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December 29, 2014

This and that, again

Last some days have been ultra fast paced for me. A short trip to Ahmedabad to attend a cousin's wedding at the same venue where we got married! I must say, for the first time I actually observed decoration, food and other stuff. Wait, I have so many things to write and I am in no mood to structure this blog post. Let me shoot bullet points.


  • Zero oil Undhiyu with I-dont-know-what-all-vegetables was prepared and packed for Mr.ISB by mom. We all love it. Not only Undhiyu, my family is famous for making 'Methi Chimed' which is nearly 'Methi pak' with lots of 'Vasanas' in the super freezing winter, so a pack specially for me and my youngest (and spoiled by my own parents as their very first daughter) Masi. My dad also found some ghost place in a village near Ahmedabad where a guy sells 'Ubatiyu' which is basically roasted whole vegetables with some spices in an earthen pot on coal stove. Some people do feel it is close to Undhiyu but believe me the coal roasted vegetables have different kind of Aroma! I do feel bad for my Gujarat friends and Mr.ISB who are far away from some super healthy traditional Gujarati food.
  • I miss my real 'fai' who passed away a few days before my wedding. She was one of the finest cook I could ever met after my paternal grandmother. She was the person who kept the tradition of preparing 'Methi Chimed' alive which her (and now mine) maiden family had created ages ago. Of course my mom is the one who is keeping it alive now and looking at the love for the dish I might learn as well. Amen.
  • I missed tea made by me in Ahmedabad. I miss it in Mumbai as well. Not to boast my not at all developed culinary skills but I like the tea prepared by me, that is it. None of my moms or fathers make the tea which can give me a kick. Yeah , the guy near my office once offered me a cup of cutting tea without any cost when I refused to accompany my friends for the tea -break. I loved it to death. No exaggeration. 
  • My mom gifted a beautiful pair of Swarovski crystal earrings and pendant. Actually, it is a Diwali gift which had to be altered according to the diameter of the pierced holes in my ears. I love the pair and I am trying to check out the calendar how soon I can flaunt them. 
  • After four days of laughter attacks without any pause at Ahmedabad ( I had 2 masis and 1 mama to manage while they crack atom bombs of jokes), my throat is confused about how to talk. The winter has made it even worst. The good point is my throat is not even hurting and still making me a silent observer in the office. 
  • Pune has become so cold that I want to bury myself under 15 blankets and sleep for hours. 
  • My kindle has become the best friend since the day it arrived. Period. I am reading books on world war 2 on war footing. 
  • I had thought once I would cross 25, my acne would vanish magically. Every one used to tell me the same story till 2013. Nothing is magical, guys. I still have teenage acne. Really.
  • My sister (in law) is in Spain with her friends enjoying the most awaited trip of her life, sending me photos of beautiful European coastal houses and kitchens. I feel she is living 'Under the Tuscan Sun' for some reasons. May be I love the book.
How was your weekend? :) 

December 21, 2014

Friendship at the fence.

Two kids. Boys. In the age when they start building opinions but yet to face brutality of the world. A Jew and  a German. Divided by a fence but not actually. United by their friendship.

Curiosity and loneliness are same. Situations are different. One is tortured victim of the concentration camps. The other is having all the luxuries of life but friends. One has fat cells and muscles, another is loosing all of them. One is the subject for the Fury, another is from the family who is serving the Fury. They share their lives and thoughts about everything around them.

Right from Berlin and Poland to family members. From disappearing family friends from one side of the fence to family members who are suppose to obey orders of the Fury who decides about lives on the other side of the fence. Apart from thoughts and feelings the German kid passes pieces of cakes and breads to the Jew kid. 

Life was not too bad till the day when they decided to be on the miserable side of the fence.

Both without hair on the head.Both are of same age. Both in Striped Pajamas. Both full of humanity and opinions. Both unknown to the ugly end. Both trying to find some one in the camp. Both were forced to march in the room with other people with striped pajamas by soldiers. 

The friendship and humanity dies together after they hear the closing door and a click of some moving mechanism. 

Tears. 

PS: It is impossible to not to write about this book. The boy in the striped Pajama.

December 20, 2014

Kindled Up

It happened again. Just like my first iPhone which my dad gifted, was a result of my deep research as an upcoming smart phone buyer which lasted for more than six months. People ( Dad) lost patience and gifted me this phone. It happened one more time. The device and the person are different this time. 

Since weeks I wanted the kindle Paper white. Reasons were many. My burning eyes, my inability to read even three pages on iPad together unlike my track record of completing 300 pages book at one go and some budget constraints due to other big expenses. Then a cousin of mine planned for India trip and so I started drawing the plan of getting an e-reader from USA. I started getting confused regarding warranty and taxes amazon would ask me to pay. My already pissed of job life created blisters as well for the same subject at home. Frustration just grows exponentially when I can not read, for days together.

Then the mobile pinged when I was busy discussing about the same at office. Mr.ISB messaged not to worry further as he has ordered one Kindle, exactly the same I wanted. My eyes popped out and the mind danced in the virtual library. Today.... I got the joy in my hands! 

I spent some twenty minutes in registering Kindle with some cups of freshly brewed spicy tea. The steam coming out of the cup filled my soul with sweet-spicy aroma which let me travel the Tuscan country. Yes, I was reading "Under the Tuscan Sun" and enjoying my 'Life' in Olives and Wines. I am yet to finish the book but I suppose I am going to become the fan of Italian food - Olive oil, Sauteed bell peppers, caramelized onions, tasty baby tomatoes and Ricotta. 

There is a sense of brilliant satisfaction in spending the whole day reading the book which rested in your pending reading list since months.

As now my next-favorite-book is being planned, I am feeling loved - By books. 

Totally Kindled- up :)

December 18, 2014

Random twists - This and that.

If you think no twist can be random. Well, I may have a problem with your belief. It happened to me and it is happening even now.

In last some days or weeks, my life got some small and big twists or rather I could see them coming but they never came. Just like the rubber band which comes back to the original shape after giving a twist without attaching it to anything solid. The twist on the band never gets the solid support to add some value in the function of the band.

Indecisiveness in some of the major areas of my life is prevalent right now. Generally I do not dwell over issues much and delay taking quick actions but then, there is always something new in my personality I every time I introspect. May be some situations together as a team plays a lead role in giving birth to this new found trait.

The numbness or procrastination , I am not able to judge what has taken over my entire life. I am showing zero emotions for things I adore or I hate, even now. A dozen Panipuri on the table, an ever increasing pending book list or even tasks at office which would offer zero value to me or my organization, TED talks waiting in the buffer state or planning some dreamy trips next year.

Some opportunities touch you and fly away, I yawn. In my heart, I love to cling to it and never let it go but then situations hog my enthusiasm. The dullness in the professional life is eating away my excitement to live shine and bright. They basic major traits of my personality,that is what every one says.

Like Some Ms.Murphy said in this article, my practice of 'Deep' reading needs to be 're-kindled'. May be some more paperback books  need to be bought. There is one more day before the weekend comes so  I can get up and dive in the hot tea made by my always-thirsty-for-tea soul. May be there is some thousand liters of will power to get up and buy a pair of dumbbells which might make me look less like a body builder who has fat cells all over the forearms and not muscles. May be I am waiting for that one phone call which would make me forget all those dull professional moments into a tiny new dream of doing something really fruitful. May be I can delete the 'Whatsapp' and 'Facebook' without the fear of loosing close friends.

There are so many wishes hidden in all those 'May be' but there is also a big gap of something called 'Will' and 'Budget'. Well, 'May be, some day', I would get over these random twists and govern myself to some specific twist.

I am sure the post makes some sense, if does not you know my state of mind!

