Home sweet home

Its been a busy week with all the last minute shopping and packing and all that jazz! Finally managed to scrunch all my belongings into the mammoth suitcases of mine. How I managed to lug them around, God only knows!

Flew business class this time back to India.. It was awesome! Slept peacefully for the first time .. Landed in Mumbai and suddenly felt so light.. Can't explain... there is just something about being baq in your own country.. a feeling of everything is fine.. there is nothing to worry about kinda feeling :))

But a few minutes later realized that everything was not well. I had really heavy luggage which cumulatively was almost double what I weigh probably !! Try lugging that around..
Not to mention these zillion security booths that have popped up in the mumbai airport now.. Whats up with that ?? I thought this kinda thing happened only in US where you were required to go thru scanners so stringently.. Believe me that is nothing compared to this. During departure I probably went thru security check probably twice. Get this, after arrival and clearing custom, I had to go thru security checks at least 4 times here in India!! Its amazing! And we blame the US airports!?
There was this guy who helped me at one of these security checkpoints with my luggage. Just as I was thanking my stars and saying to myself, o wow people are soooo friendly here. He whispers to me - Kuch deke jaiye na.. Translated that means, since I picked up your luggage to place it on that table, you need to pay me something!!
I am quite dazed an confused by now.. Wondering if I had any change, wondering how to tell him to go take a flying leap, wondering if anybody heard him, wondering where is all the indian currency i cleverly stashed away months ago!!? Finally found a 10 buck note and quite ruefully handed over to him!

Had to take a shuttle from international to domestic for onward journey to blore.. Had to check in bags again.. While I was checking those in, the counter guy called out my name from the ticket -
Him: Miss Radhika, there is a chance your luggage may not arrive in this flight.
Me: (Uh !!??, Is this some kind of a sic joke!!?) ) What?
Him: No, no. this is a very small aircraft so, sometimes we may not be able to fit in all the luggage especially ones like you have.
Me: (Glaring at him the best I could, despite being quite disoriented at that time). Ok, so ?
Him: So, nothing to worry about, it will come in the next flight.
Me: So am I supposed to wait for it at the airport ?? (Like hell I will)
Him: No no, we will send it to your house, you will just have to fill a form.
Me: (Quite disdained and tired by now) Ok fine, whatever, just check it in now..

After a few minutes, have checkied in bags, looking at the shuttle which is over flowing with people by now.. This counter guy is trying to ask everybody to board it. Walks near me..
Him: Go Radhika go, what are you waiting for ?? You will miss your flight!
Me: Huh! (staring in disbelief at having some random guy calling me by my first name like he knows me!)

Smiling despite myself thinking, all this happens only in India :)))))

Fortunately all luggage arrived promptly in blore and I was amazed to see that my stupid bro was also there well ahead of time.. Knowing him believe me thats quite amazing. He's the kind who will either land late or not at all. Last time he forgot that he had to pick me up and I had to take a cab!!! mmmppfft!
Anyways.. Home now.. Feels awesome.. Weather rocks..

Chatting with granny, lazying around in pajamas, fighting with bro for the remote (dunno why we do this inspite of the fact that we have 2 TV's !!), mum trying to feed me with upma for the billion and 27th time in vain..,
at home.. at peace..

viva las vegas..

Spent last weekend at vegas. Had been planning to do that since a really long time. Wanted to infact do a quick re-wedding thingie as well, but hubby was not very conducive to the idea :p

Well who knows, maybe one of these days!

It was a really nice weekend and enjoyed vegas completely.. I believe that once you are done with all the sight seeing is when you can really enjoy the place.. There is no pressure of having to see all there is to see, do all there is to do.. Its plain and simple chilling out! t'was like that this time, didn't wanna spend all the time in and out of casinos and shops (Oh, they have fab shopping at vegas!!) Instead spent time getting the feel of the place, enjoying what each theme had to offer and just relaxing completely..

