Blogging all the way...

Decisions

2012-01-31T14:18:00.000Z

I am surrounded with people making decisions that will potentially change their lives. I know most of us are deciding something or the other every moment but this is different.

So of late, I find myself discussing Decision A with person A, then discussing decision 2 with person B and Decision C with person C and so on....they are all big decisions and a lot rides on them...

These people I refer to are worried and tense and that is making me feel the same too.... I wish they all decide what they need to decide quickly and more importantly, make the correct decisions.

All three decisions, however boil down to a simple choice. The heart versus the mind. The heart wills one and the mind dictates the other. What choice the three people will go with depends largely on the type of person they are..

And yes, this is birthday week! A year older and hopefully a year wiser :)

Love
RP

Bhag, Bhag!

2012-01-21T17:46:00.001Z

London has taught me to love running. And it is a lesson I wish to not forget because I absolutely LOVE it!

When I came to London first, and was job hunting, I used spend the major part of my days sitting in the lobby by the window over looking the Thames. I would sit there with my lap top and spend many not so happy hours looking for the elusive job in recession hit London (and also writing TIB! Only then I did not know that i was penning down something that would one day get published). I loved sitting there. Someone or the other was always running and since i was alone at home most of the time, it was the only way i could see people around me.

I would observe the runners closely and wonder why anyone would want to wear shorts and run in the snow in sub zero temperatures. It perplexed me and I did not quite get it.

Two years later, I can now safely say that I absolutely adore running.

I was never the athletic sorts while in India (and am not now either), and I was as surprised as anyone else, as I slowly started running. Before I knew it, I was in love with it.

I now try and run at least twice a week and love every bit of it.

For the most part, I run along the Thames up to Tower Bridge (the gorgeous, super gorgeous bridge) which is a known landmark of this remarkable city.

Source: google

Running for me is me time. I run till I can run no further, do some stretches, if the sun is out- absorb the warmth, breathe in deep, think positive thoughts and come back fully refreshed. I go out for a run when I am stressed, when I need to think something through and when I am feeling low. For me it is the cure for all ills :)

Today, we went to Hyde Park for a run. It was supposed to be sunny but, well apparently bbc is not too reliable when it comes to weather ;)

So there we were running as the rain lashed against our faces and the winds howled loud in our ears. But I absolutely totally and entirely loved it. I love to feel the wind in my hair, I love the all in compassing feeling of liberation, of being able to break free- it is just so exhilarating.

The picture you see below is interesting :P.

The dog owner, having put on special gloves is hunting for dog poop ( you can see the dog too)She spent so much time hunting for it that Sid and I doubled up laughing. Finally, the poor lady managed to find it and happily deposited it in the bin before sauntering off with her dog and child. This is one thing I like about the Brits. They follow rules even when no one is watching. The follow rules simply because they should be followed.

The bare trees and the lovely benches. Pic clicked while running, not bad eh?

Hyde Park smells heavenly in bits. Like this place where you can see purple Flowers (don't know which ones these are, unfortunately).

Pigeons and ducks in the Serpentine, my second most favourite part of Hyde Park. This is when it had just started drizzling

And finally a picture of yours truly. I had finished my run and was just staring at the green of the trees and the brown of the trunks and barrenness of the branches when Sid clicked this.

I am not sure that I believe in New Year resolutions but at the start of this year, I promised myself that I will try and run more. I love it, I enjoy it and i recommend it. Now, get off the couch and do some exercise! :D

Love,

PS: TIB continues to be on 'The Hindu's' Bestseller list even 4 months after its release. Those of you who have not bought a copy yet, here is the link:)

2011!

2011-12-31T13:37:00.001Z

2011 wasinteresting. Highlights:

I celebrated 2 years of marriage in 2011. Karwa chauth 2011 was the first day i recall when I ate absolutely no food. Am proud I could manage that feat :)
The beginning of the year saw me complete my first year in London. I had never thought I would leave India and knew that if I did, I would definitely hate being out of the country. 2011 saw me slowly fall in love with London and the big city- multi cultural pot of simmering ways of life that London proudly is.
Middle of 2011 witnessed me complete one year of work in London. Can;t believe that I managed to get a decent job in recession hit London.
I changed roles towards the end of 2011. I am very grateful that I had options to chose from inspite of how the markets outside are and I am thankful that people at work appreciate my capabilities and abilities.
I travelled extensively this year. Sid & I started 2011 with Nice (France) and Monaco- gorgeous beautiful places. We managed to get out of the main city and explore villages near the beach. The camera can never capture the gorgeous beauty of the blue Mediterranean sea. Never!

Near Nice, France

Italy- The Nice trip was closely followed by a ten day trip across Italy ( we visited the lovely Rome, Florence, Venice and Pisa). We mostly did touristy things in Italy plus I was quite unwell during the time. We are therefore planning another trip to the beautiful Italy in 2012!
Next up, in June 2011 was the absolutely stunning Spain. I realised during this trip that I am not a big city person, I enjoy the smaller cities much more- that's where you get to see the real culture of a country. After spending a few days in Barcelona, we headed out to Tarragona, again a beach village near Barcelona. And it was lovely!

Yours truly in Spain

Tarragona, Spain

Then our next trip took us to the city of a 100 Spires, Prague! Here are some pictures of the beautiful, charismatic city!

Prague

View of Prague

This was followed by a trip to New York City (And the Niagara falls! A must see!!!). Add to that two trips to India and you will see how busy I have been travelling across the world!

The breath takingly beautiful Niagara Falls

New York City

View at night from the Empire State building

I learnt to cook better. Yes, I did! For a party I threw last night, I made samosas, khandavi, quesadillas, spinach pin wheels etc etc all on my own!

Made new friends. A dear friend now, is a girl who I met first on a Jet Airways flight from Delhi to London in the beginning of 2011! She was sitting next to me and we exchanged numbers on the flight....nothing happened for the next two months but after that we started meeting up, got our husbands to meet who got along really well...and voila! friends!
Being married to a sports enthusiast ensured that we were sitting in stadiums across London for a variety of key matches! This huge list included India England cricket matches at both the Oval and Lords. We lost one and drew the other :(

Eng Vs India, Oval

Tennis- we were there at the Wimbledon grounds cheering on Leander Paes in the doubles mixed (he lost too)

Leander Paes, Wimbledon, having just lost the match :(

Mens doubles semi finals: Wimbledon 2011- the crowds begin to gather

Saw the God of Tennis- Roger Federer live in action in the Barclays O2 Mens Finals. And thankfully he won! What a sight it was, to see each and every person in the arena stand up and applaud that one man. It was a moment I will never forget.

Roger Federer at the ATP World Tour Finals- what greatness and what a humble man

Add to that a couple of football matches and you will realise how busy we have been sitting in stadiums too!
Sid got me to see Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dace tap dancing show. Tap dancing had fascinated me even as a child and I simply loved watching these incredible men and women perform with grace and energy.

Michael Flately's Lord of the Dance

Apart from that , we watched almost every movie that we had the whim to watch and loved every bit of the gorgeous silver screen that cinemas across the world had to offer!

As you can see it has been a busy year. Add to all of the above a book. 2011 saw me become something I never dreamt I would become in my twenties. An author. On the 1st of September 2011, my first book got released by Rupa & Co to a largely positive response. It made to best seller lists, i gave many many interviews (which reminds me that there are two pending sets of questions that I should answer ASAP), I wrote an article for TOI which was met with a great response, newspapers carried pieces on me and TIB, I launched the book in Delhi, i gave autographs, I addressed a crowd of over 500 people talking with them and telling them about TIB, i saw TIB kept in best seller sections in book stores in India. Most importantly, however, I got emails from my readers. They emailed me their love and appreciation for TIB. For that I thank you all.

Have a great 2012 ! I wish you all the health and happiness!

Love

Mommy Love!

2011-12-16T10:05:00.000Z

The old world met the new.

My Mum wrote me a letter. Yes, a proper letter. No, not an email. A letter. Written on ruled paper and in Hindi. How charmingly old world-ish is that?

I really cannot recall when I got a letter last (except for the bills that we get in the post here in London).And one from Mum, never before!

However, the letter was not posted to me. Instead, as soon as my mother finished writing the letter, my brother fetched his ipad, clicked a picture and Imessaged it to me.

That is how the old world met the new. But that is not the point of this post.

So I was about to finish work when I got the picture of the letter sent to me by my brother. I squinted here and there to read it, I enalrged the image, I turned my iphone upside down, I did every thing possible to read the letter till I was able to figure out each and every word.

And then I re read the letter.

And then re re read the letter.

And then re re re read the letter.

Almost tearing up each time I read it.

I will not go into the details of the 2 page letter as it is too personal. Suffice to say that it was the sweetest, loveliest letter I have ever set eyes on. My Mum had been (uncharacteristically, might I add) missing me terribly and she thought of just penning down her feelings.She told me that she missed me, she told me what all she missed ( including me being so busy studying the whole day that I would not even take a bath- how charming :/) and how unfair it was that I now live hundreds and thousands of kilometers away from her.

Anyways, like I said, I read the letter about a trillion-gazillion times.Infact after work that day, I went out with some people to a jazz club. Dimly lit, excellent music, great food. But all I could think of was Ma's letter.

Such is the power of words.
Such is the power of love.

I realized that day that when you truly love someone( your spouse, your parents, your siblings, your kids, your friends) its like this thick rope connecting two hearts, securing the two hearts, empowering the two hearts. One heart writes and the other reads. One heart says and the other hears..

And sometimes, one heart says a little bit and the other heart understands everything.

Love
RP

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can buy my first book, The (In)eligible Bachelors published by Rupa & Co. from Flipkart
and interact with me on Facebook too!

Live it!

2011-12-12T17:16:00.002Z

Like, I said to a colleague the other day while coming back from an amazing meal, sometimes we are so busy living in London that we forget to look at it.

She agreed. We discussed how we can probably describe the road to work (and by road I actually mean the road) and not the people that we (don’t)see or the beautiful buildings that we again( don’t )see.

So that day after work, I stepped out of my office and looked. And saw. And realised what an amazingly beautiful city London really is.

I had never really consciously noted the beautiful architecture of the building bang opposite to office.

I had never paused to admire the understated but immense beauty of St Paul’s Cathedral which I walk past each day to work.

I had never noticed how trees had she their leaves and how pretty they looked decked up for Christmas. Who had put up the blue lights? And more importantly, when?

I had never noticed the little fountain. How pretty that looked!

I had not noticed how beautifully fresh the cold wind that I hid my face from was.

I had not noticed how with approaching christmas everyone was looking happier.

I had not noticed so many many things.

This is life. This ordinary day that has gone by is life. One day has gone past you. It was the day you could have done so much, seen so many things, laughed, joked, clapped, danced…it is gone. A small part of life as you know and (hopefully) love is gone. Just imagine how precious it was.

Sometimes, we are so busy living life that we forget to see. And admire. And appreciate.

I have realised that it is time to change that about me! And I am convinced I will J

Love,

Back!

2011-11-22T16:37:00.001Z

My bad. I know I have not been posting on blogger.The reason is simple. I have started writing in my diary again. Yes, yes, much like Kasturi:)I came from India 2 weeks back and it already seems like it was ages ago when I was in India last. There are a lot of things that have happened since which have kept me extremely busy.The India trip was amazing. The highlights:1. I got to launch my book! Yeaaaayyy! It was absolutely amazing to stand on the little stage in the Crosswords book store in Select city mall, Delhi posing with my book as people clicked pictures. It was lovely because I got to sign my first few copies. It was lovely because my mom, dad and bhai could make it to the event. It was lovely because a lot of people who had read the book could make it to the event!2. Gave my first in person interview. Living in London had ensured that all my interviews till then had been conducted on the phone or via email. A lovely lady from Hindustan times came over to my place to take my interview. It was a nice experience.3. Took part in a live chat! On rediff. That was like super cool. So many people asked questions that I did not know when the hour was up. I still had questions pouring in. 4. I got to speak to more than 500 students , ask them questions, answer their questions…just generally speak to them, talk to them about my book et al. Lovely! It is a good thing that I enjoy public speaking :P5. Tried my hand at making Momos. And before you ask they turned out really well 6. Met up with some friends. Always amazing to catch up.7. Gave my brother a haircut. Do not ask how that turned out :P8. Went shopping with my Mum and dad- the simple of pleasures of life9. Got pic clicked with all five of us in it. Love that pic!The list could go on. However, the surprise this time was that while it was aweful to leave home, it was not that bad to come back to London. I love London in the winters. The foggy, bleak, grey and damp London. I just love it. Plus London is now all decked up for Christmas and there is such an air about Christmas time that it is infectious! This will me my first Christmas in London. Last year we were travelling in Morocco during this time and I am looking forward to being in the UK for Christmas.Fingers crossed for a white Christmas :)LoveRM

2011-09-24T07:11:00.000+01:00

From New YOrk City

So many people have asked me the same question- what is the difference between London and NYC? and finally I seem to have my answer. London is the quaint, antique street lamp with the yellow bulb and intricate carvings of an era gone by. NYC is a bright, jazzy neon sign. Which is better? You can take your pick:)

SO yesterday I went to see the Niagra falls. I was expecting it to be as over rated as most tourist spots are ( eg I found the EIffel TOwer to be massively over rated) but boy was I wrong! Absolutely totally wrong! I have never felt to captivated by the beauty of a place before. I really don't know how to put it in words.

WE got on the boat to go to the falls so that we could look at it. As I approached the falls I was stunned by the beauty. The water of pool was blue green. The water from the falls pure white. The force of the water pelting down -absolutely unimaginable. The noise from the falls distant but still oddly deafening. The sky a bright blue . As mist from the falls rose white birds flew around. The falls surrounded by white mist seemed so beautifully mysterious that I fell in love with that one scene right there and then. The white mist surrounding the blue and the green. Heavenly.

I don't do this normally but I stood there drenched from head to toe and memorized what my eyes were seeing. I clicked some pics too but I have realized that pics do little or no justice to the beauty of nature.

Then we climbed some bit of rocks near the falls to get a closer look. In a blue poncho, totally drenched and shivering I stopped dead in my tracks at one point.It was literally raining like crazy ( the supposed mist) and I had turned around to ask Sid to be careful as he tread the slippery grounds. I stopped mid sentence as i spotted a rainbow. Not huge, not even big but it began at my feet. I don't know if it is really that big a deal but I was stunned. A rainbow that is beginning at my feet, I repeated to myself. I stared at it for a long long time unable to take my eyes off it.it was almost magical. To have a rainbow begin at your feet.I stood there and took in each bit of what my eyes were seeing.

I have

2011-09-03T21:57:00.000+01:00

Hello,

What started 1.5 years back more as a hobby than anything else, is now a published book. 2 years back had you told me that I would one day be an author I would have looked incredulously at you.

Infact I know what I would have said. I would have said something like ‘yes, I will write my book, while on my way to the moon’. Some smart ass comment that would have seemed smart ass only to me.

Anyways (as always), I digrees.

So the book is out now. People are getting hands on their copies and the reviews are trickling in. It is such an amazing feeling to read a great review (thankfully ALL reviews have been fantastic so far). I read what readers have to say about TIB and feel my heart warm into a fuzzy ball of warm chocolate.

I then read it again and then again. I look at the words you have written and wonder which parts of the book made you think that way. You teared up? Where? You laughed? What made you laugh?

Reading about how TIB has made readers smile, laugh and tear up is more gratifying that anything I have ever experienced. Readers have commented how they have been up way past midnight because they could not put down the book. One lady complained of a terrible head ache the next day because she was up till so late reading TIB. I know atleast three readers who mailed and gave the retailers an earful because they had not delivered the book on time. Another reader wants her Mum to read TIB. Another has already given it to his Mum. Another has just bought another copy for his Mum. Another reader is thinking of going down the arranged marriage route after reading TIB. Another reader went to office on Saturday (he never does that) because he was keen to get a copy as soon as possible. A senior from B school tells me how TIB is the first time in a long long time he has read a book in one go.

I am amazed at how positively people have reacted to TIB. Touch wood.

All the hard work of the last year and a half is worth these comments. Absolutely, totally, completely worth every bit of this.

Thank you to my dear readers. Thank you so much for liking TIB. I hope you continue to like and love TIB.

Again. Thank you.

Regards
RP

2011-08-25T22:26:00.000+01:00

Want the First chapter?

Hi,

I know I know. All I seem to be talking about on this blog is TIB (The (In)eligible Bachelors! Huh!)

I agree. But my book is now coimng out in like 5 days! Can you beat that?

Right, so I am giving folks a chance to read the first chaper of my book :)

You have to just drop in an email at theineligiblebachelors@gmail.com and I will respond with the first chapter :)

Look forward to seeing you there :)

Love
RP

2011-08-23T09:12:00.001+01:00

Heylo,

I am back. It has been an extremely busy few days and i do not see that changing any time soon.

Most of the after & before work hours are dedicated to 'The (In)eligible Bachelors' making me very busy. Add to that a hurt back ( thanks to a skating class in Hyde park) and a pulled muscle ( thanks to an over strenous yoga session) and you get the picture.

So, the sample copies are now ready. My publishers have shipped 2 of them to my home and I can’t wait for my Mum/ Dad/ Brother to receive the package and open it and take pics of my book and email them to me.

*Sigh*

The wait is now almost killing me!

The book will then officially release on the 1st of September, 2011. The date has been pushed back and there have been slight delays, but well, what can be done about that?

I am jittery, nervous and excited. But mostly, I just want the book to come out now. I have been working on it for more than 1.5 years. For 1.5 years, each day I have spent time and energy on the 252 pages that will be put in the form of a book. It is indeed a labour of love.

The support for the book- that has been fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. However it has not come from places I had expected it will come. I have learnt to be fine with that because of a reason. Some complete strangers who have gone out of their way to promote TIB.

I look forward to your support :) and I hope you have pre-ordered your copy! If not, then there is the flipkart link on the top right of this page. Do get yours pre-booked now :D

Love
RP

2011-08-16T16:25:00.003+01:00

Hi,

I have fever, my forehead is hot, my brain is not working too well, so I am just going to up an image.

I know you will like it :)

Love
RP

HT City (Delhi & Mumbai)

2011-08-09T23:16:00.002+01:00

The Eligible Bachelor and Lotus Root Curry.

Blog Marathon 2
Week 3: Post 1
Guest Post by: Shumaila
Spoiler: Love Story ahead :)

Introduction to Shumaila
Shumaila, or Shumi or Schumi(as I have always spelt it in my head) is my loomie from first year at B school.
Loomie.
Right, you do not know what this weird word means. Here you go:

Roomies share a room. Loomies share not a room but a loo. Interesting, I know ;)

She was one of the hottest girls on campus (please do not be misled by her humble post below!), an amazing team player ( I vividly remember the countless hours she used to spend working on her group assignments) and has turned out to be a fantabulous cook and blogger!

Shumaila currently lives in the US and I hope that one day, she becomes renowned for her cakes and breads and all the other yummy, mouth watering stuff she makes!

She blogs here and I would highly recommend her blog to those of you who cook. I follow it quite closely myself and have lifted off recipes with a mental whoop of joy! Sometimes I find it difficult to believe that one of us can cook so amazingly well!

Enjoy her post and the recipe that follows it!
Needless to add, thanks a ton, Schumi :D

-----------------------------------------------

The Eligible Bachelor, Shumaila's story

Ram Pyaari, or as we friends know her- Ruchita, is the author of the upcoming book, The (In)Eligible Bachelors. Its a fiction novel about what goes on behind the scenes in Indian arranged marriages, through the witty account of a recent MBA graduate, Kasturi Shukla. The tag line says it all for the book:

Arranged marriages are complicated things.
So are relationships.
And so are mothers.

V and I had an arranged marriage last year in March.

But unlike the whole arranged marriage scene in India, I never had to go through the typical arranged marriage routine of parents-of-girl-sending-out-proposals-narrowing-boys-arranging-meetings-dealing-with-rejections-stuff. In fact, my parents weren't even looking for a boy nor was I.

V was the first guy I ever spoke to, in terms of the whole arranged marriage thing. Even five years back when V's proposal came for the first time, his was the first family who had shown the bahu (daughter-in-law) kind of interest in me.

Five years back, I wanted to study MBA and live independently for a while.
Five years back V too had just started his masters in the US and wasn't looking to get married.

So, after a brief interaction (one yahoo-chat-window long conversation) in cyber space, V and I parted ways.

Little did we know that it was temporary.

Fast forward two years.

I joined an MBA college. My parents showed no interest in boy searching, though felt that after MBA, I should get married, but they were not doing anything about it.

Being the only son, V's parents though were looking for suitable matches. So V kept on seeing prospective life partners during his short trips to India.

V, according to his family was a picky one when it came to girls, refusing rishtas (marriage proposals) left, right and centre.

But that all changed when I came into the picture. (tada!)

I really don't know what it was about me that made him tell his parents very covertly- 'what about Chauhan uncle's daughter (aka me)? Is she still available?'

We hardly spoke five years back, just chatted online briefly and honestly I have no idea what we talked about- I assume I must have said something really witty and smart for my memory to have stuck with him. But, knowing me, and the witty and smart lines I have come up in the past (I can probably count them on my two hands), I don't think that was the case.

But then, I was pretty good at picassa-ing photos back in those days- probably it was one of those morphed picture of me that made me look like Angelina Jolie (yes, I think she is very pretty) rather than the Rosie O'Donnel (No, I don't think she is ugly- just more closer to what real people look like) I actually am. That image of a "pretty" girl might have stuck in his mind and that's why he kept a tab on whats happening in my life through orkut. Boy, he must have had a treat if that's what got him interested in me. *Insert evil laugh here*

Anyway, fast forward another two years, and my MBA was done. I was still not interested in getting married. My parents too were not looking for a boy (though getting me married off was on their mind but dare they act on that- my wrath would have seriously injured them!)

I was actually interested in opening a bakery- with no prior experience or interest ever shown in the kitchen one day I decided baking was my true calling- after graduating in economics and doing an MBA in finance- that seemed like the most logical path to carry forward on. (I know what you thinking and I agree- kudos to my parents to bear with my constant erratic behavior and I judge them for not whole-heartedly trying to find a boy who would get me off their hands sooner. Parents I tell you, they love you no matter what!)

Anyway, I digress again.

So, I wasn't looking.

My parents weren't looking. (Though secretly I know they were hoping I get married.)

But V's parents were looking and since V had accomplished what he wanted to before marriage he too had started showing interest. But nothing was working out.

Now, don't get it wrong- V is a find, a keeper, like how they say in India- heera hai ladka, bilkul heera (the boy is as valuable as a diamond). Great job, intelligent, handsome, very cultured, simple- almost like a Sadhu. He was every mother's son-in-law-dream-come-true!

But, like I said, he was picky. No one fit his bill.

Enter me.

Tada!

Well, actually, re-enter me.

