Miss you, pleasure ride and gossip

1. While cleaning up, the maid suddenly says, "I'm feeling so bad that you're going away... I've worked for you for so long, I feel sad." Her words were so unexpected and so heartfelt, that they touched my heart... she's served me well and taken good care of me through the last year or so, and I think I'll always compare any other maid I ever get with her.
2. Dadu drives me home at night. The roads are smooth and there is no traffic so to speak of. And the car runs as smooth as butter. Its a pleasure.
3. Rashmi, a colleague and a name-sake, who's currently in the US, comes online to chat with me when she hears that I've resigned. And we exchange plenty of gossip... the way we used to when she was still at offshore...

Accomplishment, rebuilding ties and grown-up little ones

1. It takes a lot of effort and planning, but I get a lot of clearing up done and feel kinda proud of myself, for the planning I've been able to do for the next 20 days or so. There's still much ground left to be covered, but I've set the ball rollling in the right direction.
2. I have a long chat with my cousin Babbu over the phone. A few years ago, a strain had developed between us, and we had gradually drifted apart. But that seems to be disappearing now, and its good to be able to talk easily with her. Also, it was great to know that she's started working at a school for special children and is enjoying it.
3. Babbu's son Atharva, who's just 5 answers the telephone, and talks like a grown-up. Says to me "Rashu maushi, ek minute hold karna haan... main abhi mamma ko bulata hoon"! I'm quite impressed and am reminded of the fact that I haven't seen the kids (Atharva and his younger sister) for a very long time, but I'm glad that they haven't yet removed me from their little kiddie memories...

Customer care, don't fall and stretch

1. An agent not only remembers me when I call him up for some bills I need, but also agrees to get them for me by evening because I'm in such a hurry. And true to his word, he has them ready for me.
2. I walk up to a shop, not really looking where I'm going, lost in thought and feeling very tired. I hear a "Are you alright? Why're you looking so tired?" and I look up to see Prasanna, a junior guy from work standing a couple of feet away and looking very concerned. "Please don't fall" he says!!
3. The day has tired me out so badly that it feels great to stretch my back on the bed.

Weighty address, Blue Nile and best time

Flashback: Monday, 25th Dec

1. I finalise the deal on the flat. Come mid-jan, and my address will be heavier with "Koregaon Park" in it! The broker has agreed to have the flat repainted before I move in, and I'm looking forward to staying in a fresh apartment.
2. Chicken Biryani at Blue Nile in Pune Camp. The place has an old world charm to it. You don't feel as if you're sitting in a restaurent when you're there. You get the feeling that you're at a feast at one of those old, chandeliered, high ceilinged mansions. There's nothing modern about it at all, and it feels so homely. And of course, the biryani is just too good. Come to think of it, I've never really had anything else there, but I'm told that the other items on the menu are just as good!
3. Its been one of those days when you feel just happy and content with life. I've smiled a lot through the day, and have been filled with a warm glow throughout. Its as if life's telling me - now's the best time to be alive...

Unexpected guest, ice cream and late night

Flashback: Monday, 24th Dec

1. Sharma calls up unexpectedly to say he's in town and meets up with me. Its such a lovely surprise.
2. Honey Nut Crunch icecream at Baskin Robbins. Its yummilicious!
3. We stay up late in the night chatting away. Its been a long time since Sharma and I have been able to spend time together, and its great bringing up old memories.

Strengthened hope, tips and shooting spree

Flashback: Sunday, 24th December

1. We go to KP - Koregaon Park, to check out a flat and it looks really nice and spacious. Its right on the main road, close to my new office, and the housing society is clean and well maintained. Plus, the rent's manageable. My hopes of finally being able to live in KP are strengthened.
2. I meet a guy who actually owns a camera similar to mine, and he gives me some handy tips on using the SLR...
3. I go on a shooting spree, and anything and everything is captured in my camera's lens. Everyone else thinks I've gone crazy, but they don't know the high of having a new camera! They look at me with the kind amusement that one has, for a kid who's excited about a new toy... :-)

