This past weekend has been one of the best ever,a weekend that I will remember for a long long time to come for various reasons.
It was my best friend Maddy's 30th birthday on Monday and her husband B,and a couple of her colleagues planned on throwing her a surprise party on Saturday.B being the sweet guy that he is, decided that the festivities would be incomplete without me(thats what I chose to believe anyway!) and convinced me to fly over to Virginia.All I had to do was to say yes.The sweet man even took care of my flight reservations leaving me with nothing to do except making sure that I would not blabber everything to Maddy during one of our daily conversations.
The party itself was a major hit and she was really surprised by all of it as her friends had done an excellent job of decorating the place and making all the required arrangements whilst B managed to pry her away from the home scene on the pretext of shopping.But the best part for me would have to be the moment she laid eyes on me when she let out this loud blood curling scream,dropped all the shopping bags on the floor and ran into my arms and we hugged each other tight, screaming all the while with excitement!My trip was made worth my while by that one moment.And of course when I met her wonderful little angel of a daughter.She is such an adorable little sweetheart who makes my heart melt into a puddle everytime calls me "Dhodamma" (Aunty or Mausi in Kannada).This little darling is the closest I will ever get to a niece so this bonding with her meant a lot to me.
And the icing on the cake was of course when I met our very own DotThoughts. She and I met at this mall near Maddy's place before I went to the party and I had a really nice time with her.The time we spent was short but nonetheless I am so glad I got to see Dottie.She is just as warm and wonderful as her blog is,very bubbly and animated and lot of fun to talk to.She looks so much younger than she actually is!She was kind enough to offer to drop me to Maddy's place which was a good 10 miles in the opposite direction as her house was.Oh and she also introduced me to the Bratz Doll, a hideous concept for a doll which I still cannot get over.
It was one helluva memorable weekend...
Edited to add : This has nothing to do with the past weekend but it does fall in line with title of the post and it had slipped my mind to write about it though I meant to.So I met another fellow blogger last year and this is none other than Ms.La Vida Loca.
It was winter and the weather that day was treacherous with snow storms and heavy rains.And our Ms.Loca managed to brave the rough weather and drive all by herself in a new city which was very impressive.We met for lunch and spent a good 3 hours chatting and it was so much fun getting to know her and her quirky side.When she mentioned that she was planning to spend the night on the couch at her husband's friends' apartment,I just had to invite her home and ask her to spend the night at our place.We have been in regular touch since then and its been really nice knowing this quirky girl with a really quirky sense of humor.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
I have a dream
Has it ever happened to you that you dream of something very scary but when you try and recollect what the fuss was all about in the morning,it seems so silly and banal?Well, it happens to me all the time.But the scariest aspect of a dream atleast as far as I am concerned is the fact that it recurs over and over again and this does a number on my brain.I am at a loss for answers when I try and analyze the dreams themselves and also the reason as to why they come back again and again to haunt me.
I have two dreams that keep coming back.One of them is where I am trying to make a phone call but its too dark and I cannot see the numbers all too clearly.This is probably a manifestation of the darkness because of my eyes being closed when I am asleep and dreaming.But the scary part is that even when I can see the dial well enough,I always end up dialing the wrong number.Always.I dial and re-dial like a hundred times over but in each instance I would have gotten the number wrong.
The other dream is where I am in college and its exam time and I suddenly realize that I an completely unprepared and I do not even know what topics I need to study.I am able to somehow manage English and Science but when it comes to Math,I am in a really hopeless situation.I have 2 days to prepare for the Math exam but the topics are so complicated that it is impossible for me to figure it out all by myself.So I decide I need some help and I try to call a friend on mine.And thats when I am unable to make the damned call.
Even as I type this post,the whole thing seems a tad silly but at that point of time when I am actually dreaming this stuff, it is the single most frightening experience ever.The panic and helplessness feels so real.And the fact that it is recurs over and over again makes it all the more frustrating and surreal.
While I am at it,I have been asked to reveal 10 of my deepest, darkest secrets or at least 10 things you don't know about me by the very beautiful Silvara. Well, lets see:
1] When I eat rotis with subji,I normally need a very large quantity of subji; for a regular person,the quantity of the side dish that I need for 1 roti would probably be good for atleast 2-3 rotis.
2] I have a bad case of "starting problem".Be it a new project or new technology or a new restaurant or a new dish or a new outfit or a new friend or a conversation even,I have a hard time with the initiation part.
