HELLOW!!!
HAVE HEARD MANY OF YOU FIND IT HARD TO POST COMMENTS HERE. ITS RATHER EASY, WHEN YOU CLICK ON THE COMMENTS BUTTON, YOU NEED TO SIGN IN. CHOOSE YOUR PROFILE WHICH IS YAHOO, GMAIL ETC (IT POPS UP) AND YOU USE YOUR EMAIL ID AS A SIGN IN AND EUREKA, YOU CAN POST A COMMENT!!
SO CAN THIS BE MORE THAN ME WAXING ELOQUENT?????? WRITE IN PEOPLE, THIS WAS MEANT FOR ALL OF US TO SHARE IN THE LAUGHS!!!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Shopaholic's Diary
Today I rediscovered the hidden treasures and earthly delights of good, ole, under-rated MG Road. I definitely spent more money here on one long expedition than I have in any mall or superstore.
First, I found parking immediately. Maybe because it was the unearthly hour of 3pm. Most of Main Street was still shut. That was a damper. I mean, people STILL take off for their siesta??? Apparently Pune hasnt changed all that much!!!
First stop, CT Pundole. ( actually that's coz I was parked just besides their store)and 'hello' to Robin's class mate Hormaz Pundole. Then Half an hour perusing dress watches for my hubby-t-be. I wanted to give him something special, and he's not a jewellery person. Found what I liked within 5 minutes, but did a full chukker to make sure it was 'the one'. Take a peek on D day!!
Fell in love with an exquisite Balmain ladies dress watch but desisted. Control, control, I'm very proud of myself.
Next stop, kolsa Galli. Was actually headed to somewhere on Centre Street, near Mulchand Sweets ( also Robin's classmate and by far the best mithaiwala in town: his ras malai is to DIE for) and Kalidas Gandhi, but stopped opposite my favourite bakery, Persian for a whiff of freah broon and scrummy jam tarts. There stands a little hole in the wall, Lupesh Cloth Centre. My vote goes for it being rechristened "Alladin's cave!!"
Two hours later, and after numerous calls to Rob to get there with the cash ( he had this weird idea that Kolsa Galli accepts plastic, which they don't) I stagger out having purchased a dozen gorgeous saris in a rainbow of colours for all the maids and wives of assistants. There's a deep magenta nav-vari for Susheela bai from #40 Sopan Baug, a bright orange with an exquisite royal rani pink pallu for amma. Carmeline gets deep purple with a haldi coloured pallu. Kumar's new bride get's a pretty pink and purple ( ok, so Im a pink and purple sari person and I have 3 myself). Rust for Sameer's wife. Greens and salmons for the other maids. All in all, a very good haul, with petticoats and fall to match!! I haggle and plead and come away with a darn good deal!
I have also yapped with Sonalie and accomplished much with her on the phone. Who says we cant mulit-task??
I crawl into Persian and regain my energy with a flaky chicken patty from Persian and some pizza base for Alekhya.
I wander back to Pundole, collect the gift, and wave Rob and FIL on their way to buy more booze for the wedding.
I stride towards the mecca of homeware, hans metals and am greeted fondly.The kadhai cannot be repaired. I buy a hardy tawa that the maids wont be able to scrub the teflon coating off. Some steel utensils, a new kadhai on their exchange offer, and wonder of wonders, finally... the perfect flatware. I have been looking for a good set of tableware for over a year, and I finally found a solid german set. AH!!!! What joy!!
I lug the very heavy bag next door to the affable Pradeep at Gulab jewellers and am joined by Rob & his dad. We settle on our wedding bands. K.I.S.S.
Back to the car, depositing more heavy goods onto the seat. The gym bag glares at me and I swear I will rush and get my booty on that circuit.
I call Leila who says she will come in 15 mintues and help me with the upholstery ( I have been desperately trying to get her for the last month or so for this). So I meander down Main street and find:
cotton dresses for nana, from two very frail, sweet old men who spoke in kutchi ( not knowing it's my father's tongue) and they promise to cut the cottons to size and stitich them for me all by tomorrow. They are disappointed I buy only 4.
Flex shoes has white faux leather school keds for Alekhya ( the canvas ones get soaked in the rain , plus we are polishing them all the time). I also peeked into Bata and Liberty but they didnt stock these. I get her white socks, ankle length.
At Dabholkar's I get her what she wants most: a transparent exam board. Yipee!!
I also find her a burberry patterned insulated lunch bag. And munch on a bar of snickers for some energy.
At Yemajee's I gaze at pretty sheer white curtains with girlie pink tulips embroiderd, but give them a pass.
Leila and Ali arrive and we scrounge through Indo- Foreign for new upholstery. I was right, she has exquisite taste and I shall now be 'elegant' instead of good, ole "bohemian". Think teal, taupe, bronze and sand.
We rush to Yemajee's for more fabric. And we're HORRIFIED to find we have FORGOTTEN Ali in Indo - Foreign!!!! ( It's the old case of I -thought-she-was-with-you) Leila dashes back and finds the sprite! Whew!!!!
