On borrowed time

My computer refuses to switch on!! So i just connected to A's laptop ... was positively facing withdrawal symptoms.. I mean not that i was posting everyday.. but at least i was reading posts everyday and i could post if i wanted to.. i had the option!! Now that the option is suddenly cut off.. i feel completely cut off .. and was all annoyed and irritated.. which i have been nicely taking out on my husband!!! I mean.. this is a big part of my life.. if i am not compulsorily able to talk to through this medium.. then there is a big big problem!!!



This entire week i have been trying to find a solution!!



Well, i bought a new blackberry :) and bid adieu to my favourite favourite phone ...one that A gave, one with all the videos of my niece from the time she couldnt walk..till now (shes turning 4), one that has countless pictures of Bombay, one that has countless videos of old friends (some drunk!!).. one that has my favourite messages.. from husband.. friends.. my best friend's baby's first pic.. a message from AB (you are right.. THE AB.. another story .. reserved for another time)...



It was a Motorola V3i.. a super phone.. my favourite phone.. and it was working quite fine.. its been 3.5 yrs since i got it.. only recently it started giving some trouble.. but nothing i couldnt live with..i am sure it would have worked for another 1 year at least!! So what if its an obsolete model now!! You all must think i am mad.. but i love that phone!! I am very very attached to it!!



But finally gave it up on A's insistence.. he did try this a few months back.. bought a new phone and made me use it (so that he could use my old phone).. i made so many faces that he is now using that phone.. but finally i gave in.. and bought a spanking new blackberry.. Blackberry Curve 8250. Costed me about 14 grand!!!


Its a nice phone.. can access internet.... but (to my dismay) not able to access blogger!!! :(


And it shows all the trail sms's like mail.. and i loaded music on it.. thats quite awesome!!And this is how it looks like... i am still exploring the phone.. been just a week..




So bye bye moto v3i ... :((



My quest to be able to blog through phone continues!!!

Decisions Decisions.. somebody help!!!

So heres the thing..

I am supposed to go for a conference in S'pore.

What the heck does one wear at such things?????????????????? Should i take my Salwar Kameez .. the formal ones i wear to presentations? Or Western formals? Only thing is i would need to buy nice trousers.... And if western formals, can i wear formal skirts? Or will it look cheesy? With formal skirts, what kind of tops can one wear?

Please please help...

And one more question.. there is a dinner that is hosted there before the start of the conference.. what do i wear to that? Last weekend, i picked up a black formal knee length skirt.. i also picked up a slightly shiny blue shirt (shine is because of the satin like feel .. pic below, not very clear i know) with it..

can i wear it? Will it be too bling? Jeans is too casual right?

10 things i wish i would have done by time i am 35

1) Learn swimming - Ever since i started working, i wanted to learn 3 things - swimming, driving (which i did) and the third thing i cannot, for the life of me, remember!!!! Learning how to swim is a story in itself.. i cant say that i have not tried!! I did try... in Bombay wherein i figured out where i could learn.. but then we shifted to Blore.. here too i have found a place.. but i hear that its too crowded and instructors dont take care!!! And i dont care much for drowning (hahahaa) So as of now its status quo...

2) Learn a language - French / German / Spanish - any language.. i havent even researched anything on this yet!!!

3) Learn my own language - I can speak in Malayalam (just about).. but dont know how to read and write!! Well i did try.. as a kid during vacations.. but you know what happens.. you come back post vacations, get back to school and out goes everything else!! I tried again after i started working.. a friend tried to teach me.. but she left the company in a fortnight.. and now finally i have bought the "learn to read and write malayalam in 10 days" but i must confess i havent done anything.. now i have had this book for a year.. i must make a start!!!!

4) Learn salsa - actually any western dance form.. it looks fun.. currently all i do is free style govinda type of dance!!! :)

5) Participate in a marathon - I have been wanting to do that but not been able to manage it yet!! Love the idea of being able to run (the idea i said) the full marathon!!!

6) Play a sport with husband - I learnt TT as i mentioned in one of my previous posts... so finally have been able to figure out at least one sport that we can play together!! I am happy.

7) Teach - My antenna has been up on the social bit for quite a while. This again i have tried to do but not been able to.. the timings did not match my work hours.. more recently tried to do it through the Teach India campaign.. same problem!!

8) Travel - Take at least 3-4 weekend breaks a year!! And one long trip. This year managed only 2 weekend breaks. And no long trip!! :( I definitely want to visit the North East, Ladakh, Andamans and Lakshadweep!!! And a 10 days driving holiday to goa / kerala.. somewhere!!! I am not very particular about where we go on international trips.. anywhere is good as long as we go!!

9) At least plan, if not do, to do something of my own

10) Sing songs loudly and not feel embarrassed!!! :)

And i tag mommie!!!! :)

Wake up Sid.. yawwnnn..

I did yawn quite a bit through the movie!!!

Well, its a cute movie.. kind of... the main character Sid takes off from where the character Akash from Dil Chahta hai left off!!!