Jingle Bells, thrift and belated birthdays

1. Santa Claus comes to our module in office, accompanied by carol singers. Santa looks like he's been on a diet, but he does give out chocolates to all those who've gathered around. The carol singers strike a merry note with Jingle Bells... Walnut cake follows. There's a huge, prettily decorated christmas tree at the entrance of the building - the Christmas season is finally here!
2. I go grocery shopping just because Spencer's Daily is offering a 10 Rs. discount on the purchase of three packets of Knorr soups... and then I go pay my mobile bill, because if I pay it immediately, I get 50 sms free!
3. I call up Sharma 3 days late to wish him for his birthday which was earlier in the week. Before I can say 'hello', he's already said 'thank you!'... My 'I swear I hadn't forgotten your birthday, I just couldn't get the call through' is greeted with a 'yeah yeah... who remembers old friends!'... Of course, we argue over that, and only after evidence has been presented and accepted, is a truce finally called... :-)

Office banter, hope not and shock value

1. As I walk by where my old team sits, someone makes a remark, and I stop to chat. Soon, others have joined in and a very-familiar-but-much-missed-in-the-recent-past banter ensues and everyone's laughing.
2. While looking through the classifieds, I see a lady has advertised that she needs a 1BHK flat. I call up on the number she has provided to ask if she's also looking for a room-mate. But her husband receives the call, and I tell him "I'd called up to ask if she needs a roomie, but I'm presuming she doesn't!" He laughs, and agrees with a "I hope not!"
3. There's a certain pleasure in telling people that I have resigned and watching the expressions on their faces...

Dream land, cheese cake and sour grapes

1. Koregaon Park - I just love the vibes I get when I'm in KP. Everything's so pretty and interesting - the houses, the eateries, the people, shops and boutiques, the gardens.... The thought that I might actually be staying here one day fills me with a very pleasant sensation.
2. As I sit down to a sandwich in Sweet Chariot, the waiter places a thick slice of Blackcurrant Cheese cake in front of me. While I'm protesting that I hadn't ordered for it at all, I'm told that it's from the couple sitting a few tables away. Turns out, they're celebrating their first wedding anniversary, and want to share their joy. The gesture is so unexpected and so lovely. They make a very handsome couple, I notice. Pleasantries are exchanged, and I wish them happiness... oh, and the cake is absolutely yummy! Not a flavour I'd have ever ordered myself, so I'm kinda glad that they did, 'coz the next time I go to Sweet Chariot, I'm definitely having Blackcurrant Cheese cake...
3. I meet Pallavi in the evening and as I tell her about the cake episode, she moans "Why don't I ever meet such people?" She then consoles herself with a "Oh alright... go on, eat cake... I'll be so happy when you're fatter than me..."

Veggie delight, Nach Baliye and blooms

1. I go shopping for vegetables, and the market is a happy place, bustling with activity. Its winter, so vegetables are cheap, because harvests are just in, and there are myriad varieties available. And since this is the natural season for most of the available vegetables, they are a lot juicier and taste much better than in any other season. The fruit stalls are loaded too. There's so much to choose from, I take a lot of time planning my meals for the next few days, and stock up on veggies...
2. Its the Mega Final on Nach Baliye and the normally hour long show stretches to 3 1/2 hours. There's a lot of celebration and the episode's very cleverly drafted. Malaika Arora gives a sizzling performance, and Saroj Khan dances too. Despite her girth and age, she's surprisingly agile and graceful (what else would you expect from a master choreographer?!). There's plently of leg pulling, and i stay glued to the TV through the hours. And in the end, my favourite pair - Tina and Hussain win the contest...
3. Lots of flowers are in bloom in the office garden and I think its finally time for me to bring the camera to office...

Luxury bath, preparation and surprising journey

1. A hot bath, which makes me feel squeaky clean, and warm and fragrant... winter means I can really enjoy luxurious baths, and then apply lovely smelling cold creams, and feel all nice and feminine... after the bath I want to just curl up in bed and drift of to sleep...
2. We go and buy a case for the camera, and a plug pin for the charger, so that I can finally start using the camera, and I can hardly wait to take my first shot! I wonder what my first frame will be.... Will have to think of something good...
3. When Soumitra is dropping me home on his bike after dinner, we're both expecting it to be *very* cold, and we bundle ourselves up in jackets/scraves/helmets and brace ourselves for the attack of cold... and to our pleasant surprise, we find that it really isn't that bad afterall! In fact, it turns out that the neighborhood we had dinner in was a lot colder than our route! Also, we discover that the road has been freshly made and is smooth, so what would have been a gruelling ride a month ago, is now an awesome drive!