Left alone, I find more lovely blues and order some more fromthese lovely samples they have. It's a bad, evil place. There s floors of pretty fabrics, in many colours and they have shimmery curtains, deep jacquards, jewel-hued bolts of glistening silks.
I am so happy they give me a huge discount without my even asking for it.
And now I am home and so happy and well- shopped I couldnt do this in a million years. ( I just did one WHOLE DAy with Sheetal....last week)
Tonight I shall dream of my elegant new living room.
Note to self: DO NOT FORGET TO TIE PIGGY UP WHEN I USE THE NEW SOFA COVERS AND CUSHIONS AS HE HAS RIPPED 1 DUVET, 1 BED SPREAD, 1 SHAGGY RUG AND 2 CUSHION COVERS IN THE LAST 3 WEEKS.
First, I found parking immediately. Maybe because it was the unearthly hour of 3pm. Most of Main Street was still shut. That was a damper. I mean, people STILL take off for their siesta??? Apparently Pune hasnt changed all that much!!!
First stop, CT Pundole. ( actually that's coz I was parked just besides their store)and 'hello' to Robin's class mate Hormaz Pundole. Then Half an hour perusing dress watches for my hubby-t-be. I wanted to give him something special, and he's not a jewellery person. Found what I liked within 5 minutes, but did a full chukker to make sure it was 'the one'. Take a peek on D day!!
Fell in love with an exquisite Balmain ladies dress watch but desisted. Control, control, I'm very proud of myself.
Next stop, kolsa Galli. Was actually headed to somewhere on Centre Street, near Mulchand Sweets ( also Robin's classmate and by far the best mithaiwala in town: his ras malai is to DIE for) and Kalidas Gandhi, but stopped opposite my favourite bakery, Persian for a whiff of freah broon and scrummy jam tarts. There stands a little hole in the wall, Lupesh Cloth Centre. My vote goes for it being rechristened "Alladin's cave!!"
Two hours later, and after numerous calls to Rob to get there with the cash ( he had this weird idea that Kolsa Galli accepts plastic, which they don't) I stagger out having purchased a dozen gorgeous saris in a rainbow of colours for all the maids and wives of assistants. There's a deep magenta nav-vari for Susheela bai from #40 Sopan Baug, a bright orange with an exquisite royal rani pink pallu for amma. Carmeline gets deep purple with a haldi coloured pallu. Kumar's new bride get's a pretty pink and purple ( ok, so Im a pink and purple sari person and I have 3 myself). Rust for Sameer's wife. Greens and salmons for the other maids. All in all, a very good haul, with petticoats and fall to match!! I haggle and plead and come away with a darn good deal!
I have also yapped with Sonalie and accomplished much with her on the phone. Who says we cant mulit-task??
I crawl into Persian and regain my energy with a flaky chicken patty from Persian and some pizza base for Alekhya.
I wander back to Pundole, collect the gift, and wave Rob and FIL on their way to buy more booze for the wedding.
I stride towards the mecca of homeware, hans metals and am greeted fondly.The kadhai cannot be repaired. I buy a hardy tawa that the maids wont be able to scrub the teflon coating off. Some steel utensils, a new kadhai on their exchange offer, and wonder of wonders, finally... the perfect flatware. I have been looking for a good set of tableware for over a year, and I finally found a solid german set. AH!!!! What joy!!
I lug the very heavy bag next door to the affable Pradeep at Gulab jewellers and am joined by Rob & his dad. We settle on our wedding bands. K.I.S.S.
Back to the car, depositing more heavy goods onto the seat. The gym bag glares at me and I swear I will rush and get my booty on that circuit.
I call Leila who says she will come in 15 mintues and help me with the upholstery ( I have been desperately trying to get her for the last month or so for this). So I meander down Main street and find:
cotton dresses for nana, from two very frail, sweet old men who spoke in kutchi ( not knowing it's my father's tongue) and they promise to cut the cottons to size and stitich them for me all by tomorrow. They are disappointed I buy only 4.
Flex shoes has white faux leather school keds for Alekhya ( the canvas ones get soaked in the rain , plus we are polishing them all the time). I also peeked into Bata and Liberty but they didnt stock these. I get her white socks, ankle length.
At Dabholkar's I get her what she wants most: a transparent exam board. Yipee!!
I also find her a burberry patterned insulated lunch bag. And munch on a bar of snickers for some energy.
At Yemajee's I gaze at pretty sheer white curtains with girlie pink tulips embroiderd, but give them a pass.
Leila and Ali arrive and we scrounge through Indo- Foreign for new upholstery. I was right, she has exquisite taste and I shall now be 'elegant' instead of good, ole "bohemian". Think teal, taupe, bronze and sand.
We rush to Yemajee's for more fabric. And we're HORRIFIED to find we have FORGOTTEN Ali in Indo - Foreign!!!! ( It's the old case of I -thought-she-was-with-you) Leila dashes back and finds the sprite! Whew!!!!
Left alone, I find more lovely blues and order some more fromthese lovely samples they have. It's a bad, evil place. There s floors of pretty fabrics, in many colours and they have shimmery curtains, deep jacquards, jewel-hued bolts of glistening silks.
I am so happy they give me a huge discount without my even asking for it.