Tada!

When his marriage proposal came, I told my dad no. My friend and I had a great business idea and I wanted to work on that. My dad though, plotting some master evil plan of his to get his daughter married did not convey this message to V's dad, thinking 'fickle-minded-me' would change her stance.

Around the same time as our dad's convo, V had mailed me on my Yahoo, an account I rarely used ever since I switched to gmail 2-3 yrs back, but hadn't been deleted out of sheer laziness.

So after two-three weeks of his mail lying in my inbox, and he thinking I was clearly not interested, I don't know what made me open my mail (the last time was probably 4-5 months back). I replied to his 'hey-i-hope-you-remember-me' mail. I directed him to my gmail and thereon our conversations started.

From surety of not being ready for marriage, the conversations that followed convinced me, that he was the perfect guy for me. Till date, I believe, with all my heart, vice-versa does not hold true- he could have done much, much better! Kya karein ladka heera hai heera!

But I guess in life, not everyone can come out as the winner, right?

And for a perfect marriage, don't they say the husband should always let the wife win!

Well, V let me win! :)

The Lotus Root curry

Lotus roots are roots of the lotus water lily. The roots are tuberous, with large air pockets, making them buoyant in the water, and give the lacy pattern when sliced. It has a firm crispy texture. Dishes having lotus roots are pretty common all over Asia. This is a dish from the Northern Part of India, Jammu and Kashmir. Its a fairly simple recipe, and tastes great with Tandoori Roti or Naan. I initially thoughtof pairing it with rice but its a little on the drier side to have with rice. I used frozen lotus roots, which you can find in the frozen section in Asian stores.

Adapted from India: The Cookbook

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound lotus roots
1 tbsp ghee, clarified butter
2 black cardamom pods
4 green cardamom pods
5 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, about 1 inch long
1 tsp ground aniseed
1 tsp ground ginger
250 ml (1 cup) natural plain yogurt
salt, to taste

Directions

Cook the lotus roots in boiling water for 10 minutes, or until half done.
Heat ghee over low heat.
Add the whole spices, aniseed and ginger. Season with salt. Cook for 10 minutes on medium low heat, stirring constantly.
Add lotus roots, and let cook for another 10 minutes.
Add the yogurt and simmer over low heat for 2 minutes. The ghee would separate.

Serve with hot rotis/naans.

2011-08-06T12:45:00.003+01:00

Blog Marathon; Week 2 , Post 2

And it begins!

Yes, it has begun! :D The preordering has begun!

Here on Flipkart

Here on infibeam

Is not that super cool! The book is also available on uread and ring-a-book!

So, coming to the post.

When I was younger I wanted to become a detective. I was as serious about my career choice as any 5 year old could possibly be. I spent my afternoons practising skills I was sure would save my life one day.

I have afternoon insomnia. I created that right now and since I created it I will tell you what it means. A person with afternoon insomnia, very predictably, is a person who cannot sleep in the afternoon. In the 1.5 years I have lived in London I have never slept in the afternoon. Never.

Now after having armed you with that life chnaging piece of information, let me come to the point.

So I aways wanted to become a detective. Since I was a child. In the afternoons my Mom would nap with my brother and me on either side. I would pretend to sleep (another great skill to have for a detective, I told my 5 year old self) till Ma and Bhai were fast sleep and then quiety get out of bed (another handy skill) and practice.

In the darkened room with the curtains drawn, I would let my imagination go wild. The room was a mansion of a dangerous man. I was a detective on a very dangerous mission. I had to find the dangerous truth that would save the world from ? Danger, ofcourse!

I had to move as quietly as the mouse I ferverently hoped did not exist in the room. My brother who was mumbling in his sleep was no innocent 4 year old. He was actually a very dangerous killer who should not wake as I searhed the room for important documents. The urgency. The mystery. The suspence as I moved steathily around the bed looking for dangerous papers which I knew I would finally find in my school bag very quickly once i got bored or tired.

Oh Boy!

So well, as you would have figured out I did not grow up to become a detective. I did a boring degree in Engineering and then another in Business Management.

I wanted to become a detective. I did not. I never thought I would become an author. But I did.

Yesterday, my book 'The (In)eligible Bachelors' went up for preordering. And as I sat there staring at this pagee and the 'Author' in brackets next to my name, it hit me.

You do not know what destiny has in store for you. It can be bad, but it can very well be good too. Keep the faith.

Love,
RP.

PS the book can be pre-ordered on flipkart (yes! they are pre-ordering my book!) infibeam at a very cool 40% discount, at uread.com and at ring-a-book.

If it interests you ( and I really hope it does!) please do place your orders. And as always thank you for your support and kind words.

PS Kinder souls could share the link on the facebook page too. As you undoubtedly know, sharing the link gives you a halo and two wings! I need all the help I can get to spread the word!Thanks :)

2011-08-03T21:07:00.000+01:00

Blog Marathon
Week : 2 ; Post: 1
Days left for official release of TIB('The (In)eligible Bachelors' for the uninitiated:): 17
Country wise availability : 1st week of Spetember.

Focus on things to do!

I could never do that. If someone said something I would think and think about it till my brain imploded.

Common sense prevailed. But later. Much later. When, sometimes, it was too late.

For the better part, I would just think. And think. And then think some more.

What an absolute waste of time, energy and resources.

Today for the first time in my life, I was able to simply ignore the nonsense and focus my energies on something parctical that needed my attention. I was able to park aside the rubbish. Ignore it and just simply move on.

It was just so simple to do it and so very easy. I know that my head did not ask any questions, there was no curiosity, nothing. My brain just said to me, 'Hey listen, do you have time for this crap? No, right? Then please do your work'

As simple as that.

I consider that a victory. I have always had a very sensible voice inside my head. Only it was much easier to not listen to it. Now, increasingly I find myself dealing with things very rationally. I am learning to deal with that surge of anger that leads me to say things I always regret later. I am learning to ignore what people are saying (if it is not constructive). I am also learning to be open to criticism (good, since my book is coming out soon! :P)

Maybe this is called growing up?

Love
RP

Next post: Tag from Tanvi!

PS: My father was so happy with the reponse you guys gave for his previous post here that he is ready with his next post! That will come later maybe in week 3 :)

2011-07-29T22:35:00.000+01:00

Blog Marathon

Week 1, Post 2

Dad's Post:

Dear Readers,

After taking your opinion only, I am putting up Dad's post the way he wrote it. Let's see who breaks the code;) To me it seems pretty straight forward now :)

THIS HAPPENED 411 YEARS AGO

I can give the exact time difference to the people who would like to go into those details(the type 1 personality)As it is said that history repeats itself and there is a good couplet:

येः सच कि तरीखः दोहरति है खुद को ,लेकिन जो अच्हे होते हैं वोह् किस्से नहि -होते -

It means that repetition does not have what was good in it the first time.What actually happened in act 1 SCENE 1 was that shehzada asked Mehrunnisa how the pigeon flew away ,she threw up the next pigeon in the air ,exclaiming this is how!

Only 411 years later in act 1 scene 2the same story was repeated minus the best parts.For this i will have to fill in some details.

One of close family friends had to leave town for a couple of weeks and they were very fond of their pet parrot.They requested me to look after the pet so Mitthu entered our family.This was a amazing pet .while me and my wife(Of (in)eligble Bachelors fame) were discussing somebody and we laughed,immediately Mitthu echoed the laughter perfectly .Then we realized his latent qualities.

There was plenty of cucumbers in the garden for Mitthu to feed and he kept us amazed by his shear ingenuity.

The time passed quickly and it was with heavy heart that we had to return Mitthu to its original owners,there children were missing Mitthu.I went to the pet market brought a parrot,being of very good breed it started learning fast.

Now was the time for act 1 scene 2 minus the frills i.e.the shehzada Sid was missing ,though i can give you the exact lattitude and longitude from Botswana to india where he was at that moment ,so my daughter coolly opened the cage of the parrot to let it fly away.Neighbourhood boys and servants ran around looking at the tree tops,with no result.

We waited for our pet for next few days and as the days passed our hopes dwindled.

How we got a new occupent to this cage will be told to you in my next post.

Comments now ;)

2011-07-26T21:01:00.003+01:00

Blog Marathon
Post 1 Of week 1

Singham, Moview Review.

*No Spoilers ahead*

Singham, in sanskrit means Lion. Each time Ajay Devgan did anything that was inkeeping with the meaning of the name, a lion roared a couple of times in the background.

It is this that killed me. In a good way. It is what made me want to stand on my feet in the cinema, whistle a couple of times and clap really hard.

I loved Singham.

I loved Singham for the tight,fast paced script, the mindblowing dialogues, the background score and the action scenes.

I particularly loved Singham's signature action stunt where Devgan would jump in the air in slow motion, and with a not too pretty grimace on his face, would bring his palm on the head of the poor bloke who had made the error of crossing Singham's path. The bloke would then bounce a couple of times like a ball. That did it for me. Really it did.

Ajay Devgan is exellent. He plays the character of a super cop well by ..well..underplaying it. The khakhi uniform, the spotlessly white Baniyaan showing from underneath, the ray ban shades, the stuck on muchchi- it was all absolutely perfect.

Full points to Prakash Raj. He is the perfect villan. Not stealing the actor's thunder but honestly, well....matching upto it for sure. I did not bat an eye lid (literally) when the two men confronted each other in what were some of the best scenes I have seen of late.

The story is simple. It plays on the age old formula of good versus evil. Of courage. Of standing up for what you believe in. Of standing up for what is correct and right.

But the star of the movie in my opinion was the back ground score. It added to each scene. It lifted the movie to another level, it made me sit up, it made me want to clap and whistle.

Singham is Ajay Devgan's Dabangg. Only it is much better. It does not trivialize issues. It lets big issues remain big. The stakes are high here. And there is little tomfoolery. It is serious. It throbs. Yes, it does. Its all muscle and brawn. But with heart.

I therefore, highly recommend it to people who love masala movies. Go watch it. If posisble dont watch it in a multiplex. If I were a guy in India, I would not even buy balcony tickets for this one.

4.5 stars from me. Only because I do not give any movie 5 as a matter of principle.

P.S Bloggers and all you creative people! The Book give away is on fire. Close to 100 entries already but hardly any from the most creative people I know!You guys! Do go to this link and have some fun and give the non-bloggers a run for ...err...my book ?lols!

2011-07-23T21:47:00.002+01:00

Dear Readers,

Side note first: I have just started a flash fiction (less than 10 words) contest on the Facebok page of the book. Winner gets pretty much the first copy of the book my publishers post to me :) My way of saying thank you to all of you for your support prior to the release of the book!

Visit here to take part in the competition that is already heating up!

Do take part. It is a LOT of fun. Plus you get my first copy of the book :)

My Dad, a doc by profession, is an exceptionally intelligent man. From what I know of him, I am convinced he has a photographic memory too.

He has written a small, very small piece for the blog. I had to read it some 5 times before it all made sense to me. That too after Mum had explained his post.

Now, I have two options, I can either elaborate his post or put it up the way he has written it.

Suggestions?

Love
RP

PS The Marathon has completed one moth! Yeaaayy! but the posts will continue for some more time. Only I am going to reduce the number of posts to two a week.

2011-07-20T09:57:00.002+01:00

Neha's Guest Post

Blog Marathon: Tuesday Post
Reason why the post was not put up on Tuesay: RP dozed off on the sofa

MY / the non author’s STORY: I have often stared at crumpled ATM withdrawl receipts and shoved them back in my pocket. Have even tried looking into a pot full of boiling tea leaves, trying to find the sunset colours in it but I couldn’t.

Sigh, I wanted to write, and the great authors do hunt for these seemingly insignificant things for inspiration, don’t they?

Well, I am a surgery post graduate resident and the most “in my face” and obvious thing in my life right now is my residency. Its obvious I should write about it, but of course my lips are sealed. Though only till the day I pass and run out of my prestigious institute . ( holding close to myself the degree and the pass certificate). Plus there is no time to write.

I multitask like my most fellow comrades : am a doctor. But I don’t just, for eg. , say, order an xray to be done. I tell the ward sister “sister ji, patient ko xray room bhej do”.

She’ll say “theek hai” and go back to her more imp task of checking out the other sister’s nail paint.
I wait.
Then I go find the ward boy. “bhaiya please patient ko chod aao xray me” . He’ll say “ok, ma’am” with a broad grin and go back to whisling a new chartbuster.

Mornings are always beautiful for him. Never suffers morning blues like us lesser mortals.

I wait.

Then I shout.

Then I catch hold of his arm, forgetting I am a doctor, going to be a surgeon and push him a little (with my 5’2” height that is all I can do) “ bhaiya jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaao”

Grrrrrrrrrr. Now u know why the ward boy is humming the new chartbuster and not me. That is because I am in the hospital till late night doing the moron’s or someone else’s work.

Doctors, sigh.

Well, that is my story :)

Non author : who shall someday return as the angry young woman to narrate her story. Adieu till then!

Ram pyari’s / the auhor’s story : Well, Well, she did get inspired by the fading mehndi of her hands. So she is the author.

Lovely, brilliant and adorable Ram Pyari.

Aapki Ram Pyari will soon be “Madame RP of the ineligible bachelor’s fame” (so, we pray, hope and wish)

By the way, I am one of the the lucky two people who have already read the book. (and if some Sherlock Holmes thinks I am Siddharth in written disguise, I’m not ;) ).

Will tell you guys why everyone should read the book!! :-

1) Its about “marriages”!!! Oh c’mon, they are like “the event” in our indian lives. It is not your, mine or sombody’s wedding. Its nani dadi chacha chachi mausa masi, masi’s mom in law, and also the very important and very own aunty from the neighbourhood’s affair as well. Did you ever see this aunty ever bothering to take interet when you were struggling to get into college or deciding what to do with your career when u passed out?? That is the charm of shehnais, marigolds, and the gold ;)

2) Girl power : its about “us”. Independent headstrong bold ( smug smile :)) career women who do fall in love, who do get caught up in the arranged marriage chaos. All of us HATE the idea of our pictures being mailed to total strangers. And to be told that some xyz guy( with a paunch, a bald head and with hundred other imperfections) has rejected us coz our nose is not dead centre or because we area a little fat or a little too thin.

3) Its cost effective. (am I sounding cheap? NO! JUST THINK AGAIN OF THE END OF MONTH DAYS, YOU HYPOCRITES)

4) We all need a few laughs. We do. And this one is guaranteed to give you more than a few.

5) Its 100% gripping. You will not put it down before you finish it.

6) Its about mums too ;) your typical run of the mill mum. We love them. But, ah well, at times, well, you know what I mean. Please refer the book for details :)

7) Its by your Ram Pyari, and my didi. I haven’t known her for very long. But for some reason I absolutely adore her, can just pour out my heart to her and turn to her for help. Maybe because she is such a sweet heart. ( also she gave me a VERY COOL snake skin belt ;) )

8) Guys! Have you seen her pics??? Have you seen those coats and those high boots? You got to give credit to the fact that she is one classy chic! ;)

9) At the risk of sounding desperate and freaky : c’mon my fellow comrades, doctors, the residents,all the tragic heroes : lets raise a toast to this lovely young lady and her book. Pease find out time to read it. Its fab and it’s a stressbuster. AM KIDDING, I mean to address all you guys, the readers. Am sure you will enjoy the book as you have enjoyed reading RP’s blog

Dearest Ram pyari, am sure with your readers love and support the book is going to rock the bestsellers lists. You totally deserve it. Good things happen to good people. Lots of love from me. All the very best.

Dearest readers, thank you for bearing with me, if you did. Don’t u worry, the next post will be from Ram pyari, should clear this post’s hang over ;).

Love from me

Neharika

Thank you Neha for the lovely post. Yes, you one of the only two people on the planet who have read the entire book (except my publishers/ editors, i hope) and it was lovely to read what you had to say about my book. Love.

RP
HE7FF679B4GZ

2011-07-17T19:24:00.000+01:00

I think she is dead

Blog Marathon: Sunday Post

So, I met her first at my own wedding. She was preparing for her MD entrance exams then and while her exams were just round the corner, she had refused to let them stand in the way of her attending my wedding. Needless to say, I was touched.

She came home at about 10:00 am on the day of the wedding and I took an instant like to her. I felt I was meeting someone I have known for a long long time....it was weird in a way.

Anyway, thats not the story. This blog post is about what happened the day after my wedding. Obviously, my 'vidai' had happened and I was not there when this happned, but this is how it went.

So she had been up till late in the night for my vidai, had come back to our place and crashed. You know how it is with the house of the bride the day after the wedding. Ours was no different. Chaos reigned supreme.

The morning after Mum was in the kitchen making tea when she thought she should wake her up.After all, she had a train to catch.

So Mom went to the room she was sleeping in and whispered her name.
No response.

She spoke out her name loudly.
No response.

She again spoke out her name, louder than last time.
Still no response.

Mom literally shouted her name and tried shaking her.
No respose from her but my Masi who had been sleeping next to her was wide awake by then.

Right, now Mom is paranoid. Sample this:

Me: 'Mom, I have a head ache'
Mom: Beta, it might be brain tumour. No, it has to be brain tumor.

Me: Mom, I am tired.
Mom: Thats a common symptom for cancer. Oh my God.

You get the drift. So anyways, coming back to the story. So there was Mum, still recovering from the vidai of her lovely daughter, without any sleep, standing infront of a girl who lay still. The girl was not moving. Neither was she responding. That is when Mom is believed to have said this to no one in particular in a horrified tone:

'I think she is dead'

Masi gasped and in true filmy style brought her hand to her mouth for effect.

'oh My god!', Mom is believed to have panicked.

She then went to Dad's room and conveyed to him the news that she believed that the sweet girl who had come to attend my wedding was dead.

'Please chaliye, dekhiye to kya ho gaya hai usko', she said pulling my Dad out of this bed.

Dad,a doctor by profession, then went to her room and checked her for life.

'She is fine', he said turning to look at her.
'but...' said Mom confused.
'She is just sleeping!' said Dad as he gently shook the poor, tired girl awake.

On that lovely note, let me introduce to the bloggers, Neha, who is going to write the next gues post. She is a beautiful, intelligent and veryy sweet soon to be surgeon from one of the top MD colleges in the country. I have the honour of knowing her and you will have the chance to read her first guest post.

Stay tuned.

Love
RP

2011-07-16T13:20:00.000+01:00

Bhai

Blog Marathon: Thursday Post

So my brother called me up again. These days he generally calls me up and speaks to me in a serious baritone about:
1.what I have been doing for the marketing of the book.
2.Scold me a little bit about not doing enough
3.shout at me a little bit about what he things is going wrong
4.give me a few ideas that I have been stupid enough to not think of myself

In all act like the big brother he is not.

My brother, a doctor, is a year younger to me and calls me 'didi'.

So, he called me up yesterday.

'I have booked movie tickets for Mum and Dad' he said.

'Great', I said smiling 'they wanted to watch a movie?' I asked.

'Not really, Mum has not had a chance to go out too much so I just bought the tickets as Dad won't buy them'.

Dad wont buy tickets because unlike the rest of his brood, Dad is not that big a fan of movies. Not a big fan of paying theatre tickets. He frankly finds them over priced. I mean he enjoys movies but he would much rather buy a DVD and watch at home.

'Hmm...ok' I said. When had my brother, the tiny little cheeky boy who could make me laugh and cry like crazy turned into this man who was sensitive enough to know what Mum and Dad might like?

'But I am telling them you bought it', he added casually.

'What? Why?', I said surprised. A few weeks back, I had tried buying surprise movie tickets for Mum and Dad from London, but due to some issue with my India credit card, I had not been able to do it. I had told Bhai about this.

'Generally, they will like it more', he said casually.

I shook my head. Really when had this happened? When had that joker grown up? Right under my nose without me finding out anything?

'Okay', I said slowly very touched.

'Call Mum up and tell her that you have bought the tickets', he ordered.

'I will do that', i said.

'No, do it now. I am waiting'.

So, well... I called up Mum to tell her that I had bought her tickets that cost Rs 300. She was so happy and thanked me many times. She told me that she had hardly gone out in the last week and would love to go out for a movie. And then thanked me again and again.

'Thank you thank you', sang Ma, very happy. I heard Bhai in the background.

'Ma, why dont you say thank you to Bhai too?', i asked.

'Why?', she asked.

'Just like that', i said.

I spoke to Ma today. She told me how she was so touched with my gesture that she had even told Nani about the movie tickets. She had, she told me told Bhai many times since she found about the tickets that she had a fantastic daughter who even though lives thousands of kilometres away is concenrned about every little / big thing.

'What did Bhai say?', I asked Ma.

'Nothing, he just smiled', replied Ma.

May God bless you Bhai. I hope, pray and wish that your wishes come true. You are the most fantastic brother possible on this planet.

Love
Didi

2011-07-13T12:11:00.000+01:00

Blog Marathon: Tuesday Post
Reason for delayed Post: Because I forgot on Tuesday that it was Tuesday

So, apparently, on Tuesdays I forget that it is Tuesday and hence I do not put up a post. I generally remember Thursdays and Sundays (for the post) but I forget Tuesdays. Also, I generally remember on Wednesday that it was Tuesday yesterday. Last night(Tuesday Night), I was sitting in my bed at 10:00 pm trying to write something for Thursday not realising that I needed to put up a post right away! I know I need to get my head checked. I will. Soon.

Now coming to Nikhil's post. Like Nikhil said, we were together at work. We (we were a group of 4 Management Trainees) were such a crazy bunch then. I had so much fun being with the gang that I dont think anyone has ever had such a cool gang of office friends. We were all straight out of some of the best B schools of the country, all of us were in awe of how much money we were making and I was in my home town(yipppeee)!

That one year at home after Bschool was the most fantastic! And for reason.
I was at home. I had decided who I was going to marry, and I was the bride to be ( ~~people~~ girls who are married will know what different treatment you get when you are the bride to be)

I was working, studying for GMAT, preparing for the wedding...and had ossumm friends. They were lovely days, full and happy....I miss those days sometimes...

Anyways, coming to the post, I am given to understand that there is immense speculation about which of Nikhil's multiple points are true?

My take on them:

After marriage when she moves to London, RP is going to:

· Develop a British accent, mait!

No, I dont have an accent. Not yet I think. I sometimes have to change my style of speaking just a little bit when I speak to people here, but no, I def do not have an accent.

· Color her hair blonde, and keep a hairbun.

Seriously, come on!For the record, my hair is jet black and I generally leave it open. I will wait for a couple of decades before I start setting it in a bun.

· Sport a overcoat, and goggles, and boots look.

Yes, that is true. I have many over coats now. I have two lovely pairs of boots that look amazing with jeans. I have always had goggles. So yes, true true true!

· Shop the hell out of D&G, LVMH, and Bvlgari. Goodbye Mango. You were too mass market!

*Sigh* I wish this were true.

