How true this fact is...

I recently attended a bhajan recitation. In between bhajans, the speaker talked about many topics but one thought is still lingering in my mind. He was talking about utmost devotion to god; he said, “Do you know why a baby cries on entering the world?? The baby cries because it is sad that it is leaving the lord and coming to earth, but we mortals celebrate this by distributing sweets and laughing and being happy. At the same time, when a person dies, the atma is said to be happily going away since it is going to be with the lord, whereas we mortals cry on the death of the person. See how the whole situation reverses on birth and death” How true indeed...

Begging for a Beedi…

While walking on the road, one old man begged for alms in a feeble voice. I promptly gave him some change. After some time while coming back on the same road, what do I see?? The same old man is coolly puffing away a beedi.. So that’s what he was begging for… In another instance, a leper was begging outside a temple puffing away a beedi…Needless to say, I ignored him. If my money is going to be used for smoking, it is better off in my purse… What say??

Back with a Bang..

Yes friends, my dear lapy is back now. Just thought of updating readers with this info. Hopefully, I will start doing posts soon... see ya..

On Vacation.

No not me.. My constant companion and my soul mate is now away from me.. Just before u think who it might be, let me clarify that I am talking about my Laptop. Yes, my laptop knows me better than anyone else cause most of the time I am in front of it. My poor poor lapy is overloaded with lots of work from me and so it decided that its time to take a break. I have just dropped my lapy at the service center and I am sure if it could speak, it would have told the attending technician how I overload it with work (amidst pools of tears). As soon as I came back home, my hands reached for the power switch to plug on the lapy (aadat se majboor u see) and I realised that I am putting on a switch without any appliance connected to it. Needless to say, I am feeling handicapped without my lapy. Hopefully, my lapy should join me back soon cause it cannot afford to be away from me for long (again aadat se majboor but this time not me, the lapy) how much ever I burden it with work. Hmmm so that's the story for the day...On second thoughts has my lapy taken this break after being used to read many blogs where the writers wrote about vacations and holidays!!!

Vada Pav

Vada Pav is a popular food among Mumbaites. In simple words, Vada Pav comprises of a burger bun and Indian style burger i.e. Batata vada (Potato vada). It makes a ideal snack between mealtimes and at times can be a meal itself. My school canteen used to sell Vada Pav for just Re. 1 (about 15 yrs back). There would be a huge rush for the Vada Pav. Most of the roadside Vada Pav stalls sell excellent Vada Pav with chutneys. They are simply yummyy I tell you....

Yippeee I Did It...

I could never swallow a tablet fully i.e till a couple of hours back. Right from childhood, I hate taking medicines and swallowing tablets means a herculean task. My parents had a tough time making me eat medicines. I used to keep the tablets in my palm and keep staring at them hoping that they disappear cause i just could not swallow them. Even breaking a big tablet into two was of no use. On forcing myself to swallow the tablets, I would end up with the tablet still in my mouth and resulting in a bitter taste. So much that the family would make up some pretext to be around me when i swallow tablets to see the fun. I would feel like a road side juggler. Dad and mom will keep on asking "Have U taken the tablet" only to find me staring at it. To this day I never completed a full course of medicines due to my aversion for tablets. So much that inspite of strict instructions to complete a seven day course of medicines for hay fever, I stopped the course when the fever went away. A small pill or a capsule is fine but no big tablets.. So today is the the big day which will go down in history as the day I finally swallowed a big tablet. But unfortunately, there is no witness to this. The magic name is Sinarest...for your info..

Help

Yes, I badly need help. Blogfever has gripped me. Another victim has succumbed to this dangerous addiction. I keep thinking what to write in my blog while cooking/eating/watching TV/cleaning/going out etc and keep asking myself can I write a post on this or that or that...My addiction is not limited to just this, I am now addicted to surfing blogs and reading posts as well, so much that one day without the Internet made me feel crippled. God save me...

Amul Butter

Amul Butter is hugely popular in India, especially in the North. Amul ads are inspired from the daily happenings in the country. The latest ad being about the Taj Mahal and is named as Taaja Maal. The caption for the ads is humorous. I remember looking out of the window to see the Amul hoardings while nearing Dadar T.T Circle in Mumbai. The URL http://www.amul.com/hits.html has a record of all such ads. It takes one down memory lane. Have fun browsing through these ads.

