Pfff Goes 365 Day Challenge! On defeat and Salvaging...

Hmm... there sure should not be anything more to write after that rather revealing headline.

Yup. My 365 day challenge which I began in Feb has gone bust.

For someone who is fiercely opinionated, voraciously vocal and fond of writing; this is terribly deflating. But yes, I find that I have not found the inspiration to write everyday. And definitely on the topics I had outlined.

I feel so ridiculous about this but perhaps a part of me knew. I'm no good at keeping resolutions since I suffer from the classic case of biting off more than I can chew.

But nevertheless, I shall aim for quality over quantity [sorry excuse, I know- but best I can some up with at short notice] and write only when I have something worthwhile to write.

Thankfully the Books I Read and A-Z project is coming along fine. Those are my pending posts that will soon be posted too but at least I'm on top of my reading list.

Just to feel happier and salvage a bruised ego, let me state that I've also been hitting the gym since last week and am on my way to get rid of the love handles that were starting to raise their ugly head. Love is awesome. Sure. But love handles- no way. Not when I've not even celebrated the first anniversary and his birthday looming close by. I certailnly want to look good for that.

Before I ramble further, it's time to sign off with the hope of more frequent posts. Ciao.

Mysterious Affair at Styles

Just read Mysterious Affair at Styles

Oh, it was fabulous. Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings under one roof, a murder,  lots of suspects and clues and a happy ending. What more can one ask for?

I've read the last Hercule Poirot case which also is set in Styles and was just as amazing. Ever since then, I really wanted to read this. So, I'm happy that I've finally checked it off my list.

Agatha Christie never disappoints and hence, this too is a must-read.

Valentine Week - Mom

It's Valentines week. So, I am going to post about my favourite Valentines and why I love them so much.

God can't be everywhere. That's why he made Mothers!
Whoever said this was absolutely right. And that is why my first Valentine Post just has to be on Mom.

Contrary to popular ads and television productions, motherhood is no cakewalk. With twins, the troubles are doubly worse. And since one of the aforementioned bratty twins was me, I am sure my mother must have cringed many a times. But my Mom still regards motherhood as the best thing that happened to her. Am I lucky or what?

My Mom has a terrific elephantine memory. But when it comes to my errant behaviour, it's like she has amnesia. Like all mothers, she doesn't remember the late nights, the shrieking, squirming, pooping baby I was or the stubborn toddler who ran amok destroying things that I grew into. She only fondly remembers me as a studious teenager when actually I was moody, sulky and quite fussy. My good grades were probably the only saving grace. College saw me as a girl trying to get organized, become feminist, hate makeup, love accessorizing, and turn into an irritating and an excessively particular shopper. But mother dear always regarded it as growing into my character. She recalls only my degree, the scholarships, the job offers, the neat looks, and what she terms my classy taste.

I love the fact that she always is there for me. Even with a heavy workload, an aged mother in law and possessive husband, long commuting hours, time difference [ we are twelve hours apart] she still has the time and energy to talk to me and sound jubilant on hearing my voice. I adore that she can bear my lengthy monologues and yet, soothe me with a 'Oh, I've been keeping you with all my talk. You get on with your work. ' when I need to disconnect to get back to whatever I've been tinkering on. I wish I could replicate the happy tones of her 'Call me later when you are free.' when I know that she waits for her baby's call for a whole week and would love to chat for more than a scant few minutes.
Oh, I do love this woman.

What else makes her so special?
Unconditional love for starters.
The fact that she still is like a mother tigress around her cubs with me. Even though I've grown up into a big, strapping girl.
The way she fusses about my health, emotional well being, dressing and grooming.
I adore how she ends up being right all the time but never once pinpoints the fact.
How she never says I Told You So.
How she is always well dressed even after a ten hour work day and can sport a smile, soothe a fear and pat a frown away.
And her yummy home cooked, served-with-love food. Oh my God!
Her budgeting skills and bargaining tactics I find are as awesome as her diplomacy.
I envy the way she can see hidden talents and tweeze them out; how she instills confidence and boosts esteem in everyone she meets. [She works as the Principal of a college.]

But what I hold dearest is that optimism, that infectious joy for life. Mommy dearest, if I could inculcate one lesson from her- it would be the knack of facing life with a smile and a broad grin. Even life can't help but melt at such an attitude.

Happy Valentine's Day Mummy!

Leo Woman

I do believe sort of in zodiac signs though not in the concept of lucky charms and trinkets. I wondered on what to write about zodiac signs since I am not fanatic about astrology. Then I had a brainwave, why not compare myself to my zodiac avatar.
And here we have, me in my zodiac version.

