Last post of the year

The year went by super fast! Unlike 2008 that dragged on and on. I have slept less this year than 2001-2002 if that's possible. Why I didn't sleep then i won't tell. But this year was all about Miss T. I can't say it is fun when the child bawls into the night and then into the day leaving you utterly dazed. But the smile she gives you at the end of it makes you forgive her :)

Here's my wish list for 2010

1) I want more sleep

2) Less hormonal for sure

3) More money :)

4) More holidays. How else do I spend all the money?

5) More fun with Miss T

6) More time with V

7) Lesser morons to deal with

8) More friends...umm or may be just the usual ones who are there when you need them

9) More scope for creativity beyond making Miss T eat and sleep.

10 And umm world huh... world peace?

Have a fabulous xmas and a fantabulous new year!

Now off to the seashore I go...in about 4 days but I will be there in 4 days. YAAAAY!

Oh wow it has been long

time since I blogged. Not that I don't have anything to rant about. I just don't have time. Actually I do have time just that I'd prefer to sleep than type :) I came across a quiz on one of those baby / mommy sites where they asked the new mothers what you'd mostly likely do if you had time. And Sleep trumped Sex with more than 50% votes :D

I am having a super fabulous time with Miss T. She came with a personality which she asserts at every situation possible. I am dreading her teenage. God save us!

Only am getting more and more upset at discovering how bloody difficult it is to be a mom and an individual with interests. The interests could be sleep, shopping or a career. It is more difficult than defying aging aunts and wear no jewellery at the wedding. Seriously, the world starts guiltripping you on day one of motherhood. Even before your anesthesia wears off you are bombarded with how can you do this questions. My mom trained me good. I don't easily get blackmailed. Keyword is 'easily' which means occasionally I do fall for it and boy are they melodramatic or what!

Anyways one day while the breeze from the bodhi tree was passing by it occurred to me that I will have to live with this for as long as I live, so no point fighting. I have accepted it, made my peace with it and now I do exactly as I please :D

There is a lot of action planned for the coming year. Hope to tick them off one by one from my to do list. I am so looking forward to 2010. Miss T is one big reason of course but there are other things too. So YAY!

Bah!!

Why does it have to be Uterus or the Brains? They are made in a way that both work together and well at that!

#!@$##@!$#@$#@!$#@$@#!#@$

When Insomnia Strikes Randomness Happens

Like Douglas Adams Said In "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" (I Might Be Paraphrasing Here) Putting Things In Capitals Puts Things In Perspective.

While that might be true typing like that is damn hard.

Anyways back to the post. I suddenly realised that I haven't done any post for more than two months and Whizkid too reminded me :) But my head's just in a swirl these days. Sometimes in a good swirl like the swirl of cream you see on top of fancy coffees and sometimes...well just in a swirl.

I am not able to sleep and growing extremely jealous of V snoring away and Miss T blissfully smiling in her sleep. So am gonna VENT. (Do not read further if you are feeling happy or hoping for some insightful post)

1) Why the effin hell would people want to complicate their lives? I have heard such complicated love stories and family sagas that they make Ekta Kapoor's imagination seem tame!

2) Problems do not go away in life. They are just waiting to delurk when you are happiest.

3) If you don't start it right...you never live it right and possibly won't end it right. And more often than not the starting point is not your hands.

4) Talking things over is the simplest of all joys in any kinda relationship. But that's the hardest thing to do it seems.

5) For the Nth time I want magic in my life. Why isn't there a Hogwarts equivalent to go to at 30? You need magic as you grow older. When you are younger you do think you can "do" everything :)

6) I am loving the internet all the more. I keep up with friends and shop without actually going out. And of course vent like this.

7) I only watch the scrolls run by on news channels (on mute). I turn on the volume only when I cannot find entertainment anywhere else.

8) I have become incapable of reading any newspaper that's not The Hindu.

9) I am very frustrated at car becoming the only mode of transportation in my life :(

10) I can play with Miss T for hours on end. I am very flattered by the attention she gives me and unnerved by the faith she has in me.

11) I am getting better at saying "no"

12) I am learning to be diplomatic...Please to be noting the "tense"

13) I am trying very hard not to swear. But it is too damn hard :D

Like always I am gonna stop at number 13. Now I think I should be able to sleep. And hopefully post something more readable next time around.

So what if we don't have a fancy camera

We have fancy phones :)

Inspired by Whizkid's SSS I have been attempting to do some shadow photography. So far none even looked good. But yesterday managed to do this with Viva's help. And we like it. So showing off :)

That's me with Miss T

No we weren't posing. It just happened to be so.

