Year 30 it is!

The Year in Review – Good bye 2011

2011-12-31T06:20:00.000-08:00

This year has been pretty good to me. I’ve had lots ofmemorable moments and some highs and lows but when I think back, Ithink I was treated pretty well.

Jan 2011 trip to SFO,
at the Exploratorium

In Jan, we celebrated 5 years of marriage and marked the occasionwith a trip to San Francisco. I think surviving 5 years of marriage is pretty darn good.I will take 5 more please. Don’t know that I can do more than that at a time.Slow and steady does it, we will work on it as we go. I also discovered during this trip what I had some idea of before but was not entirely convinced - I am claustrophobic. Small enclosed places leave me frantic, restless, breathless. There, now you know how to get rid of me if you don't like me. In Feb, we visited theSmoky Mountains and discovered how terribly commercialized all of Gatlinburgwas.

Spending time with
friends from college
during Memorial Day
weekend

In March we visited Sautee, minutes away from Helen GA, and lived in asmall private inn there – a great getaway for couples for some time away, aloneand together, and they even had a spa attached! We also played/celebrated Holi - the festival of colors, for the very first time in Atlanta. In April, I visited some friendsfrom school for a reunion in Vegas. It was like the movie ‘Hangover’ butfeaturing 6 Indian women. In May, we visited Chicago and then my besties frommy college in India visited me in Atlanta and I was happy to show them around.We ate, drank, roamed about and reminisced. I believe the highlight of itthough was checking out the drag show at Blake’s. Loved it!

30th birthday Celebration
in June

In June, I turned30. Or as they would like to say in India, completed 30 and became 31,technically making you feel older than you should. I celebrated this with aweek-long of festivities and was happy to spend time with the friends that madeit a point to come celebrate with me, and enjoyed awesome food in the process.I had a blast. On a side note, I went dancing and landed up in the wrong clubon the wrong day. It was full of people engaging in some sort of dance that waspretty close to dry humping, and everybody was indulging in it. I left as soonas I could actually see in the darkness what they were up to!

Visiting family in
India in June

Later in June, Itraveled to India to spend 6 weeks with my family. My dad and brother flew infrom Dubai to see me and so did my uncle. I was able to meet everybody from myimmediate family but for my dear cousin, a brother in the UK, but we talk oftenon the phone and he is still the same boy I knew him to be growing up. I missedhim dearly. I was able to celebrate my sister’s 18^th birthday withher and stay on until my mom’s birthday as well (not going to commit the crimeof telling you how old she is!), and indulged in some awesome food that only mymom is capable of preparing. If I could even pour an ounce of that much love inthe way I cook, I’d be on Top Chef winning it. I brought back a bunch of goodies and sweet treats to last me the rest of the year and remind me of home.

Sep 2011 - Winning
3rd place at the
Expedition Give
scavenger charity hunt

The lowlight of my entire yearreally was when I came back and had a gallstone attack towards the end ofAugust. It started as a dull ache late into the night and ended up into areally bad bad bad ribcage crushing PAIN into the wee hours of the morning. Throughmy panting and puking and gasping for breath while my husband helplessly lookedon trying to figure out what he should do to help my situation, I was slowlystarting to believe that I might be in the throes of a heart attack, and thispossibly might be the last day I see light. Random thoughts in my head included–I will be gone with him by my side, my parents have two more kids, my lastmeal was enjoyed with a good friend at a tapas place and I tried oysters, Ilived to see 30 and visit my family, I hope this is only a serious case ofindigestion or allergy because I don’t want to call 911 and make a fool ofmyself over a bad case of gas. Needless to say, a whole day at the ER told me Ihad gallstones and needed a gall bladder removal surgery. Lucky for me, I hadreconnected with a friend at that time who was also a chiropractor and herhealing hands and some herbal treatments have helped me through this healthcondition and, for now, eliminated the need for surgery. Like they say,everything happens for a reason. I learned from the experience. I am not 15 anymoreand I cannot treat my body like crap. My body is my temple, and how I treat itis how it will treat me back. What I put in it is important for that is whatwill drive me through my day and night. I have since been eating as healthy asI possibly can and listening to when my body says stop I have had enough andthis is all I can take. Which basically means I stop eating when I burp. Youshould too. TMI I know. But it works like magic.

Visiting the Biltmore
Estates in
Asheville in October

With my health getting back ontrack, we participated in a charity scavenger hunt in Atlanta in September andactually placed third! Inspired by my recent viewing of TinTin, which Iencourage everyone to go watch at the movies, I can only say to that –Blistering Barnacles! It was unexpected and made me feel on top of the world,especially considering halfway through the race, despite drinking Gatorade andchewing candy, I had to sit down courtesy dizziness, and gobble up a packet ofglucose biscuits to keep going. Darn! Did I just give away my secret? We won arestaurant coupon which was alright but we won a year’s membership to the HighMuseum in Atlanta, and we have been using it for all it’s worth. In October, wevisited Asheville and in November, we went to D.C. Loved both places. TheBiltmore is beautiful and the food in downtown Asheville awesome. The museumsin D.C. were fantastic and hanging out in Dupont Circle and Georgetown werefun. I also attended my very first concert in the United States - Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull at Gwinnett Arena. I danced and screamed at the top of my lungs all through the show. Enrique is hot no doubt. He brought out the 16 year old in me, and I really liked hanging out with my 16 year old self even if that was just for 3 hours of my 30 year old life on this planet.

December - Christmas
celebrations at work.
Excited that my secret santa
got me a crockpot!

The month of December has witnessed holiday parties galore. At work, Ireceived goodies from what was only the second stocking ever hung with my nameon it in all of my 30 years on this planet. The high point was my secret Santabuying me a crockpot! Another high point was finding jeans at Express thatactually fit me, and they were on sale! Then I found trousers at Target thatalso fit me…evidently Santa loved me a lot. I know because I got gift couponsin return for coming back to shop more. What can I say? My heart was burstingto pieces unable to handle the joy of it all. Lastly, I went to the zoo the daybefore Christmas and I saw Mr. Giraffe’s weewee while he was getting hankypanky with Mrs. Giraffe and the only reason this is a high point is because Iain’t really seen no other weewees but that of little kitty cats and doggies.And they sure didn’t look anything close to Mr. Giraffe’s I can tell you that. Youlive, you learn.

Personally, this year I was thankful for all the travel Iwas able to do, with my husband by my side. It felt like

Proud of my husband's
achievements in movie making

being in college andjust discovering places and food and people and things. I think it made me feel25 even though clearly I am 30. I am thankful for family that is in goodhealth. For a husband that cares for me despite terrible cooking, tantrums,tempers and split personalities (I am Gemini). For parents that are togetherand there for us no matter what we do or say or think. For siblings that aregrowing into young adults in their own way. I am proud for my husband’saccomplishments this year – he was made permanent from his temp job, and hismovie has been screened at several film festivals. We also welcomed a newnephew on my husband’s side and the brother in law made a big leap moving toItaly to study design. So I am thankful for these opportunities and experiencesthat are all privileges given to us. Eternally grateful actually.

Enjoying a networking event
with my pal Jenn

Professionally, this year was awesome. I guess with timecomes the ability to understand what you are capable of, what your talents are,where your passion lies and what gives you the happiness to carry on. The folksat my childcare job have been nice to me, they always were. The little boy Itook care of is now a young man and takes care of me some days more than I takecare of him. My boss and colleagues at work are nice to me. I’ve been able togo back every day without cringing about another horrible day at work. Thingsgot a little crazy around the time of the gallstone attack but are so muchbetter now. I am thankful for both jobs that allow me to take the time off toindulge in the travel that I so love. My job in India is still on, againsomething I am very thankful for. That they still give me the opportunity towork for them, and that I have such lovely colleagues there as well is ablessing. My green business has taken on a new direction. 3 years in retailhave given me the conviction that I am now ready to move on to wholesale andthat is what I will do in 2012. Grand plans – yes. Will I succeed – hell yeah.I have also, in the latter part of the year, focused my efforts on earning moreprojects doing writing, proofreading and editing – my first love. ‘They’ toldme finding projects that pay will be hard but I think I am doing fine in thatarea. If I can keep this going, I will be one happy chica. My green businessearned a certification from Green America this year and my writing endeavorshave resulted in some published articles, a gig as a proofreader for onemagazine and a managing editor for another as well as becoming the chapterpresident for an editing-oriented voluntary group. Also the husband and I attended the TEDxPeachtree talks together which was a nice experience to share.

Goodies I brought back
from my trip to India

As concerns other passions and pursuits, I was able to putin some time at the gym although that soon derailed with the visit to India andthe gallstone attack. I plan on being back in the New Year especially since Imiss my zumba and step classes so much as well as the little elderly Asian manI overtake when I go speed-walking early mornings. The simple joys of life. Ialso started out well doing one charity walk a month but that too soon loststeam. But I will pick myself up and get back on that train. I have beenconsistent with my classes in French. I am now in my third level/year and willcomplete that in the summer of 2012, when I hope I will be able to rewardmyself with a trip to France. This has been a long way coming. I have engagedin a whole bunch of networking this year, with professional groups, that canhelp me in my various pursuits and they have all paid off in one way oranother.

November in D.C -
Enjoying Georgetown

Overall, this has been a wonderful year no doubt. I have hadthe opportunity to meet with old friends and make some new ones. I am thankfulfor knowing each and every one of my friends and acquaintances. They hold aplace in my life that only they can and they mean a lot to me. We don’t havefamily here in Atlanta but we know we have friends that we can always turn toin times of need, or just to grab a drink and eat good food. I have fond memoriesof the times this past year has afforded me in friendships. I have friends whoare healthy and successful and happy and I am happy for them. I know somefriends witnessed moments of personal loss this year. You know who you are. Iam proud of your strength and courage and glad you found a place of comforteven in your sorrow that you could reach out to and experience healing. I amthankful for living, for life, for the chance to live my life the way I knowbest. I plan on living it fully. It’s a

privilege and I cherish itwhole-heartedly.

I wish the same for you and yours. Happy New Year.

Hello December and bye bye Starbucks

2011-12-01T13:38:00.001-08:00

And December is here already! Where did the year go by?? Well we welcomed December rather happily, spent the Thanksgiving weekend in DC checking out all the museums and monuments and eating out. I look to December as a great way to reminisce of the past year as well as a month to look forward to merriment in all those holiday parties, and plan for the year coming along, setting up my goals and aspirations and how I can go about achieving them. So I guess I am setting myself up for some sort of a rude awakening but I will be biding goodbye to my ever favourite Starbucks. I happened to be there today for my first of the month drink (other than that I only drink Starbucks once a week, either at French class, or at a business meeting or on a really rainy day, and I gave up coffee as a new year resolution maybe 2 years ago so I drink only hot chocolate) and heard a woman asking about the charts showing the calorie counts. I wish I had dismissed that conversation right there but curiosity got the better of me and therefore I found myself picking up their printed fliers on the calorie count for their food and their drinks. I was hopping it wouldn't be, praying really, but the truth always hurts. My fave hot chocolate with whipped cream (usually a venti, I mean, how can you only have a little of so much goodness?) and slice of banana bread together count to over 500 almost a 1000 calories. No wonder those things lasted me all day! Further research proved even more alarming results. The only thing under 150 calories that I can drink is a bunch of coffee drinks which I don't drink anyway or tea, which quite frankly I can make myself instead of paying them for it. I counted only 5 of their mini-snacks amongst the food items I could buy, other than oatmeal, that were within that calorie count as well. And none of them came close to the competition provided by my loving banana and walnut bread. So therefore, I have come to the harsh conclusion that Starbucks is no more for me. If I head there any more, it will be probably to have tea, and sniff at the rest of the aroma it spurts...that might fit within my 150 calorie-count consideration just about. And so I bid adieu darling Starbucks, much as you have been my fond friend through high and low, we have to part ways. I will now go make myself some caffeine-free orange spice tea to mark this occasion!

Henceforth, and the week of November 1st

2011-11-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

So I've realized that having to write a wordy blog post all the time is not the best use of my time. I have begun focusing more on my writing projects and my business and am planning on posting my links here and other useful info that might be worth your time if you are reading this.

For now the week of the 1st is looking great.

November 1st - VIP Mixer for BronzeLens fim festival. The husband's movie is screening there and so I get to go meet some interesting folks from the entertainment industry

November 2nd - I am debating between the photog reception at Spelman to signal the close of the month long ACP celebration and the fall mixer of the IABC which I have been planning to become a member of. I dont know - I might just decide to head for both time permitting.

November 3rd - I will be meeting some friends for dinner at Cibo e Beve - an Italian restuarant in Sandy Springs/Roswell area that I've heard real good things about. Will be interesting to see what I can eat too considering I just got done with a 21 day cleanse and dont want to overload my body with too many indulgences at once!

November 4th - This is a real special day. My husband and I both applied for and were accepted to attend TEDxPeachtree, the local version of the TED talks, to be held at Zoo Atlanta. (which also reminds me we got one of thos group deals for the zoo and need to use it up soon!)It will be a day long event and I hope we emerge from it with ideas worth sharing and inspired by the speakers and the crowd.

November 5th - Saturdays are always fun. I head for French classes at the Alliance Francaise in Atlanta. But this Saturday we are having our very first guests home for dinner. Living in a smaller apartment, and having both spouses busy in professional and personal pursuits does not usually make for the best circumstances to indulge in entertaining. Besides, most of our friends have toddlers and infants and our home is a readymade disaster zone since its not childproof. But in the spirit of the holidays, I am hoping I can handle some amount of entertaining at home and cooking happy meals for the festive season. I am planning on a South Indian menu. Will share more on that after the date.

November 6th - We typically keep Sundays free for chores such as cooking, cleaning and making phone calls to family, ours being distributed across continents and time zones. This day though will be different. Having won an annual membership to the High Museum from our third place win at the Expedition Give Challenge, we now frequent the High all the time. We had the opportunity to preview the Picasso to Warhol exhibit and now have a special new member recption Sunday morning we cant wait to go check out! We also have tickets to MODA so we might decide to visit there as well and maybe end with a meal at Table1280 ;)

Of movie festivals and opening nights

2011-10-10T18:07:00.000-07:00

While the early part of this week will be quite quiet (!), the rest of it is gonna be busy. Thursday night, the 13th, the husband's first feature film screens at the Atlanta Asian Film Fest at GSU's Cinefest theater. You can see more info by heading to the movie's Facebook page. Friday night we will be at the opening night mixer for the Urban Media Makers Filmfest and the movie will be screened Saturday noon at the Red Clay theater in Duluth. Again, info is available on the link above. I will be at a show for my business this Saturday, and getting a whole bunch of other things done for my other business as well. Its a busy week, and with the holidays coming up it will only get more hectic. But I like it that way, especially when it involved meeting folks :)

High Museum member preview - Picasso to Warhol

2011-10-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday is usually a day of chores - groceries, cooking, cleaning, phone calls to family across the globe, and we really do have family across the globe. So I was pretty pleased when we managed to make some time to head for a leisurely visit to the High Museum. The icing on the cake? We currently have a free annual membership to the museum which we won through a charity scavenger hunt we participated in! Translation - most events at the museum will be free of charge, others will be discounted, and like in this case, many times, we will get to see exhibits much earlier than the general public. So we decided to stop by the latest exhibit, named from Picasso to Warhol, highlighting the art and styles of 14 great artists. I sure learned a lot about some known artists and did not know many others at all so it was quite the education for me. If you are in Atlanta, and have the slightest inclination to appreciate and understand art, this will be well worth your time.

Busy first week of October!

2011-10-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Not only has the beginning of October been fabulous with such gorgeous fall weather and a road trip to beautiful Asheville, it is also the husband's birthday today (celebrated last night!) and the week ahead seems like the busiest I've been in ages. Monday I will be watching a movie I've been waiting to for a while now. You will read a review about it here for sure. Tuesday I am at the opening reception for a photography exhibit at the Alliance Francaise where, by the way, I begin my next session of French classes Saturday. Wednesday is the eco trunk show at Environment Furniture on the West side. Thursday is the networking event for the Freelance Forum and Friday is the grand gala dinner for the local movie festival where my husband's production will be screened. How cool is that?! Oh, and somewhere between all this, I have multiple chiropractor appointments, begin a new body cleanse, manage 2 part-time jobs, a contract job, write an article for a local magazine and have a proofreading project due, as well as am getting my holiday catalog for my business out to clients, and enlisting a new supplier for products. Ha! Annnddddd I just found out my application to attend TEDxPeachtree was accepted. Woohoo!!

