She was my Angel for the entire Sunday!

I am dancing and whirling, singing and tapping, twisting and turning, bouncing and wiggling....i wish i could show you my "Happy Dance" :) Who knew one day I will be this amused and excited to have a domestic helper around. When I was in India, day in and day out helpers used to be all around us to serve us better and only better.  I sincerely think I wasn’t very appreciative of them back then. After staying out of India for more than 5 years now I simply lost that luxury. Especially in a place like US where everything else can be bought cheap except for a maid helper, I struggled washing dishes, doing laundry, sweeping and mopping….and with the flow got so used to it that I didn’t even notice my hands which used to be really soft a few years ago have undergone a good amount of wear now.  In the process I loved this independence of getting things done by myself but somewhere the fact that nothing can be Done, Done without me actually doing it drove me nuts.

Advantage of moving to an Asian country… last weekend this helper called so and so made her grand entry and spread her magic all over my place. In a matter of few hours her jadoo ki chaddi took me to a world of dreams where my house turned into a mirror while I was sipping a nice hot coffee in the balcony. Much engrossed into my book, I looked back and the entire house was spotless clean, shining clean, superest clean :) And I felt like this luxury that I had almost forgotten should have been a lot more appreciated. I don’t like to address these angels as “maids”, a helper sounds a lot better. Thanks to all of them who do this work and give us some space for a sign of relief! A big thank you and a long due appreciation for all the helpers :)

Its really that Simple!

And yet again I confirm that Hellen Keller and I think alike. Her quotes are lucid and I so agree with every line she puts in this world of internet. She says “All the beautiful things in life are neither seen nor touched but are felt in the heart” Ahh! perfectly weaved into words.

Beauty is like million different feelings to me!Walking in the rain and smelling a row full of beautiful wet jasmines by the road-side, that smell in the air is beauty. Putting your hair up in a messy bun which really is messy :P but you are out-of-the-world-comfortable with it, that comfort is beauty. The teenage crush when he stares at you and you couldn’t help blushing, those blushing cheeks is beauty. The day when you get married and look at your partner with all possible commitment, that look is beauty. The age when your knees don’t let you get out of the chair easily, the hand that helps you get-up is beauty. A lovely perfume that makes you turn to see who just passed by in the morning rush is beauty. The SMS from your husband on a Friday eve, “Meet me at Starbucks for a coffee before we go home, Luv u :)”, that blinking symbol on your cell is beauty. The cold shower that helps you relax after an intense workout, that feeling of accomplishment and sigh with an “Ahhhh!” is beauty. You call your mom on a mother’s day and she by default has tears in her eyes, the way she tries hard to hold them back, pure beauty. The AC in your bedroom feels too cold in middle of the night and you urge for the sheets to glide over your body, that tucking under the sheets is beauty. You finish reading a 550 page book and suddenly realize, I read it all, that shuffling through the pages with a mellow smile of satisfaction, is beauty.

It’s that small part called Happiness which brings million reasons to make life worth living. That tininess which can make you feel on top of the world is incomparable…that Feeling of getting a Simple Pleasure is Real Beauty, for me :)

I can feel the Flare and smell the Smoke...

I stepped into this place called "The Summit House" in 2006...where i smelled and felt the beauty of being on your own for the first time in this apartment complex in US. Until then i was in a shelter, a small world that my parents had created for me. This place taught me a different meaning of Life. A new shade of independence where no one can ask you why you came in late or no one can tell you to sleep at 10 pm. I lived my Masters degree to the fullest here, i stayed in the lab late nights, i came back home in the mornings, i dumped junk food in the cabinets, i lived a perfect bachelorette life away from home in The Summit.

Friends, late night chats, parties, drives everything was just perfect and then the perfection became even more interesting when i was walking past one of the apartments in the summit that night and just like any bollywood director would plot his movie, Mandar opened that door when i was passing by. And we met, it just happened, in The Summit. I found my Love, my Life here and then of course we created never ending memories by just being with each other in this magical place. This place with no fancy view, no clean carpets, a typical economy PG students apartment which i got so much attached to that i am devastated today after hearing this extremely sad news about it.