HUMPH

Lots of people can take beautiful pictures...SIGH

hmmm :)

I will let the pictures do the talking

Talk about niche :D

This was at the annual flower show earlier this year. This is a government owned company!

I am out in the sea

And the sea is PINK. As averse as I am to pink, everything around me is pink for the last month and possibly stay so for a long time to come. And one is actually liking most of the pink. When it is on Little Miss T that is :) I don't like the pink weighing machine, or that feeding bottle and the Barbie Pink ( what we Kannadigas lovingly refer to as Mithai pink) diaper bag.

PUHLEEEEEZ!!!!! Miss T looks gorgeous in Pink but don't make me wear it. I even have a book titled "A guide to girl babies, an owner's manual" with a Pink cover!

But the title of the post, out in sea isn't just figurative. I literally feel like that most of the time! And the opinions that bombard you left right and centre and in between don't make things easier!!!

But this is one roller coaster ride I am not willing to get off :D

Next post when I can find time that is...will be on the madness of it all which no one tells you :)

Spoilers in life

When it comes to money, be it best friends or your closest relative it doesn't take much for things to go sore.

Twice now I have been on the receiving end of deception with a straight face. And then they go on pretending to be your best friend or your well wishing uncle or aunt.

Incredible things people can do for money.

On the verge of third such deception I am dearly hoping it doesn't happen. Cos it is pretty hard to trust people or help them out in need without having to fight deception every single time.

Let's see how this one goes.

When insomnia strikes!

2 am and I am wide awake. There are dozens of blog posts pending in my head and no mood to type. Just feel like saying Phrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrtttttttttttt Calvin style!

Elections and television - part 2

I will let some one else say it cos he said it better!

GO HERE

Bangalore beku Bengaluru Beda

Bengaluru must look like an excavation site if you took an aerial view just now. Broken buildings, bowels of earth upturned, uprooted trees. Crazy traffic situation. Angry people who don't know whom to direct the anger at, roam the streets (only inch by inch mind you.) Only to find at the end of the road that it is the end of the road with nowhere to turn because it is dug up.

Frustrating is an understatement. Autos rule the roost because they get to charge extra. Halla ide madam (the roads craters) they say. One has to walk for miles to a bus stop. Because? the roads are dug up.

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH Bring back my Bangalore. Take back this Bengaluru. I don't want this.

dundu mallige

When we decided on this apartment the main reason for choosing a ground floor was the fact that i can have a little garden and see a piece of the sky when I stepped out. But then once we settled in we realised the apartment association had stipulations on what to grow and what not to grow in the garden. They love croutons and croutons only. Very few flowering plants and absolutely no veggies. No sir that would bring down the value of the apartment! And I tried to grow a little hibiscus plant and every time the poor thing grew a little taller than what is thought aesthetically correct the gardener chops it off. It is an eternal fight!

Somehow in the milieu of ever changing gardeners, one of them thought it was a good idea to plant jasmines. None of them survived except for the one right outside my door. Every year around this time it flowers. There is such palpable excitement about it. Women, old and young stop to see how many have bloomed. And pluck one or two. They love to stop by and talk to me about how wonderful it is to grow jasmine. And to see it bloom. We discuss why the others didn't survive while this did. My cook's daily routine is to count the number of buds and wonder about the one or two missing. She tries to encourage me to wear one on my hair. I love jasmines but the moment i wear it I get a mother of all headaches. So I stay away from them. A reason not good enough for my cook.

Today even the water delivery guy stood to admire the jasmines. "Madam mallige hoova bittide" he told me excitedly.

When there is such incredible excitement about it then why would the association not want flowering plants? Since when did a bit colourful blossoms started playing such vital role in real estate prices?

I don't get them. They even pulled out my lemon grass plant when I wans't looking because it was growing very unruly! I don't want your manicured gardens! Give me Cubbon Park over Lalbagh any day!

It is because of this apathy only that Bangalore is losing its green cover and turning hotter by the day!

PS: The title of the post is the name of the jasmine in front of my house.

A stitch in time...huh!

The first time I was introduced to stitching was in class 7. We used to have mandatory craft sessions post final exams. And we were taught stitching and embroidery that year. We had to bring a piece of white cloth and some coloured threads. The intention was to make an embroidered kerchief. I hated it! Did not complete the little red flower with chain stitch borders. Amma who was by then pretty much convinced that I'd not do anything "girlie" in life kept that piece for posterity. Which she also used to prove at regular intervals that I never completed anything I started. Sure enough she had plenty of opportunities to wave that little white cloth in front of me.