And now I am home and so happy and well- shopped I couldnt do this in a million years. ( I just did one WHOLE DAy with Sheetal....last week)
Tonight I shall dream of my elegant new living room.
Note to self: DO NOT FORGET TO TIE PIGGY UP WHEN I USE THE NEW SOFA COVERS AND CUSHIONS AS HE HAS RIPPED 1 DUVET, 1 BED SPREAD, 1 SHAGGY RUG AND 2 CUSHION COVERS IN THE LAST 3 WEEKS.
FB Conversation with my madcap, soul-mate GFF Samia
Samia: Hey mail before tomorrow evening. Leaving Muscat tomorrow night. Call you once I get my plans fixed in Calicut. What happenend. Why the panic?
Samia:i just can't remember the spelling for this fucking word anymore.....that h word....i feel like a five year old struggling with big words......
Raadhika:have assigned big duty to you and need to confer before so you can say no if you want!! also need u to meet my aunt in bbay as i want to assign yu to her on the decor!!! :P say u will darlin!!!
Samia:yeah what big duty. as long as i don't have to marry robin or have illicit sex with some one to make your life easy, what big duty do you have in mind. Yeah, i'll meet your aunt. anything else. and no i will not be sharing my bed with anyone either!!!!! might make an exception on the sleeping or sex bit maybe...but i have to know who it is, what gender....specifically male on the sex bit, preferably six ft and above and more on the lanky side. no goras....but i might make an exception there also....
now can you stop with the fucking buildup and tell me what the fuck it is. supense....oh queen of hyperness makes me freak a bit....
and incase you haven't understood....yes. and no offense to robin. i'm a little off cradle snatching currently. LOLOLOL.
Radhika Dossai really want to post this converstaion on my blog: do you mind????
51 minutes ago:Samia Khan: no if it gets me advertising....which i need desperately and a fan club, which also i need desperately and a really amazing human being who can give me loads of things.......yes go ahead. i am pretty much unreserved.
Samia, I LOVE YOU!!!! So does Rob!!!!! truly, truly!!!
Samia:i just can't remember the spelling for this fucking word anymore.....that h word....i feel like a five year old struggling with big words......
Raadhika:have assigned big duty to you and need to confer before so you can say no if you want!! also need u to meet my aunt in bbay as i want to assign yu to her on the decor!!! :P say u will darlin!!!
Samia:yeah what big duty. as long as i don't have to marry robin or have illicit sex with some one to make your life easy, what big duty do you have in mind. Yeah, i'll meet your aunt. anything else. and no i will not be sharing my bed with anyone either!!!!! might make an exception on the sleeping or sex bit maybe...but i have to know who it is, what gender....specifically male on the sex bit, preferably six ft and above and more on the lanky side. no goras....but i might make an exception there also....
now can you stop with the fucking buildup and tell me what the fuck it is. supense....oh queen of hyperness makes me freak a bit....
and incase you haven't understood....yes. and no offense to robin. i'm a little off cradle snatching currently. LOLOLOL.
Radhika Dossai really want to post this converstaion on my blog: do you mind????
51 minutes ago:Samia Khan: no if it gets me advertising....which i need desperately and a fan club, which also i need desperately and a really amazing human being who can give me loads of things.......yes go ahead. i am pretty much unreserved.
Samia, I LOVE YOU!!!! So does Rob!!!!! truly, truly!!!
The 10 commandments of Shopping
What an absolutely manic monday!!!! But oh how I DO thrive under pressure!! I got sooo much done today, and so did Robin!Here goes...
Diary of a Shopaholic (of sorts) who is about to be married:
Rule #1: comfortable clothes and footwear essential for the expedition. Wear the hot pink wellies that lully gave you, and carry the crocs for lighter weather. Ah, not forgetting the acid green kolhapuris for a dry day!
Rule #2: phone a friend, and chat, and 'walk and talk'- what an idea, sirji!
Rule 3#: Car essentials: water, a snack, change for parking, a big brolly, lots of spare battery on the cell.
Rule #4: Have a friend join you. Before that, have the groom and FIL join you. Reeeally makes you want to throw away the visa!
Rule #5: Carry spare invitations so you are not stuck buying the groom a gift from his friend's store and having to evade the "whats-the-occasion-for -the-splurge' interrogation.
Rule #6: Make sure it's a wet, rainy day so you can spend more time browsing stuff.
Rule#7: Send the Mother on errands with her visa on her side of town, thereby saving on travel and time.
Rule #8: Delegate some more. Get BFF to get her mom to shop in Bombay!! And save more time and travel!
Rule#9: make a list and shop smart.
Rule#10: walk, walk, walk!!!And walk some more!
Diary of a Shopaholic (of sorts) who is about to be married:
Rule #1: comfortable clothes and footwear essential for the expedition. Wear the hot pink wellies that lully gave you, and carry the crocs for lighter weather. Ah, not forgetting the acid green kolhapuris for a dry day!
Rule #2: phone a friend, and chat, and 'walk and talk'- what an idea, sirji!
Rule 3#: Car essentials: water, a snack, change for parking, a big brolly, lots of spare battery on the cell.