Asheville Day 3 - Blue Ridge Parkway

2011-10-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

We decided to drive through Blue Ridge Parkway on our way back to Atlanta today. Stepped out for brunch at 11am and Bouchon where we wanted to eat was closed. So we checked out the Twisted Crepe and enjoyed a twisted version of crepes. Nothing wrong with it, they were delicious. Their savory crepes are actually served in taco style! We drove along on Blue Ridge Parkway after. Some places had fall colors in full swing and some others were still just green. There were some nice vantage points through the drive and the curved drive meant a slow drive so it was well into the evening when we hit Atlanta. We drove through Pisgah, Brevard, Waynesville. We ended the night on a high note - celebrating the husband's birthday at Carpe Diem - one of my fave places in Atlanta - I save it for special occassions only.

Asheville Day 2 - Biltmore

2011-10-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

We had kept aside all day today for our trip to the Biltmore Estates that we had heard so much about. Of course, we had the very important topic of breakfast to be addresses. Tupelo Honey Cafe came highly recommended but after we arrived there only to find out we had to wait an hour and 15 minutes to get a table, we called it quits. We looked across the street and saw Kathmandu Cafe - a place I had noticed on the visitor's guide and had wanted to check out anyways. So we dashed over and whaddayaknow - they had a lunch buffet goin on! I expected the food would be very similar to Indian but with a few twists that make it Nepali. They did have a special black bean curry - that seemed almost tasteless to me but the more I ate it, I felt it growing on me. They also had a pretty good take on a nice potato and cauliflower veggy curry and their chicken curry was good too - tasted like it had more coriander powder or maybe cumin powder in it. The tandoori chicken though was the tops - well marinated, well cooked - each morsel succulent and tender and flavorful. I certainly did not regret the fact that we could not make it to Tupelo! We drove over to Biltmore right after and spent literally the entire day there. The place is huge as in HUGE andif there was a larger size font I could use to fully express that I really would. You park, and walk through some greenery that then opens up into this amazing vista of the mansion that is simply breath taking. The huge lawn walking towards it and the water fountain in the center are very elegant. The walk through the house is in itself an hour or two if not longer especially if you pay for and do one of the audio or guided tours. They have a courtyard attached for some refreshments and a bunch of little gift shops which you will never want to leave. The gardens adjoining the mansion are beautiful too - just depends how much of it you want to see. Since we were visiting at the very beginning of fall, the colors had not yet set in so we visited just the arboretrum and then returned to the car. We drove in to check out the winery which is about 15 minutes away from the house itself. The wine tasting was pretty fun, and of ocurse they have anothe gift shop here too. We couldnt visit the farm and did not intend on dining there so we drove back into downtown and checked out the Battery Park Book Exchange for some libations before the actual meal. This was the best discovery of our entire trip. The place is like a huge library interspersed with tables and chairs everywhere and a bar in the main level. Since it was a Saturday evening, they even had a guitarist strumming away. The atmosphere was great- relaxed yet animated, cozy yet busy, an amazing type of energy hard to replicate really. We had drinks and appetizers there and meant to stay on for only an hour but that was easily extended to two thanks to the friendly folks seated with us that were ever so ready to engage in conversation. We proceeded to dinner at Chai Pani - aother place we were told not to mis sout on but whaddayaknow - place sin Asheville close by 10pm, even on a Saturday! A whole bunch of spots we had wanted to dine at were closed. We decided to give Tupelo another shot and luckily they were still open so we had dinner there. The husband had a black bean burger , I had a tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwich. Neither were out of this world so not sure what everyone was singing such high praises of. We skipped dessert altogether - well, technically, we were reserving dessert for Double D's - a double decker with a restaurant inside it but as you know, places close early and so it is that we were left dessert-less tonight :(

Asheville Day 1 - Discovering Downtown

2011-09-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

As luck would have it, we drove in close to midnight last night and found out the temps had really dipped in Asheville. Was a chilly night and a very windy chilly morning as well. We spent all morning working from our hotel room, had deliverables that needed to be delivered. Got breakfast at a Dunkin Donut nearby and lunch at the TGI Friday attached to the hotel. Not nearly close to what I had expected with discovering Asheville. Were finally in a position to step out in the evening and drove around downtown a bit. If you get lost in downtown Asheville, its a big feat as there really isn't much of a downtown to speak of. About 4-5 grid roads is my estimate. I found an NY Times article published on this same date in 2007 that had some suggestions for our evening and decided to follow it. We parked close to Grove Arcade and walked around a bit. Its a European style mall with very unique non-chain boutiques on the inside and restaurants on the outside. Dinner, however, was on Lexington Ave at Mela - an Indian fine dining establishment. I had a south Indian style chicken preparation while the husband explored a seafood aviyal - both very well prepared and the aviyal, in fact, quite the discovery of the night. We had some soup and ragada pattied for starters which were great too, but the aviyal simply was the star of the night. Dessert was at the Old Europe Bistro down the street. We had our very first Hungarian dobos withs ome hot tea and hot chocolate. A very relaxing end to a very busy morning I must say.

Asheville Ahoy!

2011-09-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

A certain 'freeing' of dates and an impulse decision resulted in planning a weekend trip to Asheville - a city I have been told is beautiful, especially in the wake of fall. So we are scheduled to drive out tonight, spend some time working tomorrow (yes, we work on vacation!) and then maybe check out downtown and the Biltmore and possibly one of the state parks before we head back to Atlanta Sunday. Considering we did not get to do our monthly trip in August, I am really excited to be back on travel schedule this month. I even picked out some tips online of places to visit and things to do but most importantly just happy to get away from Atlanta and get some time out of our very hectic lives! you will see an update here of the entire trip, rest assured. Happy weekend! For year round deals, keep an eye here!

Online shopping

2011-09-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

I really am not much of a shopper and I definitely do not shop online but I ventured out today on the Internet and this website Just Fab called out my name :) So I looked around, signed on, found the perfect pair of white boots to take me through Fall and Winter (I have a pair of black that are da bomb) and I paid only $20 for it! I think that is a smash deal so I share it with you here! http://www.justfab.com/invite/ruksanasfriends/ Get on that shopping frenzy now !! I see it as good rewards for all the hard work I been doing lately, ha!

Back to Blogging

2011-09-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

Here's my new business venture I managed to set up from an idea that sparked just days ago. Made sure I got the website up and running asap before the idea fizzled out. Let me know what you think :)

...drum roll... http://www.ruksanawrites.com/

I am busy putting together the first approach letters to prospective clients, waiting for my new business cards and formatting lists of prospects for now. I've even short-listed a few networking opportunities to go spread the word and maybe garner a few clients in the process. Fingers crossed, this should work wonders soon!

Childcare again

2011-09-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

I began my first childcare job 3 years ago for a little boy who was all of 10 years at that time. I had just established my new business, had applied for jobs and thanks to the recession did not find any, and was just looking for a reason to get out of the house and make some extra cash. Replied to an online post, the parents met me and voila! I had a childcare job - something I am not sure I ever thought I'd ever do. I am not a very patient person and am certainly no expert in keeping children entertained. But time has flown by and now the little boy I began taking care of as a babysitter is a young handsome man of 13!! He's about as tall as me, definitely more muscular, and certainly needs no babysitting. I am more his chauffeur and friend now :) And today I began a new gig for just 3 days working as nanny for a 3 year old. Oh boy! How did I get myself into this?! Just a favor for a friend at work. The kid's cute though, shy but observant. I had to have his car seat installed in my Subaru and he cried a bit before he got in but he was a good kid all the way to school and all the way back. Took me a while to figure out the car seat and its safety belt but now I know how :) The little kid dont scare me much as the car seat did though!!

Lazy Sunday and a Celebration

2011-09-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

I worked all day setting up the website for my new business as well as designing the editorial schedule for a friend's online magazine that I am helping with. Did not realize how tiring sitting in one place typing on my laptop could get! To incentivize stepping outside for a bit, I conjured up a celebratory dinner for the husband. Read earlier post about his recent spurt of movie screenings and you will know why. So we went to Ledet near our home for some Ethiopian. Read my review here on Yelp.

Dunkin Chiropractor eating Indian buffet and celebrating German wedding

2011-09-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Sound like someone made a movie high on something huh? :) It was a busy high energy day. Stepped out early to grab some Dunkin bites for breakfast (thanks coupons in the mail) en route to the Chiropractor's office where we got adjusted, for different reasons obviously. Sped home for a shower and back on the road again for lunch at an Indian buffet place up north. It was time to wish a friend farewel as she embarks on her journey to Germany for work. Back home again and the evening we were out for the wedding of our German friends who decided to throw an Oktoberfest style party as their wedding celebration. They had their entire yard decorated with Oktoberfest hangings, even a little Oktoberfest shutter door to enter the yard, and German style food - bratwurst, hot dogs, sauerkraut, even German desserts. And the bride and groom were dressed in their German outfits - it was the cutest!

Starlight Drive in for Contagion

2011-09-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

Our Friday night plans turned awry when we went late to the theater to watch the play. They sold out of tickets and had no ushers to show us in so as a last minute change in plans we decided to finally head to the Satrlight Drive-in theater to watch a movie. We have been talking about going here forever and never made it so this was a good choice. The theater is a little out of the way but once you get there, you even cross the prison grounds driving over, its a lost of people queueing in their cars to buy tickets. Don't let the shady looking ticket sellers get the better of you. The rest of the experience is just fine. Tickets are cheap, you sit in the cushioned comfort of your car or even use chairs outside and make a picnic of it, you can take food and drink with you so you are saving money on that front. Just turn on the volume to the assigned channel, sit back, relax and enjoy the movie. Plus, you can continue to stay for the next movie on that ticket if you'd like. Of course, the chances that you have not already seen the next flick, or might even be interested in it, are few but this is surely an evening well worth your $. The movie itself was great. I liked that they did not dwell too much into the sentimentalities of it but rather the practical operational side of how things can be dealt with. The premise of the disease is pretty scary though and not something I would wish upon this lifetime or the future one's to come.

Blasts that jolt you

2011-07-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

I have always had an issue with the number 13, I even have a previous blog post about it. I never plan for anything fabulous on that date, I dont like having things with that number, and all this from a person who is really logical and practical and rational in every other aspect! Today I planned on doing nothing spectacular. Just the usual routine of visiting people and getting some errands accomplished while on vacation. Took mom and sis out to lunch at this place I had been planning on for a while. Had a restful afternoon after a morning full of activity. And barely minutes into sipping evening tea while checking my email is the first sign of 13ness. A friend scraps on Facebook about bomb blasts in Mumbai. Turn on the news and all online news feeds and this is what you read. Twitter goes crazy with tweets on where people are and who needs help and where people are offering help. Immediate reaction is to call everyone you know in Mumbai and ensure they or people they know were nowhere near the areas attacked. Its crazy because I was in Mumbai just last weekend. I have been at one of the areas bombed on a prior visit. Mumbai in itself is a densely populated city, and the areas attacked are specifically hot spots for crowds. Obviously attacks happen here for a reason. Most impact with least effort. I hate that unknowing, simple, innocent people going about their daily lives trying to pay the bills and heading home to a meal with their families were jolted out of the blue with this inhuman act of terror. I dont want for anybody to have to experience that, and even more the experience of having to bear that loss and hurt resulting from such a meaningless act aimed at somebody else above and beyond these ordinary human beings. There are too many questions and none that will be answered anytime soon. You just hope that this never happens again, and those who suffered will stay strong in the memories of their loved one.

Mumbai Melee

2011-07-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

I've never been a big fan of Mumbai. They call it the city that never sleeps. Where the rich and the poor unite. Where you can find the glamour of the Indian film industry and the filth of the largest slums in the country. As a child, my memories of the then Bombay were the flight we took as a stopover once every two years from the Middle East to Chennai to visit my extended family. It was always the dirty crowded place where it was perennially raining and there were beggars all over. The hotel where the airline would put us up for the night before catching our connection was my best memory. Room service breakfasts with coffee served in a pot and sugar cubes, hot toast and eggs with fancy butter and marmalade. There were the nastiest airport officials who were always trying to see what valuables you had and how they could get money out of you at customs. And then came the time that we never had to go to Bombay because there were direct flights to Chennai so yay for modern aeronautical engineering developments! And then I went and got married to someone from Mumbai and much as I would like to like it for all practical purposes, the only time I have seen Mumbai is during the monsoons, when everything is wet, water is stagnant all over the place, the dirtiness of it gets dirtier, and really all I want to do is just stay indoors and not have to step out till the sun shines on the city again. The place seems to be getting even more crowded by the day, traffic and pollution getting worse. And yet, that's where everybody thinks they should be to make it in the country. Their dream world where maybe one day some day some talent agent or model hunter will come get them at the bus stand or the coffee shop or the chat corner and offer them the role of their life and make them rich and famous. There's a few million of them there, hoping the same, dreaming for a fraction of it to come true. And the rest? Yeah they just keep going on with their lives in the city that never sleeps.

You cant make every one happy...

2011-07-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

So why bother at all? I am usually a happy person, I like being happy, I smile, I think of myself as good-natured, I try to be good to others no matter what, I tend not to have expectations from folks because I have done that in the past and been burnt bad so now I just do what I should and dont think much of it. I like to be me, I dont like being someone else for the sake of someone else. I try to spread happiness where I am. It takes very little to get to my bad side but god save you if you do cos I am the woman scorned they were talking about when they said hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! I hate false pretenses, I hate formalities, I hate stuff done on the surface to please people, I hate disguises, I hate false pretenses - I know I already said that but I say it again cos thats how bad I hate it. I believe that when you do something towards somebody you do it from the goodness of your heart. In expecting something in return you have changed the whole dynamic of that very act. And I hate people who indulge in all of these aforementioned vices and try to keep them quarantined like one of those viruses you dont want on your computer. I really do try to do that to the best of my efforts. Because when they do get to me, they make my life a world full of anger and frustration at the narrow mindedness of people in a developed, civil, what-we-believe-to-be forward-moving society like ours. Its folks like these that keep a society, a community, a family, and therefore, it individuals from moving forward and progressing in any direction worthy of being called an improvement over their present state of affairs. And its sad that sometimes having another educated mind in their midst does no good. Because education in itself cannot make a difference. Its where you come from and who you learn from. And if these are the people, then progress is a long long way away.

Fresh jasmine flowers, colorful attire, sandalwood fragrances...

2011-07-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

All the things that remind me I am in Chennai, at a hindu wedding. First thing Sunday morning. Its really nice to get up early on a Sunday and get all dressed up for a wedding. Wishing someone the best in your best is kinda nice sometimes. I have missed doing this the last two years while I was away in Atlanta so this chance to head for a wedding was a welcome opportunity. Watching everybody in the marriage venue dressed in their wedding finery, the bride and groom shining in all their splendor, happiness writ on their parents face as they pray for their child's future to be better than the one they could ever aspire for, priests babbling nonsense which I wonder if even they understand but most importantly the wedding meal. Oh the wedding meal! Laid out bright green banana leaves, little spoons of flavorful vegetarian delights, freshly steamed white rice, each grain sifted from the other ladled by attendants on to your banana leaf, some sambar, some rasam, some moru, pickles and appalams alongside, lip smacking payasam and laddu, such mouthwatering fabulousness that you can only really savor in all its glory if you eat the meal with your hands, on a banana leaf, at a hindu wedding, on a bright and early Sunday morning, in your wedding best, fresh jasmine flowers in your hair :)

Its alright to make a mistake sometimes

2011-07-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

I pride myself on being very organized, accountable and responsible. Being the older of 3 siblings, my father instilled in me a great sense of striving to be perfect in all I do. I didn't always agree by that principle, and tried unlearning it at several points in my life, but when something is ingrained you that early in your childhood, its hard to just throw it out the window like you don't care. I have had my head chewed off for the most trivial things growing up, and I wondered what I had done so earth-shatteringly wrong to be at the receiving end of whatever I received! Looking back, I'd think, Gosh! Was that ALL it was about? Really, that little unnoticeable thing I did or did not do had created such an uproar? For what? Did someone die from it? Nope. Was someone hurt because of it? Nope. Is the earth still revolving? Yup. So then what was all that about?? And so growing into adulthood has taught me a few things, one of which is it is okay to make a mistake. You can accept it, learn from it and not do it the next time. That is the whole point of the mistake! I did something recently that I realized had I done in previous years might have turned on the wrath of some folks. I booked a plane ticket wrong. I booked a morning flight and arrived at the airport in the evening for it. I found out at the reservation counter I had made a mistake. It took me a minute to realize what I had done. I could not believe it, organizational perfectionist that I am, so I had to absorb it real quick, and then the logical practical side of me took over. How soon can I get the next flight? What is my next option? Where can I get this done? Ask the questions you need. Get the answers you want. Act on it. Right the wrong. A few hours later than our expected arrival and a few thousand rupees more, we were back home as we should be. Did someone die from it? Nope. Was someone hurt because of it? Nope. Is the earth still revolving? Yup. Then its all good. Another experience in life that taught me something. Of course, I am aware of the fact that I had the time and the money to afford this mistake. And I learn from it. If anything else, I am thankful it wasn't an international flight I broke the bank to pay for!