3] I have never been able to do anything ahead of time especially when it comes to preparing for an exam or cooking for guests.I somehow manage to push it to the very minute and then I start to panic.But in the end I have managed to somehow pull it off.
4] My hand bag must have a comb/hair brush, chapstick and a packet of facial tissue irrespective of whether or not I have my wallet even.
5] I can get very competitive.
6] I used to make small children cry when I was a kid.Only those that were annoying or those that spoke in a manner that was way too much for their age though.
7] I cannot bring myself to throw away food.Especially if it something that has been sitting in the refrigerator for over a week.
8] I get very disturbed at the sight of neatly arranged dots or anything round and resembling a dot like for example daal spread out neatly on plate in one layer.I guess it has to do with this Kananda I saw as a kid which had Kalpana playing the female lead.She is very proud of her good looks and suddenly one day she gets this measles-like diseases that causes black round marks all over her face.Ugggghhhhhhhh.
9] I have always wanted and will continue to yearn for an elder brother and a pet dog.
10] I used to play a lot of cricket as a kid and I was one of the best batsmen there ever was.Until it was ok for boys and girls to play together without feeling shy or conscious,I was always in demand while teams were being formed.
It has been really long since I did one of these tags! I shall pass it on to DotThoughts, SnippetsNScribbles, Divya and my new found blogger buddies Imp's mom,cluelesschick and Abha.
I have two dreams that keep coming back.One of them is where I am trying to make a phone call but its too dark and I cannot see the numbers all too clearly.This is probably a manifestation of the darkness because of my eyes being closed when I am asleep and dreaming.But the scary part is that even when I can see the dial well enough,I always end up dialing the wrong number.Always.I dial and re-dial like a hundred times over but in each instance I would have gotten the number wrong.
The other dream is where I am in college and its exam time and I suddenly realize that I an completely unprepared and I do not even know what topics I need to study.I am able to somehow manage English and Science but when it comes to Math,I am in a really hopeless situation.I have 2 days to prepare for the Math exam but the topics are so complicated that it is impossible for me to figure it out all by myself.So I decide I need some help and I try to call a friend on mine.And thats when I am unable to make the damned call.
Even as I type this post,the whole thing seems a tad silly but at that point of time when I am actually dreaming this stuff, it is the single most frightening experience ever.The panic and helplessness feels so real.And the fact that it is recurs over and over again makes it all the more frustrating and surreal.
While I am at it,I have been asked to reveal 10 of my deepest, darkest secrets or at least 10 things you don't know about me by the very beautiful Silvara. Well, lets see:
1] When I eat rotis with subji,I normally need a very large quantity of subji; for a regular person,the quantity of the side dish that I need for 1 roti would probably be good for atleast 2-3 rotis.
2] I have a bad case of "starting problem".Be it a new project or new technology or a new restaurant or a new dish or a new outfit or a new friend or a conversation even,I have a hard time with the initiation part.
3] I have never been able to do anything ahead of time especially when it comes to preparing for an exam or cooking for guests.I somehow manage to push it to the very minute and then I start to panic.But in the end I have managed to somehow pull it off.
4] My hand bag must have a comb/hair brush, chapstick and a packet of facial tissue irrespective of whether or not I have my wallet even.
5] I can get very competitive.
6] I used to make small children cry when I was a kid.Only those that were annoying or those that spoke in a manner that was way too much for their age though.
7] I cannot bring myself to throw away food.Especially if it something that has been sitting in the refrigerator for over a week.
8] I get very disturbed at the sight of neatly arranged dots or anything round and resembling a dot like for example daal spread out neatly on plate in one layer.I guess it has to do with this Kananda I saw as a kid which had Kalpana playing the female lead.She is very proud of her good looks and suddenly one day she gets this measles-like diseases that causes black round marks all over her face.Ugggghhhhhhhh.
9] I have always wanted and will continue to yearn for an elder brother and a pet dog.
10] I used to play a lot of cricket as a kid and I was one of the best batsmen there ever was.Until it was ok for boys and girls to play together without feeling shy or conscious,I was always in demand while teams were being formed.
It has been really long since I did one of these tags! I shall pass it on to DotThoughts, SnippetsNScribbles, Divya and my new found blogger buddies Imp's mom,cluelesschick and Abha.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Pain pain go away...
And my back woes continue.