Party goes on, camera shy and 1000 oaks

Flashback: Sunday, December 17th

1. George is in no mood to end the party (and neither is anyone else...), so even though he has to go to office on Sunday and has initially planned to leave for Mumbai by saturday evening, he rearranges plans, and stays back on saturday too, albeit with the condition that the party doesn't stop! And it doesn't..!
2. We spend a quiet evening getting acquainted with my new camera - a Nikon D40 that Shreerang got for me. And we plan what accessories need to be bought for the camera...
3. Come night, and we head to 1000 Oaks... the music there is awesome and spirits are high. Pallavi has joined us, and is in such high spirits, that she's singing loudly throughout! And Gullu has stayed back too, and when the clock strikes 12, we celebrate his birthday... Its a happy night for all of us!

Planning the party, birthday gift and birthday bumps...

Flashback: Saturday, December 16th

1. Chain mails keep going back and forth between all of us, trying to plan for the night's reunion... as is to be expected, there's plenty of confusion, suppressed excitement and wise-cracks. None of us can wait for the day to end, so that we'll all meet up in the evening. We're all meeting Shreerang after a gap of a year and a half, and its also his birthday. Lots of reasons to celebrate!
2. I finally get a long overdue birthday gift, exactly 9 months late, one that I've been behaving like a baby about! I've shamelessly hankered after it through the months, and I must admit I've quite enjoyed doing that! :-P Its a very nice white and red full sleeved TShirt, and I can't wait to get into it! And I also feel a little sad, because now I have to stop making a fuss about it :-D !!
3. Its almost 10 p.m. by the time we all finally meet up, and yet everyone's in a jolly mood. Shreerang is 'critically examined' with plenty of "oh my god! how could you have become so fat!" and "why didn't you get the liquor chocolates?" and "Where's my camera?"... and then he gets birthday bumps - there's lots of running around the house and covering the butt from certain-to-land kicks involved for the guys, and everyone's laughing!

Pampering, double treat and family

1. Its good to be pampered (even if you have to pay for it!).... I go to the parlor and get a facial done... its just awesome to lie down, close your eyes and let someone give you a facial massage... The beautician's deft fingers know precisely how much pressure to apply and what points to press. Today, my skin feels so fresh and taken care of...
2. As a treat to myself, I indulge in a bit of unplanned shopping and end up buying a couple of really nice cardigans (one is plain black and the other olive green with rhomboid designs on the breast) - and I get them dirt cheap! That's like a double treat!
3. As the news spreads (shhh... its a secret yet, so I'm not stating it online), congratulations start pouring in. My family and relatives have always been very supportive and I can tell from their voices over the phone, that they are very thrilled for me! And since we don't get to talk so much over the phone, all phonecalls go on for more than 20 mins... there are lots of things to be discussed, news to be exchanged and appreciation and satisfaction to be expressed. One moment that particularly touches me is my mami telling me that they've all missed me at my cousin's birthday party, and that he'd liked a particular book that I had gifted him so much, that they'd turned all bookshops upside down before they found another in the same series! :-)

Sign, Cousin & greedy

1. Signing my name on a much-awaited document...
2. Meeting my cousin Pallavi and her crazy room-mates... they definitely seem to be having fun together.
3. Rohit messages, saying - "I can expect a bike from you now"... and it brings a smile to my face. He's been like this, and he's going to remain like this - asking for a gift or a treat from his elder sisters at the slightest excuse

Regular customer, warm feet, and nothing

1. I walk towards the Express Coffee Day counter in the office cafetaria, and the guy behind the counter sees me approach. Before I've reached, my coffee is already brewing. I don't have to tell him which coffee I'll have, he knows already... I like being a regular customer..
2. The way my cold feet slowly get warm when I get into my blankets at night... I have this habit of washing my feet before I go to bed, and sometimes, it can take a very long time for my feet to get warm again...

(I'm sorry, I've been staring at the screen for half an hour now, and just can't come up with one more)

Together, lost & found and siesta...

