feeling you get when you pass the test and go through the entire rigmarole procedure....OMG! niceness!!!)

I go to the DMV, get the hand book to study. I freak out.. its like an exam. Trust me , I really did study for it like an exam...making notes, underlining and what not!! I book my date for the written test, go to the centre again to give it. Pass with just one mistake and get a compliment from the desi at the window " nice work!! just one mistake!!AS IF!! I am all elated and start my actual behind the wheel driving lessons with hubby dear. A darling that he is, absolutely patient and giving me the best tips to drive.

I have to admit, that in India, if not for my dad, I wouldn've got my license. I remember those days, when we used to go to the beach and I use to drive around and my dad patiently guiding me and giving me tips.
And now my hubby, sweetheart that he is, gave me the best tips to drive smoothly....and they all work.

..Clock ticking and time is flying.. so I get all nervous and book an appoitment for the actual death scene.. yes people.. the actual driving test. So it works like this.. i have to take the car with all the papers intact.( registration, insurance etc) and go to DMV. Wait in line for my instructor to hop into the car. ( ps... she doesnt wear her seat belt through out the test... and neither do i insist that she does.. and SHE works in DMV as an instructor!!!)
So I start driving.. and driving and driving... by that I mean at 25mph and a few stupid mistakes..over all feeling.. I cleared the test...

So after the "romantic rendezvous", we are back to DMV and she starts her sermon .. blah blah blah.. 9 out of a 15 possible errors and nil critical errors... YEP I pass..... KUDOS!! Achievement!! nobel prize..?? Atleast a standing ovation...???!!! someone?? somebody??? no one??

**Snap** back to reality.. just another day , another person authorised to drive in the US... an addition to the DMV database for records.. A sign of relief, excitement, achievement in my mind...:)

-G

The "O"range "C"ounty...

2008-08-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

So I have been hooked on to this soap called the "OC". Its a sorta chick flick/teen drama/adult melodrama focussing predominantly on the lives of the rich and famous "newpsies"living in Newport, California.

I started following this series about 2-3 years back. They used to play it on Zee Cafe at noon.. A perfect break before I start for work!!:P

Anyways.. I used to rave about the show..how it was the best show on earth and how its so realistic and how I loved the characters especially those of Marissa and Ryan.. They are kinda the protagonists of the series.. sorta..

Now I see the repeats.. Jobless you may think.. but save that thought until you hear the rest...
The more I see it, the more irritated I feel.. Hence this post.. My exact feelings of the show and how much I love-hate it and why...

Take Ryan -played by Ben Mckinzee. He is actually 29 and he plays a 15 yr old in this series...hahah
Apparently, when Ben went for the audition, he just played himself and the people really liked him!! Well if saving people all the time and attracting trouble all the time is what describes Ben, I really don't know what to say. I mean the guy spells trouble through the show.. from his mother to brother to guys on the street to friends of his friends!! He is actually a brainy kid but in this never ending battle for peace of sorts, that loses focus.
Initially, it was cute.. I was like cute potrayal of the character, very different. But as the show went on, it got to me.. How can someone be like this?? he doesn't speak more than 2 words at a time.. and thinks himself to be the most mature kid on the block who can save everyone..and anyone...
In his battle to get into trouble, he loses out on the best things in life, or should I say the saner things in life.

Then there is Marissa..played by Mischa Barton.. absolutely gorgeous and cute girl.. but one who can never ever stay out of trouble either.
Yep another one.. but you really cannot blame her.
Right from the start, all she sees is trouble.. Trouble is her middle name.
Her mom is this high class bimbo who just gets married to helo her family survive - monetarily that is... and by that I mean being able to afford Chanel, Cartier and the works!!
....So her dad keeps running away and her mom is in her own game and trouble is the company she has. So when she meets Ryan, there is instant fire. but obviously..

Ironically, though these two appear to be the best of couples, they never ever get along. The only time they really do get along is when they dont talk!!

