Home delivered health, Third Girl, Twist in the tale

1. The wheatgrass juice was delivered in neat little pouches early in the morning. It was nice and fresh and I'm looking forward to it every morning now for a few days, before we change the order to some other healthy vegetable juice.
2. Staying up with droopy eyes just to finish the book and find out who the murderer is. I just wrapped up Agatha Christie's 'Third Girl'. It was one I hadn't read before and was satisfying in a way that only a good Poirot mystery can be.
3. S told me yesterday that he'd written himself into a hole and was stuck in the story much earlier than he had thought he would be. Today he tells me that he's written himself out of the hole and is super excited about the turn his book has taken. I must of course wait
   for a week or maybe more before I find out what really is going on and in the meanwhile, get along quicker with the editing.

Not Negligent, Perry Mason and Buddy

1. What was thought to be my mistake ( indeed, even I thought so, and was quite embarrassed by what I looked like negligent testing on my part) turns out not to be a mistake after all. It took me a couple of days to figure out that the test results were fine really. Whew!
2. I love reading Perry Mason mysteries by Earl Stanley Gardner. Papa's a big fan too, and we've both read umpteen number of titles from the series. I finished 'The Case of the Substitute Face' today. Mason, the high flying criminal lawyer, is once again in an action
   packed murder trial. Slightly 'filmy', but entirely entertaining.
3. Tanmoy has moved to Pune. It's good to have him back.

Finally, Only early morning dreams and irreverently funny

1. I have a gas connection at home, people! How cool is that? Congratulate me! It has taken so many days, so many trips to the distributors office, and so many discussions and arguments with that rude fellow who mans the office that when it finally arrives today, I find it difficult to believe the long and tiring journey is over... but there it is! Sweet!
2. During my afternoon nap, I have a very vivid dream. My parents are telling me that because I'm not getting married, they're going to shift to Pune on 6th April. Dad has arranged to start his Law practice from here, and I'm supposed to quickly find a larger house. I tell this to mom and she's quite amused. "Didn't you freak out?' she asks me. I pretend to be very hurt by this comment. Don't worry, she tells me, its only morning dreams that come true.
3. I have started reading My Family & Other Animals. When Shenoy asked me last week what I wanted for my birthday, I told him I wanted this book, and he seemed quite surprised to hear it's title. I haven't read much yet, but what I have so far, makes me want to get back to it quickly. I love the way he's completely irreverent about his family and how he describes the way his family has helped him write the book.

Wish me, younger, Brisingr and making way for the new

1. It's Dharana's birthday today. She keeps insisting every now and then: "wish me happy birthday!". We do. We wish her a happy year.
2. It's Stafford's birthday as well. I ask him how old he is and give a theatrical gasp when he tells me. "Yeah yeah... I may be older than you, but I look younger", he tells me. "That's just because of your juvenile behaviour," I tell him. A throaty laugh comes from the other end of the line. May you have many such laughs this coming year, Stafford! Wish you a happy birthday.
3. Come evening and I can't wait to get done with my work and the gym so that I can rush home and get immersed into Brisingr again.
4. Papa's camera has arrived and he's thrilled to bits with it. Mummy has called him up at the courts to tell him a gift has arrived for him from Delhi, and has refused to divulge any more information, so he has come home wondering what it might be and who might've sent it. He is already making plans of how and when to use it and of getting rid of his old point and shoot.

Coming back to life, hungry and involved

1. Coming home after almost a fortnight at the hospital seems to be doing some good for Grandma. She looked so frail lying on the stretcher when they brought her home just two days ago. Already, being in her own room, sleeping on her own bed and being surrounded by her familiar knick knack has brought in a striking change and she can sit up unaided and for longer durations. An unmistakable sign of recovery is the returning interest in life's daily activities - she asks me to find her pearl earrings and later tells dad that she'll clean the bunch of coriander he got from the market, and does.
2. Being at home, in Nagpur, whets my appetite. Is it the air?
3. Finding the time to be completely engrossed in a book. I didn't quite expect to like A Queen of Dreams... but I did. I got involved in it to a surprisong degree...

Pending light is long wanted in Bombay meri Jaan :)

Shopping time. I have no idea why am I being so happy about it. Maybe, thats what this blog is all about.

1. Finally there is light !

Yes... I bought a table lamp finally. This happens to be one of the absolute necessary things in my life. My US experience has been so different in so many ways. Not all of them have been rocking. Not having a bed side lamp was one of the basic things missing from my life.

2. Pending no more...

There is so much personal and office work that I finished/planned. A sense of accomplishment really for a lazy bum like me.

3. Wanted

Everytime I talk to family and friends back in India- I feel so important and wanted. It is one of those rare occasions when it seems I am lucky to be alive and walk around with pride.