· Keep a pet, and carry it around everywhere.
I will NEVER EVER do that! Pets freak me out.

· Smoke a cigar. Or rather not. She hates it. Cancel this one specifically for her.

Correct. I will never smoke.

· Cook a dish, burn it, and make Sid eat it. (The burn is accidental, the making him eat is not)

For those who have doubts. I cam back from work at 7:15 pm yesterday. Was dead tired but made Tarka daal, rice, vegetables and 10 rotis from scratch in one hour flat. Also for those interested, I am inviting some 6 people over for Sunday Lunch where I will be doing all the cooking. *Superior look*

· Haggle with the shopkeepers and vegetable vendors (if they exist there) to give her a discount, in pounds :) This out of the innate Indian within her.

I actually dont like haggling. But I dont like paying the price the shopkeeper asks for. So I haggle, though I dont enjoy it at all. Here in London no one haggles with anyone. I leave the haggling for India. Its one of the things I miss most about India. :)

· Join a kitty club or whatever you call that, play cards with her gang, and crib about her daughter in law as she grows old.

I come home from work dead tired, still do what is required for the book on the blog, the Facebook page, send emails, cook dinner and by the time I get into bed I am so so tired that I could cry of tiredness. And you talk about Kitty parties?

· Watch daily soaps like 'Balika Vadhu', 'Na aana is des laado', 'Yahan main ghar ghar kheli', 'Sabki laadli bebo', and of course, 'Chajje chajje ka pyaar' whenever she is home. Gosh! Why is television content going backward?

*Sigh* Right, so after the work, the book stuff, the cooking when I get into bed my lap top comes with me. There is a lovely website that streams Indian TV and I spend an happy 15-30 minutes watching my favourite shows. I feel connected to India that way. Currently I watch X factor very regularly. So yes, this is absolutely correct :)

· Call her family at least 5 times a day.

I call them atleast 10 times a day.:) Correct.

So in total 3 points are correct :) well done!

Now you guys know me better. Thanks a ton for the guest post, Nikhil :)

Love,
RP

PS The Facebook like page ( top right for the widget that will take you there) for 'The (In)eligible Bachelors' is sitting at a tantalizing 592. Pitch in folks ;)

2011-07-10T20:27:00.000+01:00

Blog Marathon: Sunday Post
Guest Post by Nikhil
More about Nikhil here.

Raam Pyari

A big Hi to all RP fans! (Who might as well choose to unsubscribe from the fan list after seeing this sudden drop in blog quality).

As you would have noticed, RP is totally living up to her promise of posting three posts a week. And for those few occasions when she does not feel like writing at all, she has asked for some fillers from some near and dear ones. That's what she calls Plan B. Sid, of course, is one of such persons. Poor Sid, I wonder the multiple threats he would be facing these days. I remember his brave attempt at writing (dictating) 'Jack and Jill went up the hill'. Way to go, buddy. I am on your side.

By now you would have guessed that I am under similar pressure to write a blog post for the lady. After giving it a deep, serious thought for almost 23 days, 19 hours, 41 minutes and 3 seconds, I thought why not give you some snippets about your author's life, the quintessential RP. After all, I have had the luxury of knowing and observing her at our previous workplace. Note that I will be restricting myself to only the fun part here, as RP hasn't yet wire transferred the full amount she promised to pay me to write good things about her. Of course, I don't need to comment on her writing skills and the passion behind it :)

If you have followed her posts well you would not disagree even slightly over the fact that she is the biggest drama queen to have been born on this earth. If the words that come out of her are melodramatic, try imagining about the ones that do not and remain only thoughts in her shaitan mind. She has a reaction on almost everything! She has always been like this, and was the same when we used to work together on some high priority problems and discuss the same in the company's conference rooms. Problems like who's dating who, which boss is the most sadu, etc etc. Work was taking a toll on our lives. After all, we were the youngest future leaders of the firm!

Interesting story this. One fine day we got to know that RP is getting married. Hona kya tha, the office was abuzz with speculations, some said out aloud and some only grapevine. From the boss to the peon, everyone was talking about her. Miss popular. What follows is a not-so-comprehensive, whatever-I-could-recall list for you guys.

After marriage when she moves to London, RP is going to:

· Develop a British accent, mait!

· Color her hair blonde, and keep a hairbun.

· Sport a overcoat, and goggles, and boots look.

· Shop the hell out of D&G, LVMH, and Bvlgari. Goodbye Mango. You were too mass market!

· Keep a pet, and carry it around everywhere.

· Smoke a cigar. Or rather not. She hates it. Cancel this one specifically for her.

· Cook a dish, burn it, and make Sid eat it. (The burn is accidental, the making him eat is not)

· Haggle with the shopkeepers and vegetable vendors (if they exist there) to give her a discount, in pounds :) This out of the innate Indian within her.

· Join a kitty club or whatever you call that, play cards with her gang, and crib about her daughter in law as she grows old.

· Watch daily soaps like 'Balika Vadhu', 'Na aana is des laado', 'Yahan main ghar ghar kheli', 'Sabki laadli bebo', and of course, 'Chajje chajje ka pyaar' whenever she is home. Gosh! Why is television content going backward?

· Call her family at least 5 times a day.

· Ask for hardship allowance if her company makes her stay beyond 1800 hours.

Thankfully, in my cognizance, only two and a half of these things have actually happened, yet. Which ones, you are free to make your own guesses! RP, did I miss anything major?

Having said that, hats off to her, for moving to an unknown land, managing office, home, and a future bestseller in an excellent fashion. Brave girl! And for being a special, special friend. With whom you can connect right where you left, whether it is after days, or months!

So that was for you, RP. Keep writing and entertaining. And wish you all the luck for your book :)

2011-07-07T11:01:00.005+01:00

Blog Marathon : Thursday Post
What's in a name?

Naming anything, however insignificant, is difficult. I had trouble naming my favourite pencil when I was in class 3.

The little chicken I had as a pet ( who incidentally died the day after it came to us, *adequately sad Sigh*)...well...let me not even go there. I was awake the whole night thinking of a name for him/ her ( I never really found out the gender and I am not sure how you do that in the case of chickens). I finally decided that 'Chooza' would be an appropriate name and dozed off in the early hours. Only unfortunately Chooza was dead by the time I got up.

When I was in class 6, we got a not so small puppy. A girl puppy. I recall that we, as a family debated for days and days without being able to decide the name of the girl-puppy. It is a different matter all together that the puppy refused to respond to any name except the one it was used to. And it is again a completely different matter all together that the name the dog used to respond to was, of all names possible, 'Shweta'.

And it is again a completely different matter that at that point in time we knew 3 human being shwetas including a very dignified Shweta Aunty who incidentally stopped visiting us as regularly after we got Shweta.

Shweta Aunty. Poor Shweta Aunty. She came to meet us soon after we got Shweta. During her stay I had to (and I repeat, had to) say things like:

'Heel, Shweta'
'Stay Shweta'
'Sit Shweta'
'Stupid Idiot Shweta'

Trust me I had to say all of this. The situation demanded that. Shweta Aunty gave us a superior condescending glance and walked away not to return for a long long time.

You wonder what happened to Shweta? Did Shweta and I form a lasting bond that we humans can form only with dogs? Did Shweta live for 15 glorious years bringing us much joy, love and laughter? Did I feel that a part of me was gone forever when Shweta was put to sleep?

No.

None of this happened.

She ran away. She ran away with a mongoose. And no, I am not making this up. 2 months after we got her she ran away with a Mongoose. Our neighbour saw her elope and alerted us. We searched and searched in the near by slums:

'Bhai Sahab, aapne ek oodbilaw aur ek kutte koh saath dekha hai?'

Yes, we asked this question to the slum dwellers who looked at us as if we were mad. A little naked boy running in the mud was the only one who said he had seen the pair and took us to the sewage pit.

'There?' my Mum asked.
'Yes' he said. And laughed. And ran away.

Anyways, so the girl puppy ran away.
Eloped.

Anyways, I digress.

So the point is that naming anything is quite difficult.

Naming your first book is Oh-My-Gawd difficult!

So many many many months back when I had hardly even started Chapter Number Two of my book, I went to watch a movie here in London. As the credits rolled I literally jumped off my seat.

Because somewhere on the screen was written 'Happily Ever After'.

It was music to my ears. It was magic to my eyes.

That had to be the name of my book. Happily Ever After.

Happily.
Ever.
After.

So that is what I named my book straight away. Right there, unfinished bottle of pepsi in my hand, no idea where the story would go, but the book was named.

Happily Ever After by Ram Pyaari. How lovely!

A couple of months passed. Wonders of wonders, with a full time job also, I managed to finish the book. The lovely people at Rupa & Co. agreed to publish it (God Bless those kind souls).

And then it happened.

They did not like the title of the book.

In the meanwhile I asked around. As it turned out a LOT of people did not like the name. Some said it was too girly, others said it was plain boring. Some even said that they would not pick up a book called 'Happily Ever After'. (Apologies to authors who actually have a book called 'Happily Ever after')

Hmmm.

So I had to agree with my publishers. Maybe, I thought ruefully, it was not a great name after all.

So I brain stormed and came up with new names. That list included potential disasters like 'Marry who?' (Yes, I thought of that name as well. I shudder now.)

I sent the names I thought of to Sid, my brother and Nikhil. Nikhil rubbished most of the names I had suggested and came up with a list of names he could think of.

Sitting on number 2 on the list sent to me in an email was a name with which everyone now knows my book by- The(In)eligible Bachelors.

Right, question.
Who is Nikhil? Nikhil and I worked together for about 3 months, both left the company but the friendship stayed on :) And this post was actually an introduction to Nikhil who will be writing the next post!

Here is the link to Nikhil's blog :http://solitaryduel.blogspot.com
If you like this, please do come back on Sunday as he will be posting his first guest on my blog :) Come back and encourage him with your comments!

I need to say just one more thing about the title now. Three words. Heartfelt and genuine.

Thank You, Nikhil.

RP

2011-07-05T20:26:00.002+01:00

Blog Marathon: Tuesday Post

I am exhausted. There is so much happening that I am just trying to keep breathing and doing what is required.

(Try to) Keep Calm and carry on. That is the mantra

Today I was just thinking that at this rate I will have a heart attack soon enough. You know what was the next thought that crossed my mind? God, please, not before the book comes out.

I almost burst out laughing when I realised how my brain is working these days.

None of the things happening are bad. I am travelling, I am working long hours, I am finalizing details about the book, I am trying to market the book, I am cooking dinner, I am going out with my husband to watch movies, I am calling up my Mum ten times a day to give her some detail that would mean nothing to anyone but her...but it is all adding up to a lot.

There are always pending emails to answer, pending work to be done, laundry to be done, utensils to wash, room to tidy, office to go to, calls to make.....*sigh*

Anyways, there are a few pending guest posts lined up. I am trying to goad those people into writing it. Lets see if i can succeed (see! more work! chasing these people. People who have promised a post, please thoda sharm karo!)

Right, my day is done now. I need to eat, watch X factor on the Internet and sleep.

Good night!

2011-07-03T21:52:00.002+01:00

Sunday Post

Ramdom Post

After many many many years, I am putting up a random post. As always in bullet points :

1. I went to the Wimbledon (Yeaaaayyyy)

2. I saw Mahesh Bhupati.

3. I saw Leander Paes play. Yeaaay. He lost. Not Yeaaaaay

4. I snooped around and soon figured out that the girl sitting in front of me was Rhea Pillai, Leander's wife

5. To encourage Leander Paes, Rhea would shout 'Chal Lee, Chal'.

6. Some of the Indian supporters also picked up the 'Chal Lee Chal' chant

7.Straweberries and cream is over rated.

8. I saw Delhi Belly and was shocked

9. I saw 'Buddha Hoga Tera Baap' and left mid way

10. I also saw Transformers and almost fell asleep

11. I am horribly excited about the book. When will Mid august come?

12. The FB page ( http://www.facebook.com/#!/theinEligiblebachelors) has 486 likes. Yeaaaay.
12.5. 14 remain for the magic number of 500. *Hint* *Hint*

13. Believe it or no, some Bollywood actors, TV actors, boxers, authors, reality stars, script writers, theatre personalities have commented / liked the page

14. How they landed on my page- I do not know. I just know that I am very grateful for their kind words.

15. Shirish Kunder, Editor/ Director has even shared the link of my book page on his FB page with a message that reads 'check out the new talent'. I know it is crazy. And no I do not have contacts in Bollywood. And I am the 'talent'. Yeaaaayyy.
15.5 Like I said, it has been crazy on that Facebook Page.

16. I LOVE X Factor India. I think I have a crush on Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He is uber cool.

17. I want to read this book called 'Even Silence has an end'.

18. I promise I will go for the skating class this weekend. Good.

19. I promised the same thing last weekend. Not Good.

20. And the weekend before. *Sigh*

21. I dread Monday mornings. From today onwards, I wont :)

And enither should you. Have a nice week. Enjoy your work. We are all lucky to be employed.

Raam Pyaari.

2011-06-28T16:06:00.003+01:00

Post 8: Thursday

Prague

The city of a hundred Spires.
The land of the Franz Kafka.
Beautiful, beautiful Prague.

For all those of you who are not married and would like to honeymoon in Europe, Prague is my recommendation. Venice comes a close second.

Anyways what a day Friday was when I was leaving for Prague. I just had TONS of work and it was only 20 minutes before leaving the house that I stopped working, threw in a first set of clothes I could find and voila I was ready to go abroad!

The flight itself was uneventful and I spent most of the time reading my book.

As we sat in the taxi,at about 9 o' clock in the night, I eagerly looked around. Not much. What was the hype about, I wondered. We drove a little further. Still nothing. Looked like a big barren European city to me. And a little further and the city opened itself like a flower.

The cemented roads in the outskirts of the city gave way to charming cobbled streets, the white street lights were replaced with the warm yellow of the street lamps. Prague had me captivated from the word Go!

Our hotel was on a quaint cobbled street leading to a hill, lit pretty in yellow, small dainty shops on either side-closed but their colorful wares on display even at the late hour. Only later did I find out that it was actually wonderful location as it was about 5 minutes from both the Castle and Charles Bridge (both are major tourist destinations). The hotel was called 'The Golden Wheel' was a very interesting mix of the old and the new. On our arrival we found a note from the hotel staff welcoming my husband to the hotel. Right, they did not welcome me. But never mind, they made up for it with the lovely views from outside the window.

As Sid settled to sleep, it hit me. I had missed breakfast, I had not had lunch and now I was skipping dinner too! And so I proclaimed to the already sleepy Sid that I wanted to find something for myself to eat. And I set out alone. I walked uphill. And I walked. And I walked. All shops that were open only sold alcohol. I glanced at my watch- 10:35 pm. Not bad, I said to myself only to immediately realise that due to time difference it was actually 11:35pm local time! That freaked me out. Alone, in an unknown country at almost midnight!

Oh My God!

Being the drama queen that I am (and totally ignoring the fact that I had a functional phone in my pocket with the lovely google map and Sid's number should that be required) I decided that I was in mortal danger. The old touristy uncles and auntys passed by with their silver hair and walking sticks, but I was convinced that my life was at stake.

The theatrical bollywood fan in me toyed with the possibility that i was already lost. But well, I could still see my hotel down the road, so that did not really work. Anyways, I turned around and decided to make my way back to the hotel without any food, lest I did get lost. Bhooka Bharat.

And as soon as I decided that there was no food in the whole of Czech Republic for me at that hour lo and behold! I saw a little place, almost hidden that I had missed. Almost right infront of the hotel. So much like me to not see the shop in front of my hotel and walk hundreds of kilometres. Uphill. Lovely.

Smacking my head, I walked in. An angry looking girl was sweeping the floor. My heart jumped with joy. No, not because I had just seen a grumpy Czech girl sweeping the floor but because my eyes found food! As I played with the sandwiches, I tried to figure out what was vegetarian and what was not. Unable to understand Czech (ofcourse! Duh), I turned to the grumpy girl to ask her if the sandwich in my hand was veg.

'I dont speak English!', she said angrily in perfect english.

I almost laughed out loud in her face right then. She gave me a queer look and continued with her work.

I hastily paid for the most vegetarian looking sandwich that I could find and hurried out. Walked across the road and entered the safe heaven of 'Hotel Golden Wheel'.

A little later, exhausted, I slumped into my lovely white huge bed. Exhausted but very content. I had in one hand a sandwich which Sid confirmed was only bread and cheese and cucumber. And in the other I had my book. I flipped the page, took a bite and read the words and I mentally itched for dawn to break so that I could see how the city looked like in the morning...

To be continued....

2011-06-26T22:29:00.002+01:00

Post 7:

Has it ever happened to you?

that you went up to a lady and in conversation asked her if she were pregnant and she said no?

that someasked you if you were pregnant and you had to say no because you bloody hell are not pregnant?

I can say ' No, it has not happened to me' for the former. I wish I could say that for the latter.

On that note, bye bye. I am travelling today and cannot post. Will post in detail on Tuesday.

For those interested I am 5'2 in height but have never weighed more than 50kgs in my life so far.

2011-06-23T22:17:00.002+01:00

Post 6

So we went to Morocco in December last year. It was Sid's 30th birthday, we had just returned from India, it was Christmas time and we had nothing better to do in London. It was also my gift for Sid's birthday. In Morocco, we decided to spend all our time in this small place called Marrakesh which is a hotspot for European tourists. Pretty and exotic. And also tiny. Sid said it was going to be a relaxed holiday. I thought wistfully of a 'relaxed' holiday and readily agreed. So far so good.

We read and read about the city before we went there. Not much to see or do, we booked ourselves in a pretty Riad (traditional Moroccan house turned into a hotel). Sid reiterated that this was going to be a relaxed holiday. Again so far so good.

We created an itinerary for ourselves which consisted of things we wanted to see in Marrakesh. The half a centimeter long list had some 5-6 items on it. Very gallantly Sid said that we will visit all those 5-6 places at a leisurely pace...spread them across 4 days...do one thing a day... because...yes, you guessed it right, it was to be a relaxed holiday. So far so good.

We reached Marrakesh at about 10 in the morning. Left immediately. Walked straight for 9 hours. Saw some 7-8 things overachieveing straight away our target of 5-6 things. I came back D.E.A.D tired. And the next day, Sid ready at 8:30 in the morning to go out and explore has the cheek to ask me what kind of a place I have brought him to as there is nothing to do/see.

Th next day we walked for 11 hours. The two days after that were spent entirely in the Atlas Mountains during the days and in the main square at nights. Needless to add, each day I came back to our Riad and crashed in like half a micro second.

Anyways, we leave for Prague tomorrow.

'Excite about Prague?', Sid asked me yesterday.

'Very', I say politely.

'You...know..', says Sid thinking a little bit, ' lets make this a relaxed holiday'

Love,
RP

Next Post: Sunday!

2011-06-21T09:38:00.002+01:00

Post No: 5
Day: Tuesday
Confidence about completing the Marathon at the beginning of the marathon: Very High
Confidence about completing the Marathon now: Medium-low

How many medicines should you carry when travelling?

So as the regulars here know, Sid and I went to beautiful Italy for the Easter weekend. I generally do not carry medicines. My Mum-in-law called me up and as we discussed my preparations for the upcoming Italy trip and she warned me to take all possible medicines. After all, it was going to be a 10 day trip and it is best to be cautious.

I agreed. And then promptly forgot all about it. Then on the day we were leaving and I was reluctantly packing, when I saw my medicine box. Mum-in-law's voice rang in my ears, i reasoned that I had so far never ever needed ANY medicine on any trip so why carry extra things, but MIL's voice rang louder and I succumbed.

In fact I overdid it. I packed medicines for fever, stomach upset, head ache, nausea, cramps, multivitamins, antibiotics, anti allergic, pain killers. I even picked up medicine for a minor medical condition that I had had some 3 years ago.

I think I packed more medicines than clothes.

Anyways, what I also did was that I spoke to Italians in Office who told me of the glorious sunny weather that awaited me in Italy. Impressed I took out all my shorts, skirts, dresses and threw them gleefully in the suitcase. Nothing below the knee - that was the mantra. However just as I was leaving, at the insistence of Sid, I hurriedly picked up my fawn coloured Zara jacket. For London only basically. Once the plane would take off it would be sunny, bright Italy.

Fair enough.

Or Maybe not.

As I stepped out of the plane and looked around it was drizzling, bleak and grey. Seemed a lot like London to me.

And that is how it remained pretty much all through out the ten days and across Italy. All throughout the 10 days I was in Italy, it was grey, bleak and raining. Of course, needless to add, weather back in London was gorgeously sunny. Two things happened because of this unfortunate weather condition:

1. In each and every photograph taken in Italy, you will see me in the same jacket. The same jacket. And jeans. While I was carrying two they were both blue so I was perpetually in my Italy uniform. Zara jacket and blue jeans.

It could have been ONE day's pictures. All the pictures in the same jacket. All. A-L-L. Do you even know what a disaster that is? NO wonder there were no pics on FB, none were shared via picasa with friends and relatives. *Sigh*

2. I fell sick- Yes, i fell sick. For the first time since I came to London. I caught a cold. Took decold for that. Then had a head ache. Took the medicine for head ache. Then felt nauseous. Took that medicine. Then Dad who is a doctor called to say I should immediately get on a antibiotic course. Took that medicine. Mum, who thinks she is a doctor called to say that I should immediately start on a course of multivitamins. Did that.
Bro who is a doctor in the making called to say that I should start a course of Vitamin C as it helps fight infection. Mum, who like i said thinks she is a doctor, called again to tell me to take an anti allergic as sometimes fever is because of an allergy. Did that.

By the end of 3 days, I had used ALL the medicines I had got except for the one for the medical condition I had had 3 years ago.

'Who knows by the end of the trip I might need that', I said to Sid in the midst of sneezing and coughing.

'Come on!', said Sid chiding me.

And guess what? By nightfall I had to take the first dosage for the medical condition from 3 years ago which had, out of the blue resurfaced.

Love
RP

Question for Readers:
For the upcoming trip to Prague, do I be cautious and take all the medicines again? And then end up using them all *Shudder*

Or not take anything like on previous trips and nothing will happen because there are no medicines to treat it if it does?

Pause, think and then answer. You answer can decide whether Sid has a good trip or no. *Serious, meaningful look*

2011-06-18T12:39:00.003+01:00

Post:4

A day Early

I am a day early (Oh my God, the dedication I have for this blog marathon!) I know. But I have reasons for the impatience.

Its about the book, I have been super secretive about on the blog. It is also about my identity I have been super secretive about on the blog.

This impatiently written post will deal with both the issues.

Dear, dear readers, my biggest supporters, my unknown friends. It is towards you that I feel a weird sense of attachment, a very marked sense of loyalty. I announced my book on Facebook on late friday night, India time. Since then there has been an outpouring of support that has touched me and amazed me.

