i've been blogging a whole week!! that's a first for this blog...or any other blog that i write! the more i come here, the more comfortable i feel... i was totally step motherly with this one...and just slightly better with the other.
its friday evening...i've had a pretty nice day at work and so some of the irritation from yesterday has worn off. am waiting for k to come home from work....and while he's still not here, i've done all the girly stuff.... dim lights around the house (he likes the tubelights on!!), music and scented candles on the balcony from where i am writing this...
its going to be a great weekend... i just know...whether we go out or stay in, i just know it will be nice and relaxing and wonderful... i hope you have a good weekend too. Cheers!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
an evening out
A and i went out for a drink last evening. We'd been planning it for atleast 5 weeks now and each time, something or the other came up to spoil our plans. i got home a little early yesterday. My arm is playing up and i wanted to catch a nap. i sometimes just want to dissolve from reality. not confront anything, not solve anything and just hide for a while.... sometimes i feel like that.... hibernating...especially when i have PMS or something.....at other times i would have just given in and continued to sleep.
so we went to this club which has three divisions (yeah!!) the main club was closed for a private party (i think they just made it up because it was a weeknight and it would not be profitable to keep it open for just a handful of people...), there was a sky bar which had a jam session being set up and the third part was a jazz bar. this had a lovely view of the busy street from the bar stools. and perched up on the 7th floor it looked fantastic. an added bonus fairy light effect was made by the incessant rain.
i wanted to sit with my feet up and so we chose a sofa, ordered for our drinks and got chatting. A was just back from a holiday in sri lanka and was making me most jealous with all her tales. she met an old friend who introduced us to two women, who then joined us. after a while another lady was introduced to us and joined the group. I must say, its been a while since i have last spent any time or had any conversation with complete strangers. the whole thing, far from being boring or obligatory was so refreshing and interesting. Two of the women were not indian. so it was obviously interspersed with their experiences here, their views on the workplace, generally living in hyderabad etc.
no prejudices, likes or dislikes, preconceived notions, nothing. just plain talking, drinking, giggling and having a good time! i want more of this!!
so we went to this club which has three divisions (yeah!!) the main club was closed for a private party (i think they just made it up because it was a weeknight and it would not be profitable to keep it open for just a handful of people...), there was a sky bar which had a jam session being set up and the third part was a jazz bar. this had a lovely view of the busy street from the bar stools. and perched up on the 7th floor it looked fantastic. an added bonus fairy light effect was made by the incessant rain.
i wanted to sit with my feet up and so we chose a sofa, ordered for our drinks and got chatting. A was just back from a holiday in sri lanka and was making me most jealous with all her tales. she met an old friend who introduced us to two women, who then joined us. after a while another lady was introduced to us and joined the group. I must say, its been a while since i have last spent any time or had any conversation with complete strangers. the whole thing, far from being boring or obligatory was so refreshing and interesting. Two of the women were not indian. so it was obviously interspersed with their experiences here, their views on the workplace, generally living in hyderabad etc.
no prejudices, likes or dislikes, preconceived notions, nothing. just plain talking, drinking, giggling and having a good time! i want more of this!!
Monday, August 24, 2009
playing make believe
k is watching The Deer Hunter with a friend. i can hear the dialogues and everything else and am blocking out the visuals. i have already read the synopsis on wikipedia and i dont want to watch this gut wrenching tragedy. much as i hate to say it....i love to pretend that wars don't happen. that people around the world are and free from all kinds of persecution. that living an ordinary life is all about not having to fight for the right to live. that we dont have to encounter maiming, mentally, physically or otherwise. So i sit here and listen and not watch. because the visuals are far more disturbing than the audio....and i can still play make believe....
Sunday, August 23, 2009
handling house help
i know it must sound so bleh for me to go on and on about my domestic woes.... but what can i say? they seem to consume me! each morning when i encounter one or the other maid, the questions begin. Don't you just hate it when the first thing you are asked in your sleep filled stupor is to detail the tasks for the day or the menu plan? i wonder how K put up with my constant questioning for now close to 6 yrs. Is this Karma? While one has been with me for more than 2 yrs now, she still feels the need to ask me inane things. sometimes i wonder if it is more to show off to the cook that she's the woman about the house and has her finger in every pie of this house? the more i think of it, the more i am convinced that's the only reason for the sudden clarifications in the morning.
the cook just kills me with one question unfailingly every morning...."what shall i make?".... why cant she remember all the things that she has made so far and repeat? i have now told her that everytime she asks me what to make, i will cut 20 bucks from her pay. She giggles....and repeats....i think it is time to cut pay.