Chennai luxuries I will miss when I head back to ATL

2011-07-08T10:29:00.000-07:00

In random order

Milk delivered every morning at my doorstep
Reading the newspaper
Fruits and veggies sold on pushcarts right outside our apartment community
Ironing wallah at the corner of the block
The beach right across the street from us
Local sweets and savory treats for so so so cheap
Mangoes, jackfruit, tender coconut water, fruit of the palm
Fresh jasmine flowers all day long
Groceries, fish, meat all door delivered
Ice cream shop just round the corner
Maid servant coming in to clean the house
Driver for the car so I can get other things done such as catching up on sleep which I think I can never have enough of really
Indian chinese food
Biryani 24/7
Mom's cooking for breakfast lunch dinner and everything in between
Ripe guavas
Cheap domestic air travel
Cheap domestic everything
My sister's free critiquing of everything wear

Additions will be made as I reminisce...

Meeting friends old and new

2011-07-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

I love holidays. Especially those where I head back home. Visit family, friends, colleagues. Meeting with friends is one of my faves. I love how as friends you part ways in life not knowing when or where or if ever you will meet again. And then one day you do and you just pick up from where you left off. Its a great feeling. I met one such friend today and it just felt so very nice to see her, to meet her in person after so long, to catch up on our lives, to hear of her travels and interests, to laugh and smile and inquire and conspire. The simple things in life that make it the memorable journey it is. And I know we will be in touch through the myriad ways that technology has provided us but yet we will jump at the next chance we get to catch up in person. And we will simply carry on from where we left off and revel in each others joys and successes, and encourage each other in our trials and worries and smile and laugh some more. This is just one of my many friends that I feel this way about and I can only wish that everyone is blessed with as many loving and joyful friends as I have and more in their lives.

Dad leaves, Chennai clubs and F1 fear

2011-06-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

So daddy dearest left today...not sure after how many years I will see him this time round. Sent him off at the airport with a slightly heavy heart. Much as we like to pull his leg when he's around and pretend he's being a pain, he really is a nice guy trying very hard to make our lives everything he didn't have at our age. Off he goes to his routine in Dubai - work work work and some sleep and then all over again.

On a happier note, my cuz from Bangalore drove over with her family to see us and treated us out to dinner at the Gymkhana Club. Neither my family nor I are members of clubs and so the whole funda of club-going (not to be mistaken with going dancing) is lost upon us. But I guess for the folks who are members, the club is an integral part of their lives cos these clubs sure are crowded and the prestige attached to memberships in these 'institutions' is enormous, going by the hefty annual price tag you have to shell out to be a part of it. Our experience was nothing fab. The place was packed and we actually moved away from the first restaurant courtesy lack of any sign of service. The second restaurant was better in that we were attended to but service was still pretty slow. Food was alright even. My brother had to be given a club t-shirt with a collar since he was wearing one sans the collar, else he would have to forego entry! I've been to Presidency Club before and I believe one on Haddows Road as well Boat Club Road and wasn't too impressed by any. You could read more at http://www.madrasgymkhanaclub.com/ and http://www.thepresidencyclub.com/.

But the really scary part of the evening was our substitute driver. Since our driver did not show up and none of us dare drive in Chennai traffic as far as our destination, we called in a driver from a service that supplies drivers exactly for situations like ours. The dude that turned up looked like a nice guy - spoke in a low calm voice and dressed decently. Then he hit the road and we realized what we had gotten ourselves into. The dude obviously had failed at the formula racing tryouts and was trying out his skills with us! Despite several prompts to go slow and drive careful, pal just swerved and squeezed our car at every opportunity that presented itself. Road barricades, speed breakers, other vehicles, people or animals held no challenge. This was a seat belts compulsory, hold you breath and pray for your dear life kinda ride. We were only too happy when we reached home at the end of the evening and ensured the service was informed never to send back that driver to us ever again. Our lives are too important to have them dependent on a nutcase like him.

The luxuries of life that come to you

2011-06-24T23:12:00.000-07:00

Living in Chennai a week now and there are some of life's luxuries that you realize you miss/ or maybe not...

We have a car and a driver - a requisite for my mom and sis to get around the city. Our maid servant comes home daily to help my mom with household chores - she is my mom's helper and companion at all times. The milkman comes home delivering milk packets to our doorstep every morning. The trash collector visits every evening. My mom never steps out of the house to make a grocery store run. One phone call and everything from household products to fruits and veggies is delivered home in a few minutes. The laundry guy is just down the street and the ironing bloke in the very next building - both provide door service. Should our car driver choose not to arrive on a certain day then mom calls a company that provides just the driver and they come drive your car for the day just like that. Worst case scenario, every auto rickshaw driver near our home has a cell phone number so you can call them at any time and they will come pick you up or have a friend do the same. We can call the pharmacy and have medication delivered home. Some labs will even come home and do common medical tests. The electrician and plumber are a phone call away too. It all seems like a well-oiled machine running in smooth harmony.

But God save the day for when the maid decides not to show up, the driver has a sick stomach and somebody at the grocer's home had an accident so he didn't open shop! Everything comes falling down and all you have is one headache after another...not my cup of tea. I have been an independent sort of person for the longest time so for me to depend on others to get chores done is simply not a feasible option. I love my independence and I love getting things done my way in my time. I don't know if I will ever be able to let go and delegate what I do to someone else, be that personal or professional. My mom has had to depend on folks to get things done around here and I do appreciate that in her old age she does not have to run around to accomplish anything. Sometimes I do feel like these are luxuries to be had, but sometimes not so much really.

Conversations in my head...

2011-06-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

...as I walk to the gym this morn from home with some spanish tunes blasting thru the headphones in my ears thanks to the miracle that is the little ipod:

Yeah watchman I am wearing a t-shirt and pants and not hiding my boobs behind a dupatta so hang on to your eye balls before they pop out of their sockets

Ok random drivers to random car owners in the same building as my home, I do live here and you have not seen me before but no need to have saliva dripping at the mere sight of something feminine

Oh cute school kid, patting stray street dog - wonder where his parents are at ?

And there's those mamis (older south indian women) walking on the beach wearing their saris and sport shoes, quite the fun sight

Someone's milk man just peed on the wall of the opposite building and then got on his cycle transporting milk to homes eeeuuwww

Skip the poop on the road, skip the poop on the road, skip the dung on the road, skip the dead rat on the road, omg are those crows feasting on a rat, eyes divert! eyes divert!

Auto rikshaw drivers up early morning for their rounds sipping on hot coffee in small silver glasses reading the newspaper in tamil and listening to tamil songs blaring from their rides

Ummm should remember to pick up some of that nice mango on my way back home from gym, and mom wanted a kg of tomatoes, note to self

God look at those sorry looking cucumbers and bitter gourds at the corner veggy shop, they need some TLC, which reminds me, I am craving mushrooms right now

Ah cute little old man walking home from temple with flowers in hand, so sweet

OMG at the crossroads now and have to do a major obstacle dash to the other side, get ready girl, its time

Look to the right, left, straight ahead, behind, make a dash for it, hang on big bus no use honking now, stay away van or I will come give you a mouthful, oh-oh school of cycles with little kids, stay away from the street dogs, where did this bike come from? Another van?? Really you two men squabbling on that cart need to use another street...

Great! On to the other side now and few minutes before I hit the main road traffic.

There's the lady from the bank who helped me the other day, smile for you lady, you deserve it :)

Dude on bike going to work, wifey waiting for him to start the bike before she gets on, and off they go.

Tender coconut water guy just opened shop on the pavement.

And there's all those street dogs barking their heads off running behind the garbage man and his trash cart

Can hear the bell from the temple even though I have earphones on, that bell is loud

Lawdddd what is that stink!! Must be an open sewer somewhere nearby!!

Ok lets hop, skip and jump, past the main road now...wait! What do I see? A cop this early in the morn regulating traffic? There must be rain predicted for today!

Cool now I got just 3 minutes to the gym if I can get my way past this crowd waiting for the bus

Pink uniforms for girls...really? Like we didnt have enough pink going on in our lives already?

Gosh that woman's butt is bigger than mine, she should be going to the gym with me!

Owwww sweet girls in davani paavadai (outfit worn by unmarried girls here) face smothered in talcum powder and sweet smelling jasmine flowers in their hair

Seriously, is that sweat dripping down my back? And I haven't even started working out yet

Hey watchman outside gym - How ya doin ;)

Inside my gym now (aptly named Pink, duh!) and off we go to the locker room!!

The enigma that is electricity

2011-06-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

Another addition to things I forgot about life in Chennai - power cuts. Barely a week into my vacay here and I have experienced the daily power cut - executed for some load shedding exercise (was supposed to turn into a 10 day power cut of 1 hour each every 4 hours but thankfully some genius pushed out the start date on that effort), the random power cut - executed for reasons unknown to mankind, the 3 phase power - when everything in your house works, the 2 phase power - when some things in your house work, and then the 1 phase power when everything or what can work in your house is all holding on to one single source of power. Then there is the case of the inverter vs the converter which I am unsure at this point have what functionality in the confusing world of electricity here. Add to that the personal battle of fighting your inner demons over who should be approached to right the wrong situation of having no power in your home when you have religiously paid your electricity bill year after year on time - the government authorized electricity board or the little corner shop electrician dude. In the case of the former, despite multiple phone calls lamenting our almost non-power situation at home, nobody showed up to help. In fact, even on the nth phone call, the dude at the other end, who is probably an old man going deaf, since he couldn't differentiate an f from an s even though we spell it out with examples, had no response to give us that was on any consolation except that someone was on the way. In the case of the latter, personal rapport ensured a quicker response. One phone call and 10 minutes later in came an assistant to the local electrician dude who took a look around, went running out and came back upstairs in 10 minutes, and had sorted our problems. Our home was now running on a 3 phase power supply which meant we could easily use all electrical appliances in all rooms at all times. Worked out for the measly sum of Rs. 50. And to think I would take that for granted in Atlanta!

Money matters

2011-06-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

Its amazing how banking is a service to the people but folks working in Indian banks pretty much treat you like low-life beings undeserving of their time. We have two public banks near our home where my parents and then my siblings and I have been members and hold accounts for years now. Yet, thanks to the banking system tradition of constantly rotating their staff, each time we establish rapport with someone in there to help us with our banking needs, they move on and then the whole circle begins again. Irrespective how many accounts your family has there or the amounts your deposits with them amount to, or even simply the good nature of your character, these folks treat you like dirt! Lucky for me, both banks had staff my parents were already familiar with so the me mention of me ma or dad's name was enough to have them smile on me and extend a helping hand. Had that not been the case though, I'd be running around in circles trying to figure out the absolute chaos and unorganized desks that is the dismal state of public sector banks in the country. Many a time, I have noticed folks sitting around for hours wondering what they were up to, now I know. they are waiting around for their work to be done while incompetent, big-tummied, inconsiderate bank staff are pretending to be helping them! No wonder not many youngsters are found working here. such a lethargic no-energy, no-standards place is no good for anybody, except the clowns that work there!

To get myself out of the morose state of mind that I was in after my banking experience, I indulged in retail therapy, never a wrong choice really. Fabindia was my destination today. Went there with the sister and shopped for us and some friends. Needless to say, I did have to foot a large bill but in my defense, not all of it was mine!

Fruits of summer

2011-06-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

The one good part of visiting Chennai in June which is peak summer season, is that you get to savor the fruits of summer in full fervor. Mangoes are all over the place. Its amazing how many different varieties you get in all that yellow. There are streets and carts and markets dedicated to just mangoes. Tender coconut water is another delicacy. I have initiated a morning regimen of buying tender coconut water. Its not just the juice of the fruits but also the fresh tender coconut you scrape from the inside, its milky smoothness and pure flavor a true treat to the taste buds. Another fruit we call nongu which is the fruit of the palm, is a delicacy this season. I am yet to savor the first of these but am hoping I will chance upon it soon. It has a tender cartilage like skin you peel off and then the fruit is a slippy slimy white. It is typically served chilled and is a welcome treat for some respite from the heat. My mother slices it into cubes and then chills it with some milk and sugar. Its a fab dessert after a day out in the hot sun. There's also watermelon, papaya and jackfruit though I think those are pretty common. Now onto the search for that nongu that eludes me!

Things you forget about India

2011-06-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

The traffic - Of course there is no lane system. Streets are shared by everything and anything. But whats worse is there is no respect for human life. Vehicles come at you like they want to drive over you, some even do. There is incessant honking, what for beats me. There is only that much space and with so many cars not much option for movement so where they think the traffic will disappear if they honk is beyond me. Add to that the fact that we have a car and a driver, one who insists on driving nothing beyond 30 no matter where we are or how urgent we need to get somewhere. Most times, I want to just push him over and drive myself but I really do believe that would be asking for more trouble than I can handle so for now I shall just breathe.

Pollution - The heat coupled with the humidity and the dust around you is enough to turn you dark in a day. Step out for a bit and then see the dust you gather in one swipe of your handkerchief. No wonder India is one of the leading markets for hankies. We need them. Bad. I also smother as much talcum powder on myself as I humanly can every morning. Needless to say, I am certain the Ponds talcum powder company is going to make a profit this summer thanks solely to my contribution to their business.

Pests - And I am not talking about just the idiots who drive on these roads. I mean insects. You really do tend to forget these guys. I saw a bunch of lizards crawling around the ceilings and they gave me the heebyjeebies really. Worse, I had an encounter with an Indian Stuart Little. Woke up midnight to head to the bathroom and heard some noises. A quick glance around proved my suspicions were right. Saw a little ball of brown quickly make a run for it. And I shut the door with the same speed. I was nice enough to leave a note on the door for the rest of the fam warning them of our midnight intruder. Come morning, my mother, brave lady of the house that she is, took a chance and ventured into the bathroom only to discover the rat had fallen into a bucket of water and was swimming for dear life. With flushing it down the pot being ruled out (considering it was such a little rat and had seen so little of life). and efforts to lure it into a packet so we could release it out somewhere turning futile, our driver was called in to the rescue. The man came in with a straight face, put his hand into the water and grabbed the rat and walked out of the house calmly while all of us stood miles away ready to jump on to something above ground level if the rat made a dash for it. If we were in the US by now, we would have mailed in a complaint to the management of our leasing community who would have promptly sent in maintenance and issued a fumigation exercise too. In India though, life just goes on!

Le Waterina

2011-06-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

Sunday was lazy, filled with bouts of sleep and jetlag recovery. We celebrated the evening with dinner at Zaica in Le Waterina, a new hotel just walking distance from home featuring a rooftop restaurant overlooking the beach. It was my sister's 18th birthday and my aunt and uncle's anniversary. The hotel even had a sports bar and hooka lounge. But this was one of those instances when the saying looks can be deceiving held true. Other than the features, the place really had nothing going for it. Service was dismal as was the preparation. I dont even find it worth my time to describe how bad things were. Lets just say we wont be going thee anytime soon ever.

Touchdown Chennai!