December 15, 2014

When going gets tough..

When your professional life goes haywire. When you get tired of your own tears for the non value added activities and a stagnant learning curve at the present office you work. When you can not focus on a book. When your iPad and laptops give your eyes some dark circles. When every day, post lunch your eyes pop out for nothing. When not a single thing works out.

You wait for your sister (In law) to come to Pune, who is equally pissed off with uncertainty in life.And...

Then you bake Cinnamon rolls with burnt ages as while chatting we forgot that we had kept something in the OTG.

Then you just laugh watching some silly stupid Bollywood spoofs in such a way that neighbors come to know about your hidden-homely (if it makes sense) personality trait of laughing with your lungs (again, if it makes sense), really!

Then we irritate Mr.ISB in such a fashion that he gets almost installed in some Football game on the iPad, ignoring us.

Then you almost start chatting with the lady at Amazon USA like a friend, who makes me work like a cyber spy to fill in some information regarding long-forgotten-registration details of kindle. You need the Kindle at any cost now! :)

Then you get tired right at 10 and you would hate to sleep as you want to have fun having a night out.

:-)

How was your weekend?

December 10, 2014

The Unopened book.

Actually there are many. The number increases as almost all around me knows how madly I fall in love with books. Recommendations by mail, messages, Whatsapp and my Feedly keeps on increasing. Unlike my old habit of ticking off all of them one by one, I am letting them grow in numbers. Believe me, I am sad.

It is disheartening to see myself sulking over this. Failed attempts to hold the iPad with burning eyes, drained brain and read one of the list breaks my heart into pieces every night. I tried changing time of reading from night to morning, but the morning rush is too whimsical in nature. It just does not let me read.

To decrease my expenses, I started making up my mind to read on our iPad, which worked some what. The possibility of buying more books and reading more gave me adrenaline rush some time back, only to realize now I have lost the energy or the flow to get glued to the book.

Getting swallowed down by the story, de-touring from the real world and touring with the world within those words. Ah, I miss everything about it.

It is a form of a meditation for me. The book gets my heart in it and just like when you focus on 'OM', I get my soul revived. No more may be. I have lost the touch or may be it is a reader's block?

May be.

November 29, 2014

Cookworm and the week that was!

I made up something. The word, 'Cookworm' And Peanut butter. And Dinner rolls.

It went straight down to our stomach.  :)

On a serious note, peanut butter consistency was not 'spread worthy' even after grinding in my processor, but the Jaggery  water and the roasted peanut flavor was super yummy.



Dinner rolls I made need a 'Thank You' note to my office. It made me so so so frustrated last night that I decided to meditate in the kitchen being a 'Cookworm'!


For the other part of the title,

Life has been difficult but every one goes through the professionally challenged phase. So I have decided not to blog about it and crib like I am doing since ages here.

I have been cutting away strands hanging with loose ends, I have deleted myself from unwanted groups on whatsapp. Only two groups - Singapore flatmates and close buddy group I am into. It is always nice to be in touch with some one, only if you feel.Too many people to be in touch, increases pressure on me. I need 'me time' badly, so friends who wants to keep in touch with me would always call me/message me/mail me. Rest, see you next time. *How rude I sound!*

I have been reading a lot. This weekend I am travelling through the Silk Route, virtually. I bought this, after reading this I am excited to gulp the book and enjoy the trip.

A cup of good hope, and a change in the blog layout,

Hope you are enjoying an awesome weekend! :-)

November 26, 2014

A cup of Good Hope!

Which is filled with my favorite Adarakh wali chai. Mostly like this or this.

The weather of Pune is the only positive aspect in the way I see the city. I love it. I love it even more when I get that my type of tea in the morning.

The cup lets me go in the flow. Exactly the way this book says. The self consciousness disappears, the time stops flying for me. The chilly taste thanks to ginger and the sweet brew makes me travel a bit in my own world. I do not have tea in the evening but hey, mornings I love you because I get a cup of Good Hope.

I am not into the milk less super aromatic gazillion types of tea available in the artsy world. I am in for traditional India Tapari wali tea. The only tea which gives me that required kick,ah the feel.

The cup of such tea gives me hopes to live the super frustrated life at office. When I am home and working, worried about my next career moves, a cup of good hope is highly recommended. It calms down my mind when required.

 Green tea, after reading some hundred articles about its benefit, fail to appeal. I do not think, it is healthier than cardamom , cinnamon , clove and ginger induced tea.

So for lovers of traditionally Indian, Super spiced tea lovers.

For the cup of GOOD HOPE,



Cheers,

Bubblegum.




November 22, 2014

In search of..

Something which can complete my inner sense. Something which gives me satisfaction. Something is incomplete. The sense of real joy is not there. I am missing the ingredient which can make me forget atmosphere around me, the time would fly but not for me.

The Sunday morning. A blur awakening. The will to make a cup of tea after two slices of bread straight into my stomach to avoid acidity. There are times I want to change some of my habits. Working out, drinking lemon water like dad always wants me to do. These things never happen regularly. Well, may be that secret ingredient is my own self. I am missing being in actual control.

I crave for the comfort food can give, some hours of  sleep can give. I dont want to move my lazy self any where, even when I know the most needed part is my life is healthy diet - no skipping meals and 30 minutes workout. Only 30 minutes.

I want to bake that long awaited bread, sweet bread.The cinnamon smell in my kitchen.

I refuse to do it. I am out of control.

No book is making me feel glued to it. I want to fall in love with a book. No song is making my soul happy. I want to be in love with rhythms. I really miss the high I used to get after jogging. I miss those  sprays of  endorphin.

I know I am in search of Some Thing.

Not sure what. Really.

November 18, 2014

Bullets through my blog!

I know many of my favourite bloggers hate the idea of bulleting short stories-rants. I am not going to be the people pleasure any more, so I have decided to use those bullets (Good, I dont have a gun!) for the wordly-vomit I need to have. How gross I can be!! *Thunking my head on a virtual wall*


  • My schedules have gone haywire. My two bosses (Ex and current) are exactly two poles. North and South. The Ex one does not want to leave me and the portfolio , the new one has already declared my ownership over it. He will pitch in when it is necessary. Good for me. But hey, if there is a formal process called 'Transition of roles', then I am the victim of it. The new boss does not believe in it and the old boss wants to have everything formal. Even a coffee break during the meet. Hello uncertainty and ping pong decision game!
  • I need to bake some breads or even a cake. Period.
  • The urge to create some thing new in my professional life has made me read trillions of articles and some good numbers of books online. With days passing by, I am slowly uncovering my wishes in terms of my work. 
  • The horrible and terrible ( they are understatements!) news of a friend (who used to be a very very good friend of mine, now out of touch!) who lost his wife a week ago in a road accident made me numb. Numb that I wanted to cry and I could not. I want to live every second of my life. No regrets. 
  • I have discovered my love for Mornings. I am a morning person thanks to my house maid and super hectic schedules. I sleep super sound and yeah, I get up (After one snooze, already considered while putting on the alarm!) early. If nothing works, my house maid does the get-up-its-morning task. No, I have not started working out as a daily habit. Some day.
  • I have the weirdest husband. He takes sadistic pleasure in scaring me out by appearing from no where at 1am when I sometimes get up to drink water and he is still on his beloved laptop or watching Tv! I get tiny heart attacks almost bi-weekly. What exactly do you express when you are in your deep sleep and you feel somebody is dunking you in a mountain of sand which is actually a dreamy feeling of a real scene. The scene when your husband is sprinkling powder on your calm, composed sleepy face. 
  • I want to maintain a diary for grocery in Mummy style. Weekly plans, vegetable shopping and grocery with hand written notes and stains! I have been procrastinating to implement this. Not Good.
  • I have discovered a new habit. Not sure if it is good or bad, but a step towards striking a work life balance if it exists. I do not open my work- laptop after office hours. Office hours do not mean 9-5 time frame here.
  • After ages on avoiding facial clean up (Hold you breathes people, I am going girlie!) I made a visit to the expensive saloon near by. I am feeling good and bad. Good for the refreshing feel, bad for the hole in the pocket. 
  • I have discovered new interest in brands like 'Kitchen Aid' for my kitchen. I own a knife now, made by the marvelous brand ( I am an engineer and I notice craftsmanship and material first!) gifted by Mr.ISB's our Kaki. Kaki, if you are reading, thanks for the gift I managed to get for myself from Mummy! :-)
  • I got re-connected with my two Singapore friends on Whatsapp after much expected light abuses from one of them. If you are reading this, Ms.Roomie, I am waiting for the next best phone. Blame it on my iphone! 
  • I have been banging on my next Mumbai Visit. Filter coffee, Dosa, Irani Cafe, Bandra and HOME. Hope it comes soon.

