Working from home.. i really dont get it!!!

I usually do not get work home... if required i can stay late in office... i can work during the weekend .. even that i usually avoid... But i refuse to work at from home!!! I cant understand the concept..

For women / men with other responsibilities ... i can understand... but others i really dont!!!

For me, once i shut down my comp at work.. i want to relax.. that shutting down itself i feel is a sign, an indication that .. ok now i can stop thinking about work.. i dont need to take client calls.. i dont need to do anything that involves work!!!

And i like to segregate work and home... work is work and should be done at office.. not brought back home.. i like to keep the 2 places very distinct!!! For me, home means.. comfort relaxation relief destress watching TV reading chilling... And the minute i am out of office i am geared towards this "doing what i feel like" mental make up!!! And i need a place to myself where work can never ever interfere!!! I keep work out at the door when i walk in.. actually the minute i shut down and leave office.. work is already streaming out of my mind... and by the time i am home / gym (takes about 5 mins).. work is totally out of my mind!!!

I remember when we used to crib to of our previous bosses.. about working during weekends etc.. he used to say.. why dont you take work home.. in fact i encourage everyone to leave early.. And i would be like.. dude.. working from home is also working.. doesnt mean i am doing timepass!!! And if i am working, then might as well come to office to work!!! And i would finish off with a glare!!!

Well, anyway why did this come up.. for the first time in Blore, got work home.. even though only 15 mins of work!!!!

Graced by her presence

A kite flew into our home today... our balcony.. this huge magnificient thing.. with its wings spread majestically.. saw it approaching our balcony.. though the flight was not the great swoop you usually see it doing.. I actually thought it was an eagle.. was enlightened by my husband that it was a kite.. i ran back screaming into the house.. to get my husband not because i was scared or something!!! The door was anyway closed!!

So as this kite sat on our balcony railing, all these crows suddenly came and started hovering around this poor kite... and we were like why is the kite sitting still.. i am sure it can eat these things for breakfast!!! And then one of the crows pushed... actually shoved the kite.. and it fell into our balcony..

We figured out it was injured as it was hopping around.... and thought maybe we should call animal shelter.. as the crows just wouldnt let it be.. even before i completed my statement.. the kite put her head out of the balcony.. wriggled out through the grill.. and swooped up.. pretty much like its normal flight.. but it hardly went up a few metres.. when it came down again.. and sat on some ledge.. the idiotic crows still troubling it...

And at that point i left for office.. called up my husband later from office to check on the Kite status... it had apparently disappeared from the ledge!!

Hopefully, it is sitting in some corner... untroubled, undisturbed... hope its ok!!!

ps : we did get an opportunity to click a few snaps when it was sitting peacefully on the railing.. will put it up over the weekend...

Stuck in the lift et al...

We got stuck in the lift.. somewhere between the 11th and the 10th floor of a building... we were in the lift for about 10-15 mins!! Quite strange it was .. nobody screamed, shouted etc etc.. everyone was extremely calm and collected.. there was this lady chatting on the phone asking someone to pick her up. and the words "lift" and "stuck" didnt even feature in the conversation. I was quite amazed... or maybe i am biased because of the lift getting stuck scenes from movies.... wherein people keep screaming.. banging at the lift door!!!! Also maybe because this was the first time i got stuck in a lift... others maybe experts!!!! God knows. (I didnt scream / shout etc)

And finally when someone from outside opened the lift.. we realised we were stuck midway between floors.. but all of us coolly climbed out from the lift!!! Pretty much like the scene from the movie "Speed" except the lift didnt crash behind us!!!!! And that there were no firemen or men like Keanu Reeves either.... or any men apart from those stuck in the lift.... but anyhow we walked down 11 floors! Quite adventurous i thought the entire incident was!!!

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Nutella on Marie biscuit tastes awesome.. actually nutella with bread is also great.. but the best is one spoon of nutella by itself!!!!!! Awesome!!!!!
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We went an Italian joint last night called Viva Italia.. not a very creative name i know... but quite a nice place.. serves nice Italian food.. i had grilled chicken.. which had this slightly sweet taste to it... i usually cannot eat sweet stuff esp for main course.. but it was really nice!!! But the best part was - as we were leaving, the person running the restaurant gave me a rose!!! How sweet!!! And when we got our car from the valet parking thingy, we saw this thank you note on the dashboard.. and 3 pieces of chocolate wrapped nicely , kept by the card for the 3 of us!!!! Such a sweet sweet gesture!!! I was totally floored!!!! :)

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This week is a bad week... loads and loads and loads of work!!! I am working this weekend.. this long weekend that we have.... god have mercy on me!!!!!

And skipped the gym today... and today by my calculations was one of the days that i could actually go to the gym during this week!!!

Maybe i can put this week right.. by sleeping really early.. like... right now!!!!!!!!!

