Day 62: Best Friends Forever

day 62: describe your best friend completely


I am lucky enough to have a handful of best friends. Touch wood!
I'll describe my oldest friend from school here. 
She's Gharwali. So she looks like something straight out of a Barbara Cartland book. Fair, slim, golden brown silky hair. Cheeks that go pink in the sun and when she blushes. Very sensible, down-to-earth and homely. Fairly great cook. She is an ace student and a doctor. Extremely sweet natured and beautiful with a heart of gold. 
She likes reading and talking and helping people. She rarely uses makeup. She is one of  those lucky blessed few. She is such a nice person that I sometimes ask her to twirl around and inspect for a halo. Yes, she is that good. 
She has a good sense of humor, empathizes with people and is very perceptive.


I am glad she is one of my best friends.

Day 61: Prized Possessions

day 61: one of your most prized possessions


Has to be my phone. I've had these smart phones since the last year of my engineering degree and I've been hooked to them. From the first slim Bleu model to my current iPhone, I just love them because of their multiple uses and looks and entertainment factor.
Her's a list of all the things I rely on my phone for:

1. Making calls. Basic role.
2. Messages. Connecting with friends and family needs constant messages. I admit it is a little infrequent, here, in the US. But I consider that to be one of the best things about Indian Mobile Plans. I actually used to pay a scant 34 rupees for unlimited free National messaging facility. That so rocks. Keeping in touch was so simple and CHEAP! :)
3. Internet Surfing. Facebook. Mails. News- obviously the Gossipy and trashy kind. All this on Mobiles. Now I have added WordPress and Blogging to the growing list. Awesome. 
4. Photos. With phones becoming tinier and MP of phone cameras becoming greater, it is a perfect tool to capture life's many happy moments. Just flip open and shoot. So simple. If only discovering my phone in my stuffed handbags were so easy.... Sigh!
5. Music. Radio. The one thing that iPhone does not have is radio. Or radio Recording. I love Music and think it's the perfect remedy for long drives, low moods and boredom.
6. Alarms. Waking up is a little hard for me. So alarms are so useful. And God bless whoever invented the Snooze button.
7. Reminders and Lists. I am an inveterate List-Maker. Case in point. This Post! Phones are so perfect to keep all your lists organized and stashed away in one place. Ditto for Reminders. No need to tax my poor, overworked brain. Just add reminders and leave the rest to this highly evolved descendant of Bard's original invention.
8. Games. Snakes, Sudoku, Brain Challenge, Scrabble, Diamond Dash, FruitNinja. All are a blast. 
9. Navigation. For a geographically challenged girl like me, this is a VERY IMPORTANT aid.
10. Fake calls and Decoy Messages. Best use of a phone, really. Imagine seeing Ms.Gossip Girl or Mr.Know-it-All and racking your brains to find the perfect getaway excuse. Simple. Your phone. Pretend you are taking an important call or just have received an urgent message that prevents you from enjoying the joyous occasions 

Day 60: YouTube Best Video

day 60: a youtube video you absolutely love and describe why

I find his comedy very very funny and hilarious and worth sharing. Watch and you will realize what I'm talking about.

Please do see his other acts as well.

Day 59: I Share Secrets With

day 59: one person you can tell everything to


The one person I can tell everything to is:
MOM!
Obviously! Friend, confidante, guide and my source of inspiration.


Love you Mummy!

Day 50: Why this challenge

day 50: why you are doing this challenge


I am doing this challenge:
To make sense of my many thoughts
To have the satisfaction of completing a task
To keep writing everyday on this blog and thus, get the thrill of having consistently slogged at a task
To hone my writing skills
Because I am opinionated
Because I believe that I can speak just about anything

Day 58: Travel

day 58: places you want to visit, and why


I would like to visit Kanniyakumari. I really want to see the confluence of the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.


I want to see Calcutta and Durgapur- the place where my parents started their married life. Kolkata is also the only metro I've never been to.


Kodaikanal, Ooty and Coorg are on my list for their natural beauty.


Of the options abroad- (though I am living in Chicago right now), Venice and Paris with the taller half would top my list.

Day 57: Happiness is...

day 57: what is your definition of happiness


Happiness is :
a loving family
welcoming home
being curled up in a couch with a good book
the joy of a task well done
winning a prize
making a person laugh
cooing at a baby
singing along with your favorite artists
chuckling over a funny cartoon
being complimented
the comfort of knowing that people care
a warm hug
having loyal friends 
seeing your favorite people succeed
the simple wonder of watching the sun rise and set
the first plane trip
a vacation abroad
trying on an old attire and seeing it still fits
rooting for your favorites


Any more ideas?

Day 56: Childhood Days

day 56: something you did as a child that other people remember you for


As a kid, I loved writing poems. I was a mooning sort of a child who had a passion for scribbling verses at all times. In fact, my favorite book at that time was my Mom's Collector's Edition of Poems. 


I was a moody kid most of the times, sulky and mournful. and only writing poems seemed to keep me quiet and happy. I don't know how it began but I'd forever hang out with a notepad and a pencil scribbling various random thoughts in rhyming lines. My mother encouraged me to keep it up and would keep buying notebooks to give a harmless outlet to my bursts of energy. 


Looking back, I can see how skillfully my mother channelized my habit into a wonderful habit of reading and learning. Rhyming schemes, figures of speech, sonnets, little by little she introduced these concepts as tips to improve my poems. Just a word or two to pique my interest. She knew I'd hound her till I got enough information to quench my curiosity. I have to thank her for showing me patience all those years back and for giving me the gift of learning and appreciating great works in verse.