It all started early last year when we shifted houses twice in very quick succession.The first time around M and I misjudged the amount of work that needed to be done in terms of packing, cleaning, moving and unpacking and ended up doing everything by ourselves.This took its toll on my back and I was in pretty bad shape.Unfortunately,we did not quite like the new place and decided to move almost immediately.But this time around,we did not have packing to do as most of our stuff was still in the respective boxes and we hired movers.But the damage had been done.I could not stand for too long nor could I walk for too long.The pain was its worst during early mornings when I could no longer sleep and would have to sit up and walk around just to alleviate the soreness and agony.
I went to our family physician who went through the usual routine of OTC pain medication followed by a round of steroids.Nothing worked.He then did an MRI and found no issues.So he recommended physical therapy.There was no improvement in my condition.So I went to an orthopedic surgeon.He put me through the same rigmarole only this time he found two bulges in my discs in the lower back.But the treatment did not change my condition in any way.Finally I went to another highly recommended orthopedic surgeon who of course came to the very same conclusion as the previous guy.But this guy went one step further and asked me get steroid faucet joint injections.So 8 injections were administered,4 on either side of my spine.This was supposed to negate the pain during which time I was asked to do physical therapy in order to strengthen my back.Turns out that this was completely useless as it did absolutely nothing for me.
So I started physical therapy and the first session went off well and the lady did a very detailed and accurate assessment of my condition.When I was about to leave,she told me very hesitantly that she was on vacation from he next day and so my next session would be with a different therapist.I was so mad.I mean is she knew she was going to be away why on earth did she have to do my assessment in the first place?Anyways,the nest session was with this therapist Chris who totally sucked.She is the kind that wants to talk all the time,not only to you but to all the other patients.She constantly interfered in the treatment of the other patients while she neglected her own.And when it came to my treatment,she somehow never knew what to do.She had to consult the other therapists for directions all the time.I finally got fed up and asked for a change of therapist.I was then assigned to the director of that facility,a young guy called CJ.I soon discovered that while CJ is good technically,he has about 6 patients at any given time slot.He has no time to even listen to what I have to say about my condition.But since he is the director after all,who am I to second guess his work and so I kept at it.
Its been almost 3 sessions and we have done the same 3 exercises and the worst part is that none of them are stretching exercises which are so essential for any back strengthening routine.I try to give him specific details about my problem but the guy refuses to listen.I just don't know what to do.These sessions don't come cheap and my back continues to agonize me.I know for a fact that I am not getting anything out of the physical therapy but I don't know how to make that guy listen to me.Everytime I try to pin him down he gets away with some mumbo jumbo for which I have no answer.I feel I should just quit and do the exercises on my own since I know most of them and have done them before at the earlier physical therapy center.But running away from the problem without facing it head-on also seems cowardly.
I wish I knew how to deal with that guy and get my point of view heard.
Sigh.
It all started early last year when we shifted houses twice in very quick succession.The first time around M and I misjudged the amount of work that needed to be done in terms of packing, cleaning, moving and unpacking and ended up doing everything by ourselves.This took its toll on my back and I was in pretty bad shape.Unfortunately,we did not quite like the new place and decided to move almost immediately.But this time around,we did not have packing to do as most of our stuff was still in the respective boxes and we hired movers.But the damage had been done.I could not stand for too long nor could I walk for too long.The pain was its worst during early mornings when I could no longer sleep and would have to sit up and walk around just to alleviate the soreness and agony.
I went to our family physician who went through the usual routine of OTC pain medication followed by a round of steroids.Nothing worked.He then did an MRI and found no issues.So he recommended physical therapy.There was no improvement in my condition.So I went to an orthopedic surgeon.He put me through the same rigmarole only this time he found two bulges in my discs in the lower back.But the treatment did not change my condition in any way.Finally I went to another highly recommended orthopedic surgeon who of course came to the very same conclusion as the previous guy.But this guy went one step further and asked me get steroid faucet joint injections.So 8 injections were administered,4 on either side of my spine.This was supposed to negate the pain during which time I was asked to do physical therapy in order to strengthen my back.Turns out that this was completely useless as it did absolutely nothing for me.
So I started physical therapy and the first session went off well and the lady did a very detailed and accurate assessment of my condition.When I was about to leave,she told me very hesitantly that she was on vacation from he next day and so my next session would be with a different therapist.I was so mad.I mean is she knew she was going to be away why on earth did she have to do my assessment in the first place?Anyways,the nest session was with this therapist Chris who totally sucked.She is the kind that wants to talk all the time,not only to you but to all the other patients.She constantly interfered in the treatment of the other patients while she neglected her own.And when it came to my treatment,she somehow never knew what to do.She had to consult the other therapists for directions all the time.I finally got fed up and asked for a change of therapist.I was then assigned to the director of that facility,a young guy called CJ.I soon discovered that while CJ is good technically,he has about 6 patients at any given time slot.He has no time to even listen to what I have to say about my condition.But since he is the director after all,who am I to second guess his work and so I kept at it.