Goodnight!!!!

The drinking club

Or is it the drunk club?

Yesterday, drinking was the topic of conversation at our lunch table.. what started out as a harmless discussion on our liquor clients turned into a discussion on drinking .. and women drinking in particular.. and your truly was the one to initiate this topic.. i said something about my drinking tendencies.. and guiltily looked up.. thinking what would these people be thinking... esp since the lunch group was not the regular lunch group...even now many people cringe if soemone mentions drinking.. but i was pleasantly surprised.. joy behold.. i was sitting at a table where these women were seasoned drinkers!!! The oldest lady at our table was talking bout her daughter and friends drinking at their place.. we have really come a long way!!!!!! Can never imagine my parents acknowledging it in such an open way!!!

Does all that i have written till now make you feel i am an avid drinker? Actually i am not... i am social drinker ... was initiated into drinking during my post grad/initial years of work. But of course there are many memories associated with drinking... once i went to malaysia to meet a friend and a honeymooning couple (we knew the girl) joined us at a pub.. we all drank too much.. i threw up on the street and was very amused (gross, i know!!).. and the person trying to take care of me was totally zonked out!! The one person who was not drunk was the husband.. on his honeymoon surrounded by 3 drunk women intent on laughing at everything.. poor guy!!

And then again there was one incident wherein i puked .. but thats about it. And once when i was totally drunk.. the glass slipped from my hand and fell and my reactions were extremely slow.. my hand was still in the air holding the invisible glas.. and wondering what happened.. and i drove back home that night.. i dont know how.. and i shudder now when i think of it!!!

Now of course its all in moderation!! I like drinking with my friends.. and feeling happy!!! We .. my 2 girl- friends and I used to catch up at my place .. drink vodka.. and laugh.. and bitch.. and bitch a little more!!! I have this one video actually... where you can hear 2 drunk women talking and a third screaming in the background!!! lol

But that is the best part about drinking.. sharing a drink with friends.. especially girl friends !! Not going over board.. drinking enough to feel good.. feel high... floating in the air high... and just being your idiotic self! I used to enjoy these sessions that we used to have!!! We used to be crazy.

My favourite drink is bloody mary i think!! Bloody mary if made well is quite delicious. I dont like beer.. i find the smell /taste too overpowering and puts me off!!

Basically, were drinking yesterday.. and now i am groggy.. popped a few saridons!!! Was terribly missing you all girl friends!!! :(

Recounting my half day hyderabad trip

I just got back .. when i say just i mean early morning today.. from Hyderabad. Had gone there along with my husband .. a quick visit to my in laws place for Sankranti...

We traveled by train... i havent been in a train (long distance) since 2002 or 2003 i think!! Quite an experience... while going, it was ok.. we didnt talk to anyone much.. we played cards.. had some insipid egg biriyani.. and slept.. not at all soundly.. as we were on the side berth.. which i used to love.. as a child.. but they are really uncomfortable!!!! You cant move too much.. you are always compressed... and the AC vents were on my head literally.. the lever to turn the thing away was not working.. huddled inside the blanket... kept tossing and turning... hardly slept.. and coming from me thats really something!!!!!

Hyderabad was quite hectic.. Spent the day helping a little.. chatting mostly...

My in laws have a dog.. a huge german shepherd.... an extremely friendly dog.. who wants to play with you... when she stood on 2 legs with her 2 paws on my shoulder.. her head and my head were at the same level!!! She gets very excited when she meets people.. climbs, i really mean climb, all over you!!!! Her nails scratch you all over... she will try to lick your face.. with me thats not too difficult for her.. so she was trying it all the time... and another form of play is taking your wrist in her mouth.. thats not for the fainthearted, thats for sure... she wont bite but is just trying play.. and i have these 2 tooth marks on my wrist....

Besides meeting my in laws.. also met my sis and her family!!! My niece is the love of my life!!! Not kidding!!! I was so happy at meeting her!!! She is this small bundle of energy.. and keeps yakking.. shes only 3 but can keep all adults thoroughly entertained with her conversations!!! I am already missing her!!! Maybe one day i will put a separate post on her!!!

And then back to the station.. this time round when we played cards.. 2 kids.. a girl in the 4th std and her brother in the 6th std joined us..the kids were smart... it was not even the fact that the girl started conversation by asking us our mother tongue.. what was absolutely stunning was the boy asked.. do any of you work in satyam.. and i was so zapped.. i was like dude you are in the 6th std!!!! Are you even supposed to know any company name.. i know i didnt when i was in the 6th!!!! Hmmmm..

Oh but to get back to the story.. the best part i.e.... this young girl told me that i look like Deepika Padukone!!!! :) That made my day... maybe thats why i slept very well last night in the train!!!!

