Whats with all the Cheese??

I am a great devotee of the travel and living shows. These days there are less travel and more cooking going on in these channels. Anyway, I do like some of them especially the eat st. and the street's show. I love fast food and generally drool watching the awesome international food. Almost all the recipes are loaded with cheese and all the fatty ingredients in it. I was wondering what would happen if I started indulging in those cheesy feasts.

I believe there are 2 kinds of people in the world. Those eat a lot yet they don't put on any weight and the other kind as my friend say will put on weight even if they smell it. Unfortunately,  I fall in the second category, my bad! I was giving a deep thought on the difference between the western and our eating habits. I realize its mainly the quantity that differs. We eat a huge meal whether its breakfast, lunch or dinner. They eat a burger or sandwich and that's it. For us, that's a snack. Sometimes, when I go out in the evening, I eat McD or KFC so if I decide to skip dinner, its a big no-no in my house. The usual question is 'What can a little burger do to you?'. We have made up our mind that we have to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, even though we have snacked in between. I think if I change this mindset and start eating like small portions I will reduce. Hmm.. But Will the people around me allow that??

Back to posting?.. Confused???

Its been long time I have posted, partly coz I was busy parenting and partly coz I didnt feel like posting. I have not been quiet myself lately. Even my astrologer says so. He says my time is not good and I will act like a crazy person. I should agree with him. I am indeed gone crazy. 

Since my little one is about 1 1/2 years now, I want to do something in the spare time. Probably I am bored and irritated of staying home 24/7. I want to get out and do something interesting. But I am really not interested in getting back to my 9 to 5 job. I want to do some business or be self employed where there is flexibility. I have 100+ ideas, everyday I have a new idea. [No way, Don't even think about it. I am not letting my ideas out].  Everyday I research about them. I have collected loads of information. But the problem is I am not sure which one to choose, where to start and how will I be able to run it. I am so confused. My astrologer adds since my stars are positioned badly I will not be able to make any clear decisions. He is correct again. 

I am confused again, should I believe in astrology or not? Oh. God. Anyway, I am not sure when all  my confusions will be cleared. Till then, I have decided to at least get back to doing what I used to do when I was not a crazy person. Hopefully, I will have some less confusing posts in the future.

Amazed!!!

During my pregnancy, I was watching my fetal development very closely. It was exciting to know that my lo's heart has started beating or he can hear me now. It was then, I really concentrated on our body. In school, I was too busy cursing the person who discovered these, authored our textbooks and most importantly named the body parts with such difficult names. I was very bad with spellings, so I spent all my time byhearting the spellings.

When I watch my little one grow, I am amazed by the engineering of human body. Those two little hands grow proportionately. Its rare that one grows bigger than other. It also amazes me how he automatically starts trying to reach his next milestone. One day he is sitting, suddenly out of no where he wants to pull up to standing position.

Whether its evolution or created by God, its unbelievable and amazing.

How did they clean up the mess?

Was watching Die Hard 4.0 yesterday. The movie ends with everyone getting to the hospital but was wondering was happened to the country. Probably they should make a movie on that. So much chaos, network was down, roads were blasted, stock market was going crazy and the country had come to a standstill. When the big ring road shattered into pieces, I was just thinking if it was real then it would have taken millions and couple of years to complete. It was shattered in seconds.

Life is also the same I guess. We work so hard to do the things the right way, one wrong move shatters everything we have worked for. It takes years to build, seconds to damage. Life is irreversible and it would be cool if we had a revoke option. Hmmm! What will I do if my life had a revoke button? Don't know where to start, countless wrong moves but I am happy where I am now.

My First visit to The Police Station.

Yesterday I happened to visit the Police Station for my passport verification.When I saw the jail, I realized I had never been to the police station before. When I told the same to my hubby, he joked "Police station is not a picnic spot". True, but I was really excited to be in the police station. The police station that is shown in movies and the one in real has little difference. First of all, its not that spacious, its a small space. In movies, the police station is a single room with couple of tables and few files on them. But in reality, there were a number of rooms, one for the writer, one for the Station inspector etc. There are huge amount of files and notebooks like warrant, court hearing, summons etc. Though India is the front runner in IT, our government still maintains all the records in notebooks. When will India be digitized? In movies, the inspector is always in the station and in reality its very rare. After all inspector is also a human and he has 1000 of jobs at home so poor fellow spends most of the office hours at home. The most surprising thing was every room had a TV and which is the first priority for the officers. 