Its been almost 3 sessions and we have done the same 3 exercises and the worst part is that none of them are stretching exercises which are so essential for any back strengthening routine.I try to give him specific details about my problem but the guy refuses to listen.I just don't know what to do.These sessions don't come cheap and my back continues to agonize me.I know for a fact that I am not getting anything out of the physical therapy but I don't know how to make that guy listen to me.Everytime I try to pin him down he gets away with some mumbo jumbo for which I have no answer.I feel I should just quit and do the exercises on my own since I know most of them and have done them before at the earlier physical therapy center.But running away from the problem without facing it head-on also seems cowardly.
I wish I knew how to deal with that guy and get my point of view heard.
Sigh.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Of this and that..
I hate days like today when I do not have much to do at work.I got a latte from Starbucks, checked my email and did a blog roll round-up all of which took less than an hour.I now sit at my desk in front my computer, fighting the strongest urge to go back home and plop myself in front of the TV and watch three of my most favorite shows on TV : Project Runaway , Top Chef and So You Think You Can Dance.Lord,I am so addicted to these shows!I can watch reruns after reruns without the slightest hint of boredom,a privilege that was reserved solely for M*A*S*H until now.Blame on it on the Direct TV recorder.
One thing that gets my goat is how the fact that three out of four of the final contestants on Top Chef are women, has created such a huge controversy.In the previous seasons,the male chefs have always dominated the competition although there has been one female finalist in all seasons.Scores of people from all over the country have been leaving comments on the official Top Chef blogs as to how the TV channel,by design,chose to have more women contestants in the last stage of show.I think this is utterly ridiculous.So if the women are outnumbered it is considered natural but if the men are outnumbered, it is considered improbable and an outcome of rigging?The fact of the matter is that these women are outstanding chefs and two out of three of them are clear winners by any standards.Such baseless insinuations are doing nothing but undermining their talent and capacity as a potential Top Chef.
My day started off with some bad news at the doctor's office.Apparently,they have discovered another bulge and this time it is my cervix.That explains the dastardly pain in my neck and shoulders.Like I did not have enough pain already what with bulges in two discs of my lower back.This saga of pain and discomfort has been going on for almost 1.5 years now with no relief in sight.I have tried everything that I possibly could but my situation remains unchanged.I must be doing something weird to cause so many bulges in my spine but I have no idea what and neither does my orthopedic surgeon.According to him, for now, the only thing close to a solution seems to be lot of physical therapy and strong anti-inflammatory medication.Lets see how that works out.
Oh and we went to Russell Peter's show at the Improv.This guy is good!In fact the whole show was very good as the guys who opened for him were really funny too.One of the them was Paul Verghese, whose act I had witnessed not too long ago and I wasn't impressed at all as he was overly abrasive and obnoxious that day.See the USP of these guys is to poke fun at all the different ethnic groups in this country.They capitalize on the misconceptions that Americans have about people belonging to different ethnicities and come up with hilarious material.And both these guys are of Indian origin so most of their jokes are about what it is like to be a desi.Sometimes they tend to go over the top but on this particular day,both guys were at their humorous best!Well Paul more than Russell.I guess Russell lost steam midway as Paul and the other Filipino comic,Edwin something, had done a superb job earlier and their material was very similar to what Russell normally does in his shows.This guy,Russell Peters is so popular that his shows were sold out even without any publicity or advertising whatsoever.And the tickets were fricking expensive at $45 a pop.Good fun it was!
One thing that gets my goat is how the fact that three out of four of the final contestants on Top Chef are women, has created such a huge controversy.In the previous seasons,the male chefs have always dominated the competition although there has been one female finalist in all seasons.Scores of people from all over the country have been leaving comments on the official Top Chef blogs as to how the TV channel,by design,chose to have more women contestants in the last stage of show.I think this is utterly ridiculous.So if the women are outnumbered it is considered natural but if the men are outnumbered, it is considered improbable and an outcome of rigging?The fact of the matter is that these women are outstanding chefs and two out of three of them are clear winners by any standards.Such baseless insinuations are doing nothing but undermining their talent and capacity as a potential Top Chef.