Patience definetly pays Baby...

I am referring to the number of visitors on my blog. When I began the blog I was all enthusiastic that I will get lots and pots of visitors. Any project in the initial stages does not get a big response, I hope my blog is no different in this case. Hopefully I will pep up this blog a bit and gather more visitors. So here I am pepping up my blog and believing that patience pays off...

Check This Out..

Came across a soft toy site, so thought of sharing it with all readers. http://easycrafts-softtoys.blogspot.com.

What Do U Call This??

Early mornings in the house are marked by my family wandering around waiting for the newspaper to arrive. Grandparents keep looking from the windows and balconies to see if the newspaper boy is coming down the road (of course to catch hold of the paper first). Dad keeps opening the door every minute to check if the paper has come. On top of that each of us keep asking each other “Has the newspaper come”. I keep a watch on dad as well as grandparents and accordingly plan to grab the newspaper once it comes.

A small round table conference (Extraordinary General Meeting) gets underway to discuss possible reasons of delay and the alternative of getting a copy from the local shop. The tension prevailing is immense.

No visitor to the household is welcomed as nicely as the newspaper boy. Only he is entitled to a red carpet welcome with all family members waiting at the door before he comes. Finally his majesty comes with our Kohinoor... Of course, dad asks him why he is late but by that time the boy (who comes in jet speed) goes off to the next delivery and we competitors grab the paper. Then comes the actual fun of fighting it out.

Thankfully, newspapers come with loads of pages (for customers like us may be). So in a few minutes, dad settles down with the financial pages, me with General Knowledge section and grandparents with current affairs, astrological predictions (and obituaries of course). All are satisfied, but the next argument comes during the rotation of papers to each other.

The smartest is mom who gets to read the full paper though last in the line. This hobby of ours extends to magazines as well (let me tell you that the whole magazines is read one person at a time). Needless to say, a holiday for the newspaper spells a bad next day for us (since no newspaper the next day).

See What I Made..

Yup, yummy burgers is what I made yesterday. It was totally unplanned though. I had leftover boiled veggies (carrots, beans, white and red pumpkin, colacasia (Arbi in Hindi) and yam) which I mashed, added salt and masalas and shaped into cutlets and grilled the same on the tawa instead of frying. I use Brown Bread generally so that’s what is in the picture. Plus one literally unseen item is the chutney spread on the bread slice. Its skinned bengal gram (Dhuli Kala Channa) chutney. Some lettuce and a slice of tomato would have made it more delicious is what I feel now. Anyways, don't get misled by the date in the photo as in a hurry to show off, I forgot to set the date in the camera.

Aashiqui

In 1991, the film Aashiqui was a big hit. All roads were filled with posters of this movie depicting Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal behind a coat(!). The music was a big hit and cassette sales (no CDs and no online downloads in those days u see) broke previous records. We too got a cassette and I remember hearing the songs day in and out. So much that one day the poor cassette couldn’t take it any longer and I heard a GRRRR sound while a song was playing. The tape had got cut. So the cassette was no longer usable. Mom had already predicted this day long back looking at the way the poor cassette was being played (read tortured). Years later, I downloaded the songs from the Internet and listen to them often. Don’t know this time what’s going to happen (!), have to ask mom her prediction this time.

First Anniversary

Today is the first anniversary of the serial train blasts in Mumbai. I was shocked to see train compartments ripped apart due to the blasts when I turned on the TV on the evening of 11th July 2006.

This reminds me of the 1993 bomb blasts in Mumbai. The blasts occurred in March 1993 just as scores of students (including me) were writing the SSC (10th std) exams. I remember we had come out of the exam hall and someone informed us about the blasts. I remember seeing on TV, people literally bathed in blood while helping out in transporting injured victims to the hospital. The geography exam scheduled for the next day was cancelled in Mumbai city and was held later on. Some students writing the SSC exam lost their parents in the blasts. It was the first horrific tragedy I recollect and remember till date.

Coming back to last year’s blasts, TV channels show that many of those victims are yet to lead a normal life as before the blasts. But no matter what happens, be it pouring rain and floods or blasts, Mumbai is still the top destination for thousands of migrants to earn a living or be a film star (yes that’s true).