How can I forget mentioning Sandy Cohen and his wife Kirsten.. The former is an advisor.. professionally in the series and personally as well. He believes that advise and talking can solve everything!!
And Kirsten is the perfect wife, mother and woman.. who seems to have the perfect family, perfect job..et all.. She does have her own troubles though..

Seth geek Cohen and Summer played by Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson turn out to be the black sheep of the show. Though completely under played, these two start dating in high school & go through all the twists and turn s their r'ship has to offer and eventually get married:)
And who would've thought Summer would go to Brown?? Cuz all she ever read and swore by were People, vogue, Elle and of course her fav show the Valley..

Why should you watch this series?
Well for starters, its got a little bit for everyone..thats why the first few seasons had awesome TRP ratings..you get to see how beautiful Newport actually is, you get to see whats really in fashion and how life is on this side of the world...
but how much of the same stuff can people take... There is more to the world than other people's problems, drugs, and the same boring stuff...

All said and done, at the end of the day, this series got through to people. There are communities and groups on on the internet dedicated to this show.. So go ahead, take a chance and watch it...
And experience a different slice of life...

-G

Shopaholic & Moi..:)

2008-07-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

The title may bring a familiarity breeze to my close friends.. They know the shopaholic that I am.. They know, that with the mention of the word "sale" or "new arrivals", i'd be one of the definite visitors to that place..
To be very honest, I don't shop that much.. I am more of a window shopper.. What I do is.. I review the place and scan through all the clothes that they have.. obviously do a price check to see if its really worth the price.. and then make up my mind to buy it...I get all of this done within 2 minutes..:P so you can be rest assured that I will not walk out of the shop empty handed... which, in this case and in all cases, makes me a shopaholic..????

Anyways... I am not here to talk about me...I am here to talk about shopping.. yeah sure.. but just to pitch in a few pointers that could help all those crazy shoppers around...
Walk away
A lot of us ( esp women) do a lot of implusive shopping...when we see something really enticing, we wanna buy it..Then a while later.. we're like..."umm do I really need another shirt" in the same ocean blue""?? But thanks to the return policy that a lot of stores have, we can always go ahead and return the item for store credit or refund.. But why go through all this hassle just to go and return the item?? I'd rather not buy it in the first place... So here's what I do.. I am an impulsive shopper.. sometimes, that lipstick entices me so much that I forget to see the price on it..and I am tellng you , they arent all that cheap...
So when I see something that I really really like.. but its not a necessity, I walk away from it to another isle... I register details about it at the back of my head and walk away from it.. then I get back after about 15 minutes.. If I still want it, I buy it...I am telling you, this works.. try it..
This technique has helped me from stopping myself from buying cosmetics, tops, shoes, sandals and even deo's!!!

Shop like a guy!!

You know how guys sho? They walk into a store.. know exactly what they want and where to find it.. browsing or window shopping for them is restricted to like 10 minutes.. and then they walk out with a good purchase...I really don't blame them.. there aren't many varieties for guys as there are for girls.. they dont have to worry about a-line, bohemian, tanks, tunics, camisoles, sleeves etc.. its polo, t-shirt, stripes, checks, plain.. most of the time!!
Honestly, I love the way girls shop... Its nice to spend that extra hour just strolling and fishing and finding that perfect needle from a haystack, if required!!
Anyways, just in case you find yourself spending a lot of money or find yourself out of cash, make a mental list of what exactly you wanna buy and what occassion do you wanna buy for... Then go to the store and ask where you can find it and head there straight..again.. I 've done this a lotta times.. yep.. saved a lot..too!

Mix match your clothes

This way, it seems like you have a lotta combinations and new ones and you really don't need another blouse or shirt...
If you have the basic white and basic black colours as t-shirts or blouses, this will help mix and match your clothes...

I know this seems frugal existance.. but it really does help when you are trying to save that extra money...
And if you need motivation or an insight on what "shopaholic" means or who exactly would deem fit that definition, you should read the shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella...
That my friend is a true shopaholic.. and an expensive one at that..!!!

So whats YOUR style quotient??!

