Always have your head, heels and standards high!

In the ongoing controversy on Kangana Ranaut and Hrithik Roshan, anyone who is no one is taking this opportunity to comment/pass judgements to gain outpour from people (thanks to social media!) Well guilty as self-charged, such episodes trigger the neurons to ramble on…and here I do so ;-)

 

Not having followed all the spat between the stars, I watched KR’s interview with Dutt and India today. I respect her honesty, clarity and the wicked sweet talk with which she lays her case. What I remember from my growing up days has certain shades from hers, which I am sure most of my generation women from that part of the world have.

 

There are men and women alike who believe that she is going “overboard”, well…what is “overboard” ? I guess it is a level set mentally by an individual for an acceptable behavior. Well I’d say that the media went overboard with their interference in private discord between two people. Anyhow this being the season of endorsement I fully endorse Kangana and applaud her for her fearlessness and her nonchalance over societal pressure.

 

She is a successful actor who works her ass off and also plays her cards well….you know only hard work does not get you anywhere but hard work coupled with smartness takes you places and those two combined with an attitude takes you to the top! We the millennial women, work our ass off too, producing babies and then producing a lifestyle to take their potential to the next level. Going per the cliché : we balance work and family and upkeep of family and professional relations. The list is endless and so is our possibilities.

 

 

15 years ago, when I embarked on the journey to come to the USA for graduate studies, I had to convince and assure my family of the unconventional path I was taking and of course to somewhere in my heart the fear of unknown.  While at grad school, I stuck to my guns of making it on my own and I adapted quickly. With myriad experiences in forms of human and situations, I inculcated grit and the ability of not taking muck lying down. Developed bending to avoid breakage and staying robust till the storm subsides. The more you lie down and take crap the deeper you get sucked in the sinkhole. Standing up for yourself gives you a better grip and a view over yourself.

 

I believe we as human beings feel comfortable following precedents, it’s less hassle to follow guides and our laziness prefers to be fed by stipulated checks in that frame.  But in that process we don’t really live before we die. Similar to most parents, I want my son and daughter to be stalwarts of their spirits and and be able to decipher the purpose of their birth. I would like to stand by them in that journey of discovery and exploration. They are bound to make mistakes and rebel (like we all did) but I should be able to teach them to find their way back home.

Keep moving...

Forrest Gump:

"From that day on, if I was goin' somewhere, I was runnin'!"

.. Oh Yeah! :-D

So last night I had a heart warming chat with one of my soul friends....SP. Sigh! She is soo funny! Also with my brother: who is also my soul friend. And he is sooo meticulous!

So this morning....with my committment to Pinkathon, I started my day by packing in a run at 7:30 am for 2 km followed by 51 Suryanamaskaras! Then client meeting and material purchasing. Then practice test for the d-day!(more on this in a week). then trip to the park with the munchkin, then a family dinner. Phew! Yeah?!

For the past 2 months I had been pushing my regime of physical fitness on the back burner, in order to execute my plans which will help me shape my future!!. Totally my bad....slacker me! To jump back into my regime, I registered for the run on Feb 16th, that will spring me back onto the treadmill. Also, I solemnly declare that in 2 months from now, that is end of March-2014 I aim to master eka pada chakrasana. Currently I can hold this pose for a minute. Of course, I will upload pictures of yours truly to authenticate the claim. :-)

Pinkathon @ Bangalore!

Here I come Pinkathon Bangalore....just a whim that I need to feed. Getting a little rusty for the past 6 months....:-( Rekindling the running yogi inside me....watch this space for more updates :-D

Promises to keep!

Alrity then! Promise to keep updating this space (read: regularly) with the "happenings" here.....

And Life goes on...

Yeah yeah....I know the quintessential question: where do I disappear? To that I can only say: Living it up so that I have quality to document!