In a Lighter Vein..

We had been to the UK on an assignment and returned back after 1.5 yrs after the project got over. When we returned back to India, we were welcomed with many questions from relatives, friends and acquaintances. Obvious questions included “Why did you come back” (cause I wanted to come back, what’s your problem?), “How much money did u save” (10 crores, do u want a share too?). We fielded all questions with great humour.

But the amusing part was most people didn’t know that UK and US are not the same!! My neighbour actually asked me “ People going to the US from India never come back to India, why did u come?? Hello Lady what’s your problem on earth?? I have come back to stay in my own country and my own house and I am the first to pay the monthly building maintenance fees (read unlike others). So my coming back should not pose any sort of problem to you. And first of all, for heavens sake, US and UK are not the same, they are separated by the Atlantic Ocean.

People who I didn’t know at all starting smiling after I became foreign returned.. and asked me how was the trip. The local grocer asked me how was foreign, I said good, then he said where did u go? Dubai or Singapore or Malaysia?? Oh God, are these the only countries we are supposed to go to?? I then realized that most labourers go to the Gulf Area or Malaysia for work, so that’s why this question.

People looking at us would scan us from head to toe and comment “ You look the same, how come?? People coming back from foreign usually look fairer and heavier..” Is it necessary that everyone satisfies this clause?? Will we be deported back abroad (from the Immigration counter) by any chance if this clause is not satisfied??

Another question arising in the minds of people included “ Now that u have come back, when are u going again??” What’s your problem, I am very happy here is what I want to retort back but just pass it off with a wide smile. No matter what economic progress we make, our citizens still feel going abroad (and not coming back hahaha) as a matter of status. What do my reader friends have to say about this??

Marlex Pressure Cooker

No No, I am not advertising on my blog. Ad-Sense is doing that now. In the late 80s till the mid 90s (If i am right) the ad for Marlex Pressure Cooker was relayed on television. I remember the lines " Marlex Pressure Cooker, Khaana Jaldi Pakaye, Jaldi Siti Bajaye..." We kids ( I was a kid then) used to hum this ad while playing. Just thought of sharing this with all readers and maybe this might make you go down memory lane too...Other hummable ads I recollect now are Gimme gimme gimme Vijaya butter, on my toast give me the most.. Hey does anyone remember Trinka once a stiff competitor for Rasna. And Teepol dish washing liquid.. Who can forget the Mile sur Mera Tumhara.. or Ek Chidiya Anek Chidiyan. oh god I am drifting down memory lane...

Boomerang..

I happen to forward one of the many forwarded mails I get to some people. The content of the mail was regarding people not being able to keep in touch with each other and the mail ended saying Hi from my side and asking the receiver to keep in touch. Look what reply I got from one such receiver. "X" replied to me saying "How are you? You have sent a mail after a long time. Howz things with u?". What does this mean? I have forwarded the mail to people saying hi, long time no mail from you and keep in touch and it bounces back on me?? The said person has not been in touch for a long time and whenever I mail, I get one line replies. See how cleverly the buck was passed on to me. But the generous person that I am, I will still be in touch with this person inspite of this. coz...thats me..

Mantralayam

I visited Mantralayam -the abode of Sri Raghavendra Swami recently. I had a wonderful trip. There was heavy rain and floods just a couple of days before our trip which made us reconsider the trip. By Rayaru's grace our trip was very good and I had an excellent darshan. The saying that Rayaru takes good care of his devotees was proved once again as we faced no problems whatsoever in our trip. So much that, only after reaching the Mantralayam Road station for our train journey back home, the rains started. There was no rain at all during our stay at Mantralayam. Couple of pictures are attached. The first picture is of the Panchamukhi Hanuman Temple and the next one is the entrance to the Brindavana.

Too Lazy to Type...

I know its a long time since my last post. The small amount of readers accessing this blog might be thinking that I am too busy to blog. I agree so but with a small correction.. too lazy to blog. Yes, I accept it.. I love reading blogs but find it bit boring to type my own posts. I have so much to blog about but my laziness overcomes me. Is there any software that can type dictations automatically? Please let me know so that I can use it.