Monsoon Arrived

Monsoon has just about begun...few lazy, scattered showers and the city is already in chaos. It took 3 hours to travel to office today, the distance usually covered in a little over 45 mins. Dreading what the next few days are going to be. Otherwise, its fun watching the rains pour down. Time for some spicy pakoras with a cup of hot piping tea.....

Hot and Sweaty...

No electricity for a while now. The husband believes in frugal living, so no power back-up at home. I think the time has come to chew his brains and get an inverter installed, especially if i were to plan an extended stay at home. All this stay at home is making me nostalgic. It's taking me back to those childhood summer holidays -- unlike the children of today, summer for us meant sweat dripping, skin scorching fun-filled outdoor activities under the hot sun. It meant mock fights under a cool shower, 'mom-made' summer delicacies, visits from friends and family, lazy afternoons, and pleasant evenings on the terrace over long discussions and story-telling sessions. The best part were the lazy summer afternoons, with an overfed stomach and nothing else to do, when we stared at the ceilings and weaved endless dreams, not knowing when sleep took over only to be greeted with the cool evening breeze and a glass of refreshing mango drink...oh those days!!! Back to the present. I am reading Shankar's 'Chowringhee' in English. I am afraid a lot of the nuances seem to be lost in the translation and probably it would be a better idea to have read it in the original form. So much for our anglicized upbringing. I have promised myself that I will make the effort to read more vernacular literature from now on. The prospect of another lazy day looming ahead is exciting. I might catch up with a friend for a girls' time-out today. Feel like pampering myself with a little bit of shopping. Oh, by the way, the cook didn't turn up yesterday...she is doing the disappearing act quite regularly now; need to find an alternative. However, that gave us the excuse to have some yummy Arabic food for dinner...the barbecue chicken with the smooth garlic sauce was delicious. The shabarmas were also quite good. The husband wants me to join him for lunch today. But I don't feel like doing the hour long drive to town, especially with my mad driver who is quite crazy on the roads. Getting good domestic help is a challenge in Mumbai. I am so enjoying it at home that thinking about freelancing seriously now. The initial response and feedback has been encouraging. There are also a couple of projects that are there for the taking. But 'entrepreneurship' is a big decision and I don't know whether I have it in me. So will sleep over it a few more days before taking the final plunge (either ways). Any advice on this bit will be welcome and genuinely appreciated. What else?? Like a typical girl, I couldn't have stuck to one topic and meandered over a lot of things. That is typical me, the pig head with bag full of silly ideas. Enough for now. See you again soon.

Another Oldie

Recovering some of my past work:

Brazen and dark in a wondrous glow of light-- 
Dichotomy in its origin and every visible side, 
Loud and melodramatic, with generous splashes of grey 
Memories beckon and keep me prey.

Times that I have enjoyed, 
Times that were fun,

Times that have robbed me of sanity- 
Times that forced me to quit and run! 

The world is, as seen in its light- 
The merge of colors—some dark, some very bright; 
I close my eyes to block the glare— 
But am I not the one who also stand and stare! 

We all fall prey to habits and past— 
It’s easy for us to grumble and not adjust 
Fingers point at the drop of a hat 
But how do we react to fingers directed at us? 

Life is short and fragile at large, 
Lets not grumble and each other grudge
Paths of struggle will cross us for sure- 
Let us all learn to happily endure.

If there is a Supreme Power to dictate— 
He will ensure life’s objectives are met— 
Believe in 'what' controls your heart 
In life and in joy, you will get a head-start.

A Differnt blog, a different time

This is what I wrote long back when I maintained a different blog:  

In the midst of a colored world 
Mosaic of patterns- different all 
Reflections of beauty, satirical and grey 
All the brethren scattered lay 

Hopes of tomorrow rule all thought 
Past and present- chaotic melting pot 
Racism & culture, broken yet ripe 
Mismatched convictions adulterated die

Human prowess closing gaps 
Worldliness broadening distance and maps 
Bridge divergence yet diversities lay 
Darker the nights, brighter the day

 Deep forests, attractions wide 
Avenues open, glittering bright 
Pecuniary motives, worldly wise 
Humanity at its best disguise.

