Wonder Curd Delight

I was getting bored of eating cornflakes with lukewarm milk and banana slices and was thinking of having it with curd. I was not sure if it would turn out well. Anyways the results were awesome and purrfect for a summer afternoon. So take curd, add sugar to it and then few pieces of apple and banana and a handful of cornflakes and mix them. Relish them!!
Ain't that easy peasy!! It was yummmy yumm - So try it!

Sarcasm that hurts and appreciation that elates

Some people are sarcastic. I am/was sarcastic (at this point of life, I would take all measures stay away from being sarcastic). It is such a power that can screw the brains of others and even a relationship. You pass a sarcastic remark on your friend - his/her day spoils. They keep pondering on that that very remark that poked their soul. Finally, they end up hating you.

I have seen people acting pathetic and sadistic while making fun of others. Little do they know that the damage they do is huge - at times, irreparable. Being humorous is good, but at the expense of others - REAL BAD!

Women and Appreciation
Women love appreciation (well, most of them do recognise flattery, but they do not want to believe that they are being flattered because it indeed lifts their soul - believe it or not!). The act of women appreciating women is divine - this means that you feel good that your fellow being is doing good or looking good. Appreciation is such a wonder drug that gives such a huge morale boost to a woman. I am sure that there will not be at least one woman in this whole face of the earth who would not want to be appreciated.

Not to mention - there is one weird group of people who don't know to accept appreciation - they think that one who appreciates you is making fun of you - God bless you all - I do not have a remedy for this thought.

Friends and Appreciation
Recently, I noticed that I have two sets of friends - i.e., I can group my friends into two: one group does not fail to compliment me or give me the advice I need and the other group - they are quick to blame and give their lecture on what went wrong and accuse me of what I did wrong in that particular situation - neither do they give a proper feasible solution nor a practical advise that can be implemented and not to mention - they never appreciate but never leave an opportunity to be sarcastic - some of their phrases include "You should have done this" "I told you na - this is wrong" "You never listened" "See now how the situation is" "You dont know how to do things properly" etc.

To those who don't know to appreciate - You dont know to appreciate others and you want everyone to appreciate you? - Aint you being the most self-centered person? How can you ever be unconditional to others?

Claustrophobic

Power comes
Power goes
She comes and cleans the house and leaves
We stay where we are

Food appears boring, tasteless and dead

No sunlight, just heat
Sweat that make you squeal

Back to bed
Jailed

Cast Away

The lizards here always managed to spook me endlessly. Thick tails and fat bodies - in fact, I always felt that they looked like pink/black yucky fishes. The lizards over here had been continously scaring me for almost 3 years.

I must say that because of them I had stopped using the kitchen cupboard as it was their favorite hiding place and also I refused to clean the unused cupboard and cabinets for long time as most of the stuff (spices and et al.) I used were placed near the stove. In short, the overall cleanliness of the kitchen deteriorated and everything looked misplaced.

In the second week of Feb2010, R managed to get the Kitchen window sealed. The entire kitchen window frame was replaced. The exhaust fan outlet was sealed using a wire net.
Two weeks later my sis-in-law visited us and she cleaned out the dusty cupboard and unkempt dish rack, which I have managed to maintain. Thanks to both.

At present, these reptiles are barred from entering my kitchen, and I am at peace. Cooking has never been such a pleasure; otherwise the moment I enter the kitchen, I am cooking in such a jiffy and I used to try to finish my cooking fast so that I should never enter it till they leave.

In fact, this lizard issue was even affecting our family life - It was that serious!!! I used to get into arguments with R just because of these lizards. I even made him to kill two or three just because they were refusing to leave the kitchen. My mom-in-law even trapped 3-5 of them and flushed them down the toilet - I know this is masaccre but they were like making me loose my sanity - big time! Once I even threw the apple I was eating on a huge black lizard that popped in through the exhaust fan outlet.

Finally, it is a huge PHEW (font size: 84) and welcome good old cooking days and clean kitchen.

Knuckles, elbows and knees

The mosquitos in Mumbai and indeed clever. They hop on the mattress, run when attacked with an electric bat and would love to attack your knuckles, elbows and knees and even ankles, in worst cases - feet. This has made me doubt if they have brains in them. Even if the brain is infinitesimally small, it defenitely works faster than a human brain. Otherwise, how can they survive a liquidator, mosquito repellent, electric bat and mosquito net altogether.

