My day

I am year older today.. but I feel younger, wiser, healthier and happier..I hope and pray that I can make this statement every birthday.

Few people I know are worried about getting a year older, but I am not one of them. Ageing is a natural process and therefore the quicker it’s accepted the better it is.

Instead of dwelling on all the bad things that this milestone brings, I look at the positives. I am no more in the twenties. I am entering the new age bracket and I am happy about it.

This year has already been exciting for me. We(college friends & I) were planning for a holiday together for this year and we actually went to Bali, Indonesia. We were thrilled that we finally managed to do somethng about our plans and not just plan

I got to spend some real good quality time with my 2(S&A) college friends who I have known since I was 16. Here is a quick list of the things we did or some of the events that I will remember for a long time are

1) Our 12 hr wait in Malaysia airport –thanks to A for booking the flights :) and keeping S & I entertained in the airport by her sleeping skills
2) Being upgraded to Ocean suite the first day and watching the sunrise from our balcony – beautiful
3) MR Dana – our tour operator and S referring to him as ‘Cow’ every time she forgot his name
4) ‘A’ called the housekeeping one early morning to ask them for a bucket and a tub – then after S corrected her; she asked them for a bucket and a mug. 10 minutes later, the guy turns up with a laundry bad and a coffee mug – we were all in hysterics over this
5) Our all night chatting/brainwashing sessions in bed and in the coffee shop
6) S the poser :)
7) Being millionaires in Bali – effect of devalued currency
8) Scuba diving, water rafting and jet skiing
9) Trying ‘Barong’ – Balinese dance
10)Leaning about, Wayan,Made,Nyoman & Ketut
11)A’s little rice cooker and S’s tasty edibles
12)Our shavige bhaat, puliyogare and chutney pudi experiences
13)SPA & body massage – beautiful – I could do with one now
14)Paintings and the art work around Bali
15)A’s skill of falling asleep just about anywhere
16)Kaapi Luwak experience
17)Lamp shades, glasswork, garden art and furniture in Bali
18)Air Asia staff not allowing me to get on flight back to Bangalore and S & I running around the airport finding internet and printer
19)Hanoman Street shopping - drooling over all the silver jewellery
20)Last day shopping and spending all the money

As we get younger each year, we plan to do more of these trips around the world together.

What’s been happening then…

I first needed to clean the cobwebs on my blog. It’s been more than four months since I have been here.
We finally managed to go for the holiday I was referring to in my earlier post, but it was such a drama! We decided to go to Tenerife for a 3 night holiday. The idea was to just relax and do nothing else. Our flights were scheduled from Gatwick airport at about 7.00AM and due to really bad weather conditions (snow); our flights were cancelled. We were offered to fly the following day from Manchester City (5hr bus ride). To get to the bus, we had to travel from Gatwick to London City (45mins on train), get in the queue, get tickets, book a night stay at Manchester city etc. Thanks to my iphone and unlimited 3G internet connection! After all this, we managed to get to the hotel at about 11.30 PM and our flights next morning was at some 8AM.

It was the first time that I travelled somewhere from the UK and did not have to change the clocks. Tenerife and UK operate in the same time zone. I was not able to work out the logic of that one. We got there about 2PM and headed straight to the hotel. Both my friend and I fell ill, we were not able to go sight seeing or anything like that, we did not leave our hotel, but all in all, it was a great adventurous holiday with really good friends.

The island itself is really nice; the resort we stayed was good, there was access to the beach through the hotel, beautiful swimming pool. The weather was perfect, about 15-20 degrees Celsius in December.

I have been thoroughly enjoying my Amazon kindle and iphone from the time I bought it, both the gadgets are great and I love it!

We finally managed to get another car earlier this year (FEB), this time we bought a Toyota Rav4 as we wanted to experience a 4 wheel drive. It’s good fun to drive it and we are planning a few road trips this year, lets see how many of them actually end up happening.

Some of the other things I have been up to are
1) Going to gym at least 3 days a week
2) Reading books
3) Knitting a scarf (its going a bit slow now)
4) We got half of our garden paved, so M does not have to lawn mowe during summer
5) M is growing a fruits and veggies in the garden, so I get to eat fresh strawberries every other day :)
6) Been to India & Indonesia recently – was sooper fun..:)

Office is getting a bit boring now.. I think its about time I find another job which will bring some excitement back.