Rule #4: Have a friend join you. Before that, have the groom and FIL join you. Reeeally makes you want to throw away the visa!
Rule #5: Carry spare invitations so you are not stuck buying the groom a gift from his friend's store and having to evade the "whats-the-occasion-for -the-splurge' interrogation.
Rule #6: Make sure it's a wet, rainy day so you can spend more time browsing stuff.
Rule#7: Send the Mother on errands with her visa on her side of town, thereby saving on travel and time.
Rule #8: Delegate some more. Get BFF to get her mom to shop in Bombay!! And save more time and travel!
Rule#9: make a list and shop smart.
Rule#10: walk, walk, walk!!!And walk some more!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
from ale
the recipe for happiness cake:1 wicked stepfather,1pepper hot chocolate mom , one smart-sophisticated-pipsqeak sugary alekhya. mix together with 4 furry dogs, 1 well-ripened greatgrandma. a dash of grandmother for spice. Garnish with 1 papa, 1 crazy cook. Mix well and toss with love. Watch as it rises in the oven. Ice well with cuddles and hugs.sprinkle with kisses and smiles.
It's raining
Here comes the rain!! And how! Water levels in Pune have risen to higher than total levels from last year. This after fears of a neaar draught. Phew!! At least we wont have to get a tanker for the wedding! And all our guests can bathe happily!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Our Children
On Children
Kahlil Gibran
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
Kahlil Gibran
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.
The Secret
We are finally getting in gear and my world is filled with writing envelopes, sending emails and keeping track of addresses and more lists. Rob has finally jumped right in and we've tackled a lot of the important things.... like his suit!!
And the caterer!
Through all this merry chaos, what stands out the most is how happy everyone has been to hear our news, and how everyone is glad to be coming or sad they aren't able to. This feeling of such love and encouragement and support makes us feel all warm and fuzzy and happy that the world is such a happy place!
Robin's family has thrown itself into helping, and suggestions and helping hands are pouring in. It feels really nice that they have chosen to be supportive and involved in our so very unconventional 'relationship'. The D'Cruz cousins are all super fun and I like having sisters -in-law... Andi, Shona, Ewelina, Shauna (whom I will owe forever) and Petronella. They are all diverse women, strong women. I look forward to getting to know them even better!
To be honest, I'm not a big family person, as my brother Ketan and I grew up alone with our parents in Lonavla. And our circle consisted of friends, with extended family somewhere in the background. After my dada, and much later, my dadi-ma passed away, our links to the family home in Bombay grew more distant as my father and his siblings grew more estranged. And papa's passing away made it all even more remote. I like to think that my generation has tried to remain friends and let the elders have their disputes. At the end of the day, Facebook turned into one huge bonding platform and now I'm in touch with cousins and aunts and nieces from Mumbai and the US.
Today brought a big surprise on FB again.... I met my mother's side on-line. Ma is an only child, but her mother ( my Nana who lives with me)had a whole cricket team of siblings so I have aunts and uncles my age and cousins too!! TOday I connected with Janice from Ontario, and so we have a link more instantaneous than snail-mail, to ma's cousins and aunt in Canada.
This blog is being read by Robin's far-flung relatives too,in Europe, America and possibly Down Under. I still marvel at how the internet has linked us all so close.
Then there is OUR family: the family Rob and I have had through all these past years. A family full of rock solid friendships, fantastic womena and sources of strength, laughter and love. Za, Yaku, Sha, Andi, Rachel, Aneesha, Janu, Leila, Niloufer, Judi,Minal, Monika, Sheetal,Jay. Truly, you are the sisters of our soul.And always family.
Strangely, there are few men on this list. I wonder why? I think the women just entered our lives and surrounded us with all their love.
Most striking of all is how many messages and emails I have received from friends, both men and women, saying Rob and I are an inspiration to them. That we have made them believe that love does conquer all, that dreams can come true and that families can get over the whole 'class-caste-religion-dogma' bars. To be honest, we just stopped expecting any kind of support and believed that as long as we held true, our world would be happy.
WHich brings me to dwell on something important: I recently read that each of us has a God-given duty to pursue happiness actively. If we do not make it our mission to find happiness and be happy, we will not be able to spread happiness around and therefore, we will spread unhappiness around. Put the other way,it sounds like this: If I am an unhappy person, my unhappiness will percolate into my life, and by extension into the lives of those closest to me, and then they become unhappy in turn. Ii, instead, I find my level of happiness and I allow that to percolate into my life, everyone else responds to my happiness and it's spread around and we are all happy!
So I say: we must all actively pursue happiness, that which brings us joy and light that we can share. SO go and punch a boxing bag, or go for a long walk, pant around the race course and work through your anger or your pain. But when you come home, look around and count your blessings. Every day I count my blessings and give thanks, and what can I say?? The secret of happiness is right there, inside me, around me.And we will keep spreading it around.
And the caterer!
Through all this merry chaos, what stands out the most is how happy everyone has been to hear our news, and how everyone is glad to be coming or sad they aren't able to. This feeling of such love and encouragement and support makes us feel all warm and fuzzy and happy that the world is such a happy place!