Also, the most interesting part: biting humans at those places where they are sure that they wont get whacked. Like for instance, you used your hand to hit a mosquito that rests anywhere on your body. How do you kill a mosquito resting on your knuckle? The itch is so so severe that you cannot help moving your hand and by the time you manage to get your other hand to hit the mosquito, it flies away into eternity, just to come back and attack your elbow next time. The elbow is yet another difficult part to reach.

Right now switching on the AC helps in keeping them away to a greater extent, but I don't know how long.

Hard life makes anyone tough - be it a mosquito or a human!

Schindler's list - a brave movie

This movie was aired on HBO early morning few days back and I got the privilege to see it. Schindler's list takes us through the suffering of Jews during World War and also depicts the brutality on them by the Nazi Soldiers. Just imagine that approximately 6 million Jews were masaccered in Poland at that time!!! Amidst this chaos, Oskar Schindler saves around 1000 Jews (true story)- you need to see the movie to find out more. No doubt that this movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, will be one of the best history movies; it even managed to take home 7 Oscar Awards. I don't think anyone else could have this directed this movie better.

This movie also shows us the mirror towards the past - how man can be the biggest enemy of himself and how ruthless and cruel can one be to others.

There was no one to save these innocent people (which included many women and children) and no one even bothered to raise a voice against this mass killing. I was terribly moved by this movie and it also reminded how lucky I am to live safe with all basic amenities.

Yummy Musk Melon Shake

Recently R was on a Musk melon spree. He used to religiously get a musk melon every week. However, we found it very boring and bland to eat just like that, even with salads. Even Sarah did not have more than 2-3 spoonfuls.

So, yesterday, I was checking online for any tasty (more palatable) recipes of muskmelon (or Cantaloupe).

And lo! I came across a simple muskmelon shake, which you can easily prepare by pureeing the pieces along with sugar and then adding chilled milk. I must say the shake was super yummy - I would suggest adding less sugar if the melon is already sweet to keep this healthy. A defenite must try this summer as it cools the body too.

Sarah absolutely loved this lipsmacking treat and she was asking for more!! If you aren't impressed by muskmelon, why not check out the innumerable benefits it has. The best part was that my baby took it well and was not constipated - so one more food to her list of haves!

[Image taken from http://www.fotosearch.com/FDC006/934512/]

Baskin and Robbins; Amul; and Kwality Walls

I have found many outlets of Baskin and Robbins spread across India - even at my hometown, which is Kottayam, Kerala - which is virtually empty all the time.

Despite BR's popularity, I find Amul icecreams better than BR anytime. BR is just overpriced and i think the brand name is making people to buy them so that they can brag "Oh! we had this flavor of BR" or "We went to BR last weekend." Amul Icecream has some great flavors like Alphonso mango and Black forest and it is absolutely affordable. Try their Shahi Anjeer and the dry fruits version. In fact, what i have noted is that in comparison to others, the makers have not been miserly in using dryfruits. I also love their Sundae Swirl versions.

Kwality Walls, on the other hand, has got some sick icecream flavors like Choco coconout (yuck) - it smelt like spoilt coconut oil. Also, their fruit and nut is not that impressive and a small box costs around 150 - provided there is not even any fruit or nut - to top it, they have smeared maybe a spoonful of maple syrup. Check the image on the side - it is the fruit n nut version -hah! you will be shocked to see that the actual version in box doesn't even look distantly familiar to this.

The Litchi flavor also was not that palatable. However, thumbs up to their "Vienetta" - I think by far the best buy in Indian Icecream Market. It also has got a greater fridge life.

[Images taken from http://www.kwalitywalls.in/innovations_02.htm]

Whyy soo Serious!!

Recently, we celebrated my mom-in-law's 63 rd birthday and I was busy clicking pics. While pappa and mom posed with Sarah for the first pic, all were so serious. I retorted "Why are you all serious; aren't you supposed to smile." And Voila!!Oh, here's the absolutely yummy black-forest cake!!

A new smile

When I ask Sarah to " smile" while posing for the camera, she gives an absolutely crinkle-nosed tiny-eyed smile. Check this out!

