Life in April & May.. in bullets!

One of those days when I have too much to say and too little time to write so please bear with me and my bulleted post!

• Well first of all, in case you noticed I didn't blog about my birthday. That doesn't mean it wasn't a fun day this year. It was a lot of fun but just different from my usual birthdays. For starters, I didn't even cut a cake. I am really growing old! Ouch. Sne & D had come to Chennai and with the IPL in full swing, we just HAD to go watch the CSK vs RR match at Chepauk. So that is pretty much what I did, except I dragged my super disinterested hubs along. K, me, Sanju, Mosh, Sne & D and a few other friends.. All of us went. What a brilliant match it was! Went down to the wire and we won. Superb! All thanks to Bravo :) The in laws were traveling and my folks were busy shifting so the usual lunch/dinner get together was also missing this year. We are going out for dinner tonight though to celebrate. K was his usual lavish self - he got me a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings(I really am very lucky), a very very pretty white & red dressy salwar kameez and a colorful summer kurti. Loved them all! 
• I'm very proud to say I'm more or else keeping up with my NY resolution of staying active.. nothing fancy this time though.. Just a good brisk 45 min morning walk.I can say I'm pretty consistent. In fact I haven't been this consistent in a while now and I'm enjoying it. Not the waking up early part for sure. But once I'm up, I enjoy my music, my walk and my peace. I see some very interesting sights - a flower stealing Maami - Yes I am not kidding. She comes every morning in the same route with a small plastic bag and goes around to all the houses plucking flowers! Not to mention with an iPod in her ears! :P  What I also love to see are the dogs - I've made friends with a real cutie named "Simba". He's  a Cream Labrador, not to mention a FAT lab! I'm not kidding. He is a real gundus. He absolutely hates to walk. The uncle who brings him has to literally pull him to walk. What a chweetu u know he is. I couldn't resist petting him this week - So I stopped and just touched his head..he was so happy and excited. Next day again, I just called "Simba" from the distance.. He got so excited he started wagging his tail furiously! Haha. I don't think he knows me but I think he just enjoys the attention and is happy to sit back instead of walking. I long for a dog and I think I'm getting somewhere close to having one in the family. Yes Bhuns finally said ok to Sanju and they are getting a golden retriever next week. Yayy! Can't wait to cuddle with him =) 
• Some other good news - My folks shifted into their brand new home this month. Yay. Amma closer to me means frequent meals there and lesser cooking for me :P They have bought a beautiful apartment off the East Coast Road, less than 10 minutes from where we live. But I was miserable when we left AJ 97. It was the house where I pretty much grew up. My school, college years were all there in that neighborhood. Was so sad to see a deserted house when I went last week to help Amma clean up. We have the best memories there. Amma cried, Nirmala cried and I think even Arumugam(Appa's right hand) shed a few tears. Will miss all of them. Annanagar is an area very very close to my heart and I cannot believe that I won't visit there often like I used to. But the new house is nice. K bought a lovely swing for them. It is nice to sit and rock myself there. We also have a room to ourselves, which we hope to set up in a bit. 
• Bhuns(my aunt) turned 50 yesterday, so we celebrated with her and the kids. Notice I didn't say "partied". Coz the evening started with "Vishnu Sahasranama" chanting! :P No offense, but that's not how a partayyy starts hahaha. Sne was like "Dude, wtf is wrong with you guys"! I'm like "Dude, I know. Our folks are getting old"! Nevertheless, we made up with some yummy chocolate cake, her hubs gave her 50 red roses and we had a Karaoke session. Good fun! Wishing you many more lovely years ahead Bhuns =) 
• More on IPL - You know I'm a diehard Chennai Super Kings fan. And I have many many friends on FB who are also keen CSK addicts. But I also have some extremely annoying friends who write rubbish about my favorite team. See I don't mind if you want to support another team. But don't just pick on mine. Get it? For instance I have a friend "Y" who likes to support the Sunrisers Hyderabad(yes for starters, change the damn name, its so freakin' stupid!). Fair enough. But everytime CSK plays, she focuses all her energy on how we suck(yeah right!) rather than how SRH played well. Sooo my friends, I was only too too happy when we absolutely murdered that stupid SRH team. Yes. That's right. We made a whopping 224. Sexy man we are. And I don't have to prove what a diehard CSK fan I am - but still. My friends and I cycled(that's right) 42 kms one fine morning for a very important cause - to sign a board, wishing CSK all the very best for IPL 2013! Yay. Pat on my back. My folks were in disbelief. Don't blame them. I couldn't believe it myself.  #Whistlepodu!
• And finally.. My letter to the editor of Femina has been chosen as one of the winning letters.. It was published in the May 1st issue. Here's what I sent, with some modifications from their end. I'm getting a Caprese bag. Should come in sometime. Thank you thank you.