Robin's family has thrown itself into helping, and suggestions and helping hands are pouring in. It feels really nice that they have chosen to be supportive and involved in our so very unconventional 'relationship'. The D'Cruz cousins are all super fun and I like having sisters -in-law... Andi, Shona, Ewelina, Shauna (whom I will owe forever) and Petronella. They are all diverse women, strong women. I look forward to getting to know them even better!
To be honest, I'm not a big family person, as my brother Ketan and I grew up alone with our parents in Lonavla. And our circle consisted of friends, with extended family somewhere in the background. After my dada, and much later, my dadi-ma passed away, our links to the family home in Bombay grew more distant as my father and his siblings grew more estranged. And papa's passing away made it all even more remote. I like to think that my generation has tried to remain friends and let the elders have their disputes. At the end of the day, Facebook turned into one huge bonding platform and now I'm in touch with cousins and aunts and nieces from Mumbai and the US.
Today brought a big surprise on FB again.... I met my mother's side on-line. Ma is an only child, but her mother ( my Nana who lives with me)had a whole cricket team of siblings so I have aunts and uncles my age and cousins too!! TOday I connected with Janice from Ontario, and so we have a link more instantaneous than snail-mail, to ma's cousins and aunt in Canada.
This blog is being read by Robin's far-flung relatives too,in Europe, America and possibly Down Under. I still marvel at how the internet has linked us all so close.
Then there is OUR family: the family Rob and I have had through all these past years. A family full of rock solid friendships, fantastic womena and sources of strength, laughter and love. Za, Yaku, Sha, Andi, Rachel, Aneesha, Janu, Leila, Niloufer, Judi,Minal, Monika, Sheetal,Jay. Truly, you are the sisters of our soul.And always family.
Strangely, there are few men on this list. I wonder why? I think the women just entered our lives and surrounded us with all their love.
Most striking of all is how many messages and emails I have received from friends, both men and women, saying Rob and I are an inspiration to them. That we have made them believe that love does conquer all, that dreams can come true and that families can get over the whole 'class-caste-religion-dogma' bars. To be honest, we just stopped expecting any kind of support and believed that as long as we held true, our world would be happy.
WHich brings me to dwell on something important: I recently read that each of us has a God-given duty to pursue happiness actively. If we do not make it our mission to find happiness and be happy, we will not be able to spread happiness around and therefore, we will spread unhappiness around. Put the other way,it sounds like this: If I am an unhappy person, my unhappiness will percolate into my life, and by extension into the lives of those closest to me, and then they become unhappy in turn. Ii, instead, I find my level of happiness and I allow that to percolate into my life, everyone else responds to my happiness and it's spread around and we are all happy!
So I say: we must all actively pursue happiness, that which brings us joy and light that we can share. SO go and punch a boxing bag, or go for a long walk, pant around the race course and work through your anger or your pain. But when you come home, look around and count your blessings. Every day I count my blessings and give thanks, and what can I say?? The secret of happiness is right there, inside me, around me.And we will keep spreading it around.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Tout-suit(e)
Ok, Robin does not have his wedding suit yet. Any ideas who in aamchi Pune will do a good job?? We have some great options in Bombay, but unless we paddle there ( and I seriously doubt the car will make it)we have no suit!
It's finally here, the monsoon! Yabadabbadoo!!! It's so lovely to be all cozy at home and to actually wear wellies and a raincoat to step out! The dogs hate the wet, but even they are happy to snuggle into their gaadis and sneak on to the sofa.
Saw "The Proposal" last night. Ummm, I'm sure Rob and I have had many 'Drew & Margaret' moments.... like the missing proposal. I live in hope!!! ANyway, by the end of the movie, Drew still didnt propose to Margaret, he just TOLD her. Like I said, it was a 'Drew & Margaret' moment, or vice-versa!
Just for the record: Robin TOLD me. He never asked. But who's complaining???
It's finally here, the monsoon! Yabadabbadoo!!! It's so lovely to be all cozy at home and to actually wear wellies and a raincoat to step out! The dogs hate the wet, but even they are happy to snuggle into their gaadis and sneak on to the sofa.
Saw "The Proposal" last night. Ummm, I'm sure Rob and I have had many 'Drew & Margaret' moments.... like the missing proposal. I live in hope!!! ANyway, by the end of the movie, Drew still didnt propose to Margaret, he just TOLD her. Like I said, it was a 'Drew & Margaret' moment, or vice-versa!
Just for the record: Robin TOLD me. He never asked. But who's complaining???
HE's back!!
No, no! I don't mean Voldemort, although he will be back on celluloid this weekend, and the 3 of us are all geared to a Harry Potter weekend!
Robin's back! He's finally back. Which means he can do all the guy stuff and all the boring guy stuff... you know, bills and accounts and transport and whatnot. Whew!!! I was soooo worroed, especially since Bobby is now in Bonn (Bobby is the MAIN obama-manouevre man). Well, now I don't have to worry about kidnapping Robin and bringing him home!