But I have been thinking about my readers who still dont even know the name of the book! The follwoing few lines will change that!

Please go to the following link. 'Like' the page so that you can get regualr updates apart from the ones I will def put up on the blog :)

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/theinEligiblebachelors
Here is how the book will look like. Copyright applies, ofcourse :)

Very simply, you have encouraged me to write and have knowingly/ unknowingly played a big role in this.

Thank you.

2011-06-16T11:03:00.003+01:00

Getting a post out of Sid.

So before I decided to start the blog marathon I asked Sid if he would be willing to
write a blog post. Sid readily agreed. Biwi happy.I even made nice Biryani for Sid after a gruelling day at work.

Anyways, so today after dinner Sid and I sat down. With 'Rattan ka Rajkumar' on on the telly in the background, my iphone in his hand, Sid seemed to be in a good mood.

Seizing the opportunity with both hands, I batted my eye lids and reminded Sid that he had to write a post.

Sid nodded his head, not looking up from the iphone. Batting of eye lids wasted. Anyways.

'You have to write a post, you should better start writing, it will take some time', I warned.

'I will dictate. You write', came the royal response.

Amused, I agreed. He will dictate and I will write! Would I get a post out of Sid so soon? I was amazed at my good luck.

I hastily opened up blogger. All set to type.

'Yes, please?', I said delicately after 3 minutes during which Sid had not even looked up from the iphone.

'Hmmm...', said Sid, 'write now'

'OK', I said.

'Dear Readers,hope you are doing well. I am good' came the first bit.

This was followed by a pause of 20 minutes which involved heavy thinking, playing angry birds, watching TV. I prodded further and this is what came out

'Jack and Jill went up the hill'

Then Sid said that he had 'written' enough for the day.

*Sigh*

Again, why exactly did I say yes to marrying Sid?

Love
R

PS: Next Post-Sunday! You have been very good with your encouragement. Thank you and please keep it coming. I am trying my best by keeping one post ready in advance. *Pat on my back*

Added later: Bloggers, worry natt! This post in no way means that we will not get a post form him. It just means it will be difficult to get one out of him. Muhahahahahaha.

2011-06-14T09:52:00.001+01:00

Tuesday, Post 2

Office Story

So, we have only recently shifted to a new office closer to central London. I met a colleague (who works very closely with the President of the company)in the kitchen post a very heavy lunch.

The conversation that ensued was as follows:

Colleague A: Hi.
Me: Hi

A: How are you?
Me: Very good, Thank you. You like the new office?

A: Oh yes, it is lovely, isnt it?
Me: Yes, isnt it?

Me: I just wish we had an XYZ room
A: We will!
Me : really ? (very amazed that the company was actually thinking of it)

A: yes!
Me: Wow! I mean really Wow!
*I shake my head, very impressed*

A: It is going to be amazing.
Me: I have no doubt!

A: Really!
Me: Really!

Me (wondering if i should actually say this): I think I will be in it all the time.
A: I think the President is going to be in it all the time!
Me( shocked but still polite): Really! How nice.

*I start to think somehting is not right about the conversation*

A: Yeah, she is going to be in it ALL THE TIME
Me: Are you sure?

A: Ofcourse!
Me: Hmmm..

A: OK then, see you around.
Me: Yes, sure, see you around.

I strikes me as I make my way back to my desk. What A was talking about was a TP room (telepresence room, which is a lot like Teleconfrencing).

What I was talking about was a sleeping room.

:\

Next post: Thursday!

2011-06-12T17:45:00.003+01:00

Blog Marathon Attempt 3:
Post 1

This is actually pathetic. Really it is. I have tried marathons twice before and failed both times.

Like most people who have failed to do something, I have excuses. But I am too smart to tell you about the excuses in this post.

Muhahahaha. I will make an entire post out of those excuses. See, I am getting smarter now.

Anyways, I am going to attempt another blog Marathon now. But I am going to take it easier. Not promise anything grand that I cannot deliver. So following are the rules:

1. I will put up posts on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays only. Post One done! Ha. Ha.
2. The marathon should last for a month.
3. There will be guest posts (including the first one ever from Sid who for the uninitiated, is my beloved husband)
4. There are some interesting posts lined up
5. There are going to be some interesting revealations (hopefully, they will be interesting)
6. Sad posts are not going to be allowed. We will all be happy and jolly but not gay. Ha ha. Okay, that was a really lame joke. Ignore it if you found it too repulsive.

What do you have to do?

The following:
1. If you have not subscribed to the RSS feeds, please do. It encourages the writer in me.
2. You lurkers who do not comment, yes you, comment. It encourages the writer in me.
3. You regular commentor, yes you. Please continue commenting. It encourages the writer in me.
4.In general, encourage me with words. It is my job to start and yours to ensure that I finish. Muahahahhahahha. I have really become very smart! See I tricked you all into taking the blame if I fail to finish this Marathon. *Superior Smirk*

And with the rules set, with your blessings, I seek to embark on this journey again. May the force be with me.

Love
R

Next Post: Tuesday!

2011-05-26T20:25:00.002+01:00

So that i remember

It is almost one in the night. Inspite of the sultry weather outside, thanks to the AC the room is cool and pleasant. There are 4 people in the room , 3 fast asleep and the 4th trying to capture this moment. Me, ma, dad and bhai. I am sleeping next to mum, holding her hand like i used to when i was a little girl. Coarse but beautiful and for me the greatest comfort in the world- her hands. I feel such a sense of peace each time this thought crosses my head.

Knowing that you are surrounded by people who love you, whom you love - such an amazing, warm, fuzzy feeling. Everyone has been sleeping together since i came. And these time of the night is fast becoming my favourite. The quiet comfort of being in the midst of love.

Sleep tight.

Love

Ruch

2011-05-23T11:04:00.002+01:00

A night at the Airport.

How many of you have spent an entire night at the airport?

I have!

Back to Jet Airways, yet again!
So I was flying from Delhi to my city. Flight time was 1 hour and the flight was supposed to take off at 7:55 reaching my city at 8:55.

I reached the boarding gate at 7:20. We were told at 7:40 pm that the flight was delayed by 2:30 hours. A couple of groans. yes, yes but we all got back to our books or our phones.

10:30 and still no sign of boarding. Soon the passengers went and surrounded the lone Jet Airways guy sitting at the boarding gate. What ensued was nothing short of drama. The airlines came up with the following bits of 'information':
1. The pilot is sick and is being treated
2. The pilot is in another plane that is hovering at the moment
3. When asked at 10:53 pm when the boarding will start, '11:00 pm' pat came the reply. No boarding announcement had been made by then. No, we did not fly at 11:00 pm!
The crowd started getting very angry as officials contradicted one another making it apparent that they were lying. One gentleman in particular went ballistic. There were abuses, there were threats to the staff, police was asked for, docyors were called. Yet the airlines would not give us a concrete answer. They kept beating around the bush which made the crowd all the more angry.

Finally at around mid night we were told that the flight had been cancelled. We had been expecting that. The criwd really did not know what to do. We did not trust the airlines at all. Hence even though the airlines offered to put us in an hotel we collectuvely decided to stay back so that we could ensure that these people got us on the earliest flight the next day.

We demanded fresh boarding passes as the original ones had been cancelled and refuse to budge unless that was given to us. After hours of confusion, at 3:30 am, i got mine for a flight at 6:05 in the morning.

There was a sense of friendship that developed amogst the passengers. The girls got quite friendly and spent the night yapping away. Sat on the floor, discussed life, charged laptops and phones while waiting for dawn. So that i could go home.

Finally, 12 hours after scheduled departure, i reached my city. Jet lagged from the international flight abd deprived of any sleep. Yet happy, supremely happy to be back home :)

Needless to say, i do not recommend the airlines ;)

2011-05-20T15:47:00.003+01:00

Why?

I landed in India today morning and had to go the the Jet Airways Customer services centre to get my departure date changed. I came back with a better understanding of why we suck.

With the 'yes please's and 'If could be kind enough's of London I put forward my request. The young girl about 3 feet away from me had this to say in a loud clear and sarcastic voice, 'Badi jaldi yaad aa gaya hai isko ticket change karwana'.

She then paused and repeated the same line knowing fully when that i was right there. What exactly she was trying to do i could not understand and why would anyone speak like that was beyond me. No, really. Why would you speak like that to someone you know nothing about? who is customer? and has and is paying for the services?

I asked them for the fare for a particular date. After 15 minutes, got my reply. Then I asked for an alternate date to see which price was lower. The women exchanged looks and sighed and rolled their eyes.

The next bit came when we were deciding which date to pick. I don't quite recall what exactly happened there i soon found my voice raised. Irritated and defensive at the Jet Airways lot.

This was uncalled for and left a bitter taste in my mouth. Maybe I should have shouted more, and put them back in their place. I did retort but like always the best replies come to you after 2 hours.

In London, this has NEVER happened. I can imagine this conversation happening with lots of thank yous and pleases. ( Right so, I did not thank the Jet Airways people for their help, my big revenge :P) Back at work, I keep telling people how much of heart there is in Indian and this incident has made me wonder about so many things.

It was a simple bit of work really. May be this is the delhi way of speaking but really why? why would you speak like that? You had a fight with someone? you think you are very smart? you think this is cool?

This has to change, right? It was just a rude reminder of what actually happens in India. I never thought I would say this, but this really made me miss London!

2011-05-06T19:04:00.004+01:00

Random

So I know I have been ignoring the blog. I know i know. I know my posts have become very irregular. I know my posts are smaller now. I know they are hurriedly written.
I know and I cant help but feel apologetic.

Well, a lot of something is happening. And that something is called work. Yes, am busy at work. It has been quite crazy of late and I will be very glad when it is all done and dusted. In the mean while I am a cranky girl.

Most of the times I am irritaed, cranky and angry. No, not the type you would want to hang out with..but I am trying to cut this out of my life. so for starters let me talk of some things nice.

okay so the book is progressing at its own sweet pace. These things just take time, nothing can be done about it. But sometimes i sit back and think about how it has come this far. I cannot wait for the day when i will hold a copy in my hands. Just cannot wait!! and yes, you ALL will need to buy a copy ;)

We are discussing/ arguing about the title and cover at the moment :) It is such good fun infact I will miss this phase of the book once it is all done and dusted. We are hoping for a publication date of July and the first few copies should be out in June, though these dates might get pushed around.

So I am VERY VERY excited about the book. And simply cannot wait for it to be out now!

India trip. Enough cannot be said about it. Really not possible, Also this will be the longest i will be staying at my place since my wedding, and i am really looking forward to that. This Friday morning and I will be in India. Importantly, I need to get work out of my head and just enjoy my time back in India.

India! Yeaaaaayyyyy!

2011-04-29T07:31:00.002+01:00

Magical

So I am now waiting. At a bus station. Only thing is that the bus station is on water and is swaying gently. The water bus should here soon to take us to the railway station. And off from Venice we shall be.

My thoughts on Venice? Well it is the most unique city I have ever set my eyes on. There is some thing so magical about this place that I have been swept off my feet. The last this happened was with the taj mahal.

So picture broad narrow roads. On either side are houses/ palaces from the 15-16th century. Most houses have a car park and a car. Now replace the road with the gently swelling blue green waters of the canal, the cars with beautiful gandolas or boats and the car parks with boat parks. Add quaint bridges every where. Add tinybeautiful restaurants with green canopies and a multitude of flowers. Add gorgeously dressed women. Add men with long hair. Add dogs better turned out than the women. Add those gorgeous colourful Venetian masks. Add charm, grace and immense beauty. And voila! You have Venice.

It's a flowing, swelling, ebbing city.

And yes we did take the gondola ride. We were taken through the narrow lanes of water in a beautiful black gondola as the sun set. Our gondolier, Alex, told us bits about the city and layer as the chatter died down broke into an Italian ballad. I don't know what it meant, he was not even singing too well but it just added to the atmosphere.

We had taken the water bus passes and hence explored the grand canal well into the nights. And how beautiful the warm yellow glow of the lights looked reflected in the waters of the canal.

The only sour bit about the city were some of the locals who were quite rude but then well maybe coming from London India where people are generally very polite, we probably had high standards when it came to the spoken word.:p

To all the people who have asked for pics , they will come once I am back in London.:)

Now off to Florence and then home to London. Bye bye magical Venice, you are beautiful.

2011-04-25T21:33:00.003+01:00

Italy-first impressions

So I am sick.since I came to London in jan 2010 I have never been sick. So much like me to fall sick on the first day of our 10 day trip to Italy. Anyways

Gorgeous.that's the right word. I am down and out with fever and am coughing like an old woman but I am intrigued and amazed by the beauty of Rome.

Every turn you take in the older parts of the city and you come across something that atleast looks very historic and important. There are painters and musicians. Desi/Bangladeshi men selling silly toys you would consider outdated for our local melas, Italians ones playing musical instruments or singing. Artists sit on the side of the road and with a cigarette tucked between their lips spend hours painting.

The pebbled streets, the cafes, the food, the music , the art, the beauty...

It is a must visit for all the history enthusiasts!

I know what the critics say about Rome. It's dirty, unsafe and third world-ish. I agree. I crinkled up my very London nose as I surveyed the Rome metro. Sid added that Delhi metro has to be ten times better. We felt very superior but then there is the spirit of the city. The sheer beauty and history.

We had lunch at a cafe right opposite the pantheon today . Pony tailed men sang, pigeons strutted around, old aunties with dogs with red bows smoked cigarettes and drank wine. Life seemed so lazy and relaxed. That is probably what Rome is. Too beautiful to be bothered by harsh things, too steeped in history to be affected adversely by the modernity that surrounds it and too free spirited to be bound....that for me sums up the spirit of Rome.

2011-04-23T10:06:00.002+01:00

Hi again! So I am sitting in the dlr on my way to the airport.we are off to Italy for the next 10 days! People tell me that it is very easy to fall in live with Italy..let's see how it goes!

It has been extremely busy and very stressful at work of late and j will be glad when this phase of work is done with...will post more stuff when I get back from Italy :)

Take care and love
R

2011-04-17T18:07:00.008+01:00

Nice, France

Day 1

So we went to Nice last Friday for a quick 3 day break. And what a lovely trip that was.

We boarded an early morning (8:00 am ) flight from London to Nice and arrived in this lovely city by the Meditteranean Sea by 10:30 am their time.

Reached out hotel and after putting our stuff their set out for a tiny little town called Antibe. The plan was to do day trips and spend Sunday in Nice. And trust me, Nice is a lovely base for some excellent day trips.

The train/bus/tram system in Nice and around it is extremely cheap. One pound in London is useless,but you get a proper train ticket in one euro in Nice. Works well with me!

The Nice Railway Station:

Arrived in antibe half an hour later. And what a delightfull little town it turned out to be. We walked around quite a bit. The sparkling blue meditteranean Sea, the white yatchs, the bright Sun. Lovely!

Walked to the Pablo Picasso Museum. Looked at some of the paintings made by him andothers. It was here that Pablo spent some painting because he felt inspired by the beauty around him. Looking at the view around the museum. I was not surprised!

View from the Museum

Once we had trekked up the museum and spent an hour going through the paintings, we walked down to the Antibe beach. I spent 2-3 hours there. There were young people, some children some oldies relaxing on the beach. It was just such a spectacularly beautiful beach. Also, importantly it was one of the few sand beaches around.

Once done, we came back to the city and loitered around, looking at shops and walking through quiet lanes. It was a charming little place. Here are some random pictures:

Had something to eat and came back to Nice by 7 pm, quite exhausted. Took a shower and went out to hunt for food.

Nice is lovely by the night. There were many tourists and all the places were so well lit up and welcoming. We just walked around, tired and exhausted but loving the whole experience of exploring an unknown city.

Is not this spectacular?

We walked into the old city known for its charming alleys and lovely food stalls. Had dinner, explored some more and came back absolutely, totally exhausted.

Day 2: Later :)

2011-03-29T12:01:00.004+01:00

The beautiful bride.

So I mailed a friend inviting her for my wedding last year. No she could not come but she said she had only one piece of advice. No matter what else happens, you HAVE to look absolutely gorgeous on your big day, she said!

Okay. Right. Ofcourse, I have to.

So far so good. I had chosen my lehenga with care, booked an appointment at the best saloon in the city. I was set to be the pretty bride.

Now I am okay looking. Sometimes when Sid is a little high he goes as far as to tell me that I the most gorgeously beautiful girl on the planet. Mommy says I have the loveliest eyes on the planet. Okay I can ignore Mommy. All mums think their child is good looking. I should also ignore Sid because he says such things only when he is happy high. Okay. Not good. See, I know I am decent looking, never mind if i dont get the compliments.

So that point clarified, let me move forward with my story.

On wedding day, when I was all done at the salon, and the salon ladies had gushed how absolutely gorgeous I was looking and the cleaning lady there said that i was the prettiest bride ever (and asked for a bakshish in the same breath) I was happy and content. Then came mommy. And she stared at me. And stared.

Then she cleared her throat delicately.

'Cant we loosen her hair a little bit?', she asked the parlour lady a tad bit too politely.

'No Aunty, the whole duppata is in the right place because of the hairstyle only!'

'Hmmmm...can we change the color of the lipstick',asked Mum looking at me.

'No Aunty, it matches the lehenga'

'Okay, can we wash her face?'

'Mom!' I said.

Dad called at that very moment.

'Ohh, have they left?' Mom said into the phone.

'The barat will be there in 20 minutes?' she said again after a minute's pause.

'Okay....I have to welcome them, i know'

'Yes I am around an hour from the venue...will come in in a bit'

'Oh ok, dont distrub me I will be there' said Mom, she shut her phone with a bang and barged out to welcome the barat that was 20 minutes away from the venue that itself was an hour drive away.

So there I was standing in my bridal lehenga, dressed in all the finery but not really sure of Mom's reaction.

Was I the beautiful bride?
It was one of the few things that both the sides of the family unanimously agreed. They agreed that I was NOT the beautiful bride.

Some people even told me to go and get back my money from the beauty parlor. And then things started snow balling. Those who probably thought that I was looking good, decided to go with the mass opinion and declared that they would not send their own daughters to the salon where I had gone.
And so on and so forth.

I therefore did not look forward to the wedding video, cringed when it came and hid behind the door when the rest of the family watched it.

I also did not do one more thing.

I never really saw the wedding pictures.

Untill a few days back. Bt when I did do you know what struck me the most? Okay I certainly did not look as great (if i might be aloowed to use that phrase) as i normally do, but you know what? I looked absolutely, blissfully happy :)

2011-03-23T15:14:00.000Z

Right.
So I still exist.

I have been absent from blogging because I have been working too much :(

Things have been very busy of late the blog has been very neglected...Apologies.

I was just thinking how lonely life is here in London. Once the shine of it all wears off its just the loneliest place. I sometimes long so much for my home back in India. My Mum was one of the most ambitious people and still grudges the fact that she had to give up her career. And when I sit here...all alone with just work for company, longing for the familiar banter I always shared with Mum, I think to myself that she did give up a lot but in return I and my brother got SO much.

The comfort of knowing that someone is always there to talk to...some one is always there...just there..

2011-03-08T11:28:00.003Z

Indiah!

Yo!

So it is that gorious time of the year when I get to start gloating about an upcoming India trip. And trust me there are few pleasures greater than this.

I am travelling alone to India in May and will be spending time with both sets of parents. I am already thinking of the nice absolutely yummy things I can eat....aah..well...

Anyways, so I am going to be in India for a glorious 10 days. Of which I might work for a few days as well....but thats fine, till I can be in India and be around people who matter such trivial issues do not matter. The sad part however is the main purpose behind the India visit. The dentist. How I shudder at the thought...

March is dragging on. Yesterday I started work at 8:00 am and finshed it at 8:15 in the night. Days are getting longer, more stressfull and with the year end just around the corner, the tempers are running woefully short...Sid is keeping very busy as well. For those interested, he is again travelling to Germany today for work. Poor fellow, he had to get up at 3:00 am today and he wont be back before 2 in the night- its going to be a long long day. I however plan to leave work on time today, go home dosome work on the book and then have dinner with N who has agreed to come over! I am planning to order food and wont have to cook!

Once March is out (and we are already done with the first week),April should bring some nice things. Primarily, there is going to be a lot of travelling. Sid and I are planning to travel to Nice and Monaco and across Italy in two separate trips in April. I am particularly looking forward to my Nice trip. I spend a lot of time just googling for Nice pics...it seems lovely *Sigh* If only the weather holds up.*Fingers Crossed!!!*

Italy should be good too but its a 9 day trip and each of those days will involve a lot of walking which I am dreading. We are planning to cover Rome, Venice, Florence and Pisa this time. I am really excited about Venice! I originally wanted to explore the south of Italy but then Sid and I decided that it would be best to do the main cities in our first trip.

And once April is out of the door, in comes May!

Yoooohoooooooooooooooo!!! And with May comes the trip to India! India! India! India! India! India! India!!!!!!

2011-03-02T14:38:00.002Z

On being Indian.

'You guys don't drink', said a colleague accusingly one day. He was thinking of ways in which he could thank me for an extra bit of work I had done for him.

By you guys, he meant Indians as a whole. Rather bizarre because I am the only Indian I know in London who does not drink. And trust me I know a lot of Indians.

Anyways, so that was what he said. Just one example of how nationality sometimes explains a million things for a lot of people.

I have realised that there are some assumptions that the western world has made about us Indians. Some are good some while others are certainly not so good. Let me list a few of them:

* We get the scores- When I was interviewing for LBS, one thing was quite clear my 740 GMAT score was not really as great as it would have been for a non Indian. Indians are expected to score above 700! Be damned if you are Indian with a score less than 700!

*We know all about Excel and Powerpoint- So any gora in office has an excel issue, he turns around and shouts for an Indian, the issue gets solved in a jiffy. (Example of Excel complications: The text is exceeding the size of the cell, what do I do? Ans: Thwack your head with a news paper *Aloud* -Use Wrap text *angelic smile*)

*We are Tiny- And being as vertically challenged as I am does not help the cause of people of my nation. What I have started doing is wearing really high heels. All for the love of my country. That has led to back pain. But I can do that much atleast for people of my mother land.

*We do not reply to emails- And that I have to agree to, inspite of all the love for the motherland sloshing inside me. In the one year I have worked in an international organization, I have not come across any non Indian who has not replied to emails. People in India, believe in face to face conversation. Replying to emails does not figure high on their ways to communicate list.

*Saturday and Sunday are working in India- Yes. I am not kidding. This IS what we have done to ourselves. People get so many replies on Saturdays and Sundays ( which of course, the Whites here check only on Mondays) that they think Sat and Sunday are working days in India. Can you bloody beat that? I mean like comon?