2008-07-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

So I decided to add some spice and variety to my page..
You will be now seeing quite a lot of stuff on somethings that I am naturally interested in.. Will be sharing all that I know with you people.. I know you can google most of the stuff..but even so, these are things that I personally follow..so njoy!!!

Hair care: Deep conditioning/ treatment.

Here 's a time and tested tip for hair thats been abused with heat, chemicals and color..Do this once or twice a week and your hair with bounce back with life and smell great too..Mix 1/2 cup of warm coconut oil and 1/2 cup of olive oil in a spray bottle look at that image if you wanna know how one looks like..) and spray through your hair concentrating on the roots.. Massage lightly for about 5 minutes. Leave on for about 15 minutes and wash your hair normally.. i.e shampoo then conditioner ..the works.. A complete spa treatment for your tresses and whats more?? with salon like results..

Dandruff haunts and troubles almost everyone right? Take 1/2 cup of freshly grated coconut, add some warm water and grind together in the mixer.. Squeeze out the milk in a cup and apply that to your hair just before shampooing. Yeah its a bit messy, but the results are totally worth it.. Leave on for about 15 -20 minutes and wash your hair normally. Do this once a week, and you can start seeing results almost immediately.

While washing your hair, make the last hair rinse as a cold water rinse. Hot water can be harmful for the hair and makes the hair more prone to breakage.

Face:

Follow the cleanse, tone moisturise routine twice a day and especially before going to bed. It really helps take care of the skin at night. You could use a mild face wash for a cleanser, a normal witch-hazel toner ( easily available in drug stores), and a over night oil free moisturizer. Sometimes, it doesn't really take too much money to follow the basic beauty routine. Unboiled milk is an excellent cleanser and helps clean the face.

Too much oil or sebum secretion can cause acne breakouts or pimples. So make sure you use a mild harmless toner like the witchhazel toner that I mentioned to clean your face.

Make sure eye make up is completely remove before going to bed. You can use a ear bud dipped in baby oil ( a nice substitute for a makeup remover) to remove kohl and eye liner over and under the eye lids.

Apply lip balm or vaseline on the lips before applying lipstick. It helps in a smooth and even application.

Wiping your face with a face sponge dipped in ice cold water helps in make up staying a whole lot longer.

Life of H4 'bahus' in Uncle Sam's Land

2008-07-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

Now I know there must be a tonne of articles out there on the so called "plight" of women who move to the US on a dependent Visa..(Dependent visa =H4= no own identity=completely dependent on spouse for anything from ID to what not!)

I thought I should contribute to this so called "phenomenon" or situation that some girls land into sometimes.. and by sometimes, I mean when they marry an US vaaasi..

H4 status brings along with it the following:

- no job(but of course... so for those women who have been working are surely in for a huge hibernation period.. by that I mean a lot of sleep, tonnes of weight waiting to be put on...)

- A perfect homemaker ( Women these days don't like the house wife term.. come on!! we are way beyond that and worth much more)...
So there is going to be a lotta dusting, cleaning, vaccuming, laundry..oh yeah how can I forget the dishes!!!)

- Beauty sleep galore.. you can get to sleep whenever you want, however long you want.. there isnt any job in the beckoning now, is there??
- TV - and by that I mean new soaps, more soaps and even more soaps...
- A wonderful cook in the making, trying out new recipes to please hubby dear and make him put on even more weight..
- Last but never the least, the good old telephone/cell/mobile.. and there are some great deals here... Unlimited calling to people on the same network, unlimited calling on weekends.. so there aint no harm in getting as many people on your network now..its like a million birds hit with one stone...
The list is going to be endless..cuz if one is out of a job and at home, these are the obvious things that come to one's mind about the bahu...

Now wait a minute, does the above sound extremely shallow and dweeby? I mean is this all a woman - (h4 or no h4) is reduced to at the end of the day???
This is my take on it...and here it comes...

