New girl in the city...:)

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

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

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.....

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)

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 !

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

..........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