Deep down the heart, when I was waiting for the inspector, I had a feeling "What will people thing, when they see me in police station. Will they think I have done some bad job or I have come for complaining?". Whatever, who has time to think about others? Its a busy world. Anyway, I will be getting my passport soon. Smiles.

Movies & Dreams

Movies are the major entertainment of today's world especially me. When I get a couple of hours from parenting, I quickly checkout the movie channels for some good movies. These movies have a profound impact on my subconscious mind. I often realize my dreams are the reflection of the movie I have recently watched.

The movie that has haunted my dreams many times is "28 days later". A awesomely scripted and directed movie. After watching the movie, I had a dream about the rage virus affecting the populace and my family is taking shelter in my house by locking up the doors and barricading the door with wooden block in "Signs" movie style. The alien movies like "War of the Worlds", "Independence Day" have also influenced my dream. Not to mention how I fight the aliens and become a hero. The fairy tale movies like "Cindrella", "Alice in the wonderland" also work upon my dream.

Many times my dreams are interrupted by  my little one crying. Its a pleasant feeling to realize what my subconscious mind had made me dream and smile at it.

Decisions..

Sometimes I wonder how would my life be if I have made a different choice. What would have happen if I had chosen a different career or a different company? The choices my parents made, I made and now my family make defines my life. There is no good or bad decision. When two roads diverge in a yellow wood, we choose the one which looks brighter. It is possible that the brighter road ends in a dark hole. But we never think about the dark hole rather we just regret the decision we made coz now its dark and gloomy. Never regret, be happy that you have not ended up in a hole.

On my 26th birthday

Its my 26th birthday. Hmmm.. Only on my 18th birthday I wanted to shout out loud saying I am 18 and I am a major now. Rest all birthdays reminds me I am getting old. Anyway birthday is  very special day. As a child, I loved distributing sweets. My mom used to bake cake and call the neighbours to cut it in the evening. In my teenage, I didn't want to cut cake just to show that I am a grown up and cutting cake is for kids. The cake cutting and rubbing the cream all over the face became a college thing. Then when I started working, cutting cake was more formal. You send a mail sweets at my desk and then followed but cutting cake in the evening with some chips etc.

The best parts of birthday are the new dress, gifts and the treat. I don't remember most of the dresses I bought for my birthday or the gifts I received but there are sweet little memories that linker like making chocolate balls with the left over icing of the cake my mom made, my friend Sugi wishing me happy birthday the whole day, the lunch at the Chinese restaurant etc. Every birthday is as special as the one before, its the people who we are with make it more special. This year its with my lil one who has already licked all over my face to show his love.

Blog on Baby experience

I have started a blog on baby experience. The URL is http://tobeamma.blogspot.in/.
Its been quite a journey with my lil one. I am not an baby expert, I am just a struggling mom trying to figure out whats best for my boy. The blog is been up for some time, I have shared some of my thoughts during pregnancy. Now will continue to blog on various little thoughts that eats a mom's head. Please comment and share your thoughts as well.

Small town girl

I was recalling the peaceful days I spent in Laos last year and realized that I am not a big city person. The couple of weeks, we spent in Laos was very relaxing. We felt the clock was ticking slower but in city like Bangalore 24 hours is not sufficient. Its a race to live in cities. The traffic, the honking and the hurrying people around makes me impatient. Even the air in cities has a rush.
Living in a big city, I miss the fresh air, the silent morning, chats during breakfast, the friendly neighbors and calm nights. I wish and pray that in my old age, I return to a small town where there isn't much to shop but yet I am happy, where there is no junk food chains but a hot bonda makes the evening tea spicy, where there is no cinema but still I am entertained, where my son can ride his cycle freely. I am a small town person and my heart aches for it.

Down the memory lane

Watching the road during travel or watching the fan on a sleepless night, always takes me down the memory lane. Yesterday night was one such night. Down the memory lane, I happened to think about the people I have come across, those who have made my life beautiful. In this busy life, I am not in touch with many people. But thanks to Facebook and other social networking sites, we are being informed of the good and bad happening to them. Its really great to know that people have reached places, have graduated from top universities, got married or blessed with a cute baby. Through this post I just wanna say I am happy for all the achievements and happiness in your life. Thanks for being  part of my life.