First of all, all of those things that I have listed above are probably the first impressions or thoughts that will come to anyone's mind when they think of our 'bahu'. But let me tell you, this world is made up of all sorts of women..and bahus.. I am not disregarding the fact that there arent women who do the exact same things that are mentioned above..but for those women, who still have a spark of desire inside them ( can be deep rooted ...way down..), this whole transition can actually be an eye opener...

In my opinion, if you make best use of the opportunity, this could be THE experience that makes you the complete woman... I mean come on... who would say no to a woman who can do all of that mentioned above on one hand and do some productive and creative with the rest of the time on the other hand? Opportunities exist here in millions.. You actually get time to think about what is it that you actually wanna do with your life? It could be:

- Going back to school ( thats college here... or a PG in India).. earn that Masters in Science or Business and get a 6 figure salary job.. that most can only dream of!!

- Start something on your own...like a web company, or even a salon at home.. you will be minting by the minute and I am talking about dollars..

- You could focus on gym, work out.. Out here they have these group exercise classes that are a whole lot fun and can make you lose like 2 pounds in one class...

- You can challenge the creative side of you and finally get to do so much that you have only always "wanted" to do, but never really had a chance to....it could be photography, volunteer work, trekking, helicopter classes, horse riding, sailing... tonnes!!!!!

- You can free lance/work from home, earn money just sitting at home and working! There are a lotta takers for this too...:)

So there you go..Its not always the same old story for the 'bahu' who moves here.. I am not going to say "Gone are the days when all women did was sit and home and play the good wife and home maker".. cuz that still exists in abundance and there are women who happily resort to that...

This transition actually tries to throw you out of your comfort zone.. into a whole new sea where you need to learn how to swim all over again ( or swim differently) to survive..( course we all wanna survive..don't we???)And its nothing but an eye opener.. for you to see your life differently, for you to pursue your dreams and convert them into reality and live the life that you really always wanted to live....:)
So go on.. be a H4 bahu.. and make the difference...(If you wanna, that is...!!!)

-G

Beaches

2008-04-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

I am a complete "beach person". Not sure if this phrase exists, but would love to call myself that. I can just sit by the water for hours and hours and hours staring into the far beyond...and relish the waves lashing back and forth, back and forth....
I have done this often in the past.. and enjoy it every single time.. the child in me just right out... where I sometimes end up playing with the waves...of course.. not alone..:D

Right from the time I finished school and was about to get into college. I remember my friend and I used to go to Elliots Beach ( thats in Chennai btw) every day on the pretext of jogging!! The real reason was just to have fun and of course make friends...:D.. and boy did we make a lot of them..;)WE would just walk by the water, enjoy the early morning sunrise, the low tides..pure bliss!

Anyways, come to think of it, beaches are a perfect getaway for all kinds of people..for all types of reasons.. Just hang out, wanna work out, meet your secret boy friend, meet your friends, organise your thoughts, do nothing, eat junk, icecream ..name it.. you can do it all and more at the beach...!!
If you ever visit the beach at noon..all you get to see is umbrellas!! black ones at that... and if you go and have a closer look, you see all these lovey dovey couples....out in the scorching sun... whispering "sweet nothings" or "nothing" to each other.... As sidey as it may appear to some people, I personally find it kinda cute..:)

A lot of memories - good and bad are associated with this space giant....Back when I was in college, I used to get to hang with my erstwhile best friend out there.. we arent even in touch now!!:( That was the place where I used to meet up with all my friends and we just used to have fun..talking, chatting, eating and basically fooling around... Gawd I miss all that!

I don't even wanna mention about the bad memories... In fact, I know I keep saying this, but I really really learned "How not to be".... and trust me.. that was mostly associated with the beach.. (Now you can imagine how often I used to visit!!!)... and sure as hell, I dont miss this bit....

It 's nice to sit back and reminisce all those lost times.. some of our best times in life....
I am probably trying to do just that here..in this space...
While I was working, I never had the time to even think about things like this.. I was just living life one day at a time... but now... as I sit back on my plush and cozy sofa and take a sip of my coffee.. and look back..I have one of my favorite smiles spread across my entire face...cuz I just realized.. that I wasnt just living life.. I was enjoying it!!!! then... now .. and in the years to come....