Ok, I've been a little lax in posting for the last 3 days, but that's only because I've been really really busy. Have been attending the Sawai Gandharva Music Festival for the past 4 days, and its taken up most of my time. The experience has been amazing, it has been a musical feast that has lasted for 4 days and I've had an awesome time. My entire 3BT blog can be filled up with moments at the fest, but I'm going to refrain from doing that! Lets look at more mudane, non-musical things... am not really in the mood for a flashback, so I guess I'll just write about sunday, but the past 4 days have been literally brimming with moments worth remembering... here goes!

1. Calling up mom and dad when Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's Sarod recital is going on, so that they can hear it too... and they both do, and are very happy... mom says, 'it sounds so good, and I feel like I'm there with you' :-)
2. An old friend resurfaces on saturday, and accompanies us to the fest. It feels good to have him back among us, even though he helps the others pull my leg, and I throw a little tantrum later on because they've vexed me too much...
3. Siesta... after lunch, I'm reading the newspaper, propped up in bed, and my neck seems unable to hold up my head, and my eyes seem unable to stay open... I slide down further into the bed and am fast asleep before I know it... there's something very nice about naps on sunday afternoons in the winter, especially if you sleep by the window and can feel the reflected warmth of the sun on the window panes...

3 Years, unplanned party and grocery shopping..

1. Yesterday was my 3rd anniversary with the IT industry... It seems almost strange that I've survived here for that long. And now if anyone asks me how long I've been working, I don't have to say 'almost 3 years'... Looking back over the 3 years, I see how I have changed - have gained more patience, become a little more mature, and confident, acquired dark circles and gained some weight, apart from some prosperity... :-)
2. Unplanned party - Gullu dropped in and we went to Chhaya, and then Tanmoy dropped in and we headed to Golden Palms... And then Dadu came along too... It was like the old times when everyone lived nearby, and we'd just decide on the spur of the moment, that we needed to go out for dinner, and be among the last ones to leave the restaurant..
3. Grocery shopping - Dragged Gullu to Tru Mart, and while my original list contained only flour and cooking oil, we ended up roaming thru all the aisles and picking up a lot of unnecessary stuff too!

Love on the dance floor, warmth and gossip

Silver Jubilee post today - also coincides with my completing 3 years in the IT industry... reason enough for celebration!

1. Love on the dance floor... On Nach Baliye, a participating couple danced a slow dance to 'Baahon ke darmiyaan..' from Khamoshi... I swear I couldn't take my eyes off them... They were almost making love on stage! And I watched, mesmerised by the emotion they stirred... pure, unadulterated romance... sighhhhhhhhhhhhhh (yes, I know... I'm an incurable romantic!)
2. The way the afternoon sun streaming in through the glass windows feels on my back, when I walk out of the cold air-conditioned office, into the passage and wait for the lift... I sit on the broad window ledge - the sun has warmed the stone deliciously, and my bum feels happy... I can feel the warmth seeping through me, and its as if the blood starts flowing freely again in my veins...
3. An impromptu phonecall to Meenal made while standing outside a shop, and which lasts for half an hour... the shopkeeper keeps wondering if I'm ever going to stop yapping and get into the shop at all! And we just keep on chattering, gossiping and guffawing... :-D

Gluttony, small expectations and reunion

1. When I met Manjiri in the evening, we were both hungry, so we headed straight into the nearest McDonalds (which, very conveniently, was where we had planned to meet). After gobbling down a burger apeice, I looked at her and said, "I'm still hungry"... AND Manjiri says, "Thank God! So am I!"... so we headed to a sandwich and pasta place called Peppinos... where I had a corn sandwich and she had pasta... all amid giggles at our gluttony :-)
2. Got a mail from a friend in the afternoon, telling me that he was going in to take an unplanned session, and wouldn't be available on phone for a while... Was quite amused to realise that he'd been expecting my call in the afternoon, and knew I'd fuss when he didn't answer it...
3. Another school friend Anagha, who's actually been in Pune for quite a while now, but who I hadn't been able to meet yet, caught up with us while Manjiri and I were still at Peppinos... It was awesome meeting the girls. Both of them have been married for a year or so now, and I've only met them for the first time since they got married... It was quite interesting to note the changes in them... and we laughed a lot, happy to have met!

Old friends, Bond and aaaaah...