Leo Woman Characteristics:


Aims to be cynosure of all eyes- Definitely

Versatile - Yup

Takes the initiative to help those in need - True, I am always in dire needs and I certainly help myself.

Strongwilled- yes, a hereditary trait

Likes lavish living- Oh no! I am thrifty and economical. I love hoarding and hate throwing things away. Ad I always think twice, thrice when making purchases.

Show off- Well, maybe a little.

Thrive on constant attention- And maybe, that too.

Like to spend time occasionally and recharge themselves- I second that.

Creative- Sure

Generous- Not at all. I already said I like to hoard and help myself.

Faithful and Loving- Am I not always?

Bossy and interfering- Can't help it. Planetary influence. :P

Patronizing and pompous- Perhaps, pompous is a litte strong but I do dispense advice freely. I am a little motherly.

Idealistic- Known to be so

Likes children- Correction, Love them.

Likes drama- Absolutely

Dislikes doing things Safely- So not true. I am a most cautious person.

The Plunge

It was a sheer drop. My heart was beating as hard as drum rolls at a college party. I had seen 7 others go before me and knew that it would be over in 10 seconds. I also knew that I would be pushed off without mercy in the next minute if not less. I chanced a pleading look behind. My husband nodded in the negative. He was next in line but sporting a grin.  Oh, that man can look calm even if faced with a cage of lions gone hungry for a year, I angrily mused. 

I was staring unblinking at the bottom. It seemed to be plunging deeper by the second. I  should have looked at the other end, where beaming faces would have encouraged me. But no, like a deer about to be swallowed whole that cannot but help but continue looking mesmerized into an anaconda's hypnotic eyes, I fixed my gaze on the ground. 

"How do you want to go?" jovially asked the man about to shove me off that tiny ledge. "I just want to reach the other end." , I squeaked. Without so much as reply, he did what I had been dreading for the last ten agonizing minutes- pushed me off. I shut my eyes and tried to ignore the blood roaring in my ears and fear racing through my ears.

I sneaked a peek to see trees whizzing by, and dizziness creeping fast on me. I had lost sight of both ends to my increasing panic. I opened my mouth. To this day, I don't know if it was to breathe or scream. But before I could act on any wild impuses, I heard a jubilant voice, "You're here!" I saw seven beaming faces I had last seen on that tiny ledge. Before I had even calmed my thundering heart, my husband jumped into my vision. 

"You did it!" He congratulated me. Oh yes! I had done it. I had actually ziplined from one tree to another. As in many situations in life, I had dreaded the plunge, battled the fear of unknown and failure, built up plenty of excuses, and almost chickened out at the last minute. But after actually doing it, I realized that it was no big deal and I could actually do it again. With a smile, a braver me waited my turn. This time, when asked "How do you want to go?", I answered with a grin, "Surprise Me!" And I laughed all the way.

*Ziplining: A zip-line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline. It is designed to enable a user propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bottom of the inclined cable, usually made of stainless steel, by holding on or attaching to the freely moving pulley. Zip-lines come in many forms, most often used as a means of entertainment.

On Zorro and More

Well, I am totally running out of ideas on what to write about in Z.
I tried to think of famous people from Z. Only Facebook creator came to mind. But what do I write about him. So, dismissed it right away. Next word that sprung to my mind is Zorro. So, this piece is all that I can ramble on Zorro.

I loved the comics on Zorro. It was inspiring and funny and similar to the movies I liked to watch. And since it contained words in Spanish, I liked it even more. At this point I have to point out that I was only seven years old then.

Zorro comics were that part of my childhood when I could not decide which I liked better- novels or comics. The reader in me loved poring over fat books and the satisfaction of finishing a heavy book cover to cover. But the kid in me loved the adorable comics and not just for discussing with my friends. Champak, Chandamama, Gokulam, Mandrake, Phantom, Batman, and of course, Zorro are all inseparable parts of that period in my life.

Years later I saw the movie- Zorro. I loved Anthony Hopkins, the way he narrates his child his adventurous story; the dramatic gesture where a feeble looking man opens his eyes to reveal the power and vengeance that is nursed by the older but not less dangerous Sir Hopkins. And then came Antonio Banderas tumbling into the movie. I liked the plot but wished all along that the bit about AH was not shown. It somehow overshadowed all the later performances. The second one I felt was even worse and I wondered why I even bothered. Even today, I watch this movie only for the first 15 minutes where AH appears.

