School girls, protection and celebratory dinner

1. A couple of school girls in their smart uniforms and ribbons in their plaited hair are giggling and whispering by the roadside. Exchanging notes on a new crush or discussing some school gossip, maybe?
2. Sun-gloves, glory be to them! After having given up my hunt for them, they turn up while I'm looking for something else. What a blessing they are - they keep my hands safe from the sun and the dust while I'm driving, so that when I come to office, I don't have to rush to the washroom to wash off the grime my hands have collected on the way.
3. Dinner at Burger Barn: I have a Funghi Trifoliate - a preparation of mushrooms with oregano, served with garlic bread... ummmmm... This, by the way, is the celebration I promised myself yesterday, and there's one more cause to it - I've lost another kg! :-) So, as an added treat, there's ice cream after dinner too...

Another sunrise, graffitti and gol-guppas

100th post today! Calls for a celebration.... This blog has come farther than I'd dared to hope and I'm kinda proud of myself. I don't really know how many people read this, really, but just writing it regularly has made such a huge difference in my attitude, that it has become an essential part of my daily routine. I never doubt these days that there's atleast one more sunrise waiting round the corner for me.... Should I give myself a pat on the back?

1. I get a fwd which has the following line in it: "If you missed the sunrise I made for you today, never mind. I'll make you another one tomorrow. - God."
2. A guy in office is wearing a T-shirt with the graffitti - "Don't drink and park. Accidents cause people."
3. There's Pani-Puri for snacks... its so tasty, we can't stop hogging. There's much excitement in the pantry, 'coz though the 'pani' and the 'puris' are aplenty, the filling is limited and everyone's fighting over it! To hell with behaving professionally, we want our pani-puris...

Mulligatawny, more work and being unreasonable...

1. There's mulligatawny soup in the lunch menu and I can't help smiling... Just the term Mulligatawny evokes some fond memories. (P.S. I don't like mulligatawny soup.)
2. Being invited to work on an initiative, apart from my routine work. Even though it means some extra work, it is a good thing for me, because it will give me an opportunity to learn more, meet more people and generally get to see things from a broader perspective.
3. Having a good day, but not being able to pin-point why it was good, and why I went to bed with a smile...

Companions, goofing off and all her children

1. On my desk in office, just below the computer's screen, sit two fluffy little yellow birds in a little cane basket, looking completely adorable... I have no idea who they belong to, or even how they came to be on my desk, but they've been there for the past few days, and I'm not complaining!
2. Merry coffee breaks through out the day...
3. Watching a show - 'Predators and Prey' on Animal Planet. Its a beautiful documentary on how nature gives equal chances to every species - strength and power maybe with the predator, but the prey has agility, keen senses and other ingeneous tactics up its sleeve, that only and only nature can endow. After all, she has to take care of ALL her children, and give them an equitable chance at survival...

My time, sizzler and the Hobbit

1. For the first time since I came back from Nagpur, I get a serene half an hour, with no one to disturb me, and no hurry to go anywhere to do the complete Pranayam ritual.
2. We go for lunch at Yana's - a sizzlers and wok place. Though the chinese food that Tanmoy and I order isn't all that great, the sizzler that Shenoy has ordered is mouth-watering and I'm allowed to dig in...
3. I finally buy a copy of JRR Tolkein's 'The Hobbit'. Can't wait to start... but I must finish the book I'm reading right now, before I do... And on a whim, I also buy 'The Devil Wears Prada'... hmmmm....

Light weight, elder vs. younger and the pursuit of happyness

1. I go to the gym feeling a little apprehensive, 'coz I'm going to be weight training after a gap of more than a couple of weeks. But its easy :-)
2. Dipti and I have lunch arguing whether younger sisters are better or elder ones. She's the younger sibling, and I'm the elder one, and each of us has plenty of stories to tell about our respective sisters, to prove we're better than them... he he...
3. Tanmoy suddenly makes plans for an evening movie and I literally have to rush to make it to the hall in time. I go straight from the gym, without even changing, but the movie is worth it - 'The Pursuit of Happyness'. (I'm the moviemaker's delight - they make movies to emotionally manipulate people, and I'm one person who's always ready to get emotionally involved in any story!)