Meanwhile my hatred for stitching continued unabated. I was very careful about not tearing clothes cos then I'd have to stitch it. Amma was generous enough to handle anything that happened to my favourite clothes. Otherwise I managed with safety pins for years on end. If my needle and thread prowess was a criteria for marriage I'd have remained single! It was a running joke in the family that I'd never have those romantic stitching based moments with my husband. Remember those movie scenes where the husband realises just before leaving for office that one of his shirt buttons are off and there his handy wife with a needle and thread fixing it in a jiffy? That's what I was deprived of (I am not complaining :) So one of the mandotory questions for V apart from if he liked garlic was if he can stitch. He could tolerate garlic and could do his own buttons. That settled many a domestic issues that would've cropped if not already discussed.

I continued my friendship with safetypin for years post marriage too. Then I went for Sav's wedding. I knew the girl was creative but the handiwork she had shown on her wedding trousseau truly amazed me. She had great influence from her ever creative mother and aunt too. The three together looked like needle and thread goddesses to me. I came back mighty impressed. Then I told myself that if Sav can do fancy emboidery then at least I can attempt stitching and that it wasn't very adult like to use safety pins. And it wasn't too domestic to use needle and thread either. (Somehow that was a connection in my head. I didn't see stitching as a survival skill. Cos when in class 7 while the girls were asked to embroider, the boys were doing something with batteries and cars. A girl had to stitch you say so I won't do it...one of those causeless rebellions of my life). Gradually stitches replaced safety pins. So much so that the pins completely dissappeared from my house. Amma was relieved and V was amused. Sav was duly acknowledged :)

I even enjoy embroidery and stitching these days. Do little projects and am very proud of it. It is surely a creative outlet when one is stuck for ideas. But if someone makes it an issue of womanhood or motherhood then it is another thing. But till then I am having fun.

Elections and television

I love election time. It is the best time to watch the politics unfold in its full glory. No holds barred! And when years ago when we were introduced to Psephology by Prannoy Roy (now Dr) it was fascinating. There was a new way of looking at the election process and try to understand the complex ways of Democracy.

But over the years with every media house laying claim to how specialised and exclusive their coverage is we've kind of lost the big picture. The images are so skewed that we can't tell what's real and what's hype.

And even the way the elections are referred to isn't flattering. One channel keeps referring to the great Indian election "pageant"! To me the word means something frivolous and I am offended. If I type the word into dictionary.com this is what comes up.

pag⋅eant

1.	an elaborate public spectacle illustrative of the history of a place, institution, or the like, often given in dramatic form or as a procession of colorful floats.

2.	a costumed procession, masque, allegorical tableau, or the like forming part of public or social festivities.

3.	a show or exhibition, esp. one consisting of a succession of participants or events: a beauty pageant.

4.	something comparable to a procession in colorful variety, splendor, or grandeur: the pageant of Renaissance history.

5.	a pretentious display or show that conceals a lack of real importance or meaning.

6.	(in medieval times) a platform or stage, usually moving on wheels, on which scenes from mystery plays were presented.

7.	display or pageantry.

8.	Obsolete. a stage bearing any kind of spectacle.

Another channel referred to it as Indian election "circus"! Circus?

This is what dictionary.com throws up

cir⋅cus

 a large public entertainment, typically presented in one or more very large tents or in an outdoor or indoor arena, featuring exhibitions of pageantry, feats of skill and daring, performing animals, etc., interspersed throughout with the slapstick antics of clowns.

2.	a troupe of performers, esp. a traveling troupe, that presents such entertainments, together with officials, other employees, and the company's performing animals, traveling wagons, tents, cages, and equipment.

3.	a circular arena surrounded by tiers of seats, in which public entertainments are held; arena.

4.

(in ancient Rome) a. a large, usually oblong or oval, roofless enclosure, surrounded by tiers of seats rising one above another, for chariot races, public games, etc. b. an entertainment given in this Roman arena, as a chariot race or public game: The Caesars appeased the public with bread and circuses.

5.	anything resembling the Roman circus, or arena, as a natural amphitheater or a circular range of houses.

I think I will stick to newspapers and local gossip for information. At least they give the election process the respect it is due.

The King is here

I am referring to the king of fruits Mango! I LOVE THEM. Long live Mangoes! But what surprised me was the discovery that this yummy thing is our national fruit! (Here's the proof) Now why didn't I know that before?????