The Summit was on fire, red-hot-fire a few hours ago, no idea what caused it but that door where i spoke to Mandar for the first time, his apartment where i spent hours getting to know him, my apartment where i lived like a free bird.... its all....gone!

The old, miserable, full of roaches Summit House, the adda for all desi newcomers....is gone. I would have never felt so bad if it was demolished for some reason but looking at this place burning into ashes really, really hurts.

I can smell the smoke and feel the flare miles away...Love you forever....Summit :(

For you!

First post for the New Year. I have been slacking. I Know! All I have dealt since September 2011 is check-ins, check-outs, baggage claims and crammed airplane seats....some personal travel, some business, most of it unavoidable though! But whats a better place than an airport when you are waiting for the next thing to happen and you open your laptop…which seems quite dead without internet honestly but sometimes Word works quite ok to type in a long due post, right?

So, It’s HIS birthday soon, in the month of January, my first and oldest best friend…Abhijit!

As I type this sitting on the Milan airport, I totally believe that it doesn’t matter which corner of the world I am sailing through, 22^nd January cannot be forgotten, now and ever. Abhijit and I share this lovely friendship from Kindergarten to grade 10^th to grade 12^th to graduation to post graduation to job to real world! It really seemed to never stop! He has been a friend with whom I was 100% ME, a person who just never expected anything out of me! The whole equation was very simple with him, no complexities and formalities involved.

Kindergarten to grade 10^th was a very immature period where I never realized that this guy means a lot to me! It was only after we changed paths while entering college, we made different decisions and 2 years kind of just flew away. Engineering were the days when we gelled again in our mature senses and then there was no coming back. Tremendous fun and exuberant joy….thats ALLwe share. The beauty of this friendship is that it’s truly Pure. A true true Friendship that has no definitions, he wouldn’t want me to be something he would like me to be and I wouldn’t ask him to be what I would like him to be! We just adore each other the way we are!

So, a very Happy Birthday to my first and oldest F.R.I.E.N.D, Abhya!

All Xmassy already!!!

Weather is cooler, Xmas songs are playing in buses and taxis, office cubicles are decorated with green and red, restaurants are full of servers with Xmas hats! Don’t you just love this time when holidays are round the corner and every other person is waiting for the grand year end with a brand new start?

Cooler winds in Singapore are certainly a pleasure, all that natural air to breathe in, only December can do this miracle! Ya, it’s not quite cold to wear boots and coats but a few nights without turning the AC on, is definitely not less than showing off your stylish winter clothing.

This bit of a slowdown at work, colleagues relaxing and listening to music without headphones, everyone wishing each other “happy holidays”, god I love it!

Donot rush, take your time; this is the most happening time of the year. This glimmer and cheer around you is to enjoy and have fun! Stop, look back, breathe and thank for all those beautiful and not-so-beautiful Decembers you have had. Don’t be angry with you or anyone else. Let go and everything around you will be simply beautiful.

Oh, is it Friday already? Well, not quite! One more day to start a long vacation until next year :)

Merry Christmas you All and happy Friday Thursday!

And the mood just gets better :)

Candle light hot shower is therapeutic! Hot steam of water and miraculous flame of candle make a deadly combination.

If you are sweat-soaked after an intense workout or if you are worn out after a full day of hectic work, aroma of the Lux lavender bodywash will scent you up from top to bottom. This hot shower after loads of tiring paper work is like a rebirth for me. And it can be made absolutely divine if you shut the 100 watt bulb off and light a beautiful scented candle in your shower. Why do you think a little flame in your shower brings “Bali” home… it’s all the candle effect.

Now just as much I love candles, how about a cuppa scalding hot coffee after this steaming hot shower! Ahh “Life” -- What’s there to not love about it?

A dream that i saw with my eyes wide open!

This poetic evening with "Gulzar" at the Esplanade theater was indeed one of my best evenings in Singapore. I have tried to put the entire experience in words...writing a poem on this poetic evening would only make up for a few emotions that i went through while listening to Gulzar, the great Indian Poet, Lyricist, Story writer, Screenplay writer, Director....

I enter the theatre and settle down in my seat,

I see him on the stage, mere visual treat!