My day started off with some bad news at the doctor's office.Apparently,they have discovered another bulge and this time it is my cervix.That explains the dastardly pain in my neck and shoulders.Like I did not have enough pain already what with bulges in two discs of my lower back.This saga of pain and discomfort has been going on for almost 1.5 years now with no relief in sight.I have tried everything that I possibly could but my situation remains unchanged.I must be doing something weird to cause so many bulges in my spine but I have no idea what and neither does my orthopedic surgeon.According to him, for now, the only thing close to a solution seems to be lot of physical therapy and strong anti-inflammatory medication.Lets see how that works out.
Oh and we went to Russell Peter's show at the Improv.This guy is good!In fact the whole show was very good as the guys who opened for him were really funny too.One of the them was Paul Verghese, whose act I had witnessed not too long ago and I wasn't impressed at all as he was overly abrasive and obnoxious that day.See the USP of these guys is to poke fun at all the different ethnic groups in this country.They capitalize on the misconceptions that Americans have about people belonging to different ethnicities and come up with hilarious material.And both these guys are of Indian origin so most of their jokes are about what it is like to be a desi.Sometimes they tend to go over the top but on this particular day,both guys were at their humorous best!Well Paul more than Russell.I guess Russell lost steam midway as Paul and the other Filipino comic,Edwin something, had done a superb job earlier and their material was very similar to what Russell normally does in his shows.This guy,Russell Peters is so popular that his shows were sold out even without any publicity or advertising whatsoever.And the tickets were fricking expensive at $45 a pop.Good fun it was!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
And then there were none
There seems to be a sudden dearth of "suitable girls".Well,how else would you explain the franctic emails and calls that I get almost every other day from my male friends asking for my help in getting them hitched.Initially I did not take their plea for help all that seriously.I assumed it was just one of those typical,casual conversations that you normally have with your single male friends which invaribaly involves them asking you to set them up with your attractive single female friends.But when the volume of emails that came my way increased and the plea started sounding more and more desperate and the said friends implored me to do something about their situation,I was forced to sit up and take notice.
A situation as precarious as this called for thorough analysis which produced some very interesting results.So there is this guy.Lets call him Specimen A.I have known him for a long long time and he has always been the flamboyant,good looking guy.The class flirt with a roving eye if you must.Of course it was all in good taste but the fact of the matter remains that this guy was the kind who loved to be associated with and seen in the company of pretty girls.He never did seem like the kind of guy who would ever want to settle down or worse,commit to one woman.So you can imagine my surprise when I was approached by him to help him do just that.I tell him exactly what all of us are thinking.Why would a guy like him need help in the first place?What happened to all those girls that he knew or dated or had a crush on or had a crush on him ?His answer?He has no idea.All he knows is that he is desperate to get hitched.And why is that?Because all his friends are no longer single and he feels awfully left out when with them.And he is tired of probing questions about when he was planning to shed his single status from his no-longer-single friends.And he is also tired of everyone assuming that finding someone should be a walk in the park for someone with a history as his whereas this was so far from the truth.I felt so bad for him that day.
And then there is Specimen B.Again I have known him forever.He is the quintessential nerd. Intelligent,hard working,soft-spoken,successful,rich.He has always been the kind who never showed too much inclination towards women in the romantic way.He seemed to be very content with his higher studies and later on, with doing well at work and moving up the corporate ladder.I am not sure whether it was by design or just a coincidence that he maintained his single status effortlessly.Now all of a sudden,he feels he is very lonely.He feels the need for companionship.He feels the need for the presence of a woman in his life.He wants a wife.And he wants to take the traditional route.Unfortunately for him,as hard as his parents are trying to match horoscopes and find the right girl,its just not materialising.
Specimen C.The die hard romantic at heart.One of the warmest guys I have ever known.He is quirky, funny, full of energy and a lot of fun to be with.And someone who beleives in a fairytale romance and that he will find The One in a manner that he has always dreamt of.Sigh.He asks for my help to make all this come true.As hard as I try to break the bubble and bring him back to planet earth, he seems to be fixated on his idea of romance.And he is getting really impatient that his dream is taking forever to come true.And then there is Specimen D.He is your everyday guy.A wonderful friend.Helpful,polite.A really good guy who is the most practical person I have ever known.Perfect husband material.And yet he is finding it very hard to find the right girl.