2011-06-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

After more than a month's anticipated waiting, I finally got on the first of three flights to my hometown Chennai. It was an American Eagle Atlanta to Chicago connection that left a good hour after its scheduled take-off making my transfer to Chicago-Delhi real tight. Plus the air conditioning did not work until the initial push off and had everybody stinking and sweating on board. As luck would have it, I landed in one end of Chicago airport and had to make a run for my Delhi connection via American Airlines on the other end. Add to it the fact that they had us check in even our carry on bags in the earlier flight due to lack of space made for every minute the nail biting thriller of whether I would make my connection or not. I really believe I should have been awarded the Olympic gold for my sprint across terminals. Managed to get to the gates just in time to spare a few minutes to take a last second American souvenir with me - a cold coffee and nuts from Starbucks! Again was told my carry on bag had to be checked in. It was a full flight but luckily the aisle seat helped my long legs fold out well. I also liked that post drinks and dinner, the cabin crew came around distributing goody bags with snacks for later so that way a midnight meal did not have to be requested. Made it to Delhi in one piece and not much boredom to nag about. Watched 3 movies on the flight - Just go with it and Adjustment bureau which were meh, Unknown was good. Delhi airport is quite nice except again I had to walk quite a ways out for my terminal. Also found out I had to check out all my bags and check them back in again as I was doing an international to domestic terminal transfer. My local connection was on Jet airways - it was alright except for the ass sitting behind me who was coochie cooing forever with his girlfriend. I finally had to look over and let him know that this was a public space and he should go get a room if he really was so in love with his girlfriend. What was he, 15??!! Made it to Chennai a few minutes after the scheduled landing and there was no mistake I was home - the heat and humidity provided a welcome sauna experience had to forget. Had my family there to receive me - its nice to see your mom, sis and dad with eagerness writ on their face as they watch out for you in a crowd and then wave frantically just in case you happen to have forgotten how they look :)

Happy 30th Brithday to me!!

2011-06-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't really been excited about celebrating my birthday this much in all my adult life I think. I feel great to be turning 30, if this is how 30 feels then its awesome :) I have planned a whole week of parties and hopefully most ofmy friends will find an evnet that fits in their schedule and come celebrate with me. I plan to try out a bunch of venues I haven't had the opportunity to visit before. On my list are:

The Livingstone Restaurant and Bar - http://www.livingstonatlanta.com/
Java Vino - http://www.javavino.com/
Melting Pot - http://www.meltingpot.com/mid-town-atlanta/welcome
Grace 17.20 - http://www.grace1720.com/
Sutra lounge - http://sutraloungeatl.com/
Watershed - http://www.watershedrestaurant.com/

I'll have reviews here for you soon!

Cuteness!!

2011-05-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

Chanced upon this website, was simply too cute to leave it undiscovered so here goes -

www.cuteroulette.com

Summer movie series ahoy!

2011-05-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

The great part about summer in Atlanta is not just the weather but also all the outdoor movie series you could head to. Since I live close to the midtown/downtown area, I love choose a few select screenings. Luckily, the schedule for the Movies and the Market screening held in Central Park at Atlantic station are up already and you can get more info here - http://www.atlanticstation.com/events0511.php#Anchor-Movie-14210 - Enjoy! I will have updates of other movie screening events on here soon :)

Adding on, Screen on the Green at Piedmont Park has been cancelled but Flicks on the 5th is on:
http://www.studentcenter.gatech.edu/flickson5th/Pages/default.aspx

A bunch of other outdoor movie series have sprung up and you can get the dope on 'em here - http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-bargain-hunter/2011/05/10/free-outdoor-movies/?cxntlid=sldr_hm

Chicago - Day 3 - russian fare

2011-05-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty aid back affair. We had planned not to do much since we had a flight out early evening. But the highlight was our brunch - we chanced upon a Russian tea house while walking down the street and took our chances on it. It turned out to be well worth it! The place had a very elegant old world charm to it. Probably sees more folks there for dinner than during the day. We indulged in some well-brewed house tea, Russian with some white and brown sugar cubes. It was heavenly. I ordered the Russian dumpling platter filled with potatoes and beef and the husband delighted in some Uzbek chicken shish kabobs with rice and veggies - both were splendid to say the least. Filling too and very flavorful. We might have ordered dessert but wanted to savor the tastes so much we decided against it.

Then off we were with bag and baggage to check out a show for my business en route to the airport. We took the subway all the way and luckily this time round our flight was on schedule. Back in Atlanta and routine but not before our customary stop at an Ethiopians resto for dinner. It has become and untold tradition for us to have food at an Ethiopian resto after we return from such travels. Mainly because they are such good value for money and they all stay open late. We dined at Meskerem this time, thanks to a Scoutmob coupon we had handy. We tried their version of the fish tibs and a veggie combo platter - all duly consumed in no time at all :)

Day 2 in Chicago - park, comedy and cruise

2011-04-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the convenient location of our hotel, we were able to grab some morning beverages from Starbucks and a walk-along breakfast from Dunkin Donuts as we explored the Millennium Park. Being a Sunday morning, the fountains were a busy spot with families and little kids, many venturing into the water given the warmer temps. The park is a really nice central space of green in the city and features a large amphitheater as well for events. We also checked out the famed 'bean' aka Millennium Gate that we had seen in images everywhere. Surprisingly, the architectural marvel is really just a bean from the outside and up front. On the inside and under, it is hollow and provides an interesting view I had not seen in pictures before so it was a bit of a revelation really. At the very ends of the bean, you can actually see vistas of the city and its buildings and that's pretty cool too.

We then ventured on what probably took up the most of our day and was the least rewarding so to speak. We were recommended this Indo/Paki restaurant on Devon street called Sabri Nihari and were determined to go check it out as part of our trip. We decided to try the 'L' and that kind of lengthened the journey for us enough that we had to walk quite a distance before getting to it. The resto itself is pretty hole in the wallish...service is fast and the food was good but nothing truly extraordinary that made our journey to and fro worth it. Now maybe if we had driven over it would not matter so much but considering we were taking the public transport route, it was a bit of a bummer. The restrooms were a bit of a shocker too so don't visit those. Anyways, good meal in tummy and a bus/subway ride and frantic walk later we made it to our next spot.

We were booked on the architectural river cruise, highly recommended. We got our tickets online and were met by welcome staff at the entrance of Navy Pier. The boat was clean and organized, the staff were nice, our guide packed in the tour with tons of info, they had clean restrooms and a well-stocked bar of hot and cold beverages. We learned so much about so many different buildings and their architecture and the stories behind them - totally worth the money. To our good fortune, Mother Nature decided to treat us well and not shower storms on us like she was supposed to. We were able to put in a sneak appearance at the Navy Pier as well for our evening coffee fix. Much as I wanted to ride on the humongous Ferris wheel there, it just didn't seem worth the wait or time as it was going so so so very very very slow!

Meanwhile we tried to make a dash to Second City, the comedy club that folks like David Schwimmer were a part of. We could not make it to any of their regular shows - all booked almost a month in advance, but we did get to see a performance by some groups participating in the Chicago Improv Fest. Post show, we took a cab to Uno - a pizzeria serving the famed Deep Dish versions of pizzas the city is famous for. At that time of night...almost 11...we had to wait a good 45 minutes for our 2 individual sized pizza portions to arrive and they weren't all that...Maybe I am not used to eating deep dish pizzas with a crust and therefore did not think much of it but it was too thick and cheesy for me. The drink there was nothing great either and service was pretty bad too. We did not even bother hanging around for dessert!

Day 1 in Chicago - movie tour, view from above and the orchestra

2011-04-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

We landed almost an hour after we were supposed to last night since our flight in was delayed by a mechanical fault of some nature. Our pilot and crew though were really nice and I probably experienced my first perfect takeoff and landing in aeons! We took the subway to the hotel which was conveniently located downtown. Surprising it was to see a bunch of homeless people calling the last leg of the airport their night spot - we passed them as we made a beeline for the ground transportation. I must say I have never seen that before. The subway staff were real nice too coming over to help us buy tickets when they saw us trying to decipher a map :)

We stayed at the Central loop hotel, one of the older building there I must think going by the size of the closet and the restroom. It was walking distance to almost everything we were planning on doing and did provide a comfy bed so no complaints there. I appreciated the green efforts the hotel was trying to imbibe - they had water filters at the entrance of each floor where you could fill in water in bottles provided by them reducing the money you'd be spending on bottled water as well as reducing the number of empty plastic bottles added to waste. Room temps were reduced if you were not in there and towels were changed only if dropped on the floor, bedspreads were changed only if a notice requesting that was placed on the bed. I commend them on their efforts, I really do.

We started the day with an English breakfast at the pub located in the hotel - the Elephant and Castle - an apt way to celebrate the British Royal wedding that happened that morning. Their turkey sandwich was delish as was their lamb curry albeit a bit English in its preparation than Indian.

We then took a bus to the Rock n Roll McDonalds' , a pretty unique version, only called so thanks to its close proximity to the Hard Rock Cafe. This was the alighting point for our movie tour - a great choice if you are a real movie buff. Half the movies we heard of on that tour we had not seen. There was way too much information being shared and it was simply a tour - nothing interactive where you got off the bus and checked out a venue. Everything was pointed at from the bus and a few clips were shown. I cant necessarily say I would recommend this to anybody.

We then walked over to the Magnificent Mile...walked the whole length of it but did not shop any. I can see how you could easily splurge your lifelong earnings in just a few minutes. They have all the brand names, huge stores, probably the widest selection of products as well. We made our way to the John Hancock Observatory to get an above 1000ft view of the City! It was incredible...the elevator we took rose up 97 floors in just about 40 seconds. Better still was the adjoining Expressions Lavazza coffee place where we had a mean chocolate/flan concoction and some awesome gellato immersed in nuts and nutella. Yes, I was very naughty! We did plan on visiting the Signature Room in the same building for a dinner with a view experience but that plan quickly fell off the agenda. We spent a good hour or more in here before we realized we had to head out.

We had booked tickets to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra that night and were advised to dress nice (jeans, sneakers and tshirts discouraged) and I wasn't taken any chances of being turned away just because of what I was wearing after having paid so much for attending the show. Lucky for us, the orchestra not only played beautiful pieces accompanies by the flute and piano, there was also a modern dance company that performed two interpretive pieces that were thought-provoking and funny at the same time. The building housing the Orchestra itself is really beautiful. Especially when its all lit up before a performance. It is located parallel along the street to the Art Institute and Millennium Park if you wanted to visit those after a show.

We were real hungry by the time we got done and walked over to the Gage, a restaurant named after the property it is housed in rather than anything remotely culinary. It was definitely a high end venue but bursting to the seams with patrons so we felt it was a good choice for dinner. They also featured some very interesting dishes on their menu. This is probably the first restaurant I have seen that offers elk, eel, quail, bison, snail, duck, rabbit...it was pretty exotic. And since I was not in a very adventurous mood that night, I stuck with a shrimp/wild rice starter and a trusted mussels entree. The husband had a pheasant starter and fish entree. Both very well cooked and delish. But the flan for dessert was a bit of a spoiler to the glorious path our taste buds were on by then, and we ended up calling it a night.

Off to Chicago!

2011-04-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

Lived in the US 5 years and have not visited Chicago yet. A business need surfaced that required travel to the windy city so off we go on a trip tonight. I am very excited since I have heard so much about the place so it will be nice to experience it for myself. On the agenda is a show at the Symphony Orchestra, a film tour and a river cruise as well as the usual suspects - Millennium Park, Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier etc. I hear the food's great there as well and have a few places narrowed down I want to visit. 3 days is a short time but I am planning on packing in as much as I can!

Advanced Intermediate French! And more Starbucks...

2011-03-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

It appears I have moved on to higher levels of learning :) Successfully or not is pretty debatable. As of today, I have begun the next session in my pursuit to be a fluent speaker of the French language. Its gonna be one whole year in the Intermediate Advanced level for me at the Alliance Francaise. Sadly not everyone from the last class has registered for the course and so its not the same vibe in the class anymore. But luckily our new prof insists on turning us into Francophiles. It has been clearly established that not a single word in English will be accepted in class. We also have a new set of text and work books which seem to be more 'getting down to business' types rather than the lets make learning fun kinda deal. I enjoyed my first class so I am hoping the rest of the session will be equally interesting.

Of course, this now means that I will continue my visits to Starbucks which happens to be in the same building and which is where I while away my time when I have some to spare between whatever I am doing before class and then the actual class itself. Quite a few hot chocolates of varying sizes (with whipped cream and nothing less!) and slices of banana walnut bread have been consumed by yours truly at this location. I'll be darned if they find a direct correlation between their profits and the months I study French there :)

If you would like to learn French, I'd love for you to join the Alliance Francaise and you can get more info on them here - http://afatl.com/
And I ams ure you know of Starbucks but if you want a fe other fun coffee shops to hang out at then these would be good options anyday:

Condesa Coffee - http://www.condesacoffee.com/
Chocolatte - http://www.mychocolatecoffee.com/
Octane - http://www.octanecoffee.com/location.htm
Inman Perk - http://www.inmanperkcoffee.com/

Another walk missed :(

2011-03-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

Another Sunday goes by and another walk I was supposed to do was missed. I feel terrible. This goes against my gameplan for the year. But the weather was not particularly great. It was rainy, gloomy and dreary and I had a whole bunch of chores to be accomplished so the walk got pushed down the list of priorities even though I had hoped for differently. For future reference, if you would like participate in a 5 mile walk in March and help a great cause in the process, here's the link with the official info -

http://www.blindness.org/index.php?view=article&catid=124%3Ageorgia&id=450%3Aatlanta-ga&option=com_content&Itemid=159

Day 2 at Sautee

2011-03-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

We woke up to the sounds of lightning and thunder and a very dreary looking mountainside. Of course, it all looked pristine from indoors. Like the rain had just washed away all the dust and everything was popping up with color. But that put to rest any plans we had for hiking or walking around the place that morning.

We headed to the dining area for breakfast. they make everything in-house so we had a mean potato and egg casserole with some delish buttermilk pancakes. Fresh fruits, fresh baked muffins and breads, juices and other hot beverages, completed the meal. It was lovely sitting indoors and watching the rain outside while sipping on some hot chocolate.

We requested to check out an hour later and went back to our room to get some more shut-eye before noon. My only regret is we did not end up using the jacuzzi at all!! Such a wasted opportunity :( We decided to drive back to Atlanta since there was really nothing more to do in the rain.

We still had the rest of the day so we chose to head to the movies :) We watched The Lincoln Lawyer - a great courtroom drama, and Paul - another hilarious take on the aliens visiting Earth but done nicely. Finished it up with a nice Indian Chinese dinner at Bamboo Garden and then visited some friends for a late night cup of tea and some much required catching up!

Restaurant Reviews

2011-03-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

I've been writing about places I eat at on Yelp. You can check out my reviews at ruksana.yelp.com :) Recent restaurants I have eaten at include Desta, Sound Table, Shayona and Spice Market!

Holi Re!

2011-03-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

Holi is an Indian festival celebrated more in the north than south where I am from so I never really got a chance growing up to actually participate in the festivities like they showed it to be on TV. After coming to the US as well, and hearing many North Indian friends celebrated it, I never made it a point to go experience this for myself. But this year, luckily, a friend of mine organized a get-together for a bunch of us to go celebrate Holi at a temple in the city. So off we went to get our hands dirty, literally! The temple is located in Lilburn and is quite a beauty - the marble structures, intricate carving, exquisite interiors, are all amazing. I believe its called the BAPS temple and you can read more about it right here - http://atlanta.baps.org/ They also have a little eatery nearby called Shayona which has some fabulous food...I don't know about the others I went there with but I enjoyed the food more than anything else. We tried the puffs and samosa chat - both typical Indian snacks with a fried outer covering and some potato filling inside. I know it was a steal for the price we paid. I will be going back again. Post some hot tea, our gang of 10 adults and 3 kids moved to the car park area where colorful chaos prevailed. Out came the Holi colors and soon everybody was smeared with green, yellow and maroon from head to toe! To get a better understanding of what I am talking about, here's some more info for you about Holi - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi

Taxes phew!

2011-03-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

I know we meet our accountant only once every year but we spend so long with him that when we come back the year after we feel like it was just yesterday we had met him and we are already back to file papers again for our tax returns! Our accountant is really nice - a sweet elderly gentleman who likes to give us little widgets of wisdom where he can squeeze some and always happy to advice us on tax matters. But lovely as his demeanor is we dread meeting him. Typically our visit lasts a whole morning for about 3-4 hours ... we head in about breakfast and only make it out for lunch. Needless to say, we have pretty complex businesses and jobs and other pursuits and we aren't the best keepers of our own financial shenanigans so it is but expected we spend that much time, money and effort so we can best be done with the whole exercise of it. So we really did breath a huge sigh of relief when our accountant closed out our folder online and said we were done! We celebrated with a lunch (as if paying for taxes was not enough,w e paid for lunch too) at Applebee's nearby.