   

        

Alright, that's pretty much all the time I have for now. Will stop by later and review "Copper Point", coz that is where we are headed to for dinner tonight. 

Happy Thanksgiving :-)

It's Thanksgiving Day in America. I've been fortunate to have celebrated this holiday each year with family & friends while I was in the US. It's that time of year when the family gets together for a nice, elaborate meal and each one takes turn going over what they are most thankful for, they express gratitude and usher in the holiday aka Christmas season. To me Thanksgiving is synonymous with yummy mashed potatoes and apple pie!! It's kinda like our Diwali where food takes precedence over everything else ;-) So I want to take this opportunity and wish all you wonderful people out there a very Happy Thanksgiving! :-) On that note, I will also do my yearly tradition of penning down the things I'm most thankful for...

1. My dear husband, K - I've been with you for over 1.5 years now. It's been a very interesting journey together. Each day has been a learning yet fun experience. I'm thankful for all the things you've taught me - learning to be patient, being more organized, systematic(ok ok I'm getting there!), not to simply waste time comparing our lives to others etc. I'm also so appreciative of the fact that you have started socializing so well with my family. I know it can be so overwhelming at times yet you have been so patient, so nice and understanding about the whole thing. Couldn't have asked for anybody better to spend the rest of my life with! Thanks to you also for all the lovely trips we've done this year - from Madurai to France...not to mention all the louueee u shower me with - thumbs up!
2. My family - If I have to describe my family, I will simply ask that you watch the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". They're exactly like Toula's family - big, loud, in your face... yet most lovable! I've seen members of my family going through up's and a whole lot of downs.. however, the thing I've learnt is that no matter what, you stand beside them. Whether it is financially or just emotionally. I am most thankful to have learnt this from my parents first and then of course a host of aunts and uncles. I'm most thrilled to see our generation of cousins also sticking together come what may, getting together at all functions and having a real blast! And most importantly, there is no negativity surrounding it - things like jealousy, malicious gossip, greed etc. Of course we talk stuff, we make fun but it's definitely all in good spirit. Something that is so rare these days... Super thankful to be a part of this family!
3. My extended family - I should have included my in laws in the previous post, however I felt like they deserve a special mention in here. They are like parents to me, they treat me like they treat their own daughter, they go out of their way to help us out when we need them. My mother in law is such a darling that each time she cooks something, she will ensure that there is something in the menu that I also love to eat. If she makes methi parathas(yuck) this week, the next week she will ensure she will follow it up with aloo parathas(yum). There is simply no differentiation between me and her son. Let me tell you, that is something so rare. Not all MIL's are like that. Period. And my father in law..what do I say about him? He's like a buddy!! He is funny, loud, mad as a hatter yet so caring,generous and lovable. He will do anything for you, anytime. They are both so large hearted and give us so much space. I can simply go on and on about their positive qualities. So thankful to have them in my life. Touchwood.
4. My friends - All of you in Chennai, Bangalore, Kerala, Bombay, US, China, Canada... whichever part of the globe you are in right now... a big shout out to you... After all, what I am today is because of you. We grew up together, we went to school, college, hung out as colleagues.... you've touched and been there for me at some point in my life and I'm so thankful to you..Movies, parties, sleepovers, shopping, gossip sessions, giggling away together... Life simply has no meaning without my buddies... 3 cheers!
5. My health - I am grateful that I am disease free and in good health. These days we read about so many weird complications and life changing medical conditions. I wake up each morning thankful for my physical and mental well being. I promise to take my health seriously and work out religiously and eat healthy.
6. Other materialistic things - Ok I don't know why I'm including these little things but what's life without them right? My lovely home with all the finest gadgets, my iPhone without which I'm so lost while driving(Google Maps ki jai!), my AC which cools me down and my blanket which then keeps me warm when the room freezes, my car which takes me just about anywhere I want to, Facebook which lets me connect with folks from around the world and helps kill time(!), people like Rahman who create god awesome music...I could go on and on. But I shall stop this insanely long post. Keep smiling and be thankful for who you are :-)

Random updates

Off late, I've received wedding invitations via Facebook. Ok. Pause. 