They are all so different from each other and want very different things from life.And yet they want the same thing too.A suitable companion.The right girl.The One.I have always maintained that things like marriage and relationships and having kids are very personal and individualstic. There is no right age or wrong age.There are no rules.There is no pattern.But look at these guys.Isn't there like a semblance of a pattern?They are all turning 30 this year.Maybe that has something to do with the desperation?
When M and I got married at the age of 25,we got a lot of raised eyebrows,friends wanting to know if we were sure this is what we wanted,friends wanting why we did not want to play the field some more,friends wondering if we were too young to take the plunge.The fact of the matter is that both of us just knew.Period.And boy am I glad that I am not in their shoes today.Ironically these days,we get a lot of I want what you have and I envy you guys.
Serendipity.
And it dosen't help that none of my girl friends are single.And the ones that are single are involved in a relationship.Where did all the single women go??!!!
You know,this is serious fodder for thought for people of the likes of that idiot doctor that Chandni wrote about a while ago about the extent to which female infanticide is affecting society.
Oh and what do we have here!An award.My first one!This space supposedly has Nice Matters according to the lovely SnippetsAndScribbles. And following the blogging-world tradition of passing on the said award to those I think are worthy recepients, I choose DotThoughts and Silvara; two of the most honest and sophiscated women I have come across.And they write very well too!
A situation as precarious as this called for thorough analysis which produced some very interesting results.So there is this guy.Lets call him Specimen A.I have known him for a long long time and he has always been the flamboyant,good looking guy.The class flirt with a roving eye if you must.Of course it was all in good taste but the fact of the matter remains that this guy was the kind who loved to be associated with and seen in the company of pretty girls.He never did seem like the kind of guy who would ever want to settle down or worse,commit to one woman.So you can imagine my surprise when I was approached by him to help him do just that.I tell him exactly what all of us are thinking.Why would a guy like him need help in the first place?What happened to all those girls that he knew or dated or had a crush on or had a crush on him ?His answer?He has no idea.All he knows is that he is desperate to get hitched.And why is that?Because all his friends are no longer single and he feels awfully left out when with them.And he is tired of probing questions about when he was planning to shed his single status from his no-longer-single friends.And he is also tired of everyone assuming that finding someone should be a walk in the park for someone with a history as his whereas this was so far from the truth.I felt so bad for him that day.
And then there is Specimen B.Again I have known him forever.He is the quintessential nerd. Intelligent,hard working,soft-spoken,successful,rich.He has always been the kind who never showed too much inclination towards women in the romantic way.He seemed to be very content with his higher studies and later on, with doing well at work and moving up the corporate ladder.I am not sure whether it was by design or just a coincidence that he maintained his single status effortlessly.Now all of a sudden,he feels he is very lonely.He feels the need for companionship.He feels the need for the presence of a woman in his life.He wants a wife.And he wants to take the traditional route.Unfortunately for him,as hard as his parents are trying to match horoscopes and find the right girl,its just not materialising.
Specimen C.The die hard romantic at heart.One of the warmest guys I have ever known.He is quirky, funny, full of energy and a lot of fun to be with.And someone who beleives in a fairytale romance and that he will find The One in a manner that he has always dreamt of.Sigh.He asks for my help to make all this come true.As hard as I try to break the bubble and bring him back to planet earth, he seems to be fixated on his idea of romance.And he is getting really impatient that his dream is taking forever to come true.And then there is Specimen D.He is your everyday guy.A wonderful friend.Helpful,polite.A really good guy who is the most practical person I have ever known.Perfect husband material.And yet he is finding it very hard to find the right girl.
They are all so different from each other and want very different things from life.And yet they want the same thing too.A suitable companion.The right girl.The One.I have always maintained that things like marriage and relationships and having kids are very personal and individualstic. There is no right age or wrong age.There are no rules.There is no pattern.But look at these guys.Isn't there like a semblance of a pattern?They are all turning 30 this year.Maybe that has something to do with the desperation?
When M and I got married at the age of 25,we got a lot of raised eyebrows,friends wanting to know if we were sure this is what we wanted,friends wanting why we did not want to play the field some more,friends wondering if we were too young to take the plunge.The fact of the matter is that both of us just knew.Period.And boy am I glad that I am not in their shoes today.Ironically these days,we get a lot of I want what you have and I envy you guys.
Serendipity.
And it dosen't help that none of my girl friends are single.And the ones that are single are involved in a relationship.Where did all the single women go??!!!
You know,this is serious fodder for thought for people of the likes of that idiot doctor that Chandni wrote about a while ago about the extent to which female infanticide is affecting society.