Even tho i am writing a blog post this morning about this, as Amma hustles and bustles getting ready for her flight back to bangalore, i fully acknowledge that these are the women who set me free. they run my home, do the chores, handle my kitchen and allow me to blog on the mornings before i set out to do anything else. they've also taught me important lessons. my first experience at becoming a better manager has been taught by the ones i employ. They've shown me first hand how praise and encouragement works. they've shown me how my mood affects others. they've taught me to delegate, to train, to manage conflicts, to trust and more importantly to let go. the last part has been very difficult. tho i didnt have too much of a choice but to get a cook. I wondered how i could accept something that was such a big part of my life. i wonder sometimes if it is some one else's life I am living . From being totally untrusting of people to do things the way i want them to be done, to now being able to extract the results i want, i think this education has been priceless.
like all other relationships, trust works the best. So does acknowledging and acting on your gut feel. i have never been happy with someone who gave off uncomfortable vibes. praise and motivation works. So does the fact that they are spoken to in a calm and even tone., even the most demanding of works gets done. Screaming has never paid dividends to anyone. giving them fresh food is a plus. While most maids welcome leftovers to take back home, they really are delighted when they can eat the same breakfast as we do. While Maslow's theory of the Hierarchy of needs is something that has proved itself again and again, most of us look for the same things in an employer. Stability, value and a peaceful work environment. Give them something to brag about in their basti, and you will have no "bai" problems. its easier to deal with the question of the day rather than spend precious time doing chores when you could rather be chasing your dreams....
the cook just kills me with one question unfailingly every morning...."what shall i make?".... why cant she remember all the things that she has made so far and repeat? i have now told her that everytime she asks me what to make, i will cut 20 bucks from her pay. She giggles....and repeats....i think it is time to cut pay.
Even tho i am writing a blog post this morning about this, as Amma hustles and bustles getting ready for her flight back to bangalore, i fully acknowledge that these are the women who set me free. they run my home, do the chores, handle my kitchen and allow me to blog on the mornings before i set out to do anything else. they've also taught me important lessons. my first experience at becoming a better manager has been taught by the ones i employ. They've shown me first hand how praise and encouragement works. they've shown me how my mood affects others. they've taught me to delegate, to train, to manage conflicts, to trust and more importantly to let go. the last part has been very difficult. tho i didnt have too much of a choice but to get a cook. I wondered how i could accept something that was such a big part of my life. i wonder sometimes if it is some one else's life I am living . From being totally untrusting of people to do things the way i want them to be done, to now being able to extract the results i want, i think this education has been priceless.
like all other relationships, trust works the best. So does acknowledging and acting on your gut feel. i have never been happy with someone who gave off uncomfortable vibes. praise and motivation works. So does the fact that they are spoken to in a calm and even tone., even the most demanding of works gets done. Screaming has never paid dividends to anyone. giving them fresh food is a plus. While most maids welcome leftovers to take back home, they really are delighted when they can eat the same breakfast as we do. While Maslow's theory of the Hierarchy of needs is something that has proved itself again and again, most of us look for the same things in an employer. Stability, value and a peaceful work environment. Give them something to brag about in their basti, and you will have no "bai" problems. its easier to deal with the question of the day rather than spend precious time doing chores when you could rather be chasing your dreams....
Saturday, August 22, 2009
i went shopping
i've had a wonderfully tiring day in a long while.... not since my himalayan trek have i felt this way!! Amma leaves on a jet plane tomorrow. back to the arms of her grand daughter. after feeling very guilty that i havent been able to take her shopping as we always do, we set out this afternoon.... by the time K and i moved our lazy asses from home it was noon!!