*We do not like being handed stuff by the giver's left hand: So apparently there is this book on '120 ways of not offending Indians'. It is, rather disturbingly selling quite a few copies. This piece of exquisite literature spells what a Westerner should do or not do in India if he does not want to offend Indians. One of the things is NEVER to use your left hand while giving an Indian something. Apparently we find it very offending. My colleague came up to me one day and (out of the blue)apologized for having given me things with her left hand in the past. She is after all a leftie and could not do much about it but she will def try not to repeat this in future, she said looking incosolate. I was stunned into silence when she told me why she was apologising for something I had not even noticed!

The book also, FYI says that when you are in a meeting with a couple of Indians, do not speak if one of the Indians is senior to you. Apparently, during the meetings a strict protocol is followed regarding who will speak when. The senior most person sepaks first, then the second in the heirarchy and then the third etc etc. My colleague was concerned. I was VERY concerned.

*Indians cant make it to a meeting on time- Okay. I cannot make it to a meeting on time :(

Let me know if you know more of these! Will be fun!

As for the colleague who complained that Indians do not drink, I told him that while we might not drink, we do eat chocolates ;)

Love
R

2011-02-24T21:32:00.001Z

Too less!

I manage a full time job, a house and my first book is getting published soon. So as you can imagine I should have a lot of work. And yes, I am getting busier by the day but I still feel the need to do more.

No, not the need to achieve more but the need to do more. I get very weird when I come home and have a few hours to myself. I just want to be doing something constructive and useful all the time. Is that normal?

I have been working VERY hard the last few years. There were always a couple of balls in the air. Hell! nine days before my wedding I was giving the TOEFL exam and was checking my result at the airport on my way to my Maldives where I went for my Honeymoon.

While I was working in India ( right after B school), I was juggling a new Sales job plus GMAT prep plus TOEFL prep plus my own wedding prep! Trust me that was a handful.

When I was coming to London ( about 1.5 months after my wedding), the night before I was uptill 2-3 in the morning. Doing what? submitting my PHD application to London Business School! I remember submitting it like 3 hours before leaving India for the UK. The new bride in the in laws house spent all her time in front of the lap top working on some weird marketing concept!

Life in London is easier. This is the first time I do not have an exam to write. I have realised how addicted I have been to exams. It just gives purpose to my life, without that I feel rather lost. So much so that some days back I decided that I should give the IAS exams, go back to India and do something constructive for my country. But finally after some thought I decided against it. Most of my family breathed a sigh of relief. They did not want the mad crazy about to give an exam me around them :P

Anyways, so this is how things stand. I am looking for bigger challenges something that gives me the familiar rush of seeing my name at the top of the result page in college.

Maybe I am plain crazy. Yes that should explain things. Crazy, thats what I am :P

*Sigh*

2011-02-24T21:04:00.002Z

2011-02-22T22:14:00.002Z

Why, in an arranged marriage do we yes to who we say yes to?

I belong to the old school. I wanted it all the to begin and (hopefully) end with the same man. There were enough people who proposed marriage along the way but I never got into anything just for the heck of it or for peer pressure. Even when I was really young I had the sense to understand that this guy in front of me -we will not work out.

Also I was too geeky and busy with tests and grades to really bother ( If you don't believe me, check out my posts till 2009- they are all about grades!)

Now that I have been married for over a year ( and how I love to say that)I wonder what makes a couple tick. Tick for the long term.... that makes you stay together for your life time.

Mine was an arranged match. I was 24 when I met Sid, had seen really little of the world and knew very little about relationships et al (again due to the fact that I was an out right maggu. Sid made sense to me. He used to do cool things like travel to India for the weekend to meet me but I think it was just good luck that Sid is who he is.

The reason I say this is because I am surrounded by women my age who are still looking. For various reasons they are going in for arranged marriages and most of them have met 20-25 boys! Without liking anyone!

Some one is not cool enough, someone is not polite enough, someone is not educated enough, someone is not cheerful enough, some one is not confident enough, someone is not intelligent enough...

My close friends tell me how tough it is meet someone who even meets the basic bare minimum criteria.

And I wonder that is that because as we grow older we become more set in our ways? Do we want more from the person than we had the brains to demand when we were younger?

Sid was the first and ONLY guy I met even though ours was an arranged match. It so happens that he is very well mannered, well educated, cheerful, extremely confident, and very alert and intelligent. But I was not consciously looking for all this. I did not have the brains to figure out that this was all needed! Infact I do not know how many of these characteristics are actually needed.

Met Sid, liked him, he liked me, end of story. It was as simple. The only thing I was looking for in my husband to be was strength of character. That was really all.

But I do wonder, what really makes relationships work. What do you think?

Love
R

P.S. I am getting increasingly busy with office work. Hence the long periods without posts.

PPS Do notice the subscribe box just below the 'About Me' section! I am proud to say that I put that! So please, if you like the blog and would like updates to reach your inbox, enter your email id!

2011-02-16T16:27:00.000Z

Pati in Poland
Or Rather Getting Pati to Poland!

Yes, so Sid is in Poland today. I am not too sure that I can give you the correct name of the city though. I think the name begins with a P and ends with a Z. However it does not matter as he has completely and point blank refused to get me anything from Poland.

Its been quite hectic these last few days and am I am tempted to take a day off just like that! To give you a snap shot of my very interesting life:

Left home at 8:20am . Was very happy about leaving on time. No, the happiness did not last long as when I reached the DLR station I was told that my train was not running. I almost decided to go back home but then changed my mind. So I walked. Yes bloody walked. In my heels. Carrying the laptop that weighs more than I do. Walked bloody 5 stops.

Aaargh!

So, I reached office late and grumpy and then spent the entire day in meetings, calls and mails. Finally came home at around 6:15pm quite exhausted after 10 hours of work. Got half an hour to myself before I started cooking just a little after Sid came in.

Worked some magic there and cooked amazing hybrid Biryani (My version of Biryani. I never had biryani in India, so I just guess.). I was then given the task of Ironing shirts for Sid- a task both of us HATE and are perpetually trying to trap the other one into doing. I considered myself very smart, I actually got away with ironing by finding him two brand new shirts! Happy and elated at my luck, I helped Sid pack his clothes for the Poland trip when Sid decided that he could not find the tiny toothpaste tube he wanted to take. We then proceeded to lift beds, Pull out suitcases from inbetween clothes etc etc –all in am attempt to find the tooth paste tube. But to no avail. Finally I suggested that he could probably buy one at the airport. Sid agreed but continued to look.

*Sigh*

By this time it was almost 9:30 and I was all exhausted. After some more packing and a little more arranging we sat down to a quiet though nice dinner (where Sid philosophically said, ‘Life both choti hoti hai’ )and were asleep by 10:30.

Only to be woken at 4:30 am. The alarm clock woke us up. Time for Sid to go.

I decided to stay in bed as most of Sid’s work had been done the night before and I felt extremely exhausted. Almost as soon as I thought this to myself, Sid announced that he could not find the nail cutter. Since I had used it last, I had to get out bed to hunt for it. I found it in a few minutes and climbed back into bed straight after.

Not for much long though.

The taxi had come, Sid was not ready and I was trying to stay in bed.
Sid put on his brand new shirt and realised that it was too crumpled to be worn. He had too much to do in the next few minutes so I like the best biwi on the planet jumped in to help. So there I was at 5:30 in the morning ironing the shirt. Bloody.

So much worse than ironing the shirt at 9:00 pm in the night.

Should I get some award or what?

So well, finally we managed to get Sid ready for Poland. I jumped right back into my warm comfortable yellow bed knowing that I had to get up at 7 and leave home by 8

I got up at 8.

And that too only because my Mum in law fortuitously called me up.

And then started the cycle again!

*Sigh*

P.S Anyways, I now have the evening to myself and am looking forward to ordering my favourite mushroom rice from a Bangladeshi restaurant that pretends to sell Indian Food. I have a lovely PG Wodehouse that I am going to read! Maybe I wont miss Sid?

I wish. :)

2011-02-10T12:28:00.000Z

The story of my Teeth

So each year till I finished engineering I would go to a new dentist. My mother would force me into going to one.

My Mom was convinced that there was something wrong with my teeth, something that she could not quite lay her hands on but definitely something wrong. The smile was not quite nice, the way I closed my mouth was not the way it should have been etc etc

But unfortunately no dentist seemed to agree. Year after year, the different dentist we went to said that nothing was wrong with my teeth. Okay, so we nodded our heads and mom ticked off another dentist from her list. The perfect dentist was still at large. If only Mum kept trying hard enough, we would find him one day. The dentist who would agree that there was something wrong with my teeth.

Where there is a will, there is a way.

There sure is.

One fine day, Mum found him. That was last year of engineering. I had gotten through Bschool and was generally very happy with life. I should have known that happiness does not last too long.

I went to him with my Dad after Mum made the appointment.

He gave my teeth one look and said ‘ All gadbad’

I gasped.

‘We need to take out 2 teeth’, the dentist said flatly.

‘No!’, I said sitting up in protest.

‘Yes’, said the dentist pushing me back again.

‘When can we do this?’, asked my Dad.

‘Today’, said the dentist pulling out something that resembled a screw driver.

‘No!’, I said sitting up in protest yet again.

‘Yes’, said the dentist pushing me back yet again.

‘Let me call Mummy’, said Dad intelligently. When in doubt, call the wife. I wish
Sid would realize that as well. Anyways, coming back to the story.

‘Yes, lets call Mummy’, I said hopefully.

So Dad called Mummy and told her that the dentist wanted to pull out my teeth and give me braces for 5 months. Well in time for B school. The conversation took 3 seconds. I gather mum leaped with joy, pumped her fists in the air and screamed a ‘Just do it!’.

Well so the teeth were taken out. Two from the lower jaw. The dentist told me to eat loads of ice cream. The only thing he said that I approved of. Happy with that atleast I went home with cotton stuffed where my teeth had been.

Mum gave me the Royal treatment for the next two days. She had not been so happy even when I had converted B school. Some 2 days later when I could open my mouth easily, Mum and I were discussing things and life.

She said something and I smiled.

‘WHATTT!’, shrieked Mum.

‘Huh?’, said I.

‘Whats happened to your lower dentures?’

‘He took out 2teeth, that’s what’s happened!’, I said now confused.

‘Two from the lower?’, gasped my Mum.

‘Yes, Daddy asked you also’, I said

‘No, but Lower was absolutely fine! I wanted to set the upper denture right!!’

Wow. So because of that I spent the first 1 year of Bschool with white ceramic
braces. Only thing was they coloured yellow when I ate something that had turmeric in it. So many people thought I had perpetually yellow teeth and suggested that I should brush more regularly.

Such is the unfairness of life

2011-02-08T11:40:00.000Z

Cooking shooking

The first meal I made was one day after coming to London. I made rice, and then stirred fried it with some veggies. I served it with curd and I was surprised that it was edible.

That seems like a long time back. A long journey has been travelled since then.
In the beginning I hated to cook. I just completely hated spending any time in the kitchen. There was a reason behind that though. There I was fresh out of B school, had just resigned from one of the best jobs that the campus had to offer, was living in a country far away from my own –doing little the whole day apart from receiving negative replies from recruiters and cooking.

So, I started resenting it quite a bit. I felt I had turned into one of those people whose purpose in life is o just cook. I know now that that was extremely stupid. I wish I had not thought that way. But well that was how it was.

Now, things are much different. I love to cook. After spending the whole day punching in the keyboard, I love to spend time in the kitchen. Also, it is honestly easier and more fun to cook here. Most vegetables are fresh and clean and you can get chopped veggies as well if you want. If you want to make pasta, you get 100 different types of sauces you can choose from. Boil the pasta, add the sauce and voila! The food is ready.

I don’t really enjoy food too much but I have developed a liking for cooking. Very often, I find myself looking for recipes online and trying them out after work or over the weekends.

It helps that Sid loves what I cook. He is generally the only person eating my food (except for myself) and manages to complement me when I know for sure that the food is bad.

We often invite people over for elaborate (by UK standards ) Indian meals and I quite enjoy that process as well. Sid handles the cleaning of the house and I do the cooking. I love the spread that I end up with.

The growth trajectory in terms of what I cook, has been decent. I started with rice and daal and some veggies, moved on to parathas, then to rotis, then to stuffed parathas, then to pooris and then to bhatoores. My highest point has been the samosas I made last to last week. I felt, I had, momentarily atleast arrived in life.

The next thing I am very keen to try my hand at is baking. I am dying to make muffins and bake bread. And I sound so domesticated now.

*Sigh*
This is what a year of marriage does to you.
Love
R

2011-02-04T21:25:00.000Z

Birthday :)

So 2nd of Feb, I turned another year older. *Sigh* While the lead up to the birthday was not too good (Sid informed me that he would be travelling to Paris that day), the day itself turned out to be really lovely.

Sid woke me at mid night with a lovely cake (okay, not a full cake but 4 slices of chocolate cake with a gazillion candles on it! But hey, things not perfect are generally things charming!)

Here is a pic of the cake! And no,I have not cut it yet. Thats the whole cake!

He also gifted me a moon pig card which had some million pics of me on the outside and some lovely lines inside. Ofcourse I alter found that the lovely lines had been lifted from the internet but again, I found that cute too!

Anyways, now coming to the day itself.So many lovely things happened. A colleague of mine, who is actually 10 years older to me and has been working for 14 years now, took me out for lunch. We just went to Pret to get a work lunch but then we were like, lets make it exciting! Lets have a sit in lunch. So we sat in Pret and talked and ate. It was just so lovely and I was truly touched by her thoughtfulness.

Then there is this other office friend whom I had helped sometime back. He had promised to get me chocolates for that ( since I dont drink and he could not think of any other way of saying thank you . When I went in office, he was there standing with a box of chocolates for me.

I was like, 'oh my God, its my birthday today!'. He hugged me and wished me a happy birthday and we had a good laugh about the co incidence.

My sister in law sent me lovely flowers at work.

And once I came back home and got a few quiet minutes to myself, I was just so happy. Just genuinely happy for no apparent reason.

Sid came back at around 8:15 pm. Since we were not together the whole day ( and he is taking me birthday shopping tomorrow) he wanted to get me something, even if it was really small. He took the last bit quite seriously and got me ear rings from Paris that cost him 3.75 euros!

But I love those ear rings! Never mind the price!

But that was not all. So by that time I was exhausted and I did not feel like going for the dinner Sid and I had planned. I was dreaming about an ordered take away but Sid kept insisting that we should go out. While we were discussing that, the bell rang.

I opened the door to see my best friend, N standing there with this HUGE cake in her hands. She and her BF had come to surprise me! And surprise me they did. We cut the cake, N's Bf smeared it on my face ( how can we complete the day without that ritual!)and we all hogged on the absolutely LOVELY cake! (Red Velvet, a semi favourite, as nothing can take the place of chocolate)

So then we all went out to have dinner. And that was lovely too.It was bang in the middle of the week and everyone had come back from work. There were all tired but had taken out time to make my day special.....I was so touched.

It was a lovely birthday :) Now you know why.
Love
R

2011-01-31T22:16:00.000Z

Circus!

So, Friday last, Sid and I went to see the first circus of my adult life. It was called Totem and was performed by Cirque Du Soleil.

It was by far the most speactular thing I had ever seen. To start with Royal Albert Hall was nothing short of fantastic being so steeped in heritage and culture as a lot of things in London are.

This circus is one of the most famous on the planet. They come up with various shows and travel across the world. Infact The troupe was travelling to Amsterdam when we had visited it last year.

The show ahd not started but the clowns came in and mingled with the crowds, flirted with the women, teased the men and generally set the mood for the whole show. And boy, what a show it was. There were enough times I was taken aback with what the men/ women were doing a few feet away from me!

The skill, timing and perfection. These men and women have spent their life times perfecting their art and I came out of the hall, very very very impressed to say the least.

Most people who work in the circus are ex olympic gymnasts, you had to see the stunts to believe them. You know how you must have seen the ice skating olympics and how you gasp as the girl twirls on her skates at lightning speed...it was all there and more! Very often I would not clap / cheer when an act was over because i was too busy gasping! There were trapese artists, clowns, russian bars and a lot of other stuff...

It was an expensive watch, but one of the best evenings I have had in London. And for those who live in cities where the circus visits, this is just to tell you to go give it a watch. Trust me, it will be worth it!

Love
R

2011-01-26T15:19:00.000Z

I wish I could look coyly at my nails and say that I found Yamla Pagla Deewana too pedestrian for my sophisticated tastes. I wish I could talk about intelligent cinema and how it never fails to excite me.

I wish.

Only that wish is not coming true anytime soon.

I loved Dabang and as if that was not enough, I went ahead and laughed my head off in Yamla Pagla Deewana enjoying it more than ‘127 hours’ and ‘The King’s Speech’ put together. Okay these are both great movies worthy of a watch but I just enjoyed Yamla Pgala Dewana much more.

Bobby Deol is by far the weakest link in the movie with his excessive face making. People in Benaras do not have twisted faces. As far as I know atleast. And his love interest, I recognized her from a tele serial I used to watch many many years ago on Zee TV. I cannot recall the name of the TV serial but I do remember that she had an imaginary son called Tingu. As expected that name had kinda cracked me up and has stayed with me all these years.

So well, the honest truth is that I enjoy nonsense. The mad cap kind of nonsense.
In sharp contrast there is this other movie lover in me that forgets to eat painstakingly made poha ( yes I cook Indian food!) when she sees Kal ho na ho on the telly. Poha is forgotten, husband is sushed and not replied to when he dares utter a word and tears stream down my face as Shah Rukh lies on his death bed. As Preity zinta runs out of the hospital room, unable to see the man she loves die, I contemplate switching the channel. It is too difficult to see Shah Rukh die.
Talking of Preity Zinta. Well, she is about to get married to Saif Ali Khan. Her mother, grand mother and a lot of other rather fat aunties sing ‘mahi ve’. Jaya Bachchan tries her best to look forlorn at the engagement of her daughter. I cry buckets as my mind goes back to my own wedding and vidaai.

What kind of a Bollywood fan am I? It is against my ethics to say that any (read ANY) movie was crappy. I don’t say that. It cannot be true. I find something nice in every movie. The more the nonsense in the movie, the more I enjoy it. And ofcourse if Shah Rukh dies, I cry non stop.

What kind of a Bollywood fan am I?

And on that noble thought,

Love

R

P.S For those interested I can be reached at ruchita[dot]misra[at]hotmail[dot]co[dot]uk

2011-01-19T21:58:00.000Z

Travelogue- Marrakech ( December, 2010)

Marrakech Day 4

For those interested in the the previous bits of the Morocco trip
Morocco Day One: http://smilethesmile.blogspot.com/2010/12/morocco-day-one.html
Morocco Day Two: http://smilethesmile.blogspot.com/2010/12/marrakech-morocco-day-two.html

So we set out today at 8 in the morning for which we got out of bed by 7! What kind of a holiday is it if you are up and about by 6:45?

Anywyas, after a hurried breakfast we set out in our rented car, again with the same guide as before, Bougemal. The drive today took us some 4 hours, 4 hours of spectacular rocky terrain as we reached our destination: Kasbah Ait Ben Haddou.

In Arabic, a Kasbah is the between of a village and a fortress. And Kasbah Ben Haddou is one of the most famous ones across Morocco. It has been declared as an UNESCO world heritage sight.

Anyways, here are some of my favourite pics from today. These are few of the clicks from the very beginning of the journey.

The valley!

Another view!

Our Car. I like this lonely car shot.

The best part was that we could stop where ever we wanted and click pics.
Infront of our eyes, the terrain started changing. You can now see a much more harsh terrain. I wish the camera could capture what the eyes can see. This was one of the passes. This was called Tischka Pass. Tischka means Darkness in Arabic. Like Sid said, one can only imagine how scary it would have been 1000 years ago.

This is how the roads looked from the highest accessible bit at the Pass.

And the terrain changes further

And...further! Can you see the snow capped mountain peaks? I just could not enough of them.

This is by far one of my favourite pics. The camels and the brown. The snow and the white. The combination of the two is just too eerie! There are a million pics of the brown and the white! This was one of the stops we took while on our way.

This was the last stop. It provided us with a view of the Kasbah.

Once inside the Kasbah, we spent an hour or so exploring the Kasbah and clicking the pics. Below are a few of them.

Two women in a distance

All in all today was a spectacular day and we loved every bit of it to bits!We reached the Riad by 7 after gifting our guide a packet of delicacies we had got from London, rested for some time ( I finished the book I am reading,’A piece of Cake’ by Cupcake Brown, yes that’s the authors name : Cupcake!), went out again to get some food....and by the time we came back, we were exhausted!
Day four comes to an end......I hope you enjoyed reading the post as much as i enjoyed the day!

Love

R

2011-01-19T09:24:00.000Z

tired and grumpy.

Yes that is my post. This is all that it intends to tell you. That I am tired and grumpy. How this bit of information will change your life forever, I do not know.

But then I am grumpy and tired.

2011-01-14T19:57:00.000Z

Travelogue

I am trying to put in this blog little bits of the various places I keep travelling to. I have realized that I have forgotten so much about my trips last year. Hence this attempt :)

Brussels, Belgium.
April, 2010.

Sid and I travelled to Brussels for a day last Easter. We went there with another couple from Sid’s B school which added to the fun. We drove in from Paris enjoying every bit of the French and Belgian countryside.

And with that we enter Belgium!

We went out to this authentic Dutch Place for dinner. Okay the only vegetarian bits that Dutch eat is bread, cheese and fries. So well, that is what I had. I remember that even though it was a well known place, none of us really like the food.

After that we all went out for a stroll and walked around the Grand Place. As you can see it was beautiful!

Next day we spent a LOT of time strolling around. It is a small city. Nothing much to see compared to the biggies like Paris and London but it has a charm about itself that is difficult to ignore.

The stock exchange!

We roamed and shopped in the small alleys of the city. There were a multitude of chocolate and toy shops that were a treat to the eye.

Toys!

The Manneken Piss- That is supposed to be one of the most important things to see in Brussles and we walked round and round trying to locate it! I burst out laughing when we actually did find it. First it was so tiny that it was ludicrous. Second, the piss in ‘Manneken piss’ was actually just that! Mannaken Piss is the statue of a small boy peeing!

We dutifully posed infront of Manneken Piss and clicked multiple shots of everyone.
We spent the rest of the evening strolling around the city, we discovered a city square, where we spent a lot of time generally chatting up, soaking in the sun and resting our tired feet. The last thing we did was to check out the Tintin museum. Tintin was created by Herge in Brussels and hence the museum is apparently quite the famous one. Since I am not a Tintin fan, I did not enjoy it too much. The fact that we were the only all adult group did not help matters too much.

Anyways, it was a lovely day and a half spent in Brussels. I don’t think I will go there again because there is not much for the typical tourists we are.

As a parting shot, a pic of Sid and me walking the streets of Brussels. Don’t we look like two school going kids making way to school?