Rest of the lights are dimmed; in that One spot is the "Star",

My world is shaken in a moment, at the live sight of "The Gulzar"!

I rub my eyes again; make sure he is sitting in front,

Cease the moment, I feel, on this evening pleasant!

He reads to us his poetic treasure, one after the other,

His presence noticeably simple, everything else but glamour!

His overly starched, naturally crinkled kurta, purely white,

Symbolizes his personality, peacefully calm, undoubtedly polite!

Hushed everyone else, his voice thunderous, husk and heavy,

A memory of Gulzar sahib narrating live, an experience classy!

His imageries are made of daily life through his eyes, savored,

His imaginations out of the world, An array of topics covered,

Be it a mountain, a river, a walnut, a tree, a cigarette or an ashtray,

His pen doesn’t hold back to write anything that sways in the way!

His gentle Urdu-Hindi, to which he refers as “Hindustani” proudly,

Leaves the audiences mesmerized, rising their emotions fiercely!

The web of words he knits, has no rhymes and bounds,

Compositions flow from heart to paper; it’s not a square or round.

My eyes full of tears after this wonderful 2 hour poetic journey,

My body trembling from head to toe, mind unsatisfied and thirsty!

I want to meet him in person and hold his hand, my urge says,

20 minutes later I see him walking across and I jump his way!

I hold this "legendary hand" of Sahib and bow with earnest satisfaction,

My eyes closed to feel the zeal of standing with a superstar of our nation,

Even more surprised to see his reaction,

He taps my head with his other hand to shower blessings and affection.

And I, Astounded, Astonished, Stunned and Amazed, stand there stricken!

Only to question myself, "Is he Him and am I Me", Did All this just happen?

Are you blessed too? I am...

And how do i find time for everything? Right! I just love doing everything, What A Pain...arggghhhh!!!

Tons of interesting things to do around and Major Scarcity of time!
Wake up, get ready, rush, work, rush back, cook, clean, workout, sleep! Day1 Day2 Day3 Day4 Day5...Weekend! Do a "ToDo" list for the most wanted Day6 and Day7 and on a Sunday evening you are soooo worked up by checking the tasks on the ToDo list, plus Monday is round the corner. What a Mundane life! When do i blog and paint and dance and learn a new language and see places and make a "handmade pillow cover" and learn ice skating and continue with my drumming lessons and read books and call up friends, friends from everywhere and and and...huh! Sometimes i think why do we have to sleep for 7-8 valuable hours and why do we have to preach healthy living when the Long Lived Life wont be enough to do what we love. But then i really love sleeping too :P

While i was struggling over all these thoughts i saw this episode of Kaun banega crorepati (who wants to be a millionaire) last night....this person wanted to win money because he has a government job paying 10,000 INR/month and a wife with 2 kids. His biggest worry is that he cannot support his parents with his salary. 10,000 INR, 257 Sing dollars, 257.06 Sing Dollars, Wait, is this real? People still survive, smile and act as if they are satisfied?

The other day i heard Singapore has come up with a special train station for blinds. The entire platform is Blind Friendly, isn't that amazing? Then it struck me, the morning rush to catch a train in Singapore is not a cake walk for a person with two eyes that are absolutely functional....and blind people travel by these trains? Is this real too?

My mom arranged a trip to a local old age home on my Grandmom's 5th death anniversary. She served food and donated some goodies to make the senior citizens happy. Bless her heart, what a wonderful way to celebrate a death anniversary of our loved one. I saw pictures of these old souls and the smile on their faces to take the goodies from mom. I got a feeling that they missed being Loved and were extremely happy to get that special attention from ma. "Not being Loved", i am sure nothing hurts more :(

And when i see such sad  little things around, my mundane routine life seems very stable, very hopeful, very satisfying and i feel absolutely blessed to have one...Discontent is sure a killer! We have, have to be thankful for what we have, a very simple key to Happiness, i think!

The hunt !!!

Are you kidding me? Last post on 15th August...no way! I have been crazy busy and really lazy otherwise. The stress level is now up here and I have to write to get relieved.

It’s that phase when I am not liking anything without friends. I am missing them all from back home and from Birmingham. All the ones around here have different lives and different directions, I feel. I haven't felt that connection yet. This urge to meet Bham buddies or school friends or college friends is driving me crazy.