November 11, 2014

Need to talk!

Okay, we need to talk. I need to type. Days I have been blogging and so there are many random things we need to discuss about. Hope you get yourself a cup of (really awesome) Masala tea while I talk share titbits on the blog.

It was an awesome weekend which started on Friday night. My sister (in law who can out law!) came from Mumbai to stay with me have a blast in Pune for some days while Mr.ISB had to be out of town. I was already bored at home as it was more than a week I was all alone, struggling and juggling between my professionally complicated and personally too lonely a life.

So there she came and the cold as well decided to set off, talk about winter. Mix vegetable and paneer pulao with roasted tomato soup. Tick. Tomato crusty cake- first experiment- Tick. Adarakhwali chai- Tick. Alu methi sabji- Tick. Handavo - Tick. Chocolate Banana Peanut butter smoothie - Tick. Awesomeness in kitchen is more awesome when foodies meet.

A friend cum office-mat came to spend some time us with a leaking nose (hope she never finds this blog post). And then there were talks about their (girls sans me) match making with 23435 types of  prospective grooms they have encountered till date. Yours truly found herself immensely lucky as she had by passed the stage where you meet those thousands of guys officially for 'arranged marriage' and get confused when you have to hypothetically assume good things about him in two or three meetings! Poor girls. Well both of them are quite smart, of course finding the right guy would be difficult! The whole how-the-hell-I-say-yes-to-a-guy discussion, we had a brilliant dinner at my favourite restaurant.

The night followed by the dinner was interesting. Chatting, chatting and chatting. When suddenly somebody opened the  main door of my house with a key followed by a series of mini heart attacks in my body. No crime took place. Mr.ISB had peeked into our talk session as always, trying to give a surprise by coming home from his trip. It was a shock for a few second I swear, not the surprise. My lord, please note.

Of course, the (read: silent) icing on the cake had arrived and so the 'masti' was doubled in the cheerful pink cold of Pune. Kolhapuri chappals gifted by Mr.ISB only increased the fun. The awesome dinner followed by a pie and a cake- coming back and checking out wedding photos. No weekend can be better than this.

Then the moment came when I realized the Sunday comes only to be followed by Monday. Throat pain also occurs to be followed by cold. Office also starts to be followed by frustration.

Well, the worst at office is not yet over. Keeping my all limbs crossed.

November 3, 2014

The weekend,Cooking and Bubblegum!

It was a super relaxing weekend. Mr.ISB managed to spend with me by taking a detour from his business trip. It was like that splash of cold water, which makes you relaxed-refreshed but it stays for a moment. Two days were joyful but stayed there only for 2 days. You know what I mean!!

Movies, books, dinner outside with constant cooking incidents and accidents!

Laccha Paratha , Pudina Chutney , Garlic toast and Spaghetti Aglio e Olio - I crafted them all in my kitchen thanks to some brilliant chefs (almost, for me!) in the blog world and both of us relished all of these dishes followed by a super tasty dinner pending since long at a nearby favorite restaurant.  Creating magic in the kitchen is more relaxing then staring at the mail box in the office to let things move! Ah..By the way, not mentioning a loaf of bread which failed to rise came in between my otherwise good (read: awesome) mood.

A little bit of shopping, a dinner date and a movie or two were enough for me to forget the failure and start afresh. Another reason which made me stand up and bake again, was my frustration. Baking always leads to a much needed distraction, followed by some time in introspection.

The introspection which used to push me in a black hole aka depression before, now makes a calm play. Day by day, I am getting convinced where my real interest lies, accepting reality, gathering courage to do what I want. Slowly but steadily. Just like my first bread which I baked. Yes, finally I baked my first tasty loaf of bread!

I am in love with the beautiful rise thanks to the wet yeast procured from a near by bakery, whose owner failed to  know why I need to know Everything about the wet yeast and bake my own bread! His recipe was simple. "Thoda atta, thoda salt, thoda yeat, milao thikse, fulane do and bake karo." followed by "Aap banayegi?"



When I followed her blog post step by step (Though I replaced dry yeast with wet fresh yeast) and finally after hours , while cutting the bread loaf, I was almost drooling due to aroma! Enough self praising! ;-)



The satisfaction of crafting something for the 'Paapi pet'! ;-)

I have  also realized coming days are going to be even more frustrating in office. Worst is yet to come. Professional world might turn upside down or even worst, crush me,mince me. I am ready to seize the situation. Once and for all. With my cooking adventures on. Every single freaked out day will be a bake out day!

I promise.

October 31, 2014

A mindful monkey!

It is amazing how my mind works. The messy mind needs lists, calendars and plans fixed. Impromptu plans upset me for a while. If it is travelling or recreation, it is fun. Otherwise, such incidents upset that little corner of my mind in a horrible fashion.

I have two types of problems. One, I am so very much clear about what I have to do, when and how I need to do. It creates the feeling of being too busy.For example, I make a rough plan in my mind before leaving from my office about rest of the day(?). No rest, please note. The draft would be very much in detail. Like, Going to the basement parking, getting on the vehicle, stopping at a near by 'Sabji wali', stopping for that grocery shopping, parking the vehicle in the colony, Getting into the lift, Start cooking- chai making ,calling both mothers and so on. I do it sub-consciously.

My second problem occurs when I do not know what I have to do. Like, my next job? My next vacation? When should I plan for a visit to my home now? Bla bla. It makes my mind boggle. All the time.

I want to do everything and that too together. Without missing a bit. I know this. The habit of multitasking some times makes you feel blah, far from being satisfied. Rightly said, "You are not Multitasking, you are just task switching!" May be I need to change my mindset to this.

I 'have to' make a to-do-list and I am a sucker for applications which can help me out. My problem is I make lists randomly any where, because I am yet to make the 'system' in which I can use a single diary/application for personal and professional tasks. Sometimes going digital seems the best way out and some times I am back to good old diary lists!! Both never gets in sync!

With my baking - cooking adventures on (Did I tell you, I have started putting Jaggery in oats in the morning, in place of Refinded Sugar?), eating healthy stuff is on priority. Along with other domestic stuff I have to do in the absence of my maid. So,whatever time I get after Maha frustrating office hours, I chase the super long to-do-list.

I keep on revising editing it in my mind or an application or on paper.So my mind jumps around tasks all the time. No doubt focusing on work, which is frustrating, gets more frustrating with time. My mind never decreases the speed of processing. The list never gets sync with my mind, paper list or an applist.

I keep on hovering around ideas to make my to-do-list perfect and then check all the points in the list.

May be a different sort of monkey minded personality I am!
Or
A mindful Monkey?

October 29, 2014

It really helps. Day dreaming.