We used to travel by ordinary class when we were kids.. and travel for 2 nights and 3 days.. all the way from delhi to kerala.. in that burning heat of may... i really dont know how we ever managed to do all that!!!

There is one thing about traveling by train though... you end up smelling like the train.. totally.. it pervades every pore of your body... to such an extent that you are dying to wash as quickly as you can.. just remove that smell .. that smell of iron!!

Its gotta be the Slumdog Millionaire this weekend..

Mumble mumble.. bcz i am going to be mumbling about many things today ....not really.. i have just been watching Golden Globe Awards on TV.. so its got to be a post on Slumdog Millionaire.

You cannot, absolutely cannot feel anything but pride in A R Rahman winning an award.. and in a movie winning 4 awards despite there being all these big shot movies of Brad Pitt, Leonardo di Caprio.. get the picture???And it won the best score, sreenplay, director and movie awards.. with a clutch of actors .. the only known face being Anil Kapoor, if you ostensibly do wanna call him a known face!!! The underdog movie about underdogs stole the thunder (couldnt resist taking that cheap shot) :)

Apparently the Brit movie about India is about a poor kid making it big .. winning big money on KBC.. and some people were saying that as usual it highlights the same old stuff about India.. the poverty, the crowds etc etc.. cant comment too much about it without having seen it.

Many of course indulge in reverse snobbery (refer to one of my earlier posts.. hehehehe.. i am glad that i could actually use this self invented phrase.. so do i become the father, no the mother of this phrase..food for thought..).. why should you care if an Indian won an award at Golden Globe.. or rather you should care the same amount if he i.e. AR Rahman won an award for Jodha Akbar in Filmare!!!

But there is something about the world recognising talent.. and yes it is the world.. as they said, it was broadcasted in some 160 + countries (not too sure if i got that number right).. but nevertheless a big number!!! Our very own genius (read Rahman) winning an international award.. not some obscure award too.. an internationally well recognised (by all and sundry) award!!!!

And I am sure you know that SRK was invited to present the movie (Slumdog Millionaire) to the audience.. what???? You didnt know????? People at lunch didnt know too.... anyway he was invited.. and introduced as the "King of Bollywood" (roll eyes.. keep rolling them) and talked some stuff.. did an "Indian pelvic thrust" in his own words to celebrate the movie winning awards!!! Sighhhhhhh

But anyway, I am so waiting to watch Slumdog Millionaire.. Its releasing this Thursday or so i hear!! Need to toss a coin b/w Chandni Chowk to China and Slumdog Millionaire... hmmmm (thinking hard, finger on my chin).... maybe just maybe chance to watch back to back movies!!! On that good thought, i will retire :).. oh and Cheers to Slumdog Millionaire!!!

Joined at the hip

Yesterday, as i was getting ready in the morning.. or was it today.. anyway as i was getting ready this morning.. 100s, 1000s of thoughts usually go through my mind.. not related to anything in particular.. this part is quite usual actually...a girl thing perhaps.. anyway the point i was trying to make is a thought came to my mind.. about AD and NJ (husband and me).. it used to be extremely weird earlier.. when we had just got married .. to be referred to as a couple!

In fact, many a times when introducing him, i used to fumble (in my mind).. I would be like this is my friend.. no no husband..all this in my mind.. before i finally came up with the word husband!!

But now, its kind of become a part of us.. A & N.. a part of our lives... it doesnt feel weird anymore.. in fact it feels very warm.. very gooey.... (ok.. so i do feel gooey.. i have to have my own moment, dont i).. i cant explain the bond.. it just keeps on getting stronger with time i guess.. Now it comes quite naturally.. the 2 names together.. as if what could be more natural than that!!! Also becomes a part of my identity.. cant imagine one name without the other.. sounding filmy isnt it.. i am just not able to describe it properly !! There is this musical ring to it, a magical quality.. and it just seems so right!!!

We have more or less a weekend marriage... our work hours are different. People, on knowing this, invariably ask this question... how do you manage... actually we have been managing quite well.. and i quite like the space i get in the evenings.. had this not been the case, i might not have been hooked on to blogging!!!! Imagine what would have happened then.. lol!!!

So invariably, we spend a lot of time together over the weekends... lunching with friends/ alone.. watching movies.. etc etc... we go out together always .. mostly.. .. this paucity of time has ensured that we definitely spend our weekends together come what may.. whether we are with our families, friends, whoever!!! We attend all family dos together, go to all parties (if any) together, watch movies together (unless i know he will not watch the movie at all), have tea together, do grocery shopping together (not always)... I am sounding like a total chipkoo..

Of course there have been some occasions wherein we couldnt be together (just to ease your mind) !!!!

But we are a package deal mostly...wherever one goes, there is an attachment that comes along!!! :) ... joined at the hip

Happy weekend people!!! :)