Being a Parent

Its ages since I blogged. Finally I have found sometime from being  mom and hence thought of posting a blog. My little one is 6 1/2 months and its been a mad rush. It was like yesterday I first held him, already 200+ days has flown away.

Being a parent, I have realized how well my parents have cared for me. Bringing up a child is not cake walk. Thanks to my parents who have brought me up with all the love and comfort. The toughest part of being a parent is the helplessness. When my little one is crying with all the rocking and soothing there is a million questions that raises in my mind. Is something bothering him? Did some insect bite him? What did I do wrong? Did I eat something that is causing him gas? Am I doing it right? And finally ones he is calm, I boost my self confidence by reassuring that his only way of communication is to cry.

Amongst all the crying, sleeplessness, tiredness and helplessness, the babbling, laughing and hugging makes every day pleasant and memorable.

Not so real.. Not so fake

How much do we relate to TV and cinema, the major entertainer in our country? I have been observing some shows on TV for sometime and have come to the conclusion that most of the shows don’t represent the general public.

The so-called music channels which attract the teens have the most irrelevant shows.

Though I happen to see Splitvilla, dadagiri, Dare 2 Date and some similar show, I really feel as if I am watching people from different planet. I can’t imagine my cousins or friends, flirting or bath mouthing some “XYZ” person.

The major attraction to the general public is the tele-serials which is so obscure. Do we in really life see members of the family plotting against each other, worse hiring a killer? Most of the sitcoms boost a hero or a heroine who is the most stupid person overall.

But though these shows are irrelevant or impossible in real life, this is what attracts us. The best example is the cinema. Some of the blockbuster hit movies esp. bollywood movies really miss the most important thing “The story”.

This is what we want I guess, running away from reality. But sometimes not so real also doesn’t work. Sanjay Leela Bhansasli’s Sawariya is the best example. The movie was shot in fairy tale like nothing seemed real. So by theory, it must have been a super hit but turned out otherwise.  

So I feel people don’t want to see the reality neither do they wanna run into fairy land. It’s the between place that attract. Roadies for the teens and KyunKi for the aged works perfectly well. 

Step out

For a past few days, I happen to wake up suddenly in the middle of the night. Once my sleep gets disturbed, then its an hour long struggle to sleep again. Yesterday night it was the same episode, I woke up suddenly to a bad dream and really tried very hard to sleep again. After trying hard for 10 mins, I started thinking about all sorts of things that will happen in the morning if i wouldn't sleep properly. Thoughts of headache, soar eyes, sleepiness and tiredness made me even more scared. At once, I tried the sleeping tactics. Started off with saying ABCD, said it for some 10-15 mins. No effects so I moved on to the sheep jumping the hurdle tactics. Still no effect. Finally, I gave up. I decided nothing is going to work and watched the fan and the moving shadows of the tree. Within sometime i feel asleep.

Sometimes it true, when trying really hard things seem not to be working. But staying calm and stepping out of the problem really helps. Even when I was hunting for a job, I had a similar experience. After attending interviews for 2 months, I gave up. I started preparing for MBA as a last resort, but then I got the offer. 

I don't want to be philosophical, why not just give a try to step out of the problem, calm down and then do an attempt. 

Meeting and Greeting People

For the past few months, I have had a chance to interact with people from many countries as well as overhear conversations of many foreign tourist. Its been a great experience. Each one has the different perspective about India, Indians, politics etc. A guy we met on a small town in Laos said "Indian, Bollywood, you guys dance well". Another guy we met immediately asked if we were in software profession. There are also facts that surprised me, like Indian kings had ruled South-east Asia many centuries back.

Many people also shared their experience traveling India. They were excited about the colors, culture and diversity. One of my hubby's colleague from Vietnam was puzzled how we are able to arrange weddings. Apparently, in Vietnam, the guests who are invited will have to confirm their presence and accordingly the arrangements are done. She was amazed that we don't restrict the number of guests or don't ask for any confirmation. Diversity of India is another overwhelming topic. Foreigners are taken aback by the different  languages, customs, food and culture. Even the foreign media when discussion Indian affairs mention our ability to co-exist in the multicultural and diverse environment.