Nilofar was coming. I was selfish for a moment. I wanted it to come to Pune at that very moment, so as to get an early compulsory off. (Being human, I don't want it to happen only, I was not a human being at that moment.)

My heart was thumping hard. No nervousness. Frustration. I did not want to go to the meeting which I had managed to avoid for quite some time. Just because it never helped. The saturation point was coming closer, to feel numb, I felt. The office kills my senses every day. Slogging is not challenging, that is what some senior management people told me. Yeah, well. That is what they make us do.

I attended the meeting with the shivering body while the low temperature of the room managed to keep my blood from boiling. The sheer wastage of time, managed to bring evening closer. Just to get roasted in another 'Counselling for career' lecture from another senior. Well, that is life. Talking about work life balance and asking to attend calls at States of America time.

The frustrated body tends to bend towards heavy , junk and irregular meals, like a normal human being. Just to realize they are big mistakes of my life. Having a cup of tea in place of heavy breakfast and grabbing the tasteless lunch, way after lunch timing. That is another story too. Being unhealthy and fat.

Those fat cells accumulated due to lack of exercise dance in the form of Bharatnatyam, Garba and free Bollywood dance shows once I enjoyed till I finished my 10th board. They keeps on increasing and decreasing in numbers. They never leave me alone for a long period of time. Of course my DNA is made up of fat cells if I look at my family,but there are celebrities like family members who manage to stay fit, a way healthier than a kid at an old age. I think, I am out of excuse and will power both.

The frustration rules my mind after office and I hardly feel my heart willing to beat with increased pace and endorphin rush in my veins. I ignore working out and keep on eating stuff, I should not.

Those sleeveless tops, halter necks and hot pants would never get the privilege to get flaunted by me. Those Reebok shoes in the show room to die for, will never get to see my legs moving faster than my usual speed of brisk walk. Those beautiful silk Sarees will be loved by me immensely with the wave of pain of looking ugly  in them. Those back pains which will play hide and seek all my life just because of my excess weight during PMS.

I can see the saturation point, the point of no return is coming closer in my professional life, affecting my personal life like never before.

I do not have a tunnel vision yet, to sort this for once and all. I have a blurred picture of what I would be doing in coming years, may be like a drenched painting. You thought you would get a finished bright, proper strokes on the canvas, what you got is a bucket full of water falling on it. Also you realize, you don't want to paint anymore.

Beautiful mornings, Sunshine, Chai mugs, Balcony. Jogging, dancing and the blood rush. No wearing formal clothes and no worries regarding how to tie my hair. Vegetables and grocery shopping and a stocked up kitchen. Relishing the food and working on my favorite laptop side by side. Chit chat with family members, photo clicking here and there. Challenges where my passion lies. Spic and Span kitchen and bright curtains. White cotton comfortable bed sheets and sparkling mirrors. Baking, blogging and reading every day. Discussion on geeky things and a few days out of town to enjoy the vacation every year.

Day dreaming relieves me sometimes from the baggage of frustrations I carry.

It really helps!

October 27, 2014

The Big-Fat Festive wave!

It took me (and Mr.ISB) to the storm. The Diwali and our New Year. Of course, combination of two talkative and hyper personalities of same age when meets, such things happen. I am talking about Mr.ISB's sister and not Mr.ISB!!The addition was Diwali. Let me explain!

First my parents came to Pune and then we went to Mumbai. Home. The trip of course covered a lot of social gatherings which were pending after the wedding, we clubbed all of them with Diwali and New year gatherings. The over explosion of such happenings  made me more chirpy (Yeah, I surpassed my past records!) and of course happy happy. No story can justify my feelings , so I am back to basic bulletins on my blog! :D


  • Going to Mr.ISB's eldest uncle's place.This was a bit of surprise as  I never could participate in most of the topics with them before. Generally filled with religious talks,this time the meeting happily included travelling ideas and talking with our nephew. The 10 year old kid actually came with us for the night stay. Above all, talking about books with the Uncle made me  us happier as I was happily given his two favorite thrillers from the collection. The little cute kid of the uncle who is now my husband might be thrilled that I stole am stealing the show. :D
  • My nephew. This kid talks like a kiddo Bubblegum. Fighter planes and wars. Spies and Defense. Cars in addition. I gifted him one of my favorite magazine  in English. Happy Happy!
  • Rangoli. No Diwali can be the 'Happy Diwali' without Rangoli. There are stories related to my rangolis every year back Amdavad wala home. Credits to my grand mother who was brilliant at it and we could make Rangolis every year.Some times, every day a new rangoli! I am into this ragoli making from the day I could hold a pencil and knew about colors. Ganpati Rangoli is compulsory in my rule books of Diwali since years!



  • Do not even ask me about food. Yours truly baked a cake, a not-so-so-good bread, some experimental and 'over sweet by mistake' muffins. The main chef at home, my mother (In law) made super tasty 'Ghughra' and the brilliantly assembled Sizzler! The foodies relished chocolates my dad brought from France and some random sweets every now and then. I know I have to start with my workout from today!
Okayish Bread made with clubsoda!

Banana whole wheat muffins!
See how well the engineer has managed to get the shape ;-)

  • Telephones. Mobiles. Talking to my favorite Kaki and Kaka from USA (I better give them blog names now!), my relatives from Ahmedabad and some other formal talks. Honestly , I enjoyed each of them. Some more some less.Unlike Mr.ISB who gladly talked (For a few minutes before running out of topics!) only to Kaka-Kaki from USA, for others he crafted some really good facial expressions to avoid , which were enjoyed by me and my sister (in out law)! :D
  • I also realized how parents can affect babies. I got to hear from a very young and stylish corporate mom that her 4 years old kiddo called her 'Babes' once. Learning from the random comments by his father. I laughed my lungs out!
  • After working really hard in the kitchen (Not cooking but the tedious side activities when your maid is not there) Bubblegum and the sister out law got pushed to take rest in a separate room by every other person of the family saying evening with guests coming in, would be more tiring. We had 2 hours to sleep and revive, which we spent in talking talking and talking. Got revived too, seeing faces of other members of the family when Mr.ISB opened the door of the room silently to cross check if we are sleeping!
  • Meeting old friends. Irritating some more. Long walks with the Bro buddy-1 and Mr.ISB like old times. Honestly, we need to meet more! Such a good feeling to re-play memories.
  • Back to back movies and discussion, some airy plans of travelling and career. The idea of managing two girls (Bubblegum and the sister out law) for more than a week made our mom threaten us saying she might take up the job if we decide to take a sabbatical together, under one roof!! :D 
  • Mumbai home also means, pleasant morning walks, cups of filter coffee in the famous cafes at Matunga. No Starbucks can beat them!
  • The departure for me was super frustrating as here in Pune, from today, I am again alone. All alone. With Mr.ISB on business trip and my office work starting again. Blogging such memories makes me giggle in such lonely moments.
Such was the festive big fat wave for me. How about you?

October 20, 2014

Bubblegum who bakes, now!

These all, baking stuff started with my dad. Really. He loves this machine with top and bottom heat elements,one motor and some sheet metal- metal parts. Do you realize he is a hard core engineer?

Whatever I baked at my home (Sadly, people call it now 'my' parent's home and I disagree with all of them), he became the most enthusiastic member of the family to taste those cookies, cakes and well breads. Some of them were really good, beginner's luck may be. Some of them were disgusting and he tasted all of them with same smile. Poor dad!

Slowly , dad's girl started building up interest in baking. For years, all I did was using ready made mixes or Indian dishes like 'Bati', baked potatoes with some masala. Now when my Bua who is equally into baking (beside being an 80 years old young doctor) decided to gift me an OTG, the ball of choosing an OTG came into my court completely.