Tidy shoes, clean feet

I am an ardent people observer - I love watching people and even their feet (call me a Kaalunokki- I don't mind). I found that dirty shoes are the biggest turnoff to me (I blindly assume that you hate to wash your underwear (i know it is harsh and weird) and keep yourself clean). In contrast, surprisingly, I must confess that I do not have well-pedicured shiny feet, but I do keep them clean religiously so that I do not become a public nuisance.

I also feel that dirty shoes and smelly socks show really who you are - a lazy person inside; ; and to top it, you don’t want to keep yourself clean.

At workplace
I have come across lots of guys who smell like rotten food at my work place - they just don't want to wash their socks - I mean, it will be rude to say on their face that "Dear, you stink like a rotten rat." But once in your life time, have you not felt how much the people near you have to suffer just because they have done the sole mistake of working with you?

Every time, they approach you, they block their noses using their epiglottis and converse with you the particulars and run away in asphyxiation - Are you stupid enough to understand that it is because you stink and not because they are afraid of you?

Eating your Indian lunch in an air-conditioned office room is a grave error abroad. However, most of the Indians do not mind the waft of the sweet-smelling regional delicacies filling the air in a boring afternoon. I too do not have an issue with this, unless the food is spoilt.

Just think about the damage your smelly feet can do in an air-conditioned room. I am sure that, at least, the people residing in two-meter radius of you are going to get sorely affected and they are going to gossip, bitch and badmouth about this intense stink to others. And as life moves on, the first thing that comes into their mind when they think about you will be ` "Mr./Ms. Smelly Feet"`

I am a "Smelly feet"!! Help me!

• Wash and dry your Shoes at least once a week.
• Invest in high-quality sweat absorbing cotton socks.
• Get more than one pair of socks; better have at least 10 pairs if your wear them regularly.
• Avoid wearing a single pair for an entire year/ several years. You can eventually lead to a nuclear catastrophe. You cat will die prematurely smelling your socks and your dog may loose its sense of smell.
• For those who sweat more, wash your legs in warm water everyday; use talcum powder or any alternative that can get rid of the stink.

She is my niece!

After Sarah, I love clicking pics of her.

Who is this?!

Sarah baldie!!!

Product Review: St. Ives Apricot Scrub (Gentle)

I have always been a regular user of St. Ives Scrubs. St. Ives Antiblemish Scrub for Blackhead prone skin was real good as it always kept my skin fresh after use. However, recently, I tried using the Gentle scrub and I was happy with the results too - this scrub is more creamy and gentle than the former.

So my rating is 4/5. Do try it if you are on look out for a gentle fruity-smelling scrub that freshens up your face.

[Image taken from http://www.weloveshopping.com/shop/jubjib/jj099.jpg]

Product Review: Baby Skin Care Products

I have always been an ardent fan of Johnson's baby products; however, recently I had to change my opinion. In fact a change in climate made me realise their quality; check out the following quick review:
Johnson's baby soap: It nothing better than a regular soap; I found Pears more gentle as when the climate became cold and dry, Johnson's baby soap dried my skin even more. Even Dove was gentler. So thumbs down! I would recommend not to try on your baby if he/she has a sensitive skin.
Johnson's hair oil: Better don't try! Pure olive oil or virgin coconut oil are far far better options. Thumbs down again!
Johnson's talc: I would say - Never try it on babies; instead the homeopathic talc "Belacalendula" seemed to keep the diaper area more dry and clean and was highly effective in treating rashes. However, Johnson's talc seems to be good for adults - please not on face!!- maybe the underarm area for those who sweat a lot.
Johnson's baby oil: I was in a bubble world trying to make myself believe that its so gentle and good for skin - but NO! use it as a makeup remover. Anytime I would go for almond oil, virgin coconut oil or even our very own olive oil. Better not to use on your baby!
Johnson's baby milk cream: Useless!! what remains is the strong fragrance.
Johnson's baby moisturising lotion: Another product which I thought was awesome - "just thought" - it was never awesome and didn't even keep my skin or the baby's skin moisturised for more than 5 mins. Also again the strong smell!

Kerala had a pleasant climate till Feb 2010 first week. When we arrived in Dombivli, it was cooler and the climate was drying up mine and Sarah's skin despite of using Johnson's baby moisturiser in generous amounts. To top that, Sarah started getting a dry skin condition and she got dry rashes on her body here and there. Once a while she used to get a small rash and it would go. The doctor told that it was a fungal infection, which I refused to believe - Little did I know that it was a dry skin condition caused by the use of Johnson's baby soap and lotion!