Ranbir Kapoor is quite refreshing as Sid.. the role in itself is like a breath of fresh air.. pretty much like the college characters of Jaane Tu were.. thank god they did not have college kids declaring undying love.. fighting with goons.. they are normal college kids.. who party.. flunk.. quite a normal life.. and thank god they look like normal college kids.. unlike SRK and party who till date play college kids wearing tight Tees!!!

So Ranbir Kapoor does exemplify the normal urban college going kid. He is quite cool and really endearing!!! Who wouldnt want a friend like that (Dream on!!!) ..The initial bit of movie is fun..

He finds Konkana (the older woman) at a party.. and they live together, as friends mind you! From there on, the movie gets boring..

Many yawns later.. she find a job.. he finds a job.. she wants an older guy (Rahul Khanna).. this guy i.e. Rahul Khanna, plays the same role (of the non fun but sophisticated dude) in every movie (remember Love Aaj Kal).. its exactly the same role!! Why, i ask?

But anyway, to get on with the movie... rahul khanna takes her for sophisticated jazz concerts.. she is not able to appreciate it.. and realises that she actually has fun throwing water at the younger guy... or eating jam sandwiches..(blech!!!).. she is young at heart..a college student!!!!!

So in the end, she realises she actually loves the younger, freshly graduated (or rather not graduated) boy!!!

Oh and she is 27.. and he must be.. (when did we graduate, yaar)..20 yrs old.. yawn!!!

Its a nice, ok type of a movie... at least something different attempted... maybe teenagers can identify with the movie.. it does give them hope that that their crushes on older women may actually come true.. ho hum..

Blue : Wheres the story dude

Ok, so here's a question - What do you do when some gun toting goons break into your house and yell surprise...
a) find a place to hide
b) yell in terror and run away
c) find your sunglasses and wear them

Well, the answer is... as per the movie Blue... (c)

Thats what Sanjay Dutt does.. he and Lara Dutta are eating when gangsters break into their house and the first thing.. THE FIRST THING that he can think of doing..is wear his shades!!!!!

So this should give you a fair idea of how the movie was!! Not bad at all!!! rofl

Well, you gotta give it to the director... he has tried to make something different.. never seen a hindi movie with all these underwater sequences with actors diving into the deep blue sea , almost through the movie!!! Though somewhere, in between these sequences, he seems to have forgotten about the storyline bit.... A small miss.. a hiccup..

Why do we need a story anyway? For what purpose? Nahhhhh... When you have a good looking dude (Akshay Kumar) and sexy dudette (Lara Dutta).. And add a few breathtaking underwater shots...you dont need a story really.. I mean really!!!

The above mentioned look really hot.. absolutely sizzling!!! Sanjay Dutt though looks grey.. old.. paunchy (specially in the divers suit) and tired.. his paunch protrudes throughout the movie.. hey, i know i too have a paunch.. but look, i am not supposed to be some kind of a heroine, am i!!! So anyway, he looks like Lara Dutta's father!!! She should have been paired with AK!!!

And Zayed Khan.. well he is there..a blur... in the movie.. who cares really!!!

Coming to AK.. well like i said, he's the dude.. i quite like him.. especially post Fear Factor!!! He looks awesome.. And his new look with a salt and pepper goatee and tatoos looks fab!!!

Basically forget the story... if you like AK or Lara.. watch it for sure!!!

Oh oh.. and the songs are quite good.. Chiggy wiggy is nice.. but there are songs that are better...the title track, blue.. Fiqrana (i love this song).. Shararaa (the song on the beach)!!!

Always carry your cell phone with you

As i discovered the truth behind statement 2 days ago!!! I went to Hyderabad over the weekend. I was at my in laws place. We had to go out somewhere.. so i went to get ready! Now I shut the door of the bedroom ... went to the washroom, showered.. got ready by 10.30am (we had to leave at 11).. so there was a good half an hour..

And i tried to pull the door open.. it just wouldnt open.. i tried everything.. pulling the knob.. pulling the knob and the bolt together etc etc... nothing worked.. my hands were smarting!!! They are smarting even now!!! And then i knocked.. first politely, then loudly.. called out... to no avail.. i was on the 1st floor while everyone was the ground floor or so i thought!!! Anyway, then i spotted a cell phone.. and had this bright idea that i could call someone.. somebody's number will be there on that cell.. I put it on and it said.. recharge battery!!!!

After much knocking and trying to pry open the lock using a measuring tape (why.. dont ask me).. finally someone came looking for me as we were getting late!!! I came out and just by the side of the bedroom sat my husband.. blissfully unaware of everything.. apparently he did not hear me knocking or shouting (or so he says)!!!!

Moral of the story , according to husband - go to the gym .. at least you should be able to open the door
Moral of the story according to me - carry your cell.. even if you go the loo.. you never know when you may need help!!!

And this was validated by a girl getting stuck in our office loo today... she had her cell so she called someone.. a crowd gathered.. finally the door was kicked open a la movie style!!! lol

So always carry your phone.. no matter what.. lesson learnt the hard way.. at least by me!!!!