How appropriate! I also discovered that India produces the largest number of mangoes in the world and that we have over a 100 varieties of them. I have only eaten about dozen of them so far and have 88 more varieties to go. This needs some serious planning I say.

I miss the days when we just sat on the Kushala maami's Chavadi (verandah) with a basket of ripe mangoes and just gorged on them first thing in the morning, everyday through out the summer.

I have kicked off this season with some Badami variety. One is not getting fully riped ones yet so I store them in my rice dabba and check on it everyday if it has ripened. Sometimes I can't wait so I eat the raw, tangy ones squeezing my face into a million angles. But what joy :D

Yeh hai filmy chakkar

Once upon a time Hindi was at the most the third language for most kids who attended schools with state syllabus here in Bangalore. Kannada was either the first language or second depending on the medium of the school. But these days even the neighbourhood school that runs in the 2-storey crumbling building with 5 teachers for a student population of 300 has Hindi as the second language! No I am not about rake up the issue of Hindi vs Kannada here. Not yet anyways :P I have been wondering why it feels so bizarre to be surrounded by Hindi speaking population in Bangalore. 8 out of 10 of my neighbours speak Hindi. I am surprised to hear children scream at each other Hindi. Of course the obvious reason is the migratory population from up north. But I thought I should've got used to it by now. But no.

Everytime I hear a child scream "tum apne aapko bahut smart samajhte ho" or an adult say "breakfast mein alu ke paranthe tho bahut healthy hote hai ji" I am a bit taken aback. And here's my theory on why that happens. For me Hindi was always the language of television and movies. All through 80s and a large part of 90s Hindi was the language of what was not real (I am resisting the temptation to say "fantasy language") One romanced in Hindi or one cracked surd jokes (now considered politically incorrect of course) one even made up silly poetry or rattled dialogues from Ramayan and Mahabharath of DD fame to entertain one another (Oh c'mon I know you loved speaking words like "vats" and "hey nath") At the most one had to struggle to get some decent marks by byhearting answers worth 50 marks for the final exams. But never had to speak or heard someone speak. It seriously sounds all too filmy to me! Come ot think of it that is probably why I took to speak the language in the first place :D

Puzzled

Last few days I have been blog hopping madly. Some known some absolutely random. I am pretty amazed at the level of participation in some of the blogs especially the ones about cooking. People participate in scores if not hundreds. I cannot figure this out. We couldn't get people to participate at Justfemme at all. Is it the lack of personal touch or is it that the topic is way too serious? Or that very few people want to spend time on something that's not"fun". I don't get it!

Are you like a house wife?

No call centre employee has bothered me with some brilliant scheme in a while now. I didn't miss them thank you very much. But today I got a call from IRCTC yes yes Indian railways fellows. They have been after me for over 2 years to get some railway card with lotsa brownie points for every ticket I buy and boy I have donated quite a bit of my money to them! But my problem with the scheme was that I had to pay for the card. Now why on earth will pay for a credit card (even if it is the railways) when every single bank is giving it away free. Of course these cold calling call centre employees have no rights to waiver the fees so they end up mumbling something and hang up, only to call again in six months time.

Today's call I knew would go the same way. But we didn't even get that far! Here's what I happened.

Call Centre Chap (CCC): Is it Mrs and so and so?
Me: Yes

CCC: Ma'am we are very happy to see that you have spent Rsxxxxx on your railway tickets in the last x years. so we are offering you a card.
Me: (Very surprised at the big number but recovering quickly say) ok....

CCC: Madam do you work for a company?
Me: No I don't work for one company. I work...

CCC: So you are like a housewife or something?
Me: (Very irritated) yeah something like that...

CCC: Then can I talk to your husband? Is Mr R your husband? (referring to my lastname which is my maiden name)
Me: No it isn't my husband.

CCC: Then who is your husband madam? Can you give me his number? We only talk to people working in a company.

It took all my energy to not shout abuses at the chap and I knew it was futile to explain how this was very offensive to me. And so I said "You find out who it is and call him" and hung up.

Where do these guys come from?

I agree that you cannot give credit cards to people with no cash flow in their bank statements. But to make an assumption that I cannot afford a card because I don't work for a "company" is something else. And come to think of it out of the zillions we have spent on railways more than half of it has come from my travels, that was paid for by not one "company" but many of them!

At my age I seriously have no time for people who refuse to use their brains!

And I wonder at this time of economic hardship when jobs are are so difficult to come by how such creatures survive?