How did I find out that both the regular Johnson's soap and lotion were the culprits?
I happened to trip across an Ayurvedic store (Omved) in a mall, which sold baby products and chemical-free stuff. I got an Omved baby soap for her, even though the price was 270 INR, just because the list of ingredients showed only natural stuff like almond oil, honey and saffron and saponified vegetable oil.

SURPRISE! SURPRISE! this soap is thus far the best soap I have come across - it smelt heavenly and had a creamy texture (as that of dove) with not much of fluffy foam (as generated for Johnson's baby soap). Sarah's skin did not dry off fast and appeared moisturised.

The search for a better moisturiser
My sister-in-law used "Efatop" ointment for keeping her baby's bottom rash free. I checked out the ingredients and found out that it had olive oil; so decided to give it a try. Also, I found that none of the usual Indian moisturisers were keeping my feet moist for longer periods of time. Thanks to Poonam who recommended me to try "Efaderm" ointment by Galderma Laboratories.

I got both these creams - and again, I made a great great discovery of a great moisturising cream "Efaderm."

Just a small dollop of Efaderm after bath, when smoothened across her hands and legs, kept the moisture locked in Sarah's skin and even it did wonders for my dry skin on hands and legs. I even tried using it on my face - it was a bit oily but still kept my skin supple.

Efatop, on the other hand, was an OK option - I was more satisfied with Efaderm. I would not mind using Efatop if my Efaderm ran out of stock

So Omved and Efaderm saved my baby - Surprisingly, the minor dry skin condition that she had cleared within a day of use of these two products - I am thoroughly delighted! Needless to say, I would get these for me too.

Also note that you can get Efaderm from the chemists, and it is mainly used for curing dry skin conditions of sensitive skin - also the no. of chemical ingredients is far less than any baby product currently available in the Indian market. So that shows that it is milder than the rest of so-called "gentle baby products." Omved soap is available only at Omved outlets and stores spread mainly across Mumbai and sparsely across India. The good news is that they have a store in Cochin.

Sorry Johnsons! I am chucking you..

Product review: Cif Kitchen Cleaner - a life saver for Indian kitchens!

I recently came across an amazing cleaner "Cif." I am so so delighted that finally a great creamy cleaner is hitting the Indian market.
Our gas stove is ages old but well maintained - we occasionally used to have a hard time scrubbing the food particles sticking to it. Cif soaks up the thick stains and using a dry cloth you can easily wipe of the stains. I also found out that if you follow it up by cleaning with a wet cloth, the shine is greater.
But the amazing discovery that I made was its effectiveness in cleaning shabby stained ceramic tiles and even the white cement filling between them. We all are aware of the fact that in a heavy use kitchen, more than the tiles, the white cement caulk gets dirty and stained very fast. Further, the stains are so tough that after regular usage, they tend to appear black even if you rub them hard using a cleaning brush or tooth brush.
I always hated to see the slight brown film like stains on the light blue ceramic tiles in our bathroom. One fine day morning, I set out with Cif and another cleaner Lizol (the pine fragrance one) to clean up the tiles.
First, I wetted the tiles generously and then squirted Cif and rubbed each tile religiously with Cif. Cif does not generate much lather. So in between I sprayed capfuls of Lizol (consider it as a catalyst as Lizol alone was never enough) between my scrubbing episodes - After an hour, the tiles were sparkling and I still can't believe that I finally did it - I would like to give all the credit to Cif as I have never seen the tiles so clean in three years of my marriage, despite trying several different cleaners and making different people to try cleaning it.

Both Cif and Vim are products of the company Unilever. The kitchen utensil cleaner is still known as Vim in India.

My rating: 5/5; It is a must have for Indian Kitchens

[Image taken from http://www.poundland.co.uk/images/585/original/cif-cream.jpg]

Heat and Mosquitos

Its been almost a week that I have got a proper sleep during night. The increasing temperature, humidity and the numerous mosquitos are giving me and Sarah a very hard time. Sarah is not getting proper sleep because of these creatures - I did not to put the mosquito net yet as it gets very stuffy inside. I tried the following:

Mosquito repellant: Strong smell, sticky and useless after almost 30 min
Liquidator: Absolutely useless that I would want to throw it so far that I should never see it again in my life. Rani Mukherjee, please stop endorsing GoodKnight Liquidators - Do you want us to die by inhaling poison and also by mosquito bites simultaneously?