That is how things started going haywire.

Yours truly got impatient and did extensive research while the husband was away. Rubbing shoes in different stores to hunt for that particular model did not work, so I did nothing but ordered it online on Amazon India. One of my then favorite site to order anything under the sun. Things went dull when I received my consignment in the form of a damaged OTG.

I lost my mood, temper and tempo to even talk to any one. Some where the madness to bake and practice to bake some cakes and knead some breads before my parents visit my home,made me almost a depressed a soul. I registered for the pick up for returns and refund. I was not ready to take the risk of replacing the product any more.

It took some 20 calls to 20 different customer care employees, 4 apology mails, some 100 sorry-s , boiling approximately hundred liter blood  they successfully picked up the wrong dispatch after 7 days.

Meanwhile my parents had arrived and they stayed without any trauma in the form of baking by me. Lucky guys. Anyway, daddy and the daughter had decided to get an Oven so it was. So while my parents left the city, the Oven arrived at 10 in the night! I do have some regret for not being able to harass them with my experiments but then, I am happy for the new OTG!

The OTG which finally came home!


How can I sleep when the OTG has been installed ? I followed chased her for this cake recipe!


Please do not stare the picture, rough baking is allowed for the first experiment after months, in your own OTG!

This is what I got. I swear, not so healthy for a midnight snacking, but yummy all the way!


Yummyness all over!
With the first successful baking experiment, I can say,

Bubblegum now bakes!

October 16, 2014

Frustration, Food, Books!

These three words sums up my life since some days. I would also like to put up a disclaimer that this is a 'Blah' kind of a post!

Last one week has been a roller coaster ride which took a depressive path and it is yet to collide with anything which can stop it. The only positive part of the tenure was the election day in the state and with no right to vote here, I quietly enjoyed the peaceful holiday with Mr.ISB. I am dreading today again, as the ride is going to continue.

Lately my office and my work has been draining my last 1% of peace and energy for nothing. It is no more challenging my urge to take up thing any further. I just feel like escaping from each and every molecule the office is made of. Right from my colleagues , friends and my work. Everything.

Every morning I have to pull myself away from the bed bribing me a cup of my type of tea. I drag myself to pick that laptop which would be lying on my bed as last night I would be working on it,  like a ghost with burning eyes and in between reading my current ongoing book-love. Trade offs are never easy.

The house maid has decided to never (not even a single day) to come on time and thus making me late for the office, every day. I am not sure if I am slowly striding towards inhumanity but I really feel like asking her not to come the next day, as the deal is over. I am yet to implement and it will take forever. No, I can not do that to any one. Freaking expenses these days, they need work too.

In such days, only cooking and reading apart from understanding semi-motivational speeches given by the eternal optimistic Mr.ISB keeps me alive. I have also changed my loyalty from paper books to Kindle App due to my over shooting expenses on books and the need of keeping them with me all the time. Of course the feel and the smell is missing big time but then there has to be a trade off.

When I am in office, I take everything to slow down my metabolism. I do not go for the lunch, I hate the all-women-girls lunch group talks to the core. I do not even go with my guys-group of lunch as well. In short my calls with stake holders affect my mind in such a way that, I throw it on my body. Not acceptable, I know.

When I am at home. I cook (Good or bad!) out of the overwhelming feelings towards food. Seriously, I feel satisfied from within. I guess each and every droplet of my blood celebrates the joy when I cook and feed two souls.


Yummy pancakes!

Masala Tomato rice!

Pithado - Besan ki sabji - Mom's Input!

Kofta - Healthy No fry!


Super healthy Atte ka sheera - With minimum Ghee and Jaggery!

Stuffed Grilled Bell Pepper - Waiting for Oven to make it properly !

I guess the amount of frustration I gather in office every day, safely turns into a unique food dish. Not in my life time I took so much of interest naturally in cooking. Cooking is therapeutic! My cooking adventures are truly supported - guided by her and both moms, in Eklavya style! 

Yesterday, after Repeating cooking-reading-sleeping cycle for three times we managed our asses to move out and as usual we went for a long walk which ended with a dinner and the Crossword visit. 

I was happy, things were soothing out and I realized the working day is knocking on the door! 

Frustration, Food and Books - Here I come again.

October 12, 2014

Domesticated?

Then there came a message from one of my colleagues, " You are cooking fancy stuff! Finally like us, you are domesticated after marriage. Hahahahaha. Welcome to the poor working women's gang!"

I was offended big time. It is not the truth. 'Domestication' is not negative at all, for me.

Reasons are many. I am free to do whatever I want to do. Whatever I want to wear. I have developed my hobbies in last four months, more than I did in last two years. I love having a kitchen of my own and not the shared one with my room-mates. I love keeping my home spick-and-span. Does that mean I have forcefully changed myself? Is doing domestic stuff so bad that makes you a part of that 'Poor Working Women's Gang'?

Well there are gazillion perspectives and all are based on situations but this led me to a long introspection. I was flabbergasted when I concluded, the so called 'Domestication' is something I love, at this point of life'.

I remember the rebellion self ,yours truly,who abhorred cooking in teens. I had some limited food dishes in my wish list and was never driven towards cooking them for any one, forget myself. I was the 'career conscious kind of a Mechanical Engineer'. I was ' I will get myself a cook' kind of a young girl. The happiness was in challenging everything my class-mates and friends do in the male dominating field. My mom dad supported me in whatever I wanted to do, crowded by 89 guys in the class of 90 students and with my several groups which contained guys most of the time.

My OCD to keep things clean appeared from my DNA gifted by my mom once I left my home town for the very first job. Till then mom was there to make me do the stuff like organizing cupboards and helping her in the kitchen to keep it clean as if the whole kitchen was bought from Ikea, every single day.

After moving three cities in India and a country on my own, I have picked up some curiosity to make all of our meals delicious. I crave to keep my kitchen spotless, my drawing room cozy with sunshine. Well, there are days when I just have to leave with the dirt on the platform due to the tired body and frustrated soul continuously worrying about work at office. Even after office hours.

I make Mr.ISB the guinea pig for cooking experiments, believe me, I am a toddler in this journey which gives me immense satisfaction after feeding two stomachs and thus my heart. I feel the brilliance of the light at the end of the tunnel when I smile after cleaning and organizing things piled up in all those corners of my house. I love spending some time with my plants who managed to survive my regular absence due to travelling.

I feel the marriage made these things possible. I realized what I do in the day time at office is nothing but chasing this male chauvinist field of  Mechanical Engineers, proving my efficiency in doing things better than many of them but the whole I-am-as-good-as-any-of-them feel does not give me joy any more. I feel drained, I feel gripped by some jaws. May be the salary drives me and pushes me to keep doing what I do.

I do not think, house-stuff home-stuff makes me that poor working woman included in the so called bothered gang of ladies. I have started loving cooking, cleaning, buying grocery, experimenting unique dishes which I hated in 25 years of my life.I am not that poor thingie, domesticated after the wedding.

The word 'Domesticated' is not at all worth what I feel.

The sense of meeting your soul, with each of the tasty meal I cook is not worth so much of negativity.


October 9, 2014

Putting thoughts together!

This is a better title than 'Blabbering again'! Looks composed. Well, my mind is far from behaving composed. Trillion thoughts bubbling together in the tiny cabinet are rushing on to appear on this blog now.

Mornings of my own. With Mr.ISB on a business trip and my maid's usually late arrival has created a confusions in my mind. Is the lonely time, I needed to things I wanted to do or it is plain annoying to get disturbed in between. A new found my-morning-love and the excuses of my  maid as well as irritating phone calls. Even if your office permits you to come a little late, your stake holders at the job wont.Blah.