-G

....Mother nature

2008-04-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

I have always been this vanilla person who couldn't do squat about appreciating the true beauty of "mother nature". The rest of my family...belongs to that wonderful world where they are able to see beauty even in a dew drop.. !! Honestly, I used to try.. real hard and used to pass those quiet remarks whenever we used to pass by a lake or something...and say.."oh wow!! look at that" awesome" Look at the sunlight just skimming...." and 3 pairs of eyes used to look at me and say.. Its ok.. dont have to try so hard"".... I just couldn't... It never was me....

....It used to be a family tradition to take those annual vacations to cooler places in southern India.. and that too by road.. ughh!! How I hate car travel!! We 've driven down to major parts of Kerala...My dad used to stop at all these awesome locales and take pics... and I used to be like.." can we get going?? I need to resume my sleep.. Oh yeah.. Car travel makes me so sleepy.. I sleep throughout.. I can go for hours sleeping...:D

To tell you the truth, its not like I hate nature, infact I love it!! yeah I do!! I do see beauty in a dew drop, and I can appreciate that rainbow after a sudden shower in spring!! i can I can I can!! It just din't come out the right way...

I am now in one of THE BEST places in the world...by best, I mean, most scenic, most romantic, best climate, best locales.. best everything...
wait...did I just appreciate nature?!! those were the exact words that came out when I squealed with excitement when I landed here..!!
AWESOME AND AMAZING!! these two words when used so often, can just begin to describe sunny California....
Awesome beaches..natural ones by reefs, where you can see the sun wake up and set at dusk...I was lucky to be at the beach at sunset.. it was awesome.. I got goosebumps!!!
Every drive here is awesome, there is water everywhere and nestled between sheets of water is land!! how cool is that? how will it feel to just drive 10 miles with nothing but sheets and sheets and sheets of water on both sides of the road?? Goosebumps again!!

if you look straight ahead, you can see mountains at a distance calling you to come and visit....Awesome again..

So I guess, it really took a lot from "mother nature" to awaken that side of me to appreciate her...:D..

Even to this day, every time we go out and I look at something beautiful, I appreciate it and smile with excitement... much to my husband's amusement and satisfaction....

So here's to California.. which seems to be one of nature's favorite abode and mine for a long time to come...:)

I owe it all to that wonderful thing called "Destiny"

2008-04-09T14:31:00.003-07:00

Every girl has that dream.. That same dream where she meets the guy of her dreams and is happily married and all's well thats end well kind of a situation...

I was no different....But lets just say that my dream had a lot of questions in it...I always refer to it as the "what if" dream... Obviously it was recurring.. Or rather subconsciously going on at the back of my head....

When dreams finally turn into reality..and all that you dreamed of and wished to happen actually happen and all your fear-filled "what if" questions are eradicated by that one person who saunters in to your life... how would you feel??? There are a ton of adjectives to describe that elated feeling....

...After going through "life's roller coasters" and having one heck of a ride, I finally landed on the best one..
Obviously the journey to "THE BEST ONE" wasnt that easy.. but it was so worth it... I learned a lot, learned how NOT to be, got to see the black and whites in life.. and realized that its always not about the grey....

So here I am, in sunny California, married to the best guy - and having a ball...Am living my dreams now and the feeling just has to be experienced, it cannot be described....
To sum it up, I can proudly and gladly say..."I am happily married"....

"Fears are natural... they must exist.. They open your eyes to the dark parts of life... You need to be aware of these, steer clear of them, or if you are strong enough, experience one or two dark ones to know what they are all about....";)

Life's Like That..............