First stop was the GVK One mall in banjara hills. it is huge no doubt, but somehow lacks the persona i'd have expected from a building of this magnitude....on a weekend, was crowded and we had the most obnoxious bunch of rowdy teens for company in the lift which went up and down a few times before we could get off on the right floor. We headed straight to the Triumph store who were having an upto 70% sale. funny, what you really want to buy will never be on sale! anyways, i managed to find something i really liked and then we headed to Shopper's Stop...picked up a few gifts for my niece. Headed over to City Centre Mall where i wanted to have "good" chinese food so we headed to aromas of china. i really get pissed with unruly and ill behaved kids in public places. and cant for the life of me understand why parents stand around without correcting their behaviour. its almost a style statement now to have a bratty ill tempered child in tow (and hey, the excuse of "where else will they leave them" doesnt apply. Leave them at home...and you stay with them too). since all that fab food around me was calming my nerves, i managed to have lunch without losing my temper. the servings are really large and so we have dinner also packed and ready!!
once fed and full filled, we headed to the wellspun showroom downstairs that had a sale and i picked up some much needed fluffy bath towels at a throwaway price. K wanted to make the customary stop at crosswords, but once we reached there he got claustrophobic with the crowds and wanted to leave. i stayed in a line forever to get the book and cd i picked up for rachel billed. the next part was the envisioned nightmare! driving into ameerpet,, to get some cartoon / animal printed sheets for rachel's baby cot. we couldn't find anything satisfactory in the malls, so we decided the regular stores would be a better bet. K was dreading this, but thankfully it wasn't as bad as he would have liked (so he could crib afterwards). we went to my favourite shop for all seasons, Narsingh. its amazing!! the variety that these Mom and Pop stores have. they are minus the frills and hence can pass on the price benefit to the customer. this guy sells everything from fabric to readymades, linen and towels and you name it and he has it. he has 6 stores and together must be doing better business than a high end super store.
finally waded through traffic in the main bazar leading to our place, because tomorrow being ganesh chaturthi, vendors were selling all the stuff needed for the pooja and got back home. to have dear uncle and aunty P and N waiting to see amma before she leaves. nothing like a cup of hot chai to refresh us. and we aren't a garrulous family for nothing!! i am just so happy with the way today turned out that i came here to type!! i'd better go now to help amma pack all the stuff she has accumulated. nothing like some good ole retail therapy to cheer me up... yesterday i was under the weather.... now i feel great!!
First stop was the GVK One mall in banjara hills. it is huge no doubt, but somehow lacks the persona i'd have expected from a building of this magnitude....on a weekend, was crowded and we had the most obnoxious bunch of rowdy teens for company in the lift which went up and down a few times before we could get off on the right floor. We headed straight to the Triumph store who were having an upto 70% sale. funny, what you really want to buy will never be on sale! anyways, i managed to find something i really liked and then we headed to Shopper's Stop...picked up a few gifts for my niece. Headed over to City Centre Mall where i wanted to have "good" chinese food so we headed to aromas of china. i really get pissed with unruly and ill behaved kids in public places. and cant for the life of me understand why parents stand around without correcting their behaviour. its almost a style statement now to have a bratty ill tempered child in tow (and hey, the excuse of "where else will they leave them" doesnt apply. Leave them at home...and you stay with them too). since all that fab food around me was calming my nerves, i managed to have lunch without losing my temper. the servings are really large and so we have dinner also packed and ready!!
once fed and full filled, we headed to the wellspun showroom downstairs that had a sale and i picked up some much needed fluffy bath towels at a throwaway price. K wanted to make the customary stop at crosswords, but once we reached there he got claustrophobic with the crowds and wanted to leave. i stayed in a line forever to get the book and cd i picked up for rachel billed. the next part was the envisioned nightmare! driving into ameerpet,, to get some cartoon / animal printed sheets for rachel's baby cot. we couldn't find anything satisfactory in the malls, so we decided the regular stores would be a better bet. K was dreading this, but thankfully it wasn't as bad as he would have liked (so he could crib afterwards). we went to my favourite shop for all seasons, Narsingh. its amazing!! the variety that these Mom and Pop stores have. they are minus the frills and hence can pass on the price benefit to the customer. this guy sells everything from fabric to readymades, linen and towels and you name it and he has it. he has 6 stores and together must be doing better business than a high end super store.