They had a pretty good lunch deal for $20 - an appetizer and two whole entrees! We further celebrated with an afternoon siesta - something we had not done in forever. It felt so good to get some shut-eye in the daytime.

Stepped out to meet a friend and their newborn later in the evening followed by a visit to Sound Table in the Old Fourth Ward. Looks like the place is booming with new joints now, a bit of a revival of commerce in the area. I have been to Sound Table multiple times now and it has been a great experience always.

So basically having filed our taxes ended up in one celebration after the other all day long! :)

Special Screening of Mumbhai Connection

2011-03-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

Today was a special day for the husband. A culmination of 3 years of hard work, time and money - lots of all three actually, and still a work in progress! He held a screening of his first feature film - written and produced by him as well as featuring him and several near and dear friends. It was obviously pretty hard for him to put himself out there and be at the receiving end of reactions, good and bad, but more than anything, I was pleased that we had so many friends who came out to wish us well and show their support and see his work. Obviously everyone had their take on what could be done or not but overall the response to the movie was great. The event went by smoothly. We had a good turnout. Stuff to eat and drink. I rediscovered by love for Oreo cookies ;) And to celebrate we went out to eat some Ethiopian at Desta well past midnight! A great night overall. If you would like to read more about his movie then here goes...http://mumbhaiconnection.com

My brother turns 25!!

2011-03-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

At 25, I quit a job I loved, got married, left home for a new country and spent a few depressing days moping around in bed before bringing myself together and enjoying life the way I do now.
My brother turns 25 tomorrow and I cannot help but try to compare where we both were/are at that age. He works in a great firm, is single, lives with my dad, living a good life.
I think I was more content at that age then he is but I think he has a better job now than I did.
But I am most thankful for the fact that despite distances, geographical that is, we have been close, closer over the years I would think, more as the distances have grown between us. I never had any doubt he would grow into a confident young man but what he would end up doing was always a debated topic. I don't think I ever imagined he would work where he does now - a reputed motorbike manufacturer - but I am glad he does because a job in a cubicle would have killed his fun spirit. He was and always will be the clown of the family. He towers over me at a good 6.3" and is younger than me but I feel very protected by him and his presence. He is a good brother to me and our youngest, a sister, and I wish we were closer but life pulls you apart in many directions and you go where your calling is. At 25, I guess that makes him 'man' now :) I am happy he is in good health, wealth and humor. Cant wait to meet him again when I head back home this year. But for now, happy birthday my ass of a brother...sometimes you can be a real bother but most of the time you are just a sweet kid trying to figure your world out. Wishing you many discoveries and accomplishments always!!

Last of the Mohicans and Trois Couleurs

2011-03-08T20:56:00.000-08:00

As part of the Ashville in Atlanta festival going on right now, I got to attend a free screening of The Last of the Mohicans at the Rich Auditorium today. Its amazing how every time I hear that soundtrack, it gives me goosebumps. Funny though that on looking up this movie on IMDB, I cam e across a whole bunch of trivia that had me giggling. For a movie that was nominated and won multiple awards, it sue has a long list of bloopers that made it to the final cut. Very interesting reading! check out both here - http://www.exploreasheville.com/30days/index.aspx and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104691/goofs

At home, I am currently watching a trilogy by famed Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski titled Three Colors - Red White and Blue all released between 1993-94. I just got done watching white and it was a bitter-sweet tale of romance and revenge. Almost seemed to easy and too quick but you could see the gamut of intricate human emotions up till the very last scene. I believe all three movies explore the human palette for sentiment and its varying degrees. Cant wait to watch the other two!

My wish list...NOT!

2011-03-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

Was chatting up with the husband over the weekend and realized that while there are several places for creating your wish list of stuff you want for whatever reason, I dont know of a place where you can have a non-wishlist - stuff you dont want to be gifted no matter what! I tried looking it up online for what my patience would allow but realized soon that search would be unsuccessful...if you find one let me know but for now my non-wishlist reads as follows: (And I am not going to use the word 'no' before each non-wish because a a non-wishlist is the stuff I am not wishing for:)

1. Scarves, shoes, jewelry - have too much of those
2. Watches - I have 5 now and one wrist I wear a watch on - you do the math
3. Clothes - how do you know what fits me well?
4. Books and music - no time to read right now and if I did have the time, I would like to choose what I read based on my preference at that time, likewise for music
5. Wall clocks and photo frames - I live in a one bedroom apartment - wall and floor space is limited so dont clutter it!
6. Vases - dont need any - I have one long glass bottle I recycled as a vase and it works simply fab
7. Make-up - I prefer a simple do so dont confuse me further than I am already
8. Candles and soaps - have those, dont need more
9. Fancy stationery and pen/paper sets - dont waste more paper than we do anyways
10. Hair stuff - like pins and bows and bands - I have short hair so I dont use those
11. Video games - not interested.

If I think of more I will add them right here!

Beastly at Midtown Art

2011-03-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

What better way to start the month than with a free movie preview! Well, the movie was nothing great but Pettyfer is good eye candy...for parts of the movie where he remains not scarred, and Hudgens is not the atypical blue-eyed girl falling in love with the impossible hunk in school. Not sure why they needed Mary-Kate in there but I guess she needs to show her acting skills every now and then. Neil Patrick was the comic relief. Sad. He is a great actor and was wasted but I guess they needed some star power somewhere even if it is a blind professor who doesn't teach thrown in at the second half of the movie as an after thought. Overall, no great movie except for fans of the two primary characters. It almost felt like somebody was trying to do somebody a favor by featuring somebody in Beastly. It was a beastly sorta film...nothing to head to the theater for or even rent a DVD for or EVEN to spare time to watch on TV if they thought it worth air time. It will disappear even before people knew it came around.

Calendars

2011-02-28T14:16:00.000-08:00

I love calendars! To the best extent possible I love to be organized. Not that I dislike being instinctive every once in a while but I'd prefer it happening when I'm free :) I use my online calendar and sync it with my diary. I have not yet perfected using my phone for this purpose but maybe once I get an iPhone that might change! I have printed calendars in every room possible - at the kitchen, by my study, even a torn leaflet out of a magazine in my computer bag. I like being able to look at a date asap when I have to plan something. Better still, once I have jotted down an engagement for that date it stays penciled in my head so I might not remember the exact event but I will have that funny little voice in there saying,"Don't forget you already got yourself something to do that day!" Speaking of which this week seems pretty interesting. Other than my two French classes, I have a free movie preview I am heading for (gotta love those!), a weekday night out dancing since one of my friends is a DJ and has so sweetly invited us, a freelance event on social media and a women's day networking event as well as a baby shower on the weekend and a dinner at a friend's place that I invited myself to! I am getting good at it, it seems :) And the grand finale on Sunday when a friend of mine while be acting in this awesome play for which he has been practicing for months and I just cannot wait to see him in all his acting glory...and the after party we will most probably have later. Fun!

Peter , Tink and Neverland all over again

2011-02-27T14:43:00.000-08:00

Was at Pemberton Place today under the little white tent enjoying a very creative, improvized and interesting version of Peter Pan played out in front of me on center stage where pretty much every actor entered and exited from under the floor boards - a first! I've loved Peter Pan ever since I first watched an animated version as a young child. And Tinkerbell too. They're kinda packaged that way - what's one without the other? The performance we saw was appealing to both children and adults alike. I think I had as much fun as the row of the tiny tots sitting in front of me. I guess part of the excitement of an open stage setting is this feeling that everything is so bare so where's the next character going to pop out from but this was a smooth seamless presentation with everything perfected to the t. Tinkerbell especially was a riot from the minute she got on stage till her last bow. Of course, to have some aerial stunts thrown in helps immensely. The theatrics, sound, light, color, expressions were nothing but marvelous - I could totally feel the satisfaction the performers feel when they are applauded after each show for their artistry. The walkway leading to the tent had tons of informative facts. If you actually read up on Barrie, the author of this much-loved classic, you will learn that he did not have a very rosy life. Its pretty sad so to think that this story came from a man that had been through that is unexpected to say the least. It was also interesting to learn that for the longest time the character of Peter Pan was played by a woman! Ha! Who new right? Well for now, I've got two Peter Pan rdelated movies added to my must watch list - Hook and Finding Neverland :)

No PhD in the works

2011-02-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

Had mentioned in a prior post about applying for a PhD program in Sociology and was very excited to find that Emory University would accept my 3 year Bachelor degree as well. Unfortunately, looks like the rest of me did not measure up. Received ane mail last week that they were rejecting my application. I thought I'd be terribly upset by it but I wasn't. I think of it as a sign that I should probably focus on what I have on my plate right now instead of wanting more. So bye bye PhD it is :)

Smokies day2

2011-02-20T09:29:00.000-08:00

Post breakfast, we stepped out kinda early in the day to drive to other parts of the Smokies before we went home. We drove to Laurel Falls on Little Rvier Road and did a pretty easy hike up 300ft and about 2.5mi to check out the waterfall. There were reports of a baby bear being sighted but no such luck for us. It was a real nice day today so hiking was a breeze. Drove out some more and visited the little town of Townsend for lunch. The path all along was shaded with trees, bereft of any leaves in winter but still, and on the other side of the winding roads was a river all the way. Very beautiful and serene. Of course, the water was chilly so any ideas of playing around in the river were soon put to rest. Took the Newfound Gap road again all the way till we hit US441. This had some of the best scenic vistas ever. Wanted to drive along the Blue Ridge Scenic Highway but that was closed and saved us some time in the process. We continued on through the lilttle Indian town of Cherokee and headed back home!

Smokies day1

2011-02-19T09:24:00.000-08:00

Left for the Smokies this morning. We took a rental from Avis and the best part - they let us park our car at their place! We drove in through Sevierville, stayed at the La Quinta there...decent rooms for a decent Priceline negotiated deal. Drove past Gatlinburg into the State park and made it up to Newfound Gap where we did a small part of the Apalachian Trail. Hiking up was fine until we hit the higher levels and there is still a lot of snow and ice there so climbing the trail was not very safe or easy. Drove back though Gatlinburg and was amzed how commercial both the cities as well as Pigeon Forge were. As I commented - this looks like a little piece of Vegas right here! Too many bright lights, attractions that were not really attractive, money making schemes of all shapes and sizes catering to audeinces of all ages, and motels aplenty! Not exactly what I was planning to find on my drive towards a state park but I guess it takes all kinds :)

Cooking for some friends

2011-02-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

Yup, I offered (and I am not even a great cook!) to make dinner tonight for friends of mine who just turned new mom and dad less than a month ago. I will be seeing their li'l one for the first time too and I cant wait, happy as ever for the new family. So I am cooking dinner for them tonight and taking it over to their place, hopefully they will like what I made. They are American so I figured an Indian meal might be a good break. I've made rice with sambar - a lentil and pulses based thin gravy with tomatoes and beans, fried salmon and a cucumber yogurt salad. Throw in a few kisses for dessert and we are good as gold I believe :) We are up early tomorrow for a trip to the Smoky Mountains. In 5 years of living in Atlanta, I have never been so I am excited. We might try to drive around the scenic highway or hike one of the trails at the state park, weather permitting. Yay!

Gainsbourg at the AJFF

2011-02-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is a landmark GA event. You have got to go there to see what community support truly means. The Jewish community comes out in full force - movie goers, volunteers, organizers, the works. Its movies across a week, across 4 shows almost every day if not more, across 3 locations - its awesome! I was introduced to this event by a dear friend while working with her at a publication she produced focussed on movie related subjects. I have been going for at least one movie at the AJFF ever since. Amazing part is how movie tickets get sold out within days of announcing the line-up! There were a few movies I would have wanted to watch this time round but had to let go for lack of time and a jammed up schedule.I did manage to go catch Gainsbourg at the Sandy Springs Lefont theater with a friend. It was a loosely interpreted version of the life of the wanna be painter but musician Gainsbourg, his eccentric lifestyle, his loves, his fascinations, his music and his ultimate deterioration. There was some use of animation and puppets and imagery that was a welcome addition to the movie but in some place very sudden and disconnected from it too. He sure was a character, that Gainsbourg! You can read more about him here, which is what I did :) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serge_Gainsbourg

Uhhhh SWAT team???

2011-02-16T13:33:00.000-08:00

One of those days when things were quite dull, well, until I left home for work that is. Was a regular morning. Got dressed for work and stepped out to get the car. Saw a cop car at the entrance of the apartment community and assumed somebody had been pulled over for something. Get out of the gates and voila!!! the whole place is swarming with cop cars...I would say 20 if not more. I am sure I saw at least 2-3 SWAT cars as well and a distant throbbing sounded like a chopper was doing the rounds somewhere. The first instinct was to call the husband who was still at home to tell him to be careful. The whole thing was on the news and covered by several channels and websites but eventually after a 6 hour standoff (apparently it all started with a call at 5am!!) it was announced that all was well and life could go back to normal. There story goes that the cops were called in the wee hours of the morning to check on a resident's welfare. They turn up and said inhabitant does not open the door as ordered and either mentions or shows a weapon which has the cops calling for backup...which I guess was the reason why it looked like every available cop in the state was at our community this morning! Of course, the management does not verify anything except that they always have our welfare on their minds. So we don't know the real story but have nowhere to go to confirm it so we will just move on with our lives now, shall we? Happy hump day at that!

Panera Bread ahoy

2011-02-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

I tend to meet with business and professional contacts at Panera Breads more than anywhere else. Starbucks is a close second. Most Panera outlets have a lot of seating and offer free wifi. Except for peak lunch hours, you can pretty much find a spot there all the time. They have some good quick eat options, self-service so you can eat as fast or slow as you like, and I love their half n half option - I always go for the french onion soup and the tuna sandwich - eternal faves. They have also launched a Panera loyalty card which allows you to accumulate points over time and exchange for their deals - I once got a cookie, and a nice big cup of hot chocolate another time. They don't shoo you out if it looks like you have consumed your food and drink and are still hanging around, are well-lit, have clean restrooms, nice staff, good size tables and chairs...overall a comfy experience. I tend to frequent the one at Loehmann's close to my home, but I think any Panera should do a good job irrespective. You can check them out too - http://www.panerabread.com/

Happy Valentine's y'all!!

2011-02-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

This day, 5 years ago, was my first Valentine's with my husband, and my first in the US. We went to this place called Intermezzo, a date night dessert and drinks kinda Euro- style cafe, much hyped by the husband. I had been in the country just a week at that time, was eagerly looking forward to a romantic evening. Got there all dressed in red, waited a while for a table, and finally read through their humongous menu card to select my choice of drink for the evening. Along comes the waiter, smilingly asks what I would like to order. I remember asking for a cocktail, I don't recall which. Then he smiled and asked for my ID and I looked at him like he asked for something I don't have. Well, technically, I didn't have one! I was so new into the country that my paperwork was still being processed. My only form of ID was my passport which I had left at home and not even thought of to carry a copy of because I assumed I looked married and old enough to drink. Apparently not! And I looked at the husband and he realizes he forgot to mention that little detail - that I need to have ID on me to drink in this country! So I made do with a nice big piece of dessert. This time, we went back again. I believe between then and now we have probably been back there maybe just once each year. We were seated fast enough and our first order of drinks and appetizer made their way to us real quick. However, we had no such luck with our dessert choice. It never arrived and we ended up cancelling it altogether. Its funny though how much the same day had changed in our lives. 5 years ago I couldn't drive so the husband came home, picked me up and we talked all night about sweet nothings, went home to an after party. This year, we arrived in separate cars from our respective evening engagements and talked practical relationship stuff and went home to sleep so we could get back to work nice and early the next day. Happy Valentine's! Let me share some love for Intermezzo with you - http://www.cafeintermezzo.com/

Day 3 of flu

2011-02-01T15:18:00.000-08:00

So 3 days and counting, looks like I am going to have to head to the doc tomorrow morning to figure out what's going on. Regular doses of cough syrup and ibuprofen are not doing the trick. Neither is hot water vapor inhalation or salt water gargling. I guess I've got it real bad this time round. Have been feeling week and pretty blah the whole time. Was supposed to have started my routine of speedwalking and the 1200 calorie diet from today but looks like that will have to be pushed to next week. And I have my Feb speedwalking event the weekend after. Yikes!

Day 2 of flu

2011-01-31T15:18:00.000-08:00

Have not been in to work today. The flu's got its way with me. Sleeping a lot and coughing the rest of the time. Have lost sense of taste. I think I am borderline feverish.Terribly congested so cannot breather most of the time. Dry and sore throat. I thought I could get some work done at home but even that has not panned out as I planned it. For now, I am just sleeping it through.