2007-06-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

Humans are complex beings.
They keep seeking the eternal non existing things in life.
In the bargain, lose out on what they already hold as precious at that moment.
They then end up regretting, repenting and feeling lost and sad – sulk and wonder as to why did they let go of what they already had in the first place?
I am a human being and when I try to look at this whole phenomenon that I just tried to explain above, and this from a third person’s point of view, I appear to myself as a realist.
Why go after something that may or may not be yours?
Instead why not make the most of what you already have in your hands and make that the eternal & unseekable & the thing in life that you were looking for in the first place?
And so to cut the long story short, I would just like to say the following (a part of it may sound cliché, but the reality, folks, is that cliché stuff usually end up making the most sense!!!).
Life is short - really short. You never know what is going to happen to you tomorrow or even the next min. So why waste what you have in hand now?
Sometimes in life, you experience certain things; meet people from whom you learn a lot.
Trust me – this is the biggest gift that life has to offer. I mean you cant learn these by even reading a million books - on how to react when this happens or what to do when that happens. You learn these things…
How?? By meeting people, experiencing those moments and being in the moment.
You learn what to do and what not to do and what to do again and again.
So life’s like that.
Make the most of it, live for the moment and spread as many happy thoughts possible to the people around you. Cuz you never know what you are going to get or whom you are going to make a better person!!

Cheers

Poles Apart??!!

2007-05-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

The headline reminds me only of one person and I would really like to dedicate this blog to her... Yeah my sister... Starting from our outlook on life.. till about our tastes in music to colours to the type of food...we are p-o-l-e-s a-p-a-r-t.
All said and done, despite all this, you go back to basics and connect with some people without any reason.. and not only cuz you are related..its beyond all this.. Some background to my startling statement made..
We went to the same school.. and as usual me the brave one loved going to school..My sis was so scared that she used to sit come and sit with me in my class.
I still so vividly remember that day..
Even today when I pick out a dress and I oh so excitedly come home and show it to her... She will give out those cute dimple smile and say." its so you"..
Now I dont know if thats an insult..or a compliment. She says its the latter..and it better be that way.
Even our opinions and outlook on things differ... While its good to have a difference, not this much I used to thinnk....
..Anyways while the differences continue on one end.. there are two things that we still share the same interest for...
1.....giggle and crack up.. reasons??!! most of the times.. I make fun or rather imitate people and she cracks up...
Thats one of the times we genuinely LOL.. Amma thinks its sidey..she says.. that we need to enjoy "constructive jokes".. or humour but we beg to differ.. Till about 3:00 Am somedays we crack up...
2...The other common passion is eating good.. food.. well there too.. I cook and she gobbles..We mostly do this at like 2:00 AM.. thats the thrill!!

To be honest..we arent the best of friends.. as in we dont a deep personal link..( by that I am trying to say that we dont tell each other our personal stuff)..wierd you may think..but it works for us this way...
We arent similar..on any ground..To me, dressed up in a long layered skirt and a peasant blouse will be a stunner combo.. to her.. it will be a short skirt and a spagetti...lol... so its like that... and am sure you guys would have got the point..
but all said and done.. we still get back to one another at the end of the day, month, year..decade..and pick up from where we left.. I dont think you get to do this with many people..She being there in my life has never made me yearn for girl company.. even after my friends relocated to other cities, I kinda dint feel lost cuz she was there to cover...and that too despite all the differences...
I am glad she is my sister..for many reasons.. but the most important one...
" She is my best fall back pillow.. .. and my cushion ( both metaphorically and otherwise..lol) & way different from me..:)

Interviewing Skills..I have them..Does the candidate?!!??

2007-04-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

Most of my blogs..well all of them have been heavy metal stuff till now..about emotions and feelings and blah..blah.. while thats mostly me... I have this sarcastic slap stick funny side to me..as well...
It comes out within my own cocoon..that what I call my guard.. very few people even know this side of me..
Anyways..it also gets kindled everytime I interview a candidate to be selected or recruited...
This is a typical interview with "mysteeque"..aka..me..:D

Candidate.. lets call him dude...and me.. is well..me..:)