finally waded through traffic in the main bazar leading to our place, because tomorrow being ganesh chaturthi, vendors were selling all the stuff needed for the pooja and got back home. to have dear uncle and aunty P and N waiting to see amma before she leaves. nothing like a cup of hot chai to refresh us. and we aren't a garrulous family for nothing!! i am just so happy with the way today turned out that i came here to type!! i'd better go now to help amma pack all the stuff she has accumulated. nothing like some good ole retail therapy to cheer me up... yesterday i was under the weather.... now i feel great!!
inspiration
inspite of posting more often than i usually do, i must admit i am at a loss for words.... the last few weeks, for no apparent reason have been stiflingly uninspiring. maybe its the weather thing. the minute it started to rain, i felt so much better....i even posted on escapades!!
while i have been restless, my mind has been going berserk.... listlessness is one thing, listless and uninspired is quite another.... i wonder how the ones' who focus without any distractions do it.
while i have been restless, my mind has been going berserk.... listlessness is one thing, listless and uninspired is quite another.... i wonder how the ones' who focus without any distractions do it.
Friday, August 21, 2009
growing up pains
i had both my balconies cleaned today. the fact that it has been raining the last few days hasn't really helped the case that i have far too many potted plants for the space i live in...ironically, when the plants get unruly and encroach each other's space and grow wild and out of their designated areas too, i cant seem to cut them back or trim them, or beat them into order. as a result, i have multiple pots of the same plants. atleast 2 of every kind like noah put into the arc!!
sometimes the overhang looks lovely and allows me to forget i live in an apartment.... most of the times, the craving to have a home with a 'real' garden almost chokes me!
while it isn't difficult to start a small green corner in whatever space you have, it takes a little time and effort to maintain it. i've always watched amma tend to her plants and take great pride in each new leaf. i guess it came quite naturally. but when 4 old yogurt containers multiplied and became what it is today i really dont know. i just cant seem to rid myself of a few. i have ornamental plants, flowering plants, seasonal plants and herbs for the kitchen. it doesnt just sound like a lot....
i kind of like to think they have their own personality and their life will take its course and that i should give them the most conducive environ to live in and not interfere more than necessary.......i know it kind of sounds a bit looney!! but well... that's the truth! what do you think?
sometimes the overhang looks lovely and allows me to forget i live in an apartment.... most of the times, the craving to have a home with a 'real' garden almost chokes me!
while it isn't difficult to start a small green corner in whatever space you have, it takes a little time and effort to maintain it. i've always watched amma tend to her plants and take great pride in each new leaf. i guess it came quite naturally. but when 4 old yogurt containers multiplied and became what it is today i really dont know. i just cant seem to rid myself of a few. i have ornamental plants, flowering plants, seasonal plants and herbs for the kitchen. it doesnt just sound like a lot....
i kind of like to think they have their own personality and their life will take its course and that i should give them the most conducive environ to live in and not interfere more than necessary.......i know it kind of sounds a bit looney!! but well... that's the truth! what do you think?zooming in
K got me a belated birthday gift..... a brand new shiny camera . i've had it for a month now and haven't yet posted anything taken with the new cam on my food blog.... i think i will just get giddy with excitement!!
K says i am zooming in on everything except the dustbin and the potty!! he's a reluctant muse and so i am clicking everything else that i can.
a friend of ours, also gave me a basic lesson on lighting and aperture and shutter speed etc and i am experimenting.....
funny how much you want something, and when you get it, its unfamiliar and scary so you stick with the old faithful!! more on that soon.... also my progress i will chart here... wish me luck....and yeah a little imagination too!!
K says i am zooming in on everything except the dustbin and the potty!! he's a reluctant muse and so i am clicking everything else that i can.
a friend of ours, also gave me a basic lesson on lighting and aperture and shutter speed etc and i am experimenting.....
funny how much you want something, and when you get it, its unfamiliar and scary so you stick with the old faithful!! more on that soon.... also my progress i will chart here... wish me luck....and yeah a little imagination too!!
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