Finally, today I am back to tieing the mosquito net.

Eventhough we have installed an AC in the front room, it did not help as my inlaws were in and me and Sarah had to sleep inside, where we have two fans but the heat has literally started to cook us.

Earlier, I was planning to spend the summer in Kerala, but I had suddenly planned to return back to DOmbivili and then celebrate Sarah's first birthday here. It turned out to be a good decesion as Kerala is now recording its highest temperature. Either way, we were bound to be cooked. But now that that summer started after holi, we are just running out of ways to combat mosquitos and heat.

He/She 1

She gets a new haircut and waits for him to come.
He arrives and asks "Dinner is ready?"
She: Yes (Didn't he notice my haircut? =/)
He: Okay I will have bath and come. Keep the dinner ready
She: OK (&$#@%$#@%)

Assassinating my character!

I love attention! If I remember myself as a child - I used to be a quite observer till the age of 8 or 10 (CAN ANYONE WHO KNOW ME RIGHT NOW BELIEVE THIS???). Oh well, when I was in my seventh grade, I noticed that there were a couple of girls in my class, who could make anyone laugh and all the other girls loved to speak to them. I being new in the class was not noticed much. So, then what? I started acting goofy and crazy and sarcastic and all that what could earn me every one's attention. I assassinated my character myself!!! just for some void attention.

Finally, after few years, I was just sarcastic and rude and never in the good books of the majority.

But still, I would not miss any opportunity to take part in extracurricular activities in school, thereby making some great rapport with my juniors. I just loved the idea that I was famous in school, but with a very heavy trade-off: I killed the original me that had little goodness in it and created a miss: i-want-every one's-attention. I even went out of the box and helped kids who are weak in studies, took combined studies with classmates - all this for getting into their good books - I got an unexplainable satisfaction when I was helping others and more than that what I loved was the "good" attention and appreciation that followed these actions. Which means that I was not helping unconditionally - i did not expect money or riches but all what I wanted was respect, good name, appreciation - in short, the manure to boost my ego.

Did all these help?
NAH never - it instead damaged the entire foundation of my outlook towards life and often I got criticised very badly by many (even by friends). My dear EGO was as huge as a mammoth.
Today, when I realise this big folly of mine, I thank God that it never was late to change myself. I taught myself not to expect goodness in return of goodness - in fact, I would want to love unconditionally every single person in my life without expecting any sort of goodness back in return, but every time I fail miserably. But then God motivates me to reform myself and just show me the mirror to my soul to remind me that there is so much to change. After all, God loves me unconditionally - i should love and keep him happy. And I am sure that any effort toward it will not be wasted!

he/she

He: I got a promotion with bonus and raise
She: Wow! Congrats; great! I am proud of you.

She: I cleaned the bathroom today; it took an hour almost - you remember, the tiles were not getting cleaned properly and they had difficult brown stains that refused to go. Did you see it today? It is sparkling clean finally.

He: ...

She: (expecting him to at least acknowledge)

He: ... (checking mail - very busy in that)

She: (Frustrated, sad, leaves hope)

He: ... (CHECKING MAIL - VERRRRY Busy in that)

She: (mean now, but keeping the tone polite and casual) oh if I wouldn't have cleaned the bathroom, you would have noticed it right?

He: (sheepishly) If you cleaned, it is good - there will be less mosquitos.

She: (still mean) (ohhh...i was rearing mosquitos!!) hmm..right; but mosquitos still come at night...

Jose Mario Covaco - the laughter bomb!

Jose Mario Covaco is my favorite MTV VJ. Oh man!! he keeps cracking me up every time I see him on TV. I still cannot forget the expressions (LOL LOL LOL) he gave after seeing the weird designer outfit of Mallika Sherwat on the premiere of Inglourious Basterds (apparently, she was trying to showcase her curves to Quentin Tarantino or I dont know whom!! ahahah in that ridiculous outfit). Everytime he keeps taking a dig on his fellow VJs and I just cannot stop myself from smiling or laughing when he is on TV.

Check out his online interview on the MTV India website and here are some of his answers which I found really funny!!!

