The gap, backup plan and nerve soother

1. You expect the worse. And then it doesn't happen.
2. I've been trying for more than an hour to get Picasa to upload my Kashmir pics, but apparently its not to be. I mention this to Tanmoy, and he says he'll bring over his laptop tomorrow, and we can try on it.
3. I invite myself over to Dharana's 'coz I'm a little annoyed and could use some distraction. She makes me a really delicious cold coffee.

Green morning, hot shower and roommate

1. In the morning, standing in the balcony and letting my eyes drink in the greenery. The part of the yard that we can see from both our balconies is currently densely coloured with many greens, and standing there, it seems like our private little garden. I often just sit there, staring out, doing nothing. The morning does not afford me that luxury, but the even the couple of minutes that it does are a good way to start the day.
2. On a rainy day, a hot shower after a sweaty aerobics session. I stand interminably under the running water, soaking in the warmth.
3. A roommate who will cook dinner when I'm feeling a little below weather.

Short and sweet, Simplicity and Mission Impossible accomplished

1. On a boring, listless day, there's something to tide me over - a marvellous collection of short stories by the masters like Saki, Chekov, Munro, Oscar Wilde and so on. My sincere gratitude to the author of Short stories that I can't forget.
2. One thing leads to another and I find myself engrossed in these designs by Blanca Gomez. Their simplicity is charming and more than a once, they bring forth a chuckle.
3. It has taken me ages to get this simple task done, but I've done it today. I have bought a new set of track pants to wear for aerobics. I admit it sounds a little ridiculous, but finding the right fit in the material at the right price is ridiculously difficult. But I was lucky today! The Happiness Sale has begun at Pune Central and I can't wait to go back for more.

No flooding, picnic weather and computer

1. The drain pipe below the kitchen sink has been leaking heavily for the last few days. All our efforts to get a plumber to fix it have been in vain. Today we come home from work to find a new pipe in it's place. The maid has found a plumber.
2. The weather has been amazing all day today. It's the typical Pune weather. Cool breeze, cloudy sky and a drizzle at times. I want to go for a picnic!
3. My computer is getting repaired.

Neat and tidy, helping hands and uninterrupted sleep

1. The maid is back from her holiday. After so many days, the house looks clean. Everything is in it's place, there are fresh new bedsheets on the beds and even the water bottles are filled.
2. Just when I had started to feel a little overwhelmed by the mounting work pressure, there are more hands on the job. Suddenly it's not so bad.
3. The nights have gotten cooler. I don't know why, but I sure am glad, because I don't keep waking up in the middle of the night because of the heat.

Morning best, balanced and non-hairy

1. Waking up in the morning, feeling rested and fresh. I wish this is how I could wake up every single day.
2. I wear neither rings nor any watch, so the new pearl ring and the watch make my hand look very crowded and I keep fiddling with them, not quite liking it. Then I shift the ring to my right hand and the watch remains on the left, and there's balance.
3. Thank God I'm a girl and have a non-controversial option to opt being non-hairy!

Survival food, in a jiffy and

1. Maggi. What would I do without it?
2. Thinking that like all tailors, this one will also be fussy and will take a long time to stitch my dress, I ask him a little apprehensively when the dress will be ready. Tuesday, he says. Have it ready by thursday, I tell him. Er... tuesday, you mean? No no... Thursday will be just fine. I can't pick it up on tuesday.
3. I'm getting bored at home. So I call up Sriharsha and Kris and we try to plan what to do. We end up getting ourselves invited over to Kris's. Vrunda is sweet, she whips up a quick dinner for us.

Lower pressure, clean it up and Kaushiki

1. After days of complicated and time consuming work, the pressure eases off a bit and the work at hand is slightly low pressure than the past whole week, so I can relax a wee bit and allow the fatigue to take over for a while instead of fighting it continuously.
2. As the petrol pump attendant fills up the car's tank, another one cleans the windshield because it's dusty. He does this without being asked to.
3. I remember I have Kaushiki Chakrabarty's CD in my purse as I get into the car. So today, instead of the radio, I listen to her melliflous voice singing a beautiful raaga with great pleasure. Peace slowly seeps in...

Charged, traffic update and connected

1. There's a slight electricity in the air - we're planning a trip again, and though its a month away, the spring in my step is unmistakable.
2. Kris calls up to say that he's stuck in a traffic jam for more than an hour and I should avoid that particular route home. I'm so grateful he called, because I was actually planning to go home that way.
3. My internet is working. They have finally renewed it for the correct monthly plan.