Had a wonerful time at this club we went to, more a lounge bar rather than a club which I think is nice coz then you can just sit back, drink and talk..
Went to this pastry shop at Bellagio, it is to die for!!! Absolutely amazing pastries and ice creams ! Its definitely a must go place in vegas as far as I am concerned..
Had a really good time at this place called napoleon in Paris which had a piano duet thingie going on. It was sooo amazing.. There is definitely something about live music.. No matter how good or bad it is, it is live and sooo soo enjoyable.. Not saying it wasn't nice or anything, both the singers were amazing in fact.. Had a nice evening there over drinks and got a few of our requests played as well :))

And of course, shopping, when have i ever gone anywhere and not shopped :p vegas is really very very tempting that way.. I mean, its a place which has all the avenues in the world to drain all that money you may have !! Pick anything and there will be a way they will get money outta you, how much ever! They don't care, thats how they thrive.. I mean, what else do they have in terms of say an economy, its just money making avenues... No industries, no so called financial sectors churning money..its plain an simple money makin via lot of avenues! ;)

But anyways, it was a great trip in all ! Wait, did I mention it was a surprise trip for hubbs ? ;))

Blip blip..

T'is has been a busy busy time.. Hurrying to wrap up work. Excitement to get out of here. Its so funny come to think about it, I am always always so happy to go back. Just the thought of it keeps me going for weeks. Then why do I keep comin back you may wonder.. hmm I wonder too..
Thought that next 2 weeks will be great fun with all that vacation thrown in, but queer twist of fate and I end up working thru my so called break! I don't know how I do this, manage to screw up things just right. I had planned for this weeks even months ahead. A nice 2 weeks of break in Phoenix with hubby before heading back to a sabbatical back home.
All I am left with are 2 weekend trips we had planned way ahead (and thank god for that, otherwise would have ended up screwing up that too!) and thats it!
Drat!

Anyways, the good news is that I have realized the new series 'Related' is worth pursuing :) (remember I had been a proponent of that a few weeks ago :p) T'is has its moments..
Vot to do, I am a total sucker for these chick shows! :p
Also, I today declare openly that I am hooked to 'Gilmore Girls' ! Yes people, I admit, i was a closet watcher, but now i decide to come out in the open! Its really such a sharp and witty series I do not have words to describe it!

An ad thats been ticking me off on TV now a days is the e or online match making site, something called eHarmony or something.. It really irks me to see how hypocritical this country can be! One one hand you declare that you don't understand why or how an arranged marriage works and on the other hand, you actually go and enroll on these sites which has software to match profiles based on your likes/dislikes and opinions??!!
I mean, give me a break, at least in arranged marriages, its the elders or the parents who are doing the match making for you and beleive me I have a lot of faith in that whole mechanism! Here you have strangers and even softwares making that match for you and you are supposed to find a lifetime of bliss that way !
Arrggghh.. ticks me off to no extent..And going by how many of these have sprung and are popular let me add, goes to show the increasing number of singles desperate for some form of companionship. I am not saying it in a wrong way mind you, but why be two faced about it.

For whatever its worth, at least our ways have a base in some fundamentals and have worked for like zillions of years.. Hmmppfff..

I am sooo sooo badly waiting for the new Karan Johar movie.. Yes, people I like that trash.. I really do.. I am a total sucker for these feel good movies.. Will take that anyday over an oscar contender or all those so called thought provoking, intelligent movie nonsense... I like to have pure unadulterated bollywood masaala for 3 hours with good looking people (read shah rukh khan, abhishekh bachhan here), good costumes (read flowing sarees, ghagras an what not here), good songs, elaborate sets and locales and of course karan johar/yash chopra :))
Needless to say, as you could have guessed I belong to the minority who liked K3G, I completely enjoyed it.. :)

Ok, before this blog flows into further unchartered territories, lemme full shtop it.. so here .

frustrations

dime a dozen.. can't wait to offload at least half them.. some day sometime...

Emotional baggage

We all have some to varying degrees.. How do you deal with somebody who has a lot of it? You were forewarned mind you. But the point still exists that the person has a lot of emotional baggage and it transcends to the current relationship. Do you tell yourself to be sensitive about it? Or do you debate about how unfair it is to you that you have to put up with additional complications..
Life's complicated and relationships are even more so but add some emotional baggage to that and you have got quite a handful to things to deal with. How much of a baggage is really acceptable also?
Is there like a permissible limit before you are declared to be too messed up in your head to be dealth with ? Thats a tough call to make. How do you really guage how much a person is bringing to the table in case of a new relationship. They may not even be apparent for all you know.. But its there somewhere at the back.. touching everything a person does or thinks ever so lightly..
It will be evident as days go by, little things that will be touchy, a little cynicism even. Topics that will be avoided like plague, people not spoken to, things not done, not acceptable, thought not seemingly making sense.. the list is endless.
There is really a simple and straightforward reasoning behind it (or is it even that straightforward?), emotional baggage, too much of it at that.

