Haagen Dazs ne hag diya (it crapped)

I have never really been a big fan of Haagen Dazs or ice-creams in general for that matter so when my cousin sent me a forward with a subject "I am never buying Haagen Dazs again!!!" my first reaction was that doesn't affect me I anyway don't buy Haagen Dazs. I was in for a rude shock when I read the e-mail though. It contained two links:

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/randomaccess/entry/sorry_indians_not_allowed1 

http://shreykhetarpal.blogspot.com/2009/12/does-haagen-dazs-not-need-indian.html 

Apparently, they opened a franchise in Delhi and then went on to do a preview only for people who carried a non-Indian passport. Here is the banner

The owner of the franchise is an Indian which makes it even more enraging. We were upset about Indians being discriminated against in Australia ... this is the national capital!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dal-Baati, Chaach and Mango milkshake........we had a good thanksgiving.

Dilemma over the Kapoors!

RK or SK? When a friend asked me this question (even if it was in jest), I couldn't come up with a definitive answer. Such confusion!! I really like both of them, loved RK in Wake Up Sid and really have had a soft corner for the other Kapoor for a while now. Sigh!

I remember those times when the only actor name that I really cared about was SRK's, considered myself a true fan, saw all his movies, serials, knew all his movie songs, had a huge poster of his on the wall of my room and watched DDLJ atleast a dozen times. I didn't care that he wasn't the best looking actor in Bollywood, that half the people I knew couldn't stand him, that he really overacted at times and, later, upon learning that I had been a big fan of his, that the husband cracked jokes about him & Karan Johar and a certain Lux advertisement that I have never seen. I really don't know what it was about him. I don't feel the same now but then again, I don't feel the same about any of them actors.

Since I can't make up my mind, I will let my affections vacillate between the two of them Kapoors. What times, I say!

Vacation Cravings..

..are satisfied. Books, movies, occasional trips outside, two mile walk-runs, food,.......it's bliss.

I can't believe that it's already day 5 of my break. A much needed break and I'm loving it. For once, we are not rushing out the door to catch a flight or to make that road trip (not that I don't enjoy those vacations but I always need some extra time after to recover) or have chores lined up. For so long now, I have been craving for such a vacation with no major plans, mostly chilling with books.

For the first time in years, I read a book like I used to during school summer vacations back home in India. And I'm so kicked about it. I could concentrate on a book (without other thoughts floating around in my head) and complete it within a day, without falling asleep after reading two pages of it. I spent considerable time at a local book store a couple of days ago, remembered my Landmark days and came back with a few books that I have been meaning to read (Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri, A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini and The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga). I finished the Lahiri book. Though I liked it, it left me feeling wistful just like the Namesake movie had. I will be going to a couple of other bookstores soon. A wants me to get Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh and I want to get some Chetan Bhagat books as well. I haven't read him at all and want to know what the hype is about, atleast before the movie is out.

Goodbyes are always hard..

*sigh*

And now I start another chapter of my life.

Goodbye 2009

2009 has been a very eventful year for us...a mixed bag, started off on a not so bright note, got better through the months and it looks like it is ending well. Nevertheless, I can hardly wait for it to get over and to welcome the new year in. Yay to 2010!!! And yes, I am pretty much hogging the space out here. To those who do read this blog and are expecting a post from A,...I think he's going to keep up his earlier posting frequency of a couple of times a year. Crunch times at work only allow for several hours of soccer every weekend and managing soccer clubs on Wii FIFA post-dinner every night. No time for blogging for the busy man. As you have probably realized, I'm the one with all the extra time.

In the past, I have thought about what we have done in a year, where we went, whom we met, activities and the like. This is the first time ever that I have thought about what I have learnt over a year that's gone by. Quite an eye-opening year. Thinking about all this has for some reason reminded me of the self-improvement books that my Dad used to get me when I was a kid, hoping fervently that I would turn out ok :-). I'm putting it down here because I feel like it and hoping that I don't have to keep reading what I have written to remember it in the future.

* I cannot demand anything out of my life. I cannot just stop and say ... "enough!"..., I have to keep going, putting in my bit towards whatever I want to achieve and believing that everything will make sense in due course of time.