Neway...4 months and counting here in my Janambhoomi: trying to take it up to some degree of karambhoomi too! Started work (9to6 types) some few weeks back , Munchkin has a new friend and a caretaker when his Mamma is away. Started gym couple of months back to look as close as possible to pre-motherhood! Explored and clicked heart of Bangalore on foot/auto/cab. Promising here pics coming soon. Got Inked. Made few architect/artist friends. I love them: they are weirdos one after the other. Visited and was pleasantly surprised at work processes at Idiom Architects! Attended few TEDx talks.

Yet to go to an exhibition/gallery. Yet to go to Nrityagram and the likes. Yet to try another form of body art.

All in all soaking it in. More visuals to follow.

Afternoon Siesta

A long forgotten activity or rather lack of activity….but here in India it’s widely prevalent....

No, I am still not able to get myself to do it even if I have an entire day to myself, the neurons in my brain you see, keep looking for things to do..nonchalantly blame it on the Chyawanprash I started taking daily in the mornings!

Pa-in-law was confiding into a friend of his the other day that since munchkin’s arrival he just cannot get to his routine of Pranayam and Kapaal Bhati! My brain says to someone in the nook of its den: Aha! The wonders of munchkin in play again! Pa-in-law in the cool pleasantness of Bangalore mornings melts away while munchkin picks up his gaze through his fluttering long lashes to look at him as if he means the world to him and at times as someone who can get the world to him…..khair aage badte hue….

So in the afternoons, I get a little restless because of the quiescence around me, I whistle a thank god and uh oh at the same time because munchkin like me does not like to nap too often…he believes in doing a home run after dark. But you see the good thing about India: outside help is a little more affordable than Amreeka. So I am looking to hire some help so that I use the 2 times repeat of 12 dongs more effectively and without diversion….searching now!

Baki sab badiya as we say here…last evening ordered Pasta Primavera and some antipasti from a recommendation in Zomato : 729 Rupees : not bad is all I can say for now, but it got my taste buds and my sense of adventure excited! Loving this “getting to know you” phase: isn’t it always the best part in any relationship?

From there to here....

OK peeps…resurfacing now …from INDIA!! Ooo YEA!

Alrity now..for the hubby and me this year has been extra eventful…so keeping up the spirit of the unpredictability….2011 had to top off itself with a giant leap to Incredible India!

Just 4 weeks ago this whole idea which was in back burner started taking prominence and the idea of making hay when the sun of “eventfulness” shines on us got into effect. Booked tickets for munchkin and myself to Bangalore, better known as the silicon valley of India! Needless to say I was a little nervous, a little excited and a little overwhelmed all at the same time. Oh yes, in case haven’t mentioned it already I have nothing to do with IT. I am an architect (the building construction wala types). Why then Bangalore is something that will get clearer to my dear peeps as the blog progresses!

Being away from my own home country for almost 10 long years...with intermittent visits only thrice, none of which were for more than 4 weeks at a time…makes me wonder the meaning of the term “home country”. In my mind I feel and think, I was never away from it, but then is it just a belief that I have been nurturing? India is a part of me but will it make me a part of itself? Ah…all the answers will unfold soon in the weeks to follow.

December 5th 2011: the day marks itself as an adieu to the gorgeous New York City and “take care until next time” to hubby: the rock in my life. The flight was much smoother than I thought it would be: no, not because I have a phobia of flying but with a munchkin like mine, well I am just glad that my neighbors in the flight could sleep , watch movies or do whatever they wanted to their heart’s content. On a special note I would like to express my gratitude to the crew of Jet Airways for extending and lending their hand in helping my 11.5 month old be as comfortable as humanely possible on the flights (EWR-BRU-BOM-BLR)…and of course my munchkin’s charm was put to an appropriate use. Mommy darling welcomed a dozing munchkin and me literally with open arms at the BOM airport. Wow! I am home :-)

The new BOM airport is coming up surely and I overheard airlines crews talk proudly of MIAL. Well well…yours truly was also a part of the design team: ahem!