Favourite job, click instruction and planning outsourced

1. Mom calls me up: "I have a task for you - one that you'll love." "What?" "Your sister has neither come online nor sent an email for two whole days. Scold her, will you?" (She has travelled to the US for a couple of months.) Who in her right mind would refuse a job such as this?! Unfortunately she sends a lengthy email within a few minutes, and I lose a golden opportunity... sigh!
2. The photography workshop has started today. The instructor spent today's session answering questions that people had. Tomorrow, he will bring his lights and show us how photography is done with studio lights. While all this is going on, the thought crosses my mind that while all this technical instruction is fine, no one can really give the photographer an 'eye' for the frame, she must develop it herself and finally, it is this individual perception of the world around that will be the distinguishing factor once the technique is mastered.
3. Soumitra is such a sweetheart. He knows I must have forgotten. So he reminds me that Diwali is only three months away, so I should start planning for tickets. Last year, all the tickets were snapped up within an hour of the reservations opening!

Lucky day, chef and title track

1. "Are you feeling lucky today?" Kris asks me... I'm confused... Why? I ask. "Because Vrunda and I got you something for your car". "Just like that? No occassion?!" It turns out to be a stuffed monkey that's smoking a cigarette with loads of attitude, in a reclining posture, with one arm behind his head... and if you press it's tummy, it lets out a shrill screech that's alarming, to say the least! Its superfluous to mention that I'm so thrilled by the unexpected gift that I'm giggling my head off for a long time...
2. I make rotis and baingan ka bharta for dinner. The rotis, though not quite perfect, are not altogether bad. I am so proud of myself. Why? Everyone can make rotis, with the sole exception of yours truly! So edible rotis are a notable achievement.
3. The title track of the Marathi serial Asambhav. The series is also quite riveting, but its very difficult to find time to watch it everyday and one loses track of the story otherwise...

Laughter, little thought and secret

1. Laughing so hard that I have to gasp for breath and hold my tummy 'coz it hurts.
2. Dharana knows I love coffee, so she very thoughtfully saves me some special coffee flavoured chocolate that someone gave her... the little chocolate nuggets have coffee beans at the center, and a delightful aroma
3. Having a secret and bursting to tell it to someone...

An ear, mended and salvation army

1. I'm mad at the world. Sriharsha calmly hears me out as I rant.
2. The mason's finally found it in him to come and refit the broken tiles in the bathroom.
3. The last alphonso of the lot I had bought, which I had given up hope on (having forgotten to eat it) is salvaged by the cook. I hadn't had the heart to throw it in the dustbin, which is good, because she's turns it into aamras, and I realise that it hadn't gone bad at all! It just looked a bit worse for age...

Guides, cool and ghar ka khana...

1. Natalie and Galit keep trying to help me find out places that I can visit on my own during the week.
2. The temperature that had soared in the past few days comes down a bit and in the late evening, the breeze is actually quite cold... pleasant days are back again :-)
3. I make khichdi in the little microwave in the hotel room. Somehow, it feels so good to eat Indian food after so many days! There's no doubt that the food here is very tasty, but I guess one craves for the food one has grown up on, and however simple it might be, there's a certain contentment in it...

End of the week, fruit and the uber cool surprise

1. Kabballah Sabbath today turns out to be one joyous occassion. For some reason, everyone is in a boistrous mood, and there's plenty of laughter and leg pulling. And as I come back to my desk, I find that my step is jaunty and I'm laughing easily. The friday mood has caught on with me, or perhaps the realization, that the week's over, and that I'm going to be on leave on Monday and Tuesday!
2. Talking to mum n dad on gtalk - the fruit of a lengthy and tedious phonecall in which I explain in excruciating detail every step that must be followed to download gtalk, install it and get it running on their PC. The fruit is, of course, very sweet!
3. Because Aparna can't keep a secret, she lets on that I have a super duper uber cool birthday gift waiting to reach me. And while I'm still recovering from an amazement-induced speech disorder, she mentions that her hubby might travel to Israel and she might tag along. I do so pray that their trip may materialize and that our visits to Israel coincide.

Breakfast adventures, rainbow at my feet and war!

1. Kris tells me there's one last idli left, if I fancy it, for breakfast. I do, so I rush to the pantry, to find it gone. To top it, both the vending machines are out of coffee. Disheartened, I settle for an apple, while Dharana goes exploring. Moments later, she returns with one idli on a paper plate with chutney on the side...
2. In front of Tower 2, on the podium, loads of petunia shrubs are in flower, bordering the lawns... the riot of colours looks like a rainbow at my feet.
3. 'Drama Queen' and 'High priestess of emotional blackmail' are two epithets bestowed upon me by Shenoy. You do realize this is nothing short of a declaration of war, don't you Shenoy? No mercy will be shown hence forth.