Day 1 of flu

2011-01-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

Looks like I've got the flu that everyone has been saying is doing the rounds. Its Sunday, pretty outside, supposed to be a fun day. But here I am sleeping it away and feeling terribly energy starved. I guess this is what happens if you are having too much fun :) Was planning on hitting the movies but that has since been thrown out the window. Just. getting. some. rest.

A busy Saturday

2011-01-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

Have not had a terribly busy Saturday in a while so this one's worth the discussion. I spent the earlier part of the morning at a conference for business owners, especially women. Nothing fabulous so I ended up leaving half way through the event. Stopped at one of the shops that carries my products fro some stock taking and visited two other venues that used to carry my products but not anymore since I am moving to a wholesale model. Ran a few errands and then landed up at a Starbucks to prepare to interview 3 candidates towards some internships I have open. Was impressed with the individuals I met so I guess from next week I will have them on assignments for my business. Met up with my dear friends for dinner and then went out for a painting class that turned out to be quite the fun experience. We tried painting peacock feathers - an abstract water color on canvas with instructional help but of course, each one of us had a completely different adaptation of the master painting! Here's my work for you to see. I felt so bad about it I actually signed it anonymous! I used to be a pretty good drawing/painting/sketching person as a youngster but somewhere along the way it was impressed upon me that my academics were important than all this and I slowly lost my magic touch :(

Black Swan and No Strings Attached

2011-01-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

Our trip to SFO turned out to be a Natalie Portman weekend. We watched Black Swan one night and No Strings Attached the next. I liked them both for very different reasons obviously.

Black Swan was a dark drama addressing the ballet world and its inner intricacies. NP did a great job with her character. I can see why she won a globe for her performance. Parts of it were very disturbing especially the ongoing obsession with perfection and even though it had female protagonists it was a pretty violent movie. Not gory, but violent. The background score for most of the movie was very loud and really played a big part in the evolution of NP's character from start to end. Mila Kunis did a great job too. Definitely a very different type of movie but very well made.

No Strings Attached was something I wanted to watch more than the husband well because Ashton Kutcher was in it! But it was a pretty good watch as far as romantic comedies go. Both AK and NP played their parts well and it approached the topic in a very non-sentimental, practical kind of way. The dialogues were great, I would definitely say its worth a watch and a pretty enjoyable one at that. A relaxed light comedy without the usual heartbreak drama and such.

Last day at SFO

2011-01-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

We leave this afternoon and I wish we did not have to. I hate holidays coming to an end. They are always so fun. We had breakfast at Boudin by the Wharf and figured we had enough time to spare so visited the USS Pampanito, a decomissioned submarine, docked at the port there. We did the audio tour and that helped explain a whole bunch of stuff. This is a slightly difficult exercise for older folks or anybody with knee and back problems so watch out if your parents or grandparents are doing this with you. You do have to climb a ladder in and out of the submarine and each room has a hatch leading into the other that requires bending in and out. It was a very educational experience really. Checking out each room and the maximum use of available space. I couldnt believe the size of the kitchen there - it was a room that was less than 8x8 sq ft but apparently 4 square meals were served there everyday for about 80 crew members - crazy! I dont want to even begin to tell you the size of the rest rooms. If I had to live there and sleep in one of those bunk beds I think I would have died of claustrophobia in seconds. I cannot imagine being out at sea for months on end on that thing. I was very happy to be back up in the open again I can tell you that. We had just about enough time to check out from the hotel, catch a bus and then a train to take us to the airport. Our flight to Atlanta was delayed and a little bumpy but pretty much uneventful otherwise. Back to the routine again!

SFO Day 2

2011-01-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

Its our second day here in SFO. We had breakfast at the Ihop behind the Sheraton. Loved the strawberry danish crepes! We walked and then took the bus out to the Golden Gate Park. I really wanted to check out the Japanese Tea Gardens there but plans took a twist when we went there. We saw the California Academy of Scienes and decided to head in there. It took us the whole day to finish up! Housed in here is a museum, aquarium and planetarium so rest assured you can spend a lot of time here. We sped through the aquarium - we've been to a few before so there wasn't much to see that was terribly new to us. The rest of the museum was very interesting - they had really good exhibits about the species of animals and plants found in the Galapagos, they had a great deal of info on global warming and recycling. The best part was the huge rainforest dome in the center of the museum. They have recreated a tropical/temperate rainforest habitat feel in there with plants and little reptiles that would be found here. We saw a variety of snakes, geckos, lizards, frogs, butterflies, some teeny birds and even a macaw. So fun! The show at the planetarium was great - they have a hug screen you look up at powered by 6 projectors. Quite an experience. At the very top of the building is what they call the Living Roof. This is a rooftop garden but with a lot of thought behind it. It helps retain rainwater, attract solar power, helps maintain temperature within the building - its amazing. If every building in the world was capable of putting this in place, it would do the planet a whole lot good I'd think. When we got out of the CAS it was too late to do anything else at the park. Everything closes by 5pm. So just caught the bus back to Union Station, multiple buses actually, had dinner at the food court in Westfield, and walked over to Metreon for another movie. We wanted to watch a second movie that night but the projector for the show burned out and so we had to all leave the premises. Just took the bus back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.

SFO Day 1

2011-01-21T08:33:00.000-08:00

Its our first day in SFO and it feels great! The weather is beautiful - a little chilly but the sun is out and bright. We got a real nice room at the Sheraton on Fisherman's Wharf - for $70 a night through Priceline, I think it was a great deal! I love the whole art deco blue/green theme they have goin on. The best part is a frame on the wall in the room that reads - Blue Skies Shining on Me - love it! We had breakfast at the Grill down the street from the Sheraton. Decent food - great habanero chicken for breakfast. We walked it up to the Exploratorium, took about a half hour but not very tiring. Its very easy to get to by foot. Its located by the Palace of Legions and a great place to spend the whole day. I really like the space - learned a whole bunch of stuff. It was like being in school again. All the experiments were fun, some more than others. I was really looking forward to the tactile dome - a dome shaped room where its pitch dark and you have to find your way through by just touching around and feeling your way out. All that was fine but once I got in there and realized how small the spaces were, claustrophobia sent and I came out the way I entered faster than when I entered! It seems funny now but at that time it was creating such flutters in my tummy I was glad I did not try going through with it. The husband made it through twice I think and he was just fine. We walked back through the Palace of Legions - great architecture and took the bus down to Union Station. Grabbed dinner along the way and watched a movie at the Metreon. We took the cable car back to the hotel but on our way to it passed by this Oriental looking gentleman who said something to us with a smile on his face. On closer hearing, we realized he was saying - Get your ganja :) A fun day overall!

SFO calling!

2011-01-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

We are off to SFO tonight and I am excited as hell! This is part of my plan to travel at least once a month to some place new. It does not have to be major travel but I will either drive or fly somewhere each month. I chose San Francisco for January for two reasons - firstly it was my 5 year wedding anniversary and I thought that deserved a good celebration, secondly we had spent the previous New Year's and Christmas in California and San Francisco was one of the places we had visited and we loved it to pieces so a revisit was in store. We fly out tonight and I just cant wait to get there. I want to check out the Exploratorium, the Golden Gate Park and possibly one other landmark before returning Sunday - I missed out on these the last time round so looking forward to checking them off my list this time.

Lima Bean curry

2011-01-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

I cooked lima beans for the first time today thanks to Nature's Garden Delivered. Did not know what to do with them so looked online and used this recipe:

http://earthvegan.blogspot.com/2009/02/lima-bean-curry.html

The curry is simply fabulous. Please look up the other posts by the blogger.

We also cooked a dry potato/yellow peppers side dish and a ground chicken curry. With some rice and rotis, this should last us a week!

Nature's Garden Delivered!!

2011-01-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

So as part of being more healthy, more productive, more community conscious...just generally being good on different levels, I decided to enroll with Nature's Garden Delivered - a service that door delivers local organic fruits and vegetables on a weekly basis. We actually ordered ours before the snow storm hit but thanks to the snow and the lingering ice, the box made it to us only today! Boy was I happy to receive my first box of goodies. We got 5 veggies and 4 fruits in a tiny mixed box - just enough for the both of us. I got lima beans which I have no idea what to do with so I guess a new curry is on the cards!

Snowpocalypse 2011-day2

2011-01-11T13:59:00.000-08:00

So its the second day of snow and my eager attempt to try to get to work failed miserably. I barely made it to outside my apartment community and lost control of my car. Nothing devastating. Just that I needed to yield to traffic on the access road and stopped for that but the car kept sliding on and on. So I parked myself there and did the next best thing - summon the husband to come rescue me from my plight! Thankfully we were able to drive around and even sneak in a trip to the grocery store to stock up on milk. Another day at home seemed pointless but we actually accomplished a lot. I also cleaned up my work desk at home :) On the left is the before - I had a mess on the softboard on the wall, on my desk, in my drawers and even a bunch of bags on the floor. Now that is all history, see cleaned up desk image on the right! A whole load of cleaning up in the closet, kitchen and filing cabinets was also completed today so I feel good about having an extra day off.

Snowpocalypse 2011

2011-01-10T13:54:00.000-08:00

So we got up this morning to find everything outside covered in a sheet of uniform thick white. It had snowed the previous evening and all into this morning, apparently there was a snow storm but we had no clue since we had cozied up at home to eat dinner and watch a movie in preparation for the work week. Needless to say, I am not even trying to venture out! The news reports on TV are not very promising right now. Since Atlanta really is not armed with the right infrastructure to handle this, folks are being advised to stay home.

Giving some more

2011-01-07T11:32:00.000-08:00

Just some additional thoughts on giving, if you are planning to improve on that aspect of your life this year. I read somewhere that if you plan your giving for the year and spread it out across months like another category of expenditure in your accounting then you wont think twice about giving to a cause at the end of the month or year when you might be really cash-strapped and cannot give as much as you would like to. So choose which charities or causes you will support and how much you can afford to because every penny counts. I try to focus on charities that work with women and children, health and education, and green initiatives.

Once I choose the cause, I see what options they have and when it would be best to give. Donating to a children's charity closer to Christmas when they can afford gifts for the kids is a good idea. Or donating to any charity before their grand fundraising event helps them with the costs of putting that event together. You could also get your friend in on the giving. Most often than not, people are willing to give if they know where. If it is someone they know personally that is accountable for it, then thats even better.

Let your friends know of your intentions. Do a charity drive every year or few months that will get your friends to donate to the cause/s you choose and have that money sent out asap. Another way to do it is to announce your fundraising amount for multiple causes and see which friends would like to help you achieve that figure. Many charities will accept gift cards as well if your friends are not comfortable with the idea of donating money.

And it does not always have to be about the money either. Donation in kind are accepted at most charities. Everything from used clothes to books, home appliances, food, and sometimes even cooked food, is welcomed with a smile and a big thank you. I prefer to personally hand over my in-kind donations to a charity I support so I know the items have reached them for sure.

If you cannot give in cash or kind then give of your time. That is something we all have, maybe not in plenty, but we do have time, and helping others with our time is a great way to give. If you have special skills that an be used to help such as writing, accounting, designing then let the charity know when you volunteer and they can assign you such responsibilities. On the other hand, if you want your volunteering to be different from what you work as then you can just ask to help doing errands and they can assign you anything from delivering parcels to organizing their office shelves to sorting mail.

The bottom line is that everything you do is a welcome helping hand for charities especially in this economy when giving might have reduced and getting has been really difficult. If you are really clueless where you can help, just check out the website for the organization you are interested in and they will usually have some information about what their most need items are or where they require more resources. Just lend a helping hand and see how satisfying that feels.

Interesting link about browsers and the web

2011-01-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

I like sharing interesting stuff I read about, here's one that's so useful but written so simply!

http://www.20thingsilearned.com/

Enjoy!

Clearing the clutter

2011-01-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

I am usually well organized but I have my days and then things can get terribly messed up. I decided this year I would tend to whatever it is asap and not put it away for later. I used to be in the habit of making lists that I would then handle whenever I found the time for it, which usually was never, and so many things and ideas never actually came to fruition. This time I plan on acting on things right away or at least initiating the process of it so I can set things in motion and have been pretty successful. I certainly do not have a never ending list of thoughts scribbled down for that once in a blue moon day when I might have the time to look them up again by which time I am sure I would have misplaced that piece of paper and would have no clue where to find it!

I started out with my work desk this year. Cleared out the soft board on the wall against my desk and started anew. I dont necessarily use it as a vision board but I do like to put up pictures of things I like, want to do, have done etc. The surface of my desk had way too many things on it - pieces ofpaper cuttings, ifnormation I wanted, magazines with ideas etc. In fact it was so messed up I needed my lap for the laptop! I tried pulling out a notebook the other day and had a bunch of other publications fall to the floor.

I assigned shelf space for different pursuits. I currently work multiple jobs as well as manage my business. Documents could very easily get shuffled around so I make sure I have them going to the correct shelf right away. In each shelf I have clearly labeled files and folders for different purposes such as income, expenses, taxes, records etc. Now my professional space feels somewhat more business-like than before.

I also went ahead and restocked my office supplies for the year. This includes tape and glue, envelopes and stickers, printer ink, printer paper, wall tacks, paper clips, stapler and pins. I am big on calendars. I like a calendar in each room and especially one by my work desk. I apply for free calendars online and sign up at least two months before the year end so the calendars will reach me before the new years and I can find a nice place to have them hung. This year's calendars went onto the work space wall and kitchen wall. I still need to get an apt calendar for my bedroom. I also got myself a new diary to jot down everyday details like appointments and meetups, weekly paychecks, important events etc. I carry an idea book with me all the time so I can record any thoughts right away. I might not always be near my computer to find out information or mail somebody but noting it down means it will get done once I am near a computer. I use the online google calendar to sync up my written calendar and that way I have two records of everything I plan so I am never confused about what is happening or when.

Picturesof the cleared up work space coming soon!

Travel thoughts

2011-01-04T09:17:00.000-08:00

Since last year was pretty much a travel-less year (I did a weekend trip each to see my girlfriends in Illinois and Texas, and a weekend in Charleston for Thanksgiving), I have decided to make a conscious effort to travel more this year. That means we are heading to SFO in January! We were there year before last for the holidays and loved it so we will be heading back again. We planned late so the ticket fare was much higher than expected but the hotels gave us a good deal and thanks to a gift card from a very generous well-wisher, our expenses for the trip will probably be covered :)

February will have us headed to the Smokies, which I still haven't visited despite living in Atlanta the past 5 years. New York in March, Vegas in April for a girls trip and Chicago in May for a business show. I would love to attend the World Domination Summit in Portland in June but I have to figure out if my finances can be stretched that thin. I will probably head to India in July to see my family after two whole years woohoo! I would like to check out the Biltmore Estates in August especially since they are a drivable distance for me.

I am hoping that the last 4 months will see me travel to Santa Fe, Hawaii, San Diego and Sedona although in which order I am not sure yet.

Cant wait to head to SFO for now though!

Walking and donating go hand in hand

2011-01-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

In keeping with my prior years' resolution to working out more, I have decided on speed walking as a next resort considering my zumba and salsa classes died a sudden unexpected death. Currently I use the walking track at the Y in Ashford Dunwoody. I try to speedwalk about 2-2.5 miles everyday for now. Its been exactly 4 days since I began and I am liking it so far. To check out a Y close to you go to http://www.ymcaatlanta.org/

I was also talking about trying to combine my walking with some good and here's what I stumbled on. There are tons of walks and runs held almost every weekend in Atlanta supporting different causes. I figured if I could combine my speedwalking wth participating in these walks that would be a win-win for both parties involved. I get to walk these courses and see how I am doing every month while the charity I walk for gets my donation amount through the entry fee. I think its a great idea. So I charted out my walk calendar for the year and my first walk is this weekend!