4. The Long Walk

I recommend this book to anybody who feels life has been unfair to them (even for a moment). Sławomir Rawicz, a Polish soldier who was arrested by Soviet occupation troops after the German-Soviet invasion of Poland. He and six others escaped and walked over 6500 km (4000 miles) south, through the Gobi desert, and over the Himalayas to India. I don't think I have even reached the part in the book, where the escape is planned. I am still in the parts where he is tortured by them after his arrest. The book's shock factor makes it a very interesting read.

5. 'Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan'

What a playful and meaningful song ! I soooo love it :)

You will find the english translation on the youtube video.

Youtube Video



Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahanZara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaanHa haa, ha ho ho, ho hi haa ha haaHm hm hm hm, hm hm hm , hm hm hm hm hmAye dil hai..
(Kahin building kahin traame, kahin motor kahin millMilta hai yahan sab kuchh ik milta nahin dil) Insaan ka nahin kahin naam-o-nishaanZara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaanAye dil hai..

(Kahin satta, kahin patta kahin chori kahin resKahin daaka, kahin phaaka kahin thokar kahin thes) Bekaaro ke hain kai kaam yahanZara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaanAye dil hai..
(Beghar ko aawara yahan kehte has hasKhud kaate gale sabke kahe isko business) Ik cheez ke hain kai naam yahanZara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaanAye dil hai..


(Bura duniya woh hai kehta aisa bhola tu na banJo hai karta woh hai bharta hai yahan ka yeh chalan) Tadbeer nahin chalne ki yahanYeh hai Bombay, yeh hai Bombay, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan
Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahanZara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan
Aye dil hai aasaa jeena yahanSuno mister, suno bandhu, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan
Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahanZara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan

Highlight, walk and Shantaram

1. Tanmoy and Pallu are back in NY after visiting the Niagara Falls. They're awed by the majesty of it. For Tanmoy, the highlight of the trip is a full, vivid rainbow. Pallavi is unimpressed by such trivialities and instead of talking to me, they continue to bicker about it.


2. Fed up of the depressing darkness inside office today, Kris and I go for a walk in the Magarpatta garden. For some strange reason, this is the first time I'm going there, and I'm thoroughly impressed by the sprawling, well manicured garden. It's so peaceful there, and bright and the fresh air feels like heaven...


3. Shantaram. I started it a few days ago, and within the first 3 pages, I was hooked. The lucidity of language, the authors keen-ness of perception and of course the incredible story, all make a lethal combination. Every now and then, I am blown away with the author's unique way of feeling things and expressing them.

Slim fit, bodyguard and a long fantasy

1. Wearing my slim fit dark blue jeans. I don't know if they actually make me look slim... but they definitely make me feel slim!


2. Gauri appoints himself as Dipti's bodyguard and threatens to kill anyone who touches her. Dipti immediately turns to him and says - please touch me...


3. The TriWizard Tournament is about to start. Oh... I didn't mention I have undertaken a project of reading ALL Harry Potter books from the 1st to the 7th at one go so that I finally get the whole uninterrupted story, did I? I'm on Goblet of Fire right now... I simply adore living in the world of magic!

Pearls, love letters and hug and a kiss

My internet connection has been been acting strange all past week, and has refused to open blogger... Fate smiles on me again today, and I can get back to 3BTing.

1. The pre-monsoon weather in Pune. The sun barely peeps out of the clouds... there's a cool breeze at all times and is at times accompanied by a light drizzle, which doesn't quite succeed in doing much more than placing tiny glistening pearls on my hair...
2. Reading 'Other People's Love Letters'... it spreads a warmth through me.
3. Getting an unexpected hug and a fond kiss on the cheek

Ready, writing and Google

1. A very dear friend (identity concealed to protect privavcy) sends an email saying she had a pregnancy scare, but ended up being disappointed when the test was negative. She's happy she's ready to take the next step, and I'm happy her...
2. Its a day of good reading... First, Tanmoy sends a poem he has written, that conjures up a beautiful picture in front of my eyes. And then Soumitra sends me one of his stories, and I'm quite impressed. Being around these guys can be quite a treat at times :-)
3. Google Story. As I progress through it, I marvel at how this one brand has touched our lives.

Splendid, soppy and finally!

1. Being so involved in a book that I forget time. The culprit is A Thousand Splendid Suns.
2. Sending super-senti forwards to Shenoy and telling him to pass them on to his fiancee. He's far away from me, but I can imagine the look on his face when he tells me there's no way he's going to send them.
3. A long awaited invitation finally comes... and the fourth trip home is happening! I'm keeping my fingers crossed till my tickets come!

Stress relief, back to the book and shaadi.com

1. Getting a heavenly back massage and another equally divine head massage. The masseuse's expert fingers knead my back muscles and all my stress is released... it's pure sensual pleasure...
2. Coming home early so that I have, after what seems like an age, a couple of hours to read... The Golden Compass seems to be a promising companion over the coming few days.
3. Soumitra has some very interesting observations to make about a leading matrimonial site and the people whose profiles he sees there.