My mind is over loaded with things I want to do and so as a 'List-maniac' of the highest order, I have calmed down my self by putting it on a piece of paper. Only if I can fulfill them all.

I have been opening up new tabs by clicking links recommended by friends and try to clip on them to some applications for the later-on-reads. I fail to check any of them. I abhor almost all 'cliping' application. I am a big fan of simple, neat and user friendly yet fast designs. Be it websites, applications, Software , furniture or machines. Anything clumsy turns my mood into a even more clumsier state of mind than that pretty clumsy thing. The truth is, I hate when I forget about those links.You know what I mean. I wish I had all the time in the world to read them all, one by one. Like some body said some days back, while making an Adarakhwali chai for the first time in his life at 11.30 pm before I had to attend my USA conference call with choked nose, "There is so much of knowledge in the world." Yeah, Like learning how to make a cup of tea which Bubblegum can relish at the Veee hour. Mr.ISB!

I have become a personality of  all great OCDs on this earth. Mr.ISB puts into a different way. I am a control freak personality. I need to be organised if I want to feel good. A trip plan, a shopping plan, a super market visit, a hobby list. I need to plan on dot. Apart from such 'Plans', I need a clean sink, a clean platform, a well arranged book storage and a perfectly ironed as well as placed pile of clothes. Even when my sofa is full of office bags and my coffee-table has piles on newspapers on it. OCDs appear in installments for me.

I have been thinking a lot on ambitions lately. Not a single decision of my life was taken against my wish. I am in the field  I wanted to be. I studied what I always wanted to. I earn and agree to the fact that all corporate jobs suck. I doubt if my ambition was my aggressiveness to accept challenge to be the part of a male dominated field and prove myself?

The 'fitness-freak' side of my husband has made me realize, how much fat I have accumulated apart from loosing on immunity and getting back-pains all the time. I really don't want to look like a big fat buffalo in coming days. Time to re-focus on the workout plan.

A lot of chaos inside, isn't it? Hey, I am still positive.

All good things start with chaos!

September 30, 2014

Words, in my world

As a kid, I never knew I love words so much, I love languages so much. Neither of my parents write and none of them are too much into creating a web of words as well. My mother reads a lot or rather I should put it in a different matter, she used to read a lot. Though nothing comes in comparison for my craziness for books, words or languages.

They say a skill (Actually, not a skill but the talent) can skip a generation. Well for me, my grand mother (Dadi) was (To some extent my grand father too, atleast in creation of a small library) was a  soul of the bookish world. The small library kind of  a set up at my old home (Old, yeah old), full of books with yellow old pages is a biggest gift from them, I feel. Another interest managed to skip two generations - My grand grand father was a Sanskrit, English and Gujarati literature professor with a brilliant career track of guiding many many students for PhD in languages-history related subjects and the creator of one of its kind Sanskrit -English-Sanskrit dictionary. There is a bag of articles written by him some where in that library, some pages are so so so  old that I fear holding them might destroy their existence only. I have them with myself as a heritage of my family, which is a matter of immense proud for me. I am not even near by what he was when it comes to him talent/career/fame , but I guess the joy of creating a string of words make me much more warm and I love the cozy world of words, may be like him?

Words I feel, are warm. There is this soothing feelings when words sputter out of my mind/heart and I script them down on the screen of a laptop. The empty space in that mind then, is nothing but peace. The burden goes off and even when the value of the particular paragraph is nothing than a big zero literature wise or even language wise, it gives me calmness which is priceless.


September 25, 2014

Numb and alive!

The lump in your throat is going no where. You feel as if some body has gripped your neck to death. Your voice is suppressed in your throat with some gazillion tons of load. You try to breath and the nose refused to suck Oxygen into your body. You open your mouth and lungs refuse to pump up.

You fear if you will be alive after ten minutes or not.

Your eyes are loosing the sight due to the pain increasing exponentially in the lower portion of the face.

Well,

Nobody has tried to murder me guys and girls. Neither it is a nightmare nor it is a plot of some thriller.

The pain is brought to me by the cold I have caught.

*Cough Cough Cough*

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A pile of clothes on the bed, those 10-15 books we read or we have to read on the sofa, those bowls and dishes on dining table after breakfast were smiling at me.

I was numb. Reluctant to leave that blanket and I closed my eyes again to get launched in the lovely world of sleepy souls.

Did I mention I still get dreams of India's MOM after two days of the success- May be I am from Mars.

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Many times I was stopped by the fatigue in my mind and body to not to write a post and publish it on my blog. I can not get more numb than this.

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Right from Deepika-TOI controversy, MOM, women scientists rejoicing over the success and The Indian Prime Minister witnessing the orbit shifting-placing of the Indian Mars craft, 'Make in India' campaign, the Garba deprived soul of mine - I have my own thoughts about everything being served on my platter. I have some gazillion curses for myself for not being able to be in Ahmedabad or Mumbai at least during Navratri. I am penning down none. May be I should better get back to life and kick type.

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In the almost life-less, cough-ridden world of mine, there is one thing which gives me warmth, love and relief for half and hour or so.

A cup of Indian Masala - Ginger-Pepper-Basil-clove-Cinnamon tea. Yeah, please crush all the herbs possibly residing in your home with ginger and get yourself a nice boiled cup of tea. You are free from the sorrow of the horrible cold for half and hour.

Numb and yet alive!

:-)

September 12, 2014

Happy realization - September!


  • Grocery list is an open document. By the time you finish every specific thing you wanted for the home and the kitchen, the new month pops up with new requirements. 
  • When everything around you becomes dynamic, you tend to become static. Hence numb. People around me having tough time handling my stubbornness. 
  • The amount of coffee consumption is directly proportional to the multiplication of bored moments and hectic projects. It sounds weird but I get both in a day's time. 
  • The tea time at home gives me peace. I stir the piece of mind which runs too fast in the tea and gulp it down. I bet every one who loves tea feels the same.
  • The maids have boomerang characteristics, more you ask to come early, more they come late. Amazing thing is they can convince every day about her early arrival for the next day. I am taking her (one of them) in my negotiation session next week.
  • In lunch hour, if you work, you are punished to hear conversation of mommies talking to their kids on phone in the language which can be only deciphered with focus more than studies for board exams. It becomes much entertaining  irritating when you realize the person on the other end of the phone is not his or her kid, but his or her spouse. Seriously? Matured people?
  • People who are android supporters and people who are apple supporters (with a small bunch supporting Nokia as well) act as they were those people who created riots in Ahmedabad after Godhara incident.
  • The hunger which I fear becomes violent by the time I would reach to the food in the canteen, dies a tragic death when I see the food. That bad.
  • The last quarter of the year is actually the third quarter of the financial year in India. Which means you have to save money for investment with some seriousness. Only if all members of my family would not have destined to take birth on this planet in the same time frame.
  • I do not know why people send hoax messages warning against X Y and Z things we use or we see in daily life without verifying it with concern authorities. I have realized even if you ask them not to do this next time, people get fooled and spread panic attacks. Contagious they are. 
Just some titbits straight from my heart mind!

September 9, 2014

He who manages the tough girl!

Dear Mr.ISB,

It has been almost 30*3=90 days we have spent as a couple! Ah, Married couple. (Okay, I am not counting our business trips to several Indian cities!) Living under one roof, without any body else at home, with two new jobs in hands, we are managing pretty well, ah?

I am amazed how we have graduated from walking outside your office to walking in the colony where we stay! I am amazed how we have not killed each other when differences appear every now and then. I am amazed how we can spend hours sharing our knowledge and interest, right from war and spy movies, mythology, history, strategies and well to - Bollywood! Is that all we have in common?!I guess so.