Sometimes I think why can’t we just take our loved ones wherever we go? This ambitious life when superimposes those small joys like vada pav on a tapri, garam chai in a bad bad ambiance of a college canteen, limitless laughs on stupid jokes, waiting for a bus on a yuk bus stop, back benches and heights of inattentiveness in lectures, potlucks with loads of food, Saturday afternoon brunches and long lasting chit chats till dinner, late night walks to nowhere, midnight drives to somewhere, unending plans, cheap shopping sprees, THE SALE fever, coffee breaks, weekday afternoon time-pass and the list goes on. These simple things fade out in the hussle and bussle and you become an inseparable part of the corporate life. I still think that all this could be brought back if you find Friends and not just people. This can get really difficult, you know! Until now, friends just happened to me I think, I never looked for them! But here in Singapore I feel that I have managed to make a bunch of contacts but am still in search of “Friends”. The hunt of that special “Connection” continues.

This change in me is Novel or its a Novel ME ???

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 23; the twenty-third edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for this month is FREE.

"Its amazing how you can speak right to my heart.....You say it best, when you say nothing at all...."

Ahh...beautiful lyrics and lovely song! Its "Our" song, Me and Mandy!

I am amazed to see the curve of our relationship going up and up and up. Five years ago, same time of the year we met each other for the first time and blink blink....fell in Love! Beautiful Love, which still is, exactly the same as it was on our first date, Sweet!

But one big difference between today and back then is Trust, the trust that is built up over years . Its the insecurities that made me crazy at a point but today i feel Free, free of insecurities that i had 5 years back, 4 years back, 3 years back, 2 years back.....

He is in Bangkok right now having a "guys-out" holiday, i mean in "The Bangkok" and i want him to have all the fun he can. Ironically i watched Hangover part II this weekend (if you have seen it, you already know what i mean) and i am perfectly fine! My mind doesn't wander in the strip clubs he might go to while going crazy in the wild city. It feels great to not sneak in his email while he is away.

And i am enjoying this new essence of ME being bound in a marriage yet being careless about the boundaries i sometime ago wanted my husband to be in!

The "Insecurities" are now Obsolete and My "Free Mind" on the other hand is novel today :)



The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Happy Independence Day!

Scribbles from Italy !!!

A Morning at an Italian cafe, while i sit out and enjoy this beautiful weather and charming Italy, i miss Mandar to the fullest. The cafe server gave me this piece of paper on which he plans to serve food but as soon as i see this piece, first thing i urge for is a Pen. Only to write my mind on and with, at that very moment.

I couldn't get the image to fit this template...so click on the image to zoom it if you cannot read the writing properly.. Here is goes...

A big "A" :)

A big "A" for Amir or his Adult Delhi Belly?

Not to say anything less when it comes to Amir khan. Be it a production, direction, act or any aspect of cinema, the tag Mr. perfectionist is much deserved by Amir Khan. After watching Delhi Belly, I believe in it even more.

Something that looks pleasant to your eyes has a quick appeal from the audience. A message that was delivered in Taarein zameen par or 3 idiots is truth of the country which has to be a hit nonetheless. Something on the lines of Lagaan revolves around Cricket which needs no further adjectives. It is bound to catch attention of the mob. Dil chahta hai had so much youth to it, pretty ladies and the melodious music added an extra charm, obviously people loved the movie, it was So Bollywood!  Rang de Basanti being pictured on a soldier’s tragedy, it gave a vibrant patriotic feeling that can hold the audiences undoubtedly. The list goes on for what essence his movies have had and what reason can be most closely associated for so many consecutive hits that he has gifted the industry with. But Delhi Belly is different, it’s PURE entertainment, definitely for those who would Accept the movie as it is. 

Yes, it is gross, foul, Not pleasing to the eyes, Not lyrically beautiful, songs Don’t sooth your ears, No pretty locations, No costumes that will leave your mouth open, language makes you mumble words like F*** & OMG & shit & plzzz stop. An absolutely "A" rated movie, not a category of entertainment to watch with kids or parents :) Being said that, I loved the movie. It’s a big step for a Bollywood movie and a Bollywood director/producer/actor. It’s a bold production, very much resembling the Hollywood eshtyle.