January - http://www.rungeorgia.com/wonderfuldaysofwinter.html - $20 fee
February - http://www.rungeorgia.com/mardigras5k.html - $25 fee supporting the Junior League of Marietta
March - http://www.active.com/running/atlanta-ga/atlanta-womens-5k-2011 - $25 fee celebrating women and fitness
April - http://www.active.com/running/college-park-ga/sickle-cell-road-race-walk-atlanta-ga-2011 - $25 supporting the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia
May - http://www.kintera.org/FAF/home/default.asp?ievent=424538 - $100 fundraising supporting the Arthritis Foundation
June/July/August - TBD
September - http://itsthejourney.org/ - any donation amount towards breast cancer awareness
October - http://www.lightthenight.org/ga/ - $100 fundraising supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
November - http://www.givethankswalk.org/ - minimum $35 fee supporting St Jude's Children's Research Hospital
December - TBD

So going by that calendar I should be doing 8 walks for sure, 4 being undecided yet, and donating close to $400 in entry fees towards supporting the causes these organizations are working for. That's a good start to both walking and donating for life! Would you care to join one or the other or both with me?

Purging

2011-01-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

All things unnecessary that is. Second day into the new year and we decided to clear out the apartment of anything we didnt need and could be put to use elsewhere.

1. Newspaper and magazines - We are lucky there is a recycle center right inside our apartment communty so we had our papers dumped there to be recycled. I do keep some home to use as wrapping paper. Have a bunch of events I am going to over the next few days so you will see pictures of what I am talking about. To find a recycling center near you visit http://earth911.com/

2. Food and household appliances - We found the Atlanta Union Mission where they accept all forms of donation...cooked and uncooked food, clothing, appliances, books anything - they never say no. So we dropped off a whole bunch of household appliances and food from the holidays and they were happy to accept everything. If you want their contacts its at http://www.atlantamission.org/contact-us

3. Clothing - We usually have out clothing going to one of the collection boxes along our way to work.

4. Books and Dvds - We try not to buy books and Dvds unless completely necessary. We get all that we want from our neighborhood library, and its all free. Just sign up with them by showing the appropriate documents and you are good to go. Our library has free wifi as well as public computers for use. They have a lot of seating and a whole kiddies section too. If we dont find something there it can usually be requested online and then picked up. Love it. For a library near you check http://dekalblibrary.org/

New Year Resolutions for 2011

2011-01-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

I've never been one for any major resolutions but I did plan a few in 2008 that I would carry on in 2009 and have actually successfuly fulfilled through 2010 as well so I think this system of making resolutions might actually be working for me. If you want to read the original post I am referring to then you want to go here.

2011 is I guess a kinda special year. I will be turning 30 this year and that seems to be some kinda major turning point for everyone it seems so let's see what it has in store for me. It is also the year my business turns to wholesale operations and I have some plans personally that I have been meaning to pursue but pushed away for one reason or the other. I also get to travel to see my family in India, it will be two years in summer and I cant wait to see them and just enjoy my hometown. So here's continuing from my previous set of resolutions and adding some for the new year.

My earlier resolutions:

1. I will exercise everyday - I did head for zumba classes which I loved dearly but had to give up due to a scheduling conflict with my French classes. My husband and I also enrolled for Salsa classes which we enjoyed for months before they suddenly cancelled those classes so we were left 'salsa classless'! I have been trying to fit in an evening exercise class in my schedule but considering my week is really busy I am planning on speed walking classes weekday mornings. These will also help towards my effort to contribute more towards causes I care about but that's in a later post.
2. I will give up on coffee and chocolates - I have successfully stayed away from coffee and tea in fact, and found a trusting and worthy substitute in hot chocolate. That is my hot beverage of choice. To compensate for some hot coffee in the morning I have a cup of warm water with a spoon of honey. I have been munching on chocolates at parties for the holidays but I do not buy them for home anymore and prefer to gift good quality chocolates to friends rather than stash them in my pantry.
3. I will give up on red meats - Yes I gave up on lamb and beef. I would eat it if it is served in a friend's house or at a restaurant if we did family style but I dont make any at home and do not order any for myself at restaurants. I do not crave it either. I eat a lot of chicken and fish when I want meats. Else I have been discovering how my taste buds fare with vegetarian options like chayote, corn, mushrooms, asparagus etc.
4. I will try to be more tolerant towards the husband since I am usually the one to fly into a fit - In general, I have been the first one to fly into a fit, I have a temper known for its fury, I never forgive or forget and I am as stubborn as they get. Rage is my middle name. Or it was I think. I have now come to the understanding that getting angry really does not serve any purpose. At the end of the day, it does not help me or whoever I am angry at. The best thing to do is to understand the cause of the anger and how to better the situation. Now when I am angry I take some time to think things through. I think about what upsets me and how it could have been done to not upset me. I try to talk about things and though I might sound tense and come out sounding like I feel strongly about something, its just my effort to try in some way to not be upset unnecessarily. If no one has been hurt and doomsday has not descended upon us, then everything is workable. Besides, there is only so much I can try to do, beyond that its a lost cause so why bother!
5. I will get the word out on my business much much much more - I did pretty well on this front actually. I did almost 40 shows this past year and a whole bunch of networking. Enough to convince me that my next step is to move towards wholesale and selling to the trade. I have already begun working on revamping my website, putting the policies and procedures in place and also looking out for interns and sales reps to hire for the business. It is all very exciting. The business was also mentioned in the Piedmont Review and there are two stores in the city featuring our products so its all good. There is a lot of work to be done but I am ready and and all set to go!
6. I will donate to one cause a month - This never really happened and I know for a fact that not being in the best financial circumstances was a sure reason why. I am definitely in a better place now money-wise and have already identified causes to give to in 2011. It is tied in with my efforts to incorporate speed walking in my life so watch out for the later post addressing that.
7. I will do atleast one walk a month - Yes I have finally acted on it. Running is really not my thing. I can walk really fast but ask me to run and two strides is all it takes for me to get panting. So I have identified one walk a month in Atlanta that I can participate in. These usually support some good cause so I know the small fee I pay for participation is heading in some valued direction. This ties in with pointers 1 and 6 above so you will just have to read that post when it happens. You are welcome to join me if you'd like!

8. I will try out atleast one new eatout a month - I did do this for the most part consciously or unconsciously. I either made a planned effort to try out a new place or I ended up meeting with friends at a new restaurant so it worked out just fine. Of course, with deals through ScoutMob, GroupOn, DailyGreen, LivingSocial and such it really is easy to eat out and not break the bank.
9. I will travel more - We did travel tons in 2009 for the summer. We visited family across Asia in India, Dubai and Singapore for 3 months. It was a great trip and we knew it would be a long time before we did another. We then traveled to California for Christmas which was fun but travel has been pretty non-existent for most of 2010. While my husband did travel back to India, I stayed here and visited friends in Illinois and Texas. We managed a short trip to Charleston over Thanksgiving but that has been it so I have made a conscious effort to indulge in more travel in 2011. For starters I have charted out cities in the US to travel to across the next 12 months. I also plan a trip to India in the summer to see my family and friends. I have some travel planned for business and hope I can combine that into a personal trip as well. I am also excited about the World Domination Summit happening in Oregon in June so more on my travel plans later.

10. I will volunteer more time to non-profits like I used to - When I was unemployed, I volunteered at 2 non-profits and did some free writing assignments as well. I enjoyed that immensely. It felt great to do something to help in the non-profit arena and be able to see how what I was doing was helping the work these organizations were doing. Needless to say with work and business and life and its pursuits, volunteering has taken a backseat. I participated a few months ago in this non-profit organized, non-profit focussed scavenger hunt type marathon event called Expedition Give which has got me thinking again about volunteering and how simply giving of my time and an hour of my weekend maybe could really help these organizations and their causes. I have not yet figured out where I would like to volunteer in 2011 or how but it is something I intend to fully act upon. We do donate all our clothes and food and other household appliances to organizations that we can but it is still not an actual act of volunteering to help them so I do plan on getting this one off the ground.

11. I will learn to swim and skate - With my financial resources directed towards French, zumba and salsa classes I really did not have the money to spare for these. I did not have the time either. But 2011 is looking like a year with more free weekends thanks to a new business and personal resolution mentioned below in points 2 and 3 of 2011 so I think I am finally going to act on this!
12. I will stop using plastic shopping bags and use only the cloth ones I have - I have been able to do this 99% of the time. The exceptions have been when my husband went grocery shopping as he does not have cloth bags so I plan on buying some for his car the first weekend of 2011. I have been recycling paper since we do read the newspaper on weekends and some magazines as well. I use the papers sometimes for gift-wrapping and for making little plastic bags for my products for my shows and those are always a great alternative. I also use paper to stuff some of my products for show display. I am planning on separating my trash according to plastics, papers, aluminum, food wastes and glass and recycling accordingly this year.
So coming to the new resolutions for 2011:

1. Removing the clutter and being more organized - This applies to my personal and professional life. This past year has been a bit of a blur and I've had lots of things just hanging around so my last few days of 2010 have been focussed on cleaning up the clutter and being more organized. I usually am a well-organized clutter-free person but every once in a while even I have to purge. I have decided not to keep anything in my home unless I actually use it. That applies to clothes, appliances, everything. If it doesnt work or is broken and cannot be fixed, it will be recycled to the best extent possible. If it can be used but I dont then it will be offered up for grabs or donated to a place where it can be used for the purpose it was bought. I cannot necessarily say I can apply to the minimalist school of existence in its entirety but there are certainly strains of it I would like to adapt. Even virtually, I am working on a clutter-free existence. I have deactivated online accounts that I do not use on a regular basis. I have unsubscribed from lists that I do not want to subscribe to anymore. I have created folders in my mail so that my Inbox is almost always empty. Each mail goes to its respective folder and jobs to be actioned are dealt with right away.

2. Strengthening relationships - Personally this has been not the best year. I believe my husband and I have grown apart as individuals trying hard to get our respective entrepreneurial pursuits established while also juggling multiple smaller employment opportunities since we are not employed full-time. While it has afforded us much freedom in several ways, it would be unfair to say that has not had its consequences relationship-wise. So for starters, I did inititae some conversation on this subject and we have agreed to keep our Sundays free in 2011 as days that we will spend together with each other only. No social engagements or obligations. We will allow one Sunday a month that we might need to use for business but that will be all. We will plan on travel every month for at least a weekend away and we will try to explore new activities together. Business-wise, thanks to my busy class schedule I have not found the time in 2010 to build the relationships I would have liked to so that will change for the better in 2011.

3. Moving the business from retail to wholesale - This will be a big step for me but I know it is the right direction. After 2 years in retail, I know for a fact that the products I specialize in have a good demand and I can make my business much more successful by offering these products on a national basis. I will continue to do shows locally but only once a month as opposed to trying to book every weekend available. I will focus on introducing my products in more retail oulets and my primary focus will be in establishing wholesale accounts across the country to enable continuous business and repeated customers.
4. Engaging in more writing - I have always enjoyed writing. My prior employment opportunities have revolved around that skill and over time I have finetuned it to some degree. I have had the opportunity to write for several online and print publications in Atlanta in the past 5 years since I have been here but certainly not to the extent I would like to. While most of my writing assignments have been voluntary, some were paid gigs but efforts to establish them as long-term income-building jobs have not been very fruitful. So it is an area I am still very actively interested in but how I can tie that into my professional life remains to be seen. I also think of this as a skill that can in someway be channeled towards the work I would like to do with non-profits but not necessarily on a completely voluntary basis. This one will need some thought.

5. Living a more fulfiling life - I am not a particularly religious or spiritual person. I ask too many questions and dont find very convincing answers so I dont ponder about those things too much. I believe in being good and kind and nice and if I am that to you then you will be that to me and if you dont then you are just messed up and I am not going to break my head over that because its not my problem really. I believe that if I smile I will get a smile back and if I punch then I will get a punch back so its really about doing unto others as you would like them to do to/with you. This year I will focus on the relationships and people and experiences that mean more to me than the things that I was attached to. Part of that process involves maintaining a book of gratitude to be thankful for one thing a day at least if not more. I will revel in th experiences that I am fortunate to have and live in the moment whatever it is.

For now those are my resolutions. Any new habits and practices I imbibe along the way through this year, I will be happy to share with you here. Feel free to share with me your resolutions too. I might learn something new! Happy New Year :)

My new discovery - Chris and AONC

2010-11-09T09:07:00.000-08:00

As it happens, post my last post :) I have proceeded to go ahead and apply for my Masters so fingers crossed, next year this time that is what I should be actively pursuing.

Something else I have been pondering about and not necessarily pursuing but will from now on I believe is about conforming to societal steretypes and why. I have always questioned in my head why some things are done certain ways, maybe out of curiosity or just out of the inconvenience it causes me, that depends, but it does cross my mind. Why does anything have to be done in any particular way and not how you want it? Why do we always fall in the same path and not try to achieve the same goals thru different means?

What has led to further thought on this matter has been the discovery of the existence of this young man by the name of Chris Guillebeau and his world domination, travel hacking ways thru The Art of Non-Conformity. I got to know of him and his work thru a book-signing I attended. I enjoyed his discussion and got his book as well, and I must say I agree with pretty much everything he has mentioend in there.

I enjoy the way he writes - practical, informative, to the point, nothing flowery and boastful, just what he does and how and the way you can adapt that to your life and achieve what you want too without falling prey to these preconceived notions of what should and shouldnt be done and how. I must say the book has been the required impertus for me to think of my life differently and teh changes I want to actively pursue. They might not be as grand as his but they sure will be coming along!

You can see his website here : http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/

Follow him on any channel you can because he does do interesting stuff :) His book is well worth the read too and if he's in your city, I truly recommend attending his events.

Should I study further?

2010-08-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

Yeah this one's so outta the blue even I am amazed at myself! So as it goes, post graduating from my Bachelors program in Sociology oh about close to 10 years ago, I never really wanted to study further. I expected something out of college which it did not simply do for me so I was terribly disappointed by the whole experience of it and vowed to never engage in long durations of academic pursuits anymore. I had one terribly miserable attempt at an MBA course through correspondence learning. My poor dad paid quite a bit for it and I just quit it barely into the first year so I figured I learned from that experience I just wasn't made for higher education, at least not then. I threw myself into the corporate world...so much that I changed jobs every summer until I found the job I liked. I did eventually, and thats the job I still do albeit remotely and not on office premises. Of course, the field of Corporate Communications I work in is a far cry from Sociology, at least thats what most people think, though I would disagree. Communication is a very important part of Sociology and both fields focus on an important facet of society. Anyways, somewhere in the back of my head I had this kinda vague not very definite open to flexibility kinda plan worked out where I hope to be done with or be doing my Masters by age 30 (which I hit next year - not that I consider that old or wise enough in any way but 10 year increments seemed fairly just to me at age 21) and again be done with or be doing my PhD by age 40. So in a very disorganized manner of dealing with it I began applying to schools in the US of A for my Masters only to find that almost all of them refused to accept my 3 year degree from India and wanted me to do another Bachelors degree here. If they did accept it, they had trouble with my GRE scores which were fabulous on the language portion but quite dismal on the analytical. Or they offered me a course I had not even applied for. Or they insisted on me paying out of state fees even though I was in the country which simply was not an option. The years went by with similar application and rejection experiences and at some point I gave up because I felt I wasn't doing justice to myself any more writing those half-hearted letters of purpose when I felt like all it would do was bring more rejection. My worst rejection experience was applying to JHU, where I received a letter of funding approval first from that department and then a rejection letter from the program a few days later. I was so depressed I bawled my heart out. After that, I have been able to muster up the courage just a few weeks ago to approach certain departments of some schools in Atlanta to see if anybody at all will accept my 3 year degree and not have me paying again for a Bachelors.Well, lo and behold, the Sociology department at one of the schools replies saying they will accept my 3 year degree. That they would accept my work references instead of purely academic ones. That my GRE and TOEFL scores were still valid at this time is pure coincidence (cos I aint takin that darned GRE math portion again!) Only, they didn't have a Masters and I would be looking at a PhD program!!! Six years of academic commitment. At age 30 (which as per my very unclear life plan was jumping at me 10 years ahead of its required occurrence). Humongous reading lists. Research, assistance, presentations, lecturing etc etc etc. Overwhelming but exciting at the same time. And its got me thinking more in the affirmative than the negative. I have about 3 months to get my application together for study next year. Of course, that's provided they will accept me. The more I think of it the more I feel this is a good time to try. That I am ready for this. That I should be doing it. Except for that looming factor of rejection so I feel I don't wanna give it too much importance. Its in my head though...

Global Glam article!!