Your way of living messy and my way of being a cleanliness freak, your way of bifurcating wet clothes and towels from dried -ironed clothes, and my way of not mixing them in the first place! We are 'poles apart' and 'we are as different as a chalk and cheese !' - These statement are under statements , if you know what I mean.

I have been suffering from 'Why am I so different from other brides' complex, when after three months people see me and say, Oh my god, you have not changed at all after the wedding. While I dislike wearing Mangal sutra or any chain in my neck for that matter, while I skate on my formal shoes for a few seconds while catching up the elevator near the lobby, while I  laugh like a monster when I tease people - They find I have not graduated from my bachelor self to the so called married self. The credit goes to you. I have never faced such a strong headed discouragement in changing myself for people around me. Yeah, you demotivare me and that is the best thing about you.The fact that you continue being with me after all those fire statements showered on you, makes me feel so happy!

Getting lectures on my carelessness for my own health which I hate, is something I love about you. Whatever heck it means but I love you for that exactly after 2345 hours of the showered hatred, as it is good for me. Only people who love me can do this, they don't get killed in real.

When I lecture you for keeping house neat which drains my energy, I still love your messy -care free nature as if given the choice (and a full time maid) I would be the same. I love the careless nature as much I love you in the  messy (not properly brushed) hair. I love the look, I swear.

I love the way you get installed in a laptop while working or watching some geeky sitcoms, as I do the same while reading a book.

 I love the fact that a person who never cared to have a cup of tea in the evening, has started on with green tea in the balcony with me - just as it has been my dream to spend time with some of my favorite things and people together at one time.

I love the way you stand in front of me while I wash utensils when maid is not there, just because in that frustrated moment I asked you to help me with it, without any other instruction.

I love the way you make a blanket cover on shivering wife of yours, just because I said my dad did it for me all my life and now I am married, I miss it.

I love the way you brought Panipuris for me on the first month anniversary, as you know Panipuri is as holy as nectar for me!

I never told you this but thank you for letting me be what I am and what I want to be. Thank you for going out of the way, every time when I needed your help knowingly or unknowingly. Thank you for making me feel special after every fight! :D

If you do not read this in next 24 hours, you owe me a really big Dairy Milk Silk with Almonds, a Panipuri treat and 3 books of my choice. As I tole you, you do a pretty good job of handling Bubblegum, you can do this too! ;-)

Thank you!

Yours,

Bubblegum!

August 29, 2014

Religion, for me

Religion for me, is my business. Today when I write this post, I know the consequences might hit me hard right on my face but, hey there is something called blogging away my internal struggle. The struggle which is almost on the verge of concluding my decision for life.
  • My religion is faith. My faith. Be it in one God or some super power, who manages to give me hopes and positive vibes. Religion is peace and not a show off of whose religion is better. Religion is not spending crores from your bank account (or even money in black for that matter) when some kids on the street do not get food. 
  • My religion is not about worshiping hard. My religion is an energy which keeps me hopeful, which keeps my spirit alive. My religion is not about Gods,my  religion is about being human.
  • My religion would not compel me to fast. With scientific logic, detoxification of my body would happen only if I would feel peaceful from inside. With feelings of hatred, jealousy, ego,violence, complexes against others - nothing will happen even if I fast. Nothing.
  • My religion would not divide people of the country on the basis of faith.My religion would not stop me from co-existing with other religions with hearty attachments. My religion is about bringing humanity above all difference. 
  • My religion would never brain wash people's mind. My religion would make people think openly about all things-facts surrounding them. My religion would guide me to take correct decision in relevance with today's situation and would discourage me if I  follow age old traditions harming health or soul.
  • My religion would permit me to accept Eidee and hog the Sheer Khurma. My religion will teach me to say sorry if I have hurt some one. My religion will let me have Modaks too and will make me go to Haji Ali as well.  
  • My religion would not let me torture my body by starving myself. My religion will not force me to eat junk in the name of fasting as well. My religion would  not teach me unhealthy and unhygienic practices.
  • My religious place ( Temples, Pirs, Dargahs, Churches or Synagogues!) would only give me peace. I will never become the part of charity with name, spreading rubbish all over the place or even be a part of the religious function where people might get discriminated on the basis of caste, creed or financial status.
I am sure most of you think, I am bringing up a religion named 'No religious practices', but well that is how I see my way of life. I might deviate due to changing beliefs or even attempt to change my rules for not making others sad, but this is what my religion is.

August 20, 2014

Story telling for kids- The dying art!

Stories/Kahani/Varta - These words are exciting enough for me, even now. This article/post contains my own opinions based on my experience and surroundings around me till this day.

The art is dying if I decide to be honest. The mobile applications, animations on retina displays are killing it. We are killing it. Those parents who glue themselves on social media to show off how beautiful their kids look, make kids glue on gadgets too. I am not a parent yet and so I might be too harsh and impractical but then again , the bitter truth of today's life style can not be ignored.

If I consider my childhood the most interesting one, then it is because of stories narrated by my grand mother which resulted into my interest in reading. Story telling by grand parents or even parents have different effects on kids for sure. The narration leaves a big window of imagination in the little brain than those animated stories. For example, 'There was a biiiiig Neem tree near the well'. Each of the kids will have a different imagination for both things. In fact, each time they will listen to this, they will have different form of the tree and the well. If they have been shown both objects on the screen, they will not use the brain to imagine much. I feel the whole phenomena hinders the mental- logical, creative, imaginative growth of a kid.

In showing off. how modern and technically ahead we are of time, we are loosing on the art of story telling which works as a catalyst in the growth of a kid.

It has become so important to make a kid speak in English from the very first year that we forget that the age of 1-10 is the age you can make your kid - bilingual or even multilingual. Research shows how kids brought up in the environment of multiple languages grow faster. Then there is also an ego of couples who proudly says,'You know my son speaks English only, he does not understand Gujarati (or the mother tongue) at all.'This is so depressing. The young parents don't realize how they are missing on those words, stories, characters in regional stories which builds cultural values in tiny minds. I am not against English, but then story telling sessions in your own language will have a different impact, keeping the family closer to the roots. Not to mention the history of India, culture and values in those stories. Before they step in the school, they would be having vocabulary in multiple languages with a strong power called Imagination.

Then there are comics. They help kids to put actions into those sketched figures. I am sure, from my generation there will be really few pupils who would not have read 'Chacha Chaudhary' or 'Raju's squirrel'. They are dying too!

Again I am positive too.I have seen many young parents introducing story books and narration till they start reading on their own, but they are very few. While I was in Singapore, one of the best feature(?) of the country was kid's library in all major areas. Each of the library had sections for a year old baby ( Pictorial or the book for narration) too. I have personally met a two years old girl who narrated me a story referring to each of the pages/pictures of the book, of course the story never had sentences, the story had a lot of imagination and excitement.

I hope if at all a young parent reads this and think over the subject, gets tons of story books or tells their toddlers stories from all over the world - I will consider myself helpful in building next generation of India.

August 4, 2014

Pointless points hovering in mind!

Today is a day where I am ready to type away the glory. (If it makes sense and you are still ready to read!)