Scramble, make-up and evening breeze

1. I bring sweets from Nagpur and as soon as I reach office, there's a mad scramble for them.


2. Birthday celebration at work! Its an awesome surprise, 'coz I had assumed that since I was out of office on my birthday, this celebration would be skipped. Finally I get a yummy chocolate cake. Thankfully, the icing is neither too soft nor too thick, and when everyone tries to smear it on my face, they only manage this.
3. As I walk out of office in the evening, I am embraced by a warm evening breeze... and all my muscles which have been feeling cramped in the cold office, relax.
   

Gudi Padwa, welcome delay and sleeping in the train

1. Its Gudi Padwa - the start of the new year by the Marathi calendar. Papa hoists the Gudi. ( I will upload a pic tomorrow)
2. The train is late by a couple of hours. This is good because we find this out before we leave for the railway station and I get extra time at home.. :-) And I also get to meet Anjali Kaku and Arun Kaka, whose flight would otherwise have arrived at the same time I was supposed to board the train...
3. I sleep like a baby during the journey. Usually I spend sleepless nights in the train, but this time, I sleep at around 10:30 p.m and wake up directly in the morning, while the train is just entering Pune station.

Welcome back, dressed up and digging convenience...

1. Aparna calls up and we have a long chat. I'm glad she's started contributing to this blog again...
2. The way the house looks just before a party, when everything's in place, spic and span, the table is laid and everyone is dressed. After quite a few days, even I get to dress up.
3. Ajju's look of absolute glee when he reads what his new keychain says - "Why do Gorrilla's have big nostrils? - Because they have thick fingers."

Aumkara, arti and get-together...

1. The sound of 'Aum'... Mum takes me to her daily Pranayam class. One of the Pranayams involves sitting straight with your eyes closed, taking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly while pronouncing the 'Aum'... The Aumkara fills up the surroundings and its a different feeling altogether.
2. A new temple has been built very near to home for Ramakrishna Paramhansa by the Ramakrishna Mission. Walking back home from the Pranayam class, Mum and I visit the temple. The architecture is beautiful and the temple pristine... and we are just in time for the evening arti. Amidst the reverberating sounds of the dholki, the gongs, the bells and the harmonium, the priests chant the hymns.
3. There's a small birthday party for Prashant Mama at granny's place, and its good to see everyone after so many days. We have a pleasant evening and dinner. There's a yummy mutton biryani, so pretty much everything else is ignored!

Home sweet home, pictures and happy birthday

1. Its good to be home again :-)... I get to talk non-stop!
2. Watching the photographs from mum and dad's trip to Kerala... Each photograph is accompanied by some anecdote. There are so many, that we can only manage to get through half of them! So I can still look forward to one more session of photographs today! The pictures make obvious the fact that they've had plenty of fun and have really really enjoyed the trip.
3. My phone just doesn't stop ringing all day long. The unlikliest of and most unexpected people call up to wish me a happy birthday. And of course, my scrapbook on orkut is simply flooded with wishes...

It runs, companion and birthday wishes..

1. I discover that there is nothing wrong with the code I've written... it's working just fine when Anna runs it... it's a problem with my login! Whew! And to think I've been breaking my head over it for days now... what a relief!!
2. Its quiet in the train, and I get an uninterrupted stretch of almost four hours to read... I'm reading Akio Morita's Made in Japan... It makes an interesting companion on my journey, and I don't mind travelling alone.
3. My cell phone is out of reach at midnight, so I give up hope of receiving birthday wishes from friends and family at midnight, as is the custom. But the cell catches a signal within 10 mins, and messages and phone calls start pouring in.. :-)

Only 25? Bike??, chappals and it's ok..

1. I call up Anna for some work and we get to chatting. She wants to know if I'm married and have kids. I tell her no, and she sounds pretty surprised when she finds out I'm only 25... perhaps she was expecting someone older. Her surprise increases when I tell her I drive a two-wheeler. "You drive a bike??!!" I hasten to tell her to remove any pictures of Harley-Davidsons that she may have in her mind and replace them with 'scooter' instead.
2. I go to buy the famous beaded chappals that you get in Koregaon Park for Jui... I pick up additional two pairs for Saili and Manali and then think - 'What the heck!' and buy a pair for myself too... I think I just bought my 20th pair of footwear yesterday (I'm counting only the ones that are currently in use). Maybe its time I took inventory!
3. Being told its ok to find a second grey hair...

KitchenRani, far from the madding crowd and revenge!