2010-08-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

Here's my very first article on Global Glam, an online magazine managed by my friend designer Christine Philips. Looks like I will be contributing on a monthly basis :)

http://www.globalglam.com/inner_features2.asp?lid=12&innertype=FEATURE&t=2&searchmonthnm=&searchyear=

Sunday movie hat trick

2010-08-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

So I earned myself a really lazy Sunday after ages and decided to do a bunch of movie watching. It began with He's just not that into you - because I had heard quite a bit about it and never watched. Plus I recently came across a short that was shot just as a promo for the movie which was freaking hilarious!! I then went out with some friends to watch the 2nd part of the Lisbeth Salander trilogy - The Girl who played with fire. I have not read the books but I watched the first part and really lied it, even though it was pretty graphic, so I figured I was game for the second part. I'd like to see what the 3rd installment has to offer. The movies are long but very captivating and filled with twists and turns. I hear they are a much abridged version of the books so I am waiting on getting my hands on them and enjoying some reading. Got home and watched the Motorcycle Diaries starring Gael Garcia Bernal and that guy he acted with in Rudo y Cursi - they make a good team.

Meeting my gal pal after ages!!

2010-07-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

I am so excited today...I'm gonna be meeting my girlfriend after ages!! We studied together ins chool - grades 11 and 12, stayed friends through college though we went to different schools, stayed friends after even though we worked sometimes in different cities, stayed friends through her being out of the country for her studies, and now we are both in the United States, married and meeting for the first time since she tied the knot. She was there when I got hitched, I wasnt around for hers but my family was. Its kinda special to have a friendship like that, over time and distance. We dont talk or mail or chat as much but when we do we cover a gamut of subjetcs and topics and could yap together forever about the most trivially mundane or earth-shatteringly important things. We did a lotta crap together - stuff we will probably reminisce about and laugh our asses off now although I am sure at the time those instances occurred we were probably in deep shit! And we will talk about where we are now and where we want to be and encourage and support each other getting there. And we will definitely plan for another such occassion with more friends added to the adventure. I cant wait to see her!! Yiipppeeeeeeeeee :)

Taste of Latin Atlanta festival

2010-06-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

I love heading to festivals and fairs once summer creeps in. You get to meet all these wonderful artists and hang out with friends, just have a fun time. So I read a Facebook post about this one and decided to head for it. I wanted to visit the Va-Hi Summerfest as well but that did not work out. Weather-wise, it was a very confusing day. The sun was out for the most part and had us all muggy and hot but suddenly it would turn cloudy and gloomy and rain in spurts! Anyways, the event itself was pretty small, held just around lunchtime at the Blackburn Park - so close to my home and I discovered it only now! There was a tent with all the food and one for seating. They had some game zones for kids but mostly it was a fundraiser for a Latina organization. Contestants presented home-cooked dishes for tastings and some were really unique and first-time tries for us. I liked this shrimp and semolina dish that one of the ladies there had made. We got tickets to vote for our fave recipes and we also got lucky with the raffle. The husband, who loved massages, actually won his first raffle, for a free massage so he's got me to thank for this one!

Reading : Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet

2010-06-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

I read voraciously as a child but somewhere along the way I tired of it and just couldnt keep up with all the reading I wanted to do so I stopped. Recently I got back on to the habit with the Twilight Saga - I did not quite know fantasy fiction was a genre I enjoyed but I guess being able to read the books and watch the movies simultaneously has a certain attraction. Then I chanced upon a GPB show about autistic people and an autistic savant named Daniel Tammet. It amazed me so much that I had to read more about this guy. I looked him up online and found he had written two books so I booked them at the library right away. This book - Born on a Blue Day - is his memoir and its very engrossing, even for a book so few in pages. I guess, being autistic he is a man of few and direct words. For me, just reading about his journey with autism and how he has managed to train himself to live as a member of society, very few autistic people ever really do, is simply inspiring. The way he perceives numbers and words, and how his thoughts work is just plain beautiful in their uniqueness. I am turning pages at a good speed because I just want to read and know more about him, his life, his thoughts and autistic savants because of their unique strengths but that also makes them outcasts.

Fantastic Mr Fox

2010-06-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

So when we watched the Globes we made a list of movies we had not watched that were either nominated or won awards. As I check my list off, Fantastic Mr Fox came along and I loved it! I would definitely say its a must watch, and has made its way to my faves for now. Just the mannerisms and dialogs, and some fun fun moments make it worth your time.

Quick weekday dinner - chicken pasta

2010-06-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

So this is a borrowed version from a friend but I had this just last night and it was yum. Quick to prepare and light on the stomach. My friend's version was made with beef, red wine and parsley. I opted for chicken, soy sauce and oregano instead. I used a tablespoon of oil, 1 pound ground chicken, 1 onion chopped, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of minced garlic, a splash of soy sauce, 1 tomato chopped, a sprinkling of oregano and two large cups of pasta. Well, the preparation is in the same order as I have listed the ingredients above. Make sure the ground chicken is fully defrosted before you begin cooking or you will have to deal with a lot of water from the chicken. Also make sure the pasta is well cooked before adding it to the rest of the mix and voila! There you have it. Easy peasy aint it?! :) A one pot meal that's ready in no time!

FIFA World Cup!!

2010-06-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

The FIFA World Cup is here finally!! Barely a week to go and I cant wait. It feels more exciting this time because there's an element of uncertainty. Its not clearly justified that any one team is a favorite to win. Most of the really famous names from last year have retired so there's just a bunch of new talent out there and it should be interesting to see who has which tricks up their sleeve and how the teams are going to play up. My faves are Italy, Brazil and Spain. France, Argentina and Portugal come close. The initial match between England and USA might be a crowd puller though. May the best team win, I'll be watching :)

3 months since...

2010-06-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

my last post - that's how crazy busy things have been! My business has been doing fairly well considering there were quite a few Earth Day related events all through March and April to keep me occupied. I also took on a new part-time job in April and that's crunched time for me a little more than I'd like but it keeps the money rolling into the bank account which is fab! I've been living with a little too much of a deficit balance on the monetary front for quite a while now it feels so good when I pay bills and still have some money left in the account, not having to worry about when I will overdraw and be penalized for it. I rediscovered my love for reading somewhere along the way, brought upon myself by a chance encounter with the phenom they call the Twilight Saga!! Yes vampire romance has its latest victim in me, I've been bitten and how! Speed read my way through these books, waiting for the next movie and have gotten back to being a regular at my library now - a place I neglected terribly for almost a year. Funny, the things that happen. June is turning out to be a good month for me considering its my birthday. But also other developments that have their place in my life. My sister is now in college - thats the last of the kids in my fam heading to higher studies so its kinda this moment in history in my family's timeline if I could say so. The FIFA World Cup is on and it feels more watchable this year because a whole bunch of players from the old school have retired and moved on so it seems like a fair play ground for the new blokes to try their magic on. As of this month I also decided on being more active and have taken on zumba classes which I quite fancy. They dont bore me like walking on a treadmill does so its a sign. The husband and I have begun salsa classes which are also a great activity to look forward to during the week. Our instructor is great, and our class is surely but slowly growing in numbers. My french classes, which I had to take a break from due to scheduling conflicts will begin again in 2 weeks - cant wait, how I've missed you! A bunch of friends are having babies so there will be plenty of visiting and coochie cooing to do - glad to, as long the babies are not mine! Got nothing against them, just not ready for my own anytime soon. And to add to all this, there's a bunch of movie festivals - 5 that I am keeping track of - happening around town. All outdoor screenings in great locations, movies that are enjoyable and help you relax at the end of a crazy day at work - life is great, what more can I say :)

A busy weekend

2010-02-28T22:26:00.000-08:00

I do not usually boast about my weekends much but this one was a fun, relaxing and interesting weekend for me. I hope yours was too! Friday we met with some friends for dinner for a real nice Indian meal. Our friends included different nationalities and backgrounds and that makes for fun conversation always - Indians (us), Israeli, American (duh), Spanish, German, Vietnamese - where else but in America can you find that. I mean, I guess you could find it in every part of the world but I've lived in India and Muscat and did not mingle with as many nationalities there, even though they were well-represented. Maybe the opportunity to befriend people from diverse backgrounds is much more present and taken advantage of here. Or at least, that is my experience. Saturday we went to an Indian theater production of a British play called Out of Order. Two of my friends and several of the husbands' were acting - I must say the male acting talent far outshone the female! This was followed by a little chit-chat with some friends at a local pizza joint. I believe I was eating pizza after a few years - felt good. We went on home to watch a Tamil movie that explores the father-daughter relationship - it was fun and sentimental at the same time. A good watch, its called Abhiyum Naanum, if you are interested. Sunday was spent making phone calls to family members living across the globe. That is how most Sunday mornings usually transpire. But the evening was a little different. We attended a talk by filmmaker Deepa Mehta at Emory Law School. She addressed the treatment of adapting Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children into a movie. A very informative and well-attended session. Rushdie attended as well and also did a little guest element at the end adding his own two pence for the audience. I am not sure why I imagined Deepa Mehta to be this larger than life, loud, very strong and opinionated personality. She came off being cool and calm, a little powerhouse of knowledge and humor, humble and well-spoken. A true pleasure to listen to. She also very patiently took pictures with fans and offered a few words of conversation to everyone who approached her. The reception held in her honor was also well-attended. There was yummy food so that had people hovering around a little longer than would usually be acceptable. We found quite a few other friends of ours had also attended. Speaking of the Emory Law School, my husband suddenly suggested I try applying there to study further. His pointers for why I would be a good law candidate were that I argue a lot, remember nitty gritty details all the time, write well and suck at math! So with that very inspiring and encouraging sign from my darling spouse, I have requested an info packet from Emory Law School. Lets see how this escapade unravels!

Globes and Olympics

2010-02-18T14:44:00.000-08:00

A month since my last post - lets see what interesting stuff has happened since. Worldwide - the Golden Globes and the Winter Olympics. Loved the opening ceremony but saddened by the death of the young luger from Georgia. Amazed at Shaun White's tricks, but little Louie Vito didn't fare very well. The games are still going on so keep watching. The quake in Haiti has had people all zoned in on how to help and where to send donations. I hope things are going where they are intended for and not sidetracked elsewhere in any way unknown to us. Professionally - my business is a little more active now than it was this time last year. Still not making me as much money as I like but definitely interesting. I found two new suppliers and very unique products that I believe will sell well. I meet some very interesting people at all of the networking events I head to. I have my work cut out for me the rest of the year so I will be one busy bee. I still have not figured out enough SEO for my website but like all other things, we will get there soon enough. Personally - I am fine with where I am - it could have been worse or better, but who wants to ponder about that. I am happy, healthy and alive - that's a good sign! A lot of me pals have either had babies that are growing at frantic paces or are having babies real soon and its getting scary. Fewer friends to visit whenever we want so we might be looking for new friends soon I believe.

Office Policies you do not want to ever come across!!

2010-01-15T05:58:00.000-08:00

I got this forward in my email and found it quite funny. Thought I should share it with the rest of you lot.

New Office Policy

Dress Code
1) You are advised to come to work dressed according to your salary.
2) If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise.
3) If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise.
4) If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.

Sick Days
We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

Personal Days
Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays & Sundays.

Bereavement Leave
This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend the funeral arrangements in your place. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.

Bathroom Breaks
Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the "Chronic Offenders" category. Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company's mental health policy.

Lunch Break (Love this one)

* Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy.
* Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.
* Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.

Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere..

Hilarious or what?! LOL :)

Countries to visit, or live in maybe?

2010-01-11T05:17:00.000-08:00

Here's something interesting I read first thing this morning and I thought to myself, I should make it to each of these countries at least once in my lifetime.

2010 Quality of Life Index: World's Best Places to Live Overseas

Ranked on Cost of Living, Culture and Leisure, Economy, Environment, Freedom, Health, Infrastructure, Safety and Risk, and Climate:

1. France
2. Australia
3. Switzerland
4. Germany
5. New Zealand
6. Luxembourg
7. United States
8. Belgium
9. Canada
10. Italy

(International Living Magazine)

Well, I already live in USA so that is one country I can cross off the list. I hope someday I will be able to cross the rest out as well :)

January 4th – MOMASFO

2010-01-08T10:43:00.001-08:00

Today was the last day of our vacation in California. We got up leisurely and headed straight to MOMA. It could have turned out o be a slightly expensive affair but we were in for a surprise! MOMA had 3 floors closed that day for reconfiguring and new installations so we got our ticket at half price. We also did not have to pay the extra for the audio tour. So we got a sweet deal there. Of the 2 floors we saw, there wasn’t much that interested me. Probably because I am not an artist. But I saw all these art students taking pictures and notes so I guess there was something worth it there. I did like the rooftop garden though – had some coffee and hot chocolate there. They also have some really interesting and fun stuff at the gift store. We got an Ansel Adams 2010 calendar but if I had my way, we woulda shopped a lot more than that. From here we went straight to Walnut Creek to meet a friend of ours for dinner. And did they have some good dinner for us. Some nice meat pilaf and chicken fry, yummmoooo! Back to the hotel to collect our bags and a friend dropped us over at the airport. Thank God for friends! Took a late night flight back to Atlanta, and were greeted by freezing temperatures that made us miss California dearly J

January 3rd – Alcatraz, the pier and the cable car

2010-01-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

After an early breakfast at the hotel, we took the ferry across to Alcatraz. Spent a fair amount of time in there – it is an interesting place for sure. Walked along the Pier and headed over to an Italian place overlooking the dockyard for lunch. They had the most amazing clam chowder in sourdough – my first, and an interesting version of a tiramisu. Very peaceful and not as crowded as the other restaurants there. Their specials are cheaper than their regular fare so you might want to stick to those. We walked over for a tram ride which took us forever, hit Market Street and checked out the ice rink before heading back to the hotel to watch a movie on our laptop. Kurban – an Indian movie addressing terrorism. As always there were some plus and some minus points to it but overall a movie worth watching at least once. I did feel like there were many elements the story introduced but did not provide full closure on those to make it complete but that will probably create a better, more insightful movie in response so I’ll just wait for it.

January 1st and 2nd – Saratoga and San Francisco

2010-01-08T10:37:00.000-08:00

Plans changed, I wanted to go to Ventana’s for brunch before we left but because another friend was joining us and had to be picked up we had to make changes to our plans. We drove over to Saratoga today – did not get out and about much but from what I saw the place looked really nice. We intended on leaving Saratoga early the next day so we could do some sight-seeing in SFO but that did not work out as planned. The husband had a meeting with some folks and that delayed us well into lunch. Were dropped off at the train station by another pal so we could hit SFO by evening at least. We took the double decker train, a first for me, and enjoyed watching a movie on our laptop, sleeping and reading as we traveled. Had dinner at Nan and Curry and then proceeded to catch up on all our lost sleep.

December 31st – First night Monterey New Year celebration

2010-01-08T10:28:00.001-08:00

What should have been a 3pm plan became a 5pm plan by the time we left with the entire group that we had with us. The event was nothing fab, just a local ringing in of the New Year kinda thing. They had lots of food stalls, and some special deals at restaurants and shops on the streets where the events were. We missed the parade but watched some performances, mostly music – Samba, African, Irish, Chinese lion performance etc. Ended up eating dinner and downing some wine at a bar the name of which I do not remember now but the waitress was certainly very sweet – managing a large raucous group as ours, with kids in tow. Closer to midnight we stepped out on to the streets for some Samba beats and then a countdown finale to loud cheer and applause. We followed it up with a visit to our friend’s place where we played Smarty Party, a new game that is entertaining and educative. We also turned it into a drinking game during which a lot of alcohol was consumed between the 7 players at the game. I think we went to bed at 5am, probably the latest I have been out for a New Years or any night ever I think.

December 30th – Driving through Big Sur

2010-01-08T10:26:00.001-08:00

Today was my drive along Big Sur. We set out post lunch, lazy bums that we are. We stopped at a couple vantage points but there really was nothing fabulous about the views. The drive is along the coast so you have mountains and grazing cows in fields on one side and then you have the rich sands and blue waters of the ocean on the other. On a nice sunny day, the glittering water in the backdrop probably makes for a couple good pictures but otherwise this did not seem like a drive worthwhile to me. Or at least, not until we stopped at Ventana’s. A spa and inn along the drive. They have a restaurant with a view of the ocean on the outer deck that is simply breathtaking. This is one of those resorts where you will never want to leave. Watching the sea turn into sands of blue in front of your eyes is indescribable. If you are on the Big Sur be sure you stop by here. I am definitely planning on heading back there for one more meal before I leave California. We had dinner at D’Anna’s by the way, pretty good Thai food.