I was urged to pen this post because half of my friends on FB started putting reviews right after the release and when I read opinions like, “Delhi Belly: Pathetic, disgusting, stupid, senseless, worst movie ever”….I feel bad, really bad! “Hangover”... a recent example, it was a hugeeee hit, everyone lovedddd it. If I compare the two I don’t think there is much a difference. But since Hangover comes from the land of Hollywood, anything is pretty much uncensored, no objections taken. The moment a Hindi movie tries to be bold, it is hurting your values. Why?

If values and culture is an issue, you would rather wear khadi then and hate ALL Hollywood movies. I don’t believe in being somewhere on the edge where you can step your feet on both sides selectively & politically. Let’s be real, let’s be adults. Lets either Like it all, H or B wood, or just Hate it all, right?  Yes, the A rating is for a reason you see, so no point in watching it when you are not mentally prepared to be an A :PP

I think Amir Khan has once again proved his perfection. As gross and foul it can get,  Delhi belly is one bold and ugly production. I loved every aspect of it in an Adult sense.

Add that little Pinch :)

I read about this blogging contest sponsored by HP on Indiblogger and a sudden memory ran through me. An ophthalmologist that I used to visit often for my eye checkup had this portrait in his clinic. Hung on the wall, it sat there for years but every time i saw it, something about it made me smile.Three butterflies painted on either side of a window! These butterflies, Black & white inside the window and the same butterflies, colored, outside the window!

This magical window drew a fine line between the B&W and the Colorful world, yes, the window represented nothing else but Spectacles, Ophthalmology in its own artistic way, right?

I loved the concept then and there and never forgot it ever after. The way those spectacles can make this beautiful life Look beautiful! Moreover, make life Look colorful! What do I say differently about how I love Every color. Please don’t let me pick one or five. I honestly cannot. My mind makes a somersault when I see a refreshingly fresh color, any color. My heart skips a beat when I see a hint of “Rangeele Rang”. I decorated my living room in orange and green. Yes, the couch -- bright orange and it never looked gaudy for a minute second. The Mouse that I got for my black office laptop is pink and it looks perfect. That little accent a Color can add to your office, house, car, dress, shoes, bags, smile and life as a whole entity, makes it all so much worth Living. 

If we cannot imagine such simple things without that extra accent, how do you think a big black & white spot in life not make a difference? Confused? Don't be! I don’t want to knit a puzzle here; it’s a simple question about those kids, those poor little innocent buds, who are deprived from the brightest color of their life, an important reason to be in this world, Education. The underprivileged kids in India who are fighting against that big black hole of not being educated and are trying to push the dark future away, need help to do so. They need my and your help to make their future colorful. Their circumstances that might leave them all blank, white or colorless without the arms of books, need you, each one of you who can help them fly on the other side of that window. You can let them be the colorful butterflies by offering a small part of what you might spend on a delicious dinner in an expensive restaurant, a small part of your exotic holiday to Hawaii, a little bit of what you owe to the society since you are part of one. They don’t need much from you but they do need many of you to give away just a little bit. 

So let’s add a pinch of color to these black & white lives and see how everything around us will turn bright in a glimpse. It's time to think in color! You can help these children and support their education through “Asha for Education” or many such NP organizations.

Let’s thank HP  for adding color to our lives with their products and moreover giving a chance to us bloggers for supporting such wonderful causes through the platform they have sponsored, the blogging contest conducted at Indiblogger,

Like me on FB if you Like this :)
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This post has been submitted for the HP Take Flight with Colour contest on Indiblogger, where HP Laserjets give colour to your imagination.

It just so Happens :)

I found this quote somewhere, read it! Quotes reflect so much reality, reality that is expressed in beautifully constructed sentences, right?

"Time goes by so fast, people go in and out of your life. You must never miss the opportunity to tell these people how much they mean to you"

This guy, Breyon Hooper, met me in Alabama, 24 years after my birth, we worked together for less than a year and today i feel like i have known him forever. We met, became co-workers, made friends, became buddies and the day this job was over, he said he found a sister in me that he never grew up with. This touched me, i felt a churn in my stomach when i bid him a final goodbye on the airport while leaving US.