I have not been here for long time now.. :)

Phew.. It’s been ages since I have been to see how my blog has been doing.. I have been really busy lately with work especially and have been going back home late etc.

I have been working on a project recently, which suddenly gained pace making me extremely busy. Now, it’s slightly losing its pace as it’s close to Christmas and everyone is either planning what Christmas tree they should get, where to buy presents, what to do on Christmas day or what to wear to the yearly office Christmas party which I avoid going to! I hate parties that involve lot of drinking and loud music.

It’s been snowing in the UK and the local councils are struggling to cope with it. The snow has arrived early this year and its heavy, which means, no one is prepared for it and it's a dire mess. People stuck in trains, stations, roads etc for hours. The footpaths and roads are frozen and are like ice skating rinks. It has stopped snowing for now, and I hope it does not come back this winter.

Anyways.. I recently bought myself a delayed birthday present (that's my explanation to spend money) which is the Amazon Kindle. It’s amazing; I absolutely love it, the screen looks just like a book. I am really happy with it, it’s got its limitations as it can only be used read books and its not touch screen etc.. But I still like it. It’s really convenient for me to carry on trains while I travel. It’s not heavy and is compact. There are some books that are not available in the kindle version or an e-version, which can be a bit of a problem, but otherwise, it’s great. Love it.

MR got me an iphone yesterday (yay!), a 32GB 3gs black iphone. I have been plotting to get an iphone from a long time, but never got it, because most of the network providers wanted to bind me into a 24 month contract and I hate contracts. You end up with a phone that you can only use on their network and loads of free minutes that you don't want. MR had promised me that he would buy me one, when he finds the right one.. I don't like the iphone 4 so, I had asked him to look out for a iphone 3 preferably 32GB and yesterday, he just got it because he found a good deal. I was pleasantly surprised. He actually went looking for some network switch that he wanted for one of his friend’s office and ended up buying iphone for me.. I am really happy that I have yet another new toy to play with…:).. I am so eager to get it all set up and working..

I and my friend have been planning to go away this Christmas to some sort of a holiday place, where all we do is eat, sleep and relax. We are probably going to an island somewhere in Spain for about 3 nights. It’s not confirmed yet, and we have not done any bookings yet, but it looks like we are close to confirming it. It's a pity that we cannot go for more than 3 nights and also that MR cannot join us. Hope everything works as per plan… and may be I will blog again from some island in Spain…

Random weekend update..

I think I spoke too early about the World cup.. Brazil lost the match against Holland.. so I decided that i will not support any team, just watch the final and support the winning team :) This way I will not be disappointed when all the teams I support go out of the world cup.

This weekend we went to a farm where we could pick our own cherries. We have been to a lot of places where they let us pick our own Strawberries and we normally tend to go atleast once a year, but this time, wanted to pick cherries as we have heard a lot about it. It was quite nice to see massive trees full of cherries of all different colours. It was a great experience and super fun.

Watched the Wimbledon Men's Final on Sunday, which was a bit boring, I love watching tennis, but slept through the last set, it was that boring. The mixes doubles was good fun, Leander Paes was playing on one team and was really nice to see someone from India win the Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title.

Bangalore Auto saga....

Couple of months ago, I went to Bangalore after 2 years. I had heard that the auto situation in Bangalore is a complete joke, and I experienced it big time.
Firstly, when you call for an auto, some don't look, if they do, they don't stop, if they stop, they don't want to ride you to the destination you need them to.. ! And above all, they demand crazy money if they decide to come to your destination.

One of my experiences this time around.. I wanted to go to Sadashivnagar from NandiDurga Road- Its probably about 5-6 km or even less. It was about 9.00 AM. I go to the main road with a hope of getting an auto. About 10 autos later, one guy stops for me.
He speaks in Hindi,

Me: Sadashivnagar
He: Who kahan hai, mujhe rasta pata nahi?
Me: Mekhri Circle se jaana padega, aapko mekhri cirle ka rasta pata to hoga na?
He: Nahi madam, pata nahin
Me: Chalo, mein bata doongi.. aap chalo..
He: Ok madam, aap ko Rs 80 dena padega..
Me(Shocked & angry) : Aapko ye pata nahin, ki Sadashivnagar kahan hai, aur aap mujhe bolte hai Rs 80 dho... Aapko kaise pata kitna door hai?
He: Smiles...
Me: Walk away to find another auto.. !