TT championship at chikmagalur

We went to chikmagalur the weekend before last.. could not write before this as our comp has been acting up!!!! Highlights of the trip -

1) The drive!!!! It was reallllllllllyyyyyy beautiful... it had been raining and was all green.. we encountered many lakes.. almost one every km .. ok now that was an exaggeration but you get the picture...some of the lakes were overflowing.. the nilgiris are actually blue you know!!!!!!!!!!! :) It was the perfect weather to drive down.. its also the anticipation of going somewhere, the excitement.. the drive is the best part, without doubt!!!!!

2) Pre drive arrangements... oh and pre drive, we bought some chicken salami.. so i made like 10 sandwiches to eat on the way (with different sauces).. after eating 2 i felt like throwing up.. didnt allow my husband to eat either because of the nauseating smell (maybe because i was eating in the car!!) .. well, so much for all the "sandwich excitement".. we donated the rest of it to 2 unsuspecting bell boys in the hotel!!!! rofl

3) Halebeedu / Halebid - its an ancient temple.. built more than 1000 yrs ago!!! And its gorgeous... dark clouds in the background.. and this huge temple complex. The only problem if anything were the crowds.. it was really crowded.. with children (where do so many children come from!!!!) loitering about everywhere.. but then i guess thats the story of life.. you are a part of the crowd as well.. i mean if its a tourist place, then there will be tourists.. we also added to the tourist population!!

3) The hotel : We stayed at Taj Gateway. They have a really nice property.. its green.. lush.. has these cute cottages.. supposedly overlooking the mountains.. ours did not.. but a nice place anyway!!!

4) Weather - it was cold!!!!! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr.. I am a sunshine person you know.. the first night we reached there.. it was so cold.. i was chilled to the bone.. i crossed my arms and was walking around like that fully covered up .. wore a jacket too....and my husband lolling about in shorts!! ... anyway, my hands were frozen into that position (crossed arms).. my husband literally tried to prise my hands out!!! :). What a picture we made!!

5) Breakfasts.. its been a long time since i had a proper breakfast .. my home breakfast initiative has still not taken off :).. so breakfasts at the hotel used to be -
a) Chitranna / Tomato rice / wada (whatever speciality they served)
b) Fresh juice (musk melon / water melon) etc
c) Dosha / Puris
d) Scrambled eggs, hash brown potato
e) 2 cups of panduranga coffee grown there at chikmagalur (it was delicious)!!!
I loved the coffee.. it was the south indian filter coffee.. my husband says good coffee depends on the maker.. but anyway.. i loved that coffee.. unfortunately we could not go to the shop to buy it.. but the hotel people gave us a surprise.. and gifted us a pack of that coffee.. how sweet!!!

6) Hammocks when its windy and cold.. is not a good idea.. trust me!!! OR trying to read lying in a hammock when its windy and trying to cover yourself up with a shawl.. is extremely difficult.. do not even try!!!

7) TT - I learned how to play TT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, its a start.. so what if i lost all the matches (how many did we play.. some 20 -30 matches at least).. to my husband.. i learnt.. And i am excited.. will tell you in the next post why!!! And in 3 games, i scored 10 pts and more :) Yayyyyyy

8) Also tried my hand at pool.. i suck.. to my horror a couple decided to sit and watch us play... .. watching me trying to prod the ball with the stick.. finally we just left.. there were some 6 balls on the table stilll remaining after an hour of play!!!!

9) Massages... ok this is a toughie.. this is the 3rd time i am getting a massage done.. once in bombay, once in thailand (thai massage) and now this one.. nothing, believe me nothing can ever prepare you for the shock and the wave of embarrassment you feel flooding right from your toe to head.. when masseuse tells you to remove everything and lie down... I REALLY MEAN EVERYTHING!!!!!! But about 10 mins into the massage, you just give to the sheer pleasure of the massage.. and forget about everything else!!!! It took me about 4-5 showers to get the oil out.. but thats another story!!!

10) Belur - an utterly beautiful ancient temple.. built in 1117 AD. Its huge.. its extraordinary... there are these ancient carvings.. and its breathtaking!! Only thing that spoils everything - people.. they lean on these statues when chatting.. they make their kids sit.. SIT.. on the ancients carvings to take pictures!!! Ignorant illiterate people!!!! They should be made to wash the entire temple or something!!!!

11) Shravanabelagola : its the biggest monolithic statue.. and they make you put in a lot of effort to see it :) ... there are 650 steps!!! 650!!!!!!!!!!!!! I tried to convince my husband.. told him.. yeh hamare bas ki baat nahi hai.. but he wanted to go.. in the spirits of things.. so up we went.. Gaaaawwwwwwwwwwdddddddd!!! Its tough.. we reached the top and spent about 5 mins rsting.. and feeling proud that we had made.. when .. horrors of horrors.. we went up to find more steps.. and then more!!!! But let me say this.. it was worth it!!! The statue is really beautiful!!!! And the view from top of the place.. fabulous!!! My legs were like jelly though.. and i felt i am about to topple as i was coming down!!!

A great trip.. i loved every bit of it...we have already planned for the next 2 trips - Kabini in Dec and Pondicherry in Jan... yay!!!!!!!! :)