And yes, one more thing I liked in the movies were the babies. Nice, fat, squalling babies. Adorably sweet, blanket covered, berry eyed babies. Like Charlei Chaplin rightly mentioned, babies and dogs make the best actors in cinema. Ok, it was pantomime and not cinema that he uttered; but I am sure I can help myself to a few artistic liberties here.

Anyway, enough of reminiscing about Zorro and comics and fat babies. But next time, the movie comes up, do watch out for the stellar first 15 minutes.

More on Z

What do I write about with Z? Stuff I like beginning with Z? Sounds like an idea. Here goes:

• Zesty Italian dressing- Spices up any salad. Even Hubby dear likes it.

• Ziploc dabbas- The equivalent of Tupperware or Rubbermaid [as we get here]. Food in a Ziploc dabba sealed in a Ziploc plastic cover- Tamper proof. I can now pack Dals and MolagaPodi and just about any liquid without a worry for expensive laptops that are carried with the precarious and precious lunchboxes.

• Zoom Jeans - possibly few about to be extinct brands that still manufacture High waist, Bell bottom Jeans.

• Ziplining- okay, so I do not like it. Whizzing past trees like Tarzan was not my idea of fun; but the experience was awesome. And after the getting past the first post, I realized that they are not fatal in any way. While I still do not care to repeat the experience, it did give greater confidence to tackle whatever life throws my way.

• Zara Zara- song from RHTDM. The movie was bakwaas but the song was definitely jhakaas. :) 

• Zor Ka Jhatka- song from Action Replayy- Daler Mehendi is splendid and bouyant as ever.

• Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara- A movie I want to watch since everyone told me it is great.

• Zuckerberg, Mark - Facebook is useful for keeping in touch with friends. Geographical distances have lessened and networking has become better thanks to it. While real conversations and interactions have no match, these tools are good substitutes.

• Z- the cute way in which Americans say Zee for the letter Z

• Zay- the typical way in which native Maharashtrians pronounce the latter J. Especially in Engineering lectures where this was a commonly used variable.

• Zh- that frightfully twisting letter in Tamil that I have yet not been able to master. It's sweet because it is still eluding me. :)

[For those not in the know, Bakwaas= nonsense; Jhakaas= awesome] 

Zzz... TV turns sleeping pill

It's a cold, shadowy morning today. It's about noon but the weather might well be screaming evening. If it were back home in Mumbai, I'd be waiting eagerly for the sweet fragrance of wet earth to fill my soul.

But no, grey and gloomy with scanty rain; no wet mud, no puddles in which to stomp or watch kids sail paper boats. And all this exercising is making me feel lethargic and drowsy and crabby.

In an attempt to dispel my sad feelings, I decided to turn to Baird's invention. But my options seem more despairing. I can watch reports on all the scandals or hear people emotionally screeching in a deluded pretense of debating over the same issues or subject myself to the family politics with diabolical twists that would make the Mafia look tame. Switch to movies and I am subject to silly chits swooning over sillier blokes and expecting me to find it cutesy. Please, I have a handsome hunk of my own. And he comes complete with a wicked sense of humour, an amazing smile, oodles of intelligence and awesome culinary skills. so, beat it.

The same goes for the countless shows where people sing, dance, cook, joke - mostly badly and expect me to laud them and vote for them. When I got the right to vote, I wanted it to be for shaping my country, not some random emotional blackmailer.

I surfed onto the VOD segment and thanked the Service Provider of allowing me some choice in decent programmes- namely comic scenes from movies. Oh dear, even this seems cool nowadays. Is this what television is coming to? I settled comfortably only to be bombarded by a volley of advertisements. Grow fairer, fitter, richer. Color your face, hair, house. I watched as some ads irritated, some confused, some just   agonised, a few good ones whizzed, and finally they all blurred away. I snored away.

And I thought textbooks put one to sleep... Zzzzz....

Z and more- Zoozoos

Z is for zebra could soon give way to z for Zoozoos. Created by O&M for Vodafone, these cute alien-like creatures have outranked even the cute Pug that was the lucky mascot previously for this brand.

You get T-shirts and other memorabilia too nowadays. They are so adorable. My twin even won a T-shirt for Vodafone's short story contest. It was cute. 

Here are some sweet zoo zoo pics.

Picture Courtesy via various Google and Vodafone links.