Do you have any tattoos? I thought they were tattoos for a long time, but then I realized they were just my nipples.

Do you cook at all? Yes, I can make boiled eggs……and I can fry eggs and…… I can boil water….

Long live Jose !!- would like to see you more on MTV. Check him and his histronics on Wassup Youngistan aired on MTV everyday at 11.50 a.m. IST

[Image taken from http://reeckon.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/163/]

How to deal with a fussy eater?

If the fussy eater is a 1-year-old baby:

• Try feeding him/her solid food at regular intervals. Say a small piece of watermelon, followed by bottled milk, oats porridge, water, banana, biscuit, etc.
• Just make sure that you feed the kid after small intervals of at least 30 mins to 1 hour.
• Encourage him/her to taste the meals that you have. He/She may end up liking them and having more than a mouthful.
• Continue breastfeeding (if you are still doing it).
• Allow them to play around a lot; this makes them hungry.

If the fussy eater is your spouse

• :- (Please let them not make out that you are frowning inside x-( )

If the fussy eater is some elder in your home

• :- (Please let them not make out that you are frowning inside x-( )

Note: Maaatt, I have tried my best to be gender neutral

Food across borders

Myself and my Girl pal visited an all-veg restaurent @kottayam - Hotel anandamandiram. We had two paneer rolls, 4 roti +1 dish of palak paneer, 1 chole baturey, 1 plate of noodles and 2 teas. To our surprise, food was so tasty, freshly made and cheap, and the bill just amounted to approximately 120 INR.

Two months later in Dombivili, Thane, me and two other friends eat a plate of chicken curry, veg rice, 1 dish of palak paneer, 6 rotis, one mango shake, and one mango ice cream for 680 INR. In fact, this rate didn't surprise me because I think this would be a reasonable rate compared to any posh restaurent in Mumbai.

Right now, wondering about the profits of running a restaurent in a busy area..

Rahul Mahajan and Dimpy Ganguly

Rahul Mahajan, son of late Pramod Mahajan, married Dimpy on the reality show "Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega," which was aired on NDTV Imagine. My husband used to get annoyed with Rahul's onstant guffaw and often ask me that how could I watch such a ridiculous show. I know it is ridiculous; i like ridiculous shows - it just sharpens my humor sense!

Can you imagine that Rahul, being a divorcee and someone who apparently had a drug problem, married the cute 21-year-old dimpled Dimpy on reality TV?! Rahul himself excalimed that he never thought that his second marriage will be so grand. Dimpy's dad excalimed on the final day after the ring exchange ceremony that his daughter is mature and all should learn from her (oh! yes). Her mom looked annoyed and sister broke into tears (maybe both were not expecting this to happen and reacted in their own ways). I think Dimpy looked more delighted when she came to know that Neeta Lulla was designing her costumes, rather than when Rahul chose her from the final three.

And where did our Nikunj Mallik and Harpreet Kaur disappear amidst the function - Did they just vaporise into thin air??- this is contrary to what happened last year in Rakhi's Swayamvar - Manas and Chetan (am i right?) were made to stand throughout the function.

Anyways - hope to see this newly married couple on Pati, Patni, or Woh. Also, it was not a surprise that this show got the highest ratings and TRPs thus far

The most ridiculous question

Why did you cut your hair?

(Why did I cut my hair - I cut my hair because I wanted a haircut - ain't this a senseless answer- so why ask??)

The dead man who made me cry

Recently, I happened to see Dead Man Walking (1995) on Star Movies. I must say, Director Tim Robbins has made a masterpiece. I don't know why - I just try not to watch Sean Penn Movies -- I really do not have a specific reason.
In this movie, a nun tries hard to make a convict realise the consequences of his mistake before he goes for capital punishment. Sean Penn plays the complex character of the convicted killer Matthew Poncelet, who raped and killed two teenagers at the middle of a fateful night along with his friend. Susan Sarandon plays the role of the nun with such an ease that you cannot imagine anyone else as Sister Helen Prejean.
Finally, she makes him realise how much pain and suffering has he caused to the victim's families. The execution scene is the highlight and you will be marvelled by the performances of the lead actors. I must say, do watch it!

Sandra! Sandra!

Sandra Bullock turned up for the oscars in a very beautiful Marchesa gown with delicate work. Her lipstick indeed turned heads. The press absolutely went gaga about her style statement. And yes Sandra!! you did dress well - Kudos for that!