1. This is getting repetitive, but can't help mentioning it again... Mo Ma and Mami are here over the weekend, and the maid cooks the most awesome meal for us over lunch... She insists on serving fresh, hot, just-off-the-tava rotis with a yummy aaloo-baingan subzi, and we all just hog! Even Mami admits that she never gets to eat such fresh rotis ever... Kudos to the KitchenRani as Aparna calls her!
2. Watching the vast expanse of the city lights from high up on the road to the NDA. Its a quiet, dark road, and looking on the city standing up there fills you with a sense of space... its nice to watch the lights of the city - some static, some moving - from a place that's so quiet itself, you're almost thankful that you're far and not in the city's hustle-bustle yourself.
3. Pallavi is trying to get Shenoy to eat a really yucky icecream by saying that she's going to treat him... to her bad luck, they're out of stock for that particular flavour, and when Shenoy discovers why she's so disappointed, he has the last laugh... and Pallavi fumes at me, because its me who's spoilt it by telling him... Why?? Oh well, I fell for the trick in the afternoon, and some form of revenge is due! Ha!

Laughter Club, Dinner and Happy Ending in Tuscany

1. We take a coffee break at 3, and the craziest of all office people have assembled at the coffee machine... after a couple of minutes, we're all laughing so hard, people peep in to check what's wrong with us, and my stomach has started hurting because of the laughter...
2. There's dinner for me at home after two days. The maid's back!!
3. Watching Under the Tuscan Sun... Its the story of a woman who goes through a divorce when she's least expecting it, and how she discovers that there's life after divorce too. Its beautifully made and I get completely involved with the characters... I identify with the protagonist on some level - we're both alone... it's good to see her happy in the end :-).. and I'm smiling for her, after having a most frustrating day at work..

Brandy-bandy, on his own and old melodies...

75th post!! And it's Women's Day today....

1. I take some Brandy-orange chocolates that Shenoy has brought from the US, for the girls in office. They cause much excitement over lunch, and are consumed amidst many giggles, and a lot of fuss!
2. Its good to see Tanmoy insisting on doing his own stuff inspite of the temporary plaster on his leg. I wish he'd relax and let the others help, but its good to see him energetic.
3. While I'm eating at Subway, current pop film songs are being played. Suddenly, an old song - 'Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein..' starts playing... I get completely engrossed in it and it haunts me till I fall asleep... A stark difference between the current hit film songs and those of the yesteryears stikes me - the songs then were low on instruments and relied solely on the melody and the singer's talent to make their mark... and they touched a string somewhere with the depth of their feeling and their boldness.. In today's songs, there is heavy dependance on technology, and you can hear no instrument by itself. Even the instruments used are mostly electronic, and the lyrics, if bold, border on the vulgar, or are very superficial... Long live the old melodies!!

Plump, check check check and pat on the back...

1. Spending a quiet day at home, with no hurry to get anywhere... I can relax, or do the chores around the house in my own sweet time. Its a great way to recharge, and at the end of the day, I feel rested and peaceful - actually the word that keeps coming to my mind is 'plump'... I feel nice and plump... :-)
2. I finish a lot of pending work. There's a certain satisfaction in ticking items off a to-do list. Most notably, I wash my sport-shoes, after having this on the list for nearly a year!!
3. Being appreciated for some silly little thing I do for somebody...

First goal, cows in jokes and express service...

1. Successfully finishing the first task assigned to me. After two days of progress amounting to zilch, I'd started panicking, but finally finishing it restored my confidence that I'd survive in the new job...
2. Watching Raju Shrivastav doing an act on the way cows behave in traffic... he's hilarious! He always chooses the most unusual topics for his jokes and has his audience rolling on the floor with mirth. Couldn't find this particular clip, but here's a good example.
3. We go out to eat and get the most efficient service in a really really long time... the waiters are friendly and attentive, the food is brought without any appreciable delay, the ambience is pleasant and the food is decent. Sadly though, I now forget the name of the place...!

Lighter, choice and reading time...

1. I get on the scale and discover that I have lost one whole kg... YIPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
2. I simply love the vast choice the vegetable market offers to me, as opposed to the veggie vendor near my house. And the vegetables are a lot fresher and look much prettier too...
3. After many many days, I find the time for some reading... Feels good, even though I am only able to manage half an hour...