Love,
R

2011-01-11T21:34:00.000Z

No one killed Jessica- Movie Review

So I have decided I will try puttting in a review for each of the gazillion movies I watch here. Also, that will reduce the I-me-myself that goes on and on on this blog.

1) The story is gripping even though you know most parts of it. This is when I think the credit goes to the writer director Raj Kumar Gupta. And to the leading ladies of the movie.

2) My award for the best performace would go neither to Rani nor to Vidya, it would go to Rajesh Sharma who plays the police officer. I absolutely lonved the scene where he throws the glass frustrated at what was happening

3) Vidya versus Rani. In my honest opinion, Vidya looks like the plain girl next door. The girl no one notices. Vidya who looked amazing in Ishqiya ( you can forgets stuff like 'hey baby' and 'Kismet connection') and manages to look stunning in her latest Saree avatar, has looked so absolutely plain that it is mind blowing.
I found Rani's performance a little put on in bits, maybe because she has cultivated a very refined, sensible image of herself in the minds of the casual cinema goer. The smoking and the expletives seemed a little out of place.
For me while both the ladies were very good, Vidya might walk away with the plaudits. Having said that, I am very happy for Rani. This is a hit and a performace she so badly needed.

4)There is one scene in the movie when Vidya goes to her terrace and screams her lungs out. I was blown away by that scene.

5)There is another scene when Vidya is speaking on TV and sounding really boring. Rani just switches off the TV and asks her maid to get her some pickle. Rani was fantastic in those 2 seconds.

6) In the last scene when Rani comes to Jessica's grave, I got a sense of deja vu. Veer Zara. Rani saves the day :)

7) I remember the time when the candle light march was organised for Jessica and how the some people discarded it as a theatrical antic picked up from a hit movie. It was debated how Rang de Basanti probably played a big role in getting Indians in that mode of not being willing to tolerate any more nonsense. I agree.

All in all, a definite watch. Go watch it , if you have not not just for Jessica Lal but for the other million Jessicas who are not as lucky.

Love
R

2011-01-10T17:15:00.000Z

One Whole Year

On the 8th of January, 2011 I completed one whole year in London. On 9th of Jan 2010,Sid took me out on my first walk to Canary Wharf. I clicked some pictures then which I have often seen and wondered how I had the courage to leave everything behind and come to an alien land where I hardly knew anyone except my husband. It has been an interesting year with all its ups and downs. A lot has happened in this one year.

I managed to find a job for myself that was much better than I thought I would ever manage. While there are enough days when I wish I could stay in bed a little longer, I am deeply grateful for work. It is part of my identity and I love most of it.

I travelled. Many countries and cities including bits of UK, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Wales, Amsterdam and Morocco. Add to that 2 trips to India and viola you have my travel itinerary for the year.

I learnt to cook. Before I came to the UK I had NEVER cooked a full meal. Never ever expect for one time when my Mum had taken bro for some med exam. I can now cook easily for a party of 6-8. 8 we have not yet done, but I am sure I can manage it with ease. I can make dosa-sambhar and all kinds of paranthas and pooris.

I am picking up a slight accent. Particularly when speaking to the firangs, yes that has started to happen. I am now rarely asked to repeat myself meaning that they understand my accent as well! I have been very consciously resistant to the idea of picking up the British accent but unknowingly a little bit of change is creeping in the way I speak.

I have learnt to dress better. Yes, I dress better now. It was almost a culture shock to see women dressed better for grocery shopping than I was for my own wedding. People really care about their appearances here ( and spend a lot on it) and appreciate it if others do too. I very rarely see anyone dressed badly in London. So, yes, while I am not crazy about it all, I do manage to pull myself and present myself better. After a year of practice, I have actually started enjoying the process a lot more than I did before.

I have learnt to take rejection. It was a difficult lesson, but like most things difficult, a very important lesson.

Started to paint: I have spent many happy hours painting stuff. Something I never thought I would ever do!

Saw TOO many Movies. Oh boy! Did I watch movies? I watched so many many movies that I have lost count of them! But I just love it and am glad I can do this in London.Also, no matter the count of movies, I am yet to come out of a Bollywood movie and not sigh and think that I should make a movie one day.

Got interviewed by the Best Bschool in the world. Okay I did not get through and neither did I go there for an MBA degree but I did get interviewed by the faulty. It was an amazing experience.

Read a lot. Everyone reads a lot here. The tubes in the morning are packed but you can hear a pin drop. Why? Because everyone is busy reading something. The good aprt about this is that there are some really good libraries here and hence a steady supply of books which is something I always sorely missed back in India.

Wrote my first book. Yes. I have written my first book. I have the best publisher I could have hoped for and if all goes well, you will see the book in the market in 6 months time. And this is all that I will say about my book at this stage. I still feel something might go wrong and am rather jittery about the whole thing.

So, as you can see, it has indeed been a busy busy year.

Love
R

2011-01-02T22:08:00.000Z

Another Painting

Disclaimer: This one is not as pretty as the previous one.

So, today was one day when through out the day, we did not step out. I have had very busy days of late even though we have been on holiday and i got up today extremely exhausted and did not want to go out at all. Hence I had a lot of time to kill. I spent some of it making a painting.

I have only recently discovered the joys of Amazon.com. You just go onlin, pick up the stuff you like, wait a few days and Bingo! It has been delivered! It was this that I used to get myself a set of Frank Clark's DVD set for paintings. And that is what I used to teach myself how to paint this painting.

I took me around an hour to finish the whole thing. Frank does not outline his paintings but I find them very bland without the outlines. Hence you will see most things defined in my paintings.

As promised in the comment section of my last Painting post I have putting pictures of stuff used.

Painting Final version:

Paints used:

Paint brushes:

Paper used:

My painting in the Paint Book:

I know this one is not really as good as the previous one, but as usual, do let me know what you think of it.

2011-01-01T21:51:00.000Z

Happy New Year!

So I am not the partying sorts. But yet I was part of the biggest party in London that brought in New Years.

Sid and I went to watch the fireworks at London Eye to bring in the New Years Eve. There were 250,000 people there, i came to know later!

We left home ar 6:30, reached at 7 where some of our friends were waiting for us. Then we waited for 12 o clock. Standing for better part of the this time.

Yes, there were so many people that these people made announcements asking people to stand up so that more people could be accomodated.

Around midnight, helicopters started hovering over head and some guy on the BBC radio told us that we will soon be going live, the entire 250,000 of us and that we are supposed to cheer at certain points of time. And we even had a dress rehearsal for that!!!

Mid night came and with that came spectacular fireworks, that lasted 10 minutes by the watch. Finally the journey home that should have taken us 30 minutes, took at approximately 2.5 hours. There were youngsters all over the place, most of them drunk. One woman came up to me asking for a hug. I saw atlaest 3-4 women crying for various reasons ( mainly because they were drunk)....i saw a side of london i have never seen before. Dont get me wrong, it was not like it was not fun....but its just that I have never been in such a crowded place in London before.

So finally, after stanfing for 5 hours, and 2.5 hours spent in communiting, we brought in the new years by watching 10 minutes of fireworks.

Here is a pic from last night. We were standing right across the London Eye.

Source of the pic: dailymail.co.uk

And yes, thought we will not do this again, i think, i have to say that it was a once in a life time experience and probably worth its salt.

Ofcourse my dad checked the BBC coverage of the fireworks to see if he could see either Sid or me on TV.

No, we were not on TV.

So, this is wishing all of you a fantabulous new year. Health. Happiness. Love and peace. In that order:)

Love

R

2010-12-29T17:58:00.000Z

Blast from the past :) :

Okay so I was looking into the huge number of posts that make this blog. I am generally cleaning up and intend to no longer remain Anonymous by the end of the next 6 months or so.

Hopefully.

Anyways, so while I was sifting through the 300 odd posts, I came across some arbit post about what my ideal husband would be like. It was quite an interesting read to know what almost 5 years younger R thought about all this and to compare it with who I finally did marry, Sid!

(Also I was called Moonwalker then and hence by Mr Moonwalker I refer to my future husband)

First point:
The most important thing for me is the character of the guy. Simple as that. I cannot bear flirts. Okay ,a lot of you would belong to the genre which believes flirting to be as healthy as 3hrs of yoga followed by a gigantic bowl of fresh fruits but i am as far from that group of people as is Pluto from Mummy Earth.So , Mr.MoonWalker has to be someone who doesn’t faint with excitement/get hyper/crack those i-am-sucha-dude jokes each time something in a skirt walks by.

I still think this is the most important thing in the man you seek to marry. And luckily for me, and touchwood, Sid is certainly not a flirt, much to my happiness. I dont know how women tolerate men who flirt outrageously. No, I do not buy the concept of healthy flirting.

Apart form that, times have indeed changed. Pluto is no longer a planet. Sob. Sob.

Second point:
As far as looks are concerned, no modern day Adonis is required.Hmm..just discussed this with Ma, she is real cool okay. So according to her, those,lean guys in thoda baggy white tees, specs, padhai-likhai waala luk are my types..hehe...maybe...the only thing is that Mr.MoonWalker's nose should be presentable..bus! submarine! helicopter!

Lean: No, not really.
Thoda baggy white tees: No, I have never seen Sid in a baggy white tee. In fact his casual clothes also sometimes look formal to me.
Specs: No
Padhai- Likhai wala luk: Hmmm…a lot of my relatives say that he looks really studious. But he was never really the maggu types. But yes, if we go by popular vote, he does look padha likhai wala
nose should be presentable: I love Sid’s nose. And all's good with the nose, all's good with everything!

Third Point:
Well read. Now see, most guys run at a good to very good average speed when brought face to face with a buk. The putative Mr.M should not be one of them. A fellow P.G.Wodehouse fan would be heaven sent. This is classic example of wishful thinking.*deep sigh!*.A bad case of wishful thinking.

Yes, that is what it now seems to be. A bad case of wishful thinking. No, Siddharth is no book lover like me, though he does pick up a book once in a while and there are loads of his books i found below our bed one fine day some 7-8 months after coming to London. He loves his cricket and his formula One. It was no surprise to me that he has just downloaded for 59 pence a game called ‘Need for Speed’ on my Iphone.

Fourth Point:
See, the problem with me is that even though I might have hundreds of things to say when some serious, emotional matter is under discussion, I just end up saying something totally non commital. My closest friends have braved these kinds of situations with admirable strength, valor and determination.*applause* I generally just hurriedly end the discussion as thousands of things scream their lungs out, silently, inside my teeny-weeny head. I can only hope that Mr.MoonWalker somehow understands this. He can also take Ms N's. 'how-to-manage-Ms-MoonWalkeer' classes held on Mondays from 6 in the evening. I hear she is quite good. God bless her.

Hmmm............well I do remain the same person from all those years ago. And this irritates Sid. But he has learnt to live with it, poor soul.

Fifth Point:
I get scared of people very easily. I hope Mr.M is one of those non-scary types. I would not like to be scared of Mr. MoonWalker. A simple guy would make a very nice Mr. MoonWalker

Mr Moonwalker wants things to work with military precision. But I don’t mind it because hopefully that will make me a more alert person.

Sixth Point:

Mr.MoonWalker should not dictate my way of living. If I want my hair streaked red( right now i have honey-brown streaks ,by the way)and Mr MoonWalker happens to have a distinct proclivity towards blonde, he is most welcome to get all his hair coloured blonde. Mine shall be streaked red . Full stop. Period.

No, Sid would never have a problem if I got my hair colored in which ever color I want. He might tell me it looks disgusting if I ask him. But if I cry once he says that, he might even tell me that he was just kidding and my hair looks great :P

Seventh Point:
I live by some rules..I have a pronounced sense of what's right and what's not. You see, I need to respect myself, I need to be able to look myself back in the eye when I look in the mirror( which since is very often...ahem..), I am very bothered about what I think of myself. This has to be understood by Mr.M. I am neither as frivolous as most girls nor as silly (atleast most of the times till I don’t see anything PINK .Then I go crazy).

Okay Living in a place like London where everything is OK this bit of my personality is something I have been thinking about. I do think that Sid likes this in me and appreciates me for who I am. Atleast I hope he does :)

Eighth and last point:
It would be nice if there are some common things that both of us want to do .It would be nice if he likes to travel, it would be nice if he likes mountains, we could plan stuff together and have a nice time doing it. It would be nice if Mr. M is a teeny, just a teeny teeny bit like me.

No, in a marriage you can't look at things at a macro level, all things become micro. And no two people can be similar at that level. We ( by we i mean human beings )are just not made that way. There are many similarities, we both work hard, are not really party people, dont mind plopping infront of the TV.....But yes talking about travelling, he does love to travel in fact he loves it much much more than I do. But I am getting closer to his level....

It is funny how Mr. Moonwalker is now Sid who I know and love. He is not some arbit man who I will meet in the future. When I was younger, on those rare occasions when I was not mugging up stuff, I would wonder what the guy I would marry was doing right then. On a number of occasions I had memorized the date so that I would ask my husband what he was up to that day whenever I met him. Unfortunately, even I do not remember any of dates except one.

It was the 29th of December, 2004. I now know what Sid would have been up to that day. He would have been celebrating as that would have been his 24th birthday. :)

Those of you with a lightning quick mind would have therefore figured out that today is Sid's 30th birthday.

Happy birthday, baby. Have a wonderful year ahead :)

Love
R

P.S. For those interested in the link to the post I am talking about is this: http://smilethesmile.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_archive.html

2010-12-25T21:12:00.000Z

Marrakech, Morocco, Day Two.

So today started with a roof top breakfast with a view of the Atlas Mountains. Cris, our Romanian Riad manager joined us then to give us some more tips for the day and help us plan the rest of the trip.

By the end of the day we have walked for over 8 hours non stop exploring the city by foot.

The first stop of the day was Madrassa. We met a guy who was writing stuff in beautiful Arabic Calligraphy. We got our names written by him! Then we headed towards the Museum and spent some hours there.

We then came back to the main square walking through the souks, and found an Italian place for lunch(!). Then it was back to the hotel to catch a quick nap.
Refreshed after the half an hour nap, we set out again and walked almost upto the walls of the medina. We managed to find the Saadian Tombs and agreed that we have much grander things back home in India. Feeling all superior about it we left the tombs as happy Indians.

We then found a smaller square which had a multitude of cats and sat on the one of the benches there to rest our aching feet. Once we felt like we could walk again, we made our way back to the main square, waked around to the minaret, found some nice gardens there and spent a few minutes absorbing the beauty of them.

The main square today had newer things to offer. There were acrobats, jokers,, fortune tellers in addition to the regular lots. Also today there were a lot more people singing and in general making a lot of noise. There was this new guy there who would burst into bollwood songs each time we would pass him. Also, I noted this rather irritating habit of the younger lot to shout out ‘Indian, Indian’ when we would pass in order to attract our attention. Both Sid and I have mastered the art of ignoring everyone around us because of the rather aggressive way in which these people sell there wares.

Anyways, we had food at one of the stalls (stall no one one seven, will take you to heaven!) and came back to the Riad at 7:30 absolutely tired after SO much of walking.

I will put up the pics for the day once i am back in London and have that amazing
broadband speed back again!

Love

R

2010-12-24T22:39:00.001Z

Morocco, Day One.

So, I am typing away from the lounge of a Riad in Morocco.(Riads are traditional Moroccan homes). Sid and I are here because 29th of December is Sid’s 30th birthday and since he refused each gift i suggested, including the very convenient Ipad, I finally decided on a 5 day trip to Marrakech, the cultural capital of Morocco.

Anyways, so today was day one the trip. Thankfully our flight did take off (London has been snowed down really bad this time of the year) and we reached Marrakech on time, safe and sound.

A taxi came to pick us up and dropped us off at a point where it could go no further. Once there, a cart came to pick us up! We then walked through labyrinths of this fascinating city to reach out Riad. It certainly is an oasis of calm in the madness of the city.

The mangers of the Riad welcomed us with mint tea and tiny biscuits while explaining the maps and giving us helpful inputs about the city.

We are staying a room called the ‘Berber Room’ named after a native tribe of morocco. Both of us having slept really late night, and awake since 4 in the morning, promptly fell asleep and woke up refreshed at around 5.

I spent the first day roaming around the city and I must say it is such a colourfully vibrant city. We walked the souks and the roamed the main square. There is such an eclectic mix of things happening there! So there are snake charmers, story tellers, water sellers, food stalls, spice merchants, henna girls, men with mokeys, men with tortoises from the atlas mountains, men with dead hedgehogs, men selling stuffed faces of dead goats, men singing traditional music....the list just goes on and on.

The souks (or traditional markets) sell everything from spices to key chains to scarfs to figurines to food. The colour in some of them is just fascinating for someone like me who loves colors!

The spice merchants

However, there are somethings that hit me as well.

People are desparate for money. Some guy in fancy dress needs to see you look at him with a camera in hand and he will be on top of your head asking for money the very next instant. People, I don’t know why, have often in the first day asked us our religion. It goes like this:

Q: Pakistani?

We: No, Indians.

Q: Muslims?

We: No.

Q: Indians?

We: Yes.

Q: Shahrukh Khan! Amitabh Bachchan!

We then just laugh indulgently. It is also a fascinating study to see how Indian is equal to Bollywood here! And this is the local Moroccan I am talking about.

We met another man who kept on saying that Amitabh Bachchan is his brother. Also, we kind of lost our way when returning (it is impossible to remember the way! It is
just so very confusing!) and then this hoard of Moroccans descended on us to help out but obviously in return for money. And as the boy led us to our Riad, I felt really scared because i had no idea where we were going and if we were going in the right direction.

Anyways, we came in time for our dinner at 8 that the Riad had arranged for us tonight and we had a lovely time eating a Moroccan meal. Every possible shelf in the Riad has books on it. I can have a great time just sitting in and flipping through the books!

With that meal, a little more conversation, we decided to call it a day.

It has been an interesting day so far. I just hope Sid likes his gift 

Love

Ruchita

2010-12-21T16:54:00.000Z

Family Legend

So, I was in class 8 I think when I met him first. In his mid 50s, semi bald and an easy grin on his rather sweet looking face, he was the third maths tutor Mum and Dad found for me. He was also a patient of my Dad and the two had known each other for a long time.

At that point in time when we first met Khan Sir, he had been suspended from his job for sometime and was looking at teaching kids to make some money. He had been caught taking a bribe. Of Rupess 500.

No, I am not kidding. He told that to us himself with endearing frankness that brought out a rather inconvenient giggle from me.

Anyways, that is not the point. There is this one particular incident I want to talk about.

So, my house is the last house on the road. Beyond that is a wall that separates our colony from the rest of world and the ‘naala’. ‘Nalaa’ is a big drain, for the benefit of my friends who do not know Hindi. Now those days for some other work, that wall had been brought down temporarily. So basically we were spending days whiffing in the delicious smell emanating from the Nalaa.

Just to put things in perspective, the Nalaa did a noble job. It carried the bodily wastes of the entire colony to I don’t know where. I really don’t even want to know where. It was always flowing and once the wall was down I could once in a while hear it make gurgling noises like any small delicate rivulet. Only one could not ignore what the Nalaa carried. We waited with bated breath (literally) for the wall to be put up again.

So one fine day Khan Sir was expected to come at 6 in the evening. 6 came and went but no Khan Sir. But there was nothing new about this, he was often late, and hence this was no cause for worry.

At 6:30 our door bell rang like a hundred times in a frantic mad manner. Alarmed, we hurriedly opened the door to see the local milkman standing outside the door with a scared look on his face.

‘Sa’ab, come quickly’ he told my dad.

‘Why What happened?’, asked my Dad.

‘Khan Sir’, said milkman as if that explained everything.

‘What about him?’, asked my dad.

‘He fell in the Nalaa’

‘WHAT?’ said my dad as he hurriedly made his way to the nalaa. Solely for entertainment purposes I went along with my Dad to ‘rescue’ Khan Sir. In a file, with Dad leading, followed by my brother, the milkman, and another neighbour, the rescue party marched to the Nalaa. I brought the rear end of the rather perfect file sometimes tripping over stones and gravel because of my dainty white heels.

Once we reached the Nala, and it was quite dark by the time we reached, I could hear Khan Sir’s voice coming from somewhere down below. Using my thumb and index finger delicately to close my nose, I gingerly bent forward to peep into the darkness of the nalaa. With my nose shut also, I could smell the strong, pungent odour of ‘bodily wastes’. Our colony is rather big, I thought to myself judging by the amount of substance I could see in the nalaa, happily flowing along.

‘ABC aunty had an upset stomach and had come today morning asking for some medicine’, my brother whispered in my ear before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. He had never really liked Khan Sir.

Khan Sir was sitting cross legged on the floor of the Nalaa looking rather comfortable and waiting patiently for us to do something. He looked up from the Nala as I looked down and are eyes met. Well, that was my tutor sitting in the middle of shit. But it was my tutor nevertheless and one could not really forget the formalities.

‘Hello Sir’, I said my usual greeting.

‘Hello R’, said Khan Sir from down below.

A moment’s silence as Dad, Bhai and the milkman stepped aside to discuss their plan of action.

‘How are you sir?’, I shouted at him. This was my usual second sentence to him. Even in the moment of adversity, we stuck to protocol.

‘Chal raha hai’, he said causally from down below.

After that I really did not know what I could say by way of small talk so I kept shut. The men had in the mean while figured out a way to pull him out. The neighbour and the milkman went to our house and got a ladder which was then put inside the nalaa.

Slowly, after some 15 minutes, Khan sir climbed out of the Nalaa with shit dripping out of every bit of him. Needless to say he stank.

‘Kaise, bhai sa’ab, yeh hua kaise?’ asked my Dad seemingly very interested in how one could end up inside a nalaa. Dad looked like one of those news correspondents who want to ask the man who has come out of the gutter how he is feeling. I giggled. Dad looked at me sternly which made me swallow the rest of the giggle and disguise it into a cough.

Khan Sir grinned sheepishly. And delicately raised his pinkie. Thereby meaning that he had gone there to pee, tripped over a stone and had landed elbow first inside the nalaa. He had spent some 20 minutes inside shouting for help when the Milkman heard him and somehow recognised him.

He had a couple of scratches on his hand and Dad scared of some infection decided to take him to the hospital. The car was brought out, a million news papers spread and Khan Sir made to sit in the front seat as Dad took him away.

It made a great story for years afterwards, and has since been told and retold and re retold a million times. It is now part of the family legend and I thought of sharing it with you guys.

Love
R

P.S. Dad politely asked Khan Sir to freely use our house toilet whenever he felt the need. And each time he took a loo break after that to use our home toilet, my brother and I would look at each other and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

2010-12-15T23:10:00.001Z

Stupid Girl

Okay so there was a stupid girl who worked in a company. She worked very closesly with the Vice President of Sales for Europe Region who was known to be a hard task master and many people were afraid of him in a weird way because the VP never even raised his voice.( And I dont know why I sound like I am telling a bed time story to five year old, that is not my intention)

Anways, this one day, the VP left office with all his bags at around mid day but stupid girl ofcourse went on working. As the day went on Stupid girl kept on working as people started leaving office for home. So much so that around 6 in the evening it was just Stupid girl and 2-3 other people who were left in the rather large office floor.