What I was surprised is about her over-hyped role in The Blind Side. When I saw this movie, the first thing I noticed is the immovable stoney face of Sandra (maybe too much of Botox), that blond wig and then absolutely nothing. The kid who played Michael Oher was another stone.
So you had two stones and an absolutely chitter chattery annoying adulty boy - well!! i must say the sister Tuhoy looked cute; father Tuhoy was bearable.

I think Sandra did a far far better job in The Net and 28 days. And if you are thinking that "Wait a minute; she did not act well in these movies" - oh dear!! she didn't give half of the efforts she gave in these movies when she acted for The Blind Side. BTW, I loved her in both the above movies.

Well Sandra!! Maybe they wanted to give you an Oscar for life-time achievement and were waiting for a reason!

The Fate of Alpenliebe and Wriggleys in India

15 years back, I rememeber that during my childhood, my aunt and uncle from US used to get Alpenliebes and Wriggleys chewing gums on their visits to India - was it because these were the highlights of their life in US or because they were cheaper when brought in bulk?; that time, these were like treasures for us to show off before our friends and we cousins used to fight over them - till death (but no one died).

Today, in India, I dont think even the street kid would be obsessed of owing an Alpenliebe or a batch of Wriggleys. They are so cheap (say 25 paise for one tofee of alpenliebe, that too we have different flavors) and easily available. And, I am sick of its butterscotch flavor, eventhough I wouldn't mind eating a cake or icecream instead. Alpenliebe is indeed a cheaper option when you would want to distribute sweets to all at your workplace or even classroom.

And Wriggleys - I think no one even wants them, except smokers.

Getting along with fakeness and distrust

I cannot handle fakeness, insincereity and snobbery. But then, this does not give me a reason to hate those who posses these qualities - If I get irked by them, then surely there is something that I should mend in myself before I start judging their character, mannerisms and vanity. Sadly, I bother about these stuff a lot and end up hating them more.

I have come across a truck load of back biters who have almost made me loose my belief in goodness in this world. When trust breaks or gets affected in any relationship of mine - it gives me a pain of thousand arrows piercing my heart.

So what's the solution? What do I plan to do, next time when I am pushed in the ditch? Do I turn back and accuse them or go into depression? I found some healthy ways that could help me or anyone facing this issue:

• Try not to bother about that incident - let it not eat your brains
• Ask God to forgive your initial reaction (if it was bad)
• Forgive them (I know! it is the hardest part)
• Stop pondering over it again and again - you will become dead miserable
• Once in a blue moon, while you are PMSing or having a bad day - evil thoughts might return and you would want to bite off their head - JUST RELAX!! THEY ARE NOT WORTH IT!!!
• For women, see a good chick flick with your best girl pal, do window shopping, or visit Mc Donalds and binge - I mean, this is indeed not the best advice but do something that will divert your concentration from that unpleasent thought. Or if you have a baby, just make her happy, spend time with her - allow her to do things that she would be delighted off.
• Lastly, do not forget, but you must forgive for a better mental health.

What more do I want?

My wish list:

• Travel all over India
• Visit US at least once
• Visit Thailand
• Visit the Andamans
• Go on a road trip
• Write a travel book
• Cook tasty pasta in cheese
• Spend a night dancing with friends in some club in Goa
• Study abroad
• Take an MBA
• Learn to Bake
• Own on Oven
• Buy a Bean bag
• Go for a trek
• Learn hair cutting and hair styling
• Buy some cute cotton dresses for myself - or maybe get them stitched

Koena Mitra and Minissha Lamba, next will be Kangna

Plastic surgery is good if you tweak a bit and not go overboard. Recently, when I saw Koena Mitra in some award function - I was shell-shocked to see her face which looked like plastic. Chin implants, tatooed eyebrows, cheek implants, injected lips - Koena, haven't anyone told to you before that you were such a diva?? - i mean, I don't know how you are going to get back your old face. I would not want to criticise anyone's appearence and hurt them but a word of advice to anyone who is insecure of your appearence - God has made you beautiful - please dont question his skills.

Minisha lamba - Minisha, try searching your name in google - you will be surprised to see the number of hits on the news on your plastic surgery

Kangana - you always looked different and unique from your hindi film counterparts - But you are having a very different shiny botoxed and tweaked face when compared to the fresh face in Gangster. Why??? Please stop it before it becomes disastorous.