Its not all praises, they are horrified by some social customs like the child marriage or caste system. Few also want to know about our views on India-Pakistan affair. Indian politics and economy is discussed heavily in foreign media. According to one foreigner, in India free food schema for school students is very encouraging, but in his country no such steps are taken to help people. But, while interacting with a person from a developed country, he mentioned how investing in India is difficult because of corruption. I have realized that among many countries I traveled this year, India is most economical.

What should I conclude from these interaction? Certainly, its mixed. But it has kindled in me a great patriotism toward my country. I want to travel to the corners of India and feel proud about the diversity we like in. I want to read Indian history which I hated in school. I just want to see India grow. 

Proud to be an Indian!!!

First 2 weeks in Laos

It’s been about 10 days in Vientiane, Laos and I need to share my experience. On the day of our arrival, we were very shocked to see the shops closed at 6. We were hoping the mall near our hotel will be open, but that was also closed. He somehow found a restaurant. The next few days, we understood, the city sleeps early. Lao people love spending time with their family. As we roamed around the city, we found people sitting in benches in front of the houses/shops playing checkers and enjoying food with the family. Like back home, every home/shop has a small mandir, to which offering are made.

In the end of the first week, we shifted to another hotel. It’s located in the tourist hang out area and we soon realized the city is not that early sleeping. In this area, though few shops are closed, most of them are open. It’s loaded with restaurants and tourists. Lao and Thai are obviously the most popular cuisine here. But the Indian restaurants are flooded with tourist. People are very friendly; they don’t stare or pass comment on tourists. “Sabaidee” meaning hello can be heard from everyone. English knowledge is quite OK.

There are many beautiful modern as well as vintage cars. But motor-bikes and cycles are more. Buses are used for commuting between villages/cities. Traffic is not heavy but at office hours there is a little traffic in the main roads Very few sky-scrappers, so it’s beautiful to stand outside the balcony and look at the city.

For a small city, the number of CD shops seems quiet high. Every other shop sells CD. There is a public gym, with some equipment which is free for all. Great idea, think it will be create if installed in India.

Overall, the two weeks in Laos had been great. Loving the gift of time and calmness. It’s a contrast to Bangalore and a very relaxed place.

TOIP - Traveling on Indian Passport

Hi all,

Its been a long time I have posted, I was quiet busy with work and other things. I hope to blog quiet frequently now. I am into a new adventure so, watch out for some interesting posts.

As a follow-up to my previous blog, I have been wondering a lot about my travel passion and have finally decided to start a travel blog. Its called "TOIP -  Traveling on Indian Passport". I am trying to post interesting articles related to travel. Hopefully, it entertains everyone. Please have a look at it and comment. If you have any similar idea or a need info on any place, I would love to investigate on it and post an article on the same.

Please check out: http://travellingonindianpassport.blogspot.com/

A passion to Travel

I had been an admirer of different places and experience. But I never got a chance to visit many places. Two reasons, one: I am too timid to travel alone and secondly:  I was not able to find a travel mate. Anyways, now I have a defaulter, my hubby. He has promised to take me to every corner of the earth. However, whenever the time and finance permits. Hmmm.. We are optimistic and hoping to travel to North pole to South Pole, 1 place at a time. 

So, to remain passionate, I have been goggling around learning about different place. I should admit I have become a little travel guru, not an expert though. Researching about different places, when to visit, how to visit, what to see, what to buy, where to stay etc. have become my hobby now. 

Anyway, first I thought, I would compile all the information and create a blog/website. But there are enough number of websites and travel guides and hence one can get the info in one/other site. 

Courtesy: www.adventure-travel.org.uk

So, I am thinking of becoming a trip adviser (not a full-time though). There are many people who want to travel but don't know where/how/when etc. Best example is Honeymooners, they wanna travel somewhere romantic and different but not really knowing where. Here is my role. I will help them sort out their travel plan, personalize the trip planner according to their needs. Does it sound convincing? 

Anyway, people who have queries about travel can post a coment them here. I will try my best to help you. You can also refer me to others ;). 

Fingers crossed for the response. Do comment about my idea? Is it feasible ? Anything..

Small things for the Community

Courtesy - www.icicp.blogspot.com

There are times, we feel guilty seeing people participate in social awareness activities, when we were not able to show our support. Though we understood our responsibility towards the community and wanted to join them, there was some important situation/reason that stopped us. These obstacles don't have to stop us. If we run into a dead end, we don't stop and give-up. We turn around to find a different route.