Hmm. Not completely against it, but still not too much to my liking. Now don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying I expect a physical invite or anything like that.. a simple e-mail with the scanned copy of an invite can't be thaaatt hard to send, correct? Somehow it gives it a personal touch. When I got married, I ensured I sent it to each person separately, especially since a lot of my friends with either away from Chennai or abroad. I would have hated to create an "event" on FB and invite my friends! But ok two weeks ago, I received a wedding invitation via SMS!! Ok. DRAMATIC PAUSE now. What is the world getting to these days? Was I expected to show up at the wedding? Or maybe it was just a mere formality? And the venue just gave the name of the hotel, I had no clue where it was located. Yes it was in Chennai only. Oh well, not like I was close to the person. I mean not super close... coz if it were that category, then I wouldn't even expect an invitation, right? ;-) 

In other news, a Minister in Karnataka was caught watching porn while the Assembly session was on!! Rotfl!!  These politicians are our biggest entertainers, I tell u! 

I am keeping my fingers crossed for something, I will not reveal anything here until I get a confirmation!! 

My bestie, M is coming back to town... for good... let the fun begin! :-) 

25 Random Things About MOI!!

Soooo.. last night a good friend of mine got me addicted to this latest game on Facebook where you write 25 random things about yourself... I had loads of fun doing it..You should try it!! :-)

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it is because I want to know more about you. To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on you profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type 25 random things, tag 25 people (in right corner of app) then click publish.

1.I have always been utterly and completely spoilt – parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, neighbors and even friends!! I still love getting lots n lots of attention and I am almost 24!

2. I love being with people and I guess it was no surprise to my family that I wanted to get into a profession like Human Resources...I hope to be a succesful in HR..someday... :)

3.I am fiercely patriotic about my country (India)... I love everything that it has to offer... its unique culture(s), languages, FOOD (!), clothes and people.... I want to be able to offer a lot to it in return and be a good citizen!

4.I have a lot of nicknames: “Aishu” at home/family; “Ash” to most of my friends; “Aish” to a few select uncles of mine; "Isu" to my maid, Nirmala; “Aishy” to Esther; and "BLONDIE" to a select few here at Springfield (There I admitted it!!)

5.I am very forgiving!! I can never hold grudges against people... I believe in giving people as many chances as possible. I rarely get mad at people... from what I remember, it’s been about three or four times that I have really lost my temper!!

6.I love luxuries!! Spas, Scented Candles, I Phones, travelling to exotic places, Swanky Cars, Flat Screen TV's... the list goes on...

7.I absolutely love dogs and babies.... and I dream of having LOTS of them in the future! LOL..

8.I am super duper stubborn... Its my way or the highway!! ha ha..

9.I have a crazy addiction to Bath & Body Works – I somehow feel I have all their fragrances memorized, if that makes any sense!! But seriously, I always have a lotion, body splash and a lip balm from their store in my bag!! PS: Wild Honeysuckle is my all time favorite!

10.I adore French – I took classes at Alliance Francaise in India and I can speak, write and read French fluently.... My dream is to visit the Louvre, the Champs Elysees, L’ Arc de Triomphe and take a romantic walk by the river Seine!

11.I recently took to blogging and find it a great way to vent out my feelings. If you’re interested, let me know... I will send you the link!

12.I am absolutely crazy about Sachin Tendulkar and A R Rahman... For the illiterate, Sachin is the most celebrated Indian Cricketer and Rahman is a super talented, awesome Indian Music Director.. Google 'em!!

13.My biggest fear is death of my loved ones... I fear it so much because I have never experienced it... All the ones that I love are still a part of my life and I guess I would want them to be that way!!

14.I am quite religious. I pray twice a day and I still chant a few prayers that my Mom taught me as a kid!!

15.I am a trained Carnatic music singer (Carnatic Music is a form of Indian Classical Music, popular in South India). I took classes in music for about six years and learnt Western Dance simultaneously for about two years!! I love to sing AND dance!!

16.I love trance... gives me a real high!!

17.I love the beach... My home town Chennai has some of the most awesome beaches and I used to live there most of the weekends!! I miss being by the sea so much!!

18. My comfort food is French Fries from McD’s!

19. I am quite a traveller.. I have visited all the Northern, Southern, Western States of India.. Have seen parts of East India.. not fully though!! I have also travelled to Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and of course quite a few States in the US. Europe would be the ultimate destination! SIGH!

20.I still love watching cartoons and reading Enid Blyton books!! Potter rules too!!

21.I am extremely emotional... every decision of mine is made through my heart and not my head! I cry a lot even in movies that aren’t all that sad.... I just cry very easily!

22.I am totally addicted to Facebook!!

23.I am a HUGS person.... I crave for big bear hugs from all the ones I love!!

24.I hate it when people litter the place..no seriously! I was born on Earth Day, duh! :P

25.I am a very passionate person.... I believe in Sean Jean's saying " Life without passion is unforgivable" !