1. Meeting Manjiri... We've been friends since school, which seems like forever now. What started as a love-hate relationship, with plenty of squabbles, misunderstandings, fall outs and make-ups, has now matured into a steady friendship... She's just back from the US, and we met after a gap of one year... And I'm now looking forward to seeing her on a regular basis, if she manages to find a job in Pune...
2. Bond, James Bond... Watched Casino Royale (finally!)... One hell of a kick-ass movie! Yeah baby! The characterization of 007 is a lot more believable - he's human, and meaaaaan! Just loved it!
3. Stretching out in bed, after a looong tiring day... aaaaah...

Shisha, moombagoomba encore and coochi-coo

Flashback: Saturday, 2nd Dec '06

1. Candle-light dinner with friends - Shisha Cafe is a beautiful place, with artistic lighting and soothing music, mostly jazz... you can choose to sit at a table, or kick off your shoes and sit on a comfy charpoy, legs folded (which is just what we did)... the perfect place to unwind on a weekend... (and if you have a girlfriend, perfect place to impress her... so guys, please note!)
2. Chicken moombagoomba.... ok, it had some complicated name, the kind that restaurants with fancy menus like to have, but which no one can pronounce, let alone remember... but it was mouth-wateringly delicious... we ordered it once, and then ordered it once again... :-)
3. Had gone along with friends, one of whom had brought his girlfriend along... it was kinda amusing watching the two of them coochi-coo-ing...

Captured beauty, porridge and call

1. Seeing a gorgeous sunset and actually having a camera at hand to capture it...
2. Oat porridge - one of those meals that kinda grow on you. When I first had it, I hated it... now I actually look forward to my daily bowl of porridge for breakfast
3. A phone call that I had been waiting for, for days... can't tell you who called, but let it suffice to say that it made my day...
   

Movie, Georgie and chutney

1. Watching a funny, feel-good movie - Kisi Se Na Kehna by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Deepti Naval is sooooo adorable...
2. A loooooong chat with George.... talking to him is always entertaining.. :-)
3. Tomato Chutney - the cook decided on her own that there were altogether too many tomatoes in the fridge (I over-bought) and made a delicious chutney. I've been having it for every meal since last morning!

First breath, anticipation and dance of abandon

1. Writing my first ever Haiku.... its hard hard work... tedious and engrossing, and while I've only succeeded in writing a very ordinary one, I'm as pleased as a cat that has swallowed a jug full of cream and is now basking in the sun :-)
2. I keep visualising this sun flower that I want to paint, and I keep planning what colours I'll use and how the liquid feel of the water colours will make my sun flower pretty... last night, when I was reading something, I suddenly felt the need to make a sketch of the flower, so that when I started to paint, I'd know exactly what would come where, and for once, I followed the urge... I went to bed dreaming about the sun flower...
3. The figurine of a naked girl dancing, that I saw at a home decor shop... Its a happy dance, and she looks ready to take off into the sky, if only she had wings... her body is taut and graceful like a powerful bird's and arched, bending backwards, as if to meet the sun and the wind full on... and her posture has a fluid abandon to it. (I have a picture on my cell phone, but unfortunately, no way to post it here..)

Study, nurturing life and corn-flakes

1. Finally finding the will to get back to my books... Good to study with a purpose.
2. Listening to Jeevan and waking up instead of falling asleep.... I switched on the music and went to bed, thinking I'll fall asleep listening to it. But the exact reverse happened... Jeevan is not meant to lull a tired soul to sleep, but to energize it and arouse the spirit...
3. The delicious smell of warm milk on corn-flakes... mmmmmmmmmmm...

Luxury, just in time and cat nap

Back to the present :-)

1. Sleeping in late.... there's a certain luxury attached to sleeping in on a Monday morning :-)
2. There was some snag from the cable operator's end, and there was no TV for the entire evening... But they started transmission just in time for Nach Baliye.. so I didn't miss it after all!
3. Falling asleep in the bean bag, and waking up feeling rested... had been feeling very tired through the day, but by the time I got ready for bed, I wasn't feeling quite so low... went to bed feeling content...

Baby's day out, breeze and shoulder

Sunday, 26th Nov '06

1. We visited Mumbai's Fort area - sat there in a pub called 'Cafe Leopold' which is a quaint little place, full of tourists. Then Saumya and I decided to go footpath shopping alon Colaba Causeway for a bit - picked up a few bargains. I got myself a couple of stylish stoles and a silk scarf... can't wait to wear them! We then headed towards the Gateway of India and took the steamer ride (the view of the Mumbai skyline when seen from off the shore is breath-takingly handsome...) Needless to mention, there was plenty of fun involved, with a lot of laughing and teasing and running around... Baby's day out in the town!
2. Sea breeze that runs through my hair... the feeling of space that one gets while on the sea is incredible, even while you're still very close to shore. I always feel like laughing out loud with joy when I'm near the sea..
3. Having a shoulder to fall asleep on, during the bus ride back to Pune...