This guy annoyed me like crazy, first of all has no clue where Sadashivnagar is, forget that, does not even know where Mekhri circle is, cannot speak Kannada(local language) and then wants me to pay Rs 80(normally would have costed Rs40 or so) and tell him the route of how to get there.. If he could have, he probably would have asked me to ride his auto and he would have sat behind ! He has no clue how far away this place is or anything like that, for all he knows, I could have said Basavangudi!

Its a real frustration when you don't have a bike or a car that you can travel from one place to the other. The auto situation in Bangalore, made me helpless many times.. and I realised pretty quickly, that's its not a very pleasant state to be in,,,

25 Random things about me..

Randomly Random..... random...

• Food is my biggest weakness…
• Really jealous of people who are slim, I want to lose weight to wear the clothes they wear......:) I am perpetually reducing food intake or trying to find healthier options..and I hate it!
• Love playing outdoor games like Tennis,swimming,amusement parks, rides... etc
• Travelling is one of my biggest passion.. and want to be able to do it all my life.. From beaches to mountains, to valleys to cities of the world.
• Love coffee.. and I am in the verge of getting addicted to it.. Trying to reduce by drinking more hot water or herbal teas
• I keep in touch with friends from school, college etc. Keep in touch with some friends from when we I was in nursery.
• Wish to own and run a business at some point in life.. A nice coffee shop/s to be more specific
• Lived most of my life in Jeans, t-shirts, trousers, jogging pants and sneakers and this is difficult to change
• Don’t/Cannot wear more then 2-3 inches of heal even to save my life! Flats are my favorite
• Experiment with my hair quite a lot, have had long, short, very short hairstyles, various colours etc
• I get bored of a few things quite quickly, at present, I am bored of my living room couch… and the list kind of continues.. Its not a very good habit.. moreover sometimes can be very expensive
• Some of my clothes are never worn, I buy them, but never wear them for years.. I am a weirdo like that, although want to cut down on doing this.
• Forget some events that have happened in my life quite easily and then remember when someone else is talking about similar experiences… But there are somethings that is clear in my mind even to this day..
• Enjoy driving alone on a nice sunny day with some great melodious music on good roads.. I know I am asking for too much being in London.... But get to do it sometimes.. J I am great when it comes to roads, routes,maps etc… (this is what I think.. Don’t care if people around me think otherwise)
• I have shopped/bought all my life, but I still don’t have anything to wear.. ! Always have problems with finding the right clothes and don’t need a reason to buy clothes/stuff.
• I smile a lot, normally I am a very happy person, this is the feeling most people get when they see me, be with me.. and its true to a large extent.. One of my friend used to call me a chirpy like a bird …. :)
• Have been to most attics, lofts, enjoy climbing trees, mountains, going trekking etc.. want to try sky diving at some point in my life.. !
• I don’t tend to show my mood swings to others, I hate people who do that and think they are extremely selfish. Normally, tend to be easy-going and adaptable. Go with the flow.. is what I normally do. !
• I have been agony aunt for a lot of my friends and still am! At somepoint.. I used to think that I should give up studying finance and do a course on Counselling.. !
• I can massage quite well…legs, hands, back, neck, head Someone once told me that I should look at doing some Physiotherapy courses.. I thought.. Medicine.. .naaaaaa…not me
• Hate waking up early in the morning, and love to day-dream
• I love observing people, the way people talk, dress, behaviour etc
• I want to own atleast one platinum studded diamond ring, pendant and ear rings at some point in life...
• I am a clean freak.. but I hate cleaning.. I rather get someone else to clean the house.. if I can.. I want to see everything clean and neat.. hate ironing..!
• I am not a party person, I dont do loud music, lot of booze.. etc.. I am more a small parties person.. I enjoy when there are smaller groups of people.. and with people I know..
• Sometimes I feel I born to shop... shopping for myself is one thing.. but i also like shopping for others... Thats something I enjoy thoroughly..