Now, once done with work, Stupid Girl had some personal calls to make, one to Morocco and the other to India. But she did not want to do that in the open office space where she did not want to disturb the few people who were still working. Also mobile phones have a very bad reception in office hence the only way out is to make use of the IP phones in office. The VP's office was all empty, so she decided to get in there to make the calls as often people would go in to make calls or do their own work quietly.

So, there she was in the VP's cabin, the whole office quiet. She shut the door and started making the calls....once done she thought she would make a quick call to her mother since her phone had no charge and if she callled by the time she left office her mum would have gone to bed.

So with that noble thought, Stupid Girl dialled another number, and started a quick chat with her Mum.

Mum: What number is this?
SG: Office, but I am not at my desk, i am in the VPs room
Mum: Ohh say my hi to him!
SG: Mum!!! why would the VP be here, he is gone, thats why I am in his cabin. As if he would be here.

And with that Stupig Girl looked up. Looked up only to see, through the glass doors, the VP standing outside the closed door smiling... no almost laughing. at how stupid girl was soo comfortably sitting in his cabin, in his chair, using his IP.

Why he had come back to office at such an unearthly hour, no one will ever know. But there he was. He had even kept his stuff outside and was patienly waiting for Stupid Girl to finish her conversation.

Ofcourse, needless to add, Stupid Girl hurriedly ended the call, apologized profusely to the VP who seemed very very very amused even offering the services of his cabin and phone anytime Stupid Girl would wish to use either. Stupid Girl, however, spent the next hour feeling extremely red in the face!

Sheesh!

And no, I will not tell you who stupid Girl is.

And no there are no prizes for guessing that.

And no, don't guess. DON'T!

Hmmmmppfff!

Love
R

2010-12-12T22:47:00.001Z

Like the millions.

Like the millions of women/ girls across the world to me also Prince William seems perfect never mind his thinning hair.

So he is the future King of England, has a tragic past where his parents separated when he was just an absolutely gorgeous looking youngster and he lost his mom later in an accident that still stirs something in my heart. And he is going to be king of England one day. And while he is not yet king, he spends his time flying that big hus helicopter of his saving lives of the people of his nation.

Oh well enough about William. This post is not about him. It is about them. Infact it is about a picture of them together that I saw today. I just absolutely adore this picture of William and Kate. It warms the coockles of my heart to see the pair look so happy.

Is not this lovely?

2010-12-10T13:14:00.001Z

My latest painting. Do let me know what you think if you have a minute.

Love
R

2010-11-24T11:00:00.001Z

An Ode to London

So Christmas is fast approaching. The festive season is almost here and I can feel it in the air.

Talking about the air, I must say that it is extremely cold now. It is almost pitch dark by 4 in the afternoon and you feel very over worked sitting in the office at 4:30 when it is all dark outside.

The temperatures are steadily falling so much so that snow is expected this weekend. And I cannot tell you how horribly excited I am about it! When I had come to London, it was all white. And I had loved it! While Sid would grumble about the snow and how inconvenient it made everything I was busy staring at the flakes that came out of nowhere.

I absolutely love how London looks now. I have always maintained that while I like London, it is my home city that I love and miss. While the latter remains the same, I have to say that now is the first time that London as a city is starting to win my heart. True, it is very fast paced, people are lonely, people are in a perpetual rush and are often rude, I have started liking this place. In fact I remember when we were about to leave London for our India trip which was to last about 18 days. I felt a weird thing. I felt bad about leaving London. And I was astonished. Because I have spent enough hors groaning and moaning about why London is so far from India, why we could not stay in India only, why we live here, so far from everyone who is important to us.

I find London so much better than in summers when everyone is going gaga over the sun. True, you get to wear skirts, shorts and shades, but nothing really beats how stunning London is right now.

Central London (particularly Oxford and Regent’s Streets) are decked up so beautifully for Christmas. The bigger buildings have lights, there are Christmas trees visible from windows, lights outlining presents, christmas trees, stars hang mid air giving the whole place such an extra ordinary feel.

If you have a good pair of shoes, London should be explored on feet. I just feel like walking over the whole of London. Often, of late, when we are walking to the grocery store or the cinema, I have to pause. Pause and admire how beautiful everything looks. Just simply take it in.

So, yes. While I can never love you as much as I love the city I was born and brought up in, you are turning out to be a place I might, just might, end up falling in love with.

2010-11-20T12:59:00.000Z

The Royal Wedding

Yes, so the newspapers have gone berserk.

Afterall the heart throb of millions had finally picked his bride. I think there would be few girs across the world who have not fancied what would happen if by chance royalty fell for them. Royaly for many would have often meant the hadnsome Prince William.

Memorabilia like plates, mugs and tea pots with the pictures of Kate and William were in the market the very next day, newspapers brought our souvenier editions to mark the news of the engagement ( mind, you not even the engagement, just the news which is 3 weeks late).....if someone who is as ditached from the royal family of England as unfortunately can be, I feel so affected by the whole thing, I can not even imagine how different things would have become for Kate because of that one announcements.

Kate Midleton is the future Queen Catherine of England. The daughter of an ex air hostess, Kate Midleton is now soon to be a royal. I have no doubt that millions of women, no matter their age would have felt a pang of jealousy as Kate flaunted her sappphire ring.

There have been multiple comparisons to Diana. Different newspapers have managed to hunt pictures where Kate and Princess Diana have been indetically dressed. There is also immense concern that Kate should not suffer the same fate as her mother in law.

I have been following the media frenzy around Kate and Prince William very closely and my heart goes out to Kate. True, she is marrying Prince William, the Prince William, the young boy who resembles his mother , the royal who goes on his kness to clean public toilets in Africa and the prince with a shy smile and easy likeable personality.

Yet, I can only imagine how Kate must be feeling. The sudden media glare, the impossible amount of attention that is now going to paid to every piece of clothing she is going to wear, every public appearance she is going to make....

It must be rather interesting to be in her shoes. For me at the moment, the royal wedding means one bank holiday. And means quite a lot!

2010-11-17T13:19:00.000Z

One Year

This day last year I got married. At the expense of sounding very cliched, i have to say that time has truly flown. As I sit down today, I cannot believe that it has been one whole year since that day.

A lot of water has flown under the bridge since. A lot has changed and many things have been achieved. I live in a different country now, have spent a lot of time last year travelling around Europe, work in a good role with some nice people.

The best abour last year has been Sid ( as it should be also) He puts up with a lot of drama that i do, makes up when we fight, makes sure all my paper work is done, helps me with cleaning and is in most cases a sweet heart :)

Most importantly, last year on 17th of November, we became man and wife. Today we are not only that but also, more importantly, better friends.

So, here it is to my husband of one year.

Happy Wedding Anniversary, Sid

R

2010-11-16T15:43:00.000Z

Email exchange in office today

I sent the following email to a collegue

Hi X,

As per our discussion, if you could start sending me invoices for accounts that you need verified, I will initiate the verification process.

Regards,
R

The reply I got:

Thanks as always for your proactive support R.

I have already started working on this by asking Y to start work on this.

I simply craked up when I read the last line. I could not help but laugh out loud when I read this. I think I am going to save this email.

Love
R

2010-11-09T14:25:00.000Z

I am trying to do something i never thought i would ever do at this age and stage. In all probability it should happen but i am just being very superstitious about it which is why I am not talking openly.

The regulars, do pray for me that this works out. Trust me, you guys are going to be amongst the first to know if it does happen.

Wish me luck:)

R

2010-11-08T16:53:00.001Z

I love being in India

Because it is where Mum, Dad and Bhai are
Because it is where I dont have to go to work
Because it is where you can get real Chinese food
Because it is where you can break a queue and get away with it
Because it is where men stare at you when you look good ( or mebbe else wise also :P)
Because it is where you get to bargain in Hindi
Because it is where the young guy in the store will move heaven and earth to get that red dress for you in XS size
Because it is where you are in the same time zone as that of a lot of very important people
Because it is where people clap when Akshay Kumar gets Aishwarya Rai in Action Replay
Because it is the land of paani puris
Because it where you get to see serials with more beeps than actual words
Because it is where you come across people from school and college in a mall
Because it is where you get really cheap shoes
Because it is where you get to sleep with Ma
Because it is where you get to gossip like crazy with Ma and Dad without thinking too much about the phone bill
Because it is where Yo China and its absolutely amazing Honey Chilly Potatoes are
Because it is where you can even cuddle a cute 3 year old you find in a store and will not be sued
Because it is.................home.........

Love
R

2010-10-11T14:46:00.000+01:00

Post 11

Two of Sid’s friends came over for lunch this Saturday with their respective wives. So once the lunch was over three of us girls sat down to talk. Now I have met both girls before a couple of times. One of them came to London only recently and since I came to London only in Jan, I have known the other one also for a very short period of time.

The men, however are batch mates from IIM. So they have spent 2 years living together on the same campus and obviously know a lot of common people.

So after lunch the men were thinking of going back to their respective homes by when we girls started talking. It started harmlessly enough with who (between each couple) does the cooking. But very soon we were happily cribbing about everything under the sun. How we have too much work, how we have no family here, how we sometimes felt like just leaving our jobs etc etc. The men kept shut and mostly simply listened to us speak.

Later the men moved out into the balcony. Us girls then started the more interesting discussion. We discussed babies, in laws, doctor appointments, the changes we feel since getting married, problems we were facing. We giggled and laughed and patted each others shoulders when needed.

We also managed to catch some snippets of the discussions between the boys. They seemed to be mainly discussing iphone, internet and property prices in London

If Men are from Mars, women certainly are from Venus!

Love
R

2010-10-09T23:00:00.000+01:00

Post 10

Engagement

I am putting up my engagement pic. I was going through the engagement album after months today and as i looked at the pic, i suddenly remembered how my heart as if it were in the wind all through out the ceremony.

It took me back to that day...*sigh*

It is funny how very soon i will be married for a year. Time sure flies.

2010-10-08T22:03:00.000+01:00

Post 9

Lisbeth Salander is the heroine of the Millenium triology by Stieg Larsson. The triology is touted to be the best crime fiction of recent years.

And having just finished the three books back to back, I decidedly agree.

What is with a tiny girl who can smash a 100 feet guy who cannot feel pain. She has a photgraphic memory and belongs to an elite group of hackers.She can outsmart even the smartest people and spends a lot of time solving fermat's theorem. And oh by the way, she has a mysterious past, she has spent years in a mental hospital, is labelled as socially incapable and the likes.

Though it sounds far fetched, and is certainly the result of someone's very fertile imagination, you cannot help but root for Salander as she goes around mercilessly killing people.

That is what I find fascinating. A perfectly negative character who you kinda end up really liking. That is where the skill of the author lies.

Another remarkable thing about this series is the author's almost complete discard to tone things down a couple of notches. Rapes, murders are both spoken of very casually and described in a monotonic drab that funnily enough makes it all the more interesting.

The only problem i had with the trioogy is the excessive attention to detail. You end up reading paragraphs about a character who will never really do much in the book. So, yes, once you figure out the author, you will find your self skimming details about the police inspector who handcuffs the protagonist. Even if 3k workds are being spent on describing his career, you know he will not play a major role!

Anyways, having said that , I must say that I am not really a crime fiction girl, really no, but this one had me hooked. I have spent many content lunch hours in the office kitchen with this book.

I have this weird thing. When I finish a book i really like, I feel as if I am letting go of a good friend. Bidding him a good bye. I know, thats neurotic, but hey this is being typed by a girl who cannot sleep without reading and when sleeping she is more often than not hugging a big fat book

2010-10-08T11:09:00.000+01:00

Day 8-post 8

Exhausted.

I am exhausted. Yesterday was particularly bad. I was working till 5:30 in the evening which is when I went to meet N.

I cam back at 9:00 and worked again till almost midnight.

I woke up today with absolutely no energy. The weekend is round the corner but I have to make lunch for 6 people tomorrow, so it will not exactly be a relaxing day anyways.

I feel half dead.

And its been so long since I felt as tired as that.

Bloody quarter end.

Love
R

2010-10-05T20:29:00.000+01:00

Day 7-post 7

So today I almost got into an argument with a lady in the office lift.

I had pressed the button for the lift and was talking on the phone waiting for the lift to come. As soon as it came, I cancelled my call and stepped in the lift.

In the mean while, a lady started to press the button that close the lift doors just as I managed to squeeze in. While that was not rude enough, she muttered something about how the lift would not wait for hours for some one hovering around the lift.

I was quite taken aback by the unexpected tirade and felt a very familiar anger rush inside me. I had seen the lady before also as we work in the same office complex.

I think I said something back but it did not in any way reflect the anger I was feeling simply because no one has the right to be rude to a stranger for no reason. I caught my reflection as I started at her bewildered at her behavior. I seemed exceptionally disgusted.

Too pissed at how the woman had spoken to me, I quickly finished my work downstairs and as I walked in a few minutes later as a lady came and said hi to me.

She told me she was in the same lift as I had been. She told me that the lady had been very rude to me and she also apologized because she felt she should have come to my defense.

Yeah, she actually came and said sorry to me for not standing up for me.

Interesting how it takes different types to make this world, isn’t it?

Love

R

2010-10-04T16:59:00.001+01:00

Day 6 – post 6
Dream

It was such a weird dream. It was almost real.I saw myself checking mail on my iphone. I flicked it to come to the mail I had been waiting for.

I checked what the mail said. The news was unexpected but it was great. I was not ready to believe it and I put aside my phone. After some time I picked it up again and yet again flicked through the mail on my phone. No mistaking the email was there. I relaxed, it was no dream.

The alarm in my phone rang and my husband turned over and passed me my iphone to put it on snooze. I woke sleepily with the phone in my hand that my husband had just given to me. I shut the alarm when I remembered my dream. Barely able to open my eyes, I flicked open my mail.

And there it was. The mail I had just dreamt of, sitting there.

Weird!

And yes, this happened to me today.

Love
R

2010-10-03T15:22:00.001+01:00

Day 5 Post 5

Time for a bit of good news.

My job is now confirmed. I am no longer a temporary employee with my company!!!
Yeaaaaaayyyyyy.

There are two things about this news that need note.

First, is the fact that I was supposed to be on temp contract till end of November. They shortened it by two months.

Second, along with this news, I was also informed of my first ever salary hike.

And as I walked out of the HR’s room I could not help but recall how desperately I had job hunted from Jan to end of April which is when I got this job. There were times which were so bleak that I did not think it would be possible.

I enjoy my work, I like the people I work with, working hours are decent.

I just hope I can go on doing the kind of work I have been able to do so far.

Love
R

2010-10-01T16:28:00.000+01:00

DAY 4- Post 4

Not looking up

Things are not looking up on a lot of fronts. Of importance is something I have been working on for almost the whole of this year. I have done my bit and now the ball is in someone else’s court. And that someone is certainly not responding.

In all fairness, it is a big project. In fact the biggest I have ever taken up in my life. I had thought the first part was the difficult one but now I realise that it was not.

I feel strained and stressed.

And I hate the hope that is there in my mind and soul even as I type this.

I so wish it could happen, I so wish it would happen…..I do not want to give up.

May be I should enjoy the process more, maybe then it will happen.

In other things, I have started missing home a lot. I am so far away from my family that I feel distanced simply because of the actual distance and time difference.

Maybe that is why people have kids. Some one who is your very own, till he/ she does not become a teenager atleast!

Anyways, am just a little depressed and sad. Hopefully I will come back with a more cheerful post tomorrow.

Love
R

2010-09-30T20:35:00.000+01:00

Day 3- post 3

Due to the quarter end and the fact that I just some 20 rotis, some 10 Hare bhare kebabs and kaali daal, todays post is just going to be a pic :)

This is Mount Schilthorn, Switzerland.

Take in the beauty

2010-09-29T13:16:00.000+01:00

Post-2, Day 2

Des bulaye

Yes, so des is calling. Yet again. It always calls only thing is I should be able to justify the visit in my head.

I was in India in Jan, then in May, my folks were here in August and I am again going home in end of October.

Once you live outside your country, one of the most common questions you face is the inevitable, “So? When will you go back to India? For good”

Well..a. few months earlier the answer would have been a prompt, ‘Tomorrow!’ but now I see myself thinking differently.

That weird longing that was almost a physical pain has subsided and also I have realised that for my own sanity trips to India are essential.

My work is here, day to day life is much simpler, you are not expected to work on weekends, travelling across the continent is easier, travelling within the country/ city is very comfortable, people are polite and generally life is more relaxed.

But India is where family is. It is just one thing, but it is the one thing that makes all the difference!

While I do not know when we will shift back to India, I am just desparately counting down days to the India trip which is when I wont be working, wont be cooking and cleaning and will just be eating, sleeping, shopping and catching up…..…….

Ahh….The pleasures of a trip to India

Will 28th of Oct please hurry up and come!

Love
R

2010-09-28T12:15:00.000+01:00

Blog Marathon -2

Post 1

Revenge Time: Ok. This is my second blog Marathon. The first one was hopeless. I hardly wrote 15-17 posts which was a little over half the number that should have been put up.

In my defence, that was just the start of work, plus I was doing a lot of writing myself at that time, so it was I guess a bad decision. Hopefully I will be able to redeem myself this time.

What I will do ?

So, I will write one new post each day.

What you will do ?

And you, you who visit my blog so often and never even let me know, have the task of leaving a comment for me. You can tell me my post was rubbish, you can tell me it was good. But you should say something! That will be what will keep me going and I desparately want to finish at least one marathon properly.

Let the marathon begin :)

Love
RP

2010-09-26T20:27:00.000+01:00

WINTER

The sun. So hated for most part of the year when temperatures soar and hot winds do all they can to sap away every bit of energy. So loved in the winters. Such is life. And people who live it. Fickle.

Doe aunty, wrapped in a shawl I had bought for her with my first salary, sat in the garden of our house, on my favorite cane chair, soaking in the Sun. Shanti squatted next to her feet. I had settled in my chair with a PG Wodehouse, my back to them, happily surrounded by people I missed so terribly in Delhi where I was doing MD. I could hear the conversation between Doe Aunty and Shanti. The teacher and the student. Familiar voices. Voices I have been hearing since I don’t know when. The familiar babble made me feel happy as I turned pages of the book in my hand.

Happy…. till I heard the last bit of conversation between the two. My head turned around sharply as my brain registered what my ears were hearing.

Her knitting and Shanti’s English book lay in Doe Aunty’s lap, forgotten. Shanti’s head hung low. Tears were beginning to stream down their faces in a sad unison.

My mum who had just walked in with a plate of hot pakodas and had heard the last bit of conversation too stood rooted to the earth below us. I looked at Mum, she looked heart broken. Angry. Shocked. Furious. Sad. Heart broken.

Doe aunty and Mum are best friends.

Doe Aunty was fingering burn marks on Shanti’s left wrist. Right next to the kalawa, a bit of yellow thread Hindu priests tie around the wrist of worshippers; it protects from the evil. My eyes travelled from Shanti’s wrist marks to Doe Aunty’s swollen eye, my mouth remained open and my throat felt dry. It just made so much sense now. Why had I not seen it?

I felt angry. At myself.

“Oh! That’s nothing, beta! I fell. When you finish your MD you can take care of all my cuts and bruises!”, she had laughed when Mum and I had expressed immediate concern at
her swollen eye earlier in the day.

“Doe Aunty, you fall so often !! You just have to be more careful”, I had exclaimed, pained at the sight of her eye.

“Its not for nothing my husband calls me butter feet”, Doe Aunty had chirped.

The two women in front of me could not have been more different. One educated. One illiterate. One rich. One poor. One an upper caste Brahmin. One an untouchable. Yet .
Yet.

Shanti was our domestic help with an insatiable desire to study. Doe Aunty was Mum’s best friend, a professor at the most prestigious university in the city with an insatiable desire to teach. Doe Aunty would come home often and each time she came she would spend some time with Shanti. Over the years an inexplicable friendship had developed between the two.

That day’s lesson was to be a typical one. Shanti read out passages from an English book Doe Aunty had brought with herself. As Shanti turned pages, Doe Aunty eyes fell on the scars on Shanti’s wrist

“So you have been cooking carelessly again?”, asked Doe Aunty. Shanti often had these marks and when asked she always said that she had burnt herself cooking.

“Just as you have been falling again”, replied Shanti quietly.

Shanti’s tone first made me sit upright and turn my head. It made my heart skip a beat.
In a bad way. In a way that someone had finally said what my heart knew to be right all along. I turned to face the two.

The two women looked at each other and continued to do so for sometime. I don’t know what passed between the two, but I know that a lot did in the next few seconds. Their eyes watered. Mine did with theirs.

“I don’t know which is worse. When Munna gets his friends along or when he comes drunk” said Shanti quietly. I stood aghast. Munna was shanti’s step dad. Step dad 2 years older to her.

I have known Shanti since she was a 5 year old girl who would come to our house with her mother. Shanti’s dad, a petty thief and a drunkard, left his family some ten years ago. Shanti’s Mum married a man 20 years younger to herself, also a drunkard and a petty thief some 3 years ago.

I could not recall seeing the cut marks on her wrist before that time, my brain sadly registered.

“We don’t have a door. There is just a flimsy curtain. His friends sit outside puff at their bidis and make crude jokes. I cry the whole time”, Shanti said, shaking her head sadly, “ Munna gets cigaretts. He burns my hands with them”.

My eyes wandered to her wrist. Some marks were new. Some old. I cringed at the sight.
“ He hurts me so much that I cry for hours after he leaves. ”
Shanti now stopped speaking. She was looking at Doe Aunty. It was Doe Aunty’s turn to speak. I sensed my Mum stiffen. Doe Aunty did not speak. Her head hung low. Tears chased one another down her fair cheeks.

All was quiet. I could hear Mum’s heavy breathing.

“Vijay Saheb?” asked shanti, referring to Doe Aunty’s husband.

Doe Aunty kept her head low. Mum gasped.

“I don’t know if I can survive it any longer. He hit me here because his tea was too hot”, Doe Aunty broke down pointing to her eyes.

Doe Aunty’s story then came tumbling out. It started with a push during an argument that happened when their last attempt at IVF failed. The next argument ended with Vijay uncle slapping Doe Aunty and the apologizing profusely for his misbehavior. Things just went down hill after that. He would hit her if he felt she had been overfriendly with some male colleague , if she came home late, if she overcooked food, if the house was untidy when he came from office- all the time maintaining the façade of being a happy albeit childless couple infront of family and friends.
Even her best friend.

As the façade that was Doe Aunty’s marriage broke into a million sad little pieces in front my eyes, my Mum took a decision. She went up to Doe Aunty. Placed a hand on her shoulders.