First bicycle, swords & maces and tonic

Saturday, 25th Nov '06

1. My neice Isha, who had her 6th birthday this saturday, got a brand new bicycle. Its a pretty little thing - purple and pink, with a nifty little basket in the front, a (shrill) bell, and of course, the inevitable side wheels that go with every first bicycle... :-)... Isha is a little dramatist, and she was excited and scared of climbing it, and managed to create quite a fuss about it! Her father finally took her downstairs to try it out - and when she came back, she wouldn't stop riding it even inside the house :-)
2. Running around on Juhu beach with a toy sword and a toy mace in our hands, George, Tanmoy and I had quite a bit a juvenile fun... and of course, a visit to the beach in the evening is incomplete without chaat and ice-golas!
3. Spending time with friends, doing nothing... its a tonic of the highest order.

On her own, Tere Bin and karaoke

Friday, 24th Nov '06

1. My aunt and I brought Ananya home from the creche, and oh boy! Was she happy at seeing us! Ananya and I played in the park for a while (played = got our clothes dirty sitting in the sandbox while Ananya fussed around with little plastic spades and rakes and the dumper truck). But I think the best part was teaching her to swing by herself on the swings - the look of wonder and pride when she finally managed it on her own was priceless!
2. 'Tere Bin..' by Atif, the Pakistani singer. The song is sooooo soulful, you have to drop everything you're doing and just listen, everytime its aired on radio or TV! (I had just gone in for a bath - put on my clothes again and came out to listen... :-) )
3. Watching Ananya karaoke to nursery rhymes... albeit without the karaoke system!

Little Chatterbox, interiors and a lazy day

Thursday 23rd Nov '06

1. When Sangeeta brought Ananya home from the creche, she came to me, shy at first, and then got a little bolder and started talking... and how we talked! It was pleasantly surprising that though we hadn't met since August, she hadn't forgotten me. Ananya is a chatterbox and can talk a donkey's hind legs off! Its difficult to believe that at 2 yrs 8 months, she can talk on such a comprehensive range of stuff. And her sweet voice and baby talk is music to ears that are only used to hearing adult voices....
2. My brother's new apartment. The housing complex is pretty and the house prettier. The interiors have been done up very tastefully - the designs are clean and minimalistic in mahogany colour, the bathrooms are what can only be called 'glamour rooms', the modular kitchen is a dream! Sighhhhhhh... when will I have a house like that?
3. Had a lazy day at home with my uncle and aunt, while my brother and his wife Sangeeta went to work... My aunt pampers me (at times even more than my mum does when I go home) and we shared a lovely afternoon, roaming around in the market for a while and chatting away!

Exclusivity, expressway and reaching home

I'm just back from an extended weekend in Mumbai, having met family and friends... And every moment has been beautiful! Wasn't able to post my 3BT's while there, but noted them never the less... :-) Here are a few pre-dated 3BTs - a post for each day!

Wednesday, 22nd Nov '06

1. Driving down to Mumbai from Pune with my brother. It is so rare to have him to to myself for such a long interval of time... there's always someone else around! We talked and laughed and cringed at the horrible songs the driver was playing... It was like when I was a kid :-), with my big brother to take care of me, while I worried about nothing...
2. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway... Its an engineering marvel. We reached Mumbai in less that 3 hours, and the drive, as always, was glorious.
3. Bro and I reached home pretty late, but everyone had stayed up to meet us... And then there was a rush to talk to everyone, with plenty of 'Shhh.. talk low, you'll wake the baby!'.. Lots of news to be exchanged and observations to be made!