Yaaay! Robin's home. What more can I say??? :)
Robin's back! He's finally back. Which means he can do all the guy stuff and all the boring guy stuff... you know, bills and accounts and transport and whatnot. Whew!!! I was soooo worroed, especially since Bobby is now in Bonn (Bobby is the MAIN obama-manouevre man). Well, now I don't have to worry about kidnapping Robin and bringing him home!
Yaaay! Robin's home. What more can I say??? :)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Counting Down
OHHHMYYYGAAAAWSH! We are less than a month away from the festivities.
Here's the plan so far:
13th August, Mehendi ceremony, at my house, ladies only. (invitations will follow)
14th August, Hen Night and Bachelor party.... suggestions, anyone??? Seanie, wake up!
15th August: recover from the excesses of the 14th (men especially)
16th August: signing at the Registrar's (tentative, before lunch o/w at venue)
630 pm Wedding
Most of the overseas invitations have left last week. Am working on sending the outstation ones by this weekend. Please send your RSVPS, your veg-non veg preferences!!
I think I need to go write invitations, so ......cheerio!!
Here's the plan so far:
13th August, Mehendi ceremony, at my house, ladies only. (invitations will follow)
14th August, Hen Night and Bachelor party.... suggestions, anyone??? Seanie, wake up!
15th August: recover from the excesses of the 14th (men especially)
16th August: signing at the Registrar's (tentative, before lunch o/w at venue)
630 pm Wedding
Most of the overseas invitations have left last week. Am working on sending the outstation ones by this weekend. Please send your RSVPS, your veg-non veg preferences!!
I think I need to go write invitations, so ......cheerio!!
Tech Support
dear radhika,
reading the blog but cant work out how to comment, so here my reply per email
pls note:
dont worry, since you have an older model just dont change the settings too much. they usually work fine as long as you dont feed them with too much new software which seems to confuse them, the new programs never work.
stick to the old versions and just update them once in a while and it should all run quite smoothly.
love
dani
reading the blog but cant work out how to comment, so here my reply per email
pls note:
dont worry, since you have an older model just dont change the settings too much. they usually work fine as long as you dont feed them with too much new software which seems to confuse them, the new programs never work.
stick to the old versions and just update them once in a while and it should all run quite smoothly.
love
dani
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The Truth About MEN!!!
Should I be freaking out?? Rob has started sendin me these seriously WEIRD jokes!! Read on and tell me if I need to worry!!!
Dear Tech Support,
Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and I noticed a distinct slowdown in the overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewellery applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.
In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as
Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NEWS 5.0, MONEY 3.0 and CRICKET 4.1.
Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.
Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.
What can I do?
Signed,
Desperate Woman
Tech Support Reply,
DEAR DESPERATE Madam,
First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.
Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.htmland try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.
If that application works as designed, Husband1.0should then automatically run the applications Jewellery 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.
However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1.
Please note that Beer 6. 1 is a very bad program that will download the Snoring Loudly Beta.
Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-In-Law 1.0 under any circumstances (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)
In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.
In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly.
You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance.
We recommend: Cooking 3.0 and Hot Looks 7.7.
Good Luck Madam!
Dear Tech Support,
Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and I noticed a distinct slowdown in the overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewellery applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.
In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as
Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NEWS 5.0, MONEY 3.0 and CRICKET 4.1.
Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.
Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.
What can I do?
Signed,
Desperate Woman
Tech Support Reply,
DEAR DESPERATE Madam,
First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.
Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.htmland try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.
If that application works as designed, Husband1.0should then automatically run the applications Jewellery 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.
However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1.
Please note that Beer 6. 1 is a very bad program that will download the Snoring Loudly Beta.
Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-In-Law 1.0 under any circumstances (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)
In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.
In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly.
You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance.
We recommend: Cooking 3.0 and Hot Looks 7.7.
Good Luck Madam!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
5 WEEKS TO GO!
Last week has been a real roller coaster!
Time to fill out envelopes with addresses and go to the good ole post office and hope our 'snail mail' flies to foreign shores! The card is finally ready, and I am delighted and touched by how much care and effort Robin's parents have put into it. Please note the balding man and the scraggly rod-stewart haired woman on the card! And please note that John and Wendy have tied all the bows, and insisted they don't need our help.
The rain seems to be moving in and will hopefully make up for it's delay. I just hope our big night isn't washed out. Felt a HUGE pang of regret today that I didn't check out Cheeru and Praful's rooftop wedding venue at Post 91. We are now well and truly stuck with the Turf Club, and while it is old -worldy and charming, the rooftop sounded fab... :( Awww well...
RSVP s have started trickling in (hint, hint). No prizes for guessing that my dearest Yakuta cannot make it from Spiti. That has to be the biggest blow to our day. I can't even bear to think about it. And if Richu doesn't make it, I'll be really sad. Ditto for Andi. We will anyway miss Vikash, Saby, Ayesha and Sylvain, Nachi, Nina, Perizaad, Aneesha D.............. That's quite a list. On the plus side, we get more cake :P
Did a very important round with Priyanka Rajiv, who is dressing the bride. Rachel has made sure Priyanka extends herself to the limit and I am sure I will look great. OOOH I am so excited and totally thrilled cause Rachel's eye and taste is impeccable! Does anyone know or remember the catastrophic disaster that was my last wedding dress? Cheeeee!!!! Never, ever, ever trust Gavin Miguel... so - called designer from Bombay. I shall post a picture and you can all decide for yourselves!!