One thing that I noticed and had trouble with at BOM and BLR airports is lack of luggage carts or porters to help the disabled at the drop off point of the shuttle running between aircrafts to the terminal. Yes, at both the airports there was no jetway to the terminal, instead ramp stairs take you down and then you board a shuttle which takes you to the terminal. It required considerable effort to carry a sleeping baby, two carry-on of 7 kg each and a laptop bag to the carts. Oh yes, and for some weird reason the stroller which was gate checked is delivered at the baggage claim!?

The family at BLR is enthusiastic and exuberant at 4 am to welcome us …Wow! I am in my home :-)

To all this welcoming and all munchkin goes wide awake and starts singing in his language (psst: I think it’s the national anthem) …..

Next few days are spent in getting some mundane things taken care of: bank account, cell phone et al. Also, Munchkin celebrates his first birthday and we celebrate our 5th anniversary…aha life’s uniqueness.

In my first week my sensory radars are sleep deprived, jet-lagged and tired. But the initial glimpses are quite interesting.

Most of the household here have green sustainable practices without making an effort or a cry about it. Starting with kitchen: I notice that the fresh produce here is almost half; sometimes one-third the size of fresh produce in USA. Hopefully these here have lesser chemicals. Most Indians buy seasonal produce and therefore it tastes better. The second thing that was missing was kitchen “paper” towels, our home has 2-3 kind of wash-cloths, each for a specific purpose. Water is solar heated and all the rooms specifically the kitchen and bathrooms have ventilation. Hmm….my carbon footprint here seems like will be smaller than the one back in USA…well we will find out.

The new guy in town who makes me go delirious & ecstatic

So people, on December 10th 2006, I exchanged vows to be together with "him" forever and exactly 4 years after that exchange, the stork dropped "him" as a testimony to our patience and perseverance to be together through thick and thin. Yes, the second "him": Ved Varma is dearer to me than myself....my munchkin, my love, my inspiration and definetly a redefinition of my life: the meaning and worth of it :-)

Voice of passion & love

Before I die, I vow here to have tried all to conclude my own :-)
Hmmph….my two cents if at all it’s of any worth …
In certain things, I am a purist to the core and chocolate is one of the few things which remain unparalleled.
Maybe that’s why, cocoa that lose their flavor in transition to being commercially available puts me off! I believe that, if you don’t appreciate the “cocoaness” of the chocolate then puhleez..it’s not for you. True to the humankind’s nature: to twist, knot, break or do whatever it takes to get a thing working for us…..well for me cocoa loses itself when its overtly flavored! It is very strong in itself and you cannot, just cannot justify its “cocoaness” if you put other equally strong flavored ingredient. Just like Lindt’s Chilli chocolate(yikes!)
But using cocoa to flavor other culinary experiments will be most welcome by a connoisseur of chocolate like me! Aha..all for the love for chocolates

hmm...talk about bottomless pits?

Switch on your telly and there is one of a kind news flashing...every other day Dow reaches a new record low! People losing jobs are at an all time high since the Great Depression!

Oooh ...lala...Every one alive here is anxious to knowa" Where is the END?"

To be OR Yet to be!

6 years since the invented wings took me off from my Janambhoomi......6 years and counting since I set my tiny feet on this Karambhoomi.

Living in this part of the country makes you miss home even more. Its like sailing in the ocean with no supplies ....."water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink" (sigh).

Diwali passed without the smell of firecrackers, Muharram without the hoopla around processions and Holi without getting crazy with colors. Non-existent monsoon, non-existent all year round middle of week festivals and weddings, non-existent two-wheelers, non-existent awesome rail network, non-existent series of complaints with anything and everything....OMG! the list seems endless!
A trip for simple known pleasures of life for 2 weeks: 1300$ + variables
Planning for it (social + professional) : countless hours + excitement
Thought left after the trip: Which life is worth what?

this left me humming one of the songs from a movie which was an early bloomer for the contemporary time then ...........enjoy!