UPDATE: This CCC is something else! He called me again next morning and this time V picked up the phone and CCC promptly asks for Mr R! V says wrong number since no Mr R lives with us! Then CCC brightens and asks for me. To me he tells, I called you yesterday. And I say yes you wanted to speak to my husband. So he says yeah so give it to him I want to offer him the card (exact words) I say I don't like the way you talk to me....He hangs up!

I hope someone's listening to this conversation (for QC they say right?) Again...JUST WHERE DO THESE GUYS COME FROM? grrrrrrrrrrrrr

Inspired!

After a very very very very very (you get the point right?) long time I am feeling inspired. I think with all the inaction one was getting restless anyways and then came along Anthony Bourdain. Yes the same bad mouthing, alcohol abusing, tongue in cheek chef who's so popular that he has his own page on facebook - Anthony Bourdain. I am reading his book "Kitchen Confidential" and only 1/3 through and I am inspired. Not to be chef or cook better in my kitchen kinda inspired but to go after what I love most. I have never been fortunate enough to have mentor at any stage in my life. I have had to figure it all out (if at all) on my own. Somehow mentors either never came along or chose more prodigious souls (HUMPH) to mentor, leaving me tottering around.

Coming back to the book it is all about cooking only. Mr Bourdain isn't pretentious enough to claim the book is to inspire all and sundry or inspire at all. He's clear his book is for those from that line. He says it is all written in "kitchenese" and it is...half of the stuff I read didn't make sense. But it is inspiring nevertheless. And Big Foot reminds me of a certain professor in college. I don't think I was ready for K** then but now I am. Even if it is in a very Ekalavya and Dronacharya style (Corny I know :)

I will write about the book in my other blog shorlty and probably announce my inspired plans on this one hopefully not very long way from now. Till then long live the power of words.

Long pending post...The women won't take it quietly!

I was to do this post last to last weekend but due to various technical problems I couldn't. Anyway here it is the pictures of the protest in front of the IGP's office in Bangalore about all the attacks on women in Bangalore. There was a good turn out. Media was present in full glory. The DG Mr Sharma promised action in five days, I am not sure what came of it. Will it have the desired results? I don't know. But it sure felt good to take some action. And I know I am not alone and I know I am demanding my basic rights to be restored and not some exotic thing that makes no sense (although a a friend of mine from the media who was covering the event was sure this was all a bloody farce since most of the women were wearing coolers and sipping coke while protesting!!!)

Here are some pictures from 7th March 2009

SITA Sena from Mumbai

Go here for details.

And women when in trouble make noise, kick, scream, yell, whistle. I know there isn't much hope of help but at least it might baffle the attackers enough and back off, giving you some space to get away. And yes I do hope some bystander does wake up and help you out. But don't give up! We can't stop living lives for the fear of some goondas can we?

One more girl attacked near Mount Carmel college

That's 5 in a row if any one's counting. This time it was a journalist from Tehelka who was returning late from work. Here's The Hindu report on it.

All those people who are out there who've been screaming hoarse about this being a trivial issue, you still think so? This is not some class based issue that the elite (which basically means independent women with means to wear western clothes and probably own a bike or a car in this context) women are facing. This could be any woman on the street! And you still think it's too small an issue? WOW! How frustrated must that soul be by the progress of women? Seriously!

Action items from Fearless Karnataka / Nirbhaya Karnataka

Email Campaign write to the state Home Minister and Ministry of Home Affairs at the centre for more details go here

On March 7 a rally is being organised to meet the DG-IGP and submit a petition. More details as they emerge.

One more young girl was beaten up for wearing western attire

This was on Cunningham road yesterday. That stretch of the road could not possibly be more crowded at 6 and still no one helped the girl. The curious behaviour of the bystander continues.

The other interesting thing that's happening today is the sms doing the rounds asking women to be careful of their "dress code" due to these attacks. These are messages forwarded by "well meaning" women to warn their friends. Well no one's going to help and one cannot learn martial arts in a day so lets be safe seems to be the thinking. I cannot ask these women not to behave so. I have no solution for them or myself.

This prejudice against jeans i find it very funny at this point. I have been wearing jeans since I was 17 that's practically a decade and a half ago. My mother and I went to sale and Safina Plaza and bought my very first branded jeans. I had worn trousers before that but jeans this was the first. I didn't have to fight anyone for it. My mother was as enthu as me about it. My dad didn't think twice about it. It was just another outfit they were buying for their daughter. And they are as "Indian culure" oriented as one can get. Wearing them hasn't come in the way of being an Indian in anyway so far. They never for once thought this would draw more "attention" to me because they knew it wasn't true. If anything by my experience and theirs my worst nightmare happened when I was wearing a saree.