The bridal party is getting in gear: Ring Bearer (or Frodo) is Shayaan. He will be followed by Alique and Alekhya who insist they want 'matching-matching' ghaghara cholis and who will sprinkle flowers before I walk in after them. (Don't be late for the little ceremony....)
We really do need to practise the 'Obama- manoeuvre" as there seems to be no sign of Robin coming home yet!
Got some lovely table tops for the candles today! In my colours too : sunset pink and burnt orange. I found the EXACT shades on a bunch of frangipani growing in my garden! I shall make me a bouquet of flowers from my garden or wear them in my hair!
Time to fill out envelopes with addresses and go to the good ole post office and hope our 'snail mail' flies to foreign shores! The card is finally ready, and I am delighted and touched by how much care and effort Robin's parents have put into it. Please note the balding man and the scraggly rod-stewart haired woman on the card! And please note that John and Wendy have tied all the bows, and insisted they don't need our help.
The rain seems to be moving in and will hopefully make up for it's delay. I just hope our big night isn't washed out. Felt a HUGE pang of regret today that I didn't check out Cheeru and Praful's rooftop wedding venue at Post 91. We are now well and truly stuck with the Turf Club, and while it is old -worldy and charming, the rooftop sounded fab... :( Awww well...
RSVP s have started trickling in (hint, hint). No prizes for guessing that my dearest Yakuta cannot make it from Spiti. That has to be the biggest blow to our day. I can't even bear to think about it. And if Richu doesn't make it, I'll be really sad. Ditto for Andi. We will anyway miss Vikash, Saby, Ayesha and Sylvain, Nachi, Nina, Perizaad, Aneesha D.............. That's quite a list. On the plus side, we get more cake :P
Did a very important round with Priyanka Rajiv, who is dressing the bride. Rachel has made sure Priyanka extends herself to the limit and I am sure I will look great. OOOH I am so excited and totally thrilled cause Rachel's eye and taste is impeccable! Does anyone know or remember the catastrophic disaster that was my last wedding dress? Cheeeee!!!! Never, ever, ever trust Gavin Miguel... so - called designer from Bombay. I shall post a picture and you can all decide for yourselves!!
The bridal party is getting in gear: Ring Bearer (or Frodo) is Shayaan. He will be followed by Alique and Alekhya who insist they want 'matching-matching' ghaghara cholis and who will sprinkle flowers before I walk in after them. (Don't be late for the little ceremony....)
We really do need to practise the 'Obama- manoeuvre" as there seems to be no sign of Robin coming home yet!
Got some lovely table tops for the candles today! In my colours too : sunset pink and burnt orange. I found the EXACT shades on a bunch of frangipani growing in my garden! I shall make me a bouquet of flowers from my garden or wear them in my hair!
Friday, July 3, 2009
SUNDAY BRUNCH WITH MID-DAY
While this has nothing to do with the wedding, except in the way that I 've always wanted a Champagne wedding brunch in lazy winter sunshine, I must chatter away about the Mid Day 30th Anniversary Brunch I attended last Sunday.
We were unfashionably late. But it was still full of the 'whos-who" and the "movers & shakers". It was loud, noisy and crowded.
Walking through the Oberoi - Trident sucked. I kept thinking of 26/11 and even looking down towards what is now "Frangipani" and searching for the old waterfall didnt help. People died here. People died here horribly.
Can life ever go on?
Well, upstairs at the Rooftop, it did. I got dizzy from rotating my neck and people spotting! ( I love people -watching). There were Page-3s, Page-1s and even the Business Pages!!
So there was Ad world God father, Prahlad Kakkar. My mental camera took snapshots of Arjun Khanna and his wife Shefali, Atul and Vandana Kasbekar, Devika and Suresh Bhojwani who rocked the dance floor, Kahled Ansari, his dashing son Taariq, the gentil-homme Sunil Doshi, a striking Malavika Rajbans Sanghvi, Prahlad's son Anjin and his friend, a few models, Gerson da Cunha, Dolly Thakore, no bollywood stars, and a very sweet, old fashioned band playing golden oldies that had everyone grooving and jiving! Such fun to see dashing older men spin on the carpeted dance floor.
The buffet brunch was beyawesome!! Let's see... there were pancakes with 4 kinds of fillings and syrups, eggs benedict with salmon and hollaindaise, souffles, pastas, salads, breads, french cheeses, tartlets, sliced roasted salmon, the most mouth meltingly tender roast beef and I cant remember the rest of the buffet spread because for me the brunch spread began and ended with the fresh oysters. Larger than my palm, I kid you not. They were fresh, alive and every bit as memorable and sublime as every food writer has extolled, from MFK Fisher to Nigella and Tony. A dash of tabasco, a squeeze of lime and slurp it down. I fell in love. That something so utterly simple and so truly fresh and divine exists and can cause a rare and hitherto unknown sensory experience was mind-blowing. I only regret Rob and I were not sharing them on a deserted island in the South Pacific.