I can probably go on.. and on...

Haircut.. :)

I have been thinking of getting my hair chopped from the past few weeks..but could not get hold of my favorite hairdresser. Apparently, she has gone on maternity leave, which seems to me like a big lie as I met her 3 months back, and there was no evident proof that she was pregnant. I have a strong feeling she has left that parlour and they are telling customers that she is pregnant.. Liars ! I had found her after a huge search,after a lot of trial and errors, but have lost her now.. She was a sweet Latvian girl, with a beautiful smile. I used to love talking to her while she worked on my hair and she was very good in what she did. She used to also give me handy advice as to how to look after my hair, how to style it etc..

A week ago, I told MR that I feel like getting my hair chopped as a part of a general conversation.. and from that day.. every weekend he has been following up.. He asks me once on Saturday and again on Sunday.. He is more excited than me.. he was suggesting me to get my hair cut short and change my hairstyle and has been showing me various hairstyles on the web...

So after all this, I finally decided to get it cut and booked an appointment for Sunday.. in a parlour a few blocks away from home, recommended by my friend who had been there a few months ago.. And on Saturday.. I feel that my hair looks great and start questioning myself... do I really need a haircut..??

I finally go for it.. I get my hair cut really short.. I have not had hair so short since since college.. so it feels cool.. Its really short.. just a few inches below my ear... I look different and I am loving it.. The only thing I am worried about it is maintaining this hairdo.. as it might need extensive blow-drying and hair straightening.. which I hate doing especially when I have to rush to work in the morning.

Lets see how it goes...

Kaapi

Hailing from the south of India, I have always loved Coffee (commonly known as Kaapi in many south Indian Languages). Every morning Amma used to make up light kaapi because as kids, all three of us hated milk and still do. So, just to change the colour of milk from white to brown, she used to add a little liquidated filtered coffee into it. Amma had tried various drinks like horlicks, Maltova, Complain etc..but nothing had worked like Coffee as none of us complained. So, at a very early age I was introduced to Coffee and developed a taste for it.
Every morning, I woke up, brushed my teeth and then went into the kitchen, helped myself with a cup of hot coffee made by Amma and waited for my turn to have a bath before I went to school, college or anywhere. Also, in the meantime, would read through the English newspaper (mainly adverts ). We were not allowed to step out of the house without a morning bath.. Now.. That’s what I call discipline.. !

Eventually, I was old enough to make coffee for myself. I used to try to alter the proportions of milk, sugar and the filter coffee liquid. I realised that it tasted much better with little milk, more filter coffee liquid, in short strong coffee. But Amma did not like the idea of her kids drinking strong coffee as it was not healthy and I agree with her completely, so she avoided situations where she let me make coffee. That was tasty filter coffee with chicory in it. I had enjoyed coffee everywhere, from Coffee house on MG road, to coffee days, from the self service darshini’s to good restaurants.

The love for my coffee continued even when I came to London. But the coffee’s here did not taste as good as Amma’s coffee, the coffee’s here are very bitter and some of them are disgusting. Eventually, I realised that the real coffee is actually bitter and back home they actually add chicory to coffee to make it taste better. I also learnt that chicory is banned here and what we see in London is one hundred percent coffee. The fact that coffee was bitter, did not stop me from having it… I slowly developed a taste for it and today coffee is become a part of my life, a part of my daily routine. I love the smell of fresh coffee, and whenever I pass across a coffee shop I am tempted to have one. This is not a good temptation as there are lots of coffee shops in London, and when its chill outside and you smell fresh coffee being brewed somewhere close to you.. all you want to do is.. have a nice hot cappuccino or a nice hot Mocha. Although, I should say, that I am in the verge of getting addicted to coffee and I make conscious effort to stop drinking too much as its not good for health and can disrupt sleeping patterns and has many more side effects. But it works wonders when one has had a heavy meal in the afternoon, and have to spend the rest of the afternoon working. It helps you survive the afternoon quite well…
Three cheers to coffee.. I love you.. !