* Things do have a wonderful way of falling into place.

* I have to stop being such an incessant worrier........ and have to learn to cope with stress. I cannot let it get to me.

* I was very lucky to have A and my parents by my side, walking with me at every step through my first real crisis as an adult (I am not talking anything big here but not something that can be ignored either).

* It is important to spend quality time with our families. I didn't realize that I can still get extreme bouts of home-sickness.

* I lost my paternal grandmother this year. I could not meet her before she passed away. Wherever she is, I hope she knows that I will always be grateful.

* My maternal grandfather was a far more interesting person than anybody in the family today. Someday, I will read and try to understand his books.

* I don't obsess with depths in friendships anymore. I am, finally, capable of appreciating and enjoying all levels of friendship without feeling superficial about them in my head.

* While a career may not mean everything to me, it does have major significance in my life. It keeps me sane. I might feel differently about it later perhaps.

* The Sun is the boss! No, really. I keep our blinds up in the living room. The moment I see the sun out, I grab a book and run down, to soak up the sun and to synthesize the big D.

* I am more careful about what we eat now, thanks to both mums and, ofcourse, K ben. My kitchen is more organized. I have stocked up on the badam, sesame seeds, flax seeds and quinoa. Curd made at home tastes better and I don't buy the "desi" yogurt from the local Indian stores any more.

Here's to 2010, it's right around the corner.

The perfect blackout!

Our latest love..cupcakes from Crumbs. I'm happy to write that A is as crazy about them as I am. Their bestest cupcake (atleast our favourite out of the ones we have tried) is the Blackout, followed by the Cappuccino cupcake. Must try!

What's Your Raashee?

No..this post is not about the movie. We did watch the movie and well, even my love for Priyanka Chopra, could not make the 3 plus hours and the innumerable songs any easier to bear. This one has been brewing in my head for a while now. A sleepy me picked up Linda Goodman's Sun Signs from our bookshelf, first thing on Sunday morning. Triggers-

1. N, X & Y are having coffee and discussing something.
Z (enters the room..) : Whoa! Nice to see N talk!!
N rolls her eyes, smiles, continues conversation.

2. J: So tell me about you & A..how different/similar are you guys?

N: J..we are quite different, A is not as quiet as I am... for one.

J (smirks..): N..you are not quiet!

N: No?? Ok..maybe in a big crowd or with new people?

J (thinking back,..searching old memories): Hmm..maybe..

3. R: No.. you cannot be a Leo! You don't seem like one at all!! Leos love attention. I can't stand Leos.

N: Sorry but I am a Leo...a quiet one.

*Sigh*

So I went and read some Linda Goodman. Few lines from her book that I want to bring up here-

1. There are no introverted Leos. There are only Leos who pretend to be introverts.

2. You may find a few lions who keep their ruling Sun dimmed and go about being strong, dignified and determined quietly. Don't let that soft purr fool you.

3. Leo is a fiercely loyal friend, a just but powerful enemy, creative and original, strong and vital - whether he's a quiet or a flamboyant lion, for there are both kinds.

So there. I am a Leo, the quieter kind.

For those who are interested in such matters, there is such a thing as the moon sign. And mine happens to be Cancer. That explains a lot.

I promised A a year or so back that I will not dwell on such matters for too long. So end of post. There you go, a post entirely about "my zodiac" and "me",..who needs more proof that I am, indeed, a Leo? :-)

Our first Halloween pumpkin

Inspired by the pumpkin carving pictures on FB, we made our first attempt at it.

Where is my award?

Angry, frustrated, emotional........I'm all of that and more. It's getting harder by the day.

New York City..

After so many years of indifference towards it, I have to admit that I have started to develop a sort of love for the city. Not so much to want to live there but enough to want to go there every now and then.

Snapshots of another interesting weekend..



I have had my fill for now.

The Mrs. has been baptized!