Oh and what do we have here!An award.My first one!This space supposedly has Nice Matters according to the lovely SnippetsAndScribbles. And following the blogging-world tradition of passing on the said award to those I think are worthy recepients, I choose DotThoughts and Silvara; two of the most honest and sophiscated women I have come across.And they write very well too!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The big 3-0
I turned 30 on Saturday.And it was the best birthday ever.The husband frisked me off to a 4-day weekend to Hot Springs,Arkansas and we had a ball of a vacation.This birthday will remain etched in memory for a long time to come for several reasons:
1] It was a fantastic trip and we had lot of fun doing simple things like a long hike and paddle boating in the lake.There was this one particular zen-like instance when we hiked up the mountain at the national park and all we could manage to do was sit there in silence and take in the breathtaking visuals.
2] I got several phone calls all day long from all corners of the world....from my parents and in-laws and cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents....from friends whom I hadn't spoken to in ages......folks that I met through my blog and are now friends for life....from people who married my buddies and are now an integral part of the gang and close to me as ever.It felt really nice to talk to all of them and know that I have them in my life.A couple of these calls were extra special though.Like one of my best friends way back from high school who called all the way from Budapest,Hungary and we spoke for almost an hour,catching up effortlessly from where we had last left off.
3] The husband actually agreed to go on a spa session with me! The session itself was amazing as it was at one of those ancient bathhouses.The fact that M played along and ended up enjoying the whole experience was a bonus.
4] I got "drunk" drunk for the very first time in my life.And what better day to do so than my 30th birthday!! It was completely unintentional of course.We went to dinner at this really fancy place and we ordered some wine.This place apparently doesn't do wine in a glass and we ended up with an entire bottle of Chardonnay.And the waiter kept topping off our glasses after every couple of sips.So by the end of the evening,I had consumed close to 3 glasses of very good and ridiculously expensive white wine and was drunk enough to know it but not be able to do anything about it!So I was chatting away nineteen to the dozen and giggling after every sentence in the loudest of voices.A voice in my head kept saying "Dont talk.Stop talking.Sssshhhh.Be quiet.Now." But I just could not stop talking.I insisted that the husband run over some of the pedestrians who were a little slow in crossing the street.I composed a silly poem for the husband which he thought was very cute by the way.And several other things that I cannot remember too well.It was fun though and my husband was thoroughly entertained at my expense.
I have been getting a lot of "How does it feel to be 30?"I did do a lot of thinking and introspection just to see if I feel any major change within me.Honestly,I feel no different than I did when I was 29.It is just a mere coincidence that I felt I was ready to take some big decisions a few months before my birthday.Decisions that will change both our lives.Hopefully things go as planned and it all works out well.
This year and the next looks to be one hell of a roller-coaster ride and I can't quite wait for the party to begin!
1] It was a fantastic trip and we had lot of fun doing simple things like a long hike and paddle boating in the lake.There was this one particular zen-like instance when we hiked up the mountain at the national park and all we could manage to do was sit there in silence and take in the breathtaking visuals.
2] I got several phone calls all day long from all corners of the world....from my parents and in-laws and cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents....from friends whom I hadn't spoken to in ages......folks that I met through my blog and are now friends for life....from people who married my buddies and are now an integral part of the gang and close to me as ever.It felt really nice to talk to all of them and know that I have them in my life.A couple of these calls were extra special though.Like one of my best friends way back from high school who called all the way from Budapest,Hungary and we spoke for almost an hour,catching up effortlessly from where we had last left off.
3] The husband actually agreed to go on a spa session with me! The session itself was amazing as it was at one of those ancient bathhouses.The fact that M played along and ended up enjoying the whole experience was a bonus.
4] I got "drunk" drunk for the very first time in my life.And what better day to do so than my 30th birthday!! It was completely unintentional of course.We went to dinner at this really fancy place and we ordered some wine.This place apparently doesn't do wine in a glass and we ended up with an entire bottle of Chardonnay.And the waiter kept topping off our glasses after every couple of sips.So by the end of the evening,I had consumed close to 3 glasses of very good and ridiculously expensive white wine and was drunk enough to know it but not be able to do anything about it!So I was chatting away nineteen to the dozen and giggling after every sentence in the loudest of voices.A voice in my head kept saying "Dont talk.Stop talking.Sssshhhh.Be quiet.Now." But I just could not stop talking.I insisted that the husband run over some of the pedestrians who were a little slow in crossing the street.I composed a silly poem for the husband which he thought was very cute by the way.And several other things that I cannot remember too well.It was fun though and my husband was thoroughly entertained at my expense.