Leafy luxury, bear hug and decorations

1. The clean new white bedsheets that mom got for me. They look as if someone has taken a very pristine, milky white canvass and drawn lots of different coloured leaves on it. Sleeping on cool and white sheets feels so mmmmmmmm...
2. As I get to work and plop down in front of my computer, Dharana gets up from her seat, tells me she's soooooooo happy and while I'm still sitting in my chair, gives me a bear hug. I suddenly realize what a rare thing a hug has become!
3. Arminder and I keep our shopping date. We go simply gaga over all the gorgeous home decor stuff... The glass stuff is so delicate and pretty. After much deliberation and going back and forth over options, she helps me pick up a nice painting and a very elegant candle stand. Oh, and I find some really nice dry decoration stuff for mum, which I'm sure she'll love... and guess what! all of this is on sale! Could it get any better?? And we didn't even know the sale was starting today before we hit the store.

Double dose, delivery, gender inequality, magician on sarod, revival and sea-food

1. Coming to the end of a day, thinking how wonderful it has been and how lucky I've felt each moment to have been given the gift of this day. Its been such a perfect day, nothing could mar it now, and it calls for a double dose of 3BTs :-). I'm happy today!
2. A box of Ferrero Rochers that arrives at my door in the morning. Its quite unexpected, but very welcome and much appreciated.


3. I go the the Times' office to collect the free passes they are giving out for the concert in the evening. I'm handed one pass, and I ask for another, 'coz Dadu is coming with me too. Another pass is promptly handed to me. But I see that one pass admits two, so I hand back the second one, and move away. While I'm still close to the counter and am fumbling with one of the various bags in my hands, a guy, who's perhaps in his late thirties, walks in. He asks for two passes too, and is told that the passes are free, so one person can claim only one! Well... being a girl should have some advantages! hee hee... :-)


4. Sitting beneath the stars, with an almost full moon shining down bright and a cool gentle breeze, and listening to Ustad Amjad Ali Khan on the sarod. He's a maestro par excellence who gauges the mood and level of his audience perfectly and regales us with such a rich variety of music that we're left spell-bound...
5. An old friendship, that I had feared lost, is revived. Its a blessing I hadn't hoped for.
6. An absolutely scrumptilicious sea-food dinner at Mahesh Lunch Home. The Chilly-pepper prawns and the Manglorean fish curry with coconut milk gravy were both finger-licking yummy.

Orange saviour, Spice-n-nice and love

1. I'm late to work as usual, so that there's no breakfast left for me. After a while, I find out Dharana's saved an nice ripe n juicy orange for me so that I don't go completely hungry.
2. A very cosy dinner at Malaka Spice with Pinda. The food is yummy and the conversation comfortable and satisfying... Whether its the food or the company, I leave with place with a warm feeling inside me. A tip for whoever's planning to visit Malaka Spice - Try their Indonesian Topaz Curry with Roti Jhala.
3. Browsing through the wedding website of a couple I know, who're about to get married. Awwwwwwww.... love is so beautiful...

The best policy, doing 'it' amid fragrances and signs of old age

1. I panic in the morning when I realise that my handbag is no where to be seen. I call out to the watchman to ask him if I left it on my bike. He checks and says no. My heart almost stops, when I realize what all I have probably lost with it - credit cards, debit cards, driving license, cash.... whew! Before I've recovered sufficiently from the shock, the door bell rings, and its the watchman. He's come to tell me that the other watchman has found the bag, and I must come down and verify its contents in front of a senior resident of our apartment house. I nearly run my way to the parking lot. There sits my bag, all its contents intact. (I want to get some little thank-you gift for the watchmen for their honesty. Any suggestions anyone?)
2. When I walk into the washroom, I realize that its been cleaned recently and is spic and span. I actually take a deep breath and smell the room-freshner... This might seem like a yucky BT, but there's a huge pleasure and a definite feeling of well-being in using a squeaky clean, fragrant loo and in being able to take a deep breath in the washroom, and still remain smiling.
3. A colleague gives me a lift back home from work, because I've forgotten to catch the bus (I have not only managed to forget my keys inside the house and shut the door, so that I have had to leave my bike home and come by ric to work, I've also managed to forget this fact, and have hence forgotten to catch the bus)... So, as a result, I come home very comfortably, in a nice cosy car, with someone else driving, and realise that I feel none of the usual fatigue that I do by the time I'm home...