  • Mr.ISB is away for a week and honestly apart from nothing- really nothing to do (read, cleaning house) and no one to talk, it was getting bored when my destiny decided to take the ride and I forgot the key inside the house. Well, a gang of 'dadajis' and a care taker pondered over a few options like asking some one to climb into the balcony and open the door. Well, the matured lady in me called the key maker and he opened the door in flat two minutes. I also should write that I was drenched in the rain while coming back from office. I also lost my dream of dreaking 'Adarakh wali chai' after reaching as it was already the dinner time.
  • The office work has become a complex mixture of good work and boredom. A part of me has no work and another part of me has all non-value-added system details fill up to do which was never a priority before. Also I have not mentioned that I have managed to move two of my bosses from this role and an upcoming new organisation announcement might add one more feather in my hat. Thank you, but let me tell you, upcoming boss might not be that awesome. *Pray*
  • I have got this unusual itch of doing something on my own. Thousands of plans but nothing is so solid to implement. Some day...
  • Oh did I mention, we have rented a costly but a lovely house? I love it to the core and the fact that, I can experiment on my own- I love it even more. A mountain , a small river, a swimming pool from the balcony, a cup of tea and a book. Life can not be better.
  • I am in search of a fitness freak soul. I am loosing out again on health front with fatigue and frequent migraine head aches. The runner ( who runs like a buffalo) is yet to come out other wise the treadmill right there in the club house is waiting for me. 
  • The office people who disapproves me as a good wife (The guess, obviously!) and relatives who think I am a good wife leave me in identity crisis. Of course the weird thinking of yours truly, starts with the theory that no one in the couple can be good or bad. It is how the other one manages!! 
  • I really feel I should just do a little make over of myself, not only in terms of looks but also in terms of personality - finding new hobbies and doing things I never did! The problem lies in the fatigue I get after finishing daily work. Needs to buck up?
  • By the way I guess I am in love with Google Keep! :D 
Random points - Pointless points I said!

July 29, 2014

Settling in and out!

So the first question I am being asked when I meet or talk to persons for the first time after wedding is-'So settled?'! Now honestly this is the second most irritating question for yours truly after the famous, 'How is your married life!?'

Never ask these two questions to any newly married couple! Not that I am not settled or I am sad!

Of course, everyday I opened this draft section on blogger, scribbled something and deleted. I am sure today I wont do it as the water is crossing the heights of my head! (Ya, Pani sar se upar chadh raha hai!) I am missing blogging that much. In the process of settling, you see.

So, I decided to answer the second most boring question,'So settled?'! No we are not some pieces of puzzles to settle in but honestly, we are trying. I am sure 'Trying' is of more fun than really 'Settling down'! So we keep on settling in and out!

Being the cleanliness freak soul, I keep on pulling my hair seeing loosely folded sheets, socks every where, plastic wrappers lying all over or even messy dining table past 'his' semi cooking and eating sessions. He being the go-getter and the carefree-happy-soul of the couple keeps on freaking out at how madly I am in love with 'Controlling' every thing around me.

So to balance we keep on argue and settle in for the sake of 'being friends as well'. Of course my all time favorite activities like falling down while walking, getting head aches due to migraine and getting my fingers almost cut while working ,melts his heart and then the settling out stops and settling in comes into the picture.

He makes the awesome corn masala and I enjoy it followed by cleaning out the  messy kitchen. I lazily go to sleep, shivering in cold and he happily manages to spread the blanket on my cold-stuck body. There is a list to type on!

Being very frank, I am enjoying the phase. Settling in and out is fun then boringly getting glued to one specific comfort zone. Dont you think so?

July 9, 2014

The day is back,

The day is back, when all I want is to write in the morning. I am pretty much hopeful that one more blabbering blog post would appear for readers, today.This feeling has arrived after a long long period of time.

The no-insomnia phase is enjoyable where I at least get six hours of sleep, in place of four I used yo sleep, before the wedding. Some hundred issues on professional front continue to make me bald, well hair fall is the new and most important issue to be solved now a days. God, writing about these random things, make me feel good. So I am carrying it on, pardon if you feel like punching on my face?!

The evening calls with offices in USA and UK, makes Mr.ISB go mad. Not because I remain busy after coming from office too, because I have to cook and do rest of the work which makes me dead tired.He thinks I should not continue this for long and hire a cook. Well, time only will tell.

Cooking different tasty food is the new excitement in my life. Note that many times I dont give my self even 7/10, some how Mr.ISB is super supportive, so are my in laws. Wait, they are not the victims of my foodie experiments yet.

Having a home of your own, in the city where you work is a different feeling altogether. Responsibilities of being the lady of the house are not that boring, it is fun. After years , I have a home where I stay. Amazing feeling, not many will understand.

A considerable amount of my time goes in listing out the shopping list. Major for homes, and if the budget permits (and my guts!) for me and Mr.ISB. The fun of stuffing the trolley with all house hold stuff only makes me realize that I am married!Seriously.

Many dishes in my mind to cook, many gadgets to buy for home, many more accessories and clothes for myself and Mr.ISB and what not. Goals and motives are in plenty. The new life has a lot of excitement, getting married is fun.

Well, I think I can write about the benefits of getting married in next post? Till then, Buh-bye!

July 7, 2014

Tears and the bride!

Is the relation not an age long relation? Tears and bride are inseparable! Well for my case, Vidai and Tears were treated little strictly.

My Maha-modern Masis and Buas have already ordered me not to cry as in today's world communication is super easy. For me, well I am super techno-savy, I be with mom virtually all the time. I had a doubt when it came to my mom, she is super emotional about her daughter. It was expected to see Ahmedabad flooded with her tears. More than that, I was worried for my dad. In these 26 years of my life, I had started seeing moist eyes on his face and I hate it to the core, even now.

Well, when the Vidai Murhat ticked on the clock, I was not so emotional, thinking good things about marriage. My mom surprisingly had not been in tears for all functions and her eyes were little moist but I was super surprised that she was not crying. When I hugged, the tap of my eyes was going to open with the force of some hundreds of tonnage, she shocked me saying 'Dont cry please, dad will cry too'! That was end, my eyes stopped production of tears and I hugged my dad who had super moist eyes. I avoided the eye contact which stopped his eyes to over flow. All my buas and masis were smiling without tears as per promises given. Well, I could see heavy moisture in my mother's (in law) eyes which happens while watching films too, so this was but obvious. She controlled which was another surprise for me!

The groom side never song a single song describing the pain of Vidai, in fact they sang some fun songs which made atmosphere super light.

I think, crying and mass producing tears both are over hyped. We must stop the ritual. Being happy without tears is less painful, believe me.

The marriage does not end those decades of brought up, relations and rights. So brides, no tears!

July 2, 2014

Tied and alive, kicking too!

Well, I am not sure if I should be sorry about my long long absence  and irregular blogging tenure or should be happy that , finally I am posting today. Fair enough for a new bride!?

The wedding planned went well, in fact super thanks to both sets of parents. Contrary to my fears I was not nervous, hell, I had no time to even think. If you ask about those N numbers of functions we had, I was pretty numb and smiling. Apart from Garba and Sangeet, my cheeks were strained enough to go beyond elastic limit of my facial muscles. We gotta be goodie goodie and smiling, you see!

The day of my wedding ended with this girl called Bubblegum who looked quali chhap in one punjabi suit, Mangalsutra, Sindur and chuda. Of course I felt I had managed to age a decade in a day's time. Going to Mumbai after Viday was smooth , but after finishing rituals the sleep I had for hours and days was super smooth. Once the insomniac got so tired that, my favorite pass time became sleeping! The trip to Mauritius was fun, pleasant and super peaceful to sleep, to relax. I am still continuing with my relationship with sleep for hours! Blues or may be pinks of the new bride!

So so many memories, funny incidents luckily are flooding when I am typing this. Wedding blues are over hyped any way, I feel now. Well, I have received comments from team mates that, there is no change in Mrs. Bubblegum and Mr.Bubblegum as of now. I hope it is a compliment ! ;-)

As now I have resumed office, with new home in the town which was never mine - Pune. Hopefully with Mr.ISB there with me, it wont be too difficult!

Hoping to blog more about my sinusoidal journey balancing work and home fronts in coming days.