I have been getting a lot of "How does it feel to be 30?"I did do a lot of thinking and introspection just to see if I feel any major change within me.Honestly,I feel no different than I did when I was 29.It is just a mere coincidence that I felt I was ready to take some big decisions a few months before my birthday.Decisions that will change both our lives.Hopefully things go as planned and it all works out well.
This year and the next looks to be one hell of a roller-coaster ride and I can't quite wait for the party to begin!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Life nahin hai laddoo
It has been a particularly unpleasant start to the weekend.
So about a couple of weeks ago,I was on my way to the parlor and I got my very first traffic ticket.And it was such a freaky incident too.I passed a school bus that had its stop sign on.See the thing is I have never seen a school bus with a stop sign hanging by its sides like little wings. Never. So I realized that I should have stopped the very next second after I had passed the bus and saw the stop sign but it was too late.The darned cop came flying out of nowhere and swooped in on me and very majestically handed me my first ever ticket.I was whining and mopping all evening about how unfair it was and how I should have been let off with just a warning.The husband and everyone else consoled me by reminding me that I could pay a small fine and do the defensive driving course and get away with it.
I went to the Municipal Court yesterday afternoon only to learn that I cannot do the defensive driving course for this particular offense.Oh and it gets worse.I have been ordered to cough up a fine of $433.00.Oooo yeah.The lady behind the counter was so amused that I had to pay such a hefty fine that she said she would give me a month's extension and that I would start my 90-day probation period right away.I guess she assumed I was a well-dressed destitute when she saw the grief-stricken look on my face while she hemmed and hawed about the how huge the fine amount was.
"Oh my my,this is so much higher than the construction area fines too.You be careful from now on,dear.The moment you spot a school bus,try and go past it like nobody's business." she said.
Thank you.
Then I decided to buy a new book in order to try and cheer myself up.There was this excuse of a book fair happening right outside my office building which consisted of maybe 4 copies each of about 10 different books out of which 8 were for little kids.Anyways,I spotted a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni and picked it up right away.Oh dear,I could not have picked out a book that was more wrong.It turned out to be a big big mistake.Ok,it is well written and he has depicted the turmoil in Afghanistan very well..yada yada yada.But the book is so damn depressing.And it made me angry.Very angry.I was already all moppy and whiny and this book just threw me right at the bottom.I would not recommend it to anyone.Especially not to someone trying to cheer herself up with a good read.Nope.
So about a couple of weeks ago,I was on my way to the parlor and I got my very first traffic ticket.And it was such a freaky incident too.I passed a school bus that had its stop sign on.See the thing is I have never seen a school bus with a stop sign hanging by its sides like little wings. Never. So I realized that I should have stopped the very next second after I had passed the bus and saw the stop sign but it was too late.The darned cop came flying out of nowhere and swooped in on me and very majestically handed me my first ever ticket.I was whining and mopping all evening about how unfair it was and how I should have been let off with just a warning.The husband and everyone else consoled me by reminding me that I could pay a small fine and do the defensive driving course and get away with it.
I went to the Municipal Court yesterday afternoon only to learn that I cannot do the defensive driving course for this particular offense.Oh and it gets worse.I have been ordered to cough up a fine of $433.00.Oooo yeah.The lady behind the counter was so amused that I had to pay such a hefty fine that she said she would give me a month's extension and that I would start my 90-day probation period right away.I guess she assumed I was a well-dressed destitute when she saw the grief-stricken look on my face while she hemmed and hawed about the how huge the fine amount was.
"Oh my my,this is so much higher than the construction area fines too.You be careful from now on,dear.The moment you spot a school bus,try and go past it like nobody's business." she said.
Thank you.
Then I decided to buy a new book in order to try and cheer myself up.There was this excuse of a book fair happening right outside my office building which consisted of maybe 4 copies each of about 10 different books out of which 8 were for little kids.Anyways,I spotted a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni and picked it up right away.Oh dear,I could not have picked out a book that was more wrong.It turned out to be a big big mistake.Ok,it is well written and he has depicted the turmoil in Afghanistan very well..yada yada yada.But the book is so damn depressing.And it made me angry.Very angry.I was already all moppy and whiny and this book just threw me right at the bottom.I would not recommend it to anyone.Especially not to someone trying to cheer herself up with a good read.Nope.
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