Ranbir - You are super talented

I would love to see any movie of Ranbir any time - Loved his performance in Ajab Prem ki Gazab Kahani, Wake up Sid and Rocket Singh - the Salesman of the year.

His style of dancing is unique and also sense of style is good - also he can pull off pink and magenta t-shirts with ease. The hindi film industry was long waiting for a complete package like you - now that the khans are getting wrinkles, botox and crow feet.

The Best Buffet thus far

Recently, Myself and my friend poonam visited the Potpourri restaurent in Inorbit, Vashi, Navi Mumbai.
I still cannot stop raving about the food I had. At least 7 types of salads, two desserts, au grita, food loaf (better than pizza anytime), pasta, soup, burnt garlic rice, bread and hummus, chicken salad, etc etc-

Oh Poonam!! I am so thankful to you for this great treat. We shall devour it again!!

Me and Sarah

The hardest thing

I dont know how many find this difficult: to be content with what I have and to count my blessings every moment without bothering about the little troubles and problems I face. To be positive is indeed a skill and the greatest of all. I was one of the most pessimistic persons on the face of the earth, but believing in myself and hoping for the best has indeed got me going on the right track. But sometimes, I go back to my old ways thinking about everything around me a big tangle of mess that is waiting to devor me and sabotage me. Still God helps me to open my eyes and see how worthless is this thought and how stupid I am to worry about something worldly and materialistic. Coming back to the right track, i become a better person and successfully climb one more step of self-realisation.

Sarah's new haircut

Sarah had her hair falling in her eyes and I decided to chop them off and give her a new haircut. I tried to use Kate Gosselin's spiky short haircut as a reference and needless to say, the results were good.

Making others happy

I would love to make people around me happy - it makes me happy and satisfied with life. However, recently I learnt a truth or may be I am biased.

The more i try to make other's happy, the more unhappy I become - it is because I am not loving them unconditionally - I expect them to acknowledge my efforts by not troubling me, which doesn't happen fortunately. I would love to make others comfortable and be themselves when I am around but that ends up hurting my godzillian ego and respect, which just makes me all the more frustrated that I did not do my best.

In fact, I have given the bestest of best but the efforts are still yielding minimal results. I would love appreciation and kindness, and not a doubtful look that "why is she being so nice to me - oh gimme a break, she might be acting" or maybe a smirk pasted all over the face that "She cannot be this nice - what is she upto."

Eventually, the basic purpose - "to make others happy" is lost and I end up looking as someone who evokes suspicion 24/7.

My parents have been very nice to others and I really love to follow them - help those in need, make other's feel good about themselves and then derive happiness from that.

However, if others are not happy, I am not happy and I end becoming frustrated and sad and feel that I have not succeeded in making a good relationship. This makes me all the more UNHAPPY.

Am I not supposed to make myself happy and stop going around trying to spread the cheer and get hurt?

So, is there anyone on the face of this earth who is delighted at the very thought of me being with them. Oh yes!! the world is yet is loose all of its goodness - my daughter loves me and she is delighted when I take time for her and do things for her. The happiness I get is so immense - it makes all the worries and frustrations look so tiny and worthless. She encourages me to love others more because the returns I get from her are so terrific and I become more and more selfish to make myself happy by gaining her love and attention.

I do have some great people in my life who love my attention and want my attention and love and care. Ain't am lucky?

Oh! but I can't stop whining about the little attention I don't get - human wants are endless!

Long lost friend

People come to your life. Some stay and some leave. I do not have so many friends.
However, I am blessed to have a great group of frinds who have been very kind and supportive to me. I cant stop myself from thanking God for bringing me across such great people.
Recently, I met my long lost childhood friend online and we revived our friendship. Surprisingly, we had similar interests and stuffs to discuss and i am quite happy to share the positivity she sheds in our relationship. God has been really great!

Formative years

Being with Sarah in her formative years is defenitely one of the best things I can afford without much hassles. I love watching her learn new words every day, playing new games, recognising thing and people with names and also feeding her - defenitely this destresses me. The only regret is that I wish once a while someone would be there to take care of her so that I can take a day off for my things - This makes me wish her grow up fast so that I can take her around with me alone.