Me..Hi..Dude? Have a seat and I flash him a smile...and introduce myself.....He stares blankly back at me..(hello we havent even started yet!!!)
I go through his resume'.. Woe is me.. Is that english??!! Am sorry but I dont understand any of what is written..:( the career objective reads.."to growth myself in a industry and groom me in the finance world"...) hobbies read..."raiding speed bikes".. I control myself from laughing out loud and instead my eyes are filled with tears.. Dude!!!
So I am forced to ask him to speak..
Me.. So tell me about yourself...( this we usually ask so that we can check how fluent the candidate is and generally find a link to the series of questions to follow... a general direction to the entire interview)
Dude.. "Hi my name is Dude" I am 21 yrs old.. I have 2 brothers...both married and have kids..
My parents dont stay with me....blah blah
Me...(in my head...woah woah..time out... not that way)...Ok.. thats nice.. how about your career?
Dude:..I have done my BBA and I interest in technicals...
Me...So how do you think a service Ops shop is going to help you?
Dude...err...heeh..ummm well.. just that... No I dont understand what you re saying..
Me.. I mean you say you like technicals( sorry have to speak like them...sometimes..you know)
we are an operations unit...with very little of technicals..
Dude...hmmm..ya.. i get u..
Me..(in my head..no you dont just "get me"...you need to get what am saying.. do you?) Ya so do you want me to refer you to our technical department and let them get back to you?
Dude.. ya.. i thought so...
Me..gr8.. thanks ( for wasting 20 solid minutes of my time) for coming and you may hear from them shortly if something comes up...
Phew....I get out of the room angry and irritated....I mean on a monday morning.. I dint need that...These guys dont even know what they want and they dont know anything about well anything...or may be they do and they cant say it.. heck!! whats the point then??!!

But coming to think of it.. Its really sad.. I mean.. i know I went through the right education and everything to turn out the way I am today... these guys.. they may be good.. am not denying that..but simple things like language, presenting yourself in an interview and your body language gives you up and you may never land the job you really want!! If you cant say what you really wanna say... its as good as saying nothing at all!! We cant dig into you..na?!!
So to all those aspiring career mongers and "growth" (got the lingo myself) mongers out there.. its not about what you know or where you studied or how much marks you got in your 12th or college that matters..
What really matters is.. at the end of the day, are you passionate enough to get out there into the job world and package yourself? Are you able to let the other guy know what difference ( it can be an inch or a mountain) you can make to the job?And most of all.. do U know what difference you can make at all?
If you find answers to these..finding a job will be as easy as finding a fish in the fish tank..
And the best part.. it will save so much of interview time... for all us scape goat interviewers.....

Cheers....

He impressed me...

2007-03-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

The serenity in his face will leave a million questions in your mind. He carries an aura of peace around him and anyone can easily get drawn into that circle..
He comes from his own unique school of thought and there is a separate sect of the community who are his silent followers and believers.
He is Swami Vivekananda & he impressed me...

I had participated in an essay writing competition during my school days.. We were given a few topics to choose from... I chose him... I couldn't believe my self.. I mean...Moi and books are poles apart..
I just don't have the patience to go and read about someone rambling on and on about something..
But I had to give it up to this man.. He impressed me, pleased me, I read his autobiography and was most most impressed..
He will always have a place in my heart for his simplicity of thought, his calm and composed disposition that just spells patience......( probably cuz thats another quality I lack...loads of patience)..somethings that I probably would admire in any man...

This is one of his stories....Read on..

I once had a friend who grew to be very close to me. Once when we were sitting at the edge of a swimming pool, she filled the palm of her hand with some water and held it before me, and said this: "You see this water carefully contained on my hand? It symbolizes Love.

" This was how I saw it: As long as you keep your hand caringly open and allow it to remain there, it will always be there. However, if you attempt to close your fingers round it and try to posses it, it will spill through the first cracks it finds.

This is the greatest mistake that people do when they meet love ... they try to posses it, they demand, they expect ... and just like the water spilling
out of your hand, love will retrieve from you. For love is meant to be free, you can not change its nature.

If there are people you love, allow them to be free beings.

Give and don't expect.
Advise, but don't order.
Ask, but never demand.

It might sound simple, but it is a lesson that may take a lifetime to truly practice.

It is the secret to true love.To truly practice it, you must sincerely feel no expectations from those who you love, and yet an unconditional caring."