It's taken 5 years of goading, urging and at times offering to watch chick flicks in return but it has finally happened. I have seen an entire Manchester United match with N while she was equally engrossed in the match. We went to watch the Liverpool Vs United match at Nevada Smiths yesterday and though the result (of the match) was not quite what I was hoping for, the reaction of the Mrs. was brilliant. In her own words - "I was stuck in a sports bar with no distractions so had to watch the match and I really liked it. We should come here again for other games and next time we come I want to wear a United jersey." And that's not all, as the game wore on, I saw her clapping at good tackles, sighing at near misses and here is the icing on the cake, she sang and clapped her hands to - "If you hate the bloody scousers clap your hands, if you hate the bloody scousers clap your hands, if you really %^&*^& hate them, if you really %^&*&#$ hate them, if you really %^&%*&^ hate them clap your hands", both during and after the game. And now, with my heart filled with joy, teary eyes and choked throat I can finally say, the Mrs. has been baptized!

Disclaimer: The author may have twisted some facts for dramatization.

Shava-shava from Iceland

My sister was in Iceland a few weekends ago (she highly recommends the place). During our "How was Iceland?" chat she happened to mention a small fact - Iceland has Bollywood dancing schools. Now, like any good bollywood movie watching Samaritan, I was very intrigued by this. After all, what in the world has Iceland got to do with Bollywood and vice-versa? So I went to the so called "Solomon, The wise" of the modern world, google baba and put in "Iceland dancers Bollywood" as keywords and voila; I had the link to  "From Russia with Long Legs" on India Today. I always wondered how these Bollywood directors get  firang dancers. Apparently, it's a blooming business with multiple agencies amicably dividing up the world map and choosing their area for recruitment. Who would have thought?

Weekend Highlights

Diwali-potlucks-pakodas-diyas-rava idlis-peanut chutney-lemon rice-puran polis-mithai-Forgetting Sarah Marshall-J-NYC-5th Avenue-Saks-Tiffany & Co. (no..I didn't buy anything there)-Top of the rock-Chinese Mirch-MoMA design store-lots of walking-catching up with J after ten years-bad weather-trying out Chanel and Cartier perfumes-hearing J say "we smell more expensive than we are":-)-St.Patrick's Cathedral-remembering good old college days-exhausted at the end of it yet feeling nice.

So near and yet so far!

The wait is just getting painful and frustrating or painfully frustrating..whatever!

The Fab Faux

We went for the Fab faux concert ( A New York City based Beatles tribute band) yesterday. Initially, it was a little weird to be sitting and watching them perform.......and I kept comparing them to the Strawberry Fields, another tribute band whose concert I had attended a few years back. But slowly, I got into the groove of the music and started enjoying it. They were really good, some of the songs - I am the Walrus, Here comes the sun, Come together and Penny Lane, amongst others were performed beautifully. Overall, both of us had fun..and we came back home humming our favourite numbers and wishing that it had lasted a little longer.

Birthdays and Celebrations

I love celebrating birthdays, festivals and all happy occasions. For my birthday this year, we went for dinner to Pithari, the Greek restaurant in HP. I liked the place and the blue. Our only crib was with the large portions that they served. I might never forget this birthday. 3 days before it, A & I had the most nasty fall down the steps of NY Penn station and I lost my most favourite earrings that night.

A's birthday was on a Sunday. Birthday weekends are fun. There's so much more that you can do. On Saturday night, bro, sil & niece dropped in. There was garlic bread and tomato soup, the pasta that I overcooked, blackforest cake from Hotbreads and wine. We had a good time. On Sunday, we left early to have brunch at Cornelia Street Cafe in NYC (Thanks D & R - we love the place) and then spent the rest of the day at the Museum of Natural History. Everything was great but for the weather....rainy day! Need for Speed was his birthday gift. ..we have been at it since that day. Surprise surprise, I am enjoying it too!

Fun in the Sun

Beautiful beautiful day. Only recently started using the front entrance of our home. This is where I have all my sun sessions, read (finally got around to doing it!), listen to music and, essentially, have my "alone" time since A hardly ever comes down here. The intention or the need to have any time alone has never really cropped up but now that I have it, I'm savoring it. So, after devouring half a Crumbs Cappuccino cupcake, the New Yorker in my hand and the sun shining down brightly at me, I'm sitting here thinking of the Fab Faux, Diwali, J's visit........I'm happy.