Internet, retail therapy and Poirot

1. The internet. What a blessing it is.
2. Going grocery shopping to Food Bazar. I enter feeling quite irritable and somewhere in the aisles of the supermarket, checking out merchandise, freebies and discounts, I lose the irritation and come out feeling quite content. That's retail therapy in action for you...
3. Reading Agatha Christie's Poirot mysteries. The pace is usually slow, but the books are nonetheless charming. They take me back to my school days when I'd read them all.

Shelfari, music and new meaning

1. Getting around to writing my first review on Shelfari. And what better book to start with, than The Prophet... I've added a widget here on the side-bar, so do check out what I have on my book shelf. And if you're a member of Shelfari, feel free to add me in your friends' list, or to request an invitation to join up!
2. Being able to listen to the radio while driving back home on the bike.
3. Finding a totally different meaning to a song that I've loved for years. "Tarun aahe ratra ajuni, Raajasa nijlas ka re..." - roughly translated, is "The night is still young, oh my love, why have you gone to sleep.." I've always taken it to be a love song, from a woman to her lover, who is spurning her. I learn that the situation is actually different - the song is the lament of a young martyr's wife, as she looks at his body lying in its shroud. Its a whole new perspective, and suddenly, the earlier lament no longer seems important enough...

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!

Baby steps, good to be unwell and Ptolemy's Gate

1. For the first time today, I deal with two guests on my own. I'm not sure how I did, but it does look like a step forward.
2. Because I'm not feeling well in the morning, I call up work to say that I'll be in only post-lunch. Suddenly, I have a morning to myself, and I can sleep in on a weekday. What's more, I'm at home when the cook comes and she makes me a lovely lunch. The hot, soft chapatis are an unexpected treat...
3. Ptolemy's Gate - the third and last part of the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathon Stroud... This one's turning out better than the previous two, and I'm already very engrossed... Bartimaeus's witticisms and the foot notes he provides so helpfully, are an absolute delight!

Succombing, living it and the experience

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I finally give in to temptation and start reading it.
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Once I start reading it post lunch, I can think of nothing else. I drop pretense of work and plunge into the book shamelessly. I have to literally force myself to get up when its time to go home, and I immediately flop down with HP as soon as I reach home. Everything else is forgotten.
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. J K Rowling delivers. The book is mesmerizing and the plot well rendered. Most of the loose ends are tied up nicely... I think now that the whole story is out, a systematic revision starting from the Sorcerer's Stone down to Deathly Hallows must be undertaken...

Progress report, fantasy and snaps

1. Getting some totally unexpected appreciation for my progress in picking up my work, and that too in the weekly team meet. Personally I had been getting the feeling that I've been rather slow in the pst couple of months, so this little pat on the back is a definite boost!
2. Kris remembers to bring a book he's promised to get for me - The Amulet of Samarkand. Its the first of the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, and I look forward with some pleasure to many weeks of magic and fantasy...
3. Seeing some really happy pictures of a very dear friend, who wishes to remain unnamed. The smiles are genuine, the joy enviable...

And of course, running through the day, has been the irrepressible excitement and anticipation for the Goa vacation... 48 hrs from now, we'll be on our way! Yeah!

Forgetting summer, little house in the prairie and Monty Python

1. The cool summer nights in Pune... I go out for a walk after dinner, and the breeze is so cool. I'm reminded its summer only when I see two night watchmen licking away at ice cream cones! But at night, if I sleep by the window, I actually can forget its summer and get snug in my bed...
2. The 'Little House in the Prairie' series by Laura Ingalls Wilder... These are books that I have read and loved as I child and as I read 'Farmer Boy' now, I'm once again taken back into a different world, one that us city dwellers can only imagine. The simplicity of the life then is something I envy now!
3. Manjiri introduces me to Monty Python. Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Here is the first ever Monty Python video I've even watched! Its for keeps...

Staking claim, sweet war and breather

1. In the mail rack, in somebody's mail box, there's a latest copy of Reader's Digest. It has been lying there since saturday, and no one seems to be interested in claiming it. Everytime I pass by, I notice it and fight an impulse to flick it. I like this little game of checking if it's still there. Whoever it belongs to, this is a warning to you - if it's still there on Monday morning, I'm going to claim it. No RD should have to face the insult of being delivered to an uninterested subscriber. It deserves to be opened and read the very day it is received! Meanwhile, I'm going to continue hoping no one claims it!
2. Amidst the usual debris (paper cups, balls of paper, tooth picks etc) that I get bombarded with from the adjoining cubicle as part of the on-going war, the first bomb for the day is a Kitkat! Hmmm... a sweet war... :-)
3. A friend tells me he feels better after chatting with me. He was stressed out and I provided him with a breather...