I have celebrated almost all festivals since then. I have cooked and cleaned my house, got married and now even going to have a baby. I know that's a very shallow description on the culture but that isn't mine it is what everyone tells me Indian culture is, so am just going along with that for now. But wearing jeans is still a big cultural change for many women even in a city like Bangalore even today. It is a big change. Some have to fight for it for some it is natural. But at the end of the day it is comfortable outfit. Of course right now it is taking on almost political role.

A lot of the people (needless to say mostly men and shockingly some women too) are finding this whole "hullabaloo" about the freedom to wear western clothes by women extremley silly and even irresponsible. We have bigger issues to worry about like falling GDP and the farmer suicides in vidarbha they say. My question is none of these men who are leaving scathing comments on blogs or the ones attacking the women are wearing dhoties and being shirtless are they? Nor are they using bullock carts to go after these women. Strange. Since when is trousers, tshirts and SUVs for men part of indian culture?

Being harassed on the streets is not new to any indian woman. At some point of time every one of us have been through the humiliation of "eve teasing." Some took it quitely, others rebelled and a few others killed themselves over it. This recent incident of mangalore pub attack or the attacks on the women in Bangalore are just the last straw we can take. And for once it looks like we might not be alone. That we might have a chance at being safe in our own bloody country without looking over our shoulders all the time or having to carry pepper spray or pocket knives and hope to hell that we don't have to use it. How are we women the lesser citizens of this country?

Female foeticide, infanticide, dowry, rape, molestation, sexual harrasment and now getting beaten up for wearing jeans. You are basically telling me I have no rights to live. I am not going to take that lying down. I have worked my ass off and fought a lot of battles to be who I am today and no one but me worked hard to buy those friggin branded jeans and I am keeping them. You can take a walk.

They are at it again

This time for wearing "western attire" I'd like to know what their agenda is. Create panic? Gain political mileage? Just plain frustration? And how come no onlookers came to help? Well I never expect them to because it is more fun watching someone else in trouble right? It isn't you or it isn't someone you know so it is technically not your problem right?

But beating up women in broad day light? Read the report here

I am seriously looking for another city to move in...or may be a planet might be a better solution. But till then what can one do?

Journalism...

I have often wondered about it since my time as a journalism student.

"Should we as journalists just watch and record what is happening? When your duty as a citizen calls upon you to act, you must set aside your supposed “impartiality”, if indeed there is such a thing, and intervene, Says KALPANA SHARMA"

For more go to The Hoot

On a different note Arnab Goswami of Times now and Ajay Kumar of Aajtak gave TV Journalists' perspective at a FICCI meet about TRPs influencing channels and other issues. Very interesting read. The transcript is available here at the hoot.

diez articulos o menos

Ten items or less :) have you seen that movie? I love Morgan Freeman and except in the weird movie Wanted...I have loved him in everything else.

And in "Ten items or less" he's absolutely adorable. It is a lovely, warm film.

Inspired by that film I am gonna make my list of 10 items or less that I love the most in my life. In no particular order.

1) My freedom
2) Hugging V and laughing with him
3) Those rare hear to heart conversations with Amma.
4) Chat sessions with VM
5) Long conversations with my girl friends about absolutely everything under the sun
6) Sea, seashore, seashells, sea breeze just everything about the sea
7) My bike
8) Music - all kinds
9) Laughter, especially that of little children
10) Icecream
11) Walking

I know the rule is ten items or less...but what's the big deal :)

Please feel free to make your list...it is fun :D

My sentiments exactly!

Here's a Bangalore Mirror article on this whole V-day drama. I couldn't have agreed with her more!

Ammu Joseph starts are article with "I never thought I would find myself sticking up for Valentine’s Day..." Exactly what I have been feeling since the whole issue flared up. To read the entire article go here.

Although I do wonder what media will report about post V-day...