As Napoleon Hill ones quotes “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” To support a cause, we can do small things that can make a big difference. Actions speak louder than words. I have tried to mention some small things that we can practice to do our part to the community. Please comments about the small things you do, so that we can practice them too.

Go Green – Save Trees
We have already reduced the usage of paper and limited the printout we take. We can go a little further by not throwing the waste paper in thrash. When we throw the paper in thrash, it mixes with the other waste like cooking waste and hence it cannot be recycled

Action: We can separate any paper product like the ticket printouts, bills, newspaper etc., and give it for recycle. We can also get little bucks on them if we give it to the paper-walas.

Say No to Plastic
Action: While shopping we can carry fancy “Go Green” cloth bags and avoid getting the polythene bags given in the shops. We can become the trend setter by doing this. People following us may even do the same while they shop next time.
Keep the city clean
We throw garbage on the streets because we know no one is gonna ask us. What if we lived in Singapore were throwing thrash on the ground is prohibited?
 Action: Lets imagine we are in Singapore and dispose waste in the nearby bin. Singapore is made beautiful by it people. Lets make our city beautiful
Don't Spit
Will we allow anyone to spit in our house? There are so many disease spreading because of that.
 Action: Spit in the dust bin.
Don't buy Diamond
We are moving up in life, diamonds have become a way to showcase it. The diamonds are unearthed by African slaves. Do we really want to spend money on sometime which has a tag of sorrow and humiliation attached to it.
 Action: Lets think twice before we buy diamonds. Watch "The Blood Diamond" movie.
No bulbs
The round bulbs we traditionally used emits a lot of CFL which intensifies the ozone hole and in turn affecting us with the “Climate change”
Action: Replace bulbs with power savers lights. We can also reduce the CFL emission by reducing the usage of A/C and fridge.
Don't Waste Food
We know how much we can eat. Then why take excess food and throw it in dust bin
 Action: We can take sufficient/less food first, complete that and go for more if hungry. Food is god. Wasting food is more sinful than killing someone. What is the use of poja, fast and prayers when we knowingly waste food that someone else can live on.

Lets practice these whenever possible however possible. Hope this post was of some use

Off the rain, Under a roof

Its raining in Bangalore everyday. The smell of the mud, the cold nights and greenery is back. The bad part though is that, it always rains in the evening, just when we leave office :(. Here is a fictional experience.

As the first drop of rain fell on my head, I geared up my bike, hoping to reach home before the rain starts pours. It was not just me, everyone on the road have accelerated and I knew it was an "On your mark, Get-Set-Go" moment. The drizzle slowly intensified while I waited for a long signal. The red light seemed permanent. Finally, when the green appeared, I was almost drenched.

The visibility was low and I felt driving further would be risky. Lucky, I was in the shopping district. So, I parked my vehicle and ran to the nearby shop. There was very little room for more people. I squeezed in and found a little spot. I removed my coat and helmet and breathed  the mesmerizing smell of mud. I stood there watching people and the shops around me. I realized I have never seen many shop though I had traveled the same route for years.

courtesy: www.sfbappa.org

Soon I felt bored, so I decided to do what everyone else did under an unknown roof, calling  those number, which we knowingly forgot. After about an hour, the rain had no signs of subsiding and I ran out of people I can talk to. Water in my clothes had dripped off and I was almost dry. So, I headed to the shop in which I had taken refuge, a branded show room. I didn't have any intension to shop yet I step in to checkout the casuals. The collections were good and tried half a dozen tees and tops. Finally picked 1 tee and went ahead to bill, expecting the rain must have stopped. Another half an hour had passed, the rain had not let up.

Mad with the rain, I headed to the cafe. Cafe was not crowded. I found a seat with the good view  to watch TV and ordered a cappuccino and a smoked chicken sandwich. While I called home to inform that I was stuck, the order had came. Then, it was me, the cappuccino and the smoked chicken sandwich spiced up with a gossip show on TV.

Ideally, drinking a hot coffee with some deli in a nice couch on a rainy day would just be perfect. But doing it alone was annoying. After about 15 - 20 mins, I couldn't take any more. I decided to drive in any case. Fortunately, as i fled down, I noticed the rain had stopped. No time to spare, I wore my coat, pressed on the vehicle and was finally heading back home.

Stuck in the heavy jam after the rain, I prayed "Thank you God for the rain! I just wish it doesn't rain when I leave office."