Hollywood and Bollywood Leos

I just Googled actors who are Leos:
Names I gleaned are:
Patrick Swayze
Hayden Panettiere
Matthew Perry
Christian Slater
Antonio Banderas (now we are getting somewhere)
Arnold Shwarzenegger (cool)
Ben Affleck (at least he is famous)
Charlize Theron (good)
Dustin Hoffman (how Fab!)
Halle Berry (great)
Jennifer Lopez (beats BA listed above)
Lisa Kudrow (loved her in Friends)
Madonna
Robert De Niro
Robert Redford
Wesley Snipes

I was getting bit discouraged by the beginning of the list I'd seen. No offense meant. I'm sure the others are equally famous. But, the latter part of the list left me really happy. I share my sun-sign with these amazing people. How grand!

I also Googled Bollywood for the same and here is what I came up with:
Kajol
Rakhi
Saif Ali Khan
Sanjay Dutt
Vyjayantimala
Genelia D'souza

Interesting, no?

Zodiac and More

What do the zodiac signs mean to me? Here are five top thoughts on the zodiac.
First, I am not a true believer in zodiac and astrology. My take on all this can be explained by the adage I follow: If it is good or and flattering, sure it is true. If not, it's just superstition. Sour grapes? Nope. I like to take in anything that is hopeful, inspiring and positive. Negativity and things that will bog me down are a strict no-no.

Second, I accept the zodiac and the corresponding traits as a useful classification of people. Like I am a Leo- possessive, attention seeking but dynamic and generous. Daddy is Libran, typically organized and analytical. Cuz is Virgo- perceptive yet sometimes, secretive. Friend is Pisces- arty, ambitious and dabbles in scores of stuff. And so on and so forth.

Thirdly, it helps in networking. Birthdays are an important tool in expanding our circles. It is flattering to remembered on birthdays. And how better to ask chance acquaintances without sounding creepy. Sun signs help you do just that in the absence of Facebook and Skype where you receive notifications of random people you barely know.

Sun signs are also great ice breakers. Picture this- You casually enquire about a person's sun signs. Now this is not too personal or even useful info, so the person responds. And lo, you are off to a conversation. From superstitions to flattery to your own sun-sign and then an elevator pitch; the possibilities are endless.

Next, sunsigns to me also represent the irrevocable fact that just because I do not understand the logic behind something, does not mean that I dismiss it as superstition or orthodox beliefs. All this is so ancient that perhaps, we have forgotten the science or reason behind it. But so what, it does not hurt and it's fun.

Hubbyji explained via the Zodiac

Hubbyji is Aries the Ram. Sriram. I kind of like this phrase.
Anyway, coming back to the point without much dithering [which itself is straying from the topic. Here, I go again!]

Ok. Typical Aries traits:

Adventurous - 

Affirmative

Energetic - 

Check 

Pioneering - 

Tick mark

Courageous - Definitely

Enthusiastic - Always

Confident - True

Dynamic  - Yes to this

Quick-witted - Guilty as charged

Hmm. Hubbyji possesses all these qualities especially the last much to my delight and sometimes, despair.

No dirt? While I love my handsome Adonis, my writing is no fun without a bit of gossip and slander. So, I decided to check if the negative qualities matched.

Quick tempered - Guilty

Selfish - Quite the opposite

Impulsive - Somtimes. Though spontaneous would fit better.

Impatient - Without doubt

Foolhardy - Absolutely not

Daredevil - Not at all


Hmm. This piece was supposed to be a sweet and spicy article on Hubby dearest in terms of zodiac traits. But it's turning out more saccharine by the minute [Less than a year of married life automatically hooks on rose coloured glasses] which is my cue to end the article. So long then.
Growl. [Translated as Bubye from this Leo]

Family Zodiac Trivia

Here are some trivia on me, my family based on our zodiac signs.

I am a Leo but am a Bheegi Billi with Hubbyji.
Being a Leo is my excuse for being catty!
Hubbyji's zodiac is akin to his name. He is Aries The Ram. His name is Sriram. {Hey, this has a nice sing-song feel to it like 'Bond, James Bond'! Cool!]
I was looking up star signs and traits for Leo woman when I saw that Leo has highest compatibility with Aries man. How I agree! ;)
My Mom is super-Cancerian. Her parents are both Cancerians. She is typical of those born under this star.
Mom's zodiac symbol is crab but she never cribs, never cramps anyone else and can never harm anyone. Oh yes, she is a saint. My antics taught her patience. :P
Daddy is typically Libran- organized and super-efficient. The balance totally rules his world os accounting and management.

That's a lot of silly trivia for now....