Passing thought .... Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take; but by the moments that take our breath away.

To fight or not to fight is the question

2007-03-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

I read this thought somewhere while at work..( he he literally faffing my time away at work... it happens though right???!!. I mean everyone has their share of "faff" days....And I am enjoying mine..
Anyways...and I was really intrigued by it..
It went something like this.....

"Everything that happens is for a reason"... Life is as simple as that so don't worry about losing battles as long as you believe that the War can be won"
I was not convinced.. I was like "what"???? I was so enthused to rush back home and express all those thoughts or rather questions popping like corn in my head......when I read this...(sadly my office does not give me the privilege to login to Orkut or my blog page :(...

And this is all I have to say ...
What about those few "battles" (I am just extrapolating this term metaphorically to signify the bigger things in life.)that impact your life to such a large extent just due to the sheer reason for the way that they have been fought?
There are some battles or maybe just that one battle that is fought to win the WAR over all.. What about them?
Sometimes in life you may just need to go after fighting that one battle or at least seek to find out how that one particular battle was fought as that battle may end up defining the GRAND Finale... "THE WAR"...

Possessiveness is who's best friend???

2007-03-04T10:31:00.000-08:00

Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus and from there they bring with them this unique feature that goes by the name "possessiveness". Now what is that all about? I, many a times have wondered why on earth is it that we are so god damnned possessive about everything that we are supposed to "own" or is labelled "ours"? What joy do we find in it?
Is this what maketh our package complete and lovable all at the same time?
I tend to disagree... and heres why...
"I have read somewhere that too much of something is bad enough".. There is a song to this tune as well... Well I am one of those who believe that possessiveness in itself is too much... Its like a drug that kills...kills you, people around you, your relationship with them..everything..
As the age old saying goes, If you love something, let it go... let go of this necessary evil as well... and you will see that it all ends up making all the sense in the world...
So to all women out there and all the men out there who have entwined yourselves in this evil web, dont befriend this particular evil and see how that makes the difference...

Here I am.. This is me.........

2007-03-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

What would be a more appropriate way to inaugurate my first steps into the blog world than spill out a little - yeah just a little about who I am..blah blah...
I set foot or should I say made a rampage into this world about 25 years back..Its been a fun journey - normal in some peopl'e point of view and "fun" in some others.. from my own..... it was a perfect mixed bag parts of which I would wanna relive even to this day.

My life at Sishya.......
Studied at Sishya - a "homey" school bang next to where I stay.. for about 12years and then went on to do my 11th and 12th in Vidya Mandir Adyar.
Sishya days was when I knew how 6:30 AM looked like..actually. school used to begin by 8:00 everyday and I used to get up by 6:30 and get ready.. A completely organised and diligent freak ( If I can say so myself) .. everything HAD to be in order for me to go to school.. My family has probably seen my house turn into "Panic Room" if things ever went hay wire.
A straight "a" student from the beginning, I really enjoyed studying ( no no dont opine yet....Thankfully I dint turn out to be a nerd:D nor look like one)...used to have these ultra close competitions with this friend of mine on "who is going to beat whom".And so 12 years life at Sishya was pretty much full of books, friends, sports, parties etc...

Life at my Alma Mater - Vidya Mandir Adyar..
Home away from home could be another phrase to describe this place where I spent just two years of my school life but it felt like a life time. Even to this day, if given a choice, would love to relive every second right from the first day I joined VMA in the 11th std.
The best compliment that I probably got from my friends there were... when they said they were quite shocked that I dint turn out to be the the typical "sishya product"... I can literally hear a few "agree" nods eh guys? This probably would hint how close to "down to earth" I am, how I literally squirm amidst those super high fliers who dont have a clue what the hell they are upto and confuse the hell out of you as well...
A different me evolved in VMA - outspoken, bubly, giggly, extrovert, willing to take part in a extra curriculars...
Now I am like.."er...extra whatttttttt??" Today looking back and connecting the dots back to school, I had a great school life...best that I could have ever asked for...