But yes, as a specific answer to today's question, poetry is something people remember me for.

day 55: a passage from a book that has touched you


I love books to much to answer this with a single answer. So, I'll just link it to a really poignant story of hope amidst everyday troubles.
The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus

Day 53: Daily Log

day 53: your day, in great detail


The day began with an empty bed and a husband up unusually early. Then it struck me - cricket. Matches at unearthly hours  rob him of his sleep. 


Since, we were to go shopping at noon for some appliances, my plan of preparing Chole was scrapped. I rustled up some  rice, dal and plantain chips to go with the katrika-pachadi I had prepared the night before. Our trip was cancelled eventually due to heavy rains and we went grocery shopping instead at our international farmers market.


My cooking duties were cut, freeing the morning hours. The better half was still glued to the laptop, keenly following every move of IPL. So, I decided. Time to covet the Bose speaker. I listened to Bollywood beats while merrily ironing our laundered mounds.


Noon came with downpours and a lazy lunch. I started on my favorite pastime, reading and warned the other half that disruptions would be severely dealt with. Since the Auto show was on, I knew I could be as impertinent as I wished.


Evening saw Hubbyji help his friend get furniture and crockery from an acquaintance's garage sale. In the meanwhile, I ran the dishwasher while studying some Java books. Hubbyji hogs them while he is about, so I wanted to savour every minute alone. :) Oh, I baked a delicious banana-walnut bread and boxed it in a handy dabba well.


A few hours later, I was seated in the aforementioned friend's place, sipping chai and masala pori. A long talkathon later, we hit the stores for a week's supplies of salads, veggies and cleaning aids. Dinner was at an Indian restaurant. The appetizers were so-so but the main course was sumptous. The naans were soft, fluffy and delicious as were the spicy malai-koftas and aromatic vegetable biryani.


Singing to the tunes of Alaipayuthey and Love Aaj Kal, we drove back home and slipped into sandman's land.

Day 52: Inspiration

day 52: what is the most inspirational thing you’ve ever heard


Inspirational words:
B.E. the change you wish to see in the world! 
Awesome because I am a B.E. graduate! This was our college Tshirt slogan :) 


A glass of water or success, you need to get up and get it.


Age considers, youth ventures. 
Absolutely true and totally cool.


For more inspiring thoughts, read Quotes page at my Wordpress blog here.

Day 54: Love Is...

day 54: your definition of love


Love has many definitions. It means unconditional love. It means caring for a person despite their flaws. It means trust and loyalty.


The best expressions of love are caricatured in one of my favorite Comic strips : Love Is..
Click on the link Love Is... to see some heart warming and yet, profound definitions.

Day 51: Wedding Bells

day 51: describe your future wedding
Hmm... In case people are wondering what on earth happened to Days 35 to 50. Well, I've fast forwarded my blog. Ha ha ha.
Well, jokes apart, I'm now on Day 51 but thanks to some bad mismanagement and joyfully hectic weekends, I'm lagging behind in my posts. But for now, I've decided to write for the correct day and fill in the missing ones later. As usual, I'll have to keep posts ready for the weekend but that can be done and will be. I feel another wave of enthu coming all over me and this time I am determined to see it through the end.

Coming back to the topic. I'm already enjoying wedded life, so I'll write about my own happy wedding to the Man who looks and behaves like an MB Hero. Oh joy!
First let me add a pic of the two of us in the main function to get things started.

As you might have guessed, that is not us! But minus the blue eyes and nose ring on the bride, that is exactly what we looked like. And obviously ours was a proper TamBram wedding complete with the exhausting two days of functions and rituals. Two days sounds fun when you are merely attending weddings and have nothing to do but swank around, smile and make polite small talk, eagerly strike poses for photos, elicit gossip and enjoy sumptuous meals. Not so when you are the bride!

Now imagine being draped in an unfamiliar nine yard saree, garlanded till your shoulders and neck are hidden, lots of jewellery biting into an already sweaty and on the verge of being makeup-smudged body, tears swimming not because you will miss everyone but because the agnikund is merrily blowing smoke and you are wearing heavy eye makeup instead of spectacles. I am sure your heart goes out to me.

Well, well, well. The thing is I enjoyed it. All the jewellery and fine clothes were making me look good. The tears veiled my impishness and for once, I looked every bit the traditional nari instead of the worse half of the Terrible Twins. The garlands and sandalwood and haldi prevented any BO (big no no on the Wedding Day). The makeup bit was closely watched by various sisters. Feminine attire and hairdos being such a complicated thing and the bridal heart being so fragile, frequent and strategic dabs and pats by sisters escape unnoticed. I had denounced my spectacles for those two days. (I love my scholastic style but it really jars with the cute navvari kanjivaram look. ) This proved very much to be a blessing in disguise. I am short sighted, so was able to smile magnanimously at everybody not on the dais and a little more intelligently at the really important people on stage. Besides, it helped that I was not able to see the hordes of waiting relatives who would keep me on my feet with a frozen smile in front blistering arc lights.

The wedding in its entirety was awesome. I love attention and being the bride, I enjoyed being the focus of every one's eyes. Plus, new clothes and a super efficient makeup staff and an extremely patient Mom (I love you Mummy) made those days breeze by. With lots of delicious juices being handed discreetly to the bride and groom thanks to sensible uncles from both sides and soothing parents, the festivities continued without any fainting or exertion which I was seriously predicting after watching many movies and live functions. (Just why can't the bride eat? I won't burst from my couture dresses in one meal!) And to top it all, I could finally glance at the Hubby to be who was till now only allowed to make phone calls. Geographical distances of 8K miles ensured that no meetings over coffee, ice creams  occurred. (We only met LIVE during the engagement. Yep, in this age!)

Anyway, that is the gist of my wedding. A typical Indian wedding, lots of gaana bajana, mantras and pheras, countless relatives, innumerable photos, lots of beaming friends and tearful family. Perfect!