Mimosas and tickly glasses of champagne has effervescence coursing through me and I swear I teetered wholly drunk into my seat on the DQ back home!
Ps: I liked the 'different' custard dessert. Not creme caramel and not quite creme brulee, but somewhere wholly satisfying and in-between. Otherwise the desserts were definitely 'comme-ci-comme ca'.
Pps: I like to think RR packed quite a punch in her pure white shift.
Ppps: Now I have to make sure I am invited next year as well... hint, hint!
We were unfashionably late. But it was still full of the 'whos-who" and the "movers & shakers". It was loud, noisy and crowded.
Walking through the Oberoi - Trident sucked. I kept thinking of 26/11 and even looking down towards what is now "Frangipani" and searching for the old waterfall didnt help. People died here. People died here horribly.
Can life ever go on?
Well, upstairs at the Rooftop, it did. I got dizzy from rotating my neck and people spotting! ( I love people -watching). There were Page-3s, Page-1s and even the Business Pages!!
So there was Ad world God father, Prahlad Kakkar. My mental camera took snapshots of Arjun Khanna and his wife Shefali, Atul and Vandana Kasbekar, Devika and Suresh Bhojwani who rocked the dance floor, Kahled Ansari, his dashing son Taariq, the gentil-homme Sunil Doshi, a striking Malavika Rajbans Sanghvi, Prahlad's son Anjin and his friend, a few models, Gerson da Cunha, Dolly Thakore, no bollywood stars, and a very sweet, old fashioned band playing golden oldies that had everyone grooving and jiving! Such fun to see dashing older men spin on the carpeted dance floor.
The buffet brunch was beyawesome!! Let's see... there were pancakes with 4 kinds of fillings and syrups, eggs benedict with salmon and hollaindaise, souffles, pastas, salads, breads, french cheeses, tartlets, sliced roasted salmon, the most mouth meltingly tender roast beef and I cant remember the rest of the buffet spread because for me the brunch spread began and ended with the fresh oysters. Larger than my palm, I kid you not. They were fresh, alive and every bit as memorable and sublime as every food writer has extolled, from MFK Fisher to Nigella and Tony. A dash of tabasco, a squeeze of lime and slurp it down. I fell in love. That something so utterly simple and so truly fresh and divine exists and can cause a rare and hitherto unknown sensory experience was mind-blowing. I only regret Rob and I were not sharing them on a deserted island in the South Pacific.
Mimosas and tickly glasses of champagne has effervescence coursing through me and I swear I teetered wholly drunk into my seat on the DQ back home!
Ps: I liked the 'different' custard dessert. Not creme caramel and not quite creme brulee, but somewhere wholly satisfying and in-between. Otherwise the desserts were definitely 'comme-ci-comme ca'.
Pps: I like to think RR packed quite a punch in her pure white shift.
Ppps: Now I have to make sure I am invited next year as well... hint, hint!
Marriage jokes
Hmmm... Robin is finally seeing the funny side of marriage! Here's his joke... don't be surprised if it pops up in some wedding speech.....
- MEN
- 1. All men are extremely busy.
- 2. Although they are so busy, they still have time for women.
- 3. Although they still have time for women, they don't really care for them.
- 4. Although they don't really care for them, they always have one around.
- 5. Although they always have one around them, they always try their luck with others.
- WOMEN
- 1. The most important thing for a woman is financial security.
- 2. Although this is so important, they still go out and buy expensive clothes and stuff.
- 3. Although they always buy expensive clothes, they never have something to wear.
- 4.. Although they never have something to wear, they always dress beautifully..
- 5. Although they always dress beautifully, their clothes are always just "an old rag".
- 6. Although their clothes are always "just an old rag", they still expect you to compliment them.
- 7. Although they expect you to compliment them, when you do, they don't believe you.
- Wisdom:
- WHEN I WAS MARRIED 25 YEARS, I TOOK A LOOK AT MY WIFE ONE DAY AND SAID,
- "HONEY, 25 YEARS AGO WE HAD A CHEAP APARTMENT, A CHEAP CAR,
- SLEPT ON A SOFA BED AND WATCHED A 10-INCH BLACK AND WHITE TV,
- BUT I GOT TO SLEEP EVERY NIGHT WITH A HOT 25-YEAR-OLD BLONDE."
- NOW WE HAVE A $500,000 HOME, A $45,000 CAR, NICE BIG BED AND PLASMA SCREEN TV,
- BUT I'M SLEEPING WITH A 50-YEAR-OLD WOMAN.
- IT SEEMS TO ME THAT YOU ARE NOT HOLDING UP YOUR SIDE OF THINGS."
- WIFE IS A VERY REASONABLE WOMAN. SHE TOLD ME TO GO OUT & FIND A HOT 25-YEAR-OLD BLONDE,
- AND SH E WOULD MAKE SURE THAT I WOULD ONCE AGAIN BE LIVING
- IN A CHEAP APARTMENT, DRIVING A CHEAP CAR, SLEEPING ON A SOFA BED
- AND WATCHING A 10-INCH BLACK AND WHITE TV.
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