Now that i am traveling to Italy on a business trip, i recalled him mentioning about traveling to Europe sometime this year. I rushed to ask him about his plans and guess what, he is coming to meet me in Italy. His real sister stays in Italy. What a small world and what coincidences! I will see him after almost a year now and i think that's relatively a very tiny period of time for two people living in two different continents, going to meet in the third continent. See, small world, right?

Do these things surprise you? I happen to be very fond of such coincidences, always. I can Feel the awesomeness in these lil bits. It might be a usual thingy for someone to co-ordinate trips and meet up in different parts of the world but for me, this is beauty.  "The happening" of such coincidences and the least expected things that just "happen", is the most wonderful thing in life. I can't wait to see "Hooper" or "Mayo" as everyone calls him! Yo Italy!

The mood is Fluid, my dear readers :)

I am in a Friday mood yet again and the gloomy weather and the rains is giving it a perfect edge. The weekend awaits! Something tells me I want to get high with hot coffee, pull that cardigan in tightly, more tightly to save myself from the monstrous AC in the office. I want tit bits to munch over while looking out the window and watching this shade of rains with all that mizzle. I wonder how the day makes it all different, if it was a Monday with all this mist in the air, expression would certainly reflect depression. Friday makes anything beautiful though, this misty morning too. The plant in my cubicle gives me a feeling of being loved and the flowers on my desk ask me To love. Flowers, yes I feel like buying flowers. Have you noticed there is a special pleasure in walking through the aisle of flowers, fresh scents, water sprinkled on the leaves, droplets dripping from the petals, colors soothing your eyes! I feel like walking through such an aisle right now and breathe in all that naturally perfumed air. Earphones plugged in my ears, lyrical pleasure, instrumental satisfaction, hindi romantics are to die for! A chocolate brownie or a blueberry muffin would have been perfect, leaving the calorie part aside :). Fragrance of the twilight woods body cream makes me feel soft and positively chic.

Files, papers, calculator, binders, stapler, caliper…yuk, this stuff is so not Friday. Friday should have been a “whatever you want to do day” or “a treat yourself day” or  “have fun day” instead of a week day, ya?

This mood is to blog for, always, no matter how many more Friday’s I see in life, I will still be refreshed after blogging about a same yet different Friday every once in a while :)

I was Flying for a while :)

I know i have been misplaced from this space for a while but lots been going and finally it looks like i am settling from the Euphoria and excitement of my new job in Singapore :)

The simple pleasures that i have experienced in last two months, right from getting the interview call to the second interview to the offer letter to the visa approval to the extreme happiness of getting the visa in my hand to the first glance at my business card to my empty and awating cubicle in the office to my own 3 digit phone-extension that indicates DID to getting a building access card in a grand business park location! It has been a long long wait after i relocated to Singapore before i got this job and got working, again. Its beautiful to cherish all the small ME-moments that i have experinced these last 2 months.

And now that i am back on the ground from that other world where i was almost unable to land on my feet, i better stop flying and start blogging ;) what say?

Connecting dots!

Its all about connecting the dots!

You come from extreme corners of the world and meet people who suddenly take an important place in your life. You meet, make friends, stay together, depart, get in touch, miss each other and pretty much forget about how you met in first place. A simple bond of Friendship makes it all so wonderful. I get a strange feeling about it sometimes, how people come from somewhere and just start meaning so much to you, you find out strange secrets about them, you explore few common friends, you simply share a bond of memories that felt, like new, just yesterday!

My friend KG, many of you already know her, for those who don't, read this, and you will know her.

Well, here it goes!
Part 1:
KG, originally from Dhanbad (Jharkhand, India),
Me, originally from Sangli (Maharashtra, India),
We, met in Birmingham (Alabama, USA).

Part 2:
She, got married and moved to Shetland (Scotland, UK),
I, got married and moved to Singapore (Singapore, Singapore).