Is this the same person you thought was so perfect for you? What made you think that ? Did you really think you could deal with all thats going on in that small head? Did you even know what was going inside that small head ??

To fit or not to fit..

is the question..

Went to this Diwali party thrown by the company I work for.. Well, it was actually a party only for the Sales, Marketing an the rest of the biggies. Extended to moi graciously by this biz dev manager of mine.

Honestly I hadn't really been to a Diwali party in the states ever. The parties I have even got invited to earlier were the ones organized by these so called Indian cul societies or association or whatever you wanna call them.. People who know me better that I will not even touch these with a 10 ft pole!
So anyways since this was sounded different and of course the fact that I don't really have a life in NJ, I decided to give it a shot..
Knew exactly 2 people in that big hall that they had booked at this really jazzy restaurant (it was a really nice place!). Entered the premises riddled with skcepticism... What am i gonna do, who am i gonna talk to, who am I gonna hang around with, will I know anybody, will anybody know me blah blah blah..
This guy I knew was sweet enough to introduce me to his wife and made a quick exit (An I mean really quick, I am guessing that his wife did not know that the orange drink in his hand was not really orange juice:p)
So, here I am making small chat with the lady who has 2 children and is also surrounded by women watching their kids havin a fun time on the dance floor swayin to indi numbers :)

Small talk, chit chat and 15 mins later I realized I am bored out of my brains.. I needed a drink.. Went to tha bar and this indian bartended greeted me with - 'Good evening madam, would you like some juice? ' I gave him my patented- 'Are you for real' look and asked if they had some vodka. I could see the split second surprise and then he said-' Yes, we do, to make you feel really nice' !!!??@@!!!
I mean, hello !! Not only are you bored, feeling alone an dying for a drink, you get a wiseass creep bartender..
Breathe slowly Rads, count 1-10... breathe breathe..
Hmmppfff.. 5 mins later, outside and trying to call hubby on his cell so that I can kill 10 mins that way... Goes to his voice mail and I curse loud enough to have a few heads turn!

Go inside and am pleasantly surprised to see a variation in the crowd.. A few elegantly dressed ladies.. Quite headturners too I must say.. One was a wife of somebody and one was a girl friend I gathered, both in slinky sarees and strappy blouses.. Smiled to myself.. At least something interesting.. By then I am down half my drink and with lowered inhibitions, started walking up to groups of people and introducing myself..

I think it was a brilliant move except that i kept getting these remarks like - 'Do you work with us ? You look too young ? Is that what you do ? Wow, you look really young for your role! Are you here with somebody?'

I mean, what is it with people an perceptions ! Arrgghh,
But of course with a 2nd drink in my hand, I was able to ignore the comments or even retort cheekily to some :)

After about an hour or so I think i was mingling well with the crowd and had become an expert at polite conversations with the people depending on who they were, weather it was coddling an infant a lady had, weather it was the stock/share value, whether it was about new hindi movies, whether it was about the party places in and around.. I think it was a good experience and by the end of the evening I guess I was less apprehensive about fitting in..

I think fitting in is an overrated thing. Why do we hafta fit in, you don't have to really. That would actually mean you are trying to be somebody you are not, I could never be that gushing newly wed, the coddling mum, the preoccupied with my babies lady, the smart ballbreaker lady who was networking like it was part of breathing, the strappy blouse babe with champagne in one hand and flirting with the other hand, the I don't know what I am doing here in this corner variety. But I can, I swear I can walk up to each one of these people and talk their language. I did :)

Pearls of widom

Marry a guy who makes you laugh. Just that, should be the clinching factor for any relationship.

It doesn't matter if he doesn't sweep you off your feet, doesn't matter if your friends don't like him, doesn't matter if he can't whisper poetry or quote kafka. But if he can make you laugh or smile thru moments riddled with uncertainties and tension, moments when you just don't know what to do or how, you have a winner right there!

Thought for the day

You know you are truly missed when:

"You call a friend, get her voice mail instead and then when she gets it, she wonders o damn I missed the call and not o damn I wonder why she called"