This and that

I couldn't find pink chaddies (I like to think that this is due to the overwhelming demand) in my local shops. So I am sending out bad thoughts in the general direction of all those who think this is a lost cause or rather misplaced righteousness we are fighting for.
*****
I am impressed at the mileage the e-activism can garner, whether it will serve the purpose or not, we will have wait and see (ha ha that's a classic sign off line reporters use on tv...I never could say it on air)
*****
Maternity clothes are way too expensive. Most of them are not worth it. They are just milking (err pun unintended) the opportunity.
*****
Amma can't stop laughing at the thought of birthing classes. She thinks it is hilarious. Well what can I say?
*****
Why do planning holidays become such a tedium once you are grown up? I miss the days when one just got up in the morning, called a few friends, gathered them and took off trekking. One cannot not be worried about travel and acco I understand but the whole process of letting the whole world know we are taking off and explaining that one is going on a holiday and that holidays are normal is something I don't enjoy. It is a kill joy at times I tell you.
*****
There should really be a pill to cure "mood swings" especially those that don't occur due PMS or pregnancy hormones. It is most painful to be around such people.
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After interacting with Whizkid for almost a year, I finally met her. It was a great, we had a lot in common including Amitabh Bacchan. I am glad the effort I put in JF is paying off in more than one way :) And oh she gave me these lovely read leaves from Coorg and I am loving the idea of gifting such things to people.
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I have to write down my thoughts on the school I went to because suddenly they have woken up to the alumni and want to do a souvenir. And my instructions read "don't write with a typical critical eye of a journalist" Hmmm :)

Protesting in the cyber world

This whole M'lore pub story put me great distress. I felt very helpless and cornered. I can do very little than to protect myself if anything like that happens right? What else can one do? Well in this e-era, help is just a click away.

Look at this http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=50104245901&ref=nf

I don't know if any of the people who created the ruckus read these things or care for it. But I guess it makes one feel better. It is the easy way out isn't it? But till I figure out a concrete way, this should do.

And here's a slightly more concrete action one can take. Join the pinkchaddi campaign. Yes you read it right. Go here for more details. Very innovative. Will it work? I don't know. But one should keep trying isn't it?

I want security, not just on valentines' day!

Alright now! I have had enough! Now we have the police commissioner Mr Bidari promising that people who want to celebrate valentine's day will be provided full security!

Really? security to celebrate valentine's day? What about my right to step out of my house, travel in the bus to wherever and come back without being whistled at, grabbed at and generally made to feel miserable at being a woman for all these years and future? Will you be as explicit in your promise? I agree the media is taking you to the guillotine with it. But you caved in... like this?

Then there is Mr Agni Sridhar with his 30,000 volunteers to protect the couples on valentine's day. I'd have been happier if he continues his offer and help protect women at all times from being molested, harassed, raped. What a wonderful idea that you can reach any one of those 30,000 fellow citizens at the time of distress. But this one day in a year vigilance and that too valentine's day?

Have they missed the point here? Or have I missed the point here?

Imposition

Back then one only wrote "I will not talk in the class" or "I will complete my maths classwork on time." I hated them then (primary school was ages ago eh!) But over the past week or so I have this immense need to remind myself of a few things constantly. I am scared out of my wits with all the infringement of fundamental rights and safety in the name of religion. I shudder at the thought of living in the stone ages, just cooking, cleaning and reproducing...which is what we are expected to do looks like. And hence the need to remind myself that all is not lost. What better way to do it than the age old method...reiteration or imposition if you like. Albeit with a tech twist to it. Since I can't put pen to paper for anything beyond writing down phone numbers or addresses. I am doing it here.

I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life
I will not let cynicism take over my life

It didn't really work for my teachers back then, as in I didn't stop talking or keep my classwork up to date or anything. But I remember I didn't do that. So I am hoping this exercise will keep reminding me.

PS: I typed in all that no C&P!

So what do you do?

Since I started freelancing and Just Femme and all that I am very cautious of my answer. I prefer not bring up journalism, women's magazine or film making when I have more than 2 people of company because then there is a general uproar around. People say things like oh so you work for discovery? Or so you are the next Barkha Dutt or launch into this oh the media these days is so screwed up, did you see the coverage of such and such an incident spiel and go on to show off their expertise on how it should have been covered. The standard refrain is of course "I should be careful of what I say, you journlaists are dangerous. "

It is insanely boring I tell you. If I had a rupee for every time I heard that I wouldn't think twice about going to PVR thrice a month! So I sometimes end up telling strangers (whom I am sure I shall never meet again) that I am a housewife. Then they have nothing to say to me no opinions whatsoever. They won't even talk to me about saas-bahu serials or the maids. I am talking about the educated upwardly mobile junta not your regular I have to spend 3 hours going to Mysore sitting next to you so might as well make friends with you kind of people. Them I have no issues with I have told them about my profession and have had intelligent discussions both related and unrelated to my profession.