Randomness again

I am back and it is a sunny morning today. The day is bright and gorgeous and as promised my mood is northward bend. I am extremely pleased with all the effort at home yesterday. Got the house ready to welcome the parents. My wardrobe which was in need of serious attention has been sorted out. It was difficult parting with those old clothes, which i hadn't worn for over a year, but still felt attached to. However, the inevitable had to be done to get some semblance of order. Neetu, the maid, was super happy with the takeaways. She sauntered in today in one of my 'bunty-babli' dresses. Had the spunk to ask if I had some sarees that I wanted to give away; it seems her mom was so thrilled with the dresses yesterday, that now she wanted me to hand down some sarees for herself. Good lord, the cheekiness of people around :( Talking about sarees, three years after the wedding, for the first time yesterday, I took out my wedding trousseau and the other sarees that were neatly washed, folded and tucked away in heavy suitcases, soon after the marriage rituals got over. It was a pleasure to lay the hands on those silky, satiny, georgety nine yards of beauties. Though it was quite a task to get them all aired and neatly folded back to the suitcases again, it relieved some of the tension that I had been having about their safe-keeping for a while now. For dinner, supervised the cook who made some delicious rajma and yummy stuffed chillies with green peas and onions. The recipe for stuffed chillies was my innovation and I was quite pleased with the end results. The husband also seemed to enjoy it. This has motivated me to try out a few more tricks in the kitchen over the next few days. Unless, there is serious food poisoning, my enthusiasm might be difficult to curb, irrespective of the monstrous torture that I may heave on the unsuspected victims of my culinary experiments. Don't I sound domesticated...well, I feel like one. I am enjoying the days off. Today, will be pure laziness, surfing through the net, chatting with old friends, catching up on my reading, hogging and then lying around like an over fed buffalo.. Have fun!

The Joker

In my view, one of the most impressionable cinematic characters by far is that of 'the Joker.' I think the personality and the darkness is so strong that it completely overshadows the goodness of 'the Dark Knight'. Even though positive forces triumph in the end, the memory that you walk back with is the sheer theatrical force and piercingly alarming stronghold of the buffoon. Don't mistake me..i am not on a cinematic journey nor i am trying to act a critic. I am just giving vent to some pent up emotions. For in real life, don't we encounter such characters in the veil of normalcy once in a while? Someone who will fool around, be the 'agony aunt/uncle' to all and sundry, bitch with you and about you, leave no one unscathed, form a group of followers to feed off and feed with, act the benign uncle until emotions conflict and paths cross and then silently stab you at the back, all the while smiling and showing that he/she still is your greatest benefactor. Such a person who bitches with you and seem to stand by you obviously becomes the 'poster boy.' How then do you bare the fact when you see through the antics, when it is appallingly clear that he/she is instigating your juniors, subtly flaming jealousy and unhealthy relationship among peers, clawing at you and pulling you down smartly at every opportunity. The antics are so sublime and smart that only the wronged can feel the pinch.

Don't get me wrong, you are not the only one on the target list. There are several others that the joker bitches about and then befriends them and bitches with. That is the modus operandi.

I have written all of these without a pause and as I read back, I think it is too strong, but I won't delete for I feel strongly about it. I am in a conflict right now, and the practical and the egoistical sides of me are in a raging war with each other. I will give it a few more days but I have strong inclination that the ego/self esteem in me will win the battle. It seems I am again in the path of shedding the past and moving on to something new. While the old will do its best to retain me, not to let me go, it is for me to move ahead in life. Change is difficult but essential. Thank God at least the parents and the husband understand and the finances will not let me down. For all the small mercies in life :). Next time, when I visit the blog, hope to be in a better mood.

Until then, take care.