Water colours, massage and chill in the air

1. Tried my hand at water colour painting after eons... took quite a bit of courage to touch brush to paper, 'coz my hand just wouldn't stay steady. But I finally did, and after a couple of hours, the end result was pleasantly surprising :-)... I just love the liquid, translucent quality of water colours on paper... they're so soft to the eye...
2. Finally found the time and the inclination to listen to the CD of Pt. Rajan - Sajan Mishra's vocals.. Its a one hour recital of raga Jaijaiwanti, and all you need to do is dim the lights, sink into the bean bag, close your eyes and listen... and when you come out of the trance, you feel like someone's given your senses a massage...
3. Its getting a little chilly... winter's coming... I love winters - your appetite is whetted, the air is crisp, and its nice to be in a warm bed..

No loss, automatic feet and couch potato

1. Couldn't find my credit card, and panicked, for I couldn't remember having seen it after wednesday. Searched the whole house, finally called up the bank to report the loss.... My knees went weak with relief, when I found that there had been no fraud... there IS a God!
2. Every afternoon, as I walk into the cafetaria, I'm greeted by the aroma of freshly brewed coffee... and my feet automatically gravitate towards the coffee vendor
3. Watching my favourite TV shows back to back - Full House, F.R.I.E.N.D.S., Cheers, Sienfeld, My Wife and Kids, Nach Baliye... talk about beating monday blues :-)

Multiplication, chicken and friends in love

1. A very dear friend Aparna is now a contributor to this blog. I'm so very thrilled at having her on board. Her presence promises a much more colourful blog and many moments of joy, for together, we can mutiply beauty by 2!
2. Home cooked chicken curry.... mmmmmmmm... I'd missed it so much! Ate like a glutton. So much so, that I couldn't keep my eyes open post-lunch and had to take the sunday afternoon siesta... could a sunday afternoon possibly be any better?!
3. Bumped into an old friend, after having tried to plan a get-together for many months... He was with his fiancee who I was meeting for the first time. Both of them looked very much in love :-).... and its always so heart warming to be in the presence of love...

Tring Tring, Jagjit and serenades

Quickies today...

1. Phone calls that last forever and leave you smiling for a long time.
2. 'Babul Mora...' by Jagjit Singh. I had no idea that Jagjit Singh sang Hindustani classical quite so well, even though he is the undisputed Gazal maestro... aaaahhh... Babul Mora is bliss...
3. Having someone sing for you.. Aunty had been waiting for me to turn up, so she could sing the songs she'd been practicing. Got to hear a few Gazals I hadn't heard before..
   

Flood, fancy dress and long walk

Clare has inaugurated my blog by writing the first ever comment on it... yay! yay! Thanks a tonne, Clare!

1. When you start looking out for beauty, the world miraculously becomes beautiful. I had wondered if at all I'd be able to find three beautiful things a day, but I found so many today, that I'm not even going to be able to remember them all! But I found a lot of smiles hidden in unlikely places today, and while I'm only going to record three, it's been a beautiful day. I know I'm overdoing it, posting twice on the first day itself. I'm lauging at my own silliness, but I'm overwhelmed by the flood of beauty, and am letting the current carry me.
2. While driving back home from work, I saw a little girl dressed up in a bright yellow lugda (the traditional maharashtrian dress), her hair done up in a bun, and a pretty shawl draped around her shoulders... brought back memories of fancy dress parties I'd attended as a kid. I'd worn a similar dress once, but I was a door-to-door fruit seller, while this little girl seemed all set to be a member of royalty, judging from the richness of her costume.
3. Took a loooong walk in my favourite neighbourhood. I absolutely love the bunglows there. I keep fantasizing about building my own bunglow some day. And its good to walk alone and get some time to think by yourself.

Closure, wedding gift and second honeymoon

1. While having lunch with the girls at office today, one of them asked me when I fixing the date for my wedding. Took a deeeeeep breath, and told them we'd called off the engagement. The inevitable looks of utter surprise and the 'why' followed. Fortunately, 'there were some issues' sufficed... aaaahh... what a relief! Now I no longer have to worry about anyone popping 'the question', because I just found out it is not that difficult to handle, after all!
2. Had sent a wedding gift to a friend, whose wedding I'd been unable to attend. She called up today (sounding pleased and surprised at receiving the gift and very happy at being married to the man she loves) to tell me she loved it... and so did her in-laws.. he he!
3. Mom and dad finally decided to take that long-awaited and much-needed vacation this december itself. Yesterday, it had looked like it was too late to book the tickets in the holiday season, but now it does seem like we might just pull it off... Cheers to their second honeymoon!!