Now I have a very different problem. The last of my writing assignments is done with. I have no new assignments (my own doing I must confess). I was beginning to feel like I had nothing new to say! No films and of course Just Femme is waiting on the back burner (JF I am mighty upset about. It is my baby). I always thought that I was the kind of person who had things outside of my work to do. But then I liked them so much that it became my work (I didn't start as a journalist that came much much later) and so am stuck now! I am seriously sitting and waiting for inspiration to strike me. Sigh......

A Photo blog attempt

I am in awe of people who can take great pictures with or without fancy cameras and lenses. It has been on my agenda to learn photography by the book (learning on my own has only got me this far as you shall see :) But till the time I actually do it. I shall amuse myself and probably bore others with my amateur amateur photography.

These are some of the pictures I took on my recent trip to God's own country

My trip to Ennakkad is never complete without a trip to the canal. This is a piece of paradise I hold on to and hope it remains the same for years to come.



I love old houses. They are so beautiful. This one is not being used currently.

Of course Kerala trip means a lot of sadya! This time in addition to Avial and Theeyal there was Dreamland Pudding!

The Kid described it as the most beautiful man made structure he's seen in years. And I completely agree. It tasted as yummy as it looks.

And this is something that should make you wonder! This was served up at an ice cream parlour in Thrissur. All their ice creams are served like this only! Am I the only one to see some kinda Freudian thing here?


It tasted weird too! But stranger was the fact that all the guys working there spoke only Hindi, didn't understand Malayalam and played National Anthem to get us out of the place (at 8 pm mind you)

Now for the most wonderful part of the trip. Meeting N. After practically 3 months of waiting I get to see this little wonder :D So here's debuting N with permissions from Sav :)

:D

The grand "domestic goddess" experiment

This was a post meant for JF. But now with that on a break (sounds like a couple is on a break :) I putting it up here with suitable modifications of course.

A few years ago a friend of mine got married to this sweet girl and we met up a few weeks after their marriage. General conversation was happening, which was a little difficult considering the girl was full 8 years younger than me and came from a small town. No, she wasn't low on confidence or anything but we simply didn't have anything in common. So I adopted my usual tactics, turned the conversation towards movies and domestic matters. Movies are never a problem since we all have the pretty much the same grouses or happy moments with them. But the conversation on domestic issues was very hard for me. I am bad at it. I didn't want to bring up the MIL aspect considering the girl was married only a few weeks but more importantly because she had a darling for a MIL (yes that rare species isn't extinct just endangered :) So we talked about cooking and cleaning and maids. She said she didn't want to use a maid and did all the work herself since there were only two of them in a not so big house. She also said she didn't have any time left after the chores for anything else. Now this stumped me. Just how much work could be there? Anyways at that point of time I was too busy shuttling between Madurai and every where else so I forgot all about it.

A few months ago I was reminded of this conversation and I decided to do an experiment. For about 6 weeks I decided to do all the chores around the house by myself (excluding cleaning vessels and the mopping) So for 6 weeks I cleaned up every inch of the house every day. I folded clothes and put them in wardrobes. I cleaned the kitchen 3 times a day. I cooked 3 times a day. I dusted every inch of the house. I rearranged things in wardrobe and attics. I bought groceries. I basically did everything. All this work took me FIVE hours everyday. FIVE hours! And what did I feel at the end of it? Well nothing much really. Yes, the house sparkled 7 days a week instead of about 4. Yes, V had no work to do at all. I don't know how he felt about it I didn't ask. But he did notice all the scrubbing and cleaning and asked if I was alright (!) Yes, things went a lot smoother since I did all the work and didn't go after V to do it. (He's a very nice guy and helps me out all the time. But then he's a guy and he needs to be told some times that's all :) And after all this I was still left with about 5 hours of time...I guess this why women did a lot of sewing, embroidery and made HappaLa and pickles! Since my skills in these areas are worse than a 3-year-old's I had to think of other ways to keep myself occupied.

So what was the result of this grand experiment? I think it just proved that the phenomenon "Domestic Goddess" was created to keep a woman busy when she had nothing else to do and of course it works very much in a man's favour.

Needless to say the experiment was abandoned. Now I have to do a quick clean up when some guests announce they are coming. My fridge isn't well stocked (I don't think I can ever claim that it is, after I saw what Nigella Lawson stocks up!!!) We sometimes had to order in or have bread for breakfast. V, has to fold up his own clothes and make his own coffee and my maid has to ensure she doesn't miss too many corners while cleaning. But what the heck I have at least 8 hours to do things that I want to do and feel absolutely joyful at the end of the day.