Part 3:
My sister, moved (for her MS) to Aberdeen (Scotland, UK),
KG, has now moved (for her PhD) to Glasgow (Scotland, UK),
Ankur, KG's husband is working in London (England, UK),
My parents, who stay in Sangli (India) are vising my sis in Aberdeen (UK),
My parents/sis took a trip to London (UK) and KG was with Ankur in London (UK) at the same time,

and after each of them traveled so many miles from the extreme corners of the world, they finally met in the Marriott of London yesterday, that too without the actual point of contact, and that would be certainly, me :) I was wanting my Mom and KG to meet for a longgggg time and it finally happened.

These are the reviews i get to hear from both the parties.....me sitting in Singapore, wink wink!
Mom says, " KG's smile is priceless and she chats with no bounds, we loved her"
KG says, "They are such lovely people, Shalmalee - tell Mandar he is lucky to have such in-laws!! :)"

and i am a happy soul to read these precious comments :)

"That"

Hardship is sort of a human shadow,

Like a smooth forehead with "that furrow",

Like a worry that is tough to calm and mellow,

You walk ahead and it will still follow!

You wait for an answer for so long, 

And "that answer" awaits you a furlong,

Things fall into place with a click, and

You keep searching "that moment" of a flick!

But the true hardship lies in "that wait", 

The moments in life when the time dictates,

"That time" when you want to know what's ahead,

The reveal of "that something" that's yet, unsaid!

Shades of that morning!

A click of the shades of that morning, the day of India-Pakistan semi finals.

I went for a run and it was mesmerizing. The morning sun beaming on the amazingly-greenly-green leaves and the fresh air around felt magical. Musical waves through the iphone left me no choice but to hide behind a tree where no one could see me while i tapped my toes to a few tunes playing in my ears. The green, the songs, the sun and the run made my day that morning.  

Purely Life!

Champions 2011!

A day later after India won the cricket world cup 2011, i have now settled down from the euphoria to write something about it. Three crucial matches, India-Australia (knock-off round), India-PAKISTAN (semi-final) and INDIA-SRI LANKA (WC Final). What beautiful games these three have been!

India-Australia was a definite victory. We did beat the three-times-in-a-row WC winning team, Australia. That was a huge relief to be honest. I never thought India was going to beat Australia because we have had a bad bad history in 2003's WC finals :(  Inspite of all that India gave a tough head-to-head fight and won with a gorgeous performance this time.

India-Pak was undoubtedly the most awaited of all three and we watched it with a big crowd on a big screen and man-oh-man, that was some fun. My eyes were wet the instance India's national anthem began and every Indian in the room who was drinking, chatting, smiling, clapping,  just stood upright like a storm coming to a sudden stop. The low voices in the room singing to the tune along with team India made me feel heart full of pride and extra long breaths that i was breathing within. As soon as the Anthem ended, the storm was all set to destroy the opposing team, India won the toss and the shouts remained unended  till the final finish of the game. Of course, we won!

India-Sri lanka, both Asian countries, contenders of the WC Final 2011. India being the host nation, the match was in Mumbai, with Indian team playing for the cup, in the WC final, on their own soil. Are you kidding me, it was the bestesttttt feeling for each and every Indian in India or where ever in the world. Those 8 hours, i am sure where the beautiful hours of 2011 April's first Saturday. Unbelievably special, unforgettably amazing, undoubtedly The Best day in any Indian's life for many more coming years, you bet! Sri-lankan's won the toss and chose to bat first. Team India is not very well known in terms of chasing a score and playing under pressure, that too, to a score of 274! Whoa! It was some target and hearts were pounding before the second inning started. Are you kidding me again, team India proved every previous misconception wrong. In a row, first two batsman who were expected to pull the target were out of the field in no time. I mean , 4 runs for 1 wicket in the WC final was nerve racking, trust me! Before coming out of that shock, Tendulkar, the god of cricket as they say was gone and Indian's almost thought, that was the end of it. But hey, the man Gambhir and our captain Dhoni, handled the pressure like noone has done before. They chased the score magnificently and Dhoni ended this historical game with a striking sixer and there, there it was, OUR world cup, glory for next 4 years and more, We the Champions of 2011 WC Final! What a match, what a game, what a spirit!

Extremely proud to be an Indian! Long Breaths and Emotions full of Tears, again!