Morning road, Tailored, Overfed and winning it all

1. The main road looks so empty and inviting at 8 in the morning. The usual traffic is missing and the air feels very inviting and fresh. Its an unusal sight for me, for I'm usually never out so early, and the road is bustling till late in the night.
2. I bring out my tailored white cotton shirt after a long time today. I'd forgotten it fits so well. And looks so crisp.
3. Natasha's mom has whipped up an enormous and yummy dinner (as is her way!) again. I'm getting fattttttttt! I even carried my lunch to work today!
4. The Oscars are being aired in the morning when we are driving to work and every award is announced on the radio as its being won by Slumdog Millionaire. At work the updates keep coming in and the euphoria continues.

Customer Service, Smooth and Yellow Chillies

1. A top that I bought a few does ago isn't fitting me all too well and want to exchange it. The catch - I've lost the bill, though the tags are still hanging on. I go to the mall, prepared for war, but I'm surprised. The girl at the customer service desk is helpful and says she'll change it for me if I find something in the same brand and at the same price. Luckily I do.
2. After the servicing, there's a noticeable change in the driving experience. I never thought my car was not smooth, until this evening when I realized how smooth it suddenly seemed!
3. A new restaurant's opened in KP - Sanjeev Kapoor's Yellow Chillies. The master chef's restaurant lives up to our expectations in terms of the culinary and dining experience - the 'Lalla Musa Daal' as they call it (more commonly known as kaali daal or daal makhni) is exceptional. The mocktails are refreshing too...

Sexier, slow n steady and infusion

1. I notice two styishly dressed guys walking on the street by my house. Each of them has a toddler in his arms. One of the tots is fast asleep with its head resting on it's dad's shoulders, but the other one is very much awake, and looking around at the sights with much curiosity. The men walk on, engrossed in a conversation, and I think to myself that there is some truth in saying that men who can handle kids with ease look a lot sexier and attractive than otherise...
2. I think I'm too tired to walk home from the bus stop. I decide to give it a shot anyway... it takes me a good 20 mins at the slow strolling pace I take, but I do make it, and am none the worse for the walk. In fact, it makes me feel a little fresher and my muscles get nice n loosened up.
3. At a new cafe that has opened in KP, I have a black mint tea with ginger... inhaling its warm vapours feels so good... and then drinking it feels even better...

The Fortnight that was

A couple of weeks have gone by and I haven't posted for a multitude of reasons, the most significant being that my internet has conked off again! So here are the BTs the past few days have brought my way, in no particular order...

1. Anna sends me a small little teddy bear - a most unexpected gesture. It now occupies a place of pride among the other little beings on my desk - Donkey, Yo Mo and the chicks.
2. George turns up on a sunday morning. I later on discover, that I was the only one unaware of his plans, and everyone was instructed to keep mum so he could surprise me :-)
3. German Bakery. I hadn't entered the famous bakery so close to my house in spite of living in KP for more than 8 months. Something always stopped me from going there - I considered it a hangout of foreigners who come to Pune, and thought I'd feel out of place there. I'm pleasantly surprised by the place's ambience. Its a charming little place, the breakfast is yummy and the menu quite interesting. Yes, there are foreigners there, but there are also an equal number of Indians, and the place has a very friendly feel to it... I'm definitely going back there...
4. The music player on my new cell phone. Its awesome! The sound quality is superb.
5. Manjiri sends a mail that has just one line - Every kick in the ass is a step forward.
6. Rohit loves the kurta I got him.
7. Tanmoy and I have an ugly fight. This is good because for almost a week after we patch up, we're nicer to each other than usual. Tanmoy, maybe we should fight more often :-)
8. Seeing Ananya in Mumbai, and also Pinda.
9. A second trip to Mumbai, couple of weekends after the first one - the journey is a lot more pleasant than the first one. I have great company and there's plenty to talk and laugh about.
10. George makes mouth-wateringly delicious chicken curry. George is a good host and he does all he can to make us comfortable.
11. Meeting Kris's wife Vrunda. They're a cute couple.
12. Stafford comes over to lunch with us in our cafetaria a couple of days.
13. Shenoy likes the the books we get him for his birthday - The Amulet of Smarkand and The Golem's Eye. He likes them enough to want to complete his collection of the trilogy, with the third book - Ptolemy's Gate. We both agree that Bartimaeus rules!
14. Watching Chak De! Its fun - each of the characters in the movie has been so beautifully portrayed. No where does the movie makes you feel it's not real. And the characters are colourful nevertheless, and spunky.

I'm sure there's plenty more, but I can't remember specific moments... Maybe that's why I should write everyday!

Lead India, chilling out and Arthur's Theme

1. Times Of India's Independence Day special edition is a treat for the readers. They publish a supplement chronicling the achievements of 60 of India's 'movers' - 60 people who, in the 60 years of India's independence, have shaped the nation to become what it is, in various walks of life - politics, science, culture, business, sports... There's plenty in there to read. TOI has also started a 'Lead India Campaign', where they want people in the age group of 25 - 40 from non-political backgrounds to come forward with project plans for a better India. Its a contest, and he that wins will be launched into a political career... Sounds interesting.
2. I have a totally chilled out day. I watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (that has to be the best Harry Potter book!), then I read Ptolemy's Gate for a couple of hours and then go for a walk in the evening... I already feel recharged.
3. Having a very elegant and sumptuous dinner at Arthur's Theme, a french restaurant in Koregaon Park. For a change I'm a vegetarian, so I go there expecting to be disappointed by the food, but I'm pleasantly surprised! The casserole I order is delicious... I'm so full when we walk out, I have to loosen my belt...

Morning in the garden, bird-watcher and Fab!

1. The Osho Teerth Garden. It's lush. And its quiet. All of us go there in the morning, and for the half hour that we spend there, we're in a completely different world. A world where time seems to flow very slowly, and where one can hear the rustle of leaves and the murmur of the flowing water falling over rocks. Every now and then, a bird that has been sitting somewhere unnoticed, suddenly takes flight...
2. At the garden, we meet an aged couple who seem to have come there for bird-watching. They have a pair of binoculars and keep peering up the trees. Apparently, along with the birds, they have also noticed us observing a flowering tree that we are unfamiliar with and wondering what it is. Outside the garden, when we're about to leave, the old gentleman comes up to us and tells us that the tree that we had been looking at is a magnolia tree. He goes on to tell us that they love coming to this garden, because there some 50 varieties of birds that can be found in the garden...
3. Fabindia. I just love it. Their designs are so simple and comfortable and yet so elegant and smart. We go there to shop for mum and dad, but Jui and I end up picking up stuff for ourselves too.

House to home, peeping tom and shopaholic

1. Having mom, dad, sis and cousins at home. There's lots to talk and laugh about and bicker over. My house transforms into a home.
2. The quiet lanes of Koregaon Park. The city's cream lives here in huge mansions which have splendid gardens and tall gates. As we go through the lanes, I keep trying to get a peek into the gardens. I don't think I'll ever get tired of doing that.
3. Going shopping. Frst we buy lots of book, music and movies. Then we go shopping for trinkets and I get to replenish my lost stock of earrings. And I have very enthusiastic company - everyone loves to shop... ok, maybe not Dad and Sameer, but majority wins!

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...

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...

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... :-)

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..."