“I am calling the police”, she said simply, “and registering a complaint against Vijay.”

“…and Munna”, my Mum added as an after thought.

With that my Mum turned around and walked to the phone. I followed her into another room. Shanti and Doe Aunty stood where they were, stunned. We did not even switch on the light.

“Mom! What are you doing!”, I screamed at my Mum.

“I am doing what is right. I am doing what should have been done many many months ago!”

“Okay, Mom! Relax, we need to think it through! Please”, I pleaded.
Mom turned to face me.

“Whats your problem!!! You haven’t seen Doe regularly since you left for your MBBS! For Gossake! She was even at the hospital 4 months back. She said she had met with an accident!! Who gets those kind of injuries in an accident! That bastard!”, my mum screamed at me.

“Ok Mum, I am not contesting that. Doe Aunty has herself spoken about Vijay Uncle. What do you intend to tell the police, that’s all that I want to discuss”, I tried to reason with her.

“I am going to tell them about Vijay. Tell them how Doe has just said that she has been physically abused by that man! Get her a divorce! Doe earns enough to keep a family of ten! She has her own house, is financially secure, her parents are very open minded….”, my Mum said simply.

“And what about Shanti?”, I asked.

“Well….I don’t know about her. To turn her step father in would be unthinkable for her. In the society she lives in women are much lower than men. Accepting the fact that she has been raped repeatedly is not a great idea….she will never get married if she does that. People around her wont speak to her. And she knows this, beta. Her mother will throw her out. She will be branded a slut if this gets out! She will not get any work. She will destroy everything for herself”, said Mum exasperated.

“You will not even tell the police about Munna???”, I asked.

“No, I don’t think so”, replied Mum, “ there is no point, it will get her into more trouble”

“Her mother needs to know, Mum!!”, I screamed.

“What makes you think she does not already?!”, said my mum calmly.

“Mum! So we just let her be raped by that man!” I screamed.

“ You tell the police and trust me that girl wont even open her mouth infront of the police! I know these people!!! Do what you want!”, my Mum screamed.
We were both hysterical. We were both screaming. I had not realized this but I had angry tears in my eyes. So did Mum.

With each passing second I was getting more and more hysterical. I was about to turn around and go to Shanti to speak to her again. In my head she deserved a chance. After all she was the one who spoke about Munna first. It takes guts to speak out!

By this time, Mum was already speaking to the police officer.

“Thank you officer”, she was saying, “that’s all.” I had not heard Shanti’s name mentioned.

I had to do something. Time was slipping. I had to make up my mind.

“Give her a chance!!”, a voice in my heart screamed.

“Don’t be a fool! Mum is right!”, a voice in my brain screamed.

I snatched the phone from Mum’s hand.

“Hello, officer, this is Dr. Ruhi Chawla, MD”, I don’t know why I added a degree to my name I had not yet received.

“My maid, shanti, would like to make an official complaint against her step father who has been raping her for many months now”, I said. It felt weird to use the word ‘rape’ in front of a man I did not know.

“Yes, Ma’am. Name of the accused?”, the officer asked.

“Mumma”.

“Your maid’s name , Ma’am”

“Shanti”.

“I believe there has been another complaint against a Mr. Vijay Khandelwal from this number?”

“Yes”

“Are both Mrs. Divyani Khandelwal and Ms Shanti at your place right now?”

“Yes, they are”

“In that case my officers will be there in the next few minutes Ma’am. We need to file an F.I.R as soon as we can”

“Sure”

“I have your address Ma’am, I will see you in a few minutes”.

I put the phone down. I looked up at Mom. I had not dared look at her while I was speaking, lest my courage gave way.

“You will make a fool of yourself with the shanti thing”, she said and walked off. At the back of my head I knew that to be true. She had too much to loose, poor thing. But to sleep peacefully at night I needed to atleast try. It suddenly seemed like a selfish thing to do. My head started aching.

By the end of fifteen minutes there were 4-5 police officers in our house. In one room sat Doe Aunty. Her face like stone. Mum was sitting next to her. Comforting her.

“Doe, darling, don’t worry. You are absolutely strong and independent. You have a great career! You will be fine. You need to get away from that man! Now!”, said Mum passionately.

Doe aunty did not say a word as the police officer stepped in.

In the other room sat shanti. Squatting on the floor, like she always did, hugging her knees. Twiddling with her plait. Nervous. Her big black eyes darting here and there.
She looked like a captive animal. I felt nervous. Mum had not been speaking to me since I had spoken with the officer.

I was in the lobby. In rooms on either side interrogation were going on. I could not believe this was actually happening.

"Mrs. Divyani Khandelwal, do you accuse your husband, Mr Vijay Khandelwal of physical abuse?”, asked the police officer, already looking at the next question he was about to ask about the form of abuse.

“Ms Shanti do you accuse your step father, Munna, of raping you?, asked the officer, smirking. He had seen too many such girls. He knew what the answer would be.

“No”, said Doe Aunty. Shamefully. Head hung low. Mum gasped.

“Yes”, said Shanti. Shamefully. Head hung low. I gasped.

2010-09-20T10:08:00.001+01:00

Red Light District, Amsterdam

Yes. That’s what I visited on my trip to Amsterdam this weekend.

Apparently, it is one of the top tourist attractions of Amsterdam and while I was reluctant and quite disgusted at the idea of going there, I finally did find myself there.

Situated pretty much in the heart of the city, there are huge buildings with big windows. Each window has a red light next to it. The women dress in skimpy clothes (= absolute bare minimum) and they stand in the window striking up seductive poses, passing commnents to men going by asking them to come in. They do this from behind the glass door of the window and are quite safe.

The lanes are absolutely clean but quite narrow. While there were a couple of places where I was the only woman outside of the window, I saw a lot of tour guides, couples, tourists and even families with children there.

However, one of the most disturbing sights was when I peeped inside one of these windows. Each window leads to a small room which was well equipped with a bed (that more often than not had a tiger print bed cover thrown on it) and sink, and loads of other very suspicious looking things lined near the sink. That was the one sight that I found most disturbing.

It was interesting to see the red light near each window. Once the negotiation between the men and the prostitutes is done, the men are asked to come in. After that the curtain in pulled and the red light switched on. Almost like the operation theatre. Red light On! And also, that is also how the Red light districts get their name.

At the expense of objectifying women , I saw women there of each shape and size and color! Some women would dance in their little windows, some would smile invitingly (?) while others would talk on the phone ( and look absolutely like they were gossiping).

Interestingly, a lot of them looked thoroughly bored.

Prostitution, like a lot of other things, is legal in Amsterdam ( the prostitutes, I hear pay tax on this as well). The women were treating it just like another profession. I even saw a man come drop off a woman, who then hurried inside.
I was wondering about one thing, though. Unlike in India and in most other parts of the world, prostitution is a profession that women do not like to be associated with. In many cases, husbands, boy friends are not aware.
Here, however, unfortunately, Prostituion is a tourist attraction. How would a woman’s life be if her family knows what she is upto.

We were discussing how some of these women would have gotten into the profession by force. And while I can understand how that would be the case in many parts of the world, seeing those women, in the windows, playing on their expensive phones, I did not really think that that was the case here in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam has coffee houses where people go for space cakes and joints, prostitution is a tourist attraction, tees are sold that say things like , ‘Good girls to heaven, Bad girls come to Amsterdam’.

Ahem.

2010-09-18T00:20:00.000+01:00

Hi,

I wonder, and for once I desperately need answers from you, if it is bad to be good.

With it being all cool and in to be into drinking, sleeping around, having good guy friends with whom you share rooms……is it normal to not do any of this?

Do you need to give yourself a shake? Why do I just totally completely dislike it and why do I increasingly find myself around people who are steeped into all this?

Why do I find it so difficult to smile when people brag about their love bites? Why do I find it difficult to nod my head when people make plans to check out the I know I am different. I know I do not do this and do not like it but then why…I don’t even know what I want to say.

I am not an angel form the heavens above but I have lived by the book and I know every one has the right to live their lives the way they want to but so many people who are like us have been up to no good so very often (as I have found out recently) that I really have absolutely no faith….in what I do not know…… I just wish…I don’t even know how to put that into words…….

Just that I wish I could go back to time when I was 10, with my parents and the most scandalous thing I could have done was to pick up a Sidney Sheldon.

I probably need to distance myself from a lot of things. I just want to be on a break Just go home, to my Mum, Dad and Bhai or be just with Sid. Be with the people who accept me the way I am…without any dopes/ joints/ alcohol/ sleeping around/ ex boyfriends…..

Such is life.

2010-09-07T15:41:00.003+01:00

Bhai

So we went on a trip to an excruciatingly beautiful place called Interlaken, Switzerland.
We travelled across the length and breath of the country in the Swiss rail and this little incident that I am now talking about happened while we were in the train.

So Sid stood near the loo waiting for the lady inside to come out. There was an empty near by and he sat down there and from what I gather started talking to the Sri Lankan guy sitting next to him.

After some time, when he came out of the loo, I had also found my way there. Once Sid came out, we started talking and in the mean time, another lady went in.

Sid left and I too after standing for some time sat on the same seat Sid had found sometime back.

And like him I also struck up a conversation with the Sri Lankan.

After talking about this and that, the Sri Lankan guy said, “ So which country are you from”
“India, that’s your neighbour!”
“Yes, my family is still in Sri Lanka”
“That’s very nice. Most of my family is with me in this train”, I said smiling.
“Oh..yes yes talking about your family, I must say that your brother is a very very friendly man”, he said talking about my husband of 10 months.
Hmm… I thought.
“Does he look like my elder brother or younger?”, I asked with my fingers crossed.
“Elder”, he thankfully replied.

I breathed easy again. Unknown to himself, the Sri Lankan had just redeemed himself.

2010-09-01T16:44:00.001+01:00

Hi,

My folks have gone back now and my tiny one bed apartment seems too big for two people.

While it was very difficult to see them go last evening, the worst bit was when I came back to a quiet house, with no extra suitcases lying around.

There was still a lot of food in the kitchen which mum had made for me. That made me cry harder.

I was actually surprised at how bad I felt coming back home from the airport last night.

However, my consolation was the fact that folks had a nice trip which hopefully they will think of smiling for a long time.

We went for a lovely 4 day trip to Switzerland which my folks enjoyed to the hilt. We went atop breathtakingly beautiful snow covered mountains, inside mountains with fountains, saw a number of beautiful swiss villages, travelled across the length and breath of Switzerland covering Lucerne, Interlaken and Zurich.

Another thing I am very glad about was the fact that this was the first trip I took my husband and parents for. And I am glad it could be Switzerland. I always knew I wanted my parents to visit me soon after I came to London. While job hunting I used to so desparately wish that I earn when they come and take them on a holiday myself.

Also, a lot of gifts to Sid were pending. I hope this trip makes up for atleast some of them!

And yes, London seems positively ugly after Switzerland.

Love
RP

2010-08-05T11:24:00.000+01:00

Picture Talkies!

Talking about pictures in my last post brings me to another office story.

I deal with a huge amount of numbers and when I was really new to the whole system I would get very frustrated at times. It was one such day when, hot in the head and totally frustrated with the numbers that would not match, I walked out of office to get a breather. Wile waiting for the lift, I met a guy from office who casually asked me how I was doing.
Frustrated, I told him I was not good at all!
He wanted to know why I was so frustrated to which I told him how frustrating numbers can be when they do not match and how I just getting very very bugged with the whole system.

We spoke for a few minutes casually about this and that when I reached my foor. I went got myself something to eat for lunch and came back into office some 30 minutes later.

I had just settled into my chair when the same office guy came to my desk with a paper in hand.

He handed it to me.

I turned it face upwards to see a picture of a door. The walls were a nice shade of blue. I remembered the picture from somewhere, however.

“ Where have I seen it before?”, I asked him a little stupidly

He pointed his finger to his desk. It was there, pinned right next to his lap top.

I remembered how I had spent a couple of minutes looking at the picture the first day I had come into office. I ahd wondered why it was there?

“And what is this?”, I asked him.

“ When ever you feel stressed, just look at this picture. Try imagining all the good things that could be inside the door!”, he said.

I had never spoken to this guy before, I was very new to office and he had taken all the pains of getting a coloured print out for me to hopefully de-stress me!

I thanked him profusely for the kind gesture. I am attaching the pic for your reference. I sadly get no comfort from the pic and I cannot even try to imagin what good might be inside the door. It looks quite dingy and dark to me as if nothing good could be inside. However it still stays where I sit, because it was a very kind gesture.

2010-08-03T20:26:00.000+01:00

House Warming

We went to a place called Lake distrcit last week end. While the trip was very nice and the place very very beautiful, this is one pic that i absolutely love.

I feel all warm inside when i look at this pic- as if all is good with me and the world.

Do you look at this and feel a sense of calm or is it just me ??

2010-07-28T15:33:00.000+01:00

British Ways

So I have now been in the land of the Queen for almost 8 long months and consider myself something of an authority on all things British.

Ok I do not.

But there are certain things that I have noticed here that are unmistakably different from us back home.

A reader of my blog who very interestingly calls herself/ himself SJ asked me once by way of a comment about the manners of the Brits. Hence the post!

1. You make a big show of keeping the door ajar for the person walking behind you. – Be it office or a tiny gate outside your building apartment when you open a door and before you shut it , you look back and in case you see anyone within some 100 miles who might walk through that gate you hold it open, or keep a restaining palm on the door signifying how much you want to keep the door open. It is polite. Everyone does it here and no matter how useless the whole practice might be, very soon you will find yourself doing the same.
2. Pehle Aap!- This happens in the tube when two people move towards the lone empty seat. Both will use their hands and expressions to say, “ Ma’am/ Sir please go ahead and take the seat. Kind Regards XYZ”. This will go one for some seconds when someone will finally take the seat. If it’s a man and a woman, the woman will ultimately take the seat, if they are people of the same gender, the older one will take the seat. I fins this in contrast to the way we rush to take seats and giving it up is something we cannot even consider.

3. In the defense of my des waalas, the Brits here are not travelling in a rickety bus with the outside temp at a mere 50 degrees C and no AC in the bus! If that were the case, British politeness might have been different. However, to be fair, it might have still been the same, in which case, due respect!

4. Love/ Darling: the older lot, the grannies and the grand dads will often refer to you as ‘Love’. For example you are standing in the middle of a narrow aisle and are lost in thoughts, chewing gum and vaguely thinking that the gum has a very revolting taste. Suddenly you hear a soft , “Excuse me, love”. You turn around wondering why your husband has a funny voice now and come face to face with a white haired lady in a skirt and cardigans. You smile and give her way.

5. The way they greet you on the phone- the way someone here will greet you will be more affectioinate than how your mum will greet you when you go back to apna des after 10 years. The receptionist at the Parlour will sound more excited about talking to you at 9 in the morning than you will ever be to talk to the love of your life!

So much for the time being. More later!

2010-07-22T22:49:00.000+01:00

Good News

When I got a job here in London in June, I was told that I would be on a temporary offer for the first six months. They were to take a call at the end of that time period. They said it would be enough time for both of us, the company and myself to decide whether or not I wanted to stay here.

Today, less than 2 months into my role, my boss asked me if I would be happy to accept a permanent offer from the company.

I was taken aback- we had been discussing her marriage and her question came out of the blue! I, ofcourse said a yes and as she explained some intricate thing to me on Webex, I was busy messaging Sid the good news.

That is one worry off my head. I had never expected that this would happen so quick! My bosses seem really happy with what I am doing. I honestly think I am do a miserable job here at times. So I do not know what is working, but am glad that it is!:)

I just wanted to share this bit of good news with you guys!

Sleep Tight:)

Love
RP

2010-07-20T20:16:00.000+01:00

Hi

I was travelling by the DLR- it’s a kind of overground tube that runs in my part of London when I saw her

Of African origin, with a sparkling skin. Very tall, with the longest legs possible. Very well turned out- with perfect nails, dress, shoes , hair. She was wearing huge fashionable shades. Hair pulled back in a very in hairstyle that suited her well. Black 6 inch heels. Black glittering bag.

She seemed so confident, well to do and successful. A little arrogant perhaps. A little intimidating, maybe. The perfect work woman.

I looked at her with envy as I chatted with Ma catching up on her day. I wondered why I can never look like that. I can look sweet at best- never this kind of Oh My God.

Mummy said something and I laughed. As I laughed I stole a glance at her again- just curious to check out her watch. That’s when I saw them.

Big Fat tears. Rolling down her cheeks from under her shades.

She hurriedly wiped them off with a tissue she clutched tightly in her hands. With the tears removed, she went back to looking like she belonged to a near perfect life.

A few seconds later some more escaped from beneath her shades.

That made me think how often we think how perfect the life of XYZ person is and have no idea what actually is going on.

And brought back to my head a hymn I learnt way back in school:

Count your blessings
And name them one by one
And you will be surprised to see
What the Lord has done.

How true!!

Sleep Tight.
Love
RP

2010-07-19T21:07:00.000+01:00

30th day from now!

Ok. So what is so special about the 30th day from now?

On the 30th day from now , by this time, my folks would have landed at Heathrow!

Yes! Yes!!!!Yessss!!YESSSSSS!!

They are coming to London!!!!!!

*jubilant victory dance*

For 2 whole weeks!!

*another jubilant dance!*

Their visa is done and tickets have been booked! I have applied for leave from work which has been accepted(yeaay!) , I know when I am going to fall ill- so sick leave has been decided as well!!

We have applied for schenegan visa so lets see if that can happen!

I am so so excited about Mum and Dad coming to London. My Dad is well travelled across Europe but Mum has not been abroad before. I am just so excited. I have so many plans for them. Musicals, walks, shopping, Buckingham palace, Trafalgar square, hyde park, picadilly circus and may be just maybe , if we are not too late already, then Switzerland as well!
Sid has been such a sweetheart getting all the paper work done for my folks. It just warms
my heart to the core when he does all this.

I just hope all works fine and they have a lovely trip here!

Btw, did I say “Yeaaaayyyyyyyy!!!”

Love
RP

2010-07-12T16:55:00.000+01:00

Goals

Hi,

I always start finding my life meaningless if I do not have atleast one major goal. Also, that goal cannot be any goal- it has to be a particular type of goal.
Till I was studying, it was simple- all my goals were academic. In engg college I wanted to be rank one and in B school I wanted to get just one medal. When I started working, goal was to get more than 730 in GMAT, then it was to get about 110 in Toefl and so on…..The common thing about these goals is that just thinking about them would give me the goose bumps. It would be something I could think about for hours. It would be the motivation that would make me put in that extra hour, it would be the madness that would make me mug up even though it was an open book exam. It was what made saying NO to that movie very easy.

My biggest problem with work is that I have not been able to find such a goal. Day to day tasks are not what I call proper goals. Every one does them. I make sure I do them well enough- I ensure that my bosses ( I have two and both are Australians! ) are happy with me ( which there are TW) but what lacks is a big goal.

Of late I think I have managed to find a couple for myself.

One is very big and very ambitious. I have never attempted such a thing before and I have no clue if I will be able to achieve it- I have started working towards it and am very keen to see if I have the capability to accomplish such a thing. It requires a lot of patience and hard work. I am more than ready to put that in- only thing is I hope that some good comes out of the hours I am putting into it even after working and managing the household without any help here.

The other one is related to work. Again ambitious, but not very. Its just something I am keen to see if I will be able to do. There is little in my hands here apart from doing my best and that is exactly what I am going to do.

The third is related to academics. I have been thinking about these great colleges you have in the UK. It would be an absolute shame to live for sometime in the UK and not have some experience with them. No, I am not going to target any big course- I am don’t with PhD attempts and with 7 months of work ex stand no chance of getting through another management programme. However there is something else that I have my eye on. I wanted to do it this year but since I had to start work, I knew it was not technically possible. So that is something I am looking at doing next year around this time.

Let see how many of these I achieve. May be I will achieve none….I don’t know….no harm in trying anyways, right?:)

2010-07-08T21:27:00.000+01:00

Ma and Mummy

You know how it is after you get married. Things change. You leave behind some people , you starting valuing some much more than you ever did before, you meet some others.

Which brings me to a set of people I have never mentioned on my blog.

The inlaws.

I have been married for almost 8 months now and on the basis on my experience so far can thankfully say that I have been very very lucky.

My Mom in law is a house wife and a very nice lady. I speak to her almost each day but never in these 8 months has she ever said even one word that has hurt me any which way. And trust me that is really a very big thing. She is exceptionally beautiful, slim and very fair with lovely delicate features. Most interestingly, she is very broad minded.
One of the first things she told me when I came into the house as a brand new bride was this:

“People tell us Indian women to treat our husbands like Gods. Treat yours like one if he first begins to behave like one!”

I remember laughing like mad at this.

I have spent a couple of days with her when my husband was not at home. If I would get up anytime before 8 she would be horrified. She would insist that I sleep till atleast 9.

One of her neighbours warned her to not behave like this with me. Mom in law got really angry.

Very indignantly she told her friend that when my sis in law comes over, she sleeps for as long as she wants so why should not I do the same.

She is very different from my own mother. I mean both are nice women- genuinely kind and loving but of course they are different.

So suddenly, the day after I got married- I was the proud owner of two mothers- Ma, my mother and Mummy- Sid’s mom.

They get along well. Touch wood.

Yesterday they spent a whole day together and were planning to go watch ‘I have love storys’ together. That got me thinking. How different it would have been if my parents had some issues with my in laws. Had my laws been the mean kinds who taunt the daughter in law about the watch that the bride’s family did not give as part of gifts at the wedding.

And no, do no think all this does not happen now a days. It very much does. I know first hand that it does. I don’t know how I would deal with that.

So here is pic of Ma and Mummy. This pic was taken during my sangeet.

As usual I am missing Ma a lot but a regular reader of my blog will know that there is nothing new about that.

Sigh.
Love RP

2010-07-07T21:32:00.000+01:00

The Heights!

At five feet 2 I am quite tiny. My boss, a ten feet tall Australian is a strapping old man.

Today, he took long to offer me a chair even though I was standing because he thought that I was sitting.

:\

2010-07-04T10:19:00.001+01:00

Identity

I have tried my level best to protect my anonymity on this blog for the last 5 years.

But now I wonder.

I wonder whether I should continue to be anonymous or should I be the person I am in real life.

Do my readers need to know who I am?

Would it matter in any which way?

Has Ram Pyaari lived long enough? Should the real me take her place?

What would be the pluses of being myself?

And more importantly what would be the minuses?

It does not seem fair. I am NOT RP. That is not me. We are the same person but I am not RP.

As you can see I am thinking about not remaing anonymous on this blog. My Mother thinks I should disclose my real identity on the blog but I am divided. The comfort of anonymity is wonderful. Part of me does not want to let it go. I cannot decide but it is something I have been